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Photo by Diana Haecker LOOK OUT— A young moose bull briefly interrupted his grazing on lush greens surrounded by blooming fireweeds at Pilgrim Hot Springs last Saturday. C VOLUME CXV NO. 30 July 30, 2015 Josie Bahnke appointed to head State Division of Elections Nome Common Council mulls process to find new city manager, begin by tapping city staff By Diana Haecker tions division and he didn’t wait long rural issues. “She has a track record Bahnke said she was approached Outgoing City Manager Josie to offer Bahnke the job after he of building collaborative partner- by Mallott and asked if she had an Bahnke said she was appointed as learned she resigned from her post as ships that the Lt. Governor appreci- interest in the division of elections. the new Director of the State Divi- city manager of Nome. ates,” said Richardson. The answer was affirmative. Bahnke sion of Elections. The Lt. Governor can appoint a She stressed that there was no said that was part of the reason why Lieutenant Governor Byron Mal- director of the elections division issue with Fenumiai’s performance, she gave notice to the City of Nome. lott asked current Director of Elec- without legislative approval. but just that it was time to bring in Gail Fenumiai had been with the tions Gail Fenumiai for her Bahnke was officially named Fen- new people. state’s Division of Elections since resignation and she submitted the umiai’s successor on Monday, July “I’m sure Nome will miss Josie a 1995. She was appointed to head the resignation letter last Friday. 27. lot,” she said. “The Lt. Governor is Division in January 2008 during the According to Mallott’s Special Richardson said that Lt. Gov. determined to have the best elections Parnell administration and held the Assistant Claire Richardson, Mallott liked Bahnke’s result-oriented way division in the country and we hope job until last Friday. wanted new leadership at the elec- and her knowledge of urban and that Josie will help to take us there.” Bahnke will begin in her new po- sition in Juneau on October 1. Until then, Lauri Wilson will be the acting director of the division. Bahnke’s departure leaves the Nome Common Council searching for a new city manager. Bahnke said she recommended to the council to begin the search for a Photo by Diana Haecker suitable candidate within the city’s LEAVING— City Manager Josie continued on page 4 Bahnke will be the new Director of the state’s Division of Elections. Council tackles pot, noise and firearms By Diana Haecker motorized vehicles and without con- In a work session prior to the reg- sent of the property owner on which ular Nome Common Council meet- it is consumed. ing on Monday, July 27, Discussion centered on the local councilmembers agreed to bring regulatory authority and if the Com- three ordinances dealing with noise, mon Council should include other firearms and marijuana into first people in the make up of the new reading. board. For now, the council decided A boilerplate ordinance that is, ac- to leave the proposed ordinance as is cording to city attorney Brooks and to bring it into first reading. Chandler, before lots of other city As the state is in the process to councils in the state of Alaska, develop regulations for marijuana would amend the Nome Municipal businesses, Nome Police Chief John Code to include marijuana regula- Papasodora stated that he’d like to tion that defines a local regulatory have a Nome ordinance on the book Photo by Diana Haecker authority, the city council being des- so his department and the public CLEANUP CONTINUES— Nome Gold Corp. continued their cleanup efforts on West Beach by using an ignated as such. It also defines vio- have guidelines of what is expected. excavator to demolish shacks and makeshift housing utilized by former leaseholders or squatters. lations and penalties including the probation to use in public places, in continued on page 5 Icebreaker Sikuliaq makes debut in Nome on its way north By Maisie Thomas study on sound frequency and travel build by Marinette Marine Corpora- The research vessel Sikuliaq held distance under the ice. tion in Wisconsin. It replaces the an open house in Nome on Tuesday, Sikuliaq is the Iñupiaq word for Alpha Helix, which was retired in July 21. young sea ice, which is an apt name 2007. The vessel is on its way to the for the vessel, since it is capable of The Sikuliaq has one of the most Beaufort and Chukchi seas from its cutting through first year ice, with a advanced navigational systems in the homeport of Seward. thickness of up to two and a half foot world, but has been a long time in The Sikuliaq will