Articles written by James Brooks


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  • Hoonah residents will vote whether to create their own new borough

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Nov 20, 2024

    A five-member state commission has approved plans for a new borough centered on the Southeast Alaska town of Hoonah. Approval sets the stage for a local election on the proposed Xunaa Borough. If voters approve the borough’s creation, Hoonah will be dissolved as a town and reincorporated as a city-borough with governmental authority over a wide swath of northern Southeast Alaska, including much of Glacier Bay National Park. It would be the state’s 20th borough and the first new borough since Petersburg created a city-borough in 2013. Wra...

  • Acting mayor in Southwest Alaska pleads guilty to election interference

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Nov 20, 2024

    Arthur Sammy Heckman Sr. has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge of unlawful interference with an election after illegally canceling a 2023 election and hiding the results of a 2022 election while serving as acting mayor of Pilot Station in Southwest Alaska. The Alaska Department of Law announced the plea deal on Nov. 14 by email. It did not immediately answer a request for a copy of the plea deal and associated documents. Pilot Station is a town of about 600 people, on the Yukon River. Heckman and city clerk Ruthie Borromeo were...

  • Fisherman faces possible 6 months in prison for trying to kill whale

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Nov 13, 2024

    Federal prosecutors are recommending that an Alaska fisherman serve six months in prison, pay a $25,000 fine and be banned from commercial fishing for a year after lying about fishing catches and trying to kill an endangered sperm whale. Dugan Paul Daniels pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor earlier this year, and prosecutors released their sentencing recommendation on Nov. 5. According to court documents, Daniels became infuriated in March 2020 when a whale began taking fish from his longline fishing gear and damaging equipment. This kind...

  • Bipartisan coalition will lead state Senate again next session

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Nov 13, 2024

    A majority of Alaska state senators want to address education, elections, energy and the public employee retirement system when they convene in January. Late Nov. 6, the day after the election, leading senators confirmed that the chamber will continue to be led by a large coalition of Republicans and Democrats. Members of the new bipartisan coalition were vague about its precise makeup, saying negotiations are still ongoing. After one member of last session’s coalition lost reelection and another decided against running for another term, the g...

  • Trump endorses Republican Begich in U.S. House race

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Oct 30, 2024

    In a brief “tele-rally” Oct. 21, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump urged Alaskans to vote for U.S. House candidate Nick Begich, saying that control of the closely divided House could come down to a single vote. “Control of the House of Representatives is so important, and Alaska, you could very well be the vote,” he said. Begich is seeking to unseat incumbent Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, and polling shows the candidates are running close together. Most seats in the 435-person U.S. House tilt strongly Democratic or Republican; Alas...

  • Legislators set new limits on signs people bring into state Capitol

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Oct 23, 2024

    Alaska legislators have voted to ban large signs in the state Capitol, a move that followed large protests over Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s decision to veto a multipart education bill earlier this year. Under a new policy, visitors to the Capitol “are permitted to hand-carry a paper-based poster board or placard type sign up to 11×17 inches in the Capitol corridors and lobby.” The policy prohibits signs on sticks and posts — all signs must be held by hand. “A sign will be confiscated if it is used to disturb, or used in a manner that will imminently...

  • Visitor security screening could start at state Capitol

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Oct 23, 2024

    An airport-style security screening checkpoint could be coming to the Alaska State Capitol, ending decades of open public access. In a public notice published Oct. 2, the nonpartisan agency in charge of Capitol administration seeks a private firm to “conduct security screening of visitors and visitors’ belongings.” The firm may also be in charge of screening incoming packages. Security officers at the Alaska Capitol do not currently screen incoming visitors, and the Capitol does not use metal detectors or backscatter X-ray machines like those...

  • Peltola, Begich differ on federal spending, abortion and minimum wage

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Oct 16, 2024

    Alaska's two leading U.S. House candidates are offering significantly different views on the role of federal spending, a cornerstone of Alaska's economy. Speaking to members of the Alaska Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 10 in Fairbanks, incumbent Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola promoted her support of big federal infrastructure bills that have brought billions of dollars to Alaska. Republican challenger Nick Begich criticized that legislation and voiced concerns about the size of the federal deficit,...

  • Annual payment to Alaskans $1,702; direct deposit starts Oct. 3

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Sep 25, 2024

    This year’s Permanent Fund dividend, plus a one-time energy rebate bonus, will be a combined $1,702 per recipient, the Alaska Department of Revenue announced Sept. 19. The amount is slightly higher than previous estimates from the spring, in part because the number of eligible Alaskans is lower than expected. The payments will be direct-deposited into bank accounts starting Oct. 3. Paper checks, for those Alaskans who requested them, will be mailed later in October. This year’s combined dividend is about $400 more than last year’s payme...

