Alaska State News

Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 02:38:48 +0000

Anchorage Health Department public health nurse Marguerite Leeds administers the Covid-19 vaccine to Vauoti Tuga at the community vaccine clinic held at Manai Fou Assembly of God Church in Airport Heights on Feb. 23, 2021. (Jeff Chen/Alaska Public Media)

Stories are posted on the statewide news page. You can subscribe to Alaska Public Media’s newsfeeds via email, podcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @AKPublicNews.

Wednesday on Alaska News Nightly:

Alaska Native leaders closely watch the confirmation process for Interior Secretary nominee Deb Haaland. And, an Anchorage vaccination clinic sets up in a Samoan church to reach the Pacific Islander community. Plus, once a national leader in COVID cases, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta now leads in vaccinations.

Reports tonight from:

Nat Herz, Lex Treinen and Tegan Hanlon in Anchorage
Olivia Ebertz and Anna Rose MacArthur in Bethel
Henry Leasia in Haines

Send news tips, questions or comments to news@alaskapublic.org.

Where are they now? The 100 Stone Project | INDIE ALASKA

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 23:11:25 +0000

Five years ago, INDIE ALASKA featured Sarah Davie’s 100 Stone project, a massive sculpture installation in Anchorage that was used to shed light on individuals dealing with depression and suicide.

We caught up with Sarah to see what the 100 Stone project meant to her and what she’s working on now.

Find more mental health resources and personal stories at https://bit.ly/2H5SZ07

Video and Story by Valerie Kern
Music by FirstCom Music

Watch the original episode on The 100 Stone Project:

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy tests positive for COVID-19

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 21:58:57 +0000

Governor Mike Dunleavy speaks in Sept. 2020 (Office of the Governor)

Alaska GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy has tested positive for COVID-19 and is suffering from “mild symptoms,” his office said in a prepared statement Wednesday.

On Saturday, Dunleavy, 59, was exposed to a person who later tested positive for the virus, according to a statement from the governor’s office. He received a rapid test on Sunday, which came back negative, but has been quarantining at home since then nonetheless.

“He had been feeling well until Tuesday night,” spokesman Jeff Turner said in the statement. “Wednesday morning, he tested again, and this time tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection.”

The governor’s office has not provided any details about Dunleavy’s close contact who tested positive for the virus.

Dunleavy is being monitored by his “attending physician” and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink, and “they will provide the public with updates as needed,” Turner’s statement said.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

After 4 months, Y-K Delta no longer has highest COVID-19 rate in Alaska

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 21:06:03 +0000

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta no longer has the highest COVID-19 case rate in Alaska.

YKHC staff members package vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 16, 2020. (Katie Basile/KYUK)

The region has led the state in case rates for four months, since Oct. 21, 2020. But as of Feb. 23, 2021, state epidemiological data shows that the region dropped to the second-highest case rate in the state. It has been superseded by the Matanuska-Susitna Region, which now leads Alaska with its COVID-19 case rate.

According to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta’s case rate is 24 cases per 100,000 people. That’s less than a tenth of what the region’s peak case rate was in November 2020, when it was 300 cases per 100,000 people.

State epidemiological data shows that the Matanuska-Susitna Region currently has 34.02 cases per 100,000 people.

State working to close sale of its fast ferries

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 20:59:22 +0000

Alaska Marine Highway System’s fast ferry Fairweather. (Skip Gray/KTOO)

The Alaska Marine Highway System is working to finalize the sale of its fast ferries to an overseas bidder.

Trasmapi, a Mediterranean-based catamaran operator, offered about $4.6 million for the Fairweather and Chenega ferries. But that was less than half the $10 million reserve price set by the state.

When bids were opened on Jan. 13, a state procurement officer noted that a lower price could still be negotiated.

“We do have a responsive bidder and we are continuing — as we speak today — to work through the process to close the sale, ” John Falvey, the state-run ferry system’s general manager, told the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday.

Trasmapi runs ferries between the Spanish mainland and the island of Ibiza. The Spanish company had also offered about $411,000 for a pair of diesel engines, which cost about $3 million new.

“The two swing engines which are in our warehouse and hermetically sealed containers, unused, they were also part of the sale,” Falvey said.

