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We have about two dozen staff on the ground today. We're going to be here for the long haul. The Small Business Administration announces new disaster loans for those impacted by the remnants of Typhoon Ha Long. From Alaska Public Media, this is statewide news on Alaska News nightly for Wednesday, October 29th. Good evening. I'm Casey Grove. Also tonight, the board that oversees the state's marine highway system is skeptical of a proposed ferry terminal. It read to me like a timeshare brochure. I don't think it was realistic. Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly. Officials with the federal Small Business Administration say Alaska residents and businesses impacted by the heavy storm brought on by the remnants of Typhoon Ha Long can now apply for low interest disaster loans. Alaska Public Media's Wesley early has more.
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SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler says the ongoing government shutdown should not impact the low interest disaster loans for Alaskans.
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It will not have an impact under my watch or under President Trump's watch.
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So we're continuing with that work.
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We have about two dozen staff on the ground today. We're going to be here for the long haul.
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Lefler spoke Wednesday outside of the Alaska Airlines center in Anchorage, which is serving as one of two mass shelters for western Alaska evacuees. The move to open up the loans comes after President Trump signed a federal disaster declaration on October 22 for storms that occurred about a week and a half before. Loeffler says homeowners can now qualify for a loan of up to $500,000, while businesses can borrow up to $2 million. The SBA is also modifying its rules to allow for loan approvals for any damages to personal property related to subsistence.
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Camps, which would allow funding and lending to take place for Things like hunting ATVs, preservation Food preservation devices, hunting knives and other boats and other things needed for subsistence camps.
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SBA officials said in a press release that real estate damages for subsistence camps would not be eligible. Northwest Arctic Borough Mayor Dickey Moto says his region hasn't been hit as hard as other western Alaska communities, but is grateful for the specific carve out for subsistence assistance. 50, 60%, maybe more of the food.
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We eat is subsistence.
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You know, the villagers rely on subsistence food because of lack of jobs that's in the village.
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Even in our area.
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Halong is the second ex typhoon to bring devastation to western Alaska in three years. Governor Mike Dunleavy says there should be an ongoing discussion with regional community partners about how to address the frequency of these kinds of storms. I don't think it should be ignored. I think it's something that we need to take a look at, especially for those places that seem to be getting hit more and more with repeated storms and water. Dunleavy says those future discussions could involve village relocations or potential infrastructure investments. Reporting in Anchorage, I'm Wesley Early.
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The federal government shutdown is creating a lot of uncertainty and disruption for Alaska Native communities and for tribal organizations that administer federal programs. These include SNAP for food assistance and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which subsidizes energy bills. Ben Milotte, president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee today that the prospect that both of those programs would run out of money just as winter begins puts some Alaskans in a life threatening bind. Without liheap, without snap, our communities, our trouble citizens will have to decide between fuel and food. During the pandemic, the federal Subsistence Board allowed emergency hunting to improve food security. Now, with the government shut down, Milot says the Subsistence Board can't even meet. Other witnesses said Head Start programs will run low on money if the shutdown extends into November and that many agency experts that tribes normally turn to have lost their jobs. Pete Upton testified about the Trump administration's plan to abolish a fund at the Treasury Department called the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. Upton runs the Native CDFI Network, whose Alaska members include the Cook Inlet Lending Center. He says tribal communities are often in banking deserts. Native CDFIs are typically the only financial institutions serving these communities, providing access to capital, credit and financial education where no alternative exists. Early in the shutdown, the Treasury Department fired the entire staff of the CDFI fund, with no one at the federal office to certify the CDFIs. Upton says it's hard for the community finance organizations to attract private sector investment. Senator Lisa Murkowski, chair of the Indian Affairs Committee, says tribes face enormous uncertainty as the stalemate in Congress nears the one month mark.
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We can't figure out the path forward right now on our spending bills, although I am a little bit more optimistic on that today.
