JOHNSON: I’m married to a military man. He was in the Air Force, so we got an assignment up here. And when we got here, usually they rotate us out three to four years, so he had extended. And I begged him, “Please? Can you try to stay here because there are no snakes here.” We were originally from Arkansas to Texas, which have snakes. Both states have snakes. So he graciously went away to Saudi Arabia for a year without us, so we could stay here.
I met some people and they told me “Your first winter… either you’re gonna love it or you’re going to hate it.” And we came more in March. So the summer time is what we had to get used to because it would be 11:00, 12:00 at night, and I hadn’t put my children to bed yet because it was still light. The sun was still shining. Those were some of the things we learned how to adjust. Back then, we didn’t have blackout curtains, so we used aluminum foil to help reflect the light. Now we have blackout curtains. One of the things too is I have a child that the winter times affect her, so she has a happy light cause she neds the sunshine.
I can go out. I can just fish. I can just walk, pick berries, hunt, do anything. Don’t have to worry about snakes.
This sounds really weird, but my favorite Alaska memory is driving through the tunnel that goes to Whittier. It really is. That was exciting. I really thought it was going to be different, because I’ve gone through tunnels like when we were stationed up on the East Coast, those tunnels… but the Whittier tunnels look different. By the time you think maybe it’s a little nervous or scary, you’re already out on the other end, right there in the city. If you can call Whittier a city. So that’s one of my favorite things. And I like driving, going down the Seward Highway, especially when the tide’s in, and you may see a whale out there. That’s exciting, too. Wildlife.
I just mentioned to my husband on Sunday, I said, “After church, why don’t we just take a ride down the Seward Highway?” He said, “I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to get me to take you to the Double Musky.” I said, “No I’m really not. I just wanna driv and look at the inlet, look at the scenery.”
The Bristol Bay Native Association passed a resolution at a full board meeting on Sept. 28, asking BBNC to reconsider its neutrality on Ballot Measure 1. The Ballot Measure, put forward by the group Stand for Salmon, aims to strengthen laws protecting salmon habitat in the state. Critics say the measure could be too far reaching in the types of development it would hinder.
Joe Chythlook, chairman of the BBNC board, confirmed that they discussed the resolution at an Oct. 5 BBNC board meeting. According to Chythlook, the board decided to remain neutral on the initiative, following the advice of their executive team.
BBNC declined to comment further.
Voters will decide whether Ballot Measure 1 becomes legislation during the midterm election on November 6.
Leland Hale, along with his late coauthor Walter Gilmour, is known for writing the book “Butcher, Baker” about Anchorage serial killer Robert Hanson in the 1970s and early-’80s, which more recently was made into a movie. And Hale went back to 1980s Alaska for the subject of his new book, “What Happened in Craig?”, out this week.
It was the end of the fishing season in 1982 in tiny Craig, Alaska. The town was full of fishing boats and fishermen, and after a night of celebrating, nobody could find 28-year-old Mark Coulthurst, his boat — the Investor — or his crew, kids or wife, who was pregnant.
Hale spoke with Alaska Public Media’s Casey Grove and says what happened next rocked the community and set off one of the most perplexing murder mysteries in Alaska history.
HALE: Let’s set the scene. It’s in September. It’s the end of the fishing season in Southeast Alaska. There’s a little town called Craig. There’s about a hundred fishing boats in town. So now the population has doubled and people are out celebrating because the fishing seasons over. They’ve made their money and one of the vessels there is actually from Blaine, Washington. It’s skippered by a guy named Mark Coulthurst. He’s 27 years old. He’s got a million-dollar boat. It’s the pride of the fleet. Everybody’s celebrating. He’s celebrating his birthday. He’s had a few drinks. And then the next day people try to contact his boat. Some people see the vessel about a mile and a half out from Craig. Then the next thing we know this vessel is on fire. When they finally get the fire tamped down they discover bodies. They found four at that time. Four out of eight. First of all, you have sort of two crime scenes because the the killings were probably on the dock in Craig, so that’s one crime scene, but there’s second crime scene, which is the boat.
It was a year before they discovered someone that they thought was a suspect. It was another year before there was an arrest that guy named John Peel, who had worked for the Coulthursts on their previous boat, then it was another two years before the first trial, and that trial was in Ketchikan. It was a hung jury. So then there was a second trial and that moved to Juneau. And John Peel was acquitted. So we don’t know who did it. Whoever did it is still out there. This person would be now in his 50s, but that’s all we know.
GROVE: Going back and talking to people about events that happened in the past and tracking people down; that’s difficult in any circumstance. But especially in something tragic like this. I imagine it’s really tough to get people to talk to you.
HALE: Well, it got tougher later because there was a civil suit filed by John Peel and his attorneys. So people kind of clamp down but I did most of my research in the early 90s. And then I relied heavily on the court records because, as it turned out, the prosecuting attorney, Mary Ann Henry, had all of the records, even the stuff that the jury did not see or hear, put in the Alaska state archive in Juneau, so I had a very rich body of work there. And then I was able to talk to a couple of Troopers. In fact, I talked extensively to a guy named Trooper Bob Anderson, who was the first guy on the scene. And really his description of what was going on, what was going through his head, what he saw is how I open the book because it’s so immediate. I mean this guy was not expecting to find bodies, and he had nightmares after that. I talked to one of the detectives who did the scene investigation on the boat, and I was really lucky to talk to the first judge who gave me sort of the judges view of the trial.
GROVE: Through this reporting, doing this book, have you reached a conclusion on who you think was the real killer?
