Adelyn Baxter

Indigenous People’s Day is Monday, and the University of Alaska Southeast will mark the occasion with academic discussions and deer stew.

In June, Gov. Bill Walker signed legislation officially recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Alaska. Alaska is the second state to replace Columbus Day by refocusing the day on Native culture.

Kolene James is the coordinator for the UAS Native and Rural Student Center.

“We have faculty and staff at all three campuses putting together the programs, ” James said earlier this week on A Juneau Afternoon. “We are working with our local tribes, so come and join us for some good conversations about decolonization and the importance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”

Events in Juneau will culminate in a panel discussion and a traditional foods demonstration at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall, followed by a performance by local dance group Woosh.ji.een.

UAS and the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska will also stream events on Facebook Live.

A full list of Indigenous Peoples’ Day events is available at http://www.uas.alaska.edu/indigenous-day/.

The University of Alaska Southeast participated Tuesday in News Engagement Day, part of a national effort to increase civic participation and media literacy.

Assistant Professor of Communications Rosemarie Alexander, a former KTOO journalist, said she sees as a concerning trend among young people when it comes to news.

“So few young people actually engage in news. And one of the reasons we decided to do it here at UAS is simply, as a former reporter — excuse me, as a reporter who is now teaching also — I can’t believe that students really are not civilly engaged, and so this was an opportunity to help them,” she said. 

Alexander invited former CNN producer Chuck Thompson, who’s originally from Juneau, to lead a discussion on the future of news media.

Thompson connected with Peter Bale, the launch editor of a new news project called WikiTribune led by the founder of Wikipedia. 

Bale spoke to the lecture hall full of students by video conference from London.

WikiTribune aims to fix problems like fake news and distrust of media by allowing users to fact-check news articles along with professional journalists. It is expected to launch later this year.

Students grilled him on the wisdom of allowing news articles to be annotated by members of the public and asked him how he would ensure objectivity in reporting.

Taylor Hrupek, an exchange student from the University of South Dakota studying communications, said it was exciting to hear about WikiTribune’s plan.

“This will probably end up being a pretty big deal on some worldwide spectrum, so it’s cool to see, like, we’re in the town of Juneau, Alaska, and we’re getting a front row seat to what’s going on in the world,” Hrupek said. 

Alexander said News Engagement Day is just the beginning of a larger effort to increase media literacy at UAS.

Unofficial election results show incumbent Brian Holst and newcomer Jeff Short as the winning the three-way Juneau school board race.

Holst led with 3,558 votes, followed by Short with 2,666 and Kevin Allen with 1,574.

At City Hall, Short said his immediate plans for his tenure on the board included adding a teacher advisory position, enforcing truancy laws and working to correct reading deficits for elementary students.

“I’m both pleased and humbled to have so many people place their trust and confidence in me, so I am looking forward to getting on with the job at hand,” Short said.

Short is a retired researcher for the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Holst is the director of the Juneau Economic Development Council. He’s served on the school board for three years, and as board president for the last two. He said he is relieved to be able to move forward on education issues in the Juneau School District.

“I’m very grateful for the many people that have helped me — my wife, my kids, especially,” Holst said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I’m glad it’s over. I want to thank Jeff and Kevin for making it an energetic race as well. Both great guys. I’m glad they both ran and I wish them both luck.”

Challenger Kevin Allen also ran in last year’s school board race. He is a 2016 graduate of Thunder Mountain High School and a current University of Alaska Southeast student.

Allen said he does not plan to run again.

School board candidates Jeff Short and Kevin Allen look on as unofficial results continue to come in. #CBJvotes pic.twitter.com/VMe3JthP2R

— Adelyn Baxter (@adelynbaxter) October 4, 2017

“I really do hope, to the 1,500 people who did vote for me, I hope I can take some comfort to letting them know that I am the president at the student government over at UAS,” Allen said. “I will still be making a difference in education, whether I did make it to the board or not.”

Holst and Short will be sworn in Oct. 17 at the next Juneau School Board meeting.