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Murkowski did not elaborate but said earlier this week that senators are engaged in productive talks. The state's plan to build a new ferry terminal north of Juneau has sparked calls for more information about the project and what justifies it. The state recently released an economic analysis to that effect, but at least so far the report has not done much to ease concerns, particularly among members of a key oversight board. The Alaska Desk's Avery Elfelt reports the.
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Alaska Department of Transportation released the project's economic analysis in mid October. It paints a picture of the so called Cascade Point Ferry Terminal as a project with more pros than cons, especially in the long term. The document highlights the terminal's potential to reduce costs, ease regional travel and boost mining. But that framing drew sharp criticism from members of the Alaska Marine Highway Oversight Board during a meeting last week.
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In a very candid response, it read to me like a timeshare brochure. I don't think it was realistic and I'm not sure where they got some of their numbers.
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That was board member Bob Hortober. He was among those who argued the document looks more like an advertisement for the project than an analysis of it. Board Chair Onetta Ayers echoed that point during the meeting and a follow up interview. She says it seems like the analysis aimed to, quote, build a case for Cascade Point as opposed to evaluating it against alternative options.
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I don't believe it makes a strong case, certainly from a customer service standpoint and very marginally from an economic standpoint, that the project is justifiable.
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That's concerning, she said during the meeting. Given that there's a long list of other ferry related projects in need of funding.
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The difficult part is that capital is already being allocated to this project project.
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Absent all of Those things, the 45 page report explores potential impacts from the terminal that would shorten the ferry ride between Juneau, Haines and Skagway. The analysis acknowledges that the terminal would create new infrastructure and maintenance responsibilities for the state, plus that construction costs would surpass savings generated by the project. Another con that passengers would have to make up for the shorter ferry route by driving, taxiing or shuttling 28 additional miles outside Juneau. DOT spokesperson Daniel Tessen said in an interview that shortening the ferry route ultimately comes down to saving money for the chronically underfunded ferry system. That's despite potential pitfalls for passengers. That is what we're focused on is creating these shortened ferry distances because that's how we're able to continue reducing the cost of operations. The analysis also lays out a long list of benefits in the near term. It says shortening the ferry run would reduce emissions and operating costs while also improving reliability. On the whole, the report acknowledges that the idea presents challenges when considered on its own. It notes that, quote, extensive capital costs are difficult to justify based on savings alone. The project's real value, the analysis underscores, comes from other long term possibilities. Here's Tessen again. Cascade Point in this terminal, it's not an on its own project and what I mean by that is, there is a bigger plan. That bigger picture has two main prongs. First, regional economic development by way of mining. The analysis says the new terminal would serve as a major logistical boon for the proposed new Amalga Gold project. The second prong is another controversial DOT effort known as the Chilkat Connector feasibility study. The agency is assessing what it would take to build a road that would, at least in theory, ease travel between Skagway, Haynes and Juneau. Cascade Point, the analysis notes, would be a foundational component of that effort. Reporting in Haines, I'm Avery Elfeldt.
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Still to come on Alaska News nightly, more than 100 people turn out in Petersburg to watch a rescued seal return to the sea. I like to say it's because they're going to get extra credit in their science class, but mostly I'm doing it out of selfish reasons because I really want to see this. That's ahead. Stay with us. The parents of a 20 year old man whose body was found in Bethel in November 2023 under suspicious circumstances are suing the city of Bethel for alleged negligence, discrimination and emotional distress. KYUK's Evan Erickson has more 20 year.
