Ouzinkie: Coast Guard rescues logger hit by falling tree

NOVEMBER 20, 2009 - 6:59 PM

U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 3rd Class Charly Hengen.

Here's the Coast Guard report:

KODIAK - A logger suffering from a possible back injury and a broken leg was medevaced by the crew of an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from the village of Ouzinkie on Spruce Island north of Kodiak Island to the Coast Guard base today.

Scott Zimmerman, 25, sustained injuries during a logging operation when the tree he was cutting down reportedly fell on him near the Ouzinkie airport.

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Is it time for roads to villages?

NOVEMBER 18, 2009 - 5:58 PM

At least 40 tribes have signed up to join a new state transportation task force announced by Attorney General Dan Sullivan today.

The group is led by three chairmen representing the state, feds and tribes. It held its first meeting Oct. 26.

It’s a little unclear what the task force is going to do, beyond talk about transportation in Alaska. Will it set priorities for road construction spending? Write a blueprint for connecting remote communities?

Sullivan told the Alaska Municipal League today that the task force could take advantage of the federal Indian Reservation Roads program that has about $100 million for Alaska tribes, according to a copy of the speech. Twenty years ago many rural communities weren’t interested in being connected to the road system, the state says, but that’s changing as people look to lower the cost of food and fuel.

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Naneng knocks Parnell for no-show at Obama event

NOVEMBER 18, 2009 - 11:10 AM

Myron Naneng, president of the Bethel-based Association of Village Council Presidents, sends this note to Gov. Sean Parnell today:

Your recent lack of attendance in meeting President Obama when he arrived in Anchorage at Elmendorf Air Force base showed lack of concern for your constituents in rural Alaska, who have asked you to assist us in supporting our efforts to get a fishery disaster declared for Yukon River Chinook Salmon stocks.
As you represent us, even when we did not vote for Palin, whom you replaced, it shows that the attitude from the previous Governor has not changed in respect to being able to represent rural Alaska and its issues. We know that elections are upcoming for the "new" governor, but continued attitude and keeping some staff who have not been supportive of our issues and concerns, particularly ADF&G Commissioner Denby Lloyd, and it continues to be ongoing with your administration.

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(UPDATE) Democrats confirm Neal Foster as the new Nome rep

NOVEMBER 15, 2009 - 1:47 PM

Nome City Councilman Neal Foster passed the final hurdle toward today replacing his father as the region's new representative in the state House.

House Democrats voted by a secret ballot at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage to confirm Foster for the job, said Rep. Mike Doogan. Democrats had previously recommend Foster, Ralph "Weaver" Ivanoff and Sam Towarak for the seat. Ivanoff and Towarak are both from Unalakleet.

Gov. Sean Parnell announced last Tuesday that he'd chosen Foster from the list, but the appointment still had to be approved by a majority of Democrats. That's what happened today.

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On the road

NOVEMBER 15, 2009 - 12:29 PM

This from our Alaska license plate gallery:

Photo courtesy of Desiree, Daily News reader submission. Location: Fort Bragg, NC. "This is my Yup'ik name," she says.

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Stormfront: Blizzard photos from Norton Sound

NOVEMBER 12, 2009 - 7:25 PM

Yikes.

As of tonight those flood warnings are cancelled in Norton Sound, but these photos from readers say it's been a rough week:

Unalakleet

Photos of Unalakleet on Wednesday afternoon by Quinn Ivanoff.

That's Ivanoff's wife, Dorothy, in the wind. She's the one who shot this crazy waterspout video.

Quinn Ivanoff photo.

...

Steve Ivanoff writes: We did have a flood in eastern Norton Sound, would have been catastrophic if we didn't get the slush that came in and soften the waves. Here is a photo from my porch of Cameron Gray helping build a dam around my home. Won't know the full extent of damage until spring melt.
Steve Ivanoff photo

Shaktoolik
Clarence Katchatag Jr. of Shaktoolik took these photos yesterday:

Katchatag: My daughter all covered up downside of Corporation.

