Category: Alaska News

Watershed Weekly is a paid commentary written by the Takshanuk Watershed Council.

By Derek Poinsette

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines migration as “the process of animals traveling to a different place, usually when the season changes.” 

Biologists use the term specifically for large-scale movements of populations of animals over relatively long distances and between different habitats. For example, a bear moving up onto the mountainside to snooze during the day, and then back down to the river to feed on salmon at night, is not technically a migration. This behavior would instead be called a diel (or daily) activity pattern. 

An example of a proper, and quite impressive, migration is the arctic terns that breed here on Glacier Point and then spend our winter months on the ice surrounding Antarctica — an annual round-trip of 50,000 miles, give or take.

Animals are able to expend large amounts of energy migrating because there is a significant benefit for them to do so. In other words, something about that behavior has increased the animal’s chances of survival and reproductive success over time.  

Evolutionary biologists call this concept fitness. The migrating animals are able to take on a significant risk in seasonally moving long distances because the grass actually is greener on the other side. In doing so, they are increasing the chances of passing genes to future generations, even while many individual animals do not survive the journey. If this was not the case, if there was not this high-level benefit to the animal and to the species as a whole, they would just stay home.

Down on a more flesh-and-bones level, animals migrate for a few different reasons. Large schools of herring and hooligan start moving into the Upper Lynn Canal from the outer coast in the middle of April to spawn and reproduce. They come here because thousands of years of evolution have indicated that this is a good place to do that, and the chances are good that their offspring will survive and thrive.

Following closely behind these forage fish (herring and hooligan) are sea lions, seals, whales and piscivorous (fish-eating) fish like Chinook salmon and halibut, all of whom are migrating here not to spawn, but to feed. So, although the herring and hooligan are being gobbled up by the millions on the journey to get here, it is still worth their collective effort over a long, multi-generational, time frame. The same cost-benefit equation applies to all migrating animals, including humpback whales that are burning lots of calories and exposing their newly born calves to a gauntlet of predators, in swimming more than 3,000 miles from Hawaii and Mexico.

Tens of thousands of birds also stop here in the spring to take advantage of the hooligan and herring runs, and other resources as well, like mollusks and aquatic invertebrates. Gulls may be the most abundant and noticeable avian migrant, followed by surf scoters. A recent study found that as many as 18% of the entire world’s population of surf scoters could be coming to the Upper Lynn Canal every spring.¹ That’s an astounding number, given that surf scoters are relatively common throughout North America, on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts from arctic Canada down to Florida and Mexico.

For most winged creatures, the Upper Lynn Canal is not their final destination, but is instead a convenient refueling station to propel continued migration to summer breeding grounds farther north. The Chilkat Valley is particularly critical to this phenomenon, as it provides for the migrants an abundance of food and a safe and efficient flyway up and over the ice-covered mountains to the interior.  Like the schools of forage fish out in the fjord, the gulls, terns, ducks, geese, shorebirds, cranes, loons, song birds, woodpeckers and hummingbirds are constantly being pursued, and fed upon, by migrating birds of prey: eagles, hawks, falcons, ospreys and owls. The benefits provided to these creatures by the geography and the ecosystems of the Upper Lynn Canal must be great indeed to be worth such a price.

There is a concept of ecology called the ecotone. It occurs where two or more different ecosystems meet and overlap, usually resulting in relatively greater biodiversity. The entire Upper Lynn Canal area could be conceived of as a large ecotone. It is situated at a geographic nexus of geology and biology, where the temperate maritime ecological zones to the south and west meet and are linked via migratory corridors with interior sub-arctic and boreal forest ecozones north and east.  

For both birds and terrestrial animals (including humans), a small handful of mountain passes provide connectivity, and allow for relatively quick passage between a number of very different ecosystems and biogeographic regions.

For these reasons, the Upper Lynn Canal is one of the most biologically productive and diverse places in Alaska, and the annual spectacle of spring migration is a direct result of this complex interaction of geography and biology.  