The state of Alaska commissioned the fast ferries in the mid-2000s. And they were popular, completing a voyage in about half the time as a conventional ship. But they were taken out of service in 2015 and 2019.

At the time, the marine highway cited rising fuel costs and poor performance in rough seas. It’s not clear how much the state is now asking for them. The two 235-foot catamarans cost $68 million new.

Alaska’s federal allocation of COVID-19 vaccine will nearly double in March

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 20:44:04 +0000

A vial of COVID-19 vaccine sits on a table at the Alaska Native Medical Center. (Jeff Chen/Alaska Public Media)

The federal government’s monthly allocation of COVID-19 vaccine to Alaska will nearly double in March, rising to 103,000 first doses from the 61,000 allocated to the state in February.

The vaccine numbers were posted Tuesday by the CDC, though the state has not yet formally announced them.

They show that Alaska will receive 54,000 first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in March, up from 27,000 in February, and 49,000 first doses of Moderna vaccine, up from 32,300 the previous month.

The state could receive even more doses if federal regulators grant an emergency authorization to the new vaccine manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, which officials say could happen as soon as this weekend.

The company will have 3 million to 4 million doses ready to distribute next week if the authorization is granted, White House officials said Wednesday. The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are currently being distributed at roughly the same rate.

LISTEN: Katie Hurley remembered for charisma, energy and love for Alaska

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 18:23:56 +0000

Katie Hurley at a Portland, Oregon long-term-care facility, in her late 90s. Among many state government and political offices she held, Hurley was the head clerk at the Alaska Constitutional Convention. She died Feb. 21, 2021 at the age of 99. (Hurley family photo)

Alaskans are mourning the loss of one of the last remaining participants in the crafting of the state Constitution, Katie Hurley, who died Sunday at the age of 99.

Hurley was a longtime assistant to territorial Governor Ernest Gruening, the chief clerk at the Alaska Constitutional Convention, and, later, a state legislator, among many other roles.

Hurley’s daughter, Susie Derrera, says her mother was principled and had a knack for taking on responsibility early in life, and her energy and charisma were on full display during her time working on Alaska’s foundational document.

LISTEN HERE:

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff March 30, in honor of what would’ve been Katie Hurley’s 100th birthday.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s chief of staff, Ben Stevens, resigns to become executive at ConocoPhillips

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 18:23:35 +0000

Department of Transportation Commissioner John MacKinnon, Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s Chief of Staff Ben Stevens, and former Senior Policy Advisor Brett Huber watch a news conference at the Capitol in 2019. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/KTOO)

Ben Stevens, the former Alaska state senator who became chief of staff to Alaska GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy, is leaving that job, Dunleavy’s office announced Wednesday.

Stevens will become the new vice president of external affairs and transportation at ConocoPhillips Alaska, Dunleavy’s office said in a prepared statement.

“I want to thank Ben for his hard work and service to the state of Alaska the past two years. His knowledge and political acumen have been an asset to the administration and I wish him the very best in his new role at ConocoPhillips Alaska,” Dunleavy was quoted as saying.

Randy Ruaro, who currently serves as deputy chief of staff to Dunleavy, will fill Stevens’ job until a permanent replacement is named.

Dunleavy appointed Stevens chief of staff in the summer of 2019, as the governor faced a recall campaign with accumulating momentum and had just finished a bruising first legislative session.

Dunleavy originally hired Stevens as a policy advisor after his election in 2018. Stevens, the youngest of three sons of the late U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, had been away from politics for a decade at that point, after his office was raided by the FBI in a 2006 corruption investigation of the Alaska Legislature.

Ben Stevens, who was Senate president at the time, was never charged with a crime and has always maintained his innocence.

Alaska reports first case of rare COVID-19 variant that could evade antibodies

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 18:07:02 +0000

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (in yellow) — the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (in blue/pink) cultured in a lab. (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases – Rocky Mountain Laboratories)

The first case of a highly transmissible variant of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in Alaska.

Alaska is only the fifth state to have a confirmed case of the P.1 variant, which likely originated in Brazil, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State officials said the case was first discovered on Tuesday in a specimen collected from an Anchorage man who developed COVID-19 symptoms earlier this month. He had no travel history, suggesting that the case was a result of community spread.

