Interior

Denali National Park and two conservation groups are asking the Alaska Board of Game to consider proposals aimed at protecting park wolves. The proposals are not currently in line for review until next year.

Denali National Park chief of resources Dave Shirokauer says the park’s proposal would eliminate overlap of state spring wolf hunting and bear baiting seasons along the park’s northeast boundary.

“We do know that two members of the East Fork pack were harvested in association with a bear baiting station last spring,” Shirokauer said.

He said the deaths are likely why Denali’s once popularly viewed East Fork pack did not den this past spring, an issue given the park’s overall wolf population is at an all-time low of fewer than 50 animals.

The hunting season adjustment is more modest than what the Alaska Wildlife Alliance and Denali Citizen’s Council are seeking. DCC Secretary Nancy Bale describes a proposal which would ban wolf harvest on a swath of state land.

“Set aside an area that includes the wolf townships and the Nenana Canyon area, which are areas where wolves take forays outside the park,” Bale said.

The Game Board eliminated an earlier wolf buffer zone in 2010 and imposed a 6-year moratorium on consideration of Denali wolf proposals. That’s set to end, but Bale says a change to the regional meeting schedule means further delay.

“Last year, the Board of Game changed their cycle of meetings from every two years to every three years as a cost-saving measure,” she said.

The sponsors of both Denali wolf proposals are requesting the Game Board consider them out of cycle at a statewide March meeting in Fairbanks.

Conoco-Phillips is donating a half-million dollars to help complete an engineering building at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It is the second large donation by industry directed to the project. But it’s questionable whether the building will see students anytime soon, given Alaska’s fiscal climate.

With Conoco-Phillips’ $500,000 donation, UAF’s engineering building has attracted $1 million in private gifts. It’s still just a fraction of the funding needed to finish the $122 million project.

UAF spokeswoman Marmian Grimes estimates it will take tens of millions of more dollars to open doors to students.

“$34.8 million in the capital budget. And then with the Conoco-Phillips gift, then another $5.5 million to finish the fourth floor.”

The fourth floor will be home to a new alternative energy lab and its where Conoco directed its donation. However, it’s the ‘capital’ portion of the equation that’s tricky, given the state’ current fiscal landscape.

John Davies serves on the Board of Regents and is a former state legislator. He says the Board of Regents has made completing the engineering building its top legislative request. And while he acknowledges a capital appropriation looks doubtful, he holds out hope for a general obligation bond.

“I think the legislature in this environment certainly has the capacity to do that. And certainly one of the highest priorities on that list would be finishing the engineering building at UAF,” Bonds says.

Davies says there is a large unmet demand for engineers in Alaska. He hopes the governor and lawmakers take a page from Conoco’s book and invest in the building’s completion.

Fairbanks first marijuana business has been open for just over a month. “The Higher Calling” – or THC – is one of several so-called “clubs” in the state that have arisen since voter’s passage of a marijuana legalization initiative in 2014.

Clubs like Fairbanks’ “The Higher Calling” do not sell marijuana. The Higher Calling’s co-owner Megan Mooers describes her downtown area business as a private club for cannabis enthusiasts.

“Membership allows you use of the building to bring your own cannabis products to use or smoke,” Mooers said.

Mooers says the club, which offers coffee, snacks and a game room, signed up 130 paying members in its first month of operation.

Mooers’ husband and business partner Marcus Mooers says the club does not allow synthetic marijuana or alcohol on premises and is being very careful about how the operation is run.

“We recognize that we are the flagship cannabis business for all of the North Star Boroughs,” he said. “While we’re doing a lot to try to make our members happy and to help the community realize that it’s OK for them, it’s legal now, it’s OK to come out and consume and even say that you smoke marijuana or consume marijuana, we also want to make sure that we’re really respectful to the community and the neighborhood.”

Mooers says that includes measures taken in light of the club’s proximity to a day care facility.

“We’ve kept our signage to a minimum; we tailored our hours to sort of be alternate to the day care there,” he said. “We are, out of respect for the community, trying to look around and see what other options we have to possibly move the club to a different location.”

Marijuana clubs are not currently covered by local or state regulations, which are focused on commercial marijuana cultivation, processing, testing and retail sale. Megan Mooers says they are ready to comply if things change.

“There’s debate on whether there will be licensing for private clubs,” she said. “If so, then we’ll be applying for a license for that.”

Alaska Marijuana Control Board executive Director Cindy Franklin says the panel recognizes the need for public places to consume marijuana but considers clubs operating in their current unlicensed, unregulated form, as illegal, adding that the state board has yet to address the issue.

The village of Rampart is looking for a teacher. The school re-opened earlier this year after being shuttered 15 years ago. The first Chief and Administrator said temporary teachers sent by the district don’t have the skills village kids need.

Floyd Green became first Chief and Administrator of the Rampart Village Council in 2013. He said the small village on the Yukon River renovated and re-opened the school for students after a 15-year hiatus. But after two temporary teachers have served, Green said parents aren’t happy. He said teachers need to be invested in the community and kids, and should be able to teach everything from kindergarten to high school.

