The Skagway News - June 9, 2023

THE SKAGWAY NEWS.

June 9, 2023

Passenger tariff increase to offset landslide mitigation

By Melinda Munson

Cruise ships will pay $5 more per passenger starting January 2024, in accordance with Resolution 2323R, passed unanimously by the Skagway Borough Assembly June 1. The fee, currently $8.50 per passenger, will increase to $13.50, in an attempt to raise money for more permanent fixes to Railroad Dock landslide areas.

The amended tariff, in place across all docks, should raise an additional $5 million per year. The cost to mitigate the affected areas with more long-term solutions, such as taking down Ship Rock, is estimated at $30 million.

“I got asked today if I was willing to have this [tariff increase] sunset at the end of this effort,” Ryan said. “I’m not. … that whole hillside is going to need work … Once we’re done with this, we’re going to have to keep moving south and keep addressing this. This [tariff increase] is the model to do that.”

Before voting, Assemblymember Sam Bass asked Ryan, “Do you believe that this keeps us competitive in the Southeast?

“I do believe we are,” Ryan said. “Nobody made a comment to me today, nobody has ever made a comment to me that we are higher or too high on the fee.”

Juneau collects a $5 marine passenger fee, a $3 port development fee and a $5 state commercial passenger vessel excise tax for each passenger on a cruise ship that visits its port.

“...the municipality has spent nearly $4 million on rockslide mitigation this

(see page 3 - Tariffs)

By Melinda Munson

At 88 pages, with over a year of research, the May 5, 2023 Draft Analysis/Audit of the Skagway Police Department by McGrath Consulting Group was presented at the June 1 assembly meeting. The report included 47 recommendations: 29 covered policing matters and 18 addressed communications issues.

Assemblymember Dan Henry was less than impressed.

“Well, you know, there were several things mentioned – 95% of what was mentioned, I already knew,” he said.

“It’s an hour and a half of my life I’ll never get back,” he told the galley.

In contrast, Assemblymember Sam Bass, chair of the Public Safety Committee, appeared appreciative.

“Our chief of police doesn’t have time to compile

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all these numbers for us and put together this kind of understanding of the communication systems … or even to reach out and find out what the current best practices are,” he said. “...It’s an 88 page report. We had it very shortened and surmised for us. So I think there is value there.”

Ron Moser, lead police consultant/project manager for McGrath spoke about the need for additional officers. The Skagway department currently has four, including Sargeant Kenneth Cox and Chief Jerry Reddick. The small number of officers means that twice daily for several hours, the station may not have an officer on duty.

“...the department does not staff that patrol function 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year,” Moser said. “They have times of the day when there is not a

person on patrol in the department – in a uniform, on the street. They instead cover it by what’s referred to as standby status. …it means that one of the officers is assigned to be on standby. And they are not on active patrol. They need to be in the jurisdiction, they need to be able to respond to a call for service if needed. But they could be at home, they could be asleep. They could be having dinner, they’re just not out there.”

Craig Haigh, lead fire consultant/communications for McGrath, listed the health concerns that come with constantly being on call and the ensuing lack of sleep. They include diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, cancers and mental health issues including depression and increase in suicide risk.

The audit team recommended adding two patrol

officers to the team immediately to allow for 24/7 coverage. They further advocated for the eventual hire of up to two community service officers (CSO). CSOs are civilians who assist with tasks such as community outreach, school crossings and parking enforcement.

The report advised that patrol officers work in pairs for optimal safety and recommended 12-hour shifts.

“As a long-range plan, depending on funding, to achieve 24/7/365 coverage in patrol with a minimum of two officers on duty, we recommend the addition of six patrol officers and one additional sergeant to the force to provide maximum coverage and support,” the analysis stated.

Drones, cameras in busy areas including the docks, a school patrol officer if the school was interested (see page 3 Audit)

Skagway, Alaska

A sunbeam finds a dancing unicorn at the 2023 Pride Fest on June 3 at Dedman Stage. More pictures on page 2.

