THE SKAGWAY NEWS.
August 11, 2023
Sales tax increase back on ballot–with a revision
By Melinda MunsonOrdinance 23-19 passed the Skagway Borough Assembly Aug. 3, placing the issue of higher sales tax in front of voters in the 2023 October Regular Election. Just four months ago, the voting public denied a sales tax increase at April’s special election, voting 56% against (220 votes) and 44% in favor (73 votes) of a 1.5% rise.
The new question will read: “Shall the rate of sales tax collected upon sales made and services rendered in Skagway be increased from 5% to 6.25% for increased operational and infrastructural demands during the 2nd and 3rd quarters of each calendar year, April through September?”
The intent of the ordinance is to have the majority of sales tax dollars come from visitors during tourist season.
Assemblymember Orion Hanson said the municipality would be “in line with the rest of Southeast Alaska” even at the previously proposed higher rate of 6.5%. Juneau and Sitka’s sales tax rate is 5%. Ketchikan went from 6.5% to 8% in April.
Assemblymember Deb Potter emphasized that the Aug. 3 assembly vote did not increase taxes.
“And just to remind everybody that we are not up here about to vote on increasing taxes,” she said. “We brought this to the voters in April. It didn’t pass, it was relatively close. …since that April vote, we’ve seen the busiest season that Skagway has ever experienced. And people might have a different take, or maybe they’ll vote it down again. But I see no reason not to bring it up to the voters again. Especially if it’s not costing us any money. It’s an already scheduled election.”
There was some tension in assembly chambers when As(see page 5 - Vote)
Missing woman found safe miles from town
By Melinda MunsonA vulnerable adult went missing from downtown Skagway, initiating a successful overnight search and rescue operation.
“I feel very, very lucky. A lot of effort went into it,” said Borough Manager Brad Ryan.
Around 7 p.m. on Aug. 10, Skagway Police Department received a call regarding a 26-year-old female who wandered away from caregivers on Broadway. The department searched the town for the woman, known to sometimes disappear and return on her own. By nightfall when the woman had not reappeared, the case became priority, said Police Chief Jerry Reddick.
Fire Chief Emily Rauscher was notified at approximately 10 p.m. and a search and rescue team was assembled. Team members hiked Lower Lake, Yakutania Point and Smuggler’s Cove with flashlights, calling the woman’s name.
Acting on a community tip, a group then searched the incinerator, located at Mile 6 on the Klondike Highway.
“We weren’t able to find anything,” Rauscher said.
Based on another community tip, a team continued up the mountain to U.S Customs. Customs was closed but arrived to open the gate for the emergency vehicle.
The woman was discovered at approximately 1:30 a.m.
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By Gretchen WehmhoffWhen Michael Heney developed the plan for the current White Pass Railroad in a Skagway bar with Sir Thomas Tancrede, a representative of London Investors, he probably had no idea what the distant future held for the company.
Initially designed to transport miners, equipment and gold back and forth from the Yukon to Skagway, the tracks now guide a major tourist attraction over White Pass, against sheer mountain sides along the east side of the Skagway River and on into Canada. Over 35,000 workers took part in the construction of the railroad. Now nearly a million visitors to Skagway are expected to board the train in 2023. Heney was also unlikely to have been able to predict
that one of his descendents would return 125 years later to celebrate the longevity and anniversary of the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad (WPYR).
Patrick Michael Karnahan plays with Black Irish Band (BIB), a progressive folk band with ribbons of Celtic, Spanish and Italian influences. They are known for performing historic songs and ballads. Karnahan is a direct descendent of Michael Heney BIB came to Carcross for the 100th celebration of White Pass and made the journey again for this summer’s 125th anniversary of the iconic railroad. One of their ballads, White Pass & Yukon Railway Theme is available on their album “Lonesome Whistle - Railroad Ballads,” and features
the vision, story and journey of Michael Heney.
The band entertained hundreds of residents, employees and visitors at the WPYR depot on July 29. Guests were invited to socialize, enjoy light refreshments, explore the locomotives and meet up with current and former employees and their families.
Engineer jeremy simmons (who does not capitalize his name) pulled Engine 73, a steam engine, up to the celebration. Emma Tronrud, age six, climbed onboard. With a little help from her dad, Andrew, she pulled the whistle rope blasting a sound that made her jump -- as well as many residents of Skagway who heard the toot of the train go off at irregular intervals that evening.
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Vol. XLVI, No 4 (953) August 11, 2023
Published online 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
Contributors
Jaime Bricker
James Brooks
Jonathon Hillis
Lex Treinian
Cynthia Tronrud
Editor Emeritus
William J. “Jeff” Brady
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Joint agency effort leads to locating missing woman
(Continued from front page)
on Aug. 11 near the Captain William Moore Bridge, approximately 10 miles from her starting point.
