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- [00:00]
Casey Grove
Support for Alaska Public Media on demand comes from Siri, an Alaska native corporation with operations and investments spanning five continents, 45 states and two US territories.
- [00:19]
Tim Ellis
I signed this years ago and Biden.
- [00:24]
Casey Grove
Unsigned it for me. Citing an AI arms race, President Trump re approves the Ambler Road. From Alaska Public Media. This is statewide news on Alaska News nightly for Monday, October 6th. Good evening. I'm Casey Grove. Also tonight, state lawmakers want to know why money in state savings was transferred to a risky investment account. We just have limited savings these days.
- [00:46]
Gary Stevens
And we need to be very careful.
- [00:48]
Casey Grove
About protecting those savings. Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly. President Trump today approved the 211 mile Ambler Road in northwest Alaska. The Ambler Road is intended to spark growth for Alaska's mining industry. The decision reverses one made by the Biden administration, which itself was a reversal. Trump says the Ambler project will create more jobs in Alaska. It's an economic gold mine, so to speak.
- [01:21]
Tim Ellis
And I signed this years ago and.
- [01:24]
Casey Grove
Biden unsigned it for me. The road would begin on the Dalton highway south of Coldfoot. About 26 miles of it would be in Gates of the Arctic national park and Preserve. The road would terminate east of the village of Ambler. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum says the project is important for the nation. Here we got copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, gallium, germanium so rich in all.
- [01:49]
Gary Stevens
Of the minerals that we need to.
- [01:52]
Casey Grove
Win the AI arms race against China and to prosper as a country road. Opponents say they are gearing up for a legal fight. The road is controversial in the Kobuk Valley and in villages along the proposed corridor. Some want the jobs. Others, particularly villagers who live a subsistence lifestyle, are worried. Rico de Wilde of Huslia thinks about what it would mean to link the region to the Dalton Highway.
- [02:14]
Gary Stevens
I don't want the Amber Road because it's going to bring in too many outsiders during hunting season and also it's going to open up the land to development and destroy a lot of the habitat as far as fish spawning streams and caribou migrations and everything else brings with it negatively.
- [02:29]
Casey Grove
The Trump administration also announced today the government will invest more than $35 million for a 10% stake in Trilogy Metals to further exploration in the Ambler Mining District. Top state lawmakers say they're investigating why $50 million from the state's primary savings account was invested in an outside private equity fund. Former Revenue Commissioner Adam Crumb committed to investing 50 million in state dollars in the fund shortly before his resignation took his successor. The political Website Alaska Landmine first reported the news and identified the outside fund as Digital Bridge, a digital infrastructure investment firm. Crum, who is running for governor, did not respond to a request for comment today. Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, says he and the state House speaker learned about the investment on a call with governor Mike Dunleavy on Tuesday. He says they've asked the legislative auditor to look into it.
- [03:26]
Gary Stevens
We're not accusing anybody of anything.
- [03:27]
Casey Grove
We're trying to find the truth right now. We're in an investigative stage right now.
- [03:32]
Gary Stevens
As is the governor.
- [03:34]
Casey Grove
I mean, he was very forthright in.
- [03:36]
Gary Stevens
Talking to us about this.
- [03:37]
Casey Grove
Stevens and House Speaker Bryce Edgeman issued a joint statement on Friday saying the state should not make future high risk investments without involving the Legislature. Dunleavy's office and the Department of Revenue did not respond to a series of questions seeking more information on the investment and whether it's consistent with the state's investment policies. The money for the investment comes from the state's main rainy day fund, the Constitutional Budget Reserve. Unlike the permanent fund, the reserve is typically invested in safe cash equivalent assets that are easy to sell quickly, like short term US treasury bills. Lawmakers have repeatedly drawn from the account in recent years to fill gaps in the state budget. But private equity investments tend to be far less liquid, and Stevens says that undermines the purpose of the savings account.
- [04:24]
Gary Stevens
We're concerned that what we've heard whether, whether it's a proper investment, whether we.
- [04:30]
Casey Grove
Are tying up monies that we shouldn't be tying up.
- [04:34]
Gary Stevens
You know, we just have limited savings these days and we need to be very careful about protecting those savings.
- [04:40]
Casey Grove
Steven says he expects lawmakers will hold hearings on the issue. It's been six years since Alaska state troopers updated their list of cold case homicides. There are now 96 murders that have been classified as unsolved. Victims rights advocates say it's a step in the right direction. But as KNBA's Rhonda McBride tells us, they question the math.
- [05:02]
Rhonda McBride
For victim advocates like Dr. Charlene Opuk, lists like this one have been a long time in coming.
