Bear family returns; ADF&G, AST approve dispatching if necessary
By Gretchen Wehmhoff
A family of brown bears has returned to Skagway. The bears, as per their annual pattern over the past three years, frequent Dyea until the late part of July when they cross through to Liarsville and the businesses along the Klondike Highway.
SPD responds to calls and attempts to haze or chase the bears back to the forests, but the sow and her two cubs continue to return. Officers say the bears recognize the sound of SPD vehicles and temporarily move out of sight.
As the bears progress through town, usually at night, they seek out garbage.
The Skagway Police Department (SPD) received reports of the sow bluff-charging walkers and cyclists who surprised them.
SPD recommends using lights and making your presence known via conversation, voice or other noise means if walking or cycling at dark.
Mayor Sam Bass, at the Aug. 15 assembly meeting, announced that SPD has received “permission from the Alaska Department of Fish & Game along with concurrence from the Alaska State Troopers, to put these bears down. Chief Reddick and his officers will implement this option if the opportunity arises.” he said.
“This is unfortunate. It’s sad that we may have to put these bears down, but we must ensure the safety of people. I implore the citizens and businesses of Skagway to do everything you can do,
(see page 2 -Sloppy)
by
RV permits, Garden City conceptual plans top assembly action
By Gretchen Wehmhoff
The assembly adopted another resolution regulating the placement of recreational vehicles as housing on properties. The resolution, 24-22R, replaces previous versions of the RV habitation resolution.
The resolution goes into effect immediately for new permits, with current RV habitation permits not impacted until property owners or users apply for a new 2025 permit.
Assemblymember Deb Potter sponsored the motion to extend to 2026.
“There’s a significant financial investment involved in putting in proper water and sewer lines, so there needs to be a little incentive for folks to do that. So just to say, spend $5,000 to install water and sewer for one year of hosting an RV on your property doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Potter said.
Other changes include declaring modifications on any
RV which has been changed from its origins, manufactured condition and that a structure is not permitted within six feet of the RV. This includes, docks, fences, fuel tanks and more regarding fire safety.
Assemblymember Orion Hanson voted to approve the resolution, but with a note of frustration.
“We’re kicking this can down indefinitely every time we vote for this. This has gone on and on, and it’s really the only option that we have. We’ve disallowed Garden City for seasonal housing, We’ve yet to build another campground. You know, where Skagway was 12 years ago was really set up for seasonal people, with all the different RV parks and Campgrounds we have, and all those have gone away, and now the solution is in our backyards and residential areas,” Hanson said.
The assembly also adopted a conceptual plan and bud-
get to begin work on the future of Garden City as newly zoned housing. It is unclear as to when the Garden City RV park will close, when a replacement RV park will be developed or when groundbreaking will begin.
Discussions continue on the pros and cons of the conceptual design and the budgeting process as any movement will require the assembly to approve the funding.
The brown bear family has been entering Skagway at night to search for unsecured trash. This sow is not new to Skagway. The bears are in danger of being dispatched if they become more dangerous. SPD and MOS are both imploring residents to follow code that prohibits trash being put out before 4 a.m. on trash day and to secure dumpsters in order to discourage the bears.
Photo
Dale Kissell
Conceptual plan provided by the Municipality of Skagway
Page 2
The Skagway News. Skagway’s First Newspaper Christened in 1897, buried alive in 1904 and resurrected in 1978, The Skagway News is currently celebrating 47 years of reporting in Skagway and Dyea, Alaska, recording our Centennial years and beyond.
ADVERTISING
& NEWS COPY DEADLINES
Next issue will be published SEPT. 13, 2024
Please email sales@skagwaynews.com
All ads and classifieds by Sept. 6
COPY, LETTERS, CALENDAR DEADLINE:
Please email editor@skagwaynews.com
All news copy, letters and calendar events by Sept. 6, 2024
Vol. XLVII, No 15 (977) August 23, 2024
Published online the second and fourth Friday of the month
Phone: (907) 983-2354 www.skagwaynews.com
editor@skagwaynews.com sales@skagwaynews.com
Publisher Gretchen Wehmhoff
Contributors & Volunteers
Sloppy trash habits bring the bears back to town at night
(from Front page)
not to attract bears,” Bass continued.
Bass said the city has electric fences that can be borrowed for short periods.
According to municipal code, (8.04.035) no owner or persons in charge of a property shall cause or allow the creation or maintenance of a bare attractant nuisance on that property or the adjacent right away.
Bass reminded the public that garbage is not to be put out until 4 a.m. the day of pickup.
There is also a black bear in the area, specifically around Moore Bridge and Dyea, but it has not shown any aggressive behavior. One police report stated that “the bear non-aggressively and calmly walked past a person on foot,
brushing against their leg.”
Gold Rush Productions owner, Charity Pomeroy, thanked Bass for bringing up the bear issue.
“It’s a good reminder to me to make sure that our employees are following the guidelines that we set forth for them, and maybe even the thought that this is something that needs to be added to their contracts annually, that they do not put the trash out before trash day. And I think it would behoove every company to check in at this time with their employees to ensure that these bears do not find food in this town,” Pomeroy said.
As of deadline, no bear deaths have been reported to or by SPD.
Let’s go fly a kite!
Eagles bring burgers, hotdogs, kites, families to Shorline Park
Bass
Kerri Raia
Joe Stoltze
Denise Welch
Editor Emeritus
William J. “Jeff” Brady
Submissions
The Skagway News welcomes opinions pieces and letters to the editor.
Opinion pieces should be no longer than 600 words and will be published based on space availability and relevance to current and local events. Letters to the editor should not exceed 250 words.
Obituaries for people with connections to Skagway are printed free of charge up to 700 words
Subscriptions
Sign
on line at www.skagwaynews.com or call 907-983-2354 Mail
August 23, 2024
Fire Goddess wins champion textile prize at Southeast Alaska State Fair
The Fraternal Order of Eagles #25 celebrated Skagway’s first “Children’s Day” Aug.10. The event was free to the public. Skagway Fire Department gave fire truck and ambulance tours as well.