Photo by Wendy Anderson

‘They are their fate’: Small police force stands alone

The Skagway News. Skagway’s First Newspaper

Christened in 1897, buried alive in 1904 and resurrected in 1978, The Skagway News is currently celebrating 46 years of reporting in Skagway and Dyea, Alaska, recording our Centennial years and beyond.

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All news copy, letters and calendar events by June 16, 2023

Vol. XLVI, No 11 (949)

June 9, 2023

Published on the second and fourth Friday of the month

Phone: (907) 983-2354 www.skagwaynews.com editor@skagwaynews.com sales@skagwaynews.com

Publishers

Melinda Munson

Gretchen Wehmhoff

Managing Editor

Melinda Munson

Production Editor/Sales

Gretchen Wehmhoff

Editor Emeritus

William J. “Jeff” Brady

Submissions

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Letters to the editor should not exceed 250 words.

Submit letters and opinions to editor@skagwaynews. com. Letters may be edited for grammar and length.

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Free Little Library

Skagway Pride Fest brings out the sun and the fun

Photos by Anna Nelson

Skagway Pride hosted the annual drag concert June 4 at Dedman Stage. Clockwise from top left, participants perform a piece from The Phantom of the Opera; Donna Griffard, Lea Mauldin and Kathy Carr laugh near the stage; Deb Potter emcee’s the event in a blast of bubbles as the blue skies opened up for the celebration. Photos by Wendy Anderson.

Mila and Ari Nelson pose outside the Free Little Library, located in their backyard adjacent to Mollie Walsh Park. Visitors and community members are welcome to drop off or take a free book. The Nelson’s project is dedicated to Danica Taylor, a Skagway child who passed away in 2021 due to cancer.

Audit suggests needed updates for police force

(Continued from front page)

in funding the endeavor, the formation of a citizen emergency response team (CERT), the creation of a lead dispatcher position and more community outreach such as monthly coffee chats were also recommended.

According to the audit, in terms of communications, the municipality is several decades behind.

“Skagway utilizes a mixed grouping of portable and mobile radios. There is no standardization of radio equipment. Thirty percent of all radios are more than 20 years old and many are in disrepair or are no longer operable. Several vehicle antenna systems have deteriorated causing problems in both transmission and receiving.”

Repeaters located on AB Mountain and Goat Lake need replacing. New repeaters are in storage at the police department but the municipality has been unable to find a contractor to install the equipment.

While Haigh recommend-

ed utilizing the new repeaters as a backup, he urged the municipality to update its communications system.

“It’s not current, it’s old technology,” he said. “Back in the 1980s, it was state of the art. It’s not where we’re at today, there are much better systems that are out there.”

Haigh proposed utilizing Alaska Land Mobile Radio (ALMR), a statewide communication system for Alaska first responders. He described the system’s capability.

“When you get into the right trunking band on your radio, you can take a portable radio sitting here in City Hall today and talk to Anchorage on it,” he said. “And it’ll just transfer where you need it to go. The computers will make it work. So it’s hugely robust and does some pretty exciting stuff for you.”

Mayor Andrew Cremata said the audit was a “call to action.”

He described Skagway as, “always caught between this dichotomy between wanting

Tariff increase to fund landslide mitigation

(Continued from front page)

year,” Ryan said. “That’s half of our projected sales tax, or half of our sales tax revenue from 2019. So when you think about that, that’s a significant amount of money, that we’re just throwing at fences and temporary fixes. And we’ll have to do it again next year.”

On May 27, geo-experts Shannon & Wilson sent multiple rocks down the mountain, measuring between one and two feet in diameter to test mitigation. According to the manager’s report, “The majority of the rocks did not make it past the upper drape mesh. Of all the rocks released, only one release resulted in rocks encountering the lower attenuator fence, and none of them reached the dock.”