- [05:09]
Wesley Early
So many people have been working on this. People have been FOIAing for years.
- [05:13]
Rhonda McBride
FOIAing, as in filing Freedom of Information acts to get basic information about murders state troopers have yet to solve. When the Alaska Department of Public Safety formed its Cold Case investigation unit in 2002, troopers reported the unsolved cases, but listed neither the names nor any details about the crimes. In her job as director of data for Indigenous Justice, Opek says she's learned how important it is to keep the public informed.
- [05:45]
Wesley Early
There's always that hope, something unexpected, even if it's been decades. So we don't want to eliminate that possibility.
- [05:52]
Rhonda McBride
The latest list was published on the department's website on September 25th. It coincided with a national day of remembrance for homicide victims to honor the memory of those lost as well as the impact on families and communities. Apuk says violence in Alaska affects a disproportionate number of indigenous people and people of color.
- [06:16]
Wesley Early
What would happen to you or your family members if you've seen this pattern for decades happening where these things are not getting traction?
- [06:23]
Rhonda McBride
The new cold case list includes the names, dates and locations of the murders, as well as their case numbers. Opik praised the troopers for providing this, but says they should also include more about the circumstances surrounding the murder, the victim's description, background, race and a photo.
- [06:42]
Wesley Early
And when it comes to these really horrific, most tragic cases, such as cold cases of homicide and things like that, it's important for us to see where we where we land. And if we see those things over time, we see it's a systemic issue. So it isn't pointing fingers at individuals, but it's saying these are what numbers tell us, and let's work together on it.
- [07:02]
Rhonda McBride
Since the 2019 update, advocates have independently counted about 50 new names on the list. They say they're confused because they believe more than 40 of those murders occurred to before 2019. What troubles them the most, they say, is that about two dozen cases have been dropped from the list and most are unsolved. Opik says even though a case appears to have reached the end of the road, it should stay on the list out of respect for the family.
- [07:33]
Wesley Early
We have the right to know. This is our community. These are services provided by the government.
- [07:38]
Rhonda McBride
Austin McDaniel, the communications director for the Department of Public Safety, says without more research, he can't address the conflicting numbers, but says the new list is a work in progress.
- [07:50]
Gary Stevens
Some of these cases are incredibly old. They're from the 70s, they're from the 60s. We may not have photos of victims that are publicly releasable, so that's something certainly that we're looking at.
- [08:01]
Rhonda McBride
McDaniel says investigators decided to revamp the list this summer because they discovered inconsistencies in the past record, which led them to develop a new system for classifying cases.
- [08:13]
Gary Stevens
There were a couple of examples of cases that had very limited physical evidence, essentially no physical evidence, and then all of the witnesses and suspects we may have had are now deceased. So there's just no viable investigative path forward.
- [08:27]
Rhonda McBride
McDaniel says investigators are happy to take feedback and consider changes. He says the new system prioritizes cases based on solvability to avoid giving the false impression that all cases are still under active investigation. But should any new information turn up, these cases could be reactivated. Also, he says, there is something else that's important to consider.
- [08:53]
Gary Stevens
Our overall homicide clearance rate is in the upper 90 percentile, or 100%. So if you look back over the last five years, we have done an incredible job of not adding new cold cases to that list.
- [09:06]
Rhonda McBride
Dr. Michael Livingston, a retired police officer and advocate for missing and murdered indigenous people, says state troopers deserve credit for publishing its new list of names. It's a win win.
- [09:18]
Gary Stevens
Police cannot solve cases, especially cold cases, on their own. They need the help of the citizens. And to get that help, they publicize, they provide information, encourage citizens to step forward.
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Rhonda McBride
And that, says Livingston, helps to prevent future crimes.
- [09:33]
Gary Stevens
Serial killers become more and more emboldened when they get away with homicide. So when police publicize homicides, killers go to jail.
- [09:44]
Rhonda McBride
While advances in forensics and DNA technology have brought fresh ey to old evidence, Livingston says websites can also play an important role. They keep the focus on old crimes and perhaps even more important, build trust. In anchorage, I'm Rhonda McBride.
- [10:07]
Casey Grove
Still to come on Alaska News Nightly, a known cultural event seeks to boost Inupiaq language revival efforts. The intent was to bring people trying to learn Inupac all together to work.
- [10:19]
Wesley Early
Through the hard parts of the language.