Anika Thole models her “Fire Goddess” outfit. Her grandmother, Caryn Thole, taught her the needed skills as Anika created the wearable art for the spring fashion show at Skagway School. Anika won the Grand Champion award for textile arts at the Southeast Alaska State Fair in Haines last month. Photos provided by the Thole family.
Photos by Gretchen Wehmhoff
Rising pertussis case numbers in Alaska prompt warnings and prevention recommendations
This year’s spike in the disease known as ‘whooping cough’ follows COVID-19 pandemic years that had very few cases reported
By Yereth Rosen Alaska Beacon.com
A spike in pertussis, a contagious disease commonly known as whooping cough, has swept through Alaska, the state Department of Health reported.
Through the end of July, 131 pertussis cases had been reported in Alaska this year, according to an alert issued by the department’s Division of Public Health epidemiology section.
That compares to 26 cases reported last year, only two cases in 2022 and just one in 2021, according to the epidemiology section’s public health alert.
Of this year’s pertussis cases, 91 were reported in June and July, the epidemiology section said. Most were in the Southcentral region, the most populated part of Alaska.
Babies are most vulnerable to pertussis, the epidemiology section said in its alert. About a third of infected infants need to be hospitalized, and many can develop pneumonia, seizures and other complications, the bulletin said. Some can die from the disease, with most of the deaths reported among babies younger than 3 months old, the alert said. Across the U.S. from 2010 to 2020, up to 20 infants died annually from pertussis, the alert said.
In Southeast Alaska, where seven cases have been reported since June, health officials issued recommendations for treatment and prevention of the highly contagious disease.
People with symptoms like persistent coughing should seek medical care immediately, and those who are possibly sick or who have been exposed to pertussis patients should wash their hands frequently, wear masks and otherwise practice good hygiene, the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium said in a statement.
A key prevention tool is vaccination, and both adults and children should be up to date on those vaccinations, the consortium statement said.
“We want to ensure that the public is fully informed about the risks associated with pertussis and the steps they can take to protect themselves and their loved ones,” Dr. Cate Burley, the consortium’s chief medical officer, said in the statement. “Early diagnosis and vaccination are key to preventing the spread of this illness.”
Pertussis vaccines are typically bundled with vaccines for tetanus and diphtheria, into packages called DTaP or Tdap. The combined vaccine is recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at regular intervals for both children and adults. For children, the CDC-recommended schedule is four doses by 15 months, followed by a dose at about age 11 or 12. For adults, the CDC-recommended schedule is a dose every 10 years, as well as during pregnancies or in certain other special circumstances.
The epidemiology section’s public health alert also stressed the importance of vaccination.
“The best way to prevent pertussis is to get vaccinated. Pertussis remains one of the leading causes of vaccine-preventable deaths worldwide, despite overall high vaccination coverage. Most pertussis deaths occur in young babies who are either unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated,” it said.
Alaska’s increase in pertussis comes as cases are rising nationally, reversing a sharp decline in pertussis cases experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC reported.
Health precautions used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 likely prevented the spread of pertussis, the CDC said. Reported cases now are at a more “typical” level and close to the level reported in 2019, the CDC said.
The years with almost no Alaska pertussis cases — 2021 and 2022 — overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic and the precautions imposed to prevent the
spread of that disease.
Aside from those pandemic years, pertussis in Alaska has come in waves, generally in cycles of three to five years, state health officials said.
There have been years with high numbers. In 2012, there were 356 cases reported and in 2013, the total was 308, according to the epidemiology section’s 2013 annual infectious disease report. There are also years with much lower numbers, aside from the recent pan-
over time, can trigger periodic epidemics, he said.
A different wave pattern, spread out over the past 12 months, is shown in Alaska for other contagious respiratory diseases. For COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, combined case numbers were higher in late fall and midwinter but lower in late spring and early summer, according to the Alaska Division of Public Health.
A rise in cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is shown in graphs published in a public health alert distributed by the Alaska Division of Public Health’s epidemiology section. (Image provided by Alaska Department of Health, Division of Public Health, Section of Epidemiology)
demic years. In 2011, for example, only 24 cases were reported, according to state health officials.
The wave pattern exists for multiple reasons, Dr. Joe McLaughlin, chief of the state’s epidemiology section, said by email.
Immunity to the disease, whether acquired through vaccination or infection, wanes over time, he said. There can be incomplete vaccine coverage in the population, he said. Additionally, the bacterium that causes the disease, Bordetella pertussis, can evolve into strains that partially evade people’s immunity, he said. And changes in population makeup – with new babies born and older children or adults losing their immunity
Heard on the wind.
“It sure was windy last night.”
“Is it always this windy?”
“Is there a time to visit Skagway when it isn’t so windy?”
If you catch a funny conversation on the wind, share it with The Skagway News. Send submissions to: editor@skagwaynews.com.
State of Alaska election information
The Skagway News will publish election information each issue as we near the Oct. 1 municipal and the Nov. 5 general election. In both the state senate and house races for Skagway, the incumbants are running unopposed. Both candidates completed the questionaire provide to the by the Alaska Beacon. Their answers will be published here.
The state primary election is scheduled for August 20 where the top four vote getters in each race will advance to the general election.
harvests?
State House District 3
Juneau, Haines, Skagway, Gustavus
Andi Story - Democrat - Incumbant
Running unopposed
Education: What do you think should be done to improve public education in the state?