Mayor Andrew Cremata commented on the vast amount of work done since the mountain above Railroad Dock was deemed unstable following a series of land-

to be a town of 1,000 people, but we’re not. We’re actually a mid-sized city that has to accommodate up to 25,000 people a day, for at least half the year. So that’s what we are. Because you can’t be a town of 1,000 in support of 25,000. You can only be a town of 25,000 and support 1,000. So where the money comes from and how it’s paid for is a debate for future meetings.”

Cremata stated Haigh’s fire department audit from December 2022

“could have very well saved the town from the fire we had this past winter. So I do see value in these reports in these studies.”

Moser reminded the audience that due to Skagway’s geographic location, the police force is uniquely isolated.

“They don’t have the benefit of mutual aid and backup, which would be typical in other areas of our country … they are their fate. Anything they have to deal with, they are facing on their own,” he said.

slides starting in June 2022.

“It’s a tremendous success story,” he said. “...the dramatic steps we took to spend money we really don’t have to ensure that we would get four ships into this port and then the work that staff did to follow that up. It’s just bordering on miracle territory.”

According to Port Director Cody Jennings, as of May 24, 83 ships and 139,761 passengers have visited Skagway, with liners at 92% occupancy.

She described the first two months as “really positive so far, especially that this is typically our shoulder season.”

To reach the Dahl on-duty provider, contact police dispatch at 907-983-2232

Photo by Melinda Munson

By Gretchen Wehmhoff

Our parents’ business office was in the basement of our home. They worked for record and tape music distributors before and beyond the pipeline years. It’s what brought our family to Alaska in 1965. Dad had a choice to pioneer the distribution music business in Alaska, or lose his job in Washington due to layoffs.

Dad represented several companies. When all three of us kids were finally schoolaged, Mom started working for one of the distributors – basically causing them to become competitors. Dad covered the Alaska Carrs/ Payless chain and more, Mom handled the competition at the Alaska Pay ‘n Save stores. You wouldn’t know they worked for separate companies by watching as they usually helped each other, and that included bringing the family to get the job done.

One night after dinner while my siblings and I were doing our nightly dishes and clean-up chores, Dad checked the evening paper.

“Oh (expletive),” he spat out.

An ad had broken a day early and the product was still in the back rooms of the stores. We all stopped what we were doing, grabbed our jackets and piled into the station wagon. Store employees didn’t rack the records and tapes. Mom and Dad, and in this case, the family did.

Dad called each store from the house/business phone before we headed out. Our parents had well-developed relationships with the department chairs who quickly arranged to have the product waiting for us next to the racks.

We were the crew. In the summer we inventoried. When we drove to Fairbanks every month, we worked the racks. It was a family affair.

Customer service and the family business

Mom and Dad had a payment system called the books. We earned credit on the books. If we wanted to spend money at the movies or buy something, it came off the books. We learned that the family business was our business. You worked. You got paid.

Years later when Dad’s employer changed hands, they told him they had tried to break into the Alaska market for years, but no one wanted to work with anyone other than George and Merle. That was a tribute to our parents’ sense of customer service. People bought from them because George and Merle were responsive. They treated their clients well and with respect - and they lived in Alaska.

Using our home as the business base meant we needed to learn store codes and phone etiquette. There were no cell phones and trying to reach our parents in an emergency meant calling a store.

Each day Mom would leave a note on the fridge for us that might say, “Dad – 5, 9, Mom – 30, 24. Gretchen brown the meat, Steve or Karen peel the potatoes, start the stew.” We knew by the note that Dad was at Payless Aurora Village and Gambell, Mom was at Pay ‘n Save Mountain View and Northern Lights. We all knew to use the Dutch oven.

If the phone rang, there was a protocol.

“Wehmhoff residence, Gretchen speaking.”

“No, I’m sorry, he/she is at an account. May I take a message?”

Our message-taking needed to be clear. We were the customer service representatives for Mom and Dad. The callers often complimented them on their polite children. We understood that our home was the business.

One time my brother’s rock and roll band was practicing in the basement when the phone rang. One of the “not so savvy” members answered the phone before Steve could get to it.

