Category: Alaska News

More than a century after a fatal shipwreck on Eldred Rock in northern Lynn Canal, a famous restored lighthouse will commemorate its 120th anniversary on Friday at Forbidden Peak Brewery. The Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association hosts the event.

It was a dark and stormy night in February 1898 at the height of the Klondike Gold Rush when the ship Clara Nevada departed Skagway and crashed onto the rocks protruding like daggers from dark Eldred Rock in the middle of Lynn Canal.

The fatal shipwreck spurred construction of lighthouses in Alaska. Today, the oldest existing Alaska lighthouse now shines in restored fashion on the site of the notorious and mysterious wreck. Thousands of ferry and cruise ship passengers have seen the building’s distinctive octagonal shape en route to Haines and Skagway.

Before the lighthouse was completed in 1906, Eldred Rock was a barren, windswept 2.4-acre island in the middle of Lynn Canal, 35 miles south of Haines and 55 miles north of Juneau.

The Clara Nevada was one vessel among a ragged flotilla of questionable seaworthiness resurrected to transport frenzied stampeders to the Klondike in 1897 and 1898. Demand outstripped available berths, so clever businessmen secured ships of all conditions to sail a thousand miles north from Seattle to the head of navigation at Skagway and Dyea. That was the easy portion of the journey to the goldfields. 

Hiking over the mountains and drifting another 500 miles on the Yukon River after building one’s own boat were the tricky segments. Packing a ton of required survival supplies made the trek more challenging.

But on the stormy night of the Clara Nevada’s last voyage, the ship had already delivered its first load of fortune seekers to the headwaters of Lynn Canal. The ship was returning to Seattle to pick up more adventurers when it grounded on the reef protruding from isolated and dark Eldred Rock.

Witnesses at nearby Point Sherman on the eastern mainland reportedly observed a ship on fire, then an eruptive fireball. Speculation suggested a cargo of unlawful dynamite had exploded. It was illegal to carry dynamite and passengers together. Apparently the explanation was the dynamite was initially destined for Treadwell Mine on Douglas Island, but failed to be offloaded when the Clara Nevada briefly docked in Juneau on its northbound trip.

Mystery surrounds the incident. Questions arise about whether or not some men escaped, took Klondike gold with them and assumed secret lives elsewhere. Only one body was recovered: purser George Foster Beck. The captain — or a man of the same name — seems to have bought a Yukon riverboat a couple of years later, casting doubt on the fate of the Clara Nevada crew. Ten years after the wreck, the story got more complicated.

The ship and its history

The wreck of the Clara Nevada made bold headlines around the Pacific Northwest and far beyond. Despite its poor condition in 1898, it had been a noble ship for nearly 25 years, serving as the U.S. Coast Survey vessel USS Hassler. It was built in 1871-72 at Camden, New Jersey. Its purpose was to research the underwater fauna, flora and geology along the West Coast. On board were sailors and scientists led by renowned Harvard scientist Louis Agassiz.

The Hassler had an unusual double-bottomed hull made of iron plates. Initial construction techniques eventually resulted in deterioration and rust of the plates, which led the government to decommission the Hassler in 1895. Three years later, the Pacific and Alaska Transportation Company bought the ship, renamed it Clara Nevada and put it into the gold rush fleet.

The initial voyage of the sail-equipped steamship Clara Nevada seemed doomed from the start. 

Departing the dock at Seattle, the ship backed into a government revenue cutter. During a stop at Port Townsend the ship struck hard against the dock and damaged her bowsprit. In Juneau, the ship was delayed for boiler repairs. Northbound passengers recalled unruly and drunken crew members. Nevertheless, the ship offloaded passengers and freight as intended in Skagway, then departed for the south in a wind-driven blizzard that proved to be the fatal end to the ship and its occupants.

The incident spurred Congress to establish aids to navigation along the American Inside Passage. Although well after the Yukon and Nome gold rushes had died down, the first two lighthouses were lighted on the same day in March, 1902: Five Finger Light south of Juneau and Sentinel Island Light north of Juneau.

Eldred Rock, site of the Clara Nevada grounding, received its octagonal light station on June 1, 1906. With its more weather-resistant concrete lower level, the lighthouse was not replaced like other wooden structures that deteriorated due to weather. The harsh northern Lynn Canal conditions battered the concrete Eldred Rock lighthouse, but it still stands today and is Alaska’s oldest lighthouse.

A bizarre incident occurred ten years after the Clara Nevada disappeared. The event is recorded in the keepers’ records and preserved in an article written by Lewis and Clark College historian Stephen Dow Beckham, grandson of the first Eldred Rock lighthouse keeper, Nils Adamson. 

Professor Beckham writes in the 2001 Oregon Historical Society Spectator publication:

“On March 12, 1908, a wild gale swept across the waters. Blinding snow obscured the view, waves pounded the rock and sea foam blew against the boathouse. At dawn, when the wind died down, (Assistant Keeper) Currie went outside. To his horror and that of Adamson and (assistant keeper) Silander, he found the Clara Nevada and the remains of dozens of the crew and passengers lying on the rocky margins of the north end of the small island. Then the storm returned, washing away the cadavers: the Clara Nevada settled back into her watery grave” (Profile, Nils Peter Adamson, Light Keeper, page 22).

In 1910 the two assistant lighthouse keepers disappeared after a short boat ride to a nearby settlement. The loss of Currie and Silander haunted the sole man left on the rock: head keeper Nils Adamson. He was tormented for the rest of his life by the disappearance and likely drowning of his associates. Adamson had been similarly traumatized at seeing the human and ship remains on the rocks in 1908 and asked for a leave of absence at that time, but was denied. He finally departed Eldred Rock in 1911, married in Oregon and spent the next 24 years in the navigation light service in Coos Bay, Oregon. 