HALE: I haven’t. Imagine in your mind a pyramid, and the best investigations start at the bottom with a really strong base of facts and you just go up until you get to the top of the pyramid and there’s the person who did it the top. And this case it’s an inverted pyramid. So there’s not really a strong basis in fact. It was a circumstantial case from the very beginning. It never identified a motive. Speculation, there’s some people speculate it was drug-related, that because this guy had a million-dollar boat and he owed a lot of money, he was, you know, dealing cocaine. That’s not proven. What else? He wasn’t an Alaska fisherman. So maybe there’s a rivalry there that just kind of blew up. But I tend to think it’s somebody that was known. I mean, again, there was over 150 boats in Craig at that time. That’s a lot of people. It was the end of the season so they quickly dispersed. I mean, I think somebody out there knows who did it and just didn’t come forward.
Alaska Pacific University or APU in Anchorage is now a tribal college, so what does that mean? On the next Talk of Alaska, artists Joe and Martha Senungetuk will discuss their work as APU’s elders in residence. They’re teaching art and culture and bringing in other Native artists for classes.
HOST: Lori Townsend
GUESTS:
Native artists Joe and Martha Senungetuk
Call 550-8422 (Anchorage) or 1-800-478-8255 (statewide) during the live broadcast
Post your comment before, during or after the live broadcast (comments may be read on air).
The three-day event organized by the First Alaskans Institute is designed to strengthen inter-generational relationships and develop indigenous leadership across Alaska. This year’s theme is “Our Ancestors, Our Fire.”
Keynote speakers include 92-year-old Inupiaq elder Ugiaqtaq Wesley Aiken from Utqiagvik, and 20-year-old Tristan Yaadoh Jovan Madros from Kaltag.
Organizers anticipate more than a thousand participants to attend. Elders and Youth precedes the annual Alaska Federation of Natives each year.
Elders and Youth runs from October 15th to 17, and AFN’s main convention starts on Thursday the 18th, and concludes on Saturday the 20th.
Amid a shortage of hospital beds, psychiatric patients put in jails
Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
A small number of Alaskans experiencing psychiatric crises are being diverted from healthcare facilities to Department of Corrections facilities.
Ex-hospital officials claim whistleblowing led to firing
Associated Press
Two former executives of one of Alaska’s largest hospitals claim they lost their jobs for trying to stop illegal billing practices and raising other concerns.
BBNC will remain neutral on Ballot Measure 1
Avery Lill, KDLG – Dillingham
As the midterm elections approach, the Bristol Bay Native Corporation will remain neutral on Ballot Measure 1.
Census Bureau looking for rural Alaskans to help with the next big count
Anna Rose MacArthur, KYUK – Bethel
One of the most important tools for ensuring government representation and the distribution of federal funds relies on neighbors counting neighbors. The 2020 United States Census is more than a year away but government officials are already planning.
‘It’s become politicized’: advocates give notice of lawsuit to clean up Fairbanks air
Tim Ellis, KUAC – Fairbanks
Three environmental groups announced Wednesday they intend to sue the federal Environmental Protection Agency for what they say is its failure to require the Fairbanks North Star Borough to reduce air pollution.
‘What Happened in Craig’: Trying to piece together one of the state’s most perplexing murder mysteries
Casey Grove, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
It was the end of the fishing season in 1982 in tiny Craig, Alaska. The town was full of fishing boats and fishermen, and after a night of celebrating, nobody could find 28-year-old Mark Coulthurst, his boat — the Investor — or his crew, kids or wife, who was pregnant.
Elders and Youth, AFN kick off in Anchorage next week
Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
The 35th annual Elders and Youth conference begins Monday at the Denai’ina Convention Center in Anchorage, followed by the Alaska Federation of Natives later in the week.
AK: Ketchikan students focus on ‘Sense of Place’ in Indigenous Peoples Day celebration
Leila Kheiry, KRBD – Ketchikan
Monday marked the second year for Alaskans to commemorate Indigenous Peoples Day rather than the federal Columbus Day holiday. In Ketchikan, the local UAS Campus Library hosted a celebration of Indigenous culture.
49 Voices: Gloria Johnson of Anchorage
Kirsten Swann, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
This week we’re hearing from Gloria Johnson in Anchorage. Johnson is the superintendent of the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River.
Alaska Psychiatric Institute (Photo courtesy of the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services)
A small number of Alaskans experiencing psychiatric crises are being diverted from healthcare facilities to custody within the Department of Corrections. Critics worry the emergency measure is not only unlawful, but putting patients in jeopardy.
Since last Friday, October 5th, the Alaska Psychiatric Institute has had to reduce the number of available beds due to staffing and safety concerns. With fewer beds available, individuals involuntarily committed under the state’s Title 47 law are being brought to private hospitals, but also to state-run correctional facilities for holding. So far, four patients in need of acute mental care have been put placed inside jail or prison buildings.
Duane Mayes is the CEO of API, and said right now the facility has several high-need patients who require multiple staffers to be on hand out of safety concerns. That, according to Mayes, has reduced the number of available beds from 58 to 49.
“When we realize we cannot take more (patients), we inform those entities such as the hospital, DOC, that we’re not able to do that, because of the capacity issue,” Mayes said.
Only a few weeks into his new role as the head of API, Mayes said he had been informed by staff that shifting patients over to correctional facilities amid psychiatric emergencies is not unprecedented, and has happened in the past.
But that might not be accurate.
Laura Brooks, who works with DOC’s Division of Health and Rehabilitation, said the Department is not accustomed to absorbing mental health patients who have no criminal charges against them.
“This is a new process for us,” Brooks said.
In the Anchorage area, those committed involuntarily under Title 47 because of substance abuse issues severe enough to pose a threat to themselves or others are being sent to the Anchorage Correctional Complex or Hiland Mountain Correctional Center.
“We have mental health units for the criminal population and so we are going to house them on those units, in separate cells, but we will house them on those units,” Brooks said. “We will not be putting these individuals in our general population areas.”
Of the four Title 47 patients put into DOC custody during the last week, one has since been released.