“Call back. We’re practicing,” the guy said before hanging up … on Mom.

The band lost their practice space.

All three of us kids ended

up with summer and winter college jobs with Pay ‘n Save. Not necessarily because of our parents, but perhaps because the department managers saw us work from a young age.

Not everyone has the lifestyle that takes you right into the world of wholesale, retail or customer service. We were fortunate. We were gently trained to show respect immediately, to greet adults with hello when they said hi. We had on the job training.

I drove through a fast food line about ten years ago and dang it, they messed up my order … again. I saw the mistake and drove around to the drive through ready to speak my mind. Instead, I held my tongue and simply told them the error. They handed me my new burger as a cook poked his head out of the window.

“Hey Ms. W. That was my fault. I’m sorry I messed up your burger. I guess I just got going.”

My life changed at that moment. The young man was a former student at the high school from which I recently retired. His prospects in life, based on his previous behavior, his “friends” and the choices he made were not looking good. But here he was – employed and taking responsibility for something. Maybe just a burger, but it was something. He

had a chance here with a job and the ability to step up. I wasn’t at some spendy white tablecloth restaurant. I was at a fast food restaurant that hired young people and trained them to work with a team, talk nice to customers and start their lives.

“No problem, Chris. It’s so good to see you.”

It was the last time I ever became irritated at a worker in the food industry. These young people were in the right place – learning to work with a team, gain new skills and show up on time everyday in uniform.

This year we have 24 Newsies working varied shifts, handing out the Skaguay Alaskan visitors guide to guests disembarking in our small town. These young workers are the first Skagwegians most passengers see as they leave the ships. The kids are learning to smile and greet folks who enter our community. Many start quietly, a bit shy, but they are soon extending their arms with a paper to every adult they meet.

“Welcome to Skagway.”

They have learned that it isn’t proper to ask for tips, but it’s important to graciously accept them when presented. Often the kids pose for photos. The new workers understand there is a schedule, a uniform, a time clock, an expectation and a paycheck. They are learning

that the most important part of business is showing up ready to work well together.

One youngster was in too much of a hurry to find his shoes, so he came without them. There is a dress code, so he learned that he couldn’t work in stocking feet. He still got to the docks on time with the help of mom, who delivered footwear.

A number of adults have told us about their years as a Newsie and how much they loved it.

We are honored to offer this first job to the children of Skagway. We are grateful to our advertisers who support us so we can print the Alaskan and pay our small ambassadors to welcome guests to Skagway. It’s a small thing, but a big deal.

Customer service in a town like Skagway is imperative. We have a few short months to welcome the world, to encourage them to come back, to spend money and to share their experience for future travelers. We have a uniquely special way to greet them at the Port of Skagway. Skagway’s children are truly learning that Skagway works together as a port family, that learning the family business is a gift and customer service is everyone’s job. It all starts with a smile, an outstretched arm and a “Welcome to Skagway.”

Skagway Newsies in 1898 and 2014

Do you see yourself here at the Skagway Newsie party in 2014? Do you have any pictures from when you were a newsie? Send us your pictures with names, to editor@skagwaynews.com.

Historical Newsie photo circa

Here’s what passed and what didn’t in the state legislative session

Thirty-one bills passed House and Senate this year, the third fewest of any first-year session since statehood

By James Brooks Alaskabeacon.com

Alaska’s legislative session ended last month, and Gov. Mike Dunleavy has yet to consider most of the 31 bills passed by both House and Senate this spring.

The Legislature’s 31 bills are the third-fewest of any first-year session since statehood. Only 2017 (26 bills) and 2019 (29 bills) had fewer.

It isn’t clear which, if any, bills Dunleavy will veto. He already nixed one of the 31, vetoing a bill that would have turned down pay increases for members of the executive branch.

The veto was the first step in a complicated process that saw legislators and the governor collaborate to install new public-salary board members who approved raises for both legislators and the governor.