- [10:21]
Casey Grove
That's ahead. Stay with us. The National Weather Service expects a storm will flood more than 400 miles of northwest Alaska's coastline this week. Over a dozen communities are in the flood zone, including Shishmaref, Deering, Kotzebue, Norvik, Suluik, Kayana, Kivalina, Red Dog Point, Hope Point, Lay, Diomede, Wainwright and Utqavik. Savunga, Gamble and parts of the Seward Peninsula are also under the warning. The National Weather Service's coastal flood warning is in effect until Friday morning. The agency expects waters to peak Wednesday afternoon at up to nine feet above the normal high tideline in some areas, with winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour. Darrell Hildebrand is the village public safety officer coordinator for the Northwest Arctic Borough. He says waters could begin to rise Tuesday evening.
- [11:10]
Gary Stevens
If you notice that the water is starting to creep into your yard, keep an eye on that water. And if you see it starting to creep up, that's the time to start probably looking for shelter.
- [11:19]
Casey Grove
Within Kotzebue the weather service says levels could be comparable to last October's flood, when over 80 Kotzebue residents evacuated and two families homes collapsed. Hildebrand says this year the borough is working to be more prepared.
- [11:33]
Gary Stevens
You know, it was a little bit rocky event that just happened. So many people cried wolf for so many years and the storm that finally came came and I don't believe that we were prepared adequately for it. So this year we're going to make sure that we're adequately prepared.
- [11:47]
Casey Grove
Hildebrand says the borough is preparing equipment, gathering cots and bedding and sending pallets of drinking water to Deering and Kivalina. He says the borough is working with those communities and the city of Kotzebue on an emergency plan. City officials say they plan on opening Kotzebue's high school gym as a shelter if residents need to evacuate. Hildebrand says the borough is also offering to help Kotzebue residents move equipment like snow machines or four wheelers to higher ground. He recommends securing loose items around homes because of the high winds in the forecast. The borough is also working on potential funding for damages. Tristan Ferguson is the fire chief for the Northwest Arctic Borough.
- [12:25]
Gary Stevens
It would be a good time in the preparation stages to take pictures and videos of your property and your houses. That way if it does get damaged, you have the documentation that is needed for the state assistance and public assistance.
- [12:41]
Casey Grove
Borough representatives are also urging residents to be aware that evacuation routes could flood and to prepare for power outages and to stock up on potable water and supplies. They encourage residents to make sure they have things like medication and diapers in case there is a prolonged emergency. Officials also recommend preparing a bag with emergency supplies, important documents and sleeping bags in the event of an evacuation. Many communities around the state will be deciding whether to raise local sales taxes in their upcoming elections. The Alaska Beacon reports that most of the state's municipal governments are holding elections this week. The communities of Juneau, Skagway, Haines, Catchikan, Petersburg, Nome, Houston and the Kenai Peninsula Borough will all put questions before voters about whether to implement, extend or otherwise alter the various sales taxes within these communities. Many of these proposals seek to increase local revenue in order to pay for the escalating cost of public services, including basic infrastructure like road repairs and landfills. Several of the southeast communities considering whether to alter their sales taxes are looking at implementing seasonal changes to capture additional revenue during the summer months when tourism is high. Election day for most communities holding elections this week is tomorrow. Anchorage school District officials announced today a proposal to close two elementary schools to address declining enrollment and make room for district charter school programs. Alaska Public Media's Wesley early reports.
- [14:20]
Jarrett Bryant
If approved by the Anchorage School Board, Fire Lake Elementary School in Eagle river and Lake Otis Elementary School in Midtown Anchorage would both close at the end of the school year. Here's ASD Superintendent Jarrett Bryant.
- [14:31]
Wesley Early
These schools continue to lose enrollment every year and what I'm trying to prevent is a situation where these schools are so low capacity that they're barely able to perform the basic functions of a school, let alone become exceptional.
- [14:45]
Jarrett Bryant
Right now, Bryant says Fire Lake is under 50% capacity for enrollment, while Lake Otis is at 53%. He describes closing the schools as part of the district's ongoing right sizing effort to provide higher quality services as it faces a shrinking number of students and until recently, consistent, consistent flat funding from the state. Since 2010, enrollment has declined by roughly 7,500 students, and in the past two years, the district has shuttered three schools. In response, Bryant says the goal would be to relocate students to nearby neighborhood schools and repurpose the former elementary buildings to serve two charter schools. The Eagle Academy Charter School would be housed at Fire Lake, while the Rilkeshul German Immersion Charter School would move to Lake Otis Elementary.
- [15:25]
Wesley Early
A number of our charter schools or alternative programs, which I broadly refer to as choice programs, are in lease facilities or and facilities that are not large enough to meet the demand of parents.
