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Photo by Nadja Roessek CHRISTMAS TIME IN NOME—Holiday lights brighten up the day along Front Street during the dark winter season. C VOLUME CVIII NO. 50 DECEMBER 17, 2009 Public bowls over plans to remove alley Council to re-examine bowling alley removal By Laurie McNicholas grade, reopen and staff the bowling The Nome Common Council alley with a manager certified to agreed to reconsider plans to re- maintain its equipment. He told move the Nome Recreation Cen- council members he had asked about ter’s inoperative bowling alley and plans for the bowling alley at the Rec replace it with space for meetings, Center two weeks ago and was told storage and other uses after hearing public interest in the facility is lack- public appeals to repair and revital- ing, equipment parts are unavailable ize the facility during a council and there is no one in Nome to main- meeting Dec. 14. tain the equipment. Nome business owner Matt Tomter is leading an effort to up- continued on page 16 Sitnasuak again Photo by Nadja Roessek CHRISTMAS WISHES—Rebecca Kulukhon-Slwooko gives Santa her wish list at the City of Nome Christ- mas Extravaganza at Old St. Joe’s Hall Dec. 9. rescues JROTC By Tyler Rhodes that allows offsets of donations to Pilgrim to go to the highest bidder With Sitnasuak Native Corp. as- vocational programs against taxes suming the role of Santa, the owed to the state. Using the same By Diana Haecker George Bowder and business admin- the low end. The deadline to submit Nome Public Schools Junior Re- tax-credit program, Bering Straits In the continued bankruptcy pro- istrator Tom Buzek told The Nome a bid has been extended from Dec. serve Officers’ Training Corps re- Native Corp. announced a $200,000 ceedings of the Catholic diocese of Nugget that the claimants have 10 to Feb. 24, 2010 at 5 p.m. The ceived an early Christmas present donation to the Northwest Alaska Fairbanks the end is in sight as the agreed to a third amended bank- sealed bids will then be opened in the during the Nome Board of Educa- Career and Technical Center, or diocese and the claimants filed a ruptcy plan which includes an agreed bankruptcy court in Anchorage. tion meeting Dec. 8. NACTEC, on June 1. Donations of joint consensual bankruptcy plan at upon minimal payment of $9.8 mil- The court will then decide if the Armed with an oversized check, $100,000 to $200,000 receive a 100 the federal bankruptcy court in An- lion to the close to 300 victims of correct financial information is in- Sitnasuak board president Crystal percent tax credit while lesser dona- chorage on Monday, Dec. 14. sexual abuse at the hands of former cluded in the bid, and if equal Andersen-Booth and fellow mem- tions receive a 50 percent credit. The diocese—the business side of priests, including KNOM founder amounts are bid, the court will then bers Neal Foster and Janice Doherty The gifts have kept the military- the church is known as the Catholic and former Nome priest Jim Poole. decided if there will be an oral auc- were on hand to announce the styled program alive as it appeared Bishop of Northern Alaska or Part of the settlement money is to tion. Hannon said whoever wins the $100,000 gift to keep the program to be headed for the chopping block CBNA—has filed for bankruptcy come from the sale of Pilgrim Hot bid on Feb. 25 has to transfer the afloat for another year. This is the at the start of this school year. The protection when confronted with Springs to the highest bidder. The cash of the sale within 30 days to the second $100,000 gift Sitnasuak has program has teetered on the edge of hundreds of claims of sexual abuse cemetery is excluded from the prop- settlement trust account administered presented for the program, repeating existence for a number of years as at the hands of priests and lay work- erty and will not be sold. Hannon by a court-appointed official. a move the Nome area’s Alaska Na- the district first pulled JROTC out of ers decades ago. said that the estimated price for the A recent U.S. Department of tive corporation made in July. its budget for the 2008-2009 school On Monday, CBNA’s chancellor 320-acre property is somewhere in Both substantial donations were Robert Hannon, director of finances the neighborhood of $1.8 million on continued on page 6 made through a recently enacted law continued on page 4 On the Web: www.nomenugget.net City throws $100,000 into the pool E-mail: By Laurie McNicholas skating rink for the safety of hockey players and $100,000 from NSEDC to the swimming pool [email protected] The Nome Common Council voted unani- others, and to plant grass at ball fields at the Nome project, which originally was estimated