Alaska’s Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Joe McLaughlin said by email the mamn reported eating a meal unmasked with another person four days before reporting symptoms.

“It is possible that this may have been where the patient was exposed,” he wrote.

At least one close contact has also tested positive for COVID-19, but their sample hasn’t yet been analyzed for the new variant.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there is evidence some of the mutations in the P.1 variant might make it more transmissible and harder for antibodies to recognize. That means vaccination or natural immunity after recovering from COVID-19 may be less effective in protecting against it. In the Brazilian city of Manaus, it may account for a resurgence of cases since mid-December, according to CDC.

McLaughlin said the news underscores the need to continue masking and distancing, and getting vaccinated as soon as possible if eligible.

“The more people we get vaccinated, the quicker we will be able to prevent ongoing transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Alaska,” he wrote.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s chief of staff, Ben Stevens, resigns to become executive at ConocoPhillips

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 18:06:14 +0000

Ben Stevens, the former Alaska state senator who became chief of staff to Alaska GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy, is leaving that job, Dunleavy’s office announced Wednesday.

Stevens will become the new vice president of external affairs and transportation at ConocoPhillips Alaska, Dunleavy’s office said in a prepared statement.

Randy Ruaro, who currently serves as deputy chief of staff to Dunleavy, will fill Stevens’ job until a permanent replacement is named.

Dunleavy appointed Stevens chief of staff in the summer of 2019, as the governor faced a recall campaign with accumulating momentum and had just finished a bruising first legislative session.

Ben Stevens, who was Senate president at the time, was never charged with a crime and has always maintained his innocence.

Alaska Native enthusiasm for Interior nominee puts Murkowski on the spot

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 17:57:19 +0000

Rep. Deb Haaland, at podium, spoke at a rally in Washington, D.C. to oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 2018, a few weeks before she was sworn in to Congress. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media)

President Biden’s choice for Interior secretary presents a dilemma for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, pitting a long-held political goal against one of her base constituencies.

Deb Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo tribal member from New Mexico, would be the first Indigenous cabinet secretary. Alaska Native leaders have mounted a big campaign to confirm her.

Haaland’s background matters, said former Alaska legislator Mary Peltola of Bethel, because of the authority she would have over matters such as subsistence hunting and fishing rights, tribal courts and Native allotments.

“For hundreds of years, we really haven’t had many Native people at the top who have a true understanding of the way that we live and our values and, you know, just the realities of growing up as a Native person and raising your family as a Native person,” Peltola said. “This is a very big deal.”

But Haaland has been an outspoken opponent of oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Selling drilling rights in the refuge is one of Murkowski’s biggest achievements.

At Haaland’s confirmation hearing Tuesday, Murkowski acknowledged how significant it would be to have a Native American lead Interior. She didn’t directly confront Haaland’s environmental stance. Instead, Murkowski focused on Biden’s first executive orders, which included a pause on leasing in the refuge.

“From Alaska’s perspective, you’ve got to understand that they’re looking at this and saying, ‘Wait a minute, why is this administration out to get us?’” Murkowski said. “I don’t think they’re out to get us. But I do think that there is a definite threat to the resource industry that our state is blessed to be able to host.”

Haaland began her response to Murkowski by reaching for common ground.

“Senator, thank you so much. And if I could just quickly say thank you, again, for all of your help with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women legislation,” Haaland said. “That means the world to me.”

Haaland said she’d consult with Murkowski on Alaska development issues and would follow the law.

Alaska Congressman Don Young introduced Haaland at the start of the hearing. Haaland was elected to the U.S. House in 2018. She and Young worked together on the Natural Resources Committee. He described her as someone who will listen to Republicans and moderate her perspective to serve everyone.

“So I want the secretary, if she’s confirmed — I hope you do confirm her — to understand there’s a broad picture here. And her job is to understand it’s no longer a little cartoon,” Young said. “This is the big picture. And she’ll have to have the responsibility to do the job I know she can do.”

Haaland’s hearing in the Senate Energy Committee continues Wednesday. Murkowski told a reporter she has a lot more questions for her.