Katchatag: There's myself along the seawall of the Shaktoolik ocean. This is downside the local native corporation.

Shaktoolik: Clarence Katchatag Jr. photo.

Shaktoolik: Clarence Katchatag Jr. photo.

Thank you everyone for the photos. If you ever want to send a picture or video for the blog, e-mail me at khopkins@adn.com

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Film company will pay $22K for using fake news stories to sell alien-abduction movie

NOVEMBER 11, 2009 - 7:11 PM

Has this ever happened to you?: In this film publicity image released by Universal Pictures, Milla Jovovich is shown in a scene from "The Fourth Kind." Be sure to vote in the News-Miner poll on whether you've been abducted by space aliens. (AP Photo/Universal Pictures, Simon Vesrano)

“The Fourth Kind,” an alien abduction movie set in Nome, used a guerilla marketing campaign to try and fool audiences into thinking the main character was a real person studying real mysteries in Alaska.

If you Googled the movie when it first came out, you might stumble across stories that appeared to be written by real Alaska reporters. Except some of those stories – like the claim that the movie is based on real “archival footage” – are fake.

Now the film company distributing the film has agreed to give $22,250 to the Alaska Press Club and a Calista Scholarship Fund in a settlement with several state newspapers, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports.

News-Miner Columnist Dermot Cole, who has been following “The Fourth Kind” since August, explains:

The agreement is the first official admission by the company that its “viral internet marketing” included the fabrication of news stories and attributing them to the Nome Nugget, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, the Anchorage Chronicle and other publications. In addition, the company included real news articles without permission.

I caught a matinee of the movie on my day off. The whole flick, from start to finish, bombards you with promises that much of what your seeing is real footage that happened to real Alaskans.

That includes -- spoiler alert -- a grainy scene that was supposedly taped by the Nome "Sheriff's" department depicting a Nome man killing his family.

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Baby, it's cold outside

NOVEMBER 11, 2009 - 4:46 PM

Reports on today's storm:

Nome: Neither taxis nor plows are running. The whole town is shutdown. Can't see more than two houses away. Photo and caption by Scott A. Johnson

...

Kotzebue at 4 p.m.: We are in the middle of a winter snow blizzard - our first this year. June Nelson Elementary School and Kotzebue Middle/High School is closed today due to blizzard-like conditions. The wind is blowing at 50-60 mph and the almost white-out conditions make it nearly impossible to travel around the village. NOAA reports areas of blowing snow with visibility one quarter mile or less at times. Snow accumulations are between 4-6 inches with total snow accumulations for two days at 6-9 inches. High temperature is 15 to 20 degrees. East winds are 30-40 mph with gusts up to 50-60 mph. Photo and caption by Diana DeStafeno

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Storm hits western, northern Alaska; weather service warns of flooding

NOVEMBER 11, 2009 - 12:32 PM

Cold Kotzebue: "Winds gusting to 60 mph and these guys are up in the bucket truck fixing wires," reports Kotzebue blog Keeping it Real at 66 Degrees North Latitude. Thanks to Cathy Jones for the photo.

A winter storm has hit much of western and northern Alaska, with the National Weather Service today warning of potential major coastal flooding in Eastern Norton Sound.

Unalakleet and Shaktoolik could see flooding this evening, said Stephen Kearney, a meteorologist intern for the Weather Service in Fairbanks. “Sea levels are expected to rise 8 to 9 feet above normal late this afternoon through much of tomorrow.”

I just called the village corporation in Shaktoolik -- population 223 on the east shore of Norton Sound -- where some residents have started to board up windows on the ocean-side of the village, said Clarence Katchatag.

The village is holding a meeting to talk about potential evacuation now, he said, but the community has seen these storms before.

Water was rising fast in Unalakleet as of 3 p.m., said city administrator Herb Ivanoff.

“We’ve moved some food and stuff to the clinic area in case we need to start moving people here after a bit," he said.

