Economy

Most of the staff running three Alaska newspapers in Homer, Kenai-Soldotna and Juneau resigned in protest Monday. The decision came after the corporate owner of the Homer News, Kenai Peninsula Clarion and Juneau Empire forced revisions to a story after pressure from a Republican state lawmaker.

The four journalists — Regional Editor Erin Thompson, Clarion Sports and Features Editor Jeff Helminiak, Clarion Senior Reporter Jake Dye and Homer News Reporter Chloe Pleznac — signed a joint resignation letter castigating Alabama-based Carpenter Media Group for its decision to modify the story without consulting the reporter or editor responsible, saying it “gravely undermined” their ability to do their jobs.

“Though this decision is extremely painful for us, it is not difficult,” they wrote. “We cannot do our jobs knowing that pressure from an elected official can mean our stories are edited without prior consultation with us.”

Last Wednesday, Homer Republican Rep. Sarah Vance posted a letter on state letterhead to her official Facebook page objecting to a Homer News article about a memorial for the slain activist Charlie Kirk. She highlighted a paragraph that identified Kirk as a “far-right” activist with “racist and controversial views.” Vance accused the paper of bias and said she was “aware of” a campaign to boycott Homer News advertising.

In an interview, Dye said his resignation was a long time coming. He’s repeatedly complained about mismanagement since Carpenter Media bought the paper out of insolvency last year, he said. But capitulating to pressure from a state lawmaker, going over the editor’s and reporter’s heads, Dye said, was a step too far.

A day later, the story was removed, edited, stripped of a byline and reposted — without, Dye said, any consultation with the newsroom. Vance subsequently thanked Carpenter Media in a Facebook post for responding to her concerns after a discussion with the paper’s publisher.

“Sarah Vance sent one letter on a Wednesday night — she probably didn’t even put a ton of thought into it — and got our story changed,” he said. “What stops her from doing that the next time? What stops anybody?”

Vance and Carpenter Media did not respond to interview requests.

Dye hasn’t gotten answers on what Vance asked for, and what Carpenter agreed to, he said.

“I feel like I should be able to trust Carpenter Media,” he said. “That’s just not what happened in this case.”

The mass resignations leave the three papers with just two reporters: one for the Homer News and another with the Juneau Empire, Dye said.

Veteran Alaska journalist and University of Alaska Fairbanks professor Paula Dobbyn said she was shocked by the episode — not just by Vance’s pressure campaign, but Carpenter’s decision to give in.

“We pride ourselves as Americans on having freedom of the press,” she said. “For an ownership group to just go ahead and alter a news story based on a complaint by a politician without consulting the editor or the reporter, I just think was appalling, and I fully support the staff for not putting up with it.”

It’s especially alarming given the fragile state of journalism in Alaska, she said. It’s not clear what’ll happen to the papers with most of the editorial staff gone, and Dobbyn said she’s concerned the exodus will leave Kenai Peninsula communities less informed.

“I certainly hope that the Kenai is not going to become another news desert, because, you know, people have the right to be informed,” she said. “There’s a lot that’s happening down there, and we certainly need coverage of it.”

Dobbyn said she hoped another news source would fill the void. She pointed to the Juneau Independent, a nonprofit online outlet founded by the former editor of another Carpenter paper, the Juneau Empire, who also resigned over disagreements with management.

As much as he loves journalism, Dye said he’s not planning to follow a similar path.

“I don’t think the others are really interested in that. We certainly don’t have the money for that,” he said. “I, unfortunately, kind of think this is it.”

Dye hopes Carpenter Media will invest in its Alaska papers, he said, but he’s not optimistic. He said management told the newsroom that the Clarion was losing money, but had not outlined plans to turn the struggling outlet around.

“Until this last week, they (didn’t) really interact with us,” he said. “I keep asking them what the plan is, and I don’t ever get a satisfying answer.”

On Tuesday, Dye said he planned to head to the local job center for a typing test so he could apply for a job as a 911 dispatcher.

“I really think that’s going to be less stressful than what I’m doing now,” he said.

Editor’s note: Former Homer News reporter Chloe Pleznac previously worked at KTOO as a Morning Edition host from 2022 to 2024. 

The cruise line Holland America will have a large Alaska-themed float in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the company announced Monday during a ceremony in Juneau.

Alaskans have occasionally participated in the parade in New York City, which is celebrating its 99th anniversary this year, but the company believes this will be the first time that the state will be represented by a float in the event.

