APRN Alaska News

The U.S. Senate has just passed a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Its future in the House is unclear.

The Senate passed a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act last Congress, only to see it fester in the House.

Conservatives in both chambers say expanded protections for undocumented immigrants and members of the LGBTQ communities amount to political handouts.

And perhaps more worrisome to many is the provision that allows tribal courts to prosecute non-natives in Indian Country for abuse. In Alaska, that only applies to Metlakatla, because it’s the only reservation in the state.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski says her party needs to drop its opposition in the House.

“They need to think of the vulnerable people who are victims of domestic violence every single day. It doesn’t matter where you live,” Murkowski said.

The previous reauthorization will remain law regardless of whether the House passes the new version.

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Democratic legislators have rolled out their oil tax proposal, and the bill is more of a modification of the current tax structure than an overhaul. It would cap the windfall profits tax at 30 percent, and create credits for heavy oil research and development and the construction of new processing facilities on the North Slope.

It would also exempt 20 percent of oil from new fields from taxes for the first seven years in production.

The bill has been pitched as an alternative to Gov. Sean Parnell’s plan to lower taxes on oil companies. Parnell’s bill would get rid of a mechanism that raises taxes on oil companies as the price per barrel goes up, and it gets rid of some exploration credits in favor of ones tied to production.

The Democrats bill is now winding its way through the legislature, with a handful of hearings in both the House and Senate this week. Parnell’s office is currently reviewing the minority’s bill, and offered a brief statement, saying that the governor is pleased that Democrats “agree there is a problem with production under the current system.” About 90 percent of Alaska’s tax revenue comes from oil production.

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Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan

Anchorage workers are speaking out after being told the Mayor and Assembly members are proposing an ordinance that would limit the power of unions. Mayor Dan Sullivan is proposing the ordinance along with Assembly Chair Ernie Hall and Vice Chair Jennifer Johnston. The Mayor says he’s just trying deliver of the highest value services at the lowest reasonable cost the citizens of Anchorage, while Union leaders say he’s taking away worker’s rights.

Union leaders say, as it stands now, the proposed ordinance would leave them nothing left to negotiate. They say it will impact benefits, pay and contract negotiations including eliminating the option of a strike. Rod Harris, president of the Anchorage Firefighters Union, which represents about 400 workers, says he was shocked when he found out about the proposed ordinance Friday.

“This is over the top. You know I know the Mayor really wants to address wages and benefits, but he’s gone to great lengths here to make sure that anything to do with working conditions or anything to do with the employee having a voice in their own safety practices has been removed and made a management right. And he’s gone further to say that everything in the city is up for privatization except for anybody that works in a police car or in a fire truck,” Harris said.

Harris was one of many union leaders that met with Mayor Dan Sullivan Monday morning to review the proposed ordinance. It would impact approximately 2,200 municipal employees from accountants to police officers and fire fighters. Union leaders are especially concerned that a quick timeline for the ordinance could limit public input. It’s set to be introduced to the Anchorage assembly at their next regular meeting. Municipal officials say it could be passed by the end of the month. Jason Alward is with Local 301, which represents about 100 workers that plow snow, haul waste to the landfill and maintain streets, among other things. He attended the Monday morning presentation where the Mayor explained proposed changes including that wages would be tied to a 5-year average of the consumer price index.

Assembly Chair Ernie Hall

“Really the only thing left to negotiate is the wages, and even that they have tied that to the 5-year average of the CPI. I don’t know what’s left to negotiate, honestly,” Alward said.

When asked to characterize the Mayor’s leadership style Alward said, “Well in this case, it’s clearly a dictatorship – this is the way it’s gonna be, whether you like it or not.”

Mayor Dan Sullivan says he’s just trying to tighten the purse strings of local government. Cities across the U.S., Sullivan says, are implementing similar changes to implement something he calls, managed competition.

“Often times in managed competition, the employee groups win the bid to perform the service. But when they’re put into a competitive environment, it’s amazing how they sharpen their pencils they know their jobs best of all and they find ways to do it even better and it less cost,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan says a letter is going out to employees regarding the changes, which he’s hoping will be implemented by the assembly in the next couple of weeks. Assembly Chair Ernie Hall says it could take longer though.

“It’s gonna take the time that it takes to get the job done. If we’re able to do it in that timeline, well that’s fine. But it’s gonna take due process,” Hall said.

Hall says negotiations with at least two labor organizations are set to begin in March for contracts that expire in June. The new rules would not affect current contracts, only new ones. The proposed ordinance is set to the assembly on Tuesday, Feb. 12. A public hearing will be held Feb. 26 and the proposed ordinance could be passed at that time.

