Sorted by date Results 1623 - 1647 of 7954
A state senator wants to direct a larger share of filing fees paid to the court system toward a nonprofit legal aid organization that helps several thousand Alaskans a year with their domestic violence, family law, housing, elder advocacy and other cases. The 56-year-old Alaska Legal Services Corp. “is part of our social safety net,” helping the most vulnerable community members, particularly survivors of domestic violence, said Anchorage Sen. Forrest Dunbar, sponsor of the legislation. Senate Bill 104 would amend state law to direct up to 25%...
The Alaska House of Representatives could vote this week or next on a bill that would block a 67% pay raise for state legislators and a 20% raise for the governor and top members of the executive branch. Passage of the bill is anticipated — multiple members of the House Republican-led majority coalition and Democratic-led minority have already expressed their support of the idea — but leading members of the Senate said the idea is dead on arrival when it crosses the building and arrives in their chamber. Under state law, the raises will go ahe...
Cutting taxes for businesses while also imposing a 2% sales tax on Alaskans got side-by-side consideration last week as part of one legislator’s concept of a fiscal plan. Legislators have been discussing various forms of a long-term fiscal plan for years as the state has faced budget deficits much of the past three decades. A state sales tax and large corporate tax cut were proposed by Rep. Ben Carpenter, a Nikiski Republican who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. He emphasized at a committee hearing on March 29 that while a state s...
More than 100 Alaskans spoke out against a “parental rights” bill proposed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, in a wave of opposition to the legislation that many said would harm already vulnerable transgender youths. Of the 119 Alaskans who spoke during the nearly five-hour hearing held last Thursday evening by the House Education Committee, 103 opposed the bill and only 16 were in favor of it. Apayauq Reitan, the first openly transgender woman to run the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, was one of many gender nonconforming individuals who said the bill wou...
ANCHORAGE — A judge has dismissed a sex abuse case against former acting Alaska Attorney General Clyde “Ed” Sniffen, citing the statute of limitations that were in place when the alleged abuse happened more than 30 years ago. The case, thrown out on Friday, involved allegations that Sniffen, now 58, sexually abused a then-17-year-old student in 1991 when he was 27 and was the alleged victim’s coach of her high school’s mock trial competition team in Anchorage. Sniffen had pleaded not guilty. Alaska does not currently have a statute of limita...
Bans on commercial fishing in U.S. and international Arctic waters have been lauded as admirable preemptive actions that protect vulnerable resources before they are damaged by exploitation. But now the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is preparing for a time when the 14-year-old moratorium on commercial fishing in federal Arctic waters is lifted. The department is seeking $1 million in state general funds and $2 million in federal funds to work on research to better understand those Arctic waters in the event that commercial fisheries are co...
What was slated to be a month-long pool shutdown stretched to two months, then three, as the borough and Parks and Recreation struggled to find a contractor to make necessary repairs. But after a long winter with no relaxing lap swims or rejuvenating water aerobics sessions, the pool’s dry spell may finally have an end in sight. The pool has been closed since the last week of November. The week of March 13, local contractor White Enterprises committed to take on the project which includes concrete repairs. Parks and Recreation Director Lucy Rob...
Almost 33,000 visitors are expected to step off a ship or a plane this summer in Wrangell — more than in any year since 2005. But continuing that growth and building up the town’s tourism economy will require more side excursions and other attractions for cruise ship passengers and more overnight accommodations for independent travelers. The community makes its money — jobs and taxes — when tourists find goods or services to buy in town. “The visitor sector will need to make sure it has the capacity to provide sufficient tours to visiting...
Busy lifestyles, reluctance and just old-fashion stubbornness can sometimes get in the way of addressing health care needs. The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium has the remedy for all the excuses. From 7 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the Nolan Center, SEARHC will hold its first health fair since 2019. The free event will provide information and services on everything from cancer prevention to lab services. There will even be drawings and prizes, including 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles and a children’s bicycle giveaway. “Sometimes it...
Trident’s decision to reopen its Wrangell seafood processing plant after a three-year closure was welcome news for residents, thanks to the economic boost it will bring to town. However, since Trident is one of the community’s major water consumers, the Public Works Department must prepare the aging water treatment plant to handle increased demand this summer before the new water plant, which will have a much larger capacity, is ready to go. The assembly unanimously approved $116,151 worth of spare parts for the current water treatment pla...
The Alder Top Village subdivision is slated to bring 20 new residential lots to the community in its first phase, hopefully by 2024. Borough officials are optimistic that the additional lots will alleviate the community’s housing shortage. But the borough must tread carefully as it develops a portion of the 134-acre parcel because of its environmental and historical significance. Last month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit to fill wetlands at the site and approved the borough’s wetlands mitigation plan. This plan is int...
Breathtaking visuals, gripping plot twists, fascinating history and fun collectibles - all this and more will be available at the Nolan Center's first ever anime fair next month, which aims to bring this popular Japanese artform to Wrangell. The fair, which will take place 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 15 at the Nolan Center, is open to all ages and interest levels, from diehard anime fans to genre newcomers. The event is "new for Wrangell," said Nolan Center Director Cyni Crary, who was involved in...
Any commercial fisherman knows the risks that come with the job, and it’s an added benefit to have deckhands with safety course certification. To that end, the Wrangell School District migrant education program is covering the cost of an upcoming drill conductor safety course for students who are at least 14 years old and their families work in commercial fishing and the student may miss part of the school year to help with the family business. The class is open to everyone, though the school district will pay the fee only for such migrant s...