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Old Michael Isaac was first reported missing on November 2, 2023. Isaac arrived in Bethel from the Lower Yukon river community of Marshall the previous day and had only planned to stay in Bethel for one night following a month long search effort. His body was located under the ice in a slough on the east end of town by Bethel Search and Rescue volunteers using an underwater sonar device. According to a civil complaint filed last week in Bethel Court, the city of Bethel and Bethel Police Department allegedly caused Isaac's parents severe emotional distress with their handling of the case. The complaint asserts that the lead investigator assigned to the case, Dylan Floyd and former Police Chief Leonard Hicks, failed to take potential leads provided by Isaac's parents seriously, including ignoring phone calls and treating Isaac's parents disrespectfully, the complaint says. Information that was ignored includes an abundance of evidence amassed by Isaac's parents pointing to two potential suspects in their son's death. According to the complaint, multiple requests by Isaac's parents to the Bethel Police Department to have their son's case referred to the Alaska State Troopers have been unsuccessful. Requests to the department to work with the Federal Indigenous Missing Persons Resource Group were also unsuccessful. Isaac's parents are requesting damages in excess of $100,000. They are being represented by Palmer based attorney Deborah Berlinski. An initial hearing in the case had not been set as of Monday. According to the Bethel Police Department. The investigation into Isaac's death remains open. Reached Monday. Isaac's parents declined to comment on the suit. The city of Bethel, through legal representation, also declined to comment. In Bethel, I'm Evan Erickson.
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President Donald Trump plans to nominate an Alaska state attorney to fill one of two open federal judgeships on the bench of the US District Court for the District of Alaska. The Alaska Beacon reports that Aaron Peterson, an attorney with the Alaska Department of Law's Natural Resources Division, will be the president's pick for the seat. The plans were confirmed by the news organization Reuters, which published a copy of a questionnaire Peterson submitted to the US Senate's Judiciary Committee. Trump himself has not formally announced Peterson's nomination, but state and federal officials confirmed the president's plans with the Beacon, according to state voter records. Peterson is a Republican. He identified himself in the questionnaire as a member of the Federalist Society, whose members generally follow Republican legal principles and support President Trump. More recently, Peterson has represented the state in an ongoing case that challenges the state's current two tier system of subsistence fishing management. He also represented the state in a lawsuit that challenged salmon fishery management in Cook Inlet. Alaska has three federal judgeships but only one sitting federal judge. Judge Timothy Burgess retired at the end of 2021, and judge Joshua Kindred resigned in disgrace in 2024amid a sexual scandal. A message left on Peterson's work phone by the Beacon was not returned Tuesday afternoon. Just over a decade ago, the federal government ramped up restrictions on the sale and transfer of elephant ivory in the United States. Since then, several states have implemented even broader ivory bans, which have unintentionally hurt sales of walrus ivory art made by Alaska Native people. But a bill passing through Congress hopes to solidify protections for Alaska Native artists. KN's Laura Davis Collins has more.
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For centuries, Alaska Natives have used sustainably sourced walrus for food, clothing, tools and artwork. 1972's Marine Mammal Protection act in part helped protect traditional uses of walrus ivory for Alaska Alaska Native artists. But regulation changes like a 2014 federal ban on the commercial trade of elephant ivory have muddied the waters on what kinds of ivory are legal to buy and sell. The changes inadvertently hurt demand for walrus ivory craft, leaving Alaska Native artists less ways to make money with traditional skills. But a solution is on the table, and it's been a decade in the.
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Making, and I'm pleased to say that last week, after almost 10 years of trying, the Senate passed my Alaska's Right to Ivory Sales and Tradition act, what we called the Artists act and we passed it unanimously.
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That's Senator Dan Sullivan speaking at the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention in October. He's a sponsor of the Artist act, which protects Alaska Native artists right to sell ivory artwork across the country, regardless of laws at the state level. The Eskimo walrus Commission unites 19 coastal Alaska Native communities that rely on walrus as an essential cultural, natural and subsistence resource. The commission's director, Vera Metcalfe, says in the decade following the federal ban, the org has worked to educate policymakers on the traditional uses of walrus ivory in Alaska Native communities.
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Ten years seems like a long time, but you just keep advocating for what the horse ivy meant to us in Alaska in our communities that rely on it.
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Metcalf fellow leaders and ivory carvers traveled to Washington, D.C. for briefings. They provided data on harvest numbers from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who co managed the walrus population with the commission. Artists spoke about their life ways and.