The storm comes as sea ice has barely started to form, meaning the storm could push young ice onto shore threatening structures, according to the Weather Service. Residents in areas such as Emmonak, Wales and Savoonga are being urged to move belongings away from the coast.

“Because it’s happening so early and there’s a lot of open water out there, then coastal flooding starts to be a big hazard,” Kearney said. “It’s a lot of things to watch for. It’s definitely keeping us busy here today.”

Note: Readers, if you have any storm photos to share, please send me an e-mail at khopkins@adn.com.

The storm started yesterday in areas such as Nome and the Bering Sea region and worked its way inland this morning, Kearney said.

Kotzebue has seen blizzard conditions for the past several hours, he said.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm and coastal flooding warnings across the state today.

Among the Weather Service warnings issued today ...

A coastal flood warning is in effect until 6 p.m. tomorrow for:
-- St. Lawrence Island and Bering Strait Coast, including Gambell, Savoonga, Brevig Mission, Teller, Wales, Diomede.
“The high water and high waves could push sea ice on shore. Wave-driven sea ice can cause great damage to structures. Anything that can be moved from the coast should be moved now,” the Weather Service says.

-- Yukon Delta – including Emmonak, Mountain Village, Alaskanuk, Kotlik, Pilot Station, St. Mary’s, Nunam Iqua.
“Anything that can be moved away from the coast should be moved now,” the Weather Service says. “Snow and blizzard conditions will accompany his storm today and tonight.”

A coastal flood watch is in effect through Thursday afternoon in:
-- The Chukchi Sea Coast, including Point Hope, Shishmaref, Kivalina, Espenberg.
“Tides are expected to be 1 to 2 feet above normal this afternoon through Thursday. Coastal flooding in low-lying areas and coastal erosion will be possible tonight and Thursday …”

Winter storm warning until 6 a.m. Thursday:
-- Lower Kobuk and Noatak Valleys, including Noatak, Kiana, Red Dog Mine.
“Strong winds and areas of blizzard conditions are expected today and tonight.”

-- Lower Koyukuk and Middle Yukon Valleys, including Galena, Nulato, Huslia, Kaltag …
Snowfall of 6 to 10 inches is expected through tonight.

-- Lower Yukon Valley, including Marshall, Russian Mission, Holy Cross, Grayling …
“Snowfall of 5 to 8 inches is expected through tonight.”

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Journalism class puts focus on rural AK

NOVEMBER 9, 2009 - 9:27 AM

Three University of Alaska Anchorage journalism students who are taking a class on rural reporting stopped by the ADN office last week, and I've been meaning to post links to some their work for Alaska Newspapers Inc. ever since:

Check it out:

-- Bethel's police chief is doing more with less
By Logan Tuttle

-- Native artist's poster wins national contest
By Melissa Driggers

-- Program puts students in leadership roles
By Suzanna Caldwell

The group would love to get out and cover stories first-hand in the villages but don't have the money for travel, said Professor Paola Banchero. They did stop by Chickaloon, home to a federally recognized tribe in the Mat-su. Here's their story, after the jump:

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(UPDATED) Seattle Times: Bethel connection to accused cop shooter

NOVEMBER 8, 2009 - 3:31 PM

Police gather near the site in where a suspect in the killing of Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton was shot by detectives in Seattle on Friday. (AP Photo/Seattlepi.com, Joshua Trujillo)

The mother of a man accused of shooting and killing a Seattle police officer is a Bethel business owner, according to Seattle news reports and Alaska public records.

Christopher John Monfort, 41, is accused of killing one officer and wounding another Halloween night in Seattle. Police shot him on Friday while investigating a tip near his Tukwila apartment. They report finding bomb-making materials in his home, believe he’s responsible for firebombing police vehicles on Oct. 22 and have labeled Monfort a “domestic terrorist.”

What’s this have to do with Alaska? The Times reports that Monfort’s mother, Suzan Monfort, operates a Curves fitness center in Bethel.

UPDATE: Just talked to Christopher Monfort's former teacher, Kathy Hanson, who says he briefly lived in Bethel as a young teenager. “He was a pleasant enough guy."