The announcement came on one of the last days of Holland America’s summer cruise ship operations in Alaska’s capital city. Juneau will continue receiving occasional large cruise ships through October.

“The float will be named simply ‘The Land of Glaciers, Wildlife and Wonder,'” said Leanne Jones with Holland America official during a ceremony announcing the float and a $5,000 donation to Trail Mix, a local trail-building nonprofit in Juneau.

“This marks the first time Alaska will be featured in the iconic holiday event, and the first time Holland America Line has ever participated in this parade,” Jones said. The parade is scheduled to start at 4:30 a.m. Alaska time on Thursday, Nov. 27.

A rendering displayed Monday shows a howling wolf, black bear and a moose at the back of the float. The main platform is a glacier and river with leaping salmon.

“Well, that’s a pretty exciting announcement,” said Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon. “And you know, after Macy’s parade, we do have a Fourth of July parade in Juneau.”

WASHINGTON — Funding has lapsed for the federal government. A short-term bill to keep government operations going failed in the U.S. Senate Tuesday, so a government shutdown began at midnight.

Both Alaska senators voted for the stop-gap spending bill, to continue funding while Congress works on a longer-term bill. It got 55 votes but needed 60.

President Donald Trump is threatening mass federal layoffs. And by not passing a spending bill, Congress is giving Trump free rein, Sen. Lisa Murkowski said.

“When you’re in a shutdown, you do not have equal branches of government,” she said. “You just don’t. The legislative branch has just kind of ceded this.”

Senate Democrats are holding out to get Republicans to agree to continue health care subsidies and restore cuts to Medicaid. Some of the subsidies are due to expire at the end of December, which will double or triple the monthly costs for millions of Americans who buy marketplace plans.

Murkowski would also like to continue insurance subsidies that some 25,000 Alaskans depend on. But, she says, negotiations went nowhere last week so Tuesday she voted for the bill to keep the government operating.

Murkowski warned that the partisan standoff could be a long one because each side believes voters will blame the other party.

“No one has an incentive,” to end a shutdown, she said. “If the Democrats feel that they’ve got the edge, where’s their incentive for them to get out of it? If the Republicans feel like we’re gaining with our base, what gives us any incentive to end it?”

Key functions of government will continue through a shutdown, including mail service and Social Security payments. Some federal employees, like the military and law enforcement, are deemed essential and have to work without pay until Congress agrees on a spending bill.

A spokesman for Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy said the state has funding to pay SNAP food benefits through October but only enough money to cover the first week of the month for WIC, the nutrition benefit for Women, Infants and Children.

Hours before the shutdown was to begin, only some agencies had published their shutdown plans.

Goldbelt Incorporated is finally sharing more about its proposed $500 million cruise ship port on the backside of Douglas Island.

Its president and CEO, McHugh Pierre, presented the plan to the Juneau Assembly for the first time at a committee meeting Monday night. 

“We have some really big, bold ideas,” he said. 

Last fall, the local Alaska Native corporation announced plans to develop the new port in partnership with Royal Caribbean Group. At the time of the announcement, city officials said they felt blindsided by the news. 

But on Monday, Pierre and Goldbelt’s board chair presented to the Juneau Assembly in front of a packed audience to explain exactly what’s in store for the development called Goldbelt Aaní. 

Pierre said the goal of the semi-private cruise destination is to uplift Lingít culture and support Juneau’s economy moving into the future.

“We believe it’s our mission to invest in the community, grow opportunities, build certainty and provide that foundation for families to grow and have confidence to remain in Juneau,” he said. 

Goldbelt owns roughly 1,800 acres of land along the northwest coastline of Douglas between False Outer Point and Point Hilda. The port will be located on about 250 acres just beyond where the road ends on North Douglas.

The plan is to develop the port in phases, starting out with basic dock and welcome center infrastructure before moving into broader ambitions like developing a child care center, employee housing and a replica Lingít village.

Once developed, the land would be subject to property taxes. Pierre estimates the project will cost $500 million. Goldbelt says it would catapult the corporation to become the city’s #1 property taxpayer. 

“We’re excited to contribute to the community, to have a strong community, and to put our money where our mouth is,” he said. 

Assembly members had a lot of questions. Wade Bryson questioned the Douglas Highway’s ability to handle the traffic the port would bring.

“That’s the thought that is on many of our minds, ‘How do we deal with North Douglas Highway and trying to accommodate this development?’” he said. 

Mayor Beth Weldon asked how the corporation intends to curb concerns that the new port would overwhelm the community with cruise tourism. Pierre said Goldbelt believes the new port will actually help alleviate visitor traffic and congestion by containing visitors at the port. 