Retired mental health court judge Stephanie Rhoades thinks this practice is a misapplication of involuntary commitment laws and puts patients in jeopardy. In an email, Rhoades wrote that laws governing Title 47 allow individuals to be held in jails only as a last resort. She pointed to a section in the code that reads, “A person taken into custody for emergency evaluation may not be placed in a jail or other correctional facility except for protective custody purposes and only while awaiting transportation to a treatment facility.”
According to Rhoades, that provision was meant to be applied in rural areas when inclement weather or a delay in a plane arriving necessitated keeping people in small community jails. Use of correctional facilities as an overflow option for API was never the intention, and Rhoades believes it is a violation of patients’ rights.
David Flourant with the Disability Law Center agrees, and thinks housing psychiatric patients in correctional facilities could hinder recovery.
“There’s a significant difference between being placed in jail and being placed in a psychiatric facility that provides treatment and care for someone that has a mental illness,” Flourant said. He cited a case where individuals placed in jail instead of a therapeutic environment demonstrated “aggravated symptoms as a result of that placement.”
Flourant feels the state has not been adequately transparent about why it decided to put patients in correctional facilities rather than in nearby hospitals.
The Alaska Psychiatric Institute says each day it is evaluating whether it can open more bed space for new patients. In the meantime, DOC says correctional centers around the state are preparing to potentially house patients needing urgent mental healthcare.
Elder Ugiaqtaq Wesley Aiken delivering his keynote address at the 2018 Elders and Youth conference in the Denai’ina Center. (Photo by Zcahariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage)
Day one of the annual Elders and Youth conference wrapped up in Anchorage today. The annual conference precedes the Alaska Federation of Natives convention each fall, designed to strengthen inter-generational connections and share indigenous knowledge around the state.
In front of a crowded ballroom in the downtown Denai’na Center, Patuk Glenn gave an introduction to this year’s theme.
“Our ancestors are our fire,” Glenn announced in Inupiaq and English.
The elder keynote address came from Ugiaqtaq Wesley Aiken, age 92, who was introduced as the oldest man in Utqiagvik. A whaler, reindeer herder, tradesman and community leader throughout his life, Aiken told young members of the audience to seek out the tools that would best equip them to support themselves in modern life. In his time, that meant hunting, and learning whatever trades he could in his community.
“I wish I had higher education myself. But I tried to make living with what I can do in my hometown,” Aiken said. “I am a carpenter. I’m a mechanic. Heavy equipment operator.”
Generally Elders and Youth is a less overtly political event than AFN. But this year, state politics looms large. A group that formed last year, Native Peoples Action, presented on efforts to mobilize indigenous votes in the upcoming November elections. During a panel on Alaska Natives entering state government, Julianna Clock told the crowd she’d been able to channel anger over racial disparities she saw growing up in Kaltag into action working as an analyst for the governor’s office.
“The knowledge we gain from the people who life us up, from our parents and our grandparents, our elders and our ancestors, is just as valuable as the western certificates that we gain in schools,” Clock said. “And it’s important to get those, too. We are equal to all the people in those rooms. And we have a seat at the table. And we have a place.”
Governor Bill Walker speaking at the Elders and Youth conference in the Denai’ina Center. (Photo by Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage)
Though far from a campaign stump speech, Governor Bill Walker’s address touched on several recent events. Walker noted how much he’s learned about Indigenous languages since coming into office. But says signing a recent administrative order on the issue was overshadowed by the funeral in Kotzebue for 10-year-old Ashley Johnson-Barr just a day before.
“I celebrate all the great things that happen in Alaska while I’m governor, but I take responsibility for everything that’s bad that happens in Alaska because I’m governor,” Walker said. “And I take that very seriously. And so as I sat there through that service, that two-and-a-half hours in Koztebue, all I could think of was what could I have done differently. What could I have done as governor to make sure that hadn’t happened, make sure that never happens again.”
Walker is in a tough three-way race for re-election where recent polling has Republican candidate Mike Dunleavy at a significant advantage.
The Elders and Youth Conference wraps up Wednesday.
Sockeye swim in a stream near Cordova. (Photo by Aaron Bolton, KBBI – Homer)
The Alaska Board of Fisheries kicked off its annual work session in Anchorage on Monday and salmon hatcheries will once again be a prominent topic of discussion. The board will consider whether to add issues surrounding production levels to future agendas and it will kick off a broader discussion on the hatchery industry on Tuesday.
Disagreements over salmon hatcheries have been roiling over the past few years, and those arguments have played out at Board of Fish meetings.
Hatchery opponents want the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to conduct more studies on the effects of hatchery fish spawning with wild populations and to start examining potential ocean carrying capacity issues. The department is currently in the midst of a large hatchery-wild spawning study.
Hatchery operators point to that as an example of due diligence by the department. Operators like Cook Inlet Aquaculture Executive Director Gary Fandrei say they’re ready for the board’s broad discussion on the state of hatcheries Tuesday afternoon, which may touch on some of those issues.
“We’re prepared for it. The hatchery programs are based on good sound science and we follow those principals,” Fandrei said. “They’re well regulated by the Department of Fish and Game, and we believe we are above board with everything we’re doing.”
An emergency petition back in March sparked the board’s discussion. The petition asked the board to look into Prince William Sound pinks that have been straying into lower Cook Inlet streams.
Valdez Fisheries Development Association Executive Director Mike Wells thinks the discussion will help the public better understand how hatcheries operate.
“I think the hatchery community will be there and ready to provide comment, certainly any misunderstandings or miscommunications of areas with regard to our program,” Wells said of Tuesday’s work session.
The public will be able to make comments to the board, though it will not be considered public testimony. Board members will follow up the discussion with more region-focused work sessions on hatcheries in the coming years.
Others are hoping those conversations will lead to change. Ricky Gease is the Executive Director of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, which has questioned the value of hatcheries.