“I know Chris very well and this just doesn’t sound like him,” Vicki Malone, the mother's Bethel business partner and a family friend told the paper.

Malone said she was mystified that Christopher Monfort is a suspect in the shooting. "I don't get this. People that run around and kill cops have tons and tons of other stuff in their record, and Chris had no gang stuff, I know that."

Suzan Monfort lists a Bethel address on her voter registration and appears to have lived in Bethel as far back as at least 1996, according to Permanent Fund Dividend records.

The Times reports that Christopher Monfort lived in the state at one time as well. But I've been checking the public records databases we use this morning, and don't immediately see him connected to any Alaska addresses.

If you know Monfort, let me know.

His mother was in Seattle yesterday and referring questions about the case to Seattle defense attorney John Henry Browne, according to KING 5, a local television station.

Alaskans know Browne best for defending former Valley Rep. Vic Kohring in Kohring’s corruption case.

When I called a Bethel number listed for Malone today, a man who answered the phone referred all questions to Browne. He said Malone wasn’t in town.

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Sitka man collapses, dies during apparent seal hunt

NOVEMBER 8, 2009 - 1:05 PM

From The Associated Press:

The U.S. Coast Guard says a rescue helicopter rushed to help a stricken sailor off Sitka, but a flight surgeon who had been lowered into his boat was unable to revive him.

The guard says 72-year-old Sitka resident Ralph Guthrie and his wife were seal hunting Saturday when he collapsed aboard his 40-foot skiff.

His wife made an emergency call and the Coast Guard quickly launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew that included the surgeon and a rescue swimmer.

After the two were lowered into the craft, the swimmer moved the skiff to a nearby beach and both crew members worked to revive him. But the guard says that Guthrie died despite their efforts.

Note: The Coast Guard says authorities are looking at whether Guthrie was legally hunting seal.

“We don’t know if the people were out there under a subsistence grant or not," said Petty Officer 1st Class David Mosely.

Mosley said the Coast Guard also rescued two stranded boaters suffering mild hypothermia near Kalgan Island in Cook Inlet yesterday.

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Howling tribute to Haber

NOVEMBER 7, 2009 - 7:16 PM

Friends literally howled in tribute to Gordon Haber on Saturday as more than 80 people filled the Campbell Creek Science Center at a memorial for the fiery wolf biologist.

Haber died in an Oct. 14 plane crash in Denali National Park and Preserve, one of countless flights he’s made during decades of single-minded study of eastern Denali wolves. Speakers Saturday remembered that devotion as well as Haber’s famously thorny personality.

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Blotter: Caller reports stolen marijuana to troopers; credit fraud investigation in Akutan

NOVEMBER 7, 2009 - 5:31 PM

A Shungnak woman has been arrested on charges of violating her probation and endangering a minor after calling troopers and reporting her boyfriend had stolen her marijuana, troopers said today.

Lizzie Commack, 27, contacted troopers at 11:35 a.m. Friday and said she wanted her boyfriend removed from the residence, troopers said. Authorities investigated and took Commack to Kotzebue Regional Jail where her breath-alcohol content was recorded at .151. She’s accused of a six-degree drug charge, fourth-degree assault, a second-degree count of endangering a minor and probation violation.

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State: Medical team delivered vaccine past midnight in isolated Diomede

NOVEMBER 6, 2009 - 12:09 PM

Diomede, circa 1999: A Little Diomede Island resident pulls a polar bear hide from the frozen Bering Sea to check if the sea lice have cleaned the hide enough for drying, in this file photo, date unknown. (AP Photo/Al Grillo, File)

A doctor and nurse were distributing swine flu vaccine past 2 a.m. last night in Diomede in an effort to keep the disease from spreading in the hard-to-reach Bering Strait village, state officials said today.

“We’ve got everybody on the island vaccinated except for four people," said Health Department spokesman Greg Wilkinson.