AA permanent significant BSA increase should be passed early in the next legislative session. Early in the session because early, reliable and adequate funding matter. Why? There is much evidence about what conditions and investments in staff result in youth being ready to be successful after high school. Early, reliable, and adequate funding matter. Why? Education is an economic issue. It is a well known that families /businesses are looking at their state, or a state they are considering moving too, that has an education system that is valued and doing well. The headlines in our state have been all about crisis. Our education funding policy sets our state up for poor public confidence and poor student performance. How? Since for the past eight years, the state has not permanently increased funding (except for a $30 dollar per student increase in 2024) and uses one-time funding that is appropriated, AFTER their school budgets are due to their municipalities (by statute), and budget cuts have to be projected and perhaps made. Districts had to rely on federal COVID dollars to maintain some of their staff and instructional needs, rather than supplement them, as the state did not increase our funding.
There has been high inflation so fixed costs increased, salaries and benefits increased to keep staff, there are new student needs, and not many decreasing ones. Having to make budget cuts causes conflict among parents, staff, communities and school administrations. It causes the headlines to be negative to the public. It does not allow for evidenced based targeted interventions to happen. Less personal attention is given to students. Families do not want this in their child’s educational experience. Early, permanent funding would allow staff to focus on their student relationships, instruction and increasing student learning and not what to cut and how to get by on less. Investments in Early learning (Pre-school, Parents As Teachers, Headstart are key supports for children so they are entering kindergarten whether in their neighborhood school, or home or correspondence school, and ready to learn). The state should increase the Career Technical factor in the foundation formula, so as to offer more hands on learning classes, career guides and internships with local businesses in their 10th/11th/12th grade years. Professional development for staff on best instructional methods and a return to a defined benefits pension will helps us retain quality teachers/ staff after we have trained them. The State should fund the Reads Act so as to be able to afford to provide the teacher/staff training on the Science of reading, student tutoring, interventions, and summer school promised to children who are working on catching up on their reading skills and promised to their families.
Fish industry: What, if any, change would you make to state law to support the fishing industry and Alaskans who are dependent on fish
I am going to be looking to the recommendations of the legislative task force that was created at the end of this session, to address Alaska’s fishing crisis. They will be meeting over these next few months and their report and priorities are due at the end of January. I would reinstate the Nutritional Alaska Foods in Schools (NASF) program of the 2013 to 2016 school years and make it permanent. This is where districts were able to buy fresh Alaskan seafood and be reimbursed by the state. This will help with support the fishing industry and has the added benefit of good nutrition for our children and youth.
Permanent Fund dividend: How should the state set the amount of the Permanent Fund dividend each year?
I believe the Permanent Fund statute needs to be changed as it has not been followed in quite some time. This has been difficult to officially do. The Legislature and Governor, with citizen input, should revise the PFD formula. The formula should provide for a reasonable and permanent dividend. Revising the PFD is one part of the Tri-partisan 2021 Fiscal Working Group’s finalizing a state fiscal plan to stabilize and grow Alaska’s economy. A new working group and/or Finance Committee’s deliberations in a process to educate, review various proposals of a PFD revision and gain public input, should take place this year and until acted upon.
Energy: What should be done to address the pending energy crunch along the Railbelt?
The state passed legislation to establish the framework for energy transmission improvements in the Railbelt and carbon capture and storage (with royalties from carbon storage going into the Permanent Fund). Oversight will be needed and state budget investments to complete the energy transmission improvements. The State needs to fund $200 million to get the total federal match for this effort. This budget year we put $32 million towards this as it can be funded in increments. The State must fund the total federal match over the next couple of years, to take full advantage of the 600 million federal GRIP award. Renewable energy standards should be set that require public utilities over time, to increase their use of renewable energy. I am pleased that the Legislature also this year, established the framework for community energy facilities, which allows rate payers to pool their resources together to create community energy. This should help the Railbelt and any changes needed to these policies I am open too.
Party differences: How would you work with legislators of different political parties to get things done in the Legislature?
I believe in bi-partisan, tri-partisan coalitions and was part of one for all six years of my service. I believe in working “across the aisle” and always being respectful of my colleagues. I will collaborate on legislation and understand that it necessary to moving a bill and budget amendments forward. I try and listen and understand where that
Publication schedule for answers to the Alaska Beacon questions and those the SN asks our local candidates.
Aug. 9 - Sentate District B
Aug. 23 - House District 3
Sept.13 - Local candidates for assembly, school board Sept. 27 -U.S. Congressional candidates
person is coming from, what their constituents may want which may be different or similar from mine, and why they are voting the way they are. I look to identify what elements we have in common, and what can we work on in smaller steps. This willingness to work together is critical to moving Alaska forward.
Public employees: What should the state do to improve retention of public employees, including teachers? In looking at the continued high public employee turnover rates, vacancy rates, and poor delivery of services to Alaskans, that affect public safety, public education and public services, a return to a defined benefit pension program is urgent. Much work has been done on this in the Senate, in SB 88. The proposed pension reform has identified an affordable, cost saving path forward. This involves a hybrid plan of shared risk to the state and employee if our unfunded liability falls below 90 percent. This should be the foundation of a plan moving forward. Bonuses while helping recruit, do not retain employees with experience for a longer time. An adequate pension will help in this goal, as has been verified in the past. State investments to provide housing for public employees should continue. This year we appropriated 7.5 million to develop new housing in rural areas for public workers. We passed legislation that allows communities that build housing for public workers to get up to $700,000 (out of 40 million appropriated). State investments need to continue until housing is more available and affordable. The commissioned state salary study is due soon. The legislature should act upon it’s recommendations in this next legislative session. Our teacher’s salaries need to be competitive with the lower 48, as adjusted for the geographic cost factors, in Alaska. This involves a permanent increase to the BSA.
Tribal-state relations: How and where should the state work with tribal governments?