The Legislature failed to pass a bill negating the board’s new recommendations, which means legislators will be paid $84,000 per year, plus up to roughly $37,000 in per diem expense payments

The biggest bills of the year are the omnibus budget bill and the annual mental health budget. Dunleavy could veto or reduce line items within the budget before the start of the state’s fiscal year on July 1, but with one month to go, he hasn’t given any clues about his thinking.

With oil prices far below last year’s expectations, lawmakers were also forced to approve a fast-track supplemental budget bill that allows the state to spend from the Constitutional Budget Reserve in order to balance the budget through June 30.

First year of two for the 33rd Legislature

The Legislature operates on a two-year cycle, and in all but one Legislature since statehood, more bills became law in the second year than the first. The exception was the first Legislature, in 1959.

That’s because it takes time for legislators to understand what a colleague is seeking to pass. The usual goal for lawmakers is to have a bill pass one half of the Legislature in the first year, then get it across the finish line in the second year.

Even if it doesn’t become law, it’s positioned to move quickly when the new Legislature convenes, after the election.

Sen. David Wilson, R-Wasilla, was stymied last year in his attempt to criminalize the harassment of 911 operators and dispatchers; the Legislature passed the bill this year, in part because lawmakers were already familiar with it.

The same thing happened in the House, where Speaker of the House Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, urged the Legislature to restrict the state’s ability to close shooting ranges and halt gun and ammunition sales during a declared disaster.

The request came as a result of actions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, and both House and Senate passed it before the end of the session.

Former state Rep. Adam Wool, D-Fairbanks, had urged lawmakers to deregulate electric bicycles, proposing legislation to do so before he decided against running for re-election in 2022.

The person who took over his seat was his chief of staff, now-Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks,

and she guided the bill through the Capitol this year.

Regular topics return again

The various state’s boards and commissions always get attention from the Legislature; this year, lawmakers amended the membership and rules for the board covering architects and engineers.

The Alaska Minerals Commission, state medical board and the board of certified direct-entry midwives all had their duties extended for a few more years; state law requires most boards and commissions to be reauthorized by the Legislature every so often.

Legislators decided to remove the expiration date from the state’s renewable energy grant fund, making that account permanent. The fund, occasionally stocked with cash by the Legislature, distributes grants to projects statewide.

Legislators went the other way with five defunct programs, voting to repeal them from state law under an effort from Sen. James Kaufman, R-Anchorage.

Ceremonial holidays are another common occurrence in the Legislature, and lawmakers approved three this year.

The Legislature declared October as FilipinoAmerican History Month, made September 10 Alaska Community Health Aide Appreciation Day and established June 9 as Don Young Day

Legislators also passed the state’s regular revisor’s bill, which fixes typographical errors and minor mistakes in legislation passed during the previous two-year legislative cycle.

Lawmakers are required to authorize new commemorative license plates, which makes bills designating new ones a regular occurrence in the Capitol. A proposal that Sen. Kelly Merrick, R-Eagle River, calls “the license plate bill to end all license plate bills” would shift the authority to the Department of Motor Vehicles. It passed the Senate, but not the House, before the end of the regular session.

Health care and going backward to go forward

Veterinarians were exempted from the state’s opioid-abuse-fighting prescription drug database, and the laws governing the state pharmacy board were modernized in a pair of bills introduced by Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, and passed by the Legislature.

Another major pharmacy-related bill, regulating pharmacy benefit managers, was introduced by Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, but didn’t get a hearing during the session. Several states have passed laws regulating benefit managers, citing excessive profit-taking that contributes to rising health care costs

The veterinarian bill was intended to resolve a problem created by the Legislature itself eight years ago.

Lawmakers this year also passed a bill intended to fix a problem created when they allowed the state’s Power Cost Equalization Endowment Fund to be managed in a manner similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund.

In the first year after the switch, the billion-dollar PCE fund, managed by the Alaska Department

of Revenue, posted negative returns. In response, the Legislature voted this year to switch the fund’s management from the Department of Revenue to the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. Lawmakers considered, but ultimately did not advance, a bill from Rep. Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski, that would have switched the management of the annual Permanent Fund dividend from the department to the corporation.

