Sorted by date Results 685 - 709 of 1027
Thank you to everyone who spoke up during public testimony on the budget in House Finance last week. I need to hear from you in order to do my job, and I was incredibly impressed with the straight-forward, intelligent, and passionate comments that the residents of Wrangell provided. There were more people in Wrangell who testified than all other District 36 communities combined! You all have been the most effective political advocates for any community. The top three issues brought to our attention were: staffing woes in the Office of Children...
As residents of the towns near the proposed Kake Road, we firmly oppose it. The $40 million raised for this “road to nowhere” should instead support the return of the Alaska Marine Highway System to our coastal Alaskan communities struggling without ferry service. It is one thing to waste taxpayer money on a project no one is asking for, and another to do so while claiming funding for vitally needed and popular ferry services doesn’t exist. This proposal would cross the rugged wilds of Kupreanof Island from the village of Kake to a salt water...
Each session, the Legislature’s biggest responsibility is to pass a budget for the State of Alaska. The House Budget Subcommittees - which examine the details of each department budget - have finished their budget recommendations. I serve as Chair of three budget subcommittees, and we submitted the following budget actions to the House Finance Committee for further review. The subcommittee for the Department of Environmental Conservation restored the Ocean Ranger program and protected funding for commercial shellfish PSP testing. The s...
Let’s talk about the prospects of this year’s legislative session and budget deliberations as they relate to the AMHS. Our ferry system has been at the forefront of many legislative conversations: On the very first day of the Alaska State Legislative session, the House Transportation Committee held a hearing titled “The Importance of AMHS to Alaska & the Need for Increased Funding.” Municipalities had the opportunity to describe how our ferry system is vital for our communities, economies, and families. Thank you specifically to Mayor Prysunk...
Last year, I cosponsored and voted for House Bill 96, which reverses massive rate increases at the Pioneer Homes. This bipartisan legislation passed the House 35-4 and now is being considered by the Senate. If the Senate passes HB 96, we can reverse the devastating rate increases and provide critical financial stability both for residents and our Pioneer Home system. Lowering and stabilizing Pioneer Home rates is a win-win for residents and for the system’s fiscal stability. We heard t...
The Alaska State Legislature began its 2020 session on January 21st. Last Friday, the Legislature held a joint session to vote on overriding two of Governor Dunleavy’s vetoes of House Bill 2001 from August of 2019. The Legislature had five days once we began session to address veto overrides. HB2001 was an appropriations bill created this summer to reverse some of the items that were vetoed from the original operating budget. HB2001 included $5 million for AMHS, specifically to provide at least some service to areas like Cordova who have been -...
I am almost a lifetime SE Alaskan and my wife and I are current residents of Wrangell. I moved to Ketchikan in 1943 when I was ten years old and have lived and worked in almost every major Southeast Alaska city including Ketchikan, Juneau, Wrangell and Sitka and played a lot of high school basketball in Petersburg. I continue to invest in institutions that provide services in each of those communities including Haines and Skagway. I cite these facts because I know how sensitive SE residents are...
To the Editor: Recently I traveled to Juneau to meet with Legislators to discuss the importance of the Alaska Marine Highway. Mayors and administrators from statewide coastal communities teamed up to highlight the importance of the system. We heard stories of food shortages, missed medical appointments, and economic hardship from around the state. I found that the message was received with a sympathetic ear, but our friends from non-maritime communities believe that the ferry system serves too...
Southeast Alaskans have been given the opportunity to lift the onerous roadless designation from the Tongass National Forest, and yet many have testified to leave it in place. We're astonished. That's not the Alaskan way. Why do we want the federal government to maintain continued control of the Tongass? The roadless designation was put in place as yet another padlock on national forests that were already protected and commercial activity was eliminated or severely stymied. Half of the Tongass...
To the Editor: Alaska Court System Jury notifications by email are legitimate. Please fill out the information online or contact our office at (907) 874-2311 for a paper questionnaire. Leanna Nash, Wrangell Court...
As the House Representative for District 36, I’m writing to update you on some of the issues currently before the Alaska State Legislature. The 2019 legislative sessions were challenging – we continued to grapple with creating the budget, implementing a long term sustainable fiscal plan, and address declining revenue. While we were able to hold fast on funding for departments like Fish & Game and Education, the Marine Highway System faced unprecedented cuts. During the interim, I have been focused on re-establishing the AMHS link to Prince Rup...
Jesus said, “Wait here while I go into the garden and pray.” I’m sure that He did not enter into a garden in Alaska, all our gardens have gone to sleep for the winter. He did of course pray for us living in areas all over the world. We who tend to our gardens do so with extreme care and love for what we expect to produce during our growing season. At the harvest of our gardens we receive our reward of tending to our garden. Those of us that produce extra are more than willing to share our good fortune. We are proud of what was accom...
As many of you know, the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) service to the port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia (B.C.) ended on October 1st. Although that ferry route is no longer running, there are ongoing developments in hopes of restoring service. When the Alaska Department of Transportation (AK DoT) announced early last month that it would end service to Prince Rupert, their reasoning was that AMHS was unable to enlist the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to provide armed protection for the U.S. Customs & Border Protection agents...