From the perspective of the resident organisms, including us, this connectivity and ecological viability is an extremely valuable and precious attribute, as is attested to by the abundance of migrants who fly and swim great distances to visit us each and every spring.

The post Spring Migration in the Upper Lynn Canal appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

An Alaska woman is accusing the Alaska Department of Public Safety, two Alaska State Troopers and the A&E Television Network of compromising her privacy and safety as a confidential informant after they filmed an arrest without her consent.

The woman, identified in the filings as Jane Doe, says that she received death threats after she was a confidential informant whose information led to an arrest that was filmed and later aired on the Alaska State Troopers reality show.

The woman’s attorney, Jeff Barber, declined to comment on the case and said that he plans to file a motion to make the case confidential for her safety.

In court filings, Barber argued that the defendants had a duty to protect the confidential informant from harm. Barber wrote, “the defendants were motivated by fame, fortune or financial gain,” and they exploited Jane Doe’s “life and safety for profit and/or personal gain.”

The television show followed troopers in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Fairbanks, Western Alaska and Valdez in 2025. A&E Television Network aired nine episodes of the show between January and March 2026.

The lawsuit names Alaska State Troopers Scott McAfee and Lucas Altepeter, the Alaska Department of Public Safety, the show’s executive producer Anna Rodzinski and her company Anusia Films LLC, and A&E Television Networks LLC as defendants. Jane Doe is suing each defendant for $100,000.

According to a complaint filed in state court on April 23, Jane Doe assisted the Alaska State Troopers as a confidential informant in 2025 and was later threatened by a person who suspected her of being a confidential informant. She assisted troopers for a second time in 2025 and a film crew filmed troopers arresting the person who suspected Doe. 

Jane Doe told McAfee, a trooper, that she objected to A&E filming the arrest, and court documents say troopers relayed Doe’s objection to the film crew. According to the filing, the film crew filmed the arrest anyway. This caused Jane Doe “severe emotional distress and harm.”

In the lawsuit, Jane Doe’s attorneys claim that the crew filmed the episode in a way that could reveal Jane Doe’s identity and involvement. After the episode aired, Jane Doe received hostile communications and death threats.

Jane Doe suffered “medical expense, pain, anxiety, suffering, severe emotional distress, inconvenience, security and privacy expenses,” Barber wrote in the filing.

The case alleges that McAfee and Altepeter’s negligence and recklessness breached their duty and created danger to Jane Doe.

Barber accused the defendants of violating Jane Doe’s right to privacy and right to due process, and their actions inflicted intentional emotional distress.

Austin McDaniel, communications director for the Department of Public Safety, told the Alaska Beacon by email Wednesday that DPS had not been formally served with the lawsuit yet and will respond in court.

“We take the safety of all Alaskans extremely seriously and reject any suggestion that DPS personnel would knowingly endanger anyone’s life,” McDaniel stated.

The post Alaska woman sues troopers, TV network for exploiting her role as a confidential informant appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

The Tongass is the largest national forest in the country, and that’s no small thing to trifle with. But trifle the Trump administration is doing, treating the Tongass, the U.S. Forest Service employees who work in the Tongass and the communities that live here as not worthy of being told about their future.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which takes its orders from the White House and which runs the Forest Service, announced three weeks ago that it was restructuring the 121-year-old agency, closing research stations,closing and consolidating regional offices and moving people around — those it doesn’t fire.

That’s about as much detail as the department is sharing. It’s as if the Trump administration is playing a game of Pick-Up Sticks with the forest, federal employees and communities. Toss everything up in the air and see how the jumble lands.

The federal officials who decide what to tell the public and what not to tell people have said the forestry research station Anchorage, which serves the Tongass and the Chugach National Forest in Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest Research Station in Portland will both close.

The department has not answered questions about the future of the 78-year-old forestry sciences research station in Juneau.

Nor will the department answer how many people will lose their jobs, or when. Or even when someone will decide who loses their jobs.

“The transition will occur in phases,” the department answers when asked by reporters. “The number of relocations beyond those already identified in the National Capital Region (moving Forest Service headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Utah) is unknown at this time.”