The state should work with tribal governments in all ways as we are government to government entities. Tribal compacting in education is occurring in pilot projects and we should adopt those recommendations. The recommendations of the state’s Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council should be followed. Law has concurrent jurisdiction over family matters, and many tribal courts handle juvenile offenses and hearing minor criminal offenses. I think this should be explored and expanded to other matters, including the Department of Corrections. A task force to look at our justice system would be an important first step. Investments in Murdered and Missing Indigenous People and cultural training in all government systems is critical. The Department of Education needs to have a Cultural Education department as it needs more involvement with tribal governments. Health care, land agreements, subsistence rights, protection of our resources, transboundary issues, resource development and cultural tourism are examples of areas that collaborative work should happen.
Budget cuts/revenue: When you look at the state budget, what’s the No. 1 thing you’d like to see cut or reduced, and what’s your No. 1 preferred way to raise new state revenue?
When I look at the budget, I would like to
see reductions in the Executive Branch and in legal expenses for the Executive Branch. We have made significant cuts in the state budget since 2018. To raise new state revenue, I would like to see the state reduce the tax credit for oil producers from 8 $ per barrel of oil to 5 $ per barrel.
Health: What should the state do to safeguard and improve Alaskans’ health?
Support prevention programs, like Parents As Teachers, which is a child abuse and prevention program that provides health screenings. Start early!!! Provide local access to health care, including mental health and addiction treatment services. Expand treatment beds. Expand telehealth. Implement policies that keep our community hospitals in our rural areas. Support community-based services that keep seniors and people with developmental disabilities in their own homes. Support community outpatient treatment programs. Support crisis now programs. These programs saves the state in the long-run from paying MORE for inpatient programs and at the worst incarcerating people with substance abuse or mental health conditions. Expand the workforce with training programs for community health aides and other needed health professionals. Expand the WWAMI medical program ten doctors more, to 40 total. Identify Medicaid waivers that benefit Alaskans health and implement them. Address issues that impact health, such as basic needs for adequate housing, clean water and sewer access. The State should take the lead on conversations between public, private and tribal health providers and how entities can partner on working together.
Biggest need: What’s the biggest need in your district, and how would you address it?
The biggest need in my district continues to be a healthy economy. This is directly linked to not having adopted a fiscal plan to provide stability for a healthy economy (trained workers for jobs, business investment, population stability) and reliability for essential services (education, ferries, housing, public health and safety). To address this, legislative work needs to be done on the 2021 Fiscal Working Group components of a fiscal plan. At the same time, investments must be made in our workforce. A return to a defined benefit pension system, adoption of the recommendations for the upcoming salary compensation study, and investment in essential services, like a permanent increase to education investment, including to career tech. This is critical to the success of both the private and public sectors.
Elections and voting: What, if any, changes does the state need to make to its elections and voting system?
I would like to see changes where citizens receive a “curing notice” if for any reason their ballot was rejected, so they have an opportunity to resolve any issue that could deprive them of their vote. Another priority is to eliminate the witness requirement signatures for voters. Even when you get a witness signature, the witnesses authenticity is not verified, so it seems an unnecessary step as the person’s voting eligibility is verified in other ways (verification through your DMV signature). To encourage maximum voter participation, same day registration is also legislation I would like to see
happen. To encourage youth participation, I would like to legislate, like 23 other red and blue states, for 16 year olds to be eligible to pre-register to vote. They would still wait for their 18th birthday to vote, but they could register before that. Early registration in other states has proven to heighten youth awareness of the importance of exercising their right to vote, and also for their families.
Oil: How long will oil be central to Alaska’s economy, and what, if anything, should the state government be doing now to prepare for a post-oil future?
I believe oil will be central to Alaska’s economy for quite awhile. Adopting state renewable energy standards that require public utilities over time, to increase their use of renewable energy, is a step that will help diversify our energy resources. Public policies that incentivize energy efficiencies by individuals and homeowners helps us prepare for a post-oil future. Allocating resources for renewable energy research and projects; hydro, solar, geothermal, wind, and tidal are worthwhile to address this and climate change issues. Critical minerals mapping is central to identifying potential of sources of minerals that are used to manufacture products like solar panels.
Population: What, if anything, would you like to do to address Alaska’s dwindling working-age population?
Provide affordable housing, an excellent University and career technical school systems to keep young adults in our state’s post-secondary system, provide an excellent education for their children. Provide adequate transportation infrastructure and broadband to keep rural communities having access to families in other parts of the state and lower 48. Work on lowering the cost of living, through energy investments.
Ballot measures: What do you think of this year’s ballot measures, and do you intend to support or oppose them?
I am in favor of ballot measure 1 that supports workers. I believe this will also be helpful to employers when employees are compensated well, there is not as much turnover. I do not support ballot measure 2 - I think the Open Primary System is good for all states to consider adopting as well as keeping it in Alaska. I hear from a majority of Alaskans that they want their elected officials to work together on issues and not work for a particular party only. We need an election system that is not polarizing. I support Rank Choice voting, where candidates seek to listen and are willing to collaborate.
Domestic violence: How would you like to see the state address Alaska’s high rates of domestic and sexual violence?
I think Alaska needs to put more resources into education, prevention efforts and outreach to communities on how they can support individuals and families in stress. Education on healthy relationships that are included in Bree’s law, should receive more time and discussion in our education system. Education on coping skills to anger and stress is a part of the schools healthy lifestyles curriculum that does not get as much time as is needed.
Boys and Girls on the Run programs need community volunteers. Parents as Teachers is a child abuse and neglect program that focuses on supporting the parents and educating them on child development. Unfortunately, an increase to Parents as Teachers was vetoed this year. The State needs to be putting efforts into preventing stress, through prevention programs like Parents as Teachers. Housing supports are needed so people can afford to leave the domestic violence situation. The state needs to maintain it’s support for domestic violence programs. Often times this includes supportive housing and access to services and through it’s public health programs, do outreach and prevention work. Educating the public on the
Municipality of Skagway Election Oct. 1, 2024
Assembly candidates - two open seats
Jay L. Burnham
Jonathan Hillis
Deb Potter
School Board - two open seats
Corey Thole
Ballot Proposition 1
“Shall the Municipality of Skagway be authorized to transition the Dahl Memorial Clinic to an independent nonprofit which adheres to the terms and conditions in Ordinance No. 24-06 and negotiate a lease with the newly created entity for the E.A. & Jenny Rasmuson Community Health Center building?”