Representative Ortiz visited Prince Rupert, British Columbia (B.C.) this week to meet with Canadian officials. He met with Royal Canadian Mounted Police Inspector Blake Ward Chief Financial Officer for Prince Rupert Corinne Bomben, Member of Legislative Assembly Jennifer Rice, City Councilors, and Mayor Lee Brain. The intent of these meetings was to find a solution to the current AMHS Prince Rupert port of entry requirements. It recently became a requirement to provide armed law enforcement coverage for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection...
To the Editor: I’m Hispanic and I know growing up within your means was the rule. It’s discipline. We never relied on government assistance or felt like we were entitled to anything we couldn’t do for ourselves. This made us hard working Americans. I wish more people would learn to live within their means. I believe the governor is trying to fix our budget issues and I respect he has taken on some hard issues. Everything takes time and we must be patient. Lupe Rogers...
On Monday, August 19th, Governor Dunleavy released his full list of Special Session budget vetoes. The Alaska Legislature passed two special session budget bills in July with the primary intention of restoring the Governor’s original vetoes and protecting certain funding sources, such as the Higher Education Investment Fund and the Power Cost Equalization Fund. In the original budget passed in June (HB39), we included continued funding for the Senior Benefits Program, the University of Alaska, early learning programs, and the Alaska State Counc...
To the Editor: I just wanted to make a comment to the recent article about State Trooper Freeburg seeking increased local collaboration. Recently I was pulled over for speeding. I didn’t see the speed reduction sign coming into town from the highway. It was six o’clock in the morning; I worked 12 hours the day before, and got up before work to get a workout in. I was tired and the violation was an honest mistake. I pass these cops sometimes four or five times a day, they know me and they know my truck and know that I don’t speed. Not only...
Recently I took a small survey "What do you like best about Wrangell?" The universal response was "the people." Because I personally felt something of the spirit among us weakened, I questioned some steady returnees on the 4th of July. They too, had experienced a change of feeling about town. A new coldness. Yes, lots of new folks have come. Their jobs are of a totally different type than our original loggers and fisherfolk. These jobs are mostly inside type; not challenging one's strength, or s...
The strike called for by the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific (IBU) this week defies all logic. Talk about giving the governor exactly what he wants at a most expeditious time - the script couldn't be more perfect. Instead of shutting down the ferries in October, the IBU now insures the ferries shut down in mid-summer. And in summer, visitors are impacted rather than state residents who are busy working seasonal jobs like construction and fishing. Of course, this will not endear members of...
To the Editor: How can it be that we are knee-deep in tourist effluent and Medicaid is being cut? Why isn’t the State Treasury fat with income from the tourist industry? Southeast Alaska is being exploited by tour ships. We need to, A: set a limit on the number and size of tour ships allowed in state waters; B: issue permits with contractual obligations; C: get compensated for their use of the state resources, including monitoring costs. Is anyone in the state taking any action aside from cutting programs to state residents? Is it hard to b...
As we look forward to our family and community celebration of the 4th of July, Independence Day, it seems appropriate to reflect on the strength of the people that gave us the opportunities that America offers, the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Can you imagine being one of 56 individuals to sign a document that would be your death sentence if your fellow countrymen didn’t stand behind you and endanger their lives in a war against the mighty British empire? Upon where did they draw that strength to be so vulnerable? It is i...
To the Editor: Hello people of Wrangell; this is the latest update on my lawsuit against the hiring managers and some members of the city council. This week I have been inundated with several bundles of filed information from their lawyer in Anchorage. These I have filed answers to, however the city of Wrangell has insisted upon joining the defendants. So it is my question to we the people, the taxpayers of Wrangell, is this wise? The best use of our tax dollars. They bought a boatlift from the EU ignoring a competitive bid from an American...
The Alaska State Legislature adjourned last week, but before adjourning, the most significant accomplishment was the agreement to transfer $10.5 billion from the Earnings Reserve Account (ERA) to the Corpus of the Permanent Fund. For the majority of legislators, including Senator Stedman and myself, it is a top priority to protect and enhance opportunities for the Permanent Fund to grow so that there will continue to be PFDs for Alaskans well into the future. The Permanent Fund is comprised of the Corpus (also known as the Principal) and the...
To the Editor: Wow, the small town politics is oh so... The latest news in my ongoing solo battle to drain the Wrangell swamp is. A certain upstanding citizen came into a certain store and gave away some comments and opinions that now have me at a disadvantage. This I can only see as the swamp’s demand that I submit to their collective will and surrender. Being that now I am unemployed in from what was my main source of income, this is a starve-out tactic. They want to deny me unemployment and vacation pay after seven years of service. So n...
Earlier this month, the House passed House Bill 49, which is a collaborative bill between the House, the Senate, and the Governor’s administration to improve public safety. After the Conference Committee process last week, the Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, May 28th. The bill now heads to the Governor’s Office to be signed. The bill has most generally been referred to as the “SB91 Repeal” and contains the following provisions: Keeps in place the pretrial services program and the pretrial risk assessment tool, while making them subject...