A berry pink jumpsuit with pleated sleeves and a whimsical coral reef pattern; a sea-green onesie covered in cartoon octopuses, each of them unique; organic oils, teas and lotions for postpartum moms -all this and more will be available at Hannah Miethe's new online baby shop, Little Nestlings Boutique, which is slated to open early this summer. "I grew up here in Wrangell my whole life and I saw a need for children to have clothing," Miethe said. "I don't see a lot of postpartum things in town...
Similar pieces of legislation to increase state funding for public schools are awaiting hearings in the House and Senate finance committees as lawmakers face a mid-May adjournment deadline and school districts make spending plans for the 2023-2024 school year. The House bill, which was amended and moved out of the Education Committee on March 22, would increase the funding formula by a little over 11% in the first year and 2% in the second year, about half of the bill sponsor’s original proposal. The Senate version, which moved out of its E...
In her childhood years, Trinity Faulkner benefited from the game of basketball and developed a lifelong appreciation of the sport. To help fulfill her high school graduation requirement and celebrate a passion for making passes and baskets, Faulkner used her knowledge and skills to assist Parks and Recreation's youth basketball program last October. The 17-year-old worked with 5- to 7-year-old kids on dribbling, throwing and other game basics for about six weeks. Even though she didn't play the...
JUNEAU (AP) — Two Southeast Alaska men face charges in the beating death of a man who was attacked because of a social media post, according to an investigator’s affidavit. Moses S. Blanchard, 22, and Blaise A. Dilts, 21, of Klawock, face charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and burglary in the death of 80-year-old Lincoln Peratrovich, according to state court records. The two men made their first appearance in court in Klawock on March 22. The investigation is being conducted by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation, which falls und...
The Alaska House advanced a targeted spending bill March 22, intended to address the state’s unprecedented backlog of unanswered applications for food stamp benefits and a shortage of public defenders in criminal cases. The budget bill is being fast-tracked through the Legislature so that the money can be made available quickly. It contains provisions to draw from the $2.3 billion Constitutional Budget Reserve — the state’s main savings account — to spend a maximum of $115 million for unanticipated spending needs for the fiscal year that en...
The Alaska Legislature is preparing to examine two new tax proposals after a state revenue forecast showed significant long-term budget deficits even with a sharply reduced Permanent Fund dividend. One proposal, introduced Friday by Anchorage Democrat Sen. Bill Wielechowski, would cut a popular oil production tax credit and expand the applicability of the state’s corporate income tax to privately owned oil and gas producers. The second proposal, filed Monday by Nikiski Republican Rep. Ben Carpenter, would impose a 2% state sales tax. The s...
JUNEAU — Falling oil prices are projected to slice $925 million from state revenues this year and next, bolstering the argument of legislators who support a smaller Permanent Fund dividend this fall and the years beyond. More immediately, lower oil prices have torn big holes in the state budget. The Department of Revenue on March 21 released new estimates showing a deficit of about $220 million in the fiscal year that ends June 30. Legislators have agreed to use savings to fill this year’s deficit by spending from the state’s Const...
Alaska legislators will get a 67% pay raise next January — from $50,000 to $84,000 a year — and the governor and state department heads will receive a 20% boost effective July 1. The wage hikes come after Gov. Mike Dunleavy replaced an independent salary commission that was unable to agree on a pay hike for lawmakers, with the new members convening on short notice to recommend the raises. An entirely new five-member commission met March 15 and added the legislators’ pay increase to an earlier recommendation that the governor, lieutenant governo...
Some state lawmakers have signaled their opposition to the nomination of the leader of a conservative advocacy organization to serve on the University of Alaska Board of Regents. Bethany Marcum is executive director of the Alaska Policy Forum, which advocates for limiting government and reducing state spending, including on education. Gov. Mike Dunleavy nominated Marcum for the board earlier this year. Her appointment is subject to confirmation by the entire Legislature, which will vote on the governor’s nominations in April or May. The H...
Dozens of Alaskans testified in the state Capitol on March 20, urging lawmakers to advance a new anti-discrimination measure that would protect Alaskans from being denied housing or access to public accommodations because of their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. House Bill 99, from Anchorage Rep. Jennifer Armstrong, is being considered by the House Labor and Commerce Committee, which heard two hours of public testimony, almost entirely in support of the idea. Members of the committee have received more than 1,000 emails — m...
Levi Foster of Anchorage said it’s taken him decades to recover from the “emotional abuse and manipulation” he experienced while he was subjected to conversion therapy, the largely discredited practice that attempts to change a minor’s gender identity or sexual orientation. He said that experience is what led him, and other survivors and advocates, to speak in front of the state House Health and Social Services committee on March 16 in support of a bill sponsored by Juneau Rep. Sara Hannan that would ban licensed physicians, psychia...
Adding to the millions of dollars in federal pandemic relief aid already provided to the borough, Wrangell has been notified that $1.23 million more is on its way in a final round of assistance. The community can use the money for pretty much anything that benefits its residents. It will be up to the borough assembly to appropriate the money. Borough Manager Jeff Good said he expects the assembly at its March 28 meeting will discuss the possibility of putting the money toward constructing a new pipeline to move water from the upper reservoir...