Which leads to the question: Is anything known at this time, other than the Trump administration apparently likes Republican Utah more than Democrats in Washington. Utah certainly has its beauty and great outdoors, but there are 10 states in the union with more national forest land than Utah. Maybe 11 is the new lucky number.

Forest Service employees went through similar unknowns and stresses more than a year ago, when the president’s Cutter in Chief, the unelected Elon Musk, and his Department of Government Efficiency fired more than 3,000 Forest Service employees nationwide in February 2025. Almost 100 employees in the Tongass were terminated, though some later were called back to work.

Firings and more uncertainty are no way to treat valued employees who work hard to protect the forest and all that lives among the trees and waters. It’s no way to treat businesses and individuals who depend on the agency for information and services. But it appears there’s no way to stop this irresponsible management. Not until the next election.

The post No way to treat people, communities or the forest appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

I started my journalism career 57 years ago this month, when as a freshman wrote a news story for the college paper. There is a bigger point to this than reminiscing about my college days, so stick with it.

In 1969, Purdue University had a dress code to get into the dinner line at my dorm. Your shirt had to have a collar, shoes had to come with socks, sandals were not allowed, and no slacks with the seam on the outside, which was a clever way of saying no jeans at dinner.

This wasn’t some upscale, urban private school where students own suits; Purdue is an agriculture and engineering school in the middle of Indiana farm country. The dress code seemed as out of place as a veggie burger at a steakhouse.

Since it was the ‘60s and a lot of us at the dorm didn’t see why we had to dress up for dinner to eat corn fritters, cornbread or creamed corn, I figured everyone on campus should know about it. Besides, I was getting tired of heating up canned soup for dinner in the popcorn popper stashed on the windowsill in my dorm room.

So, I went to the office of the college newspaper — called the Exponent,remember it is an engineering school — and volunteered to embark on a newswriting career with a story about the unpopular dress code.

I saw my byline in print for the first time, as did school officials. For that, and admittedly for other infractions deemed contrary to the established rule book of life at the dorm, I was told I would not be allowed back into university housing for my sophomore year.

Regardless of needing to find new housing, I found a new career and lifelong friends with that first newspaper story.

The work and the people I met at the Exponent office filled a lot of gaps in my life. It provided me with a purpose, which was to learn, write and share with the community. It felt good to pound out the words at a manual typewriter, one finger at a time.

It provided me with a new major, journalism, saving me from my freshman enrollment in organic chemistry, of which I was failing.

And it introduced me to colleagues who became friends, dear friends who shared lives for the next six decades. The personal stories that no one else knows.

We also shared a belief that journalism could make a difference. It could right the wrongs of our communities, make people laugh at the fun stories and cry at the sadness, get up and vote and get out and work with their neighbors.

It’s been hard sometimes over the years to convince myself that it’s doing any good, that newspapers make a difference. But among my college friendsI found strength in knowing they were with me.

Then last week, the best editor I had at the Exponent died after losing a fight to cancer. Stephanie Salter taught me it’s about people and their lives and what matters to them.

During her years as a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, she had a city map on the wall in her office. She would throw a dart at the map, randomly, even blindly. Wherever it hit, she would go to that street corner and talk with people, telling their stories.

She never lost interest in talking with people, never lost her curiosity.

Never stopped wanting to make the world better by reporting the news.

That’s why I got into newspapers.

The post The reasons are the same as they were in 1969 appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

It’s down to the final weeks of the second legislative session of the 34th Legislature. There will be a joint legislative session on Monday to consider an override vote of Gov. Dunleavy’s veto of a bipartisan elections reform bill. 

The draft budgets for next fiscal year are taking shape, lawmakers are considering governor’s appointees for various boards and commissions, and bills are reaching final votes — and a lot will happen in the final days.

This is the Alaska Beacon’s list of where we’re putting our attention in the coming week. There’s always more news than there are people to report it.