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A federal judge has denied a bid to block the Port MacKenzie railroad spur project.  Monday U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Beistline handed down his decision, saying that extensive environmental studies were conducted over a period of years regarding the project, and that the benefits of the project are great, while further delay in construction would not be in the public interest.

A number of environmental groups, headed by Cook Inletkeeper, had asked for a preliminary injunction halting initial construction of the line  linking Port MacKenzie and Houston.   Oral arguments in the case were heard on February 7.  In an earlier court decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the construction of the rail spur.

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A research rocket was successfully launched from Poker Flat north of Fairbanks last week.  The 67 foot high 11 thousand pound rocket was launched into the upper atmosphere February 6th.

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For the next several weeks, APRN will be airing a series that looks at how Alaskans describe what makes their way of life unique. Whether you live in a village or a city, everyone has a culture and we’re going to bring you stories of how both urban and rural Alaskans define and live theirs. The series is funded by a grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum Rose Urban Rural Exchange.

First up, we start with a common intergenerational complaint. – kids don’t go outside any more. They’re too interested in video games, or TV or the Internet. APRN’s Anne Hillman spoke with people in rural and urban Alaska who are trying to limit the impact of technology on young people.

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Lonnie building his snow shelter at 14.2K with Denali’s summit ridge in the background. Photo courtesy of Lonnie Dupre.

Lonnie Dupre says cold weather is his forte. And it’s a good thing too. The mountaineer has spent the last three winters trying to become the first person to summit Denali solo in December and January. He’s failed all three times and encountered harsh storms, temperatures well below zero and death defying ice along the way. But the Minnesota explorer – who now spends part of the year in Homer, says he’s still optimistic the climb can be done.

He sat down with APRN’s Annie Feidt to talk about this year’s expedition. He says at 17,000 feet he could feel fluid building up in his lungs and made the choice to turn around. But he says it wasn’t a difficult decision.

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Oil taxes remain the legislature’s top issue this week, with six hearings scheduled on Gov. Sean Parnell’s bill to bring them down. But there’s also plenty else going on in Juneau, from consideration of education and home energy bills to visits from state dignitaries.

This week, the legislature may send its first passed bill of the session up to the governor’s office. And it could be an item that Parnell specifically asked for.

A bill to roll back regulations on cruise ships is scheduled to appear on the Senate floor on Monday. It easily passed the House last week, with all but one member of the Republican majority supporting it. The bill has received criticism from environmental groups, tribal organizations, and some members of the fishing industry because it would allow cruise ships to release their wastewater into mixing zones instead of having them meet water quality standards at the point of discharge.

A number of bills will get their first committee hearings this week. On Monday, an item creating a low-interest loan program for heating system upgrades will be introduced in House energy. It’s received support from members of both parties. On Tuesday, the House Health and Social Services committee will hear a bill that would require people receiving state public assistance or Alaska Native family assistance to undergo drug tests before receiving cash benefits. Urine tests would be “random and suspicion-based.” The bill would also amend state code to prohibit undocumented immigrants from receiving benefits. Friday, a bill that would allow school districts to implement four-day school weeks will make its first appearance in the House education committee. The bill is sponsored by two Republicans and a Democrat, and the intent is to give rural schools with traveling athletes, and the like, more flexibility with their schedules.

Some of the state’s top legal and military officials will be visiting the Capitol this week. Both chambers will meet together on Wednesday for an address from Dana Fabe, the chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. On Thursday, high-ranking officers from the Air Force, National Guard, and Coast Guard will brief members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees.

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A light snow fell on a small crowd gathered on the Chena River in Fairbanks as Allen Moore’s eleven-dog team pulled the musher across the Yukon Quest finish line early this morning.  The win is fitting after a narrow miss last year.

Moore stepped off his runners, checked in his mandatory gear and greeted his wife, 2000 Yukon Quest champion, Aliy Zirkle.

“Zirkle: How you doin’ baby? Moore: Fantastic! Ready to do it again.”

After losing by 26 seconds to Hugh Neff last year, the Two-Rivers musher built himself an ultralight sled.  The bag is made from material used for sails on competitive sail boats.  He also trained his dogs repeatedly on the run between the last checkpoint and the finish line.

“You know it was a pretty good motivator.  You can stay motivated after losing by 26 seconds.  That’s the good thing about it,” Moore said.