Olivia Ebertz of KYUK contributed to this story from Bethel.

Federal judge temporarily halts sale of National Archives building in Seattle

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 16:40:18 +0000

The National Archives and Records Administration facility in Seattle is earmarked for closure and to be sold in an effort to cut federal spending. The Office of Washington state’s Attorney General filed a motion to seek a preliminary injunction to block the sale. (Photo courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration)

A federal judge temporarily stopped the sale of a National Archives building in Seattle, Washington.

In a written order filed Tuesday morning, U.S. District Court Judge John C. Coughenour ordered a halt to the imminent sale of the National Archives building — and removal of an immense archival collection.

In a news release, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said, “Today’s legal victory blocks the federal government’s unlawful plan to sell the Archives and scatter the DNA of our region thousands of miles away.”

In January 2020, a five-person panel identified the archives building in Seattle — and 11 other facilities — as excess properties and opportunities for the federal government to cut costs.

The archives building houses a collection that includes historical documents and records for 272 federally recognized tribes in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

A sale of the building could move the archive’s records as far away as Kansas City, Missouri and Riverside, California.

In January 2021, Washington state’s attorney general and 40 tribes, states and community organizations filed a motion to block the sale of the building.

The building also houses documents regarding the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Japanese internment camps of World War II.

It would be the second time that Alaska documents and records have been moved from a National Archives facility.

In 2014, a building in Anchorage was closed, and the materials transferred to Seattle.

Federal judge temporarily halts sale of Seattle National Archives building

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 16:40:18 +0000

The National Archives and Records Administration facility in Seattle is earmarked for closure and sale in an effort to cut federal spending. The Office of Washington state’s Attorney General filed a motion to seek a preliminary injunction to block the sale. (National Archives and Records Administration)

A federal judge temporarily stopped the sale of a National Archives building in Seattle, Washington.

In a written order filed Tuesday morning, U.S. District Court Judge John C. Coughenour ordered a halt to the imminent sale of the National Archives building — and removal of its immense archival collection.

“Today’s legal victory blocks the federal government’s unlawful plan to sell the Archives and scatter the DNA of our region thousands of miles away,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a news release.

In January 2020, a five-person panel identified the archives building in Seattle — and 11 other facilities — as excess properties and opportunities for the federal government to cut costs.

The archives building houses a collection that includes historical documents and records for 272 federally recognized tribes in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The building also houses documents regarding the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Japanese internment camps of World War II.

A sale of the building could move the archive’s records as far away as Kansas City, Mo. or Riverside, Calif.

In January 2021, Washington state’s attorney general and 40 tribes, states and community organizations filed a motion to block the sale of the building.

It would be the second time that Alaska documents and records have been moved from a National Archives facility. In 2014, a building in Anchorage was closed, and the materials transferred to Seattle.

Mat-Su Borough applies to host 2024 Arctic Winter Games

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 16:33:03 +0000

An Arctic Winter Games athlete in Nome, Alaska. ( Laura Kraegel/KNOM)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s Matanuska-Susitna Borough plans to submit a bid to host the 2024 Arctic Winter Games.

Leaders of the borough north of Anchorage issued a statement announcing the intention to contend for the event, Alaska’s News Source reported Tuesday.

“The Games celebrate sport, social exchange and cultures,” the statement said. “The Games provide an opportunity for the developing athlete to compete in friendly competition while sharing cultural values from northern regions around the world.”

The Matanuska-Susitna Assembly voted Feb. 2 to move forward with a bid.

Following the decision, the borough said it received a verbal commitment of $2 million from the state to support the bid.

The Arctic Winter Games International Committee has $50,000 remaining from previous games in Fairbanks that will be donated to the host of the 2024 games, the borough said.

The anticipated cost of hosting the event is between $5 million and $8 million.

A post on the borough’s website said the bid review process by the organizers of the games normally takes about a month.

Alaska has hosted the games six times in the past 50 years, with Fairbanks the most recent state host in 2014.

The next Arctic Winter Games is scheduled to take place in March 2022 in Wood Buffalo, Canada.