According to Rauscher, the fog was extremely thick, but the glint from the victim’s glasses allowed Officer James Michels and Firefighter/EMT Ryan Odsather to spot her.
She was “curled up in a ball,” Reddick said. The woman was dressed in only shorts and a short sleeve
Music, food and locomotive tours highlight WP&YR 125th anniversary
(Continued from front page)
“It was so loud. It scared me,” Emma said.
She and her mother, Cynthia Tronrud, talked about how hot it was in the engine room. Tronrud has worked for White Pass for 23 years.
“jeremy said it’s really hot when it’s moving,” Tronrud said.
Emma saw several uncles and family friends who worked on the engines. One was Uncle Pete.
the railroad for generations. WPYR has seen its capital grow from smaller engines to powerful locomotives. About 95 parlor cars are used during peak season. Named after lakes, the cars came from various historic railroads. The Emerald Lake, built in 1883, is the oldest car of the fleet.
shirt. The temperature was 51 degrees.
She was “not geared to be going into the Yukon on foot,” Reddick said.
The woman was transported to Dahl Memorial Clinic and reunited with her family, vehicle tourists from Canada.
“I love it every time the fire and police work together in such a positive collaboration,” Rauscher said. “That’s what every town should strive for.”
“We call him Uncle Pete, but he’s really Dave Hunz,” Tronrud laughed.
Skagwegians have multiple ties to the railroad either through current jobs, tourism connections or decades of family employment. Some families can trace their history back a century through parents, grandparents and siblings. Family descendants who include, but are not limited to, Burnham, Hunz, Lawson, Mahle, Mulvihill, Rose, Taylor, Thoe and Tronrud still live and work in Skagway, many connected to
In 2018 White Pass & Yukon Route was purchased by Klondike Holdings, LLC, an ownership group formed of majority partner Survey Point Holdings and its affiliates and long time partners based in Seattle along with minority partner Carnival PLC.
The railroad has survived closures due to the slowing of mineral mining, landslides and a pandemic. All of these setbacks were jointly felt by the small town of Skagway, home to visionary railroad builders that changed the nature of the Klondike Gold Rush and the future of its descendents.
Alaska’s state-owned investment bank files suit against owners of defunct Yukon mine
By James Brooks Alaskabeacon.comThe bankruptcy of Yukon’s Minto Metals Corp. spilled across the Alaska border last week as Alaska’s stateowned investment bank filed suit against the defunct mining company, joining a long list of creditors seeking repayment
In a lawsuit filed July 31 in Anchorage District Court, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority claims Minto Metals failed to pay user fees for AIDEA’s Skagway ore terminal, used to ship mining concentrates out of the Yukon.
The City and Borough of Skagway took over ownership of the terminal in March, but before that transfer, AIDEA claims that Minto Metals owed more than $400,000 to the investment bank.
AIDEA has seized Minto Metals’ $350,000 security deposit, leaving a balance of $74,445.96. The bank is seeking that amount — plus legal fees — in the lawsuit.
AIDEA has a long history with the ore terminal, which it bought in 1990 for $25 million. The terminal operated for years before being shut down, then reactivated
in 2007 at a cost of $14 million.
The terminal is located on waterfront property owned by Skagway, and after a cost-benefit analysis ordered in 2021, AIDEA elected not to renew its waterfront lease, effectively handing over the facility to Skagway.
The city is negotiating a multimillion-dollar deal with the Yukon government, which is planning a two-year renovation project in exchange for a 35-year preferential use agreement.
The city subsequently signed a multimillion-dollar deal with the Yukon govern-
Motorists wonder why Haines gas is so expensive at $6
By Lex Treinian Chilkat Valley NewsLate last week, Steve Johnson, a tourist visiting Haines from Wisconsin, was grumbling about his gas bill: $92.
“It kinda sucks. Just looking at gas in Skagway, which is where we’re going, it’s $5.05 (per gallon),” said Johnson.
Haines fishermen, tourism businesses and vacationers have all been dealing with high gas bills as per-gallon prices in Haines approach $6.
Haines gas has been more expensive than other comparable communities in Southeast Alaska for years, but recent price increases seem to have hit Haines particularly hard. Skagway’s price at the pump on Saturday was $5.30. In Craig, it was $5.03. The national average was $3.56, according to AAA.
The price discrepancy has confused some consumers, who wonder why Haines, which is connected to the highway, is so much more expensive than other communities that aren’t.
“I know there’s supply and demand issues, but it does seem a little bit off,” said Jason Ghan, after filling up his pickup truck.