Moore and Hugh Neff chased each other for nearly the entire race this year.  Moore finally dropped his competition at Mile 101 and the two didn’t see each other again until they took a mandatory eight hour layover at Two Rivers, the last checkpoint on the trail.

Roughly an hour after Moore finished, Hugh Neff drove nine dogs across the line. It’s his 13th Quest finish.  In the team was Walter, a nine-year old sled dog who has finished six Yukon Quests and three Iditarods.

Yeah, this is Walter’s last race, he’s getting up there.  He’s a couch potato.  He’s with me every day,” Moore said.

Neff will keep four ounces of gold he won after pulling in first at Dawson City, the race’s halfway point,.  It’s valued at nearly $7,000. That’s in addition to a second place prize of more than $13,000. Allen Moore will take home a little more than $18,000.

Moore finished in 8 days, 18 hours and 57 minutes.  It’s a new fast time, but with a reroute that cost the race a climb over American Summit and slashed 50 miles from the total distance, it will be recorded in the history books with an asterisk.

There are still eighteen teams racing on the Yukon Quest trail.  They’re spread out over 400 miles of trail.

Moore says it’s likely he will be back for another Quest next year.

“Well it’s been three in a row, so it’s probably a pretty good chance,” he said.

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According to Anchorage Fire Department officials, 14 units are responding to a single-wide trailer fire in the Glacier Terrace Trailer Court at 4110 Debarr Road. There are no road closures reported due to the fire at this time.

This is a developing story.

The across the board government spending cuts go into effect three weeks from Friday. This week President Barack Obama proposed a short term mix of spending cuts and tax increases to delay the sequester, but Republicans on Capitol Hill called it dead on arrival.

Alaska’s congressional delegation is not predicting any action, and that inaction is creating uncertainty in the economy.

The president and Congressional leaders designed the sequester to be so heinous that virtually nobody would let it go into effect.  But after a year and a half of posturing, Congress appears ready to do just that.

Here’s Republican Paul Ryan speaking on a recent episode of Meet the Press.

“I think the sequester is going to happen because that $1.2 trillion in spending cuts – we can’t lose those spending cuts,” Ryan said.

If nothing happens by March 1, government agencies will start furloughing people, scaling back operations, and perhaps most worrisome, stop contributing so much money into the economy.

A scale back in military spending led to a contraction in the economy last quarter.

And yet there is no public movement on any comprehensive deficit reduction plan to cancel the sequester, nor is there any small measure in Congress to delay the cuts yet again.

Senator Lisa Murkowski says she expects the cuts to happen. And has some motherly advice for her colleagues.

“When my boys were young and they were easily distracted by something, every now and again I would just take their face in my hands, and look them in the eye and say, ‘You need to focus.’ That’s what this Congress needs to be doing right now,” Murkowski said.

Senator Murkowski says she’s frustrated by Congress’s apparent need to concentrate on gun control and immigration, seemingly in lieu of a debt deal.

She blames Congressional leaders. While Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell publicly tussle, she says rank and file members are trying to negotiate.

And she says every Alaskan who comes into her office – from teachers and principals, to government contractors to health care workers – asks whether the cuts are going to happen.

“And at the end of the day, you’re messing with people’s lives. What do they do? How do they plan? Do we move forward with this project? Do we need to hire more? Do we need to fire more? We are not helping,” Murkowski said.

Complicating the budget debate is the timing.

The fiscal year began Oct. 1 last year without a budget. Since then a continuing resolution has been keeping the government operating at last year’s level. That’s set to expire March 27.

Senator Mark Begich worries that the sequester will go into effect, and then Congress won’t be able to write a budget for the rest of the fiscal year.

“Worst case scenario we get to March first and the cuts go into play, everyone is scampering around, and we get to the continuing resolution at the end of the month, and we just continue the resolution until the end of the fiscal year, and tell appropriators work on next year’s budget,” Begich said.

Both he and Senator Murkowski sit on the Appropriations Committee. Senator Begich says leaders of that committee – both in the House and Senate – have been working on a measure to fund the government from the end of March through September.

Regardless, he says future budgets, by law, need to be smaller.

“Any department, agency, office that has not been thinking about this already … it would have been a mistake. With or without sequester, we’re going to have a tough budget over the next couple of years. And we have to buckle in and tighten up and look at each department very carefully,” Begich said.

But if nothing happens by March first – that careful cutting won’t be an option.

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The conclusion of the investigation into the shooting death into the shooting death of 24-year-old Sam Alexie Jr. has spurred the Bethel police department to release the name of the shooting officer. It is Andrew Reid, who is still with the department. He had only been on the force for three months at the time of the shooting although he had been an officer in Massachusetts for four years prior to that.