The 2020 games in Whitehorse, Yukon territory, were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 02:40:10 +0000

The village of St. Paul on Wednesday, January 23, 2019. (Nathaniel Herz / Alaska’s Energy Desk)

Tuesday on Alaska News Nightly:

Congresswoman Deb Haaland’s confirmation for Interior Secretary begins with broad support from Alaska Native leaders. And, several small Alaska communities have managed to stay COVID free throughout the pandemic. Plus, a Petersburg family deals with a destructive fire and robbery.

Reports tonight from:

Liz Ruskin and Nat Herz in Anchorage
Jacob Resneck in Juneau
Angela Denning Petersburg
Erin McKinstry in Sitka

Send news tips, questions or comments to news@alaskapublic.org.

Alaska Native enthusiasm for Interior nominee puts Murkowski on the spot

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 02:22:17 +0000

Rep. Deb Haaland, at podium, spoke at a rally in Washington, D.C. to oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 2018, a few weeks before she was sworn in. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media)

President Biden’s choice for Interior secretary presents a dilemma for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, pitting a long-held political goal against one of her base constituencies.

Deb Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo tribal member from New Mexico, would be the first Indigenous cabinet secretary. Alaska Native leaders have mounted a big campaign to confirm her.

Haaland’s background matters, said former Alaska legislator Mary Peltola of Bethel, because of the authority she would have over matters like subsistence hunting and fishing rights, tribal courts and Native allotments.

But Haaland has been an outspoken opponent of oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Selling drilling rights in the refuge is one of Murkowski’s biggest achievements.

Haaland began her response to Murkowski by reaching for common ground.

Haaland said she’d consult with Murkowski on Alaska development issues and would follow the law.

Haaland’s hearing in the Senate Energy Committee continues Wednesday. Murkowski told a reporter she has a lot more questions for her.

State of Art: Anchorage rockers Photonak want to bring light to dark times

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 01:16:20 +0000

Photonak is one of those bands that come across as totally genuine in their mission and respect for each other. With their debut album “Tempered,” the band hunkered down in their home studio and turned out a highly produced piece of sprawling rock and roll.

In this episode we learn about how the band persevered through the pandemic to finish their album, how a life-changing injury lead to music as a mission, and what non-musical roles each member plays.

BAND LINKS:
Bandcamp
Spotify
Youtube

Alaska’s top tribal health executive, Andy Teuber, has resigned

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 22:14:24 +0000

Andy Teuber, the president of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, has resigned, the organization said Tuesday.

“The chairman and president of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium resigned this morning. The consortium’s board of directors is taking immediate and swift action, calling a special meeting for this afternoon to address leadership transition,” Shirley Young, an ANTHC spokesperson, wrote in an email Tuesday afternoon.

Andy Teuber (University of Alaska)

The nonprofit consortium is an umbrella group that coordinates health care for Alaska Native people and helps run the Anchorage Native hospital. It’s also one of the state’s largest employers, with more than 3,000 workers.

Teuber has been ANTHC’s president since 2008, and he also serves as chief executive of Kodiak’s tribal health care provider, the Kodiak Area Native Association. Teuber sits on University of Alaska Board of Regents, as well.

More information will be available after Tuesday’s meeting takes place, Young said. ANTHC’s statement did not say what prompted Teuber’s resignation. Teuber didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is the second, recent high-profile tribal health resignation.

Katherine Gottlieb, the former chief executive of Southcentral Foundation resigned in August. Southcentral Foundation cares for Native people in the Anchorage area and in parts of rural Alaska, and it partners with ANTHC to run the Anchorage Native hospital.

Gottlieb’s resignation came two weeks after her foundation fired three dentists, including her husband Kevin Gottlieb, who was also a senior executive at the organization.

The dentists were alleged to have falsified health records to show a different provider had conducted a number of routine dental exams than the practitioner who’d done the work.

This is a breaking story, check back for updates.

Federal judge temporarily halts sale of National Archives building in Seattle

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 22:09:52 +0000

The National Archives and Records Administration facility in Seattle is earmarked for closure and to be sold in an effort to cut federal spending. Washington state’s Attorney General filed a motion to seek a preliminary injunction to block the sale. (Photo courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration)