THE SKAGWAY NEWS.
THE SKAGWAY NEWS
June 5, 2020
June 5, 2020
Sk a g w ay, A l a s k a
Obituaries
Ron Boughton and William D. Andrews PAGE 11
Fish This
Bushwacking for trout PAGE 8
Page 1
$1.50
For the record
We asked the Assembly PAGE 9
Silent vigil draws 100 supporters
By Melinda Munson Organizers of Skagway’s June 1 vigil, Cameron Brockett and Megan McGrail, haven’t watched the video of George Floyd’s death. “I didn’t need to see it to know that it was such an injustice and such a horrendous act,” McGrail said. Following George Floyd’s death on May 25, pictures and video circulated of Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, even after Floyd said he couldn’t breathe and lost consciousness. According to The New York Times, Chauvin remained on top of Floyd a full minute after paramedics arrived. A deli employee called police because he suspected a $20 bill Floyd used to pay for cigarettes was counterfeit. Four officers responded. Floyd, a black man, was not armed and did not appear to resist arrest. His death, following a multitude of other African American deaths at the hands of police, sparked nationwide protests and rioting. Chauvin was charged with murder and manslaughter, the other three officers are still under investigation. Minneaplois might feel far from Skagway, an Alaska town of roughly 1,000 year-round residents, most of whom are white. Still, Brockett and McGrail felt compelled to act. “I have grown up around Alaska and Southeast Alaska, racism really affects people in this state … We set records see BACK page
Photo by Reba Hylton
Nicholle Chandler holds up a sign honoring George Floyd, killed by a Minneaplois police officer on May 25. Over 100 people attended a silent vigil in Skagway outside of city hall on June 1.
Assembly plans $1K per resident monthly assistance By Gretchen Wehmhoff After hours of public testimony and committee meetings, the Assembly voted 6-0 to approve a plan to help Skagway residents get through the winter. Dozens of residents testified and more wrote letters with their ideas, concerns and preferences as to how Skagway should spend the $7.4 million CARES Act funds designated for municipal relief by the State of Alaska. Resolution 20-22R will distribute CARES Act funds to year-round residents who have lived in the municipality as of June 4, 2020 or before. Each resident, adult and child, will receive $1,000 per month. Residents will need two forms of proof of residence issued on or before June 4,
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2020. The application process will be finalized and announced by the administration. The resolution includes a monthly per person funding cap which may be adjusted by the administration depending on the availability of funds. Money will be paid to Skagway in increments. The first increment of $2.9 million was received June 2. MOS must use 80 percent of that amount towards COVID-19 related emergency economic stimulus and assistance before the next increment is delivered Funds must be spent by Dec. 31, 2020 and unused monies will be returned to the state and potentially the federal government. Another $1.9 million in Commercial Passenger Vessel (CPV) funding may be
BLOTTER PAGE 11 CLASSIFIED PAGE 13
available in grant format. Borough Manager Brad Ryan hopes to utilize that to extend assistance beyond December. The Borough Finance Committee held two special meetings as well as their regular meeting to work through the plan offered by Ryan and his staff. Each meeting drew more testimony and correspondence than the last. Amendments with sliding scales, more stringent dates and differing payment amounts were presented. In the end, the assembly passed a version of the original plan. Treasurer Heather Rodig, who has been working on the project and the application process, said the turnout and involvement over the week was more than she has seen in the recent past. She was glad to see the community become
so involved. According to Ryan, the MOS is looking at a loss of about $160 million in taxable revenue for the 2020 tourist season. He ascertains that loss will impact every person in Skagway. The town has already been adding up costs for emergency response and preparation due to the threat of COVID-19. Ryan says MOS has spent approximately $450,000 on supplies, plexiglass windows, new ventilators for the clinic and other preparations. He expects that amount to top $600,000. Ryan anticipates about $300,000 is needed for MOS audio/visual improvments. This will most likely include hiring a contractor to help create a new system for the chambers and staff.
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