Post 3 swings into action Pro-democracy paper publishes Ketchikan set to play six games over • final edition, four days, See page 6 Page 10

61 º/56º Weather, page 3

$1.00 THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 TWITTER.COM/KDNNEWS WWW.KETCHIKANDAILYNEWS.COM 10 PAGES It’s their mountain, after all Board approves all agenda items SI candidate review scheduled, scope of Native consultation training expanded By SAM STOCKBRIDGE Daily News Staff Writer The Ketchikan School Board closed out a meeting on Monday evening just 71 minutes after it convened, unanimously approving all topics on its agenda, including a salary schedule, a collective bargaining agreement, a memorandum of agreement with the Ketchikan Gateway Borough to pave potholes at Point Higgins Elementary School and the purchase of new science tables for Schoen - bar Middle School. Board members also set a date to conduct a six-hour review of candidates' applications for the permanent superintendency with the assistance of the As - sociation of Alaska School Boards and agreed to extend a training opportunity involving Native organizations to other entities in Southeast Alaska. Board President Kim Hodne had been excused from the meeting. Vice Pres - ident Diane Gubatayao acted in his stead. Salaries The board unanimously approved two salary contracts. The board reviewed a salary schedule for professional classified employees, which are non-union at-will employees of the district responsible for managing See ‘School Board,’ page 3 Ferry for free:

Ketchikan Daily News - 06/24/2021 Alaska offers 58-year-old Two Sitka blacktail deer travel up Deermount Street on Tuesday. Staff photo by Dustin Safranek Malaspina to the Philippines

