Photo of the Month GAVEL ALASKA: Live coverage of the Alaska legislature, including committee meetings, Alaska senate and house floor sessions, press conferences and other legislative events. In addition, oral arguments before the Alaska Supreme Court are covered, administration press conferences and briefings, general government activities, and other meetings about legislative issues or of political interest.Watch Live or Watch Archives 360North.org Alaska Legislature - Schedule, live meetings, archived videos, documents. - Click here... Ketchikan: Public Meetings Ketchikan: Upcoming Events Historical Ketchikan June Allen Dave Kiffer Louise B. Harrington Ketchikan Weather Ketchikan's Forecast May: Daily Records 2019 Ketchikan April 2019 Data Ketchikan March 2019 Data Ketchikan Feb. 2019 Data Ketchikan Jan. 2019 Data Nat Weather Service KTN Ketchikan Tides & Currents Sunrise - Sunset Ketchikan Search the News Ketchikan Alaska

Ketchikan: Two planes down south of Ketchikan; Four Deceased, Two Still Missing; Reports to USCG Confirms Mid-Air Collision By MARY KAUFFMAN -- The U.S. Coast Guard, partner agencies and good Samaritans responded to the report of two downed aircrafts in the vicinity of George Inlet south of Ketchikan, Alaska, early Monday afternoon..

Coast Guard Sector Juneau Command Center watchstanders launched a Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and two 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crews from Coast Guard Station Ketchikan. According the the USCG, they are unaware of the circumstances of why the two aircrafts went down.

At 12:47 PM today, the South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a reported boat crash in George Inlet. Rescuers did not discover there were two planes down until approximately 20 minutes into the incident.

According to information provided by Ketchikan Borough Information Officer Deanna Thomas, two float planes crashed at approximately the same time in George Inlet today within a mile and a half of one another. A total of 16 were on board the two planes.

An Otter float-plane with 11 individuals crashed in the Coon Cove area of George Inlet and a Beaver float-plane with five individuals crashed in the Mahoney Creek area.

Ten patients were transported earlier this afternoon to PeaceHealth Medical Center with severe to life-threatening injuries according to an official news release by the Ketchikan Borough.

As of approximately 9:00 PM, the Ketchikan Borough reported another victim had been recovered bringing the total to four deceased victims recovered by search and rescue throughout the afternoon and evening.

The search and recovery mission still continues for two more missing individuals.

The names of the passengers and companies involved are not being released at this time. Next of kin will require notification prior to the release of names.

The Ketchikan Borough has announced as of this evening, they will not be releasing details regarding the circumstances of the crashes at this time.

However, the U.S. Coast Guard stated in a late evening news release that preliminary reports to the Coast Guard indicate that this was a mid-air collision between the two planes. 

"In a remote area such as this, given our limited resources, we rely on our partner agencies and appreciate the support that good Samaritans have rendered to this point," said Capt. Stephen White, Coast Guard Sector Juneau commander. "With the loss of life in this case, we know that the impact to Alaska is immense and our thoughts are with the community here." - More...
Monday PM - May 13, 2019

Alaska: Governor Dunleavy: “Failing to Fund Education in Budget Ignores Constitution” Posted, Edited By MARY KAUFFMAN - During a Facebook Live Townhall last week, Alaska Governor Michael J. Dunleavy addressed questions pertaining to the absence of education funding in Fiscal Year 2020 budget proposals currently making their way through the Alaska State House and Senate. 

Heeding the advice and guidance of House Republicans and Kevin G. Clarkson Alaska Attorney General, Governor Dunleavy believes “failing to fund education in the budget ignores the constitution” and “creates a situation where education will not be funded after June 30, 2019.” As a result, Governor Dunleavy has called on the Legislature to avoid a precedent-setting constitutional standoff by funding education in the FY2020 budget, which he “will not veto… in any form or fashion.”

“We have said to legislators ‘Make sure you fund education, make sure it’s in the budget,’ because there’s questions right now as to whether there is funding in the budget, we’re having those discussions…,” said Governor Dunleavy. “Although we initially proposed reductions in education, we have said to legislative leadership ‘put the funding in, make sure there’s funding in the budget and we will not veto that funding in any form or fashion.’ We will let that funding go through, so we can have that conversation going into next year on what reforms we want to look at in education.”