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Jarrett Bryant
Bryant says he understands that closing two neighborhood schools could be an emotional decision for students and their families. And he says the district is working to connect with the community, to make the transition easier.
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Wesley Early
These community conversations actually entail dozens of technical experts, everyone from special education experts to those who can answer questions on free reduced price meals, transportation, all the dimensions.
- [15:58]
Jarrett Bryant
As ASD works to consolidate schools, Bryant says the district is also looking into using vacant school buildings to child care facilities. The district recently received a grant from the city stemming from local marijuana taxes in order to look at repurposing vacant classrooms for use by child care providers.
- [16:14]
Wesley Early
ASD is not getting into the child care business, but what we're able to do is to lease excess space to a child care provider and charge them very little, quote, unquote rent because my hope is that they'll be able to use those savings to competitively compensate the early child care providers in in their businesses and be able to provide subsidized child care.
- [16:39]
Jarrett Bryant
Bryant says which school buildings would be used for child care is currently being debated. He says his goal would be to prioritize child care for ASD employees, adding that city employees could potentially take advantage as well. Bryant says the district will present the plan to close Lake, Otis and Fire Lake elementary schools during a school board work session on Tuesday. The board is expected to vote on the closures during its meeting on November 18th. Reporting in Anchorage, I'm Wesley Early.
- [17:05]
Casey Grove
Monthly lists of new books, DVDs and CDs selected for MAT Su Borough libraries will now face a new preemptive review by a board appointed by the borough mayor. The Mat Su Sentinel reports that the nine member board will review items selected for purchase by librarians at each of the borough's five libraries in Trapper Creek, Talkeetna, Willow, Big Lake and Sutton. The Palmer and Wasilla libraries are not included as those are city run facilities, according to a September meeting of the board. Members must conduct their own research on materials on a monthly basis. Individual items on the monthly lists will move forward for purchase unless a board member questions them using an official review form. Materials flagged by a board member will be reviewed at the next meeting and put to a vote. Items voted down are then reviewed by the borough's community development director for a final decision on whether they will be ordered. A list of more than 500 items was reviewed for the first time at the regular Matt Nuska Su Sitna Library board meeting last month. No material reviews were requested during that meeting. Hikers held an outdoor memorial last month for a man known for his service to open spaces and other community causes. As KUAC's Tim Ellis reports, they honored Steve McComb's memory with a new bench situated on one of the scenic spots he most enjoyed.
- [18:26]
Tim Ellis
A few dozen Delta Junction area residents and out of towners hiked up the Riverwalk Trail to commemorate a man who helped build it. A rain canopy sheltered them and a bench dedicated to Steve McCombs from a light drizzle that had slacked off just as the memorial was getting underway. Two of McComb's friends, John Sloan and Bill Johnson, kicked off the commemoration with a couple of tunes that McComb liked, starting with a sing along of Alaska's flag. Longtime friend Carol Austin says McCombs would have appreciated the turnout the of for the ceremony despite the chilly cloudy weather. Carol's an avid hiker who, along with Steve and a few others, helped establish the Delta junction trails association 13 years ago. The group develops and maintains trails around the area for year round use.
- [19:25]
Casey Grove
There were times it was pouring down, raining and it was like do you want to go? And he said yeah, I got my raincoat.
- [19:34]
Wesley Early
So we'd go do it.
- [19:35]
Casey Grove
And then, you know, it stopped raining. It turned into a beautiful day.
- [19:39]
Wesley Early
We went on a hike that we hadn't been on before.
- [19:43]
Tim Ellis
Trails association president Mindy Eggleston is another founding member. She and McCombs were among those who decided early on that Delta needed the organization to develop trails for people of all ages to get out and enjoy the natural world.
- [19:58]
Rhonda McBride
So in 2012, a number of us were retiring out of our jobs or having free time and wanted to go and get together and ski and recreate. And we decided around a cup of tea that there were three things we thought our community needed. And it's more trails, community ski days and youth activities outside for kids.
- [20:24]
Tim Ellis
Eggleston says Steve wasn't just a hiker. He also was organized and knowledgeable and essential to launching the organization by coordinating things like grant applications and budgeting.
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Rhonda McBride
He's the guy that I could throw ideas to. Next morning he'd have this in my inbox, all organized and sequential. And it all made sense, you know, And I leaned on him constantly because he was the guy that could figure it out, how to do this.
- [20:56]
Tim Ellis
Tiki Levinson also joined early on what she called Steve's hiking group, and she says one of her enduring impressions was his selfless dedication to the community.
- [21:07]
Wesley Early
He just organized things and then just stood back and let them happen.
- [21:12]
Casey Grove
He didn't want any attention for himself.