The Bethel police have been under some public scrutiny for not releasing the officer’s name earlier.

Bethel police Chief Larry Elarton says they know the report took a long time, but it had to go through the Alaska Bureau of Investigation and the Attorney General’s office.

“I know that helped keep the wound open a little bit for everybody and didn’t allow closure, but hopefully we can address it and we’re here to answer any questions if anybody has any,” Elarton said.

The Bethel Police Department does not have a policy requiring them to release an officer’s name after a shooting.

The shooting happened on the night of Oct. 2. Two 911 calls came into the police station; the first one at 9:39 p.m. The caller tells police that Alexie was intoxicated and messing up the house. The dispatcher tells the caller that police were coming over. Two minutes later the caller calls back.

At first, the caller says Alexie is threatening her with knives, but the situation quickly escalates and the caller says Alexie has a gun. The caller is heard screaming and crying saying that he is pointing a gun at another person there.

Three people were in the house with Sam Alexie at the time. Although he was intoxicated, they were not. Two officers responded to the scene.

The incident was documented by an audio recorder worn by Officer Reid. When the officers arrived, one of the victims had already made it outside of the house. As the officers reached the arctic entry way, two others started coming out of the house. One officer shields them and helped them away from the scene.

Meanwhile, Sam Alexie Jr. was approaching the door holding a gun. Officer Reid, yells, “Get on the ground, get on the ground, put the gun down” and then shoots Alexie one time. Instead of getting on the ground, Alexie pointed the gun at the officer.

Elarton says the officers followed protocol. He says if Alexie was alone inside, the officers would have stayed outside.

“Basically, like any active shooter situation, the same as we train for schools, our main thought is to make sure any hostages are safe. We’ll only engage a threat if there’s active danger to the hostages,” Elarton said.

Officers are not trained shoot to injure a person, only to kill.

“The officer had no choice at that point but to fire,” Elarton said.

The ABI’s investigation agrees that deadly force was justified. The investigation included several witnesses. They contacted 21 people in all.

Alexie’s family did not immediately return calls for comment.

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The Bethel City Council has finalized an ordinance to impose a tax on all tobacco products sold in the city.  The tax is similar to one found in Anchorage. The tax has the backing of many in the community, but one retailer is taking a stand against it.

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After the grounding of Shell’s Kulluk drill rig in January, reports circulated that the company had been moving it from Unalaska to Seattle in order to avoid Alaska’s oil and gas property tax. But this week, as the Kodiak Daily Mirror first reported, the state decided that tax doesn’t actually apply to the offshore rig. That’s despite the Kulluk being grounding in Alaskan waters on Jan. 1, when the state’s oil and gas property tax rolls were drafted.

Assessor Jim Greeley says the rig is exempt because statute defines taxable property as, “Property that’s use is in the exploration, production or transportation of unrefined oil or gas. But it also states that that activity needs to be in the state.”

The Kulluk drilled exclusively in federal waters off of Alaska this year, but it spent a considerable amount of time tied up in Unalaska as well. That led to questions of whether it would be subject to taxation or not. In November, Greeley told KUCB it was an unprecedented situation, and that the state hadn’t figured out a tax regime for Shell’s rigs.

And in December, Shell spokesperson Curtis Smith told the Dutch Harbor Fisherman that a potential tax liability of, “multiple millions… influenced the timing” of the Kulluk’s departure from Unalaska.

But Greeley, the assessor, says it would have been impossible to know whether the rig would be subject to taxation until the New Year, since it wasn’t clear whether it would actually be in the state. He added that companies don’t have to submit the information that’s used to calculate their liability until Jan. 15.

“So you can’t put the cart before the horse and make a determination before, a) there’s a lien date that makes the property taxable by law, and then b) there’s information,” Greeley said.

Greeley says the Department of Revenue also needed to consult with the Attorney General’s office about whether rigs drilling exclusively in federal waters were subject to taxation.

“And they found a 1977 Attorney General’s opinion that supported that determination as well,” Greeley said.

Alaska typically taxes property used in oil and gas exploration at a rate of 2 percent of the assessed value. That would be at least $6 million for the Kulluk, although probably more. Shell’s other rig, the Noble Discoverer, won’t be taxed either.

Greeley says the determination doesn’t preclude municipalities from levying taxes on the rigs.

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A group of descendants of the first men to summit Denali plan to climb the mountain on the 100th anniversary of their forbearers historic ascent.  This week they announced the project with a press conference at St. Mathews Episcopal Church in Fairbanks, the same location where the 1913 expedition was launched.