Both the House and Senate FY2020 budget’s fail to include funding for education, a position based on the belief that future funding of education was made during the Second Session of the Thirtieth Legislature. However, the 2018 future funding provision failed to include actual dollars and clearly attempted to bind the hands of a future legislature and governor. According to an April 9, 2019 review by the Alaska Attorney General, that action violates the Alaska Constitution’s prohibition against dedicating future revenues and providing for an annual budget where the legislature and the governor can considering annual funding priorities.

“This year we won’t look at reducing the size of the education budget if they put the funding in, so that we can have the conversation over the summer into the fall, make this coming year an education reform year, where we all work together to see how we can change things to get the outcomes we know we should have for all kids, regardless of what school, school district or part of the state that they’re in,” said Governor Dunleavy. - More...
Saturday PM - May 11, 2019

Alaska: Senate Capital Budget Procures Funds for Ferry Service, Repairs, and Vessel Replacement; Senate unanimously passes capital budget for fiscal year 2020 Posted, Edited By MARY KAUFFMAN - During Governor Michael Dunleavy's recent internet town-hall meeting, the Governor said there has been talk of the administration shutting down the Alaska Marine Highway System, he said that is not going to happen. He said there was some information that went out saying the Alaska Marine Highway would shut down in October, and that is not going to happen.

Gov. Dunleavy said they have sent out an RFP for a consultant to quickly help understand, for example, what schedules and what routes would continue in the current situation based upon the number of riders using those ferries between Alaska cities and on to Canada and Washington. The consultants will help the administration understand how to make the ferry system more efficient and continue to provide services for as many Alaskans as possible. This work will be done through the summer and fall. The Governor said during the town-hall he believes the administration will come up with a stronger ferry system and one that will be sustainable into the future.

With the current financial situation, the ferry system like some of Alaska's other systems, will not be sustainable unless the state becomes more efficient with the ferries said the Governor.

On March 1st, the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) issued a request for proposals (RFP) seeking qualified vendors for an Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) Economic Reshaping Consultant.

Proposals were due April 2, 2019, with the final AMHS report due to the Alaska Department of Transportation on October 15, 2019. The budget maximum is $250,000. The target date for implementation of changes to Alaska Marine Highway System remains the end of June 2020.

Specifically, the Senate Finance Committee’s capital budget made these changes from the Governor’s proposed budget:

• Reverses use of $47.3 million in AMHS vessel replacement funds for matching federal funds for non-AMHS purposes (ie: road construction, maintenance, and other uses).
  
  
• Reverses use of $15.1 million in AMHS system funds for payments to the federal government if ferries and terminals were sold off.
  
  
• Reverses use of $14.5 million in AMHS operating system funds for other state services and non-AMHS purposes.
  
  
• Adds $17.9 million in new state funds to the AMHS budget for annual overhauls and repairs to the ferries.

Between both the capital and supplemental operating budgets, the Senate Finance Committee provides for $77 million in AMHS funds for future use by the ferry system and added $17.9 million in state funds for a total benefit to the Alaska Marine Highway System of $94.9 million.

Senate Bill 19  passed the Senate by a 20-0 vote last Wednesday and sent back to the Alaska House of Representatives for consideration.

According to a news release from the office of Senator Natasha Von Imhof, the capital budget passed by the Senate includes $174 million in unrestricted general funds (UGF) to leverage over $1 billion in federal funds for roads, highways, airports, and clean water for villages.  - More...
Saturday PM - May 11, 2019

Fish Factor: Bering Sea crabbers report a good fishing season; prices near record highs By LAINE WELCH - Bering Sea crabbers saw upticks in crab recruits during a good fishery for the 2018/2019 season, along with strong prices. 

The crab season opens in mid-October for red king crab, Tanners and snow crab (opilio), and while fishing goes fast for red kings in order to fill orders for year-end markets in Japan, the fleet typically drops pots for the other species in January. 

Crabbers said they saw strong showings of younger crab poised to enter the three fisheries. Only male crabs of a certain size are able to be retained for sale. 

 “For Bristol Bay red king crab the reports were very positive,” said veteran crabber Jake Jacobsen, director of the Inter-Cooperative Exchange which represents the majority of Bering Sea crabbers. “I got a lot of reports from people saying they saw a lot of recruitment around, a lot of females and small crab, but some boats didn’t see any. So, it depended on where you were. Overall, the catch seemed to go pretty fast and the fishing was good, it wasn’t scratchy at all for most of the boats.”

The price also was good. The red king crab fetched $10.33 per pound, up from $9.20 last season, for a catch of 4.3 million pounds. 