- [21:14]
Wesley Early
But he made things happen.
- [21:15]
Tim Ellis
Steve was a fit fellow who died three years ago at the age of 73 of complications from an emergency surgery. Some of the gathering said they weren't there to grieve but to remember a Renaissance man who served his family and community in many different roles librarian, musician, Boy Scout leader, volunteer firefighter and state forestry dispatcher, to name a few. Joyce McComb, Steve's wife of 43 years, said his passing was hard to deal with at first and still is sometimes.
- [21:50]
Wesley Early
And I just learned grief sucks and you make room for it and it changes shape over time, and you just sort of learn to live with it and it'll still come back and sock you in the teeth when you're not prepared for it.
- [22:02]
Tim Ellis
The bench is inscribed with a silhouette of a tall, lanky guy with a floppy hat and two walking sticks along with the words thank you, Steve.
- [22:12]
Wesley Early
It's just the kind of thing he.
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Casey Grove
Would have loved is a little gathering.
- [22:16]
Tim Ellis
Like this, joyce said. Placing it in his favorite spot on the trail that he helped build has helped her to take another step along the path to healing.
- [22:25]
Casey Grove
It's a happy occasion because all this.
- [22:27]
Wesley Early
Was reflective of what he really believed in and wanted to live his life for, and did until the very end.
- [22:34]
Tim Ellis
Steve's dedication to community and the outdoors also was reflected in the second tune that John and Bill played, Woody Guthrie's this land is your land, this land.
- [22:45]
Casey Grove
Is your land, this land is my land.
- [22:50]
Tim Ellis
From California in Delta, I'm Tim Ellis.
- [23:00]
Casey Grove
The Katervik Cultural center in Nome brought together people from three regions of Alaska for Inupiaq language learning last week. The annual event is called Elisa Kativut and kom's Wali Rana spoke with organizers about the history and goals behind efforts to revive the language.
- [23:27]
Wally Rana
Over 40 people gathered in Nome for this year's Elisa Kativi, bringing together Inupiaq speakers and learners from the Northwest Arctic, Bering Strait and North Slope regions. The event immerses participants in various dialects of Inupiaq, but there's a couple of rules, like putting a pebble in a jar anytime English is spoken during immersion time. The goal is to speak as much Inupiaq as possible.
- [23:47]
Casey Grove
Elisa Kativut started in 2017. The intent was to bring people trying to learn Inupak altogether to work through.
- [23:57]
Wesley Early
The hard parts of the language.
- [23:59]
Wally Rana
Pathluk is one of the five members of the steering committee for the event. Pathluk says the first, Elisa Katy Vood was two weeks long and took place in Ugyakvik, and the last time NOAM hosted Elisa Katy Vood was back in 2018, the event's second year. Elisa Katy Vood translates to those who we are learning with. Pathluk said the event has grown. The first three years had over a dozen people and the last three drew over 40 people, gaining momentum each year, he said. It's a grassroots effort.
- [24:26]
Casey Grove
In a 2020-2021 22, we started building.
- [24:31]
Wesley Early
A little more towards organizational setting up as an organization, so the steering committee began around 2022.
- [24:42]
Casey Grove
Sully.
- [24:46]
Wally Rana
Kiminak Agviak is one of the organizers with Nome's Katyrvik Cultural center, which hosted the event. She hands out prizes and reads out numbers in a nupiag. She says every single activity is meant to immerse participants in the language. She says they have a mentor apprenticeship approach to Inupiaq. It pairs people with different speaking levels, and mentor apprenticeships are one of the most successful ways to revitalize a language. It's when a highly motivated learner is paired with a fluent speaker. Presenters sing songs in Inupiaq and translate them to English after they're done singing. The activities are interactive and include children's songs like Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Agviak shares guiding principles for learning the language. You gotta go all in.
- [25:36]
Casey Grove
You gotta create a routine and find.
- [25:39]
Wally Rana
Out what works for you. Keep it relevant to your life and you gotta make mistakes. Agviak says there are resources available on Elisa Katifud's website for learning Inupiaq. She says it takes chipping away at learning every day to be successful. And Noam I'm Wali Rana.
- [26:07]
Casey Grove
And that's all for this edition of Alaska News Nightly. We had reports tonight from Liz Ruskin in Washington, D.C. eric Stone in Juneau, Rhonda McBride and Wesley early in Anchorage, Desiree Hagan in Kotzebue, Tim Ellis in Delta Junction and Wally Rana in Nome. Our audio engineer is Chris Hyde. Madeline Rose is our producer. And I'm Casey Grove. Good night.