conduct a pilot of sea ice. coming. The Sikuliaq is the first ice-capa- According to Joan Braddock, in- ble research ship in the United terim dean of the School of Fisheries On the Web: States’ academic research fleet. and Ocean Sciences at UAF, univer- The vessel is owned by the Na- sity faculty wanted a ship that was www.nomenugget.net tional Science Foundation and oper- capable of working in the ice as early E-mail: ated by the University of Alaska as the 1970s. After about 30 years of Fairbanks School of Fisheries and planning, a design was chosen. The [email protected] Ocean Sciences. research ship was constructed to be The researchers’ goal is to get a as environmentally friendly as pos- baseline of the oceans, including sible, which includes emitting very salinity and temperature of the water, little noise under water to reduce the in order to better understand the ef- amount of sound pollution for ma- fects of climate change in the region. rine mammals. Photo by Maisie Thomas According to the UAF website, In 2009, the National Science ICEBREAKER— Over 200 people toured and learned about the re- the $200 million, 261-foot ship was continued on page 4 search vessel Sikuliaq on Tuesday, July 21. 2 THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2015 OPINION THE NOME NUGGET Letters problem is that many therapists should expect a class-action lawsuit apy Association and private massage Dear Nancy: kimo villagers and rural working in Alaska for many years against the State of Alaska over schools. Help Restore Freedom in people to travel thousands of miles are Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese this. People phoned in to the public HB 328 was ill-conceived, and Alaska to formal “accredited” massage immigrants, who cannot read and comment session with comments in the new regulations and this new A new board of regulations has schools, and to get fingerprints, and write English and who got their support for my position. board arising therefrom should not been created in Alaska to remove a to pass expensive Continuing Edu- diplomas and training from massage Please write letters to your rep- be tolerated in Alaska, because they little more of our freedom to carry on cation Units, which are not available schools teaching in their native lan- resentatives asking that the new mas- stand against freedom of the people our businesses, as we see fit. I spoke in the Bush, in order to obtain and guage. It is not in the best interests sage regulations in Title 12 AAC, in of the state of Alaska. at a public comment meeting, on renew a state license to practice mas- of the state of Alaska to put all chapter 114, SLA 2014, which have Truly, July 23, provided in Anchorage sage. these people out of business just be- arisen out of HB 328 be repealed. Daniel N. Russell, massage thera- by this new Board of Massage Ther- The problem is that Native cause they cannot pass some new That bill was pushed forward in pist now put out of business apists, saying, “Whenever any new Alaskan villagers are taught massage written test in English. This would 2014 by a powerful lobby from spe- P. O. Box 577 state regulatory agency is imposed in as part of their native medicine, also be highly discriminatory. One cial interests, such as Massage Ther- Willow, Alaska 99688 a free society, you must show some which has been passed down from overwhelming reason why it is nec- their elders for 10,000 years. So, essary to so remove our freedom.” I this requirement is insulting, disre- said, I have never been shown any spectful, and highly discriminatory sufficient justification for imposition to our Native Alaskan people, and it A Look at the Past of this new regulatory board. I asked cannot be tolerated in Alaska or in where are the cases of people who any free society. have been seriously injured by mas- The amount of the license fee is sage therapists in Alaska? In my 15 not affordable to us who practice in years of practice as a massage thera- small communities like Nome with pist, I have never heard of a single relatively few customers. It is not in case of anyone seriously injured the best interests of the State from a massage in Alaska. That’s of Alaska to put all these rural and why our malpractice insurance pre- village massage businesses out of miums for massage are only business. $99/year! This board is now further re- This new regulatory board is quiring all massage therapists to pass now increasing state license fee from a test given in English to get their li- $100 to $660 and requires Native Es- cense to practice in Alaska. The Letters to the editor must be signed and include an address and phone number.