The Senate — but not the House — passed a bill that provides a new formula for the Permanent Fund dividend. Disputes over the dividend’s amount remain the most contentious topic in the Capitol.

Two State of the State goals accomplished

In his State of the State address, Dunleavy said the passage of a bill extending Medicaid coverage for new mothers was a priority. Legislators agreed, passing that bill in early May after Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, expanded it to cover even more women than the governor had proposed.

Separately, before the end of the session, the Legislature combined two bills dealing with home care for seniors and the disabled, then passed them under one umbrella. The original bill was one proposed by the governor.

Also during the State of the State, Dunleavy asked lawmakers to pass a pair of bills that would allow the state to make money from the emerging market in carbon dioxide containment. Legislators passed one of those bills, which allows the state to set up a system of carbon credits using state forest land.

The Legislature didn’t pass a bill that would allow the state to make money from companies that collect carbon dioxide and inject it underground. That bill remains in process, but lawmakers did take one piece of the bill and put it into the bill that passed.

That section allows the state to ask the Environmental Protection Agency for permission to take over regulation of some types of injection wells. Native corporations accomplish goal

Alaska Native corporations got help from the Legislature this year after lawmakers voted to change the threshold needed for them to change their articles of incorporation.

Corporations established before July 1, 1989 — which includes almost all Native corporations — need shareholders representing two-thirds of outstanding shares to approve amendments to their articles of incorporation, the corporate constitution.

Many Native corporations have been expanding their shareholder base, making the two-thirds threshold increasingly difficult, and they sought a change requiring only a bare majority to approve. The Legislature passed the bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage. Environmental bills pass

The Legislature voted to ban the use of PFAS —

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CLASSIFIEDS

SERVICES

FOOD BANK DONATIONS

WELCOME. Donations may be sent to the Food Bank, PO Box 200, Skagway, AK 99840. The local Food Bank helps those in need with groceries. If you need assistance, or know anyone who needs assistance, at any time of year, call any pastor.

JOBS

“Skagway Child Care Council is happy to announce they will be opening the Little Dippers Learning Center February 21st. The Center still needs full time teachers for the summer, Housing is available. Little Dippers is a non profit learning center dedicated to serving children and families. For more information on how to apply please visit www. skagwaylittledippers.com “

REAL

Lot For Sale by Owner Lot 9 Block 74, $115,000. Call or text 907.723.2030

LEGAL - REQUEST FOR BIDS

The Municipality of Skagway is accepting sealed bids from fuel suppliers to provide #1 and #2 heating fuel to Municipal facilities. The contract award is scheduled to be considered at the July 20, 2023, Assembly Meeting.

A full copy of the Request for

LEGAL - REQUEST FOR BIDS

Bids can be obtained by e-mailing a.lawson@skagway.org.

The Municipality of Skagway is not responsible for any costs incurred in the preparation of bids. The Municipality reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

Bids must be sealed and clearly labeled with the following information:

“Heating Fuel for Municipal Facilities”

(July 11, 2023, at 2:00 PM)

Bidder’s Name

Bids are due no later than 2:00 PM, July 11, 2023, at the address listed above, or delivered directly to the borough office on 700 Spring Street.

Bidders are expected to be familiar with the potential extreme and challenging weather conditions in Skagway, Alaska, and the Municipality will assume all bidders have considered weather in preparing their bids and will rely on all bidders having considered Skagway weather in submitting their bids. Faxed and e-mailed bids will not be accepted. Bids will be opened in the Assembly Chambers at 2:00 p.m., July 11, 2023.

The Municipality of Skagway is an equal opportunity employer.

BROADWAY BULLETIN BOARD

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Library Hours: Mon. - Thurs. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Fri. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Weekends 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Call 983-2665 or email library@skagway.org

Dahl Clinic Winter Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed Sat. and Sun. 907-983-2255

For after-hours emergencies, dial 911.