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Photo courtesy of Alyeska Resort.

Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood says the tram will be running Saturday afternoon for the first time in six weeks. One of the tram cars was severely damaged New Years Eve, when a wind gust blew it into the tram tower. The tram car was impaled in the incident, and the five people aboard, including the tram operator had to be evacuated on ropes by ski patrol. One guest suffered a minor head injury.

The tram usually operates with two cars, but only one will be carrying passengers until the full repair to the damaged car can be completed. It will also run at a slower speed than usual.

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Photo from KSTK – Wrangell.

There are thousands of miles of fiberoptic cables snaking along the ocean floor.  They bring telephone service, television, and the Internet to much of world. When an earthquake struck off the coast of Southeast Alaska in January, the cables that provide Internet to Wrangell were damaged. And a cable repair ship, called the Wave Venture, was called in to help. KSTK’s Shady Grove Oliver went onboard the unique ship to get a closer look at cable repair.

• Click here for the full photo album from KSTK

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This week, we’re heading out the Aleutian chain to the community of Akutan, on a small island just east of Unalaska. April Pelkey is the manager at the Akutan Corporation.

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AEA President Andy Holleman. Photo from the Anchorage Education Association.

The Anchorage School District and the Anchorage Education Association began bargaining on a new contract this week. The district and the teacher’s union are discussing salaries, benefits and more. The initial proposals are far apart.

The Anchorage School District and the Anchorage Education Association published their initial proposals online Thursday. The documents show the district wants to freeze pay. Andy Holleman is president of the AEA. He says not keeping salaries linked to inflation could be bad for recruiting teachers.

“We are going to let the bargaining teams work on this and see each other’s proposals better. They’ve just seen them for a few days. We do feel like our proposal basically keeps Anchorage competitive with other school districts on the west coast, with the places where we’re trying to recruit teachers out of. And even in a year where we may lay off some teachers, we’re still going to be recruiting people from out of state to come up here and fill position in special education or math in science,” Holleman said.

What the district is proposing is about the same salary agreement that was in place. A teacher starting off in the district would make around $47,000. The starting salary for a new teacher under the union’s proposal would be around $500 more. The difference in salary for a fifth year teacher with a masters degree — is about a thousand dollars or around 2 percent.

Holleman says the district’s proposal not only stays with the same salary structure, but expands the teacher work-day by at least 15 minutes and adds four more work days to the calendar year.

Also being negotiated are benefits. ASD is proposing that teachers join the ASD medical plan rather than use their current N.E.A Alaska Health Trust plan. Holleman says the ASD plan offers less coverage. They’re also negotiating leave and planning time, among other things. The current 3-year contract expires June 30. Contracts can be from 1-3 years.

AEA represents about 3,500 workers, most are teachers.

• Initial Proposal Between AEA and ASD (PDF)
• Proposed Agreement Between AEA and ASD (PDF)

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Image from Wikipedia/Xtylee

In isolated spots in the Bering Sea, there are fields of so-called ‘mermaids’ purses.’ Any beachcomber would recognize them — small rectangular pods with pointy corners. They’re the protective casing that surrounds the fertilized eggs of skates, and in some underwater nurseries there are hundreds of thousands of them.

Skates have healthy population levels in the Bering Sea, but their unusual breeding habits could make them susceptible to human disruption. That’s why at this week’s North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Portland, the body decided to designate six of the nurseries in the Eastern Bering Sea as ‘Habitat Areas of Particular Concern.’

Councilor Bill Tweit says the designation acknowledges their significance.

“In establishing these as HAPCs, we in essence flag that these areas are potentially vulnerable to a broad range of disturbances, and requesting [sic] that decision-makers involved in other planning processes pay attention to these areas and pay attention to the unique attributes of those and consider the potential disturbances.”

In particular, Tweit singled out cable-laying and seismic testing. But he and the rest of the council rejected a proposal to ban fishing activities in the vicinity of the nurseries. The general consensus was that there’s too much scientific uncertainty to support a ban.

But the Council did agree to make researching the nurseries a priority. They’re still a relative unknown, even though interest in them has grown recently. In particular, scientists have questions about how many nurseries there are in the Eastern Bering Sea. The council’s scientific advisory group thinks there are probably less than 20, but that figure is disputed.

The National Marine Fisheries Service will be responsible for monitoring the six selected nurseries, although the exact scope of that work is yet to be defined.

Skate are an important food source for many species in the Bering Sea, including sea lions, halibut and cod.