Every Thursday, the Alaska Legislature publishes its committee schedule for the coming week. Public notices alert us to meetings and events. The governor’s office occasionally lets us know ahead of time that something’s coming down the pike, too.

Here’s what we know about for the coming week. If you know of something that’s coming up that you should think we should pay attention to, email us at info@alaskabeacon.com.

We can’t cover everything on this list, but we’re interested in them and we think you should know about them in case you’re interested in them, too.

This list is ripped from our notebooks, and it is likely to change over the course of the week. We’ll update it when we can.

Are you trying to keep track of when to testify on a bill? The Legislature has a website for that.

Monday, May 4

Joint legislative session to vote on whether to override the governor’s veto of SB 64, a bipartisan elections reform bill – 11 a.m.

8 a.m. – House Education considers a governor’s nominee for the Alaska State Board of Education: Joy Cogburn-Smith, a bill to establish an Alaska Native Languages Task Force, and another bill to ban food dyes in school meals, already passed by the Senate

9 a.m. – House Finance continues consideration of the capital budget, and a bill to enact a fisheries production tax credit

1 p.m. House Judiciary considers the governor’s nominee and invites public testimony for Attorney General: Stephen Cox

1 p.m. – House Resources continues hearing a bill related to property taxes for the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project

1 p.m. – House Finance considers a bill that would redefine how school districts calculate student counts for budgeting 

1:30 p.m. – Senate Finance considers a bill that would establish an Alaska Invasive Species Council and considers a governor’s appointee to the State Assessment Review Board: Jana Weltzin

3:30 p.m. – Senate Education considers a governor’s nominee for the Alaska State Board of Education: Joy Cogburn-Smith, and a bill that would provide one-time additional funding for residential schools

3:30 p.m. – Senate Resources continues considering the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project

Tuesday, May 5

Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska holds a march to Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People’s Day at 5 p.m. in Juneau

House/Senate floor sessions in the morning

8 a.m. – House Resources considers the governor’s nominees to the Board of Game: Stanley Hoffman, Jr., Jacob Fletcher, and David Lorring, the Big Game Commercial Services Board: Rudy Martinez, and the State Assessment Review Board: Jana Weltzin

9 a.m. – House Finance considers a bill that would allow communities to borrow up to $1.5 million from the state’s bulk fuel loan program to help offset rising fuel costs

9 a.m. – Senate Resources continues considering the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project

10 a.m. – House Fisheries considers governor’s appointees for the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission: Tracy Welch, and the Board of Fisheries: Paul Cyr, Blair Hickson, and Mike Wood

3:15 p.m. – House Health and Social Services considers governor’s appointees to the State Medical Board: Hannah Mielke and Robert Skala

3:30 p.m. – Senate Health and Social Services considers State Medical Board nominees

3:30 p.m. – Senate State Affairs considers a governor’s nominee for the Alaska Police Standards Council

Wednesday, May 6

8 a.m. – House Education continues hearing a bill to establish an Alaska Native Languages Task Force

9 a.m. – Senate Finance considers two bills related to strengthening state oversight of minors in psychiatric treatment, including foster children, that passed the House1 p.m. – House Resources continues hearing a bill related to property taxes for the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project

1 p.m. – House Finance continues consideration of a governor’s nominee to the State Assessment Review Board: Jana Weltzin

3:30 p.m. – Senate Resources considers a bill to enact tougher standards for residential licenses for hunting and fishing, already passed by the House

Thursday, May 7

9 a.m. – House Finance continues consideration of the capital budget, and a bill to enact a statewide spay and neuter assistance program

9 a.m. – Senate Finance considers a bill to address the state’s late grant payment for contracts with non-profits, already passed by the House

1 p.m. – House Finance continues consideration of the capital budget, and a bill that would establish a paid parental leave program

3:30 p.m.  – Senate State Affairs considers a bill to establish a toll on the Dalton Highway at Deadhorse to help pay for road maintenance and repairs

Friday, May 8

8 a.m. – Joint Armed Services Committee hears a presentation from officials from the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard for the Arctic District and Alaska Command