Solid Waste Facility Hours T, Th, Sa, Su. 1 - 3 p.m.

Skagway Museum 907-983-2420

Border stations: 7 a.m. - 11 p.m. Call each station for specifics.

Ferry

SKAGWAY WORSHIP DIRECTORY

Assembly of God Church

8th & State • 907-983-2350

Sun. Worship....................11 a.m.

Wed. Bible Devotions & Prayer 7 p.m. Email skagwayag@outlook.com

First Presbyterian Church

5th & Main • 983-2260

Sunday Worship 11 a.m.

Sunday School 9:45 a.m.

Women’s Prayer 10 a.m Tues. Bible Study time varies. Please inquire. Online access available to all events.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 11th & State • 983-2518

Sun. Sacrament Meeting...10 a.m.

St. Therese Catholic Church 9th & State • 983-2271

Sun. Mass..........4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Mass Mon. & Tues.....12:10 p.m. (when a priest is available)

THE FUNNIES

907-983-2259

May 23

-Fire personnel responded to an EWS fire alarm. -Fire personnel responded to a report of a fire outside a local business.

May 24

-Police personnel responded to a report of a found live artillery shell.

-A lost phone was reunited with its owner.

-EMS personnel assisted with a scheduled medevac.

-A lost wallet was reunited with its owner.

May 25

-DOT reported they are hazing birds at the airport.

-EMS personnel responded to three separate medical emergencies.

-Dispatch contacted the on duty provider.

-Police personnel responded to a report of a threat of gun violence.

May 26

-DOT reported they are hazing birds at the airport.

-EMS responded to a medical emergency.

-EMS assisted with a scheduled medevac.

-Police responded to a report of reckless driving.

May 27

-EMS personnel responded to a medical emergency.

-DOT reported they are hazing birds at the airport.

-Dispatch contacted the on duty provider twice.

-EMS personnel assisted with a scheduled medevac.

-Fire personnel responded to an EWS Fire Alarm.

-A lost wallet was reunited with its owner.

-Police assisted a citizen in gaining entry to their locked vehicle.

Police & Fire Blotter

May 28

-EMS personnel assisted with a scheduled medevac.

-DOT reported they are hazing birds at the airport.

-Police assisted two separate citizens in gaining entry to their locked vehicles.

-Dispatch contacted the on duty provider.

-EMS responded to two separate medical emergencies.

-Police performed a welfare check.

May 29

-EMS personnel assisted with three separate scheduled medevacs.

-Dispatch contacted the on duty provider six times.

-DOT reported they are hazing birds at the airport.

May 30

-DOT reported they are hazing birds at the airport.

-EMS assisted with two separate scheduled medevacs.

-EMS responded to a medical emergency.

-Police responded to a noise complaint.

May 31

-DOT reported they are hazing birds at the airport.

-Fire personnel responded to a report of an outdoor fire.

-Police responded to a report of a possible intoxicated driver.

-EMS responded to a medical emergency.

-Dispatch contacted the on duty provider twice.

June 1

-Police personnel responded to a report of a traffic complaint.

-EMS responded to a medical emergency.

-Police responded to a report of a single vehicle, non-injury collision. The driver was cited for driving without insurance and for driving without a valid license.

June 2

-Construction blasting reported on the Klondike Highway.

-Dispatch received a report of tourists feeding bears out of a rental car.

-Dispatch contacted the on duty provider twice.

June 3

-Dispatch contacted the on duty provider five times. -Police personnel responded to a noise complaint.

-A lost phone was reunited with its owner.

June 4

-A lost set of keys was reunited with its owner.

-Dispatch contacted the on duty provider three times.

June 5

-Dispatch received a complaint of cat droppings in garden beds.

-EMS assisted with a scheduled medevac.

-Fire personnel responded to an EWS fire alarm.

June 6

-EMS personnel responded to two separate medical emergencies.

-A lost camera was reunited with its owner.

-Marcus Daniel Stinchcomb, 37 of Tallassee, Alabama was arrested for three counts of Felony Assault.