Lighthouses unmanned in 1970s

Modern technology brought significant changes to the nation’s lighthouses 50 years ago. Eldred Rock was staffed by the U.S. Coast Guard until 1973, when many U.S. lighthouses were automated and subsequently unmanned. Today, the light remains functional, powered by solar panels, and maintained by the Coast Guard. Without volunteers, however, the building and thousands of other unique American lighthouses would be gone.

During the years of Coast Guard occupation the lighthouse was known as a particularly desolate and isolated duty station. Bleak and treeless, in 1963, guardsman Gordon Huggins transplanted a small spruce tree he dug from the mainland east of the lighthouse. In 2001, he returned to Eldred Rock in a PBS documentary titled Legendary Lighthouses of Alaska.

The spry older gentleman recounts his story of adding the first tree to the windswept rock. In the video, the spruce is fully grown and towers over Huggins as he looks up toward its crown. Sixty-three years after the three-foot spindly tree took root, it still filters the north wind that blasts the rocky site of Alaska’s oldest lighthouse.

Curiosity led to an underwater survey of the Clara Nevada/Hassler wreck in 2006-07 by federal and Alaska archeologists, divers, scientists and maritime historians as one of five sites in the Lynn Canal Shipwrecks Project. A series of project reports can be found on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website.

“The archeological remains of the Hassler are considered to be one of the most significant submerged heritage sites in the modern history of Alaska and in the evolution of the Coast Survey as a federal agency dedicated to oceanic and coastal research,” states the NOAA website titled “The 2007 Hassler Expedition” in National Marine Sanctuaries. 

“The Hassler rests in a place of spectacular beauty but constant danger,” the report notes. 

Over four days, divers and remotely operated vehicles mapped and delineated the ship’s remains. Covered in sea growth and broken apart by subsequent storms, the Clara Nevada is dissolving into the ocean. 

The ship name Hassler did not die when the old survey vessel became the gold rush Clara Nevada. In 2012, a new NOAA research ship was commissioned as the USS Hassler to perform surveys on the east coast. It is a catamaran filled with advanced technology unimagined when the first Hassler rounded Cape Horn in 1872. 

Saving U.S. lighthouses for the future

Preserving America’s treasured lighthouses has been an important role for civic organizations. In 1975, Eldred Rock was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2000, an act of Congress allowed the nation’s deteriorating lighthouses to be leased to qualified nonprofits for care, preservation and eventual public use. A group of volunteers from Haines received authorization. 

The Eldred Rock Lighthouse Preservation Association has been actively repairing the building for several years. It’s been restored, renovated and cleaned inside. The exterior has been repainted by a crew of professional specialized lighthouse painters. Photos and drone videos are available on the nonprofit’s website. The group’s volunteer keeper program continues to seek participants for upkeep and maintenance. Interested volunteers may contact the association at eldredrocklighthouse@gmail.com.

To celebrate the completed restoration and structure’s 120th anniversary, the association will hold a Juneau grand opening celebration Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Forbidden Peak Brewery in Auke Bay. Announcements and door prizes will be given every half hour. The association plans to offer lighthouse cruise tours from Haines or Skagway starting in June.

On May 30, aboard a private cruise from Juneau, descendants of Nils Peter Adamson, the first lighthouse keeper, will step ashore onto Eldred Rock and walk in their great-grandfather’s footsteps, joining a special ribbon-cutting ceremony.

• Contact Laurie Craig at lauriec@juneauindependent.com.

The post Clara Nevada, Eldred Rock and the light that guides the way appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

Alaska lawmakers approved an additional $144 million in one-time funding for K-12 schools next year, plus a batch of education policy changes that garnered bipartisan support particularly aimed at boosting teacher retention and offsetting districts’ energy costs. 

The Alaska Legislature has been divided, and at odds with Gov. Mike Dunleavy, over the level of state funding for public education — even as districts across the state face significant budget deficits and declining enrollment, forcing steep cuts and school closures. 

Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau and co-chair of the House Education Committee, acknowledged the strife of school districts and said the policy changes and one-time funding are a step in the right direction. 

“It doesn’t meet the need, but it moves the dial in the right way,” she said. 

Last year, lawmakers passed a historic increase to state funding for K-12 schools and added millions in sustained per student funding, known as the base student allocation —   but only after multiple vetoes by Dunleavy, and an equally historic veto override by the Legislature in a special session in August restoring the funding increase.

This year, in the second year of the 34th Legislature, lawmakers seemed to have less appetite for taking on another education funding battle with Dunleavy — particularly amid competing priorities in the Senate and House multipartisan majorities to pass elections reform and revive a state pension system. Both items were vetoed by Dunleavy. The governor has focused on pressing lawmakers to approve a property tax break for a proposed trans-Alaska gas line, and called a special session on that topic beginning on Thursday.

But Alaska schools will see some additional funding next year as the U.S. war on Iran and global oil shock has driven up state revenues from the rise in oil prices. 

In addition to the  $144 million in one-time funding in the operating budget for K-12 schools, including $29 million for offsetting rising energy costs next year, lawmakers also approved a pared-down education package. It establishes a student loan forgiveness program for teachers, an adjustment to state funding for districts in local municipalities and a plan for the state to fund school districts energy costs — beginning in 2028, and subject to future Legislatures funding it.  

“I’m thrilled,” said Story on Wednesday after the vote. She authored the underlying bill establishing the loan forgiveness program for teachers, which is aimed at recruiting and keeping young teachers in Alaska.