A 1-year-old girl in the village was showing signs of respiratory problems, but when the Alaska Army National Guard flew her and her mother to Nome yesterday the child tested negative for swine flu, said Jeremy Zidek, spokesman for the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Diomede is 135 miles northwest of Nome, on Little Diomede Island. It’s about 2.5 miles across the Bering Strait from Russia and is one of the most remote communities in Alaska. You can only get there this time of year by helicopter and sometimes boat. The village lost passenger air service months ago. (Though food and mail still arrive on a regular basis.)

Responding to a request from the Diomede mayor, the state teamed up with the Guard and the regional health corporation this week, taking the unusual step of sending a civilian medical team and swine flu vaccines to protect the village.

“There were some sick people (there) and I think that these were just prudent actions to take to make sure that the disease wouldn’t spread through the isolated community where we wouldn’t be able to, perhaps, reach people at a later date,” Zidek said.

Some villagers are showing flu-like symptoms, but only people who are medivaced to Nome are actually tested for swine flu.

So far, at least three people from the village have been tested. One, a woman the Guard flew from the community on Wednesday, tested positive, the state says.

The doctor and nurse are expected to fly out of Little Diomede tonight, Zidek said. Two medics deployed to the village left last night with the 1-year-old girl.

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Marshall: More on the feds' dismissal of subsistence fishing charges

NOVEMBER 6, 2009 - 10:23 AM

KYUK has more details this week on the feds’ move to dismiss charges against a Marshall police officer who was ticketed in September for an illegal subsistence fishing trip.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ticketed Jason Isaac, 32, $275 for his role in a king salmon fishing trip made in protest of summer subsistence restrictions. Isaac was the only person to admit to taking part in the trip, according to the Tundra Drums.

Heather Kendall-Miller, an attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, followed the story and met with a regional Fish and Wildlife director to ask that the charges be dropped, KYUK reports.

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Army National Guard flies two from Diomede for possible swine flu

NOVEMBER 5, 2009 - 3:58 PM

The state Health Department just sent the following announcement:

(To be clear, this is a village of about 130 people that's only accessible by helicopter and, sometimes, by boat. I wrote about this a couple weeks ago but should note that there are a lot of unanswered questions about exactly how & why the village lost passenger service, not to mention about what happens next. )

Two Little Diomede residents medevaced to Nome with possible H1N1
Other residents of the remote island village experiencing flu-like symptoms

Two Little Diomede residents with severe H1N1 symptoms were medevaced to Nome through a coordinated effort by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Alaska Army National Guard, Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, and the Norton Sound Health Corporation. The remote island community is being provided medical support to help prevent and treat additional people with suspected H1N1 infection and to help prevent further transmission.

On Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, the Alaska Army National Guard flew both individuals from Little Diomede to Norton Sound Regional Hospital in Nome. One patient tested positive for H1N1 during an initial rapid test.

Diomede Mayor Andrew Miligrock requested that a medical team and medication be sent to the island to treat an increasing number of people with flu-like symptoms.

In response, a civilian medical team consisting of one doctor, one public health nurse, and two medics are being transported to Little Diomede on Thursday, Nov. 5, with transportation support from the Alaska Army National Guard.

“One of the most remote communities in Alaska, the village of Diomede does not have village-wide water or sewer systems,” said state epidemiologist Dr. Joe McLaughlin. “Due to frequent adverse weather conditions, it is not uncommon for this community to be inaccessible by air for long periods of time, which further limits emergency health care opportunities for villagers. For these reasons, the DHSS Section of Epidemiology fully supports this medical mission to interrupt the spread of influenza in this hard-hit and geographically remote Alaska village.”

DHSS has arranged for 130 doses of inactivated H1N1 vaccine, dedicated to Nome, to be redirected to Diomede, along with antivirals used in the treatment of H1N1. Nome supplies are being immediately restocked.

The traditional commercial means of air evacuations from Little Diomede to Nome is not available at this time. In the interim, Alaska Army National Guard stands by to respond to true emergencies.

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(UPDATED) Obama: 'No shouting now. But I would love to come to Alaska'

NOVEMBER 5, 2009 - 7:25 AM

Update: Click here to read a White House transcript of Obama's remarks, and the following question-and-answer session.