Official election results are expected to be certified Oct. 10.

A duck hunter reported finding human remains Monday afternoon at a campsite in the woods near the base of Thunder Mountain.

According to a release from the Juneau Police Department, detectives found the remains at a spot about 40 minutes from the trailhead near Rainbow Road and Jennifer Drive.  

The remains appeared to be one person, although decomposition prevented immediate identification. It was also not clear how long the body had been there. The remains will be sent to the Alaska State Medical Examiner’s Officer in order to determine identity and cause of death.

Juneau Police Lt. David Campbell said there was clothing and camping equipment found at the site, but the items didn’t offer any clues that would help identify the remains. Police did recover parts of a skull and lower jaw that they hope to compare with the dental records of missing persons.

Campbell said dental records would be the quickest way to identify the remains; DNA analysis would take much longer.

The location where the remains were found is near where 53-year-old Teri Heuscher was reported missing on June 24. Heuscher’s family found her car at the Under Thunder trailhead. Alaska State Troopers called off the search the next day, saying they did not have enough evidence to go on to be confident she had actually been in the area. 

Campbell said the remains appeared to have been there for several months.

A suspected arson in a bathroom at Thunder Mountain High School this morning led students and staff to evacuate as Capital City Fire/Rescue responded.

The fire started in a men’s bathroom just before 10 a.m. Sprinklers went off and put the fire out before CCFR arrived, according to Assistant Fire Chief Ed Quinto. He said the fire marshal is investigating it as arson. A suspect has not been identified. CCFR estimate $2,500 in damage. 

According to Juneau School District Chief of Staff Kristin Bartlett, students and staff were back in the school as of about 10:30 a.m.

Normal school operations have resumed, with classes in the affected area relocated elsewhere. Bartlett said school maintenance staff are currently cleaning up.

By next fall, the first batch of University of Alaska Southeast undergraduates are expected to begin a first-of-its-kind scholarship program for Alaska.

Students that are accepted to the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative, or CSPI, become active-duty enlisted members of the Coast Guard, receive full salary and benefits and start a track to become fully commissioned officers upon graduation.

UAS and the Coast Guard on Monday signed an agreement, establishing the program. During the signing ceremony, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Michael McAllister said the partnership opens up an “exchange of knowledge” between the campus and the Coast Guard.

“It’s a great opportunity for the many, many Coast Guard men and women in Alaska, but particularly Southeast Alaska, to get engaged back in the classroom, whether they’re as students, as mentors, or even guest instructors from time to time,” McAllister said. “It’s an opportunity for students here at UAS to get out and learn about some of the things the Coast Guard does in terms of marine environmental protection, in terms of fisheries enforcement, in terms of search and rescue and give them experiential learning out in the field.”

Students must be full-time sophomores or juniors to apply. Much like ROTC, students accepted into the program are on track to become fully commissioned officers upon graduation. They also receive up to two years’ full tuition. Unlike ROTC, CSPI students are active-duty enlisted members of the Coast Guard and receive full salary and benefits.

Lt. Junior Grade Collin McClelland graduated from the CSPI program at Norfolk State University more than a year ago and is now assigned to Juneau. McClelland comes from five generations of military service, so being involved in a tight-knit community was a major factor in his decision to join.

“Being a part of the Coast Guard in an area like this is something to be proud of and something that definitely makes you go home, go to sleep at night and you feel like you did something,” McClelland said.

UAS Chancellor Rick Caulfield signed the agreement with McAllister, and said the campus has plans to create a scholarship for freshmen and sophomore students who plan to enroll in CSPI.

“Juneau has a great marine industry, and the more we can educate young people about all aspects of the maritime industry here, whether it’s joining the Coast Guard or getting involved with the fishing industry or marine repair,” Caulfield  said. “It gives students an idea of how they can make a living in this beautiful setting that we’re in and how important maritime industry is to our economy here in Juneau.”

Applications for the first CSPI class at UAS will be due in January.