Crabbers also saw good numbers of bairdi Tanners which had a harvest limit of 2.4 million pounds. Jacobsen said price negotiations are still ongoing for both Tanners and their smaller cousin, snow crab. 

“We should be close to record prices for opilio (snow crab),” Jacobsen said.

The record snow crab price was $4.98 a pound set in 2012; last season’s price was $4.04 per pound. 

Competing imports from Russia are up substantially, Jacobsen said, and the are trying to get rid of product held over from last season.

“That’s brought the price down and I expect prices will start to climb again as people get a feel for availability of the resource and what the crab looks like,” he added.

Snow crab is a bright spot for the Bering Sea fleet. A catch of 27.5 million pounds this season was a 47 percent increase after the 2018 summer survey showed a 60 percent boost in market sized males and nearly the same for females. Bob Foy, NOAA director of science and research based at the Auke Bay lab in Juneau, called it “one of the largest snow crab recruitment events ever seen.”

Jacobsen said that was consistent with what the crabbers saw on the fishing grounds. That has speculation running wild that the snow crab catch could double again for next season, but he added it’s best to wait and see.  

“I’ve been in the business too long to get excited about that kind of news because I’ve heard it before. It all depends on the summer survey and we’ve been trying to make some improvements in the stock assessment model. But it looks pretty positive,” he said. “What we’re looking for isn’t dramatic swings. We’d rather have a steady, fishable population but with nature that’s not always possible. Crab are very cyclic in their population numbers.” 

There’s been some tension between crabbers and managers in recent years over big differences in what crabbers are seeing on the fishing grounds and the numbers managers pull up in the summer trawl survey.   

 “Apparently, the crab go on vacation somewhere else in the summertime because they haven’t been showing up in the survey recently,” Jacobsen added with a laugh.  

Last season the three Bering Sea crab fisheries were valued at $190 million for a fleet of about 85 boats. - More...
Saturday PM - May 11, 2019

TOM PURCELL: Why I Hope to Become Just Like My Ma - I hope to be just like my mother one day.

Now in her eighth decade, my ma has arrived at a coveted place: Her "filter" is pretty much gone, and she has no problem telling anyone what's on her mind.

"Ma, please don't tell us any more details," my five sisters and I beg her, when she shares "way too much personal information" about her 63 years of marriage to my father.

"Cowards," she says with a snort.

My ma's passion is to teach the youngest members of her large clan the most important things in life (family, charity, doing unto others as you would have them do unto you) and to waste as little time as possible on the least important things (money, selfishness, giving too much weight to what others think of you). 

And she voices these opinions loud and strong.

"Ma, you can't post that on Facebook," we tell her, mortified, when she responds to a post she adamantly disagrees with.

"Then unfriend me!" she says with a defiant laugh.

"Ma, you can't pressure wash and paint the deck anymore and neither can Dad!" we plead with her.

"Worry about your own silly deck," she says, supremely confident she and my father will get the project done without help, as they've done dozens of times before. "And while you're up, get me another glass of wine!"

I can't blame her for thinking as stubbornly as she does. She's proved naysayers wrong for most of her adult life. - More...
Saturday PM - May 11, 2019

RICH MANIERI: Breaking News: Legitimate Political Discourse is Dead - "This just in," as we say in the news business.

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher recently called Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to complain about President Donald Trump.

This is indeed big news, mainly because Thatcher has been dead for six years. 

But, if the former vice president says he spoke to Thatcher, who am I to question?

Biden later corrected himself and said he was talking about current Prime Minister Theresa May, who is very much alive. Biden called the mistake a "Freudian slip," which is also kind of a strange thing to say.

Ironically enough, Biden make the Thatcher comment during a fundraiser in South Carolina during which he called Trump a "clown."

Trump supporters pounced on the Thatcher reference because they like to portray Biden as a sort of inappropriate, forgetful uncle who shows up every Thanksgiving and, after he leaves, you're thankful you don't have to see him for another year. 

But, never to be outdone, President Trump returned the favor and gave the left, and the media, yet another reason to gesticulate.

I wrote a few weeks back about how Trump finds a way to insinuate himself into news events that have absolutely nothing to do with him.

He did it with the Notre Dame cathedral fire when he offered firefighters some unsolicited advice on how to extinguish the blaze. - More...
Saturday PM - May 11, 2019

Political Cartoon: China and US trade war
By Dave Granlund ©2019, PoliticalCartoons.com
Distributed to paid subscribers for publication by Cagle Cartoons, Inc.