Sourdough Stampede NCL to resume trips in Greece, • Ken Teune Memorial race Caribbean, results in, See page 6 Page 10 42 º/32º Weather, page 3 Ketchikan Daily News - 04/07/2021 $K1.00 ETCHIKAN WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 T WDITTER.COAM/KDNI NEWLS Y N WWW.KEETCHIWKANDAILYNSEWS.COM 12 PAGES House reps talk Vessel Voyeurs Alaska tourism KVB’s Mackey shares stats informing effect of pandemic on local industry By DANELLE KELLY Daily News Staff Writer An overview of Alaska tourism in 2021 was given by travel association rep - resentatives in a virtually held Alaska Legislature Arctic Policy, Economic De - velopment and Tourism Committee meeting Thursday. Ketchikan Visitors Bureau President and CEO Patti Mackey gave a presenta - tion at the meeting, as did tourism industry representatives from Visit Anchor - age, Explore Fairbanks and the Alaska Travel Industry Association. The committee chair, Rep. Grier Hopkins, D-Fairbanks, led the meeting. Also present were Reps. Harriet Drummond, D-Anchorage; Sara Hannan, D-Juneau; Liz Snyder, D-Anchorage; and Tom McKay, R-Anchorage. Alaska Travel Industry Association President and CEO Sarah Leonard began the session by outlining the topics to be covered: the effects that the COVID-19 See ‘House committee-tourism,’ page 5 SB set to meet in executive session ‘Legal matter’ to be discussed privately By SAM STOCKBRIDGE announcement states. Daily News Staff Writer The district's announcement does Drivers use the pullout at the Murphy's Landing Seaplane Base to view the heavy lift vessel Red Zed I while it anchors in the Tongass The Ketchikan School Board will not provide any additional informa - Narrows on Saturday. Staff photo by Dustin Safranek meet in person on Wednesday to tion about the nature of the legal privately discuss "a legal matter," matter. Board President Kim Hodne according to a press release pro - and Superintendent Beth Lougee vided on Monday. could not be reached for comment "Immediate knowledge of (the as of deadline Tuesday. matter) would clearly have an ad - The special session will include Court takes up appointments dispute verse effect upon the finances of time for the board to hear citizen See ‘School Board,’ page 2 the (Ketchikan) school district," the Legality of Dunleavy appointments in question after lawmakers fail to confirm By BECKY BOHRER sions of law dealing with appointments nates he or she needs to administer state Associated Press were unconstitutional. affairs and oversee the delivery of essen - JUNEAU — The Alaska Supreme Court is consid - Dunleavy's pick for Department of tial services." Court decision alters ering whether Gov. Mike Dunleavy improperly kept Revenue commissioner, Lucinda Ma - Megan Wallace, an attorney for the in place appointments to boards, commissions and honey, was among the affected ap - Legislative Council, in arguments Tues - his Cabinet after lawmakers failed to meet to con - pointees. day said the state constitution is "silent" sider the appointments. Janell Hafner, an attorney with the De - on what happens in the face of inaction. Native adoptions law Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg in Febru - partment of Law representing Dunleavy, Without specific constitutional language ary ruled that Dunleavy was prohibited by law from said Tuesday that the legislature "abdi - to provide direction, "the legislature had Parts of law giving Native American families making recess appointments of the same people cated" its responsibility to render judg - the power to fill in the gaps," she said. lawmakers had failed to confirm. The ruling came ment in joint session on Dunleavy's Amid COVID-19 concerns last year, the preference were effectively struck down in a case brought against the Republican Dunleavy appointments. She said the case is about Legislature passed a law allowing law - in December by the Legislative Council, which is "whether the legislature can weaponize makers to adjourn and take up confirma - April 7, 2021 2:00 pm (GMT -8:00) NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Parts of a federal law giving Native American families madePowered up o fby H TECNAVIAouse and Senate leaders. State attor - its own inaction and encroach on guber - tions later. preference in the adoption of Native American children were effectively struck neys, on Dunleavy's behalf, appealed the ruling. natorial authority, making Alaskans pay That law said if lawmakers didn't act down Tuesday by a sharply divided federal appeals court, a defeat for tribal lead - The council argued that appointments presented the price for its own inertia." Mike Dunleavy on the appointments either a month after ers who said the 1978 law was important to protecting their families and culture. by Dunleavy in early 2020 lapsed in December A filing with the court by attorneys for an initial pandemic disaster declaration The complex ruling from 16 judges of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals when lawmakers failed to act on them, though they the state, including Hafner, said the Legislative expired or by Jan. 18 — whichever was first — that upholds a lower court's finding that the Indian Child Welfare Act's preferences said Dunleavy was free to reappoint a person who Council's position "permits the legislature to amounted to them declining to confirm those peo - for Native American families or licensed "Indian foster homes" violate constitu - was declined when a new legislative session began. kneecap an administration without the accountabil - ple. The declaration ended on Nov. 15. tional equal protection requirements. The current session started on Jan. 19. ity of a vote, frustrating the will of the electorate by But Dunleavy, in a letter to legislative leaders on See ‘Native adoptions law,’ page 2 Attorneys for the state argued that some provi - impeding a governor's ability to utilize the subordi - See ‘Appointments dispute,’ page 3 On the Mississippi, small cruises not just surviving but thriving American Queen Steamboat Co. is running ahead of its 2019 numbers, without a positive case in sight By FRAN GOLDEN There's also the fact that he's allowed to operate while modern, 190-passenger riverboat and two small paddle- Waggoner said the numbers at American Queen Steam - Bloomberg much-larger competitors cannot, including Royal wheelers. All will sail at limited capacity, with a vaccine boat are running ahead of 2019 levels. The company saw On the fancy new 245-passenger American Countess Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Line, even required for departures through April 30, 2021. (After significant upticks in January, on the heels of the U.S. riverboat, passengers sip complimentary mint juleps on mega-river cruise line Viking River Cruises. Since the that, the company plans to only require negative PCR vaccine rollout, and again in February, when it an - a top deck, masks wrapped around their wrists like cruise industry shut down in March 2020, the U.S. Cen - tests.) nounced a requirement that guests, crew, and even bus bulging bracelets, while the ship's big, red paddle wheel ters for Disease Control and Prevention has blessed only If the CDC allows it, Waggoner hopes to add the opu - drivers be vaccinated for sailings, starting in July, he said. churns through the Mississippi. It's a post-pandemic sight cruise ships carrying fewer than 250 passengers and lent American Queen, the world's largest paddleboat- "We're excited with our sales momentum." to behold-even if these are not quite post-pandemic crew. Waggoner's four ships are among few of these in which can carry more than 420 passengers-by the end of For trips before July, guests are required to take a PCR times. Still, its mere occurrence puts John Waggoner, the U.S., making them a rare option for millions of Amer - May. All three vessels sail the Mississippi and some trib - test during a one-night pre-cruise hotel stay that's in - founder and chief executive officer of the four-ship ican cruise lovers who are otherwise stuck in a holding utaries: the Ohio, Cumberland, and Tennessee rivers. A cluded in the price of eight-night sailings that start at American Queen Steamboat Co., in the catbird seat as far pattern. fourth riverboat may soon traverse the Columbia and $2,000 per person. Waggoner said he expects most pas - as the cruise industry is concerned. Larger companies are hatching plans to circumvent the Snake rivers in Washington and Oregon, following the sengers, a demographic that tends to be age 65 and up, On long, white-and-red-painted boats with open decks, CDC's orders by restarting Caribbean-only sailings this route of 19th-century explorers Lewis and Clark, pending will have already been vaccinated. decorated with fanciful Victorian-style gingerbread trim, summer. But American Queen is already back in busi - negotiations with those state governments. Shots were a big factor in the company's decision to Waggoner sells hardcore Americana that's steeped in U.S. ness with two boats-the American Countess and the There's reason to believe the authorities will bite. In get back on the river. history. It's a hot product under the current circum - smaller, 166-passenger American Duchess-both operating its first few voyages carrying paying customers up and "We're like a family business," Waggoner said. "I had stances, he says. since mid-March with reduced capacity to allow for so - down the Mississippi, American Queen had no con - to ask myself: When am I comfortable? When would my "There's a big push to buy in America," Waggoner said cial distancing and comply with the 250-person limit. Its firmed cases of covid-19. That bucks a pattern of positive wife be comfortable? Our family is rushing to get the vac - in an interview. "So: U.S.-flagged vessels, built in Amer - less-luxurious competitor American Cruise Lines also re - cases among cruise lines-including small-ship ocean lines cine and start cruising again." ica, manned by U.S.