  • Court allows felon in New York prison to remain on Alaska ballot

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Sep 18, 2024

    The Alaska Supreme Court on Sept. 12 affirmed the U.S. House candidacy of Eric Hafner, a Democrat imprisoned in New York state on a 20-year felony sentence. The court, in a split 4-1 decision, upheld Anchorage Superior Court Judge Ian Wheeles’ decision to dismiss a lawsuit by the Alaska Democratic Party that had challenged Hafner’s eligibility. The decision means Hafner will appear on the November U.S. House ballot alongside incumbent Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola, Republican challenger Nick Begich, and Alaskan Independence Party challenger Joh...

  • Governor vetoes bill to resolve dispute over taxes on car-sharing rentals

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Sep 18, 2024

    Alaska’s governor has vetoed a bill intended to clarify the rental car tax collection process for Alaskans who put up their vehicles for rent on Turo and similar car-sharing applications. The Alaska Department of Revenue has said that Turo is subject to the state’s 10% sales tax on rental cars, the same as Avis, Hertz and other companies that own and rent cars. But Turo has argued that users, not the company itself, are liable for collecting the tax. The state unsuccessfully sued Turo six years ago in an attempt to find out how much tax rev...

  • Alaska primary election turnout 3rd lowest in past 50 years

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Sep 4, 2024

    Turnout in this year’s state primary election is on pace to be the third lowest in the past 50 years, according to preliminary figures published Aug. 27 by the Alaska Division of Elections. Through that evening, 106,208 votes had been counted from just over 17.5% of all registered voters. The turnout rate in Wrangell was similar. Four years ago, Alaskans approved a new elections system that includes an open primary election in which candidates from all parties compete in the same race for each statewide office. The top four vote-getters a...

  • Dahlstrom drops out of race to defeat Peltola for Congress

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Aug 28, 2024

    Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom is withdrawing from the race for the state’s lone U.S. House seat, she announced via social media on Friday, just three days after the primary election. With most of the votes counted, Dahlstrom is expected to finish third in the state’s top-four primary election, behind Democratic incumbent Mary Peltola and fellow Republican challenger Nick Begich. In a prepared statement published, Dahlstrom said she wanted to see Peltola voted out of office but “at this time, the best thing I can do to see that goal reali...

  • State supreme court clears ranked-choice repeal vote for ballot

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Aug 28, 2024

    A ballot measure that could repeal Alaska’s ranked-choice election system is headed to a vote in November, the Alaska Supreme Court confirmed Thursday, Aug. 22. In a brief order, the court’s five members upheld a lower court decision that certified Ballot Measure 2, which would repeal the laws that created the state’s ranked-choice general election and open primary election system. The order came shortly after justices heard oral arguments in an appeal claiming that the Alaska Division of Elections improperly certified the measure. “Toda...

  • Appeals court overturns order that would have blocked king salmon trollers

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Aug 21, 2024

    By James Brooks Alaska Beacon A three-judge panel at 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned a lower-court decision that could have temporarily halted troll fishing for salmon in Southeast Alaska. The appellate court decision, announced Aug. 16, clears the way for the region’s troll fishery to continue. It had been threatened by a lawsuit from the Washington-based Wild Fish Conservancy, an environmental group. The group filed suit in 2020, arguing that National Marine Fisheries Service rules applied to the fishery were inadequate w...

  • Alaska election could affect which party controls U.S. House

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Aug 14, 2024

    Seattle has more power in the U.S. House of Representatives than the state of Alaska. And yet, ahead of this year’s congressional elections, there’s as much at stake with Alaska’s race than all four of the House seats in Seattle’s King County combined. The vast majority of the 435 seats in the House are firmly Democratic or firmly Republican. Alaska is among a dwindling number of exceptions that could go in any direction. More than that, it’s one of just five places in the country that voted for Donald Trump as president in 2020 yet elected a...

  • Governor vetoes 5 bills passed after legislative adjournment deadline

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Aug 7, 2024

    Gov. Mike Dunleavy has vetoed five bills passed by the Alaska Legislature after the constitutionally mandated date to end its session. The vetoed bills include bonding authority to build a new cruise ship dock in Seward, a bill allowing licensed 18-year-olds to serve alcohol at bars, a measure that would prohibit insurance companies from denying coverage to elected officials, legislation to eliminate duplicative registration requirements for boats, and a proposal that would have allowed employers to pay workers with short-term electronic...