• The Municipality of Skagway scheduled two informational town halls at AB Hall to discuss Prop. 1. Aug. 21, 7 p.m. Sept. 12, 7 p.m.
ELECTION HOURS: The polls will open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, and will close at 8 p.m. on the same day.
DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE: The deadline to register to vote in the October 1, 2024, Regular Municipal Election is Sunday, September 1, 2024.
ABSENTEE VOTING: Voters who will be out of town for the Regular Municipal Election on Oct. 1, 2024, are able to vote absentee in person at the Borough Offices beginning Monday, Sept.16, 2024, and ending Monday, September 30, 2024,
The candidate filing period has closed. Any person wishing to file as a WRITE-IN CANDIDATE must submit a LETTER OF INTENT to the borough clerk before 5:00 p.m., Friday, September 27, 2024.
effects of colonization and efforts to take to promote healing should be accessible to all. Crisis Now programs should be supported as well as Mental health and addiction treatment services to address the causes of domestic violence. Our education systems need to prepare youth well for work and life after graduation and a career that makes a livable wage. Our re-entry programs need to have strong training programs so citizens who have been incarcerated have the skills needed for the current labor shortage. Lack of resources cause stress. However, as we
(STATE/NATIONAL)
know, domestic violence occurs at all income levels. This issue needs multiple efforts.Still, the way to prevent it from happening in the first place is to have fewer desperate Alaskans without housing, fewer people addicted to drugs. We need places where desperate Alaskans can get a warm bed, food, and treatment without being preyed upon. When there are more opportunities to get help, we’ll have fewer victims.
17 at 7 p.m.
chambers
on KHNS.
The Alaska Beacon has created an Election 2024 site where you can see candidate responses, dates and other information for state and national elections.
I turned just in time to see my Leatherman multi-tool fall off the boat and into the water. After removing a hook from the mouth of a cranky king salmon, I carelessly set the tool on the port gunwale while wrestling the fish into my ice chest. The boat hit a wave, lurching awkwardly like a late-night bar patron, and that was the end of my Leatherman.
Before its untimely demise, my multi-tool rested in a leather sheath attached to my belt buckle for nearly fifteen years. The knife tip was broken and the flathead screwdriver was bent beyond recognition, but years of use and conditioning allowed me to open and close the pliers with one hand.
This unique custom feature made the tool especially useful. Over time, my Leatherman became an extension of my body. Reaching down to my hip to retrieve the tool was automatic and no different than driving a car or scratching an itch. My multi-tool’s highly specialized personaliza-
Empty Spaces
tion also made it impossible to replace. For more than a year after losing the Leatherman, whenever I caught a fish my hand instinctively reached for the empty space the Leatherman previously occupied. Every automatic motion to grasp the long-lost tool conjured memories of its loss and a hollow gut feeling accompanying the realization that nothing under the sun or moon could bring it back.
Last October, a week after storing my fishing rods away for the winter, my little dog Rufus and I hiked to the summit of Nares Mountain, just east of Carcross in the Yukon. We’d hiked the trail many times before, but it was the first time we descended along an alternate route featuring sheer drops from ragged, rocky cliffs covered in golden lichen.
It was far from our first big hike together. Every year we hiked every local Skagway trail, extending many trips further into the alpine to places seldom seen by humans or their canine companions, including a hike up toward Face Mountain last year. In 2017, Rufus and I hiked to Paddy Peak, the tallest mountain between Skagway and Whitehorse. During other years, we hiked up Fraser Mountain overlooking the Canadian border station, Halcyon Peak just south of Log Cabin, and the Sam McGee Trail high above Tagish Lake.
Every summit reached was an opportunity to sit, rest, and enjoy the view. As though reveling in the thrill of reaching new heights, Rufus rubbed his face on me before finding a suitable perch for staring out over broad northern expanses like a mountain goat surveying his vast domain.
Rufus went on his first camping adventure when he was just a tiny puppy. While fishing from shore, I hooked into a massive lake trout on light gear. The fish pulled me up and down the rocky shoreline as I slowly fought it closer to the beach. Rufus stayed on my heel, stumbling over rocks twice his size to keep pace.
Over the years, we traversed many more miles along endless shores around
by
lakes, rivers, and oceans. Rufus was always there, panting at my heel or watching my back while I lost myself in the soothing oblivion of cast and retrieve. He didn’t like it when I waded out into the water, so I tucked him into my neoprene waders where he often fell asleep with his head resting on my arm.
Rufus knew when bears were close and notified me with a distinctive growl. He more than once went toe-to-toe with moose, caribou, mountain goats, and mule deer, jumping in front of me and barking with all of his 12-pound might.
Not long after our annual Nares Mountain hike, Rufus got sick. Over the next four months, his health deteriorated despite trying just about every medical remedy to restore his vitality, even doggie acupuncture.
Meanwhile, our hikes got shorter. We were headed to Yakutania Point for one final hike when Rufus died just after pulling into the parking lot.
Two months later, the lakes began to thaw. I drove north by myself in search of fish. While passing familiar mountain peaks, my eyes were instinctually drawn to the many places where Rufus once walked. Every shoreline trail became a memory conjuring hollow gut feelings born from the realization that nothing under the sun or moon could bring him back.
Empty spaces, inside and out.
Last October, Rufus and I didn’t spend much time atop Nares Mountain. The wind blew fiercely, and I had trouble maintaining my footing as we took our first steps down the mountain. It was our last big hike. Rufus slept in the passenger seat of the car on the drive home.
Our first Nares Mountain hike was ten years earlier when Rufus was only two years old. It was a calm, sunny day and after reaching the summit, we sat down and ate lunch. When we were done eating, I leaned my back against a large boulder and Rufus sat on my lap, looking out over a half dozen mountain peaks we would one day crest and many miles of beach where we would eventually chase fish from sunup to sundown.