to cost mously to allocate the City’s 2009 community Recreation Center to reduce dust. $155,000. Romenesko said additional work com- benefit share of $100,000 from Norton Sound However, council members cited a written rec- ponents had been added at the school’s request— Economic Development Corp. for repair of the ommendation from Acting Project Manager $6,000 to replace all valves in the pool heating Nome-Beltz High School swimming pool at a Randy Romenesko to use the $100,000 to com- system and $30,000 for a new motor and VFD for meeting on Monday. plete replacement of old pumps, valves, controls, the main air handling unit—bringing the total During a public hearing prior to the decision, fans and piping in the heating system, both air project cost close to $200,000. Mitch Erickson asked that part of the community and water, at the pool. Last year the council allo- benefit share funds be used to add lighting at the cated the 2008 community benefit share of continued on page 16 2 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2009OPINION THE NOME NUGGET Letters Alaska News Briefs Compiled by Diana Haecker workforce development. It also supports coordination of To the people of Nome, Street. But Anvil Mountain and governmental functions, to streamline the regulatory This is meant to congratulate you, Rock, Dexter and Fort Davis and at House committee on Energy releases draft energy processes and the coordination on all levels of govern- the young, the old and in between for least the remains of ditch lines are policy ment. maintaining the character of Nome. visible. When Alaska legislators convene again for the next This was my first trip back since I was only able to visit a few peo- Legislative session in Juneau in January, the House com- ADF&G wants more time for federal subsistence re- 1944 and I was both anxious and ple; time was not on my side. I apol- mittee on Energy has various draft energy policy and om- view input afraid. Anxious to visit the place ogize to those I missed, and to ones I nibus bills ready for the legislative body to ponder. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game requested where I was born, afraid I wouldn’t had just a fleeting remark (such as Committee co-chairs Rep. Charisse Millett (R-Anchor- an extension for comments to the Department of the In- recognize it or anyone. I was wrong Jane Perkins). age) and Rep. Bryce Edgmon (D-Dillingham) said they terior on the Federal Subsistence Program Review. Dur- on both accounts. Sure, Front Street I doubt that I will ever make it traveled across the state and took testimony from ing the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in late is a little bit longer without a break. back to Nome, but the people of Alaskans regarding a statewide energy policy. The com- October, Department of Interior secretary Ken Salazar Polet’s is gone, Lehman’s is gone, Nome will always hold a special mittee examined existing bills relating to energy and announced a sweeping review of the federal subsistence the Bon Marche is gone, and place in my thoughts. combined them into one bill, including efficiency stan- policies. ADF&G commissioner Denby Lloyd said that Cappy’s Drug Store is gone. The in- Just another Nomeite, dards for public works, creating a state department of en- little more than a month before the Christmas holidays dividual bulkheads are replaced by Jim Smith ergy, renewable energy funding, codifying regulations for would not be sufficient to collect comments from large boulders the length of Front Seattle, WA 98115 nuclear power and creating incentives for renewable and Alaskans. ADF-G staff has received numerous com- emerging energy sources. plaints from the public that there is not enough time to The draft energy policy promotes energy efficiency prepare comments. Lloyd requested an extension of the and conservation, and the development of renewable and deadline through February 2010. The letter also specifi- Letters to the editor must be signed and non-renewable energy resources. It promotes economic include an address and phone number. development, supports energy research, education and continued on page 3 Thank yous and political endorsements are considered ads. A Look at the Past Editorial Whatʼs Worse Than a Smug Liberal? What ever happened to the intellectual conservatives? Where are the coherent ideas and serious visions for governing our nation? The Republican Party is falling apart and they have brought it on them- selves. They have lost their civic responsibility and are acting like a bunch of grinches intent upon tearing things apart just to keep the other guy from looking good, They offer no constructive solutions to the nationʼs problems.