Both gas stations in Haines are supplied by Delta Western. Company officials declined to respond to questions about how they price their gas. But Haines Borough Mayor Doug Olerud said there are explanations for why Haines consumers pay more at the pump. Compared to Skagway, which supplies fuel to the Yukon Territory, Haines only buys a miniscule amount of gas.
“That volume allows them to buy it at a lower cost,” said Olerud.
Despite being connected to the road system, Haines is still a long way for fuel barges to travel, Olerud said. He compared it to Juneau, which was paying about $4.10 per gallon last week.
“The closer to Seattle the barge has to go, the cheaper it’s gonna be,” he said. “It’s 40% higher (to come to Haines) than just going to Juneau.”
Still, Olerud said that prices had floated up after Petro Marine stopped shipping gas to Haines about 20 years ago. That left Delta Western with a monopoly on fuel supply in town.
“Any time you have a single seller, it’s always a concern,” said borough manager
Annette
Kreitzer.Still, borough officials said they don’t have any reason to believe that Delta Western is artificially inflating its prices.
“I don’t have any information that says that’s true or untrue,” Olerud said.
Prices are lower than their peak last year, shortly after Russia’s war in Ukraine shot global oil markets through the roof. Gas prices in Haines reached $7 per gallon, and have dropped significantly since then.
Many consumers said they’re used to dealing with high gas prices, one of the many sacrifices they make to live in Haines. They say they’ll adapt to cost increases however they have to.
“It is what it is,” said Jessie Badger, after spending about $60 to fill up her SUV. “I’m thinking about getting another job quite honestly. The price of everything is going up; wages are not.”
Originally published in the Chilkat Valley News July 20.
ment, which is subsidizing a two-year renovation project in exchange for a 35-year preferential use agreement.
The AIDEA lawsuit is not expected to affect that arrangement, and city officials have said that the clo-
sure of Minto Metals’ Yukon mine is not expected to have a significant local effect.
Gates“In fact there was only one species on the planet more intelligent than dolphins, and they spent a lot of their time in behavioral research laboratories running round inside wheels and conducting frighteningly elegant and subtle experiments on man. The fact that once again man completely misinterpreted this relationship was entirely according to these creatures’ plans.”
– Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Adams had something.
For the record, a family of mice is not only referred to as a nest, but also a mischief. Of all animals, that is the most appropriate group label I’ve encountered … so far.
I am starting to believe that the mice are also well-organized.
For instance, have you noticed that we rarely see them – only where they have been? As soon as we spot a mouse (vole, shrew and any cousin), we run for the traps, lures and bait. We are obsessed with the concept that we can outsmart the fast little critters.
“Quick! It ran there. Put the trap there.”
But what if that was a decoy mouse – a reconnaissance mouse, assigned by the leader of the mischief, whose mission is to run a course through
July 25
the house, carefully making sure it is seen. The humans, in their best attempt to outsmart the enemy, quickly place their chosen deterrent or trap exactly where the mouse had made its appearance. Of course, this clever maneuver was a plan. Now the mice know where not to run because they had laid out the trail. And because these buggers have a great sense of smell, the others in the mischief have been warned. This can be proven by the number of snap traps, humane plastic boxes or sticky sheets that stay in place untouched for days, weeks and months waiting for that mouse to return. It never does. It never will.
We go years without mice in our home. There were decades that the neighbor’s outdoor cats kept the nests under control. Last year we had a family of hawks living in our yard.
Athena and Diva (two of our dogs) were mousers. In her younger years Athena came into the living room with a mouse in her mouth. She dropped it in the middle of the floor then leaned back on her haunches to watch it. The rodent reminded me of a cartoon character crawling across the desert seeking water. Athena and I sat mesmerized as the small mouse painfully pulled itself over the carpet and disappeared under the media center. Never to be seen again.
Diva couldn’t keep a secret. She had a strong tail attached to a very active rear end. I’m not sure Diva ever sat still unless she was sleeping. She caught my attention one day because she wasn’t panting, her mouth was closed and her tail was moving at Mach speed. I studied her enough to see about two inches of tail protruding from her mouth. I told her to drop it. She looked at me knowing that if she let go, her new playmate would be taken away. So she swal-
-Fire personnel assisted with two scheduled medevacs.
-Fire personnel responded to two separate medical emergencies.
-Two lost cell phones were reunited with their owners.
-Small black bear spotted a few miles up Klondike Highway.
-A lost backpack was reunited with its owner.
July 26
-Police assisted with a vehicle lockout.
-Police responded to an altercation between two tourists downtown.
-Bear spotted about a half mile up Dyea Road.