9 a.m. – House Finance hears a bill to set civics education requirements for all high school graduates, and continues consideration of the capital budget

1 p.m. – House Judiciary hears a bill to maintain the legal relationship between siblings in foster care through the process of adoption, and to prioritize placement together in foster care

1 p.m. – House Finance considers a House bill related to taxes for the proposed Alaska LNG gas line, pending referral

1:30 p.m. – Senate Labor and Commerce considers a bill to enact a state license for mobile sports betting

3:30 p.m. – House Labor and Commerce considers governor’s nominees for the Board of Marine Pilots: Angel Holbrook and Colin Maynard

3:30 p.m. – Senate Resources considers governor’s nominees to a variety of boards related to fisheries and game

Saturday, May 9

Hearings on various bills are scheduled to continue in Senate Finance, House Finance, House Health and Social Services and Senate State Affairs 

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Relatives and friends of murdered and missing Indigenous Alaskans took their grief to the streets of Midtown Anchorage on Thursday.

The event was the third annual Walk for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People hosted by the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program at the University of Alaska Anchorage. 

Led by members of the Qissunamiut Yurartet Dancers of Chevak, participants walked along Providence Drive, in the heart of the UAA campus. Many held photos of their lost loved ones and signs with their names. Many participants also had painted red handprints across their mouths; the image is the symbol of Indigenous victims who have been silenced.

Scotty Barr was among them. His 10-year-old daughter, Ashley Johnson-Barr, was abducted while walking to a park in Kotzebue and murdered in 2018. Her killer was convicted and sentenced in 2021 to a 198-year prison term.

Barr wore a baseball cap emblazoned with his daughter’s name, birth date and the date of her death. The grieving family has since moved to Anchorage, he said.

Participating in the ANSEP walk was important, Barr said.

“We do live with a lot of evil in the world,” he said. “These kinds of activities and actions we can do for our future generation will help a lot.”

Tatiana Ticknor, program coordinator for the organization Data for Indigenous Justice, kicked off the event with an update of Alaska case numbers and resources for family members and friends. The organization is keeping its own tally of outstanding and unsolved cases, which differs somewhat from official state reports. Names of victims whose cases were being tracked by Data for Indigenous Justice were displayed on a screen in the meeting room where the group assembled before and after the walk.

Ticknor, who is Dena’inan, Deg Hit’an, and Lingit with family from Telida, Nondalton, and Sitka, said the cause is personal for her. Her cousin, Louis Palo, was shot and killed in 2023; the perpetrator has not been arrested, she said.

She pointed to a display of victims’ photographs and biographical information that had been assembled for the event. “It’s just a good way to remember who they were instead of how they passed away,” she said.

Antonia Commack, the resource coordinator for Data for Indigenous Justice, was among the speakers who closed the event with a call to action.

Commack said her advocacy began after two of her friends were murdered in separate crimes: Robin Gray in 2017 and Kristen Huntington in 2020.

“They’re the reason that I have the strength to do what I do. Unlike a lot of families in this room, their perpetrators were caught and they are in jail,” she said.

But in too many cases, perpetrators are not brought to justice, said Commack, who is Inupiaq and from Shungnak but now living in Wasilla.

“I know more than probably a lot of you how much justice Alaska Natives don’t get in the state of Alaska,” she said. Of the people whose photos were displayed, “a large chunk of their murderers have not been caught,” she said.

She urged attendees to keep up their activism, despite their weighty grief.

“I just ask that you try to take care of yourselves because we have to keep going, you have to fight for justice,” she said.

The ANSEP event was held in advance of Tuesday’s National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People. It is also known as Red Dress Day, for the red color that has become associated with the cause.

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Blake Gettys, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general, will run for lieutenant governor alongside Republican gubernatorial candidate Shelley Hughes, the duo announced Thursday in Anchorage.

Incumbent Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, is term-limited after serving from 2018 to 2026. Hughes is one of 18 candidates for Alaska governor.