Pierre didn’t commit to a firm timeline for when the port will open. That’s because of all of the hurdles the corporation still needs to jump over to get permitting approvals with the city and other governmental agencies. The project’s website states 2028 as its grand opening. 

The project is adjacent to a lot of city land. City leaders say they want to thoroughly plan for the North Douglas area before Goldbelt starts development. Pierre pushed back at that. 

“Goldbelt would be happy to work with the city concurrently, but Goldbelt would not be happy to be sidelined and stopped altogether from development because the city wants to do something on its land or plan something around its land,” he said. 

The project will need approvals from both the city planning commission and the Juneau Assembly to move forward. Goldbelt has yet to apply for any city permits.

Pierre said the corporation intends to provide updates to the community as the project moves forward.

The City and Borough of Juneau has pushed back the eviction deadline for renters living in the historic Telephone Hill neighborhood in downtown Juneau. 

Residents now have until Nov. 1 to move out. 

City Attorney Emily Wright told the Juneau Assembly during an executive session Monday night. Mayor Beth Weldon announced the change to the public during an Assembly committee meeting that followed.

It comes just two days before residents were supposed to vacate the neighborhood. 

According to Wright, the city received two notices in the past week from attorneys indicating that it did not properly and legally serve residents with eviction notices.

Upon review, the city discovered the property management company in charge of alerting residents on the hill that their rental agreement was ending did so, but did not properly document it.

The City and Borough of Juneau sent out an Oct. 1 eviction notice in late May. The city plans to demolish the houses on the hill this December in hopes of making way for newer, denser housing in response to the city’s housing crunch. The city does not yet have a developer signed on to the project. 

Last week, dozens of residents attended the Juneau Assembly meeting to protest the plan to evict residents. Assembly members could have chosen to rescind the eviction notices sent to residents at the meeting, but they declined. 

The city plans to put out new notices to vacate on the hill on Tuesday. 

Standing outside a white food truck, nine-year-old Katrina Aitaoto handed out Styrofoam boxes of hot food to the people lined up in the rain in the parking lot of Juneau’s Salvation Army. Friday night’s menu was a classic: breakfast for dinner. 

She asked how many dinners each person wanted, and shouted the order back to her fellow volunteers in the truck. Most asked for more than one, for other people they were camping with.

Katrina was there with her youth group, from Aldersgate United Methodist Church. She said she didn’t mind spending her Friday evening in the pouring rain.

“It’s because I want to help people just get some food so they can eat,” she said.

Fourteen-year-old Xenia Fuamaila is another youth group volunteer. She put some French toast in a to-go box. Xenia said it meant a lot to her, to be able to help. 

“I’m just really happy that people are being able to get meals when they’re able to,” she said. “Seeing that smile on their face.”

In August, the Glory Hall reduced its day services due to what staff say is an unsafe environment on the streets around the shelter.

The city’s winter warming shelter opens in mid October. It offers food in the mornings and evenings. But until then, the city’s unhoused population has limited options for finding a warm meal.

So kids like Katrina and Xenia, along with volunteers from several other churches, stepped in. Before the Glory Hall reduced its services, several churches distributed meals every Tuesday in the Mendenhall Valley. Now, more churches are joining in. They’ve brought their operation downtown, and serve food three times a week. 

Inside the truck, Melanie Venables directed the youth chefs as they made and distributed about 100 meals over the course of the evening. 

“Our youth group does all the cooking and the serving,” Venables said. 

She said community members have really responded to the food distribution, including those who need food, and those who want to help. 

“A lot of churches jumped right in to help, and it’s gotten more and more people every week,” Venables said. “So like, it’s been busy.” 

Harold Lloyd Hassell is one of those people. He said he’s been coming to this food distribution when it’s open, as he navigates living outside. 

“I’ve never been accustomed to being jobless or homeless in Juneau,” he said. 

He said that especially on a cold and wet evening like Friday, a warm meal is more than just food. 

“[It] means a great deal, considering that some of the organizations that you know were around, aren’t around to help, such as the Glory Hall and some other places,” Hassell said. “But it’s good that Juneau pulls together when it does.”

As she handed out more boxes in the pouring rain, Katrina said any kids who want to volunteer, like she is, should try it. 

“Just don’t be scared,” she said. “Just have fun.”

The food truck serves hot meals in the Salvation Army parking lot Mondays at lunchtime, and Wednesdays and Fridays 6 to 7 p.m. until the warming shelter opens on Oct. 15.