Meeting with tribal leaders from across the country this morning in D.C., President Barack Obama heard calls from Alaska Natives for help combating suicide, erosion and mining impacts.

He also got an invitation to the 49th state.

“If you ever decide you want to get away from it all come see one of us,” Bill Martin, an Alaska Federation of Natives board member from Southeast, told the president.

“I often want to get away from it all. So I'm very much looking forward to visiting Alaska,” Obama replied.

The White House expected hundreds of tribal leaders at the Interior Department today for the meeting, which began at 5 a.m. Alaska time. During a brief question-and-answer period in which at least three Alaskans called on the president, Martin asked for more funding to battle the state’s staggering suicide rate and warned some villages are ready to slip into the ocean because of coastal erosion.

One speaker warned the Red Dog mine could hurt food gathering. A woman from Kodiak Island said an elder named Erlinda, who works at the local Safeway, wanted to tell Obama she loved him.

“You tell Linda I love her back,” the president said.

Obama said tribal leaders would get a chance to talk issues with federal department heads and members of Congress later in the day, then added: “The only thing I do want to make sure you understand is that when I do visit Alaska, it’s going to be during the summer.

"So, just wanted to be clear about that.”

Tlingit elder Clarence Jackson gave the invocation at the meeting, followed by a short speech by the president who called the event “the largest and most widely attended gathering of tribal leaders in our history.”

Of the 387 tribes that planned to attend the conference 87 are from Alaska -- the most from any state, according to the White House.

Obama talked about a proposal to boost Indian Health Service funding, the value of tribal colleges and the need for stronger law enforcement in Native American and Alaska Native communities.

"On some reservations, violent crime is more than 20 times the national average. The shocking and contemptible fact that one in three Native American women will be raped in their lifetimes is an assault on our national conscience that we can no longer ignore," he said.

As he began taking questions, the president reacted to something someone yelled from the crowd.

“No shouting now," Obama said. "But I would love to come to Alaska."

(Note: I watched the opening of the meeting streaming on the White House Web site. It's still being broadcast online as I write this, but be warned. The quality this morning was very poor. Long freezes & gaps in the feed. Hard to hear many of Obama's remarks on policy and the feds' relationship with American Indian/Alaska Native people. Meantime, read the agenda here.)

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Stranded in Anchorage?

NOVEMBER 4, 2009 - 7:21 PM

Closing camps: Anchorage Police recently posted notices, seen here on Oct. 16, that homeless campers must clear out of a wooded area near Reeve Boulevard.
Marc Lester / Anchorage Daily News

A statewide reduction in social services – especially rural areas – is pushing problems into Anchorage, where at least 13 people have died on the streets since May.

That’s one of the arguments the Alaska Federation of Natives is making as it calls for emergency funding to house and treat the homeless.

The AFN board says that at least seven of the people who died were Alaska Native. Eight had gone to Cook Inlet Tribal Council for help. Five were trying to find work or go to school. In a resolution passed Oct. 24, the board called for help on several fronts: Funding, housing vouchers, social services.

Maybe you saw that CITC is spending $25,000 to boost a program that helps people stranded in the city get home to villages. I'd like to know more and am looking for help. If you know anyone who is stuck in Anchorage and needs help, or just want to talk about what could/should be done, send me an e-mail or call 257-4334.

(You can now read all the recent AFN resolutions on the federation Web site. The one I’m talking about is the second on the list, after the big subsistence proposal.)

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Watch Obama's meeting with tribes online tomorrow

NOVEMBER 4, 2009 - 6:02 PM

Leaders from more than 560 tribes, including many from Alaska, meet with the Obama administration beginning early tomorrow morning in D.C.

You can watch it live here. The president's expected to give opening and closing remarks. Things start at 5 a.m. (!) Alaska time.

I asked Rosita Worl, an Alaska Federation of Natives board member and president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute what Sealaska & AFN hope to talk about in D.C.

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