Blake Gettys, 60, of Eagle River, grew up in Ohio and has lived in Alaska since 1994. He retired from the Air Force in August 2018 as a brigadier general. He most recently was the director of Kids Outdoor Zone, a Christian youth ministry of Alliance Christian Fellowship Church in Eagle River, and a commercial airline pilot.

Gettys attended the Air Force Academy where he played football. He was the director of joint staff for the Joint Force Headquarters at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and commanded the 176th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, at JBER.

At a campaign event in Anchorage Thursday, Gettys said that he believes deeply in Hughes’ mission and he is grateful for the opportunity to serve Alaska. Gettys is a registered Republican.

“The state gave me opportunities to learn, to lead, to serve and to solve problems that mattered. It gave me purpose. The state helped shape me into the man of faith I am today,” he said Thursday. “If elected I promise to serve Alaska with humility, discipline, gratitude and integrity. That’s the least I can do for a state that has given me so much.”

As lieutenant governor, Gettys said that he would ensure the integrity of Alaska’s elections, oversee a government automation and modernization program, advocate for the return of federal lands to the state and eliminate redundancy and waste.

Hughes said Thursday that Gettys has “integrity and character.”

“When you have a solid foundation you can raise up strong leaders, but it can go the other way. Sometimes we need strong leaders to help rebuild that strong foundation, and that is what I’m offering to you,” she said.

Hughes is the fifth candidate for governor to name a running mate. Former Republican Senator Click Bishop chose Greta Schuerch of Kiana, Republican Bernadette Wilson picked former Republican Senator Mike Shower of Wasilla and former Republican Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson picked Josh Church.

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The University of Alaska Board of Regents announced Matt Cooper as the new university president on Friday, after a closed-door, confidential hiring search.

Cooper is a Fairbanks-based attorney, and formerly served as legal representation for the university starting in 2011 and later as general counsel to the university from 2021 to 2024.

He will replace Pat Pitney, who announced her retirement in November, after 30 years of public service and five years as university president. She is planning to step down later this month. The regents said Cooper will begin his term on August 3.

The board appointed Michelle Rizk, vice president of university relations and chief strategy, planning and budget officer, to serve as interim president during the transition period from May 22 to August.

Following an executive session Friday, the board voted unanimously to select Cooper. Board of Regents Chair Scott Jepsen said after the vote that Copper was selected from among 50 candidates.

“I think he brings a management style to university, which will help us be collaborative and work as a team to achieve the goals that we have set for the university,” Jepsen said. “We have a lot of challenges in front of us, and it’s going to take a skill set that has good interpersonal skills, understands the university, understands Alaska, and has that vision of where we want to go.” 

UA President Pat Pitney told board members she was pleased with the selection.

“I’ve had the pleasure to work with Matt over the years, and he is a genuine leader. He looks for win-win solutions. He’s worked on numerous issues and opportunities for the university at all levels. So he knows he knows our institution, he knows the people he’s just going to bring a really strong energy and strong leadership to our university,” she said. 

Cooper has been practicing law in Alaska since 2003. He is leaving a position with the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP where he focused on real estate and land use issues in Alaska, Washington state and other areas, according to the firm’s website. 

He received a law degree from the University of Washington School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree at the University of Puget Sound. 

Cooper will be charged with the chief executive role overseeing the state’s public university system across three university campuses, 13 community campuses and over 500 in-person and online degree programs, as well as a wide range of research initiatives. Currently, roughly 20,000 students are enrolled this year. 

Cooper will continue to live in Fairbanks. He will earn a base salary of $420,000, with a total compensation package of $429,600 excluding benefits, according to the university. 

That’s a slight increase from Pitney’s total compensation package of $427,565, which included a housing stipend and excluded benefits.

In a statement following the announcement, Cooper said he was grateful for the appointment. 

“I’ve seen firsthand how UA empowers our communities and state, and I believe strongly that the future on our horizon is bright,” he said. “I look forward to building on the strong foundation President Pitney has established, and to working with the Board and university leadership and governance to support and advance the university’s long-term vision and goals.”

