A recent transplant to Juneau from Iowa, Tripp J Crouse has more than 13 years of journalism and newspaper experience, and was previously the social media editor for the Quad-City Times of Davenport, Iowa, from April 2013 to July 2016.
Complaint alleged unwanted contact from Parish, report says: House Speaker Bryce Edgmon on Wednesday defended how the latest case to become public was resolved, saying lawyers for the woman’s employer and the Legislature agreed to have Rep. Justin Parish undergo additional training.
A grand jury handed up an indictment Thursday against nine people on four counts of drug possession and three counts of attempting to sneak the contraband in. All counts are felonies.
According to court documents, Jerry Andrew Active, 29, and eight others allegedly conspired to sneak the contraband into Lemon Creek Correctional Center during a December 2017 jail visit.
The indictment included names of Lemon Creek inmates and other suspects who allegedly coordinated the scheduled visit.
Court documents say the plan was for Amanda Natkong to smuggle meth and heroin into the correctional facility, but officers stopped her and found the drugs.
Others charged in the indictment include:
Chad L. Kreftmeyer
Brendon Wesley Adam Valdez
John Negley
Buck Robert Mills
Roberta J. White
Tamra R. Fuhr
Susan Paulsen
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Philip R. Volland sentenced Active to prison in the 2013 murder of a north Anchorage couple. Police also say he assaulted another couple, and he sexually assaulted an elderly woman and a child.
A wrongful death lawsuit against Active and a co-defendant in that case was dismissed Jan. 25.
Juneau’s Rep. Justin Parish won’t seek re-election: Another Juneau Democrat won’t seek re-election. Freshman lawmaker Rep. Justin Parish posted a short video announcement Tuesday on Facebook. The capital city’s entire legislative delegation will be in play this fall.
Jury selection to begin Wednesday in Excursion Inlet homicide trial: The Mark Anthony De Simone homicide trial is back on track, only a few days behind schedule. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Wednesday. De Simone is accused of shooting Rosales at a hunting cabin in Excursion Inlet.
School district announces next director of administrative services: The Juneau School District has named Finance Officer Sarah Jahn as its next director of Administrative Services, effective July 1. In her new role, Jahn will take on managing the district’s nearly $90 million budget. She will also oversee programs like student transportation, information technology, facilities upkeep and maintenance.
Actress Irene Bedard talks Monday, April 23, 2018, about her sister during “An Evening of Stories” at the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall in Juneau. Her sister was abused and sex trafficked. (Photo by Tripp J Crouse/KTOO)
About 50 people attended “An Evening of Stories” at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault sponsored the event.
Actress Irene Bedard and playwright Vera Starbard shared their personal experiences. Starbard talked about her semi-autobiographical play, “Our Voices Will Be Heard.”
“It was intense, about a year and a half of really intense exploring my own abuse through a really public format,” Starbard said. “I don’t think I knew what I was signing up for until I did it. And it felt pretty good though, because … after every single performance I would hear a version of ‘this is my story,’ ‘that’s my story,’ ‘that happened to me.’”
Playwright Vera Starbard listens to a question Monday during “An Evening of Stories.” (Photo by Tripp J Crouse/KTOO)
Starbard said that a month after the play closed, the troupe found out one of the actors was an abuser.
“It destroyed everything. And it took me a while to come out of that. It’s hard, but it was months of hiding,” Starbard said. “Because I couldn’t believe that’s what I presented to people. I presented an abuser. To represent this idyllic world with no abuse.”
The play opened again in Fairbanks, and Starbard heard people tell their stories again.
Bedard, who voiced Disney’s “Pocahontas” and is also Starbard’s sister-in-law, also talked about her various roles in film and television.
“I feel like in so many ways the history of my film-makings since the beginning has been going through the history of these Native women from all over the country,” said the actress who also starred in “Smoke Signals” and “Into the West.” “I’ve had the chance to tell the variations on a theme of what the experience for Native women has been over the centuries. So here we are now, I feel like we have experiences where we can tell those stories.”
Bedard also performed a personal piece by the actress titled “Seven Dreams,” a portion of “Our Voices Will Be Heard,” and a new piece by Starbard titled “Fog Woman.”
Alaska Senate statement backs ‘free and open’ internet: The Alaska Senate has narrowly approved a formal statement supporting a “free and open” internet that’s equally accessible to all consumers. The so-called Sense of the Senate also calls on Congress to overturn a Federal Communications Commission decision to end net-neutrality protections. It passed 11-7.
Sitka bear sanctuary making room for more black bears: Fortress of the Bear Manager Claire Turner said during a presentation at the Sitka Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday that the new enclosure will add about 10 times the space of its previous black bear habitat.
David Purdy, Scott Burton, Ishmael Angaluuk Hope, Elasonga Milligrock, and Cheryl Snyder won Alaska Press Club awards for two long-form TV stories, “Lineage: Tlingit Art Across Generations” and “Inside Out: Leaving Prison Behind.” (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
360 North, Alaska’s Energy Desk and KTOO Public Media received several awards this weekend at the annual Alaska Press Club.
Some of the awards were for stories on the arts, business, culture, health, history and science.
Alaska Press Club is a group of journalists and media representatives in Alaska. The club holds a journalism conference and awards banquet each year.