And yet of all those many memories, nothing can compare to the fullness of that moment on the mountain as the sun enveloped us in its warmth and we dozed off to sleep under a deep blue Yukon sky.
Photo
Andrew Cremata
Atop Nares Mountain with Rufus.
Klondike International Horse show walks, trots and jumps at Riverside Stables
Riverside Stables of Skagway hosted the first Klondike International Horse Show August 16 - 18. Riders performed in various disciplines including Dressage, Western Pleasure, Show Jumping and Hoof & Woof where dogs ran the same patterns with lowered jumps. The event was judged by Lillian Evaniew-Phelan, a licenced official judge with experience judging in Canada and the U.S.
Charles Doland with his dog Jasper, Katherine Moseley with Skeeter, Mo Thompson with Carl, and Danielle McManus with her dog Daisy, all from Skagway, line up for the Hoof & Woof - a fun event held at Riverside Stables during the first Klondike International Horse Show. Horse and rider did a jump course then dog and handler did the same jump course. Jumps were lowered to the ground for the dogs.
photo by Eric Moseley
Mo Thompson and her dog, Carl, manuever the jump course as part of the Hoof & Woof at the Klondike International Horse Show on August 17.
Photo by Jonathon Hillis
Photo by Jonathon Hillis
Elise Hillis and Kickenit of Skagway prepare to enter the course.
Ali Rivest and Button of Skagway execute a jump at the Klondike International Horse Show
Photo by Jonathon Hillis
Aug. 2
• Blake Perry, 41, of Skagway was arrested for Violating Conditions of Release for a felony charge.
• A caller reported a single black bear was getting trash out of a truck at the Corrington RV Park.
• Lost and found reports were taken for a black bag full of clothes and camping gear that was left at AB Hall, a bike abandoned for weeks at the small boat harbor, a found portable charger and iPhone cable with a sticker that said “JO” attached and a found brown wallet.
• EMS personnel assisted with a medevac.
• A local business reported finding a counterfeit $20 bill.
• Reports of a single black bear were received from multiple locations north of the Moore Bridge along the Klondike Highway and Dyea Road, including one where the bear non-aggressively and calmy walked past a person on foot brushing against their leg.
• EMS personnel responded to the report of an individual who fell and hit their head but the party could not be located.
Aug. 3
• A caller reported the mother brown bear was caught attempting to break into their vehicle in the Liarsville area.
• 911 was pocket dialed once.
• A caller reported a single black bear had been hanging around the cherry trees in their yard.
• Lost and found reports were taken for a found black Samsung.
• EMS personnel responded to a medical emergency.
• A caller complained there were intoxicated individuals playing cornhole in the street next to their vehicle.
• A caller complained that an individual had been pacing back and forth while speaking on the phone near their home for the past two hours.
• A caller reported two people were arguing about one having the others clothes in their car.
Aug. 4
• 911 was pocket dialed once.
• Fire Department personnel responded to the report of the smell of propane in a housing unit.
• EMS personnel assisted with a medevac.
• Dispatch assisted with contacting the on-duty provider twice.
• A caller reported seeing flames and fire on the hill. Fire Department and police personnel responded and discovered it was a controlled burn that had not been called in with a burn permit.
• The brown bear and cubs were spotted near Liarsville.
• A caller reported there were individuals outside of their room currently playing music loudly. An officer responded and spoke to the offenders.
Aug. 5
• Lost and found reports were taken for a lost GoPro, a found iPhone in a gray case with a whale on it and a lost set of keys on a black clip.
• A caller reported a porcupine had been hit by a vehicle on the Klondike Highway. Officers responded and had to dispatch the injured animal.
• EMS personnel responded to a medical emergency.
• 911 was pocket dialed twice.
• Fire Department personnel responded to a downtown fire alarm. It was found to be false.
• Dispatch assisted in contacting the on-duty provider.
Aug. 6
• At midnight a caller reported the brown bear and cubs were in the dumpsters at the bus barn on the Klondike Highway and trash was strewn everywhere. An officer responded and scared the bears off.
• At 2:00 a.m. a caller reported they had just been chased by the mother brown bear while riding their bike on the Klondike Highway after they suddenly came upon the bear eating garbage near the bus barn and it charged them.
• EMS personnel assisted with three separate medevacs.
• Lost and found reports were taken for a lost black Coach wallet, a lost multi-colored wallet with an Oregon ID and a found set of keys on a black lanyard with Alaska keyrings.
• A caller reported experiencing and witnessing a jewelry store employee physically pulling people into their store from the sidewalk.
• A nurse line requested EMS assistance for a patient on a boat, but it was discovered they were needing that assistance in Pelican. Dispatch advised that was nowhere near Skagway and assisted them in finding the contact information for EMS there.
• EMS personnel assisted with transporting a patient to the clinic.
• EMS personnel responded to a medical emergency.
• Police personnel assisted with serving papers for a court summons.
• An officer chased the brown bear with cubs away from Alaska X on the Klondike Highway multiple times.
Aug. 7
• A caller reported bears had been in the dumpsters at Seven Pastures and garbage was everywhere. Public Works responded and secured the trash.
• EMS personnel assisted with a medevac.
• A caller reported a person sitting on a bench was acting twitchy and suspicious and worried something was wrong. An officer responded and spoke to the individual who reported they were fine.
• Lost and found reports were taken for a found Samsung in a black case and a found pink iPhone in a clear Kate Spade case.
• Dispatch assisted in contacting the on-duty provider.
• An officer chased the brown bear with cubs away from Alaska X on the Klondike Highway.
Aug. 8
• EMS personnel assisted with a medevac.
• Dispatch assisted in contacting the on-duty provider.
• Calls were received from multiple locations in town reporting the brown bear and cubs getting into garbage and dumpsters during the night.