Gease acknowledges the department is studying hatchery-wild interactions in freshwater, but he said a recent Fish and Game report reviewing the state’s hatchery policies shows the department’s reluctance to study interactions in the open ocean. He hopes the board take up that issue in its discussions.
“We have more salmon in the ocean than ever before, yet over the last decade, across Alaska, the average size of salmon have been decreasing,” Gease said. “What is driving that?”
Gease also said recent king and sockeye run failures are evidence that large numbers of hatchery fish, namely pink salmon, are increasing competition in the Gulf of Alaska. Fish and Game’s report said those issues could be the result of many environmental factors.
While it’s unclear what direction the board’s broader discussion may go, members will also consider two agenda change requests surrounding hatchery production, specifically the harvesting of eggs.
Gease’s organization submitted one of those requests, which mirrors an emergency petition it submitted earlier this year. The petition asks the board to prevent the Valdez Fisheries Development Association from increasing its egg take by 20 million at its Solomon Gulch Hatchery.
“The board decided that it wasn’t an emergency situation, but that doesn’t mean that the situation isn’t important,” Gease said. “This is the next available opportunity outside of an emergency requests to get the issue on the agenda of the Board of Fisheries,” Gease said.
Gease hopes the board is willing to consider the issue at a later date, though those eggs have already been collected and hatched. Another proposal is also asking the board to set a statewide cap on hatchery production.
Both of those requests will be considered on Monday afternoon.
For our candidate video series called Running, Alaska Public Media invited all candidates who are campaigning for office in Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Those who chose to participate in recording a Running video are featured on this page.
To Use: Either zoom in, select district, then click link to candidate video. Or, click the menu in the top left of the map for a drop down menu and search for your district.
Candidate Alyse Galvin would seem to be on a roll. Two recent polls have shown her within 4 percentage points of Alaska Congressman Don Young, and Monday the Democratic nominee reported she’s raised nearly $1.2 million. That’s more than the Republican incumbent has raised. But other signs aren’t so positive for the challenger.
The Galvin campaign seems to always have new union endorsements to announce. She has the National Education Association on her side, and the American Federation of Teachers, which includes the Alaska Public Employees Association.
That might be expected: teachers’ and public employees’ unions lean more Democratic, and Galvin made a name for herself pressing the Legislature for more money for schools.
But Galvin also has endorsements from a couple of the building trade unions – the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.
The business rep for the Painters Local 1959, Bronson Frye, says the union likes her support for apprenticeships. But Frye said the endorsement shouldn’t be viewed as a statement against Young.
“To be clear, he has been good for organized labor, particularly the building trades for a long time,” Frye said. “We just felt that Alyse – Miss Galvin – had a vision that really appealed to us.”
The Painters is a relatively small union. It represents a couple of hundred Alaska workers. The IBEW Local 1547 has nearly 5,000 members. Its leaders declined to discuss its endorsement of Galvin.
But the powerful Teamsters Local 959 is even larger, and the Teamsters endorsed Young.
As for the polls showing Galvin is right behind Young, online election forecasters have looked at them. But they still say Young is likely, or even very likely, to win the race.
The statisticians at FiveThirtyEight.com say Galvin has at best a 30 percent chance of winning. The publication “Inside Elections” foresees the race as a solid win for the Republican. And Larry Sabato, who edits the “Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball” newsletter at the University of Virginia, has Young as a “likely” win, but warns he might push the race to a more competitive category before Election Day – now just three weeks away.
Challenger Alyse Galvin would seem to be on a roll. Two recent polls have shown she’s close to Rep. Don Young, and she’s raised nearly $1.2 million. But other signs aren’t so positive for her.
ConocoPhillips Alaska CEO says wave of oil production coming to North Slope
Elizabeth Harball, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage
In a speech todayin Anchorage, ConocoPhillips Alaska president Joe Marushack said the company is looking at the potential for oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
‘Our ancestors are our fire’: Elders and Youth conference kicks off in Anchorage
Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
The annual conference precedes the Alaska Federation of Natives convention each fall, designed to strengthen inter-generational connections and share indigenous knowledge around the state.
Despite legality in Canada, border-crossing with marijuana still will be illegal
Tom Banse, NNN – Oregon
The legalization of marijuana in Canada beginning next Wednesday will create a bloc of pot-legal states and provinces from California to Alaska.
Gubernatorial campaigns present their ideas on how to improve Alaska rural public safety
Anna Rose MacArthur, KYUK – Bethel
Public safety has been voted the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta’s top issue by delegates attending the Association of Village Council Presidents’ annual convention. After the convention adjourned last Thursday, Alaska’s three gubernatorial campaigns presented their solutions on the topic.
Board of Fish agenda heavy with hatchery issues
Aaron Bolton, KBBI – Homer
The Alaska Board of Fisheries kicked off its annual work session in Anchorage on Monday and salmon hatcheries will once again be a prominent topic of discussion.
Seldovia woman fends off bear inside her home with a broom
Aaron Bolton, KBBI – Homer
A Seldovia woman fought off a black bear inside of her home with nothing more than a broom early Monday morning.
Aniak airport construction raises fears of flooding in spring
Krysti Shallenberger, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Bethel
The village of Aniak’s runway construction could cause more headaches for the community during spring breakup. Aniak’s city manager Kevin Toothacker says that the state’s plans to modify a road that runs next to the runway could compromise it.
Redefining sports: Petersburg High School supports starting a video gaming team
Angela Denning, KFSK – Petersburg
Petersburg School District is looking at starting a new sport at the high school–E Sports. It’s video gaming and is one of the fastest growing team-based competitions for youth in the state.
Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson is sworn as lieutenant governor during a ceremony with Director of Rural and Native Affairs Barbara Blake and Gov. Bill Walker in Anchorage on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018. (Photo courtesy Alaska Governor’s Office)
Byron Mallott resigned suddenly as Alaska lieutenant governor Tuesday, citing “inappropriate comments” he recently made.