“It’s an incentive to keep continuity, keep your teachers employed, and that’s great for kids —  whenever they can have the same teacher in the building, that always makes a difference,” she said. 

If approved by the governor, the bill would establish a new student loan forgiveness program for teachers of up to $15,000 over three years. It’s focused on teachers specializing in English as a second language, special education, science, technology, engineering and math. The program is expected to serve up to 120 teachers next year.

Senators also included a provision from another bill to cap local municipalities’ contributions to school districts. The provision says the contribution may increase by no more than 4% from the previous year. The cap is intended to provide relief to boroughs with rapidly rising property assessments, which informs how much they contribute to their local schools as part of the complex funding formula with state and federal dollars. 

Sen. Jessie Bjorkman, R-Soldotna spoke in favor of the policy change, as much of the Kenai Peninsula region is seeing rising property values. “Our current law does shift significant cost from the state to local municipalities,” he said. “We accept as local municipalities that we have some skin in the game… we’re okay shifting some cost, but not so much.” 

State plans to cover K-12 schools’ rising energy costs

In addition to the $29 million lawmakers allocated for K-12 schools’ fuel costs next year, they approved a provision in the education package that would initiate the state covering school districts’ fuel costs beginning in 2028 and subject to future lawmakers approving the funding.  

Alaska districts have reported rising fuel costs in recent years to keep schools warm and facilities running, especially in rural and remote areas — estimated at $90 million statewide this year.

If approved by the governor, the state would annually reimburse districts based on the average of the past three-years of fuel costs. Districts are asked to make a reasonable effort to manage fuel use and costs, to not exceed the usage from the previous year and report how much they’re spending on fuel to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.

Fuel costs are expected to skyrocket this year with the onset of the U.S. war on Iran, and districts are facing bulk fuel orders in the millions. Officials with the Lower Kuskokwim School District report an 80% expected increase in fuel costs next year for its nearly two dozen village schools in Western Alaska.

On Wednesday, Sen. Rob Yundt, R-Wasilla, said he’s watching three schools close in his district in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and expressed enthusiasm for the plan on the Senate floor: “I cannot tell you how excited I am. My district last year spent between $6.4 million on natural gas and electricity alone. Those have been rising every year for our community.”

“I do look forward to the day that the state pays for the energy related to all of our schools,” he said.

The bill also includes provisions for homeschooled students to keep textbooks, equipment and other supplies when they leave a school district, to allow regional resource centers to hire former teachers while keeping their defined benefit retirement benefits and to allow school board members to be hired as substitute teachers. 

It also changes the statute so that schools that are closed during school consolidation can be reopened in four years instead of seven years. 

‘Most anti-education governor in history’

This year, members of the House and Senate advanced various education bills that failed to garner bipartisan support. 

They included more targeted and ambitious funding increases with millions for energy costs, transportation, reading instruction and career and technical education programs, as well as policy changes related to tribal compacting for public schools, homeschool programs and math instruction. 

Story authored another bill to help stabilize school districts’ budgeting process by redefining the student counts that passed the House last week, but failed to advance in the Senate. “It costs $113 million and they had already put one time funding in there for districts,” she said, referring to funding in the current operating budget. “And I think there was a fear that the governor would veto that.”

Story said she plans to reintroduce the proposal if re-elected next year.

After adjournment Wednesday night, leaders with the Senate Majority caucus praised the 34th Legislature’s wins for education in a news conference, but acknowledged they were hard fought, and that districts are continuing to struggle amid budget cuts. 

“This has been probably the most anti-education governor in the history of our state,” said Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, and criticized Dunleavy for repeatedly vetoing funding increases for schools. 

“It’s been an absolute battle,” he said. “So people wonder why schools are closing, because we haven’t kept pace with inflation. But part of its revenue, a huge part of its revenue, we’ve got to figure out (and) we’ve got to stabilize our revenue going forward. It’s going to be tough conversations going forward.”

The post Alaska lawmakers approve one-time funding for K-12 schools, plus energy relief appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

An Alaska Legislature defined by its conflicts with Gov. Mike Dunleavy came to an end at 9:43 p.m. Wednesday night as legislators officially adjourned their second regular session.

Lawmakers will return to work Thursday as they open a special session focused on the planned trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline. As with other topics, the Legislature and the governor appear far apart on the issue. 

“I would say farewell, except I get to see you at 10 a.m.,” said Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, shortly before final adjournment.

Before adjourning, the 34th Alaska State Legislature passed a large, multi-part crime bill that raises the state’s age of consent and criminalizes the act of using AI to create child sexual abuse material. Lawmakers voted to ban foam food containers, named the giant cabbage the state vegetable, approved a fast lane through airport security and passed dozens of small bills that were priorities for local communities and individuals across Alaska.

Bills that fail to pass before adjournment die and must be reintroduced at the start of the next Legislature. Among this year’s casualties were a proposal to offer paid leave for new parents, a bill to stabilize public school budgets, a right-to-repair bill, and all of the proposed constitutional amendments.  

This fall is an election year and many incumbents are retiring, which means that when lawmakers return next year, the House and Senate will include many new faces. They also will work with a new governor: Because of term limits, Dunleavy may not run for re-election.

The Alaska Legislature is the only one in the United States controlled by multipartisan coalitions in both the House and Senate. 

“The Senate majority and the House majority have worked extremely well together. We’ve been on the same page through this entire two years,” said Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak.

In their two-year term, the 34th Legislature passed 111 bills, on par with the 33rd Legislature, which passed 101 bills, and the 32nd Legislature, which passed 112.

Of the 111 bills passed by the 34th Legislature, Dunleavy has vetoed 12, including one he vetoed less than three hours before lawmakers adjourned on Wednesday. 