• 911 was pocket dialed once.
Aug. 9
• A caller reported the brown bear with cubs was currently getting into garbage in an alley near their home.
• Fire Department personnel responded to a downtown fire alarm. It was found to be false.
• A caller reported a nearby downtown business’s front door was unlocked and tourists had gone inside but it was not officially open yet and there were no workers on scene. Dispatch was able to contact a responsible party to go secure the store.
• A caller reported bears had gotten into their truck along the Dyea Road, likely attracted to leftover French fries inside. The bear had also ripped open bags of non-food construction trash near their garage.
• 911 was pocket dialed twice.
• A caller reported hearing what sounded like human screaming coming from across the bay the previous night. An officer was advised and dispatch contacted the owner of Burrow Creek to advise of the report.
• Police personnel assisted an outside agency in serving papers to a Skagway resident.
• A caller reported tourists were currently walking on the airport runway.
• Officers responded to a domestic dispute.
• Lost and found reports were taken for a lost credit card, two different found credit cards and a found passport.
• A caller reported the brown bear and cubs were currently on the Dyea Road.
• Dispatch assisted in contacting the on-duty provider.
• A caller reported the bears had gotten into their car along the Dyea Road.
• The brown bear and cubs were spotted at Alaska X and an officer chased them away.
Aug. 10
• Multiple early morning calls were received from multiple different people reporting the brown bear and cubs getting trash out of dumpsters and going onto someone’s porch on the north end of town.
• A caller along the Dyea Road reported at some point the bears had knocked over their wood pile and broken into their truck.
• A caller reported the bears had gotten into the dumpsters at the Skagway School.
• Upon starting their shift, an officer reported that overnight the bears had hit every alley from the school north and garbage was strewn everywhere.
• 911 was pocket dialed once.
• A caller reported there was a friendly, loose dog with no
collar currently on their porch and hanging around their house. Dispatch was able to find the owner and they were advised their dog was out.
• Dispatch assisted in contacting the on-duty provider three times.
• A caller reported they lost a black shopping bag full of merchandise.
Aug. 11
• EMS personnel responded to a medical emergency.
• A report was received that someone had placed cornmeal, corn, and spray cheese onto another person’s van.
• Officers assisted with a vehicle lockout.
• A caller reported the dog from yesterday was loose again and back in their yard. The dog’s owner was advised.
• Fire Department personnel responded to a Fire Trouble alarm downtown. It was found to be false.
Aug. 12
• 911 was pocket dialed five times.
• EMS personnel assisted with a medevac.
• Dispatch assisted in contacting the on-duty provider.
Aug. 13
• Dispatch assisted in contacting the on-duty provider.
• A missing person report was received for a seasonal resident who went to Canada two days prior and was supposed to be back yesterday but was not and could not be reached.
• Lost and found reports were taken for a lost set of keys with a rec center tag attached.
• 911 was pocket dialed twice.
Aug. 14
• Reports were received that the brown bear and cubs were seen wandering around in town.
• EMS personnel assisted with two separate medevacs.
• A complaint was received of an individual refusing to leave their private property, claiming it belonged to the state, while trying to speak to people passing by about religion.
• 911 was pocket dialed three times.
• A found wallet was turned in.
Aug. 15
• A caller reported the brown bear and cubs was in their yard in the Liarsville area.
• A report was received of suspected illegal camping at Seven Pastures.
• A caller reported there was a young child in their store who could not find their parents. An officer responded, but the parents showed up before the officer arrived at the location.
• Police responded to the report of an individual who refused to stop for dock security and pushed by to continue down the dock.
• Lost and found reports were taken for a found Post Office Box key.
• Police, EMS, and Fire Department personnel responded to the report of a scooter going off a steep embankment on the Dyea Road. The road was temporarily closed while a rescue team was able to extract the scooter driver. They were transported to the clinic.
• Police personnel assisted with a vehicle lockout.
• Dispatch assisted in contacting the on-duty provider.
I will find your trash and I will eat it. Save me from myself. It’s my nature to smell out food. Keep trash secure. (I also open unlocked cars.)
Scholarships, grants
& opportunities
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.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The Skagway Public Library
Wifi is available outside the library 10am-10pm.. Windy Valley Babies (Story Time) Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.designed for ages 0-3. Bring child to sing and read stories with Ms. Anna!
Music Saturdays. Come play around on our mandolin, ukulele, guitar, banjo or piano! (And you won’t even get shushed!) Late Night Library takes place on select Friday nights at 6 p.m. These evenings include crafts, game nights, special guests and activities for young patrons in fifth grade and up!
U.S. Passports: Crystal Harris, our Library Assistant, is currently Skagway’s only passport acceptance agent. Applications are accepted by appointment only Tuesday through Friday. day. Please call to schedule. For more more information - 907-983-2665 or email library@skagway.org
Grants for Recreational Trails
The Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation (DPOR) is accepting grant applications for the Recreational Trails Program for fiscal year 2025. Approximately $2.2 million is available for eligible Alaska projects. The Recreational Trails grant program provides up to 90% matching for the cost of a project.
Funding for the program comes from the Federal Highway Administration, which has awarded Alaska $22 million (requiring $6 million in matching funds) for 571 projects since 1993. Alaska’s available apportionment is typically between $1 million and $1.5 million each year.
Grant categories include motorized, non-motorized, and diversified (winter and summer) projects.
The maximum individual grant award amounts for FY2025: $300,000 for Motorized/Motorized diversified projects
$200,000 for Non-motorized/ Non-motorized diversified projects
Applications are due by Oct. 31, 2024. Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, educational institutions, State of Alaska, local and federal government entities, native corporations and tribal governments. Interested parties can register on IRIS. The grants will be awarded between March and May of 2025. More information is available here: http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/ grants/trails.htm.