Legislators pass fewer bills, fail to block controversial pay increase

(continued from page 5) toxic chemicals contained in some firefighting foam — after Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, successfully inserted the ban into a bill from Rep. Stanley Wright, R-Anchorage, that allows builders to use environmentally friendly refrigerants.

Lawmakers also voted to clarify the oil-spill regulations covering boats that transfer fuel to other boats, stating in a new law that oil barges and tank vessels should be regulated as ships, not the same way that land-based oil terminals are.

Oil terminals on land are required to have a spill response plan based on a spill from their largest tank; ships are required to have a plan to deal with a percentage of their total cargo. Before the change, signed by the governor last week, it wasn’t clear what standard applied.

In an attempt to help local sawmills and homebuilders, the Legislature approved a program that will allow locally trained sawmill operators to test and stamp their lumber for quality.

Currently, that lumber must be tested by a Lower 48 organization, something that adds costs.

The lumber could be used in small residential projects, and the bill was a rare measure that got support from both environmental groups and pro-construction organizations.

Cronk talk

Rep. Mike Cronk, R-Tok, led lawmakers to pass a bill that allows shrinking small towns to surrender some of their powers. At the request of the town of Tanana, he sponsored legislation that allows a first-class city to request the state boundary commission to strip the city of some of its powers if it drops below the minimum population needed to first become a first-class city.

Tanana wants to be part of a larger rural school district, but state law requires first-class cities to run their own districts.

Kiehl and Cronk successfully worked to pass

legislation that gives disabled veterans and active-duty members of the Alaska National Guard a free fur-trapping license

ID attention

Legislators passed a pair of bills dealing with ID cards. In one move, they waived the one-year waiting period between the time someone gets a driver’s license and the time they’re eligible for an Alaska commercial driver’s license.

Backers of the bill said that waiting period, which isn’t in federal law, penalized immigrants and rural Alaskans who get their licenses later in life.

In a separate bill, lawmakers mandated that the Alaska Department of Corrections help newly released prisoners obtain an ID card if they don’t already have one. Experts in rehabilitation said the lack of an official ID is a hurdle preventing people from reentering society after prison. Big topics didn’t make the cut

The Legislature voted to increase the salaries of attorneys in the state Office of Victims Rights, but broader legislation dealing with crime and legal aid didn’t pass this year.

The House and Senate failed to act on a proposal that would increase the number of attorneys able to help poor Alaskans facing civil trials, and it failed to pass a bill strengthening criminal penalties for drug dealers whose product kills someone.

The latter bill — which passed the House but not the Senate — became tangled with a different piece of criminal justice legislation that passed the Senate but not the House. The latter bill seeks to change the rules that govern how the state treats people who are accused of a crime but not competent to stand trial.

Before the end of the session, lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to find a compromise that incorporated both items. That failed, but either, or both,

bills can return next year.

A similar situation occurred with a proposal to increase the state’s base student allocation, the formula that dictates how much money school districts receive per student.

After a bill increasing the BSA stalled in the House Finance Committee, the idea was added to a separate Senate-passed bill that funds greater internet access in public schools. Opposition among members of the predominantly Republican House majority meant both ideas failed to pass before the end of the year. Again, either can return next year.

Lawmakers included a one-year, temporary funding increase in this year’s budget, but it isn’t clear whether that is acceptable to the governor, who could veto it from the budget.

A Senate plan to revive a state pension, trumpeted by the 17-member Senate supermajority, failed to pass the Senate before the end of the year. It remains in the Senate Finance Committee, and lawmakers said the proposal is unlikely to pass through the Capitol before the 2024 election.

Election-reform legislation also failed to pass this year, despite the efforts of lawmakers including Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks, and Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer.

Vance proposed the repeal of the state’s ranked choice voting system, while Kawasaki supported an omnibus, bipartisan approach that makes amendments to the existing system to improve security and ease of access.

James Brooks with the Alaska Beacon is a longtime Alaska reporter, having previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Submitted by Skagway Police Department