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Shared their work, bringing in artists like Perry Pangawi of Savunga and Ben Payanna and Sylvester Ayek from King island, who they do beautiful work and that's how we managed to inform the public that attended that this is what we do and this is part of our identity, our lifeways.
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After a decade of advocacy, the Senate unanimously passed the Artists act in early October. The companion House bill, sponsored by Representative Nick Begich, awaits a hearing by the House Committee on Natural Resources. If no edits are needed, the bill will go to the floor for a vote. Finally, if passed through the House, the bill would head to the president's desk to be signed into law as the government shut down looms over D.C. the timing for a vote on the bill in the House is uncertain. Looking ahead, Metcalfe says the goal will be to educate the public, including tourists and state officials, and to continue to advocate on behalf of carvers and their communities. In Nome, I'm Laura Davis Collins.
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Federal subsidies for rural air travel will continue through at least mid November, despite the government shutdown. That's according to a notice from the Transportation Department telling air carriers that it's found enough money to continue paying Essential Air service subsidies through Nov. 18. The Transportation Department previously said it had enough funding to continue the program through November 2nd. Today's notice pushes that back by about two weeks. Essential air service subsidies are meant to ensure airlines serve small rural communities, even if flights are not necessarily profitable. They provide nearly $600 million each year to support more than 170 routes across the country. More than a third of them are in Alaska Some airlines that fly subsidized routes in Alaska said earlier this month that they would continue service even if funding temporarily ran out, but they stress the subsidies are vital to their ability to fly those routes on an ongoing basis. The shutdown has stretched to nearly a month and is now the second longest in U.S. history. Republicans and Democrats have yet to come to an agreement to end it. Though the federal government has so far been able to keep Essential Air Service funded, the Trump administration has declined to provide alternative sources of funding for some other programs. Funding for the much larger Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or snap, is set to run out on Saturday. Some Democratic led states have sued to force the Agriculture Department to continue paying SNAP benefits using emergency funds. Rangel held a tourism stakeholder meeting earlier this month to discuss tourism and ideas for the future. The city and borough partnered up with Oregon State University to research and put out a report based on community and visitor needs. Around 240 Rangel residents participated in the survey, creating a strong foundation for the research. KSTK's Colette Czarnicki has this report.
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Wrangell's economic development director Kate Thomas says last year the island had 25,000 visitors and that number's growing each year. She says 2026 is projected to reach 80,000. With she says Citi plans to attend the Travel and Adventure show in Seattle, where Rangel will have a tourism exhibition.
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Over 33% of our air passengers, air travel passengers come in from Seattle, so we definitely want to hit that market hard.
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They can come in for a long weekend.
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According to the university's report, many Rangel residents say that a growing economy is the biggest benefit to tourism. 64% say tourism improves their quality of life, but the top concern was overcrowding. Even with that, though, the majority of residents feel like the infrastructure can adequately support the current volume of tourism. Additionally, more Wrangelites prefer to expand tourism based on the report. Although many feel the infrastructure can support the current volume of tourism, there are others who feel the need to expand to support the growing industry. Here's Jake Harris, owner of the Stickeen Inn.
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Getting to, you know, the 100 rooms that we're looking for. Ultimately the town will be will be difficult, but we're not too far away from that right now as a community with with Airbnbs and I do. I'm optimistic about that as well. We have a few popping into the community that's beneficial for everybody on the ground. They're not just spending money at my place, they're spending money all over the.
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Community however, many tourists visit Wrangell by cruise ships, lessening the demand for on land lodging. Right now. The report states that an overwhelming number of Ringellites, roughly 65%, say the sizes of the CRU ships that visit are appropriate for the town. The majority of ships that anchor here are considered relatively small in the industry, but some can carry up to 4,000 passengers. Additionally, green space played a significant role in the survey too. More than 40% of people say there was just enough green space, but they still want to see improved and expanded parks. This also includes expanded waterfront development by way of additional trails and recreational areas. Ringles Parks and Recreation director Lucy Robinson says staffing shortages make it difficult to maintain all the parks, putting more strain on employees.