Rasmuson Foundation is accepting applications for Tier 1 and Community Support grants, now with increased award sizes. These awards form a central part of Rasmuson Foundation’s grantmaking activities, supporting nonprofit organizations in Alaska with key resources and infusions of capital.
Tier 1 grants
Tier 1 is a core program of the Foundation, known for fast capital and one-time funding. In addition to a 40% increase in the maximum award size, the program now allows organizations to apply up to 15% of an award toward administrative costs. Tier 1 grants will provide up to $35,000 per project and the application period opens Aug. 15. This is a rolling grant program, and applications are accepted throughout the year.
Community Support grants fund capital projects and programmatic projects with broad community impact. The grants are intended for requests between $35,000 and $250,000. Capital requests will be approved quarterly, while non-capital/programmatic requests will be reviewed twice a year. Grants of this size do not require an invitation to apply, and organizations can access the application starting Aug. 15.
The Foundation anticipates awarding 150-175 Tier 1 grants and 10-20 Community Support grants annually.
Program details, application tips, and frequently asked questions are also available at rasmuson.org.
AKC English Labrador puppies. Champion bloodline. $900. Located in Haines. 971-717-1503
Last issue’s solutions Color me!
Are you a budding or closet cartoonist?
The Skagway News welcomes your work.
The News can only pay in gratitude, but you will be published next to great Alaskan artists such as Chad Carpenter and Chuck Legge; and lets not forget about Zed, our favorite, fun-loving dryer lint creation by
This could be great way to start your career in cartooning by pub-
Send your submissions in PDF or JPEG formats or questions to ediA sense of humor is relative, but a sense of audience is important. Please keep it friendly.
A birthday tea party for Harriet Pullen
In a day when women were expected to remain in the home, she was courageous, adventurous, tenacious, friendly and strong
By Maxine Selmer (great-grandaughter)
Harriet Pullen arrived in Skagway aboard the Steamship, “Rosalie,” on September 12, 1897. She arrived alone and set out to make her fortune. However, the gold nuggets did not lay on the streets for picking as she’d imagined. With only $7 in her pocket, she knew she’d have to find work. And thus began her 50-year commitment to this beautiful place that we call home.
Harriet’s first job was cooking for the men building Moore’s Wharf. She didn’t have a lot of marketable skills, but she could cook. By December, she was joined by her husband, Dan Pullen, and her oldest sons, Dan (12) and Royal (10). Her only daughter, and the oldest of her children (my grandmother), was left in Ellensburg Normal, a state school in central Washington. Chester, the youngest child, stayed on the Olympic Peninsula with his Dad’s sister, Sarah (Aunt Say).
Upon his arrival in Skagway, Dan set about building a rough log cabin for his family to live in. Harriet cooked and fed the dock builders there. At one time she shared her cabin with Minerva Troy of Port Angeles. They had shared a cabin on the “Rosalie” when they travelled to Skagway. Their cabin on the waterfront was so small that Harriet slept on a cot hanging from the ceiling. She accessed it by ladder. Minerva slept on the dining table. She had to be an early riser to be off of the table before breakfast could be served!
After an unsuccessful attempt to reach the gold fields, Harriet committed to making Skagway her home. She cooked meals for the construction workers building the docks, worked in restaurants, sold apple pies, clerked in a general store and submitted articles for the newspapers back home.
A new opportunity arrived in 1901 when she leased the home Captain Moore had built for his wife. There she opened a small boarding house, hotel and dining room. As it grew through the years, Harriet and Pullen House became famous throughout the world. She met her guests on the wharf and at the railroad station in a horse-drawn coach. She served meals on elegant tables filled with fresh fruits and berries, vegetables from her garden, and cream from her cows. Fresh flowers, silver ware, and China dishes graced her tables. Her parties were elegant. Her beds were soft, and she entertained her guests with colorful stories of the Gold Rush.
Constantly improving her hotel, she added electricity, bathtubs, hot and cold running water, telephones, and in 1925 had a boiler installed for central heating. Pullen House became the most luxurious hotel in the north and Mrs. Pullen the most gracious of hostesses.
She purchased Captain Moore’s home some time after 1904 and as they say, “The rest is history.”
As the excitement of the Klondike waned, and stampeders moved on to more fertile grounds, Harriet began collecting things that were left behind. She opened a small museum in a new room added to the Pullen House and for 50c, shared her treasures.
Other enterprises Harriet involved herself in were purchasing Kern’s Castle, a “resort” built on the hillside trail to Upper Lake; homesteading a large plot of land in Dyea; “Collecting” buildings in anticipation of the need for housing in a growing Skagway; promoting Skagway tourism along with Martin Itjen, who had the local funeral home, was the Ford dealer, and ran tours in his Skagway Streetcar. Together they started the Skagway Tourist Agency headquartered at the Pullen House. I wonder how they would feel today about what they reaped, and we have sowed. Harriet led the way as a lady entrepreneur of her day. A day when women were expected to remain in the home. She was courageous, adventurous, tenacious, friendly, and strong. She carved out her life on her own terms. She set out to find gold lying on the streets, but what she found was gold of another kind. The kind that you carry in your heart.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRIET! THANK YOU FOR LEAVING US SUCH A LEGACY.
In honor of Harriet’s birthday, let’s remember all the women entrepreneurs in our community who helped to bring us to this new day.
Thank you for joining us for a snack and a cup of tea on this beautiful afternoon. Thank you to Valerie Feero for sharing her family’s teacups for the party and to Craig Lawson for washing them all.
Thank you to the Skagway Library, Crystal Harris, and Katherine Moseley (Harriet’s great-great granddaughter) for putting this party together. Harriet would love it!
Harriet and her dog, Taku.
Harriet with crab apples. Betsy Albecker enjoys the party.
Paislee Authier and Crystal Harris dressed up to celebrate the anniversary of Harriet Pullen’s 164th birthday at the library on Aug.18.
Photos provided by Katherine Moseley Great, great-grandaughter
