Sorted by date Results 301 - 309 of 309
Gov. Mike Dunleavy said his administration will no longer respond to or participate in hearings led by Sen. Lora Reinbold, telling the fellow Republican in a withering letter Feb. 18 that she has used her position to “misrepresent” the state’s COVID-19 response and that her demands for information are “not based in fact.” Reinbold has criticized the governor’s pandemic disaster declarations and taken aim at health restrictions imposed by local governments, airlines and the Legislature, including mask requirements. She has used social medi...
The state housing corporation started up its new, federally funded assistance program for renters this week. Up to $200 million is available to help tenants across Alaska who are behind on their rent or utilities, and/or need help with the rent for this month and even far into 2021. In addition to a maximum income level - a Wrangell applicant's total household income either last year or this year cannot exceed $57,120 - the other major eligibility requirement is that the household must show it...
JUNEAU - A state corporation is seeking almost $4.5 billion in federal funding to help build a $5.9 billion pipeline to move North Slope natural gas to Fairbanks. The project is being promoted as the first phase of the state-sponsored $38 billion project to move North Slope gas more than 800 miles to Nikiski, on the Kenai Peninsula, where the gas would be supercooled into a liquid and loaded aboard 1,000-foot-long tankers to buyers in Asia. The larger project to transport and sell North Slope natural gas overseas has been around for decades,...
The governor had a chance to talk honestly about taxes when he announced his 10-year budget plan last month. He had a second chance Jan. 28 with his State of the State speech. Sadly, he failed both times. The governor's 10-year fiscal plan acknowledges there will be a $1.2 billion hole in the state budget 18 months from now. That's equal to more than 20% of public services and Permanent Fund dividends the next year. And that's after spending down the state's savings for much of the past 30...
The Wrangell community group BRAVE (Building Respect and Valuing Everyone) has embarked on a "revival mode" after slowing down last year for the pandemic. BRAVE, which was founded in 2017, has as its mission statement: "To provide advocacy for healthy relationships in our community through prevention programs, resource referral and community engagement." It has been an unofficial sister organization to WISH (Women in Safe Homes), the Ketchikan shelter for victims of domestic violence which also...
Anti-tobacco advocates thought a little friendly competition between Wrangell and Petersburg might draw attention to their message. "It's been a challenge to reach people because we're not having face-to-face meetings," said Tammi Meissner, Wrangell SEARHC health educator. Organizers put up posters in each town, showing the connection between tobacco use, e-cigarettes and health, and asked people to find and take pictures of the hidden posters, and then put them on the event's Facebook page....
The city announced a new case of COVID-19 in Wrangell on Saturday morning. It was not related to any travel. This latest case, the 29th for the community, was reported as a local resident infected with the virus. According to the city's press release, the resident had not traveled recently. The person has been notified and is in isolation, the city said. The weekend report was the only active case of COVID-19 in Wrangell. The previous 28 are all reported as recovered. Residents who experience...
It's no secret that the state of Alaska is short of enough revenues to provide the services its communities need. And until the legislature, the governor and members of the public make hard decisions about taxes and the size of the Permanent Fund dividend, there will not be much state money available to flow to cities and boroughs for construction and repair projects. However, there is always a chance of political compromise that could create opportunities for dealing with backlogged...
To help gain support for his proposal to pay Alaskans $5,000 in Permanent Fund dividends this year, Gov. Mike Dunleavy cites numbers that the Alaska Permanent Fund gained $10 billion on its investments March 31 through Nov. 30, 2020. The state can afford the extra spending, he says. That's not entirely accurate. It's misleading. Before the fund gained $10 billion in eight months, it lost $7 billion in the first three months of the year. But the governor is not talking about those money-losing...