JUNEAU (AP) — The state of "This vessel is surplus to our Alaska is trying to dispose of a 58- fleet, is in need of some repairs, year-old ferry, and even has offered but does have some service life Tentative infrastructure deal reached to give it free to the government of left," according to Dunleavy's letter the Philippines. dated May 20 and obtained by the Gov. Mike Dunleavy offered to Alaska Public Media in a routine give the Malaspina ferry away in a public records request for the gov - Bipartisan group to brief Biden on 'framework' after breakthrough in talks letter last month to the Philippines ernor's correspondence. consul general in San Francisco, "We would be willing to provide By SEUNG MIN KIM meetings today with the bipartisan group of Senators CoastAlaska reported. See ‘Malaspina,’ page 3 The Washington Post who have been negotiating about infrastructure," WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a tentatively reached an agreement with White House statement. "The group made progress toward an out - officials Wednesday on hundreds of billions of dol - line of a potential agreement, and the President has lars in new spending for the nation's infrastructure invited the group to come to the White House tomor - system, giving a significant boost toward one of Pres - row to discuss this in-person." ident Joe Biden's biggest domestic policy ambitions. Other tasks that remain for the bipartisan group Multiple senators leaving an evening negotiating ses - of Senate negotiators include briefing their leader - sion at the Capitol said the group — which included ship and their respective caucuses. But, Collins said, five Democrats, five Republicans and top White House "I'm optimistic that we've had a breakthrough." officials — had reached a framework of a deal. They White House officials huddled with Democratic said senators would go to the White House on Thurs - leaders immediately after the negotiations concluded day to brief Biden personally on the details. Wednesday night on Capitol Hill, a sign they were "There's a framework of agreement on a biparti - already plotting next steps. Senate Majority Leader san infrastructure package," Sen. Susan Collins, R- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-AK, leaves a closed- Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said "we support the con - Maine, said, exiting the meeting. "There's still details door bipartisan infrastructure meeting with cepts that we heard about" but deferred further com - to be worked out." a group of senators and White House aides ment until the agreement was officially announced. Senators declined to disclose details of their agree - on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday. It is less clear whether GOP leaders will sign off on ment but stressed that the group had agreed not just the package, though White House officials have long AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta on the spending levels for various infrastructure felt it would be politically treacherous for Republi - The Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Malaspina and Amak projects, but also how to pay for it. An earlier frame - spending over five years, including $579 billion in can leaders to try to oppose a bipartisan infrastruc - Towing tugboat Jennie B. share a mooring on May 21 in Ward Cove. work reached by the senators — which did not have new projects and initiatives. ture package that would improve highways, roads Staff photo by Dustin Safranek White House approval — included $974 billion of "White House senior staff had two productive See ‘Infrastructure,’ page 3 AK lawmakers open Fast ferry transfer AP&T begins survey new special session could start by Friday for undersea cable As standoff over state budget drags on 214-mile fiber optic cable planned to JUNEAU (AP) — Alaska lawmakers opened their second special session Wednes - Red Zed I set to pick up fmr. AMHS day with little public progress toward resolution on a state budget standoff. run between Juneau and Coffman Cove The Legislature passed a budget package last week. But Gov. Mike Dunleavy called it "defective," citing as a concern the House's failure to garner sufficient sup - vessels Chenega and Fairweather By CALEB VIERKANT port for a procedural effective date vote. The effective date provisions fell four votes Wrangell Sentinel short of passage. Just two of the House Republican minority caucus' 18 members By SAM STOCKBRIDGE 1:00 am Friday for submersing," Alaska Power & Telephone has begun preparations for a 214-mile fiber optic voted with the majority in support. Daily News Staff Writer with the ferries possibly being cable that will run from Juneau down to Coffman Cove. The SEALink subma - Legislative attorneys and the Department of Law have offered differing views on The crew of the heavy lift vessel loaded onto the vessel between 8 rine cable project will bring faster broadband internet access to communities what the failed vote might mean. The attorney general has asked a judge to weigh Red Zed I could start loading the a.m. and 10 a.m. that same day. like Coffman Cove and Kasaan on Prince of Wales Island. in. The new fiscal year starts July 1. former Alaska Marine Highway Bradford said he would know the While the project is not expected to affect Wrangell, AP&T Business Devel - Dunleavy introduced a new budget bill Wednesday but House Speaker Louise System ferries Chenega and Fair - transfer plans "for certain" by opment Vice President Jason Custer said Wrangell could be the target of future Stutes said securing support for the effective date provisions attached to the bill weather as early as Friday morning. Thursday afternoon. improvements in the company’s Southeast network. passed last week was her priority. She said she was optimistic about negotiations In correspondence with the Daily The Alaska Department of Trans - “It’s a major investment in the region, and we’re glad to see it happen,” he but declined to provide specifics. News on Wednesday afternoon, portation sold the two fast ferries to said. “Having broadband is having options.” Senate President Peter Micciche said the Senate is standing by as the House works Ward Cove Group member Stephen a Spanish company, Servicios y Custer said the cable will start at Lena Point, north of downtown Juneau, through the matter. Bradford wrote that the captain of Concesiones Marítimas Ibicencas then run south to Petersburg. The cable will be run overland across Mitkof Is - "This seems to be an issue between them," he said of the House caucuses, "and the Red Zed I "wants to begin SA, for $5.17 million on March 10. land before going back into the water, past Wrangell and down to Coffman we are certainly hoping and praying that they come to resolution here in the next preparing the ballasts (at) about See ‘Ferry transfer,’ page 2 Cove. couple days." See ‘Undersea cable survey,’ page 2

Ketchikan, Alaska SPORTS • WORLD • ALASKA • NATION Today’s Trivia: How old was the tank that was recently demolished ©2021 Page 5 : Justices rule in favor of student’s free speech VOL. 93 NO. 146 at Petro Marine’s Stedman St. fuel storage facility? (USPS 293-940) www.ketchikandailynews.com Answer, Page 2