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It's really hard to get seasonal employees.
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This year and so that was a big challenge.
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And you know, we've already identified the.
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Fact that our workforce population has decreased and it is hard to get those folks. And so this year was literally a.
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Puzzle of us working to get just.
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The basic tasks done daily.
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Although Rangel struggles with workforce and housing shortages and there's stress on infrastructure, city leaders remain optimistic. They say partnerships are key between tour operators, the tribal government, the chamber of commerce and the municipality. They rely on this collaboration for a sustainable economic future. In Wrangle I'm Colette Czarnicki.
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A seal rescued near Petersburg earlier this year returned home last Thursday after receiving treatment at the Alaska Sea Life center in Seward. As KFSK's Taylor Heckert reports, over 100 Petersburg residents gathered at the beach to see the seal released back into the wild.
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Petersburg's sandy beach is lined with crowds of people despite the day's blustery cold weather. It's about 3:30, so Matt Powick's middle school basketball team should be back at school.
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They should be at practice right now in the gym, but instead I brought them here. I like to say it's because they're going to get extra credit in their science class, but mostly I'm doing it out of selfish reasons because I really want to see this and so I brought them along with the with me to see what's going on.
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Powak's team and a crowd of kids and adults alike are waiting for the arrival of a four month old seal named Bravo. The seal was rescued in May when the Petersburg police got a call about a stranded seal at the Libby Straits just south of town. Jared Cook is a national Marine Fisheries enforcement officer and was the one who responded to the call.
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He was just hanging onto the beach there we never did see a mother for it.
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Cook moved the seal to a safer location, then came back to check on it the next day.
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It was obvious that something, a decision needed to be made. His mother hadn't come to him. And so I checked with the Sea Life Center. They said they'd take him. And so I was able to grab a kennel and get him on that morning's jet to Seward.
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Jane Belloverick is the wildlife response curator with the Alaska Sea Life Center. She says the Sea Life center estimated that Bravo was about three days old when he was found. The Sea Life center is the only licensed marine mammal rehabilitation center in the state. And they got to work getting him ready to go back to the wild. All right, when this guy first came.
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To us, he was about 16 pounds.
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He now weighs over 50 pounds. So he is at a really good weight to go back out into the.
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Wild and start hunting on his own.
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Belloverex says they don't know for sure why Bravo got separated from his mom. She says if someone sees an animal they think needs help, don't approach it.
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Give it lots of room.
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You can take pictures from a distance and you can call the Sea Life center, or you could go call the NOAA hotline. She says that sometimes the mom could actually be nearby, but can be scared away by the presence of people. Jonas Banta is from Anchorage and flew into Petersburg on the same jet as the seal. He was planning to go hunting, but when he heard about Bravo's release, he came to check it out. He says flying with a seal was actually very exciting.
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It made me feel much more excited about the flight. You know, you always worry about little dogs down there, but a seal, you know, is made for the cold.
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So Banta says the smell of the seal was also pretty prominent.
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It was smelly.
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It smelled just like herring.
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Back on the beach, the excited crowd gathers around Bravo's kennel to watch the release. Belloveric addresses the crowd. I want to ask you guys, when he comes out, the ocean is very. He hasn't seen the ocean in a very long time, and he's never seen.
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This many people, so we don't want to scare him.
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Cook opens the door to the kennel, and Bravo hops out into the waves. He comes back to the beach once before heading off into the water where other bobbing sealhens are waiting in Petersburg. I'm Taylor Hecker.
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And that's all for this edition of Alaska News Nightly. We had reports tonight from Wesley early in Anchorage. Liz Ruskin in Washington D.C. avery Elfelt and Haines. Evan Erickson in Bethel. Laura Davis Collins in Nome. Eric Stone in Juneau. Colette Czarnicke in Rangel and Taylor Heckert in Petersburg. Our audio engineer is Chris Hyde. Madeline Rose is our producer. And I'm Casey Grove. Good night. This is statewide news on Alaska Public Media.