State Health and Social Services Commissioner Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson was sworn in to replace Mallott, who also resigned from the campaign for a new term on a ticket with Gov. Bill Walker. It’s too late to remove Mallott’s name from the ballot, but the campaign says Davidson would also serve as lieutenant governor if Walker is re-elected.
Gov. Walker has been close to Mallott. He talks frequently about their collaboration.
“It is with profound disappointment and sadness that I accepted the resignation of Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott,” Walker said. “Byron recently made some inappropriate comments that do not reflect the stellar level of behavior required in his role as lieutenant governor.”
Walker would not take questions at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
His office has not said what Mallott said or who he said it to. A spokeswoman for the governor’s office said its “utmost concern is protection of the victim’s privacy.”
But Walker emphasized the seriousness of the matter.
“As leaders, we really need to hold ourselves with the highest standards, and … that was not the case,” he said.
The lieutenant governor oversees elections but has few other official duties. Mallott has been unusually visible in the role.
He was the Democratic nominee for governor four years ago, before he merged his campaign with Walker’s.
In his resignation letter, Mallott said his resignation was “compelled by inappropriate comments I made that placed a person whom I respect and revere in a position of vulnerability.” He did not say who he was referring to. Mallott wrote in the letter that he takes full responsibility for this action and apologizes to the person he says he hurt. Mallott told Walker in the letter that he recognizes that his actions have compromised Walker’s ability to lead the state.
“For that I also express my remorse and sorrow,” he said.
Mallott, 75, is from Yakutat. He became mayor of the city when he was 22. He is a clan leader of the Tlingit Raven Kwaash Kee Kwaan clan. He was president of the Alaska Federation of Natives and the First Alaskans Institute, and chair and executive director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation.
Davidson has led the Department of Health and Social Services since the beginning of Walker’s administration. She grew up in Bethel and Aniak.
“Alaskans deserve the highest standard of conduct by their elected officials. And while I am deeply saddened, by the resignation of Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott, I’m also profoundly disappointed in his conduct,” Davidson said. “Respect for women and respect for all Alaskans is our responsibility and I stand ready to serve as your lieutenant governor.”
Walker appointed Dr. Jay Butler as the new commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services.
Butler is a host of the Alaska Public Media Program “Line One, Your Health Connection.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Dunleavy says his campaign “remains focused on restoring trust in state government.”
Democratic candidate Mark Begich couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
ConocoPhillips Alaska president Joe Marushack told an Anchorage audience that he predicts a new wave of oil development in Alaska. (Photo Elizabeth Harball/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
It’s been a good year for ConocoPhillips Alaska.
Last week, the company announced first oil from a drill site called Greater Mooses Tooth 1, ahead of schedule. Greater Mooses Tooth 1 is the first oil development on federal leases in the 22.8 million-acre National Petroleum Reserve Alaska, or NPR-A, a west of Prudhoe Bay. Conoco estimates Greater Mooses Tooth 1 will produce up to 30,000 barrels of oil per day.
This week, Conoco received a key federal approval for another oil development in NPR-A, called Greater Mooses Tooth 2. Greater Mooses Tooth 2 is estimated to produce even more oil than Greater Mooses Tooth 1, up to 40,000 barrels per day.
And the company is laying plans for a much bigger oil development nearby, called the Willow project. Conoco estimates that project could produce up to 100,000 barrels per day, a fifth of the amount of oil currently flowing down the trans-Alaska pipeline. The federal government began the environmental review process for Willow this summer.
Conoco’s steady push to expand oil production westward into NPR-A is being closely watched by environmental groups, which are concerned about impacts to caribou, migratory birds and other species that live there. Earlier this year, a coalition including Earthjustice, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s 2016 and 2017 oil lease sales in the reserve.
Still, last winter, Conoco had its most extensive oil exploration season in over a decade, drilling six wells in and near NPR-A. According to ConocoPhillips Alaska president Joe Marushack, Conoco’s exploration program this year is going to be even bigger: the company is planning to drill up to eight wells this winter.
In a presentation to an Anchorage business group on Monday, Marushack said Conoco’s projects are part of a new wave of oil production in Alaska, something he called a “North Slope Renaissance.”
Alaska’s Energy Desk caught up with Marushack after his speech and asked him what he thinks a “North Slope Renaissance” could mean for Alaska — and if that could include development in another chunk of federal land east of NPR-A: the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Marushack: When we look at what we’re doing, and then we look at what some of the other operators are doing with their opportunities out there, we believe there’s the opportunity for hundreds of thousands of barrels of incremental production to come on over the next, let’s say, five to 10 years. Now, it doesn’t come on all at the same time — it kind of gets feathered in — but we still believe there’s the opportunity for hundreds of thousands of barrels of incremental production over this time period.
Elizabeth Harball: A couple of years ago, there was real concern about the future of the trans-Alaska pipeline and low flow. Does this mean that that is not a concern anymore?
Marushack: Well, we have to maintain a stable fiscal environment, and we have to make sure that the regulations are in place that allow us to develop these and get permits in a timely fashion. But yeah, I think that if those two things are maintained — we’ve got to be able to weather these cycles, these up-and-down cycles in oil — we still have to worry about low flow at some point in time, but I think if we can get some of these projects moving forward, that that will go a long way to solving that problem, for a long time.
Harball: A lot of these developments are happening in a region where there’s lots of wildlife, there’s a community — Nuiqsut — that cares very deeply about subsistence. So as these developments move forward, can Conoco makes sure that the impacts don’t add up in a negative way?
Marushack: Obviously, there’s a lot of consultation that goes through. We try to operate in an environmentally very sensitive fashion. We do lots and lots of studies on fish and wildlife and we share that with folks. So yeah, we believe these developments can happen in an environmentally sensitive way, and it’s really important to us that we do that — it’s just good business for us to do that, too.