“Somebody interested in teaching their knowledge to our students, and that isn’t just here for a paycheck,” Green said.

Green said communications between the village and the Yukon Flats School district have not been good. He said he and Rampart parents have been asking for a permanent qualified teacher for a while.

“Finally, during the school board meeting on the 15th, we asked, ‘Where’s our new teacher? What’s going on?’ And they said, ‘Well, we can’t find one,’” he said.

The Yukon Flats School District said it’s challenging to attracting qualified teachers to villages. And Green acknowledges the district has hired a teacher’s aide to assist. He hopes that sweetens the deal for anyone looking at the job.

The City of Fairbanks’ police chief apologized Wednesday for comments he made about the state’s legal settlement with the Fairbanks Four. Chief Randall Aragon also committed to further investigation of the case.

KTVA reported last week that Aragon said the settlement vindicates the police department and prosecutors. He also said that the state didn’t agree to the settlement because the men were innocent, but instead because of political pressure.

Marvin Roberts, Kevin Pease, George Freese and Eugene Vent were convicted of the murder of John Hartman 18 years ago. The men maintain their innocence.

Aragon retracted the comments he made

“You know I could go on and on and on and apologize. Words are like bullets … once fired they’re almost impossible to recover,” he said. “But I want you to know this … My heart was there. My heart is with the Native community.”

Aragon also walked back his assertion that the 1997 murder case is closed.

City Mayor John Eberhart said police will be following up on new information brought forward during a Fairbanks Four post-conviction relief hearing this fall. Eberhart said that would include alternate Hartman murder suspects William Holmes and Jason Wallace, men already in prison for drug killings in 2002. They’re also being investigated regarding the unsolved stabbing death of Mahogany Davis that same year.

Eberhart committed to pursuing an independent review of Fairbanks police handling of the Hartman case. The mayor’s statements and Aragon’s apology were accepted by Fairbanks Native Association Director Steve Ginnis. He emphasized that questions remain about local and state handling of the Fairbanks Four case.

“We will continue to work on those,” said. “We will continue to try to find some resolve to those questions. It doesn’t stop with the release of these men.”

Another Native community leader, Dorothy Shockley, said after the press conference that Aragon’s statements last week were damaging.

“I really believe that we did take a few steps back because of those statements,” Shockley said.

Shockley, who’s related to Fairbanks Four member Marvin Roberts, said the case points to the continuing issue of racism.

“As the Native community, that’s what we’re telling people,” Shockley said. “There is racism. We are treated differently, and unfortunately, a lot of times, it’s not in a good way.”

Shockley said she’ll have to see action, not just hear words, to really believe positive change is happening at the Fairbanks Police Department.

Hundreds gathered Sunday to listen to music, dance, eat and donate money for the Fairbanks Four.

The fundraiser at the Cook Inlet Tribal Council raised more than $7,000 for George Frese, Kevin Pease, Marvin Roberts and Eugene Vent, whose convictions in the 1997 murder of John Hartman were tossed out Friday.

Isaac Bartley was one of about 20 volunteers who prepared and served about 300 Indian tacos – those are tacos made with fry bread – which sold for $10 each.

“People were lining up like crazy, out the door,” Bartley said.

Agatha Ericson says the donated items sold in a silent auction brought in more than $2,000.

“We had jars of fish and jam that went for $300,” she said. “We had blackberries. We also had some beautiful birch bark baskets, and some seal skin slippers. We also had some wood carvings, a beautiful cribbage board too that went for quite a bit of money as well, carved cribbage board.”

Several groups, including the Unity Drummers, the Tlingit and Haida Dancers of Anchorage, and Marc Brown and the Troublemakers with guest Gary Farmer performed that evening.

Demaris Hudson heads up the Ida’ina K’eljeshna Dancers. She says pulling together to support each other is important, and she wants to set an example for young people on how to face and overcome issues.

“When it comes to our Native people, not only here in Alaska but across the (all of) Indian Country, issues arise, and we are stronger as a people with more than one voice, when we stand united and support each other,” Hudson said.

Two of the Fairbanks Four spoke to the crowd by telephone from Fairbanks.

“Just know I love you all. I’m so grateful for everything you’ve ever done,” Freese said.

Vent also expressed gratitude.

“I just want you guys to know from the bottom of my heart. It means the world to me because when we were down, we watched you guys, talked to you. You gave us strength,” he said.

Organizer Rodney McCord said he and Samuel Johns took just a little over a week to set up the event ahead of Christmas, and he’s pleased with the turnout.

“Tons and tons of people gathering for a good cause, for the Fairbanks Four to raise them some money so they could have a merry Christmas,” McCord said. “It was such a blessing. I can’t even explain how happy this made me feel.”

The money from the fundraiser will be deposited in a bank account for the Fairbanks Four. Another fundraiser for the men is being hosted online.