University changes hiring process

Cooper was one of three finalists for the top university position. Regents and university officials opted to conduct a closed-door, confidential hiring process that began last winter, instead of holding public forums and interviews of finalists.

The change in process was at the recommendation of a Texas-based hiring consultant, Wietkeffer, to protect candidates’ confidentiality and potentially draw from a larger applicant pool, said Jepsen in a Feb. 16 letter. 

“In recent years, highly qualified candidates – especially sitting presidents and chancellors – have declined to participate in searches with a fully public evaluation process for finalists due to concerns about professional risk if they are not selected for the role,” he wrote. “Adopting a representative model helps ensure UA can attract and seriously consider the strongest possible candidates while still incorporating meaningful stakeholder input.”

The university’s hiring committee — made up of three regents, industry leaders, and university, city and education officials — narrowed the list down to six semifinalists, then three finalists.

Finalists made campus visits and met with select  “constituent groups” this spring that included faculty, staff and student representatives from across the university system, according to a presidential search update. Each participant was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA.

The groups submitted input to the Board of Regents, who made the final decision to select Cooper.

Correction: This story has been updated to clarify Michelle Rizk currently serves as the vice president of relations for the University of Alaska, and to reflect that the university’s candidate search narrowed down to three finalists from six semifinalists.

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The Alaska House of Representatives advanced two bills relating to certified nurse aide training and home health care workers this week in an effort to support Alaska’s growing senior population.

The bills aim to regulate Alaska’s health care by setting training standards for CNAs and regulating wages and conditions for caregivers.

HB 244, sponsored by Rep. Jubilee Underwood, R-Wasilla, would establish eleven standards of a CNA training program at no cost to the state to ensure that patients receive competent health care. The bill passed with 39 yes votes. Rep. David Nelson, R-0Anchorage was excused absent.

“It simply says through regulation, CNA training should reflect the real job, communicating with patients, recognizing behavioral changes, supporting dignity and independence and properly caring for people with cognitive conditions,” Underwood said.

The House also advanced HB 96, sponsored by Rep. Mike Prax, R-North Pole, which would establish a Home Care Employment Standards Advisory Board to investigate and provide a biennial report on wages, workforce and working conditions for home care personnel. The board would be required to meet at least three times annually. The bill also ensures that 70% of Medicaid funding to agencies providing home and community-based services will go directly to employees and benefits.

“The home care industry has kind of developed organically if you will and there are no professional licensing requirements at this time, but they do need to set up some recognizable standard to organize the industry for purposes of pay and services,” Prax said.

The bill passed 35-5 in the House Monday and advanced to the Senate for consideration.

Alexis Rodich, director of Alaska and Montana SEIU 775, a union representing long-term care workers, said in April that the bill is a solution to a caregiver workforce crisis and provides accountability for Medicaid dollars.

The Health Department stated in the fiscal note that it would cost approximately $378,900 annually and would require the department to hire two full-time health program managers.

Rep. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, voted against the bill. She said Monday that she supports the need for home care employment positions but suggested consolidating the duties of the Home Care Employment Standards Advisory Board into another Health Department board.

Rep. Zack Fields, D-Anchorage, supported the bill and said that it is in the state’s best financial interest to maintain a functioning home health care work force.

“It both minimizes our long-term expenses for long-term care while keeping our elders in the place they prefer to stay, which is in their home with their family,” he said.

According to Rodich, personal care services are 45-90% less costly than nursing facilities or Alaska pioneer homes.

Shanah Kinison, a caregiver for a child with disabilities, wrote that she sees caregivers leaving the state and the bill could support caregivers, clients and their families.

“I support HB96 because it will address the shortage of caregivers in Alaska, the disparity in wages & training, and resolve other issues facing caregivers & their clients,” Kinison said.

Vanessa Liston, a caregiver for one of her children, supported the bill in a letter to legislators and said that the bill could improve her son’s life.

“This bill could upgrade the caregivers and give capability to hire strong caregivers that have pride in their job!! This is so important to the folks with disabilities and would be a game changer for growth for the future!!” she wrote.

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