July 27
-Police assisted with three separate vehicle lockouts.
-Bear spotted near the start of Dyea Road twice.
-Dispatch contacted the clinic on duty provider twice.
-Police responded to a report of suspicious persons – they were unable to locate.
lowed it. I wondered if it “wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.”
The surgical exactness of some mice can drive a human to insanity. A large slice of cheese is gone, the peanut butter is licked clean while the trap is left undisturbed. Traps were meant to tease the human. Traps will surely snap shut during the baiting process, or in the last second of placing it carefully on the floor. Snap! The humans reload as the mice observe the antics, most likely rolling on the floor back in the nest, “And did you see him step on that sticky stuff?”
I used to feel bad about catching and trapping. In fact, I’ve gone to lengths to save the “cute” furry things. I once saw mice as adorable furry animals decorating Christmas cards or helping Cinderella with her dress and coach … until one ran across my arm while I was sleeping. It fell into a plastic shopping bag containing photos I had just picked up from the store.
I was immediately awake. I grabbed the bag, got in my car and drove out of the garage. I figured a few miles away would be sufficient, but the mouse wasn’t going to wait. It started chewing through the bag and just as I pulled out of the driveway, I had to heave the bag into the empty lot next door. The mouse scurried off in the direction of my apartment building. I grabbed my photos and headed back in.
It was apparent I was a mouse novice.
I tried small traps that closed around the mouse giving me the ability to drive far away into the woods and let it go. Some removed the bait without being caught. Of course, before I was married, my allergy to peanuts kept me from using peanut butter.
July 28
-Fire personnel responded to smoke at Yakutania Point that turned out to be an unattended campfire.
-Fire personnel responded to a medical emergency.
-Black bear spotted near Lazy Daisy Farm.
-Bear with a cub spotted in Liarsville.
July 29
-Fire personnel assisted with a scheduled medevac.
-A lost wallet was turned in to dispatch and reunited with its owner.
July 30
-A bear was spotted near Jewell Gardens.
-Dispatch contacted the on duty provider multiple times.
-A lost phone was turned into dispatch and reunited with its owner.
-Fire personnel responded to a medical emergency.
-Fire personnel assisted with a scheduled medevac.
We tried D-Con until I came out for coffee one morning to see our hundred pound, gentle German Shepherd Ty, staring at his large water bowl. He looked up at me for help. Two dead mice were floating and well, dogs, thankfully, don’t like things in their bowls. We dropped that plan thinking of all the animals that might be harmed by eating a poisoned mouse.
But thinking back, it could have been a ploy of the well organized mouse militia.
“Harry, find a partner and pretend to be dead floating in the dog bowl. That will stop them from dropping that dangerous blue compound around.”
After Joe and I were married, we spotted a mouse. With a great deal of ignorance, we purchased some sticky pads. I thought they were poisonous and the rodent would die a quick and humane death.
We were so naive. We caught one and it didn’t die. Googling ways to remove glue and sticky substances with cooking oil, I found a box, a pair of work gloves, two pairs of rubber gloves, a syringe, a dull table knife and dropped the mouse with its adhesive in the box. With three pairs of gloves protecting me, I gently injected cooking oil around the mouse, I pried the knife under its legs, face and torso, eventually lifting it off the pad.
I took the box outside, turned it sideways and imagined that the sweet thing would break away and find a new home … after it licked all of the oil from its fur.
I told my sister about it. She was quiet on the other end of the phone call until she calmly said, “you know you just marinated it for the next predator.”
July 31
-A lost phone was turned in to dispatch and reunited with its owner.
-A lost passport was turned in to dispatch and reunited with its owner.
-Police assisted with a vehicle lockout.
-A lost backpack was turned in to dispatch.
-Fire personnel responded to a medical emergency.
Aug. 1
-Fire personnel responded to a medical emergency.
-Fire personnel assisted with a scheduled medevac.
-A bear was spotted near Yakutania Point.
Aug. 2
-Fire personnel assisted with a scheduled medevac.
-Fire personnel responded to an EWS Fire Alarm.
Aug. 3
-Police assisted with a vehicle lockout.
Harry Adrian Bricker, 53, passed away June 26 at his home in Skagway, Alaska.
Adrian was born on March 17, 1970, in Boise, Idaho to Harry Alan Bricker and Geni Ann Fait. He spent much of his youth outdoors at the Agee Ranch in Twin Falls, riding horses and mules, white water rafting in Hells Canyon, camping, wood cutting and more. Growing up, Adrian loved playing football and baseball at Borah High School in Boise. His father’s work took the family to Washington where he played varsity football as linebacker. Adrian graduated