Harball: Oil prices are up around $80. What does that mean for everything Conoco has planned and does it mean you might be able to hire more Alaskans?
Marushack: So these developments that we are doing, especially the Willow project, will mean lots of opportunity for Alaskans. And it’s extremely important to me that ConocoPhillips does look carefully at what Alaskans can do and what they can participate in. We’ll be working, obviously, with the unions in order to develop these opportunities — we need a lot of labor on them.
Harball: On the oil price, though, I think I was hearing you say you don’t think $80-per-barrel oil is here to stay, necessarily. Why is that?
Marushack: We are not good at predicting oil prices. So what we’ve decided we need to do is we need to make sure we have our costs that are maintained at a low enough fashion that we can weather these cycles. And we believe there will be cycles. There’s $80 now, we didn’t necessarily see that coming. We certainly didn’t see $28 oil coming in 2015. But we’ve got ourselves in a position where we think we can be competitive as we go through these cycles over time.
Harball: I think I heard you mention [during your presentation] — and this is a good question to clarify — that you saw [the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge] as a potential opportunity. What did you mean by that — are we going to expect Conoco to show up at a lease sale, if the [federal government] holds one?
Marushack: Well, we’re looking at it. I can’t tell you for sure yet because we’re looking at it. But just like all opportunities, we look and see if it makes sense for us to be there or not. And we’ll look at this one, too.
Andrew Kitchenman, Alaska Public Media & KTOO – Juneau
Three weeks before Alaska’s general election, Byron Mallott resigned suddenly as Alaska lieutenant governor, citing “inappropriate comments” he recently made. State Health and Social Services Commissioner Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson was sworn in to replace Mallott at lieutenant governor.
Feds approve second Conoco oil project in National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska
Elizabeth Harball, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage
The Trump administration has handed a key approval to ConocoPhillips for an oil development on the North Slope, west of Prudhoe Bay. According to Conoco, the Greater Mooses Tooth 2 drill site could produce up to 40,000 barrels of oil per day.
Elders and Youth conference continues in Anchorage
Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
During a rousing youth keynote address at the annual Elders and Youth conference, 20-year-old Tristan Yaadoh Jovan Madros addressed the importance of traditional practices in formal education.
Sitka police officer files suit
Emily Kwong, KCAW – Sitka
A female police officer has filed a sexual harassment complaint against the Sitka Police Department, alleging that she was treated differently than male officers and subjected to sexual harassment. This is the second lawsuit filed against the department in less than two months.
DEA hosts Fairbanks opioid summit
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration is teaming with local agencies on an opioid summit in Fairbanks.
Togiak tribal authorities seize smuggled alcohol
Isabelle Ross, KDLG – Dillingham
Local tribal authorities in Togiak seized approximately $32,000 of alcohol, acting on a tip that alcohol was being smuggled into the dry village via air cargo, disguised in apple juice containers.
Rural Alaska populations on the rise
Anna Rose MacArthur, KYUK – Bethel
The overall population of Alaska has remained steady over the past five years, but in certain areas of the state, it’s on the rise.
Petersburg Assembly rejects Tongass timber sale audit
Joe Viechnicki, KFSK – Petersburg
Petersburg’s borough assembly has voted down a resolution calling for a forensic audit of two Tongass National Forest timber sales.
ConocoPhillips’ Alpine facility on the North Slope. Oil from Greater Mooses Tooth 2 will be processed at the Alpine facility. (Photo by Elizabeth Harball/AED)
The Trump administration has handed a key approval to ConocoPhillips for an oil development on the North Slope, west of Prudhoe Bay.
The Bureau of Land Management today announced it has issued a joint record of decision with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Greater Mooses Tooth 2 project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.
In a statement, BLM Alaska Acting State Director Ted Murphy called it a “milestone for responsible energy development.”
According to Conoco, the Greater Mooses Tooth 2 drill site could produce up to 40,000 barrels of oil per day. The company aims to begin construction this winter, and complete the project by 2021.
Greater Mooses Tooth 2 will be connected via an 8.6-mile pipeline to Conoco’s Greater Mooses Tooth 1 project. Greater Mooses Tooth 1 started producing oil last week, and is the first oil development on federal leases in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.
One environmental group quickly came out against the decision to approve Greater Mooses Tooth 2.
“Opening the country’s largest roadless area to industrial oil development is a huge step in the wrong direction,” Kristen Monsell, oceans program legal director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.
Conoco now controls the majority of leased federal land in the reserve.
West of the Greater Mooses Tooth sites, Conoco is also pursuing an even bigger oil development, called the Willow project. The Bureau of Land Management began the environmental review process for Willow this summer.
Conoco estimates Willow could produce up to 100,000 barrels per day — a full fifth of the amount of oil currently flowing down the trans-Alaska pipeline.
Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott signs a statement of cooperation with British Columbia in 2016. The Walker-Mallott administration is asking for further action to protect transboundary rivers. (Photo courtesy Office of the Governor)
The news of Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott’s resignation Tuesday had a lot of people wondering what will happen next. And that includes Matt Buxton, who is the editor of the online blog Midnight Sun. He also covered the legislature for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner during the Walker-Mallott administration.
Buxton spoke with Alaska Public Media’s Casey Grove.
GROVE: Hi Matt.
BUXTON: Hi. How’s it going?
GROVE: Well, it’s just kind of surprised and you know, I wanted to ask you that first to what was your reaction to the news today?
BUXTON: I mean, I was shocked, you know, nobody saw this coming, you know, a lot of these things you might hear about some rumblings or something like that, but this is out of the blue.
GROVE: Yeah, we’re three weeks away from the election and just, that aside, when you consider the relationship that the governor and lieutenant governor kind of portrayed that they had, how does this seem to indicate some some huge blow up between the two of them?