June 24, 2021 9:04 am (GMT -8:00) Powered by TECNAVIA Thursday, June 24, 2021 KETCHIKAN DAILY NEWS LOCAL/ALASKA 3 IN BRIEF School Board Continued from page 1 Alaska sees 49% increase in syphilis infection rates and/or supporting districtwide operations. at Step 1 and $82,758 at Step 10. The mainte - which mandated more communication between JUNEAU (AP) — Alaska health officials say 361 cases of syphilis were re - In a phone interview on Wednesday morning, nance director, the next-lowest salary, starts at school districts and local tribal entities concern - ported in 2020, a 49% increase over the previous year. District Business Manager Katie Parrott con - $95,297 at Step 1 and increases to $108,295 at ing use of Native education grant funds. The numbers didn't surprise Susan A. Jones, an Anchorage-based public firmed that there are currently only three pro - Step 10. Robbins suggested expanding the scope of the health nurse consultant and the HIV/STD program manager with the state fessional classified employees in the district: the Board Member Paul Robbins Jr., who partici - training to other entities beyond the Ketchikan health department, who was involved with a report on the continuing syphilis district's technology coordinator, software engi - pated in the contract negotiations with Parrott, School District. outbreak. neer and comptroller. said the contract was a good compromise. "As I understand it, we're bringing in experts "In some ways, I'm surprised there aren't more cases," she told the Juneau The approved schedule with its adjustments "I think it's very fair to both sides and benefi - to teach us this. It's not just us sitting down with Empire. will cost the district an additional $2,763. cial to the district," said Robbins. "I think we got KIC, right? So they're having us bring in experts Last year's count included eight cases of congenital syphilis, which occurs The board also approved a two-year contract to a good place." to do that, so we should be inviting our neigh - when an infected mother passes the infection on to the newborn. with the Ketchikan Leadership Organization, the Near the end of the meeting, Robbins took boring school districts — (Prince of Wales Is - Untreated syphilis can cause fetal death and about 40% of untreated babies union representing administrators in the district. time to "lavish some praise" on Parrott for her land), Sitka, Petersburg, things like that — with the infection die, she said. The contract, which will last from July 1, 2021 expertise. saying, 'We're going to have this event, we're Alaska's syphilis outbreak was first declared in early 2018, and case counts to June 30, 2023, does not increase salaries in its "This is the first professional negotiation I've going to host it here in Ketchikan on this date, have increased annually since. Jones said she's worried about Alaska's num - first year but provides for a 1.5% increase in its ever been a part of, and it gives me great confi - it'd be beneficial to everyone, come on down,' bers in the future. second, "with modest increases to cell phone al - dence going forward as we continue to negotiate and have numerous school districts participating "The pandemic drained much of our public health resources. I wouldn't be sur - lowance, vehicle allowance, and personal leave these contracts that Ms. Parrott is the point per - in this and taking advantage of this opportunity prised if our numbers surpassed this in 2021," she said. buyout," according to the agenda statement son (on) them," Robbins said. "I learned a lot that KIC is helping put on." The rise in cases indicates people are not seeking medical services, a situation ex - about the contract. during the process, was happy to be a part of, The board was receptive to the idea. Gu - acerbated by pandemic-related concerns, Jones said. Attached to the agreement is a pay schedule and look forward to being a part of more, but batayao also recommended that the invitation be for KLO members, including the district's prin - just her professionalism, her savvy, her ... level extended to Southeast Alaska tribal organizations cipals and assistant principals, special education of planning for each meeting that we came to and entities as well, to which the other board and curriculum directors and maintenance fore - was impressive. And I just wanted to get that out members concurred. man and maintenance director. there." Finally, before adjourning, the board agreed to The special education and curriculum direc - With the KLO contract approved, the board meet in the Ketchikan High School library at tors earn the highest pay, receiving a salary at skipped a placeholder executive session on the noon on July 1 for a six-hour review of applica - Step 1 of $111,629 up to a $125,976 salary at agenda. tions for the permanent superintendency with Step 10. (The pay for Ketchikan High School's Discussion items the Association of Alaska School Boards. principal comes in at $107,438 at Step 1 up to The board directed the board president to In other business, the board unanimously $121,338 at Step 10.) schedule time for a board training with adopted three revisions to its complaints policies The lowest pay on the schedule is earned by Ketchikan Indian Community on compliance in second reading and approved six teaching con - the maintenance foreman, who receives $69,258 with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, tracts for the 2021-22 school year.

Malaspina Continued from page 1 the vessel to the Philippine govern - year to keep it in storage, prompting One went to a scrap yard in India, and Dunleavy spokesperson Jeff Turner ment or to a private ferry company in the Dunleavy administration to dis - two others were sold to a Spanish ferry said there had been no response from the Philippines free of charge," the let - pose of it. company. the Philippines consul general in San ter states. "We are actively looking at working If the state were to sell the Francisco and declined further com - The Malaspina, built in 1963, last with the EPA to scuttle the ship and Malaspina, Falvey said at the time it ment. sailed in 2019. Instead of paying at potentially salvage some of the steel or would be put out to sealed bids. But if The Consul General of the Philip - least $16 million in needed steel work, resale value," Alaska Marine Highway the ferry is given to another govern - pines in San Francisco told CoastA - the state put the ferry into cold stor - System General Manager John Falvey ment, procurement rules would not laska its chief diplomat will visit age. told the Alaska House Transportation normally apply, said Jason Soza, the Juneau in July, but as part of the con - The state Department of Transporta - Committee on March 20. state's top procurement officer from sul general's normal outreach to Fil - tion Ketchikanhas estimat eDailyd it w Newsould c o-s t06/24/2021 up to Falvey said there was only tepid in - 2013-19. However, he noted that the ipino citizens in Alaska. It it not a ferry $45 million to overhaul the ferry, in - terest in buying the ferry, matching the offer to give the ferry to a private ferry fact-finding mission, a spokesperson cluding installing new engines. struggles the state experienced in dis - company would normally not be al - said in an email to the southeast The state is paying about $450,000 a posing of three other ferries recently. lowed. Alaska public radio network.