Dunleavy is vetoing bills at a higher rate than any governor since statehood. Though other governors have issued more vetoes, Dunleavy’s represent a higher proportion of the number of bills passed through the Capitol.

At the start of the 34th Legislature, the House and Senate majority coalitions set education funding as their top priority. 

Last year, they voted to permanently increase the core of the state’s public school funding formula, putting themselves at odds with the governor and setting up a historic set of veto override votes with the help of some Republicans from the House and Senate minority caucuses.

This year, the majorities passed a significantly less ambitious package of education policy reforms but also approved $144 million in one-time bonus payments to public schools and millions more in funding for maintenance and construction projects across the state. Some of the bonus payments are contingent on oil prices remaining high through July 1. 

They were less successful with other stated priorities, including pension legislation. Alaska has been without a public pension program since 2006, and the 34th Legislature was the first since then to pass a bill creating a new pension plan.

Dunleavy vetoed that bill on Monday and lawmakers failed to override it on Tuesday.

The governor’s veto came after legislators failed to reach agreement with him on one of their other stated priorities, energy. 

Dunleavy has urged lawmakers to cut the state’s petroleum property tax in order to incentivize  the proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline. Building the pipeline, the governor has said, is critical for lowering energy prices and improving the state’s economy.

Many legislators are skeptical of those claims.

This week, Dunleavy and House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage, had negotiated a deal in which the governor would allow the pension bill to become law if legislators approved a gas pipeline bill that aligned with his vision. 

When the pipeline bill failed to materialize on Monday, the governor vetoed the pension bill.

The Senate Majority also prioritized elections reform and passed a bill on the topic earlier this year, but Dunleavy vetoed it. 

Legislators fell two votes short of an override because two Republican supporters flip-flopped and voted to sustain the governor’s choice. They had previously voted in favor of the bill.

“We passed the bills, and that’s all we can really get. It’s out of our hands at that point,” said Senate Majority Leader Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage.

The House Majority’s fourth priority was balancing the state’s budget, and while lawmakers successfully did so this year, the budget was balanced on the back of high oil prices caused by the Iran war, not because of a particular legislative action.

“In the beginning, we were worried about just keeping the (Permanent Fund dividend) alive and getting a balanced budget,” said Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, “and talking about how long our (Constitutional Budget Reserve) is going to last. Then, within a period of a couple of months, things totally changed, and the revenue forecast jumped up.”

When oil prices recede, legislators expect the state will again face major budget deficits.

“Next year will be a very, very difficult session,” Wielechowski said.

In the meantime, the state treasury is reaping wartime rewards, and lawmakers were able to balance the budget without spending from savings. 

They passed a multibillion-dollar state spending plan spread across four budget bills: $2.5 billion in construction and renovation projects, $13.9 billion for services, $450 million in retroactive budget changes, and a $1,000 Permanent Fund dividend bolstered by a $200 one-time energy relief bonus payment.

“Folks, this is what we accomplished, and we accomplished it on time and under budget,” said Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, as he presented the final version of the operating budget bill on the House floor.

Members of the Republican House minority criticized the adopted budget for not spending more wartime oil revenue on the dividend. 

“My primary objection to this budget is that in FY26, the state is absolutely swimming in money,” said Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks.

“We should have waterfalled that extra money into the Permanent Fund dividend,” he said.

Both the operating budget and the capital budget are subject to the governor’s line-item veto powers. The governor can eliminate or reduce individual items, but he cannot add or increase them.

Kopp gave the majority coalition a “B” for its performance. Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, thought the majority coalition there warranted an “A,” while Senate Minority Leader Mike Cronk, R-Tok, thought the Legislature overall merited a “B”. 

The last day of the session saw several lawmakers offer their goodbyes, including some who had not previously announced their retirement. 

“I am not planning on being back here for the 35th Alaska Legislature,” said Rep. Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River. Saddler has served for 12 nonconsecutive years in the House.

Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, is retiring after 14 years in the House and received multiple rounds of applause. Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, is leaving the House as well, but for a state Senate run rather than retirement.

Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, has not announced plans to leave the House, but he has been repeatedly named as a possible replacement for Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel. Hoffman is retiring as the longest-serving state legislator in Alaska history.

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak and the oldest member of the Legislature, is also retiring. The Legislature’s youngest member is also leaving — Rep. David Nelson, R-Anchorage, is getting married this summer. 

After the final gavel fell, staff and legislators cheered and filed out of the chambers. 

Within an hour, Saddler was leading a group of them in songs that echoed up and down the Capitol’s stairwell.

Corinne Smith contributed reporting from Juneau.

The post Alaska Legislature adjourns regular session with special gasline session set for Thursday appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

Alaska lawmakers approved an additional $144 million in one-time funding for K-12 schools next year, plus a batch of education policy changes that garnered bipartisan support particularly aimed at boosting teacher retention and offsetting districts’ energy costs. 

The Alaska Legislature has been divided, and at odds with Gov. Mike Dunleavy, over the level of state funding for public education — even as districts across the state face significant budget deficits and declining enrollment, forcing steep cuts and school closures. 

Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau and co-chair of the House Education Committee, acknowledged the strife of school districts and said the policy changes and one-time funding are a step in the right direction. 

“It doesn’t meet the need, but it moves the dial in the right way,” she said. 

Last year, lawmakers passed a historic increase to state funding for K-12 schools and added millions in sustained per student funding, known as the base student allocation —   but only after multiple vetoes by Dunleavy, and an equally historic veto override by the Legislature in a special session in August restoring the funding increase.

This year, in the second year of the 34th Legislature, lawmakers seemed to have less appetite for taking on another education funding battle with Dunleavy — particularly amid competing priorities in the Senate and House multipartisan majorities to pass elections reform and revive a state pension system. Both items were vetoed by Dunleavy. The governor has focused on pressing lawmakers to approve a property tax break for a proposed trans-Alaska gas line, and called a special session on that topic beginning on Thursday.

But Alaska schools will see some additional funding next year as the U.S. war on Iran and global oil shock has driven up state revenues from the rise in oil prices. 

In addition to the  $144 million in one-time funding in the operating budget for K-12 schools, including $29 million for offsetting rising energy costs next year, lawmakers also approved a pared-down education package. It establishes a student loan forgiveness program for teachers, an adjustment to state funding for districts in local municipalities and a plan for the state to fund school districts energy costs — beginning in 2028, and subject to future Legislatures funding it.  

“I’m thrilled,” said Story on Wednesday after the vote. She authored the underlying bill establishing the loan forgiveness program for teachers, which is aimed at recruiting and keeping young teachers in Alaska.

“It’s an incentive to keep continuity, keep your teachers employed, and that’s great for kids —  whenever they can have the same teacher in the building, that always makes a difference,” she said. 

If approved by the governor, the bill would establish a new student loan forgiveness program for teachers of up to $15,000 over three years. It’s focused on teachers specializing in English as a second language, special education, science, technology, engineering and math. The program is expected to serve up to 120 teachers next year.

Senators also included a provision from another bill to cap local municipalities’ contributions to school districts. The provision says the contribution may increase by no more than 4% from the previous year. The cap is intended to provide relief to boroughs with rapidly rising property assessments, which informs how much they contribute to their local schools as part of the complex funding formula with state and federal dollars. 

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Soldotna spoke in favor of the policy change, as much of the Kenai Peninsula region is seeing rising property values. “Our current law does shift significant cost from the state to local municipalities,” he said. “We accept as local municipalities that we have some skin in the game… we’re okay shifting some cost, but not so much.” 

State plans to cover K-12 schools’ rising energy costs

In addition to the $29 million lawmakers allocated for K-12 schools’ fuel costs next year, they approved a provision in the education package that would initiate the state covering school districts’ fuel costs beginning in 2028 and subject to future lawmakers approving the funding.  

Alaska districts have reported rising fuel costs in recent years to keep schools warm and facilities running, especially in rural and remote areas — estimated at $90 million statewide this year.

If approved by the governor, the state would annually reimburse districts based on the average of the past three-years of fuel costs. Districts are asked to make a reasonable effort to manage fuel use and costs, to not exceed the usage from the previous year and report how much they’re spending on fuel to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.

Fuel costs are expected to skyrocket this year with the onset of the U.S. war on Iran, and districts are facing bulk fuel orders in the millions. Officials with the Lower Kuskokwim School District report an 80% expected increase in fuel costs next year for its nearly two dozen village schools in Western Alaska.

On Wednesday, Sen. Rob Yundt, R-Wasilla, said he’s watching three schools close in his district in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and expressed enthusiasm for the plan on the Senate floor: “I cannot tell you how excited I am. My district last year spent between $6.4 million on natural gas and electricity alone. Those have been rising every year for our community.”

“I do look forward to the day that the state pays for the energy related to all of our schools,” he said.

The bill also includes provisions for homeschooled students to keep textbooks, equipment and other supplies when they leave a school district, to allow regional resource centers to hire former teachers while keeping their defined benefit retirement benefits and to allow school board members to be hired as substitute teachers. 

It also changes the statute so that schools that are closed during school consolidation can be reopened in four years instead of seven years. 

‘Most anti-education governor in history’

This year, members of the House and Senate advanced various education bills that failed to garner bipartisan support. 

They included more targeted and ambitious funding increases with millions for energy costs, transportation, reading instruction and career and technical education programs, as well as policy changes related to tribal compacting for public schools, homeschool programs and math instruction. 

Story authored another bill to help stabilize school districts’ budgeting process by redefining the student counts that passed the House last week, but failed to advance in the Senate. “It costs $113 million and they had already put one time funding in there for districts,” she said, referring to funding in the current operating budget. “And I think there was a fear that the governor would veto that.”

Story said she plans to reintroduce the proposal if re-elected next year.

After adjournment Wednesday night, leaders with the Senate Majority caucus praised the 34th Legislature’s wins for education in a news conference, but acknowledged they were hard fought, and that districts are continuing to struggle amid budget cuts. 

“This has been probably the most anti-education governor in the history of our state,” said Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, and criticized Dunleavy for repeatedly vetoing funding increases for schools. 

“It’s been an absolute battle,” he said. “So people wonder why schools are closing, because we haven’t kept pace with inflation. But part of its revenue, a huge part of its revenue, we’ve got to figure out (and) we’ve got to stabilize our revenue going forward. It’s going to be tough conversations going forward.”

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE

In 2019, sixth-graders at Haines School asked the Haines Borough Assembly to pass a law prohibiting use of a certain type of plastic shopping bags (HDPE) that are not biodegradable, can’t be composted and are prone to cracking. These bags break down in our environment, are ingested by fish and seafood and accumulate in our bodies as microplastics. As this was reasonable legislation (15 other communities in Alaska have passed similar laws) the Haines assembly approved it as well.

All but one store in Haines has complied with the law, which protects us and our food from contamination. For years, the borough didn’t enforce the law, including because of wording in the borough’s ordinance that defined the bags as “single-use.” (Residents were re-using them as trash bags, etc.) At the prompting of the same sixth-graders (now college sophomores) who initiated the bag ban, the Haines Assembly recently rewrote the law to eliminate any ambiguity. The rewritten law allows for sale and distribution of all plastic bags except the ones with handles, usually milky-white in color. The law is up for final passage at Tuesday’s assembly meeting. Please contact your assembly members and ask them to support this common-sense legislation. 

We like to say that the future belongs to our children and that we want them to return to Haines as adults. Let’s start by honoring their vision for their hometown. 

Mayor Tom Morphet

The post Pass the plastic bag ban appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

This year, 159 youth and adult volunteers removed marine debris from our beaches. These incredible folks removed 10 super sacks of trash, a refrigerator, eight tires, and several pallets from our local beaches. Not only that, but they recorded every single piece of trash that was picked up and sorted it to be shipped down south for recycling and upcycling! Amazing! 

Takshanuk Watershed Council is tremendously thankful for each and every volunteer who dedicated their time and energy to this project. It would be an impossible task without you. We are grateful! 

Thank you, Haines Arts Council, the Haines Borough School District and the Svensons for partnering on the afterschool marine debris muralmaking class; to Rusty Fingers for providing music at the sorting event; and the Small Boat Harbor for providing a space for sorting and storing marine debris. 

Thank you, Reilly Kosinski for presenting at our kickoff event and for supplying super sacks for marine debris storage. Finally, a huge thank you to our partners at the Chilkoot Indian Association for providing boat and logistics support. 

Because of all these amazing folks, our beaches look a whole lot cleaner.

Thank you,

Tracy Wirak-Cassidy, Takshanuk Watershed Council

The post Thank you for the efforts to clean up marine debris appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

Former Haines resident Ted Kelly stopped into town for a visit and brought along his brother Jesse Chamberlain. Kelly, a former Sockeye Cycle mechanic, now lives in Middleburgh, New York. His brother lives in Salem, Mass. and had never been to Haines. Kelly said he saw most of his favorite Chilkat Valley people, places and dogs, and also met new favorite people and dogs. Since moving to New York, Kelly has hung up his wrenches and has been enjoying a life in farming. 

Yet another tell-tale sign of spring: Chuck Mitman was spotted riding his Harley and sidecar on a sunny Friday afternoon with his dog Myla, both wearing leather jackets. Mitman has been training Myla to ride shotgun for about a year. She was adopted from the Yukon Humane Society and was born to ride, he said. 

Harper Rumfelt completed her first year of the Headstart program. She is looking forward to a summer of tee-ball.  While she has not yet made it through the program, Rumfelt walked at graduation in her red gown with all of the Headstart students. Lisa Shove said this is common as it gives preschoolers the chance to practice graduating well in advance of it actually happening.  This year they counted in Lingít,  and sang Puff The Magic Dragon. Rowan Lambert especially enjoyed performing the song at graduation and said the donuts and cake were both amazing. He said he’ll be focusing on growing his rat-tail haircut as long as possible this summer. All of the students left with swag bags from RurAL CAP that included crafting and journaling supplies. Before graduation, the Headstart students had a few action-packed visits from the community, including one from some baby goats. The goat handler was Jill Evans. She brought six of her 11 kids to see the kids. Evans said the baby goats remain nameless, as they will be going to new homes soon. One lucky little goat will stay with Evans; the students named her Blackberry because she is black and very sweet. 

The American Bald Eagle Foundation has a new director. Aaron Cleveland became the director in January. Cleveland is not new to the ABEF. He previously served as a consultant. He has a degree in middle school education from University of Louisville. His background includes zoo and theme park operation and designing and installing exhibits. Cleveland  admitted he’s an alligator guy, and has operated an alligator safari. He also operated a spider exhibit that housed over 3,000 spiders of 200 different species. Cleveland became a raptor enthusiast along the way, when a vulture won him over. The vulture was named Mozart, because he was, as Cleveland told a crowd at the foundation on Friday,  a “decomposer.” Cleveland has been a zoo director. He and his wife,  Dr. Meg Gammage-Tucker, are both active in conservation. She is president of the Wildlife Center of Virginia. While the king and queen of England were in the area for a state visit recently she had the opportunity to introduce Buddy, the bald eagle, to the royals. Buddy the bald eagle has a deformed beak, which is why he has been in captivity. 

The Haines community support was on full display at the Haines High School Awards Assembly Tuesday. The Haines graduates and alumni received over $90,000 in scholarships. 

American Legion: ($1,000) JC Davis, Emily McPhetres, Isabelle Alamillo, Ashlyn Ganey, Bailey Stuart, Phoenix Swaner, Camelia Bell

HARK: Emily McPhetres ($500)

Lynne Canal Conservation: Camelia Bell ($1,000)

Delta Western: JC Davis ($10,000 over four years)

American Legion Auxiliary: ($1,000) Isabelle Alamillo, Audrey Bader, JC Davis, Madelyn Hart, Sarah Jones, Emily McPhetres

Haines Education Association: Isabelle Alamillo ($750), Maddox Rogers ($750), Ashlyn Ganey ($500), Marin Hart ($500), Emma Dohrn ($500)

National Education Association – Alaska: Ashlyn Ganey ($1,800)

Tongass Credit Union: JC Davis ($1,500)

Uglys: Emily McPhetres ($1,000), Phoenix Swaner ($1,000), Ashlyn Ganey ($1,000), Audrey Bader ($5,000), Bailey Stuart ($1,000), Ruby Martin ($1,000)

Alaska Native Sisterhood: ($1,000) MJ Hotch, Bailey Stuart, Taylor Ganey

Haines Volunteer Fire Department: Audrey Bader ($500), Madelyn Hart ($500), Isabelle Alamillo ($1,000), Sarah Jones ($1,000), JC Davis ($1,000), Luke Davis ($750), Camelia Bell ($750), Ashlyn Ganey ($750), Jacob Weerasinghe ($750)

Haines Women’s Club: ($2,000) Emily McPhetres, Maddox Rogers, Bailey Stuart

Haines Sportsman: ($1,000) JC Davis, Alex Weerasinghe, Selby Long, Taylor Ganey

New Hope Church: Emily McPhetres ($2,875)

KHNS: Maddox Rogers ($500)

Constantine: ($500 per year for four years) Isabelle Alamillo, JC Davis

Holland America/ Princess Cruises: ($3,000) Emma Dohrn, JC Davis

Mario Benassi Jr. Scholarship: MJ Hotch ($500)

Margret Frans Brady Scholarship for the Arts: Maddox Rogers ($1,000)

Juneau Lions Club: JC Davis ($1,000)

UA Scholars: ($15,000 over four years) Emily McPhetres, JC Davis, Maddox Rogers

Outercoast College Scholarship: Ruby Martin ($44,000)

William Sieg: ($1,500) Audrey Bader, Ruby Martin, Madelyn Hart, Maddox Rogers, Isabelle Alamillo, Emily McPhetres, MJ Hotch, Nolan Wald, JC Davis

University of Southern California Scholarship: Isabelle Alamillo ($90,000)

The Haines High School yearbook features a page dedicated to The Originals. These are students who completed K-12 here in Haines. They include Isabelle Alamillo, Audrey Bader, Colton Combs, JC Davis, Ava Graham, Ruby Martin, James Stickler, Melissa Verhamme and Nolan Wald. The name you will not see on the list is graduating senior and co-valedictorian Maddox Rogers. Rogers resigned from kindergarten following an incident with a board game. The next day he called the class and teacher into a group and explained that he would homeschool for a period of time. He returned in fifth grade and graduated with his class this week. 

The American Bald Eagle Foundation hosted the unveiling of a new eagle stamp last week. The U.S. Postal Service honored the national bird with the new stamp that displays the bird’s different life stages on the 2026  Hatchling to Adult stamp. The United States did not officially have a national bird until 2024. We have a national mammal, the bison. We have a national flower, the rose. Lets not forget the national tree, the oak tree. Genevieve Bell, Haines postmaster, opened the ceremony, followed by presentation of colors by Terry Pardee and Jones Hotch Jr.  The national anthem was sung by postal clerk Melanie Olynyk. Charlotte Olerud received the first bald eagle stamp presented by postmaster Bell, and a thank you for ABEF founder, Dave Olerud. Following the ceremony Lillianna Benassi introduced Taku, ambassador bird, to attendees. Taku enjoyed a half-mouse snack with the attendees. 

The post Duly Noted: Scholarship winners, dogs in motorcycles and more appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

10 years ago

Assembly chooses Coast Guardsman as manager

The Haines Borough Assembly bucked the staff’s choice for manager on Saturday, voting 4-2 to offer the job to Coast Guard veteran William Seward over Mark Karet, a planner and development director with more than two decades of municipal experience.

Three groups – one comprised of assembly members, one of department heads and one of citizens – took turns Saturday interviewing the four manager finalists before converging to hash out the pros and cons of each one.

After an hour of discussion, it was clear Seward and Karet had risen to the top over finalists Paul Dauphinais, executive director of the Alaska Public Offices Commission, and Kevin Opple, director of operations at a naval station in Everett, Wash.

While the assembly appeared to put more emphasis on hiring a candidate with a winning personality, staff lobbied for experience.

24 years ago

Local projects get nearly $1 million

Haines fared well for capital project funding in the waning days of the legislative session, with local projects set to receive nearly $1 million through direct capital appropriations and agency budgets.

Rep. Albert Kookesh (D-Angoon) said Wednesday although the list of projects is firm, the Legislature still hasn’t decided how to divide spending between general fund appropriations and state-issued bonds. “Nothing’s been funded yet, because the funding sources are still up in the air.”

The school district’s two biggest wish list items, paving most of the high school parking lot and rebuilding the tennis court, are set for funding through the state Department of Education.

The $269,440 paving project will correct drainage problems that have plagued the gymnasium side of the high school for years. The education department budget also includes $153,000 to replace leaky siding at the high school.

Klukwan School will receive $138,000 to fix mechanical systems and $110,000 for other building repairs. The village of Klukwan will receive $25,000 for repairs to the old BIA school where the municipal office is located.

The City of Haines received funding for a number of tourism-related projects, and money to continue work on harbor and utility expansion.

Grants include: $100,000 to help fund the last phase of the feasibility study for the Small Boat Harbor expansion project; $54,800 to study extending city water and sewer lines to the annexed area; $44,444 to continue rehabilitation of the Lutak Dock; and $35,000 to improve lighting at the Port Chilkoot Dock to comply with new federal security requirements.

Other visitor-related grants include: $20,000 to design a covered waterfront viewing pavilion; $11,000 to purchase a motorized cart to assist cruise ship passengers who have trouble walking on the dock; $10,000 to help pay for a new city vehicle; and $5,000 for visitor-related signs.

City councilor Norm Smith said the funding seems like a windfall during what was thought to be a lean period of state spending. “Considering the deficit as a whole for the state, we came out smelling like a rose… Everything we got was way more than we expected.”

Haines Borough capital projects receiving funding included $13,000 for repairs to the Chilkat Center and $12,000 for new fire department equipment.

47 years ago

Safe bicycling gets a boost

Bikers, K-8, went through bicycle safety instruction at the elementary school last Thursday and Friday under the direction of Alaska State Troopers Rod Guinn and Ted Backman, who were assisted by the school staff, community volunteers and Haines police.

Trooper Guinn, who was a city policeman here before he joined the troopers about 18 months ago, said that as far as he knows it is the first such riding course to be given in Southeast Alaska, perhaps in the state. He ran a similar program during the 10 years he was with the California Highway Patrol and has been trying to initiate actual riding instruction for Alaska youngsters.

He said most of the safety instruction is limited to the classrooms, like that given here on Thursday, and riders are not confronted with traffic patterns and signals like those laid out on the Haines school ground on Friday.

Riders lined up for a safety check by the troopers before they drove through a course that simulated stops, turns, and obstacles. A working signal light, the only one in the city, was operated by Ray Lewis, off duty after his regular shift as a city police officer.

The signal was salvaged from three broken ones by the Division of Highways in Juneau and was wired by the City of Haines.

Alan Heinrich, elementary principal, said he and John Fain, Haines police chief, have been working to bring together the program for two years.

“It was one of those busy, busy days, with several substitutes in, but the staff made it work,” Heinrich said.

The post This Week in History: local projects and a traffic light for cyclists appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

Saturday, May 2

An officer on Main Street performed a traffic stop.

Sunday, May 10

A caller in Haines reported a lost wallet. Item description and contact information was obtained.

A caller in the 900 block of Main Street reported a speeding vehicle.

Monday, May 11

A caller at Small Tracts Road and Tower Road reported a speeding vehicle swerving on and off the road.

An officer in the 1000 block of Haines Highway performed a welfare check on a citizen.

A caller in the 600 block of Haines Highway reported a smell of smoke. Haines police and fire personnel responded.

Tuesday, May 12

Police received an eviction notice to be served in the 1000 block of Haines Highway. An officer performed the service.

An officer in Haines performed a follow-up report.

A caller in the 1000 block of Haines Highway requested to speak with an officer about harassment and stalking behavior they experienced.

Wednesday, May 13

Haines firefighters performed a service call. Police in the 1000 block of Haines Highway performed civil paper service.

An officer in the 10 block of Front Street performed a follow-up report.

An officer at 2 Mile Mud Bay Road issued a verbal warning for headlight requirements.

Haines police and firefighters responded to a burn pile burning after hours at Major Road and Chilkat Street. The fire was extinguished.

Thursday, May 14

Haines firefighters performed a service call.

An officer on Sawmill Road performed a follow-up report.

A caller on Piedad Road reported a person sleeping in a vehicle on the side of the road. Police conducted a welfare check.

Friday, May 15

An officer in the 300 block of Haines Highway performed a follow-up report.

A caller in the 10 block of Main Street reported their property was broken into.

An officer in the 300 block of First Avenue attempted civil paper service.

A caller on Fair Drive reported a verbal custody dispute.

Saturday, May 16

An officer in the 1000 block of Lutak Road attempted civil paper service.

A caller on Soap Suds Alley reported their vehicle being charged by a bear. A Nixle alert was sent out.

A caller at 1000 Mud Bay Road reported multiple buckets missing. Item descriptions and contact information was obtained.

A caller on Second Avenue found a phone on the side of the road, contacted the phone owner, and told them the phone was turned in to local police. The owner picked up the phone.

An officer in the 100 block of Main Street performed a follow-up report.

An officer at Small Tracts and Mud Bay roads issued a verbal warning for tail-light requirements.

Officers on Beach Road assisted a driver with a disabled ATV.

Officers in the 300 block of First Avenue performed a follow-up report.

There were 46 burn permits issued, one 911 hang-up call and 16 EMS calls during this reporting period.

The post Blotter: May 2 – May 16 appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

The Chilkat Valley’s first Dolly Varden fishing derby kicked off last Friday and will run until June 15. The idea came about when Doug Olerud and Gabe Long heard from locals who were eager for the salmon to return.

“Our dolly fishing is some of the best in the state and not a lot of people recognize that,” Olerud said. He also wanted to find an event to encourage people to go outside and recreate with friends and family.

Thus far, Olerud said that most of the participants have been kids ages 5-10 who have been fishing at the Small Boat Harbor.

“I think it is really cool that we got these young kids that want to go out there.”

Three age groups can participate in the derby and weekly drawings: ages 5-10, ages 11-15, and age 16 and above.

Participants need to have a valid fishing license (if of age) and have purchased a derby ticket. Each participant can submit two photos of their dolly catch each day during the contest. A random prize drawing will be drawn blindly from the photos each week. Olerud said the random drawing is intended to prevent people from thinking they have to catch a large fish to win. “It should be less damaging to the population as well.”

In addition to the weekly drawing that will occur on Thursdays, Olerud said there will be an overall drawing at the end of the derby.

Olerud and Long said submitting photos instead of killing and weighing their catch will encourage “good catch and release techniques.”

Olerud stressed the importance of handling fish with wet hands to give them a better chance of survival.

“You can go out with the right equipment and have fun, you don’t have to just catch any fish,” he said.

Popular fishing spots during the derby include the boat harbor and at Chilkoot Lake. According to the derby rules, fish must be caught in either the Chilkat or Chilkoot river systems and in the saltwater north of Eldred Rock. This time of year the dollies are feeding on the salmon fry as they hatch. 

Olerud said that the best lures for this time of year are the Kastmaster, small pixie or Mepps Aliga.

The proceeds go to the Haines Sportsmen’s Association Scholarship Fund. Olerud hopes to have enough participation to make it an annual event. He said there have been around 15 tickets sold so far but estimates more will participate as weather changes.

“Haines is such a beautiful place, let’s get people out, the best way to protect it is that people use it.” he said. 

The post Dolly Varden derby sees slow start appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.