BUXTON: I mean that’s that is that’s the next step with a lot of this questions’ because you know, I think a lot of us are going to be wondering about what exactly happened with this, the implications for the state’s office and everything like that, but Byron Mallot and Bill Walker, you know, made their election in 2014 off of the unity ticket. They merged, they basically, as they would tell it, you know, they were best friends, you know, that was kind of an almost unusual for the governor and lieutenant governor to be so close. And so it’s when you look at how this plays out over the election, I’ve been thinking about this over the last, hour I don’t know our since it broke, hour and a half. It really does tarnish Walker’s bid. Him and Byron have had like a bromance for these last four years, and it’s really hard to see how Walker and his administration and his campaign can can walk away from this. There’s no margin for error in this election right now.
GROVE: Remind us how Gov. Walker and Byron Mallott became running mates to begin with?
BUXTON: Right now, we’re in a three-way election right now for this for this year. That was the same thing in 2014. You had incumbent Republican Gov. Sean Parnell, and then you had the Democratic ticket of Byron Mallott and Hollis French and the independent ticket of then-Republican Bill Walker and his running mate, Mr. (Craig) Fleener.
There’s a deadline basically for when parties can change their tickets and rewrite them and how that everything like that before the ballots get printed. A couple days before that happened, they announced that — surprise — that they were going to merge their campaigns and you know that proved to be really winning strategy. You had kind of a moderate conservative on the top of the ticket with with Walker and you had the Democratic party coming along with Mallott as lieutenant governor, and they were able to kind of sweep into the election at that point. So they ran together and they seemed to be very good friends.
GROVE: Yeah, and they talked about that. Like you said, they had this close relationship. Politically, though, after this announcement today, the governor hasn’t really said what it means for his political future and exactly what it means for the campaign. And you know, you’re going through the possibilities in your head. What are some of those what are the different ways that this could go?
BUXTON: Well, we’re talking about the outcomes of this right. So at this time point in time Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Valerie Davidson has been sworn in as lieutenant governor. The campaign is put out an announcement– The Walker campaign has put out an announcement saying that, though Byron Mallot will stay on the ticket, because the ballots have already been printed and some people have already voted, that Valerie Davidson will take over that role, you know, she will if this ticket, you know, I guess at this point somehow prevails Valerie Davidson would take over as lieutenant governor. So I say “somehow,” because I think that they’re in a lot of trouble right now. I think it’s gonna be really hard to distance yourself from whatever allegations there are. There’s not a whole lot of detail on that, so I think you’ll see a lot of the press, as much as I kind of don’t like it, will start to dig in try to figure out exactly what was said, and what happened there. And so this this story will continue to kind of slow burn over the next couple weeks at least, and so the Walker campaign’s in a lot of trouble right now.
I have heard, you know, people talk about the possibility of the Walker campaign potentially withdrawing. Whatever happens at this point, they’ll be on the ticket, they’ll be on the ballot, so if anything like that it would be a symbolic thing.
GROVE: But even if he decides to withdraw at this point, I mean, like you said his names on the ballot, how do you even withdraw at this point three weeks before the election?
BUXTON Well, they put all their money that they have raised into getting the message out there, because they’ll be on the ballot one way or another. The way that would play out — and I’ve seen this happen a few times and local races and it never really works — but, you know, you put all your energy and effort into saying, going getting out there and getting in front of people and saying, “I support this other candidate, … if you support me and support what I am doing or supported my candidacy, I now support this other guy.” But again this is going to be a race with really small margins for error, and so whether or not that actually happens is one question … If it does and if you know, it’s going to be amazing, I guess, if it’s somehow succeeds and sending enough of those votes over.
Tristan Yaadoh Jovan Madros delivers the youth keynote address during day two of the Elders and Youth conference in Anchorage (Photo – Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media)
Day two of the Elders and Youth Conference wrapped up at the Dena’ina Convention Center in Anchorage.
The youth keynote address drew a spirited reaction from the audience. 20-year-old Tristan Yaadoh Jovan Madros focused on his traditional upbringing in Kaltag, hunting, building birch sleds, sewing skins, and speaking the Koyukon Athabascan language. Madros told the crowd that practices like those need to be at the center of young people’s formal education in Alaska.
“We should be incorporating our traditions, our oral histories, and dancing into our curriculum. We should be teaching these things to the children, in the schools. You have to start somewhere.”
At just 19-years-old, Madros was chosen to be second chief on the Kaltag Village Council and works with several different entities in the Interior region, including Tanana Chiefs Conference and the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.
Madros’s speech was brief, about nine minutes long. His message was clear and direct, asking for elders to serve a more direct role as a bridge for young people to move forward. And telling the current generation to take pride in their heritage.
“We are here today because of our ancestors. The things they went through so we could be here are unimaginable. And we have to respect that by respecting the land they walked on. We must continue to move their footprints around. We shouldn’t cover them up with oil rigs, mines, and logging companies,” Madros said to applause. “It’s time that we realize what we leave behind is what our future generations will have to deal with.”
The speech received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Day two of the conference also heard a dialogue on wellbeing, hip-hop performances by indigenous artists, and breakout sessions on a range of topics from language revitalization to indigenous tattooing.
Elders and Youth concludes Wednesday, with the Alaska Federation of Natives convention beginning Thursday and lasting through Saturday.
Mary Ferguson pictured next to her sister, Camille Ferguson, during the UAF Community and Technical College Law Enforcement Academy Graduation Ceremony in 2015. Ferguson has working with the Sitka Police Department as a sworn-in officer since 2015. (Photo from Mary Ferguson vs. City of Sitka Facebook page)
A female police officer on Thursday filed a sexual harassment complaint against the Sitka Police Department.
Mary Ferguson, 32, alleges that throughout her time on the force, she was treated differently because of her gender and subjected to sexual harassment by male officers. This is the second lawsuit filed against the department in less than two months. The case raises questions about workplace culture for women within the Sitka Police Department.