  • Permanent Fund at risk of cash shortfall in upcoming years

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Aug 7, 2024

    Financial documents published July 31 by the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. show the fund lacks enough spendable money to immediately pay for items in the state’s annual budget, a sign that the state’s top source of general-purpose revenue is on course for a future crisis. This year, lawmakers and Gov. Mike Dunleavy approved a $1 billion transfer from the spendable portion of the Permanent Fund to the constitutionally protected principal, to help the principal keep pace with inflation. As of July 1, there was only $571.7 million available for tha...

  • Federal commission approves electronic gaming hall near Anchorage

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Aug 7, 2024

    The National Indian Gaming Commission has approved plans for a casino-style tribal gaming hall proposed by the Native Village of Eklutna for a site near Anchorage. The decision, published this month by the commission, follows an Interior Department decision in February that reinterpreted the legal status of Alaska Native trust land, reversing decades of precedent. The gaming hall, which is expected to hold rows of electronic gambling machines, is similar to the Southeast Winds Casino in Metlakatla but would be a first in the state’s p...

  • Latest state forecast puts Wrangell population at under 1,400 by 2050

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Jul 24, 2024

    Alaska’s population is set to decline by 14,000 residents by 2050, according to a new forecast from the Alaska Department of Labor, with Wrangell showing the highest rate of annual population loss over the period, dropping on average by 1.5% annually. The community’s population is forecast to drop to under 1,400 people by 2050, continuing its steady decline from 2,369 residents in the 2010 U.S. Census and 2,039 in last summer’s state estimate. The ongoing loss of working-age residents is a leading cause of the statewide population decli...

  • Appeals Court appears unlikely to order halt to troll king salmon fishery

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Jul 24, 2024

    In closely watched oral arguments on July 18, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals indicated that it is unlikely to grant an environmental group’s petition for an order that could halt — at least temporarily — a valuable Southeast Alaska king salmon fishery. In May 2023, a judge in the U.S. District Court covering western Washington issued an order that said federal officials were allowing Alaska fishermen to harvest king salmon at rates that harmed an endangered population of killer whales in Puget Sound. The whale...

  • Judge says Alaska tribes may put land into trust, a step toward 'Indian country'

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Jul 10, 2024

    A federal judge has ruled that the Department of the Interior may take land into trust on behalf of Alaska Native tribes, a decision that could allow tribes to create “Indian country,” which had been mostly eliminated here by the 53-year-old Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. In a 39-page summary judgment order on June 26, Anchorage Judge Sharon Gleason ruled mostly but not entirely against the state, which sued the Interior Department in 2023 to challenge an administrative decision that the department has the power to take land into tru...

  • EPA pushes state to update fish consumption data and water quality rules

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Jun 12, 2024

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is prodding the state of Alaska over its failure to update water pollution rules. On Thursday, June 6, the EPA issued a formal determination that the state should update pollution limits that are based in part on the amount of fish consumed by individuals. Under federal law, those limits are supposed to be reviewed every three years, but Alaska has not updated its limits since 2003. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has been working since 2013 on an updated list of water quality...

  • State sues Ketchikan stores for selling fake Alaska jewelry

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Jun 12, 2024

    The state last month sued the owners of three Ketchikan jewelry stores, alleging a broad scheme to defraud Alaskans and tourists by selling fake made-in-Alaska jewelry. The stores, which include Soni Inc. and Colors Fine Jewelers, initially continued operations despite the state’s request for a court order closing them, reported radio station KRBD in Ketchikan. As of Thursday, June 6, Soni was still open; no one answered the phone at Colors Fine Jewelers. The case is one of several consumer-protection lawsuits filed by the Alaska Department of...

  • Southeast fisherman pleads guilty for ordering crew to shoot whale

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|May 29, 2024

    A Southeast Alaska fisherman has agreed to plead guilty to a federal misdemeanor after admitting that he directed a crew member to shoot a sperm whale northwest of Sitka in March 2020. According to federal court filings, Dugan Daniels, 54, also tried to ram the whale with his fishing boat, the Pacific Bounty. The whale died, according to the court filing. In addition, Daniels agreed to plead guilty to a felony for lying about a sablefish catch in fall 2020, according to the text of the plea deal. The charges and the plea deal were filed by...

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