Mary Ferguson is the only woman and only Alaska Native sworn in to the Sitka Police Department. Since joining the force, Ferguson alleges that she was harassed and discriminated against by officers with supervisory power over her job and that her complaints to management were ignored.
Moreover, her suit describes the Sitka Police Department as an “old boy’s club.” In taking action, she says she wants to reform the department for the benefit of future woman officers.
The 18-page brief chronicles her experiences working there and seeks both compensatory and punitive damages.
The problems began in the fall of 2015, when Ferguson was sworn in as an officer. A sergeant was put in charge of her training and had to accompany Ferguson during long patrol shifts. Within weeks, Ferguson alleges he began sending her flirtatious text messages — unsolicited. She responded noncommittally. Her complaint says she feared for her job if she rebuffed the sergeant’s advances.
One day in January 2016, while working the night shift, Ferguson alleges the sergeant propositioned her and said he wanted to kiss her. She tried to move away from him within the patrol car and said, “Please don’t.” The complaint says the sergeant did not force himself on Ferguson and he asked her not to report his misconduct to more senior managers.
After completing her training in March 2016, Ferguson says she felt safe to report those events to Jeff Ankerfelt – then a lieutenant – but she claims that Ankerfelt did not take action. Later that year, Ankerfelt was appointed Chief of Police after Sheldon Schmitt stepped down. As for the sergeant, he was promoted to lieutenant and is expected to retire at the end of this month.
In the years that followed, Ferguson alleges a string of “non-stop gender discrimination” by male superiors who questioned her abilities and second guessed her work.
The discrimination portion of her complaint talks about one lieutenant in particular, who has made multiple comments and judgement calls based on Ferguson’s gender. The complaint alleges, for instance, that he sought to switch her firearm from a Glock 21 to a smaller gun because “female hands were too small.”
Ferguson took these complaints to Chief Ankerfelt on two occasions, but alleges nothing was done. In June of this year, she brought her complaints to City Administrator Keith Brady. Shortly after, Ferguson was demoted to night patrol on the weekends. Her complaint describes this as retaliation by the police department for trying to bring sexism to light.
On July 17, 2018, Ferguson filed a sexual harassment complaint against the department with the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). On July 27, the city hired investigator Kimberley Geariety to look into her EEOC case and received those results in September. Ferguson was not given a copy of the report. Her lawsuit further states that she then received a letter from the City of Sitka stating that her demotion was for “legitimate business reasons.”
Her lawsuit serves Ankerfelt, the City of Sitka, and the Sitka Police Department. She is represented by James J. Davis Jr. and the Northern Justice Project, an Anchorage-based civil rights firm that is also representing Detective Ryan Silva.
Silva filed suit against the police department in August alleging that he too was demoted when he blew the whistle about the improper procurement of automatic weapons — and for his support of Ferguson in her complaint. The city denies those allegations. According to his brief, the two are in a relationship and now live together.
Reached for comment, city Attorney Brian Hanson said the city has accepted service on this case and confirmed insurance coverage.
In both Silva’s and Ferguson’s cases, Anchorage-based attorneys Michael Gatti and Megan Sandone will represent the city, the police department, and Chief Ankerfelt. At their meeting last week (10-09-18), Sitka Assembly approved increasing the city’s legal appropriations for the Silva case to $110,000.
As for Ferguson’s case, friends and family have launched a GoFundMe account generate social and financial for her lawsuit. So far, that effort has raised over $2,000.
Populations of Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta villages are growing faster than the population of the regional hub city, Bethel, Alaska. Credit U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The overall population of Alaska has remained steady over the past five years. But in certain areas of the state, it’s on the rise. Some of those areas are Alaska’s smallest communities.
The trend spreads across Western and Northern Alaska. Hub communities like Dillingham, Bethel, Nome, and Kotzebue are slowly increasing in population, but State Demographer Eddie Hunsinger points out something he calls “remarkable.”
“It’s not the major population centers that are growing the most,” Hunsinger said.
Instead it’s the villages.
Many factors determine population. The basics are births, deaths, people moving in and people moving out. The Western and Northern Alaska population is young. That means fewer deaths and more babies being born.
“In Western and Northern regions of the state, there’s typically some net migration losses, more people leaving the region than moving to the region,” Hunsinger explained. “But it’s a little bit more than compensated by the number of births.”
The Lower Kuskokwim School District is feeling the effects; many of its schools are overcrowded. Meanwhile, schools in other areas of the state are closing because there aren’t enough students. State estimates show that in 2017, 40 percent of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta’s population was under 20 years old. That same year shows 70 percent of the population under age 40.
In 2010, state estimates show Bethel representing a quarter of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta’s overall population. By 2017, that number had dropped by two percentage points as village populations rose. This trend contrasts with other areas of the state that have much older populations like Southeast Alaska, the Southern Kenai Peninsula and the Haines Borough.
Hunsinger cautions that collecting village population data has some limitations.
“Household living arrangements are a bit different than in the rest of the state and other parts of the country,” he said.
Multiple families often live in one house, and people may claim multiple places as residence. Nevertheless, the upward population trend of the villages appears undeniable, but it has yet to eclipse the fastest growing area of the state. That distinction belongs to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
Leland Hale, along with his late coauthor Walter Gilmour, is known for writing the book “Butcher, Baker” about Anchorage serial killer Robert Hanson in the 1970s and early-’80s, which more recently was made into a movie. And Hale went back to 1980s Alaska for the subject of his new book, “What Happened in Craig?”, out this week.
Alaska Pacific University or APU in Anchorage is now a tribal college, so what does that mean? On the next Talk of Alaska, artists Joe and Martha Senungetuk will discuss their work as APU’s elders in residence. They’re teaching art and culture and bringing in other Native artists for classes.