Infrastructure Continued from page 1 and bridges across the United States while cre - san package that spends money on traditional ating large numbers of jobs.Senate Democrats, public-works projects and another one that Republicans prepare to sell nearly $1 trillion in - funds Democratic priorities that could pass frastructure deal to White House using a special budgetary process that short-cir - The 10 senators — Collins, Bill Cassidy, R-La., cuits a filibuster in the Senate. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., Lisa Murkowski, R- To that end, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D- Alaska, Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Mitt Romney, R- Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Charles Utah, Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Kyrsten Schumer, D-N.Y., met with administration offi - Sinema, D-Ariz., Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Mark cials on Capitol Hill Wednesday night to begin Warner, D-Va. — have met numerous times mapping out both legislative strategies for the with the administration's negotiators this week. president's infrastructure plan. Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president; leg - Behind the scenes, Senate negotiators and ad - islative affairs director Louisa Terrell and Na - ministration officials tussled primarily over tional Economic Council director Brian Deese how to pay for the package. Unraveling the have been representing the administration in 2017 GOP tax law, which dramatically lowered talks. the tax rate for corporations, was a nonstarter Asked about the ongoing negotiations at the for Republicans. The bipartisan group initially White House earlier Wednesday, Biden said: proposed indexing the gas tax to inflation to "I'll tell you that when I get the final numbers Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., arrives for a raise additional revenue, but the White House tonight." meeting at the Capitol in Washington, said doing so was off-limits to them. Though the agreement could amount to one Wednesday. AP Photo/Alex Brandon Details were not clear Wednesday night on of the most significant investments in infra - how exactly the group plans to pay for its pack - structure in recent years, the tentative biparti - and paid leave. age. More information was expected Thursday san deal still falls far short of Biden's initial, Many Republicans objected to the idea of after the senators brief Biden at the White $2.2 trillion vision that he outlined in the so- raising the corporate tax rate, however, and House. called American Jobs Plan earlier this year. In White House officials have looked for other al - Manchin said the broad contours of the that plan, Biden proposed paying for new ternatives that would help them offset the new spending levels in the package had not changed. spending by raising the corporate tax rate from costs. "Wes owe it to the president to bring him up 21% to 28%. The White House has also released Democratic leaders have long said Biden's ex - to speed on everything and they run the num - a separate, $1.8 trillion package meant to invest pansive infrastructure agenda could pass bers too to make sure all the numbers we have in "human infrastructure" such as education through multiple tracks, meaning one biparti - are accurate," he said.

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KETCHIKAN AND METLAKATLA LOCAL ALMANAC Thursday should bring rain, the Friday may bring rain, the chance Wednesday high/low ...... 62/54 Wednesday precipitation . . . . .0.08” chance of precipitation being 100 of precipitation being 40 percent. Normal high/low ...... 62/50 ‘21 precip. through June 22 . . . . 62.91” percent. Otherwise look forward to cloudy Record high ...... 81 in 2012 Thursday sunrise ...... 4:05 a.m. Look for a high near 61 to be ac - skies accompanied by a southeast Record low ...... 37 in 1965 Thursday sunset ...... 9:32 p.m. companed by a southeast wind wind around 5 mph. around 15 mph. Friday temps include a high near LOCAL TIDES Into the evening on Thursday you 68 and low around 58. can expect continued rain and Friday evening calls for mostly Thursday Fri day High 12:24 a.m./18.2’ 1:36 p.m./14.9’ High 1:14 a.m./18.4’ 2:26 p.m./15.2’ clouds, with a low around 56. cloudy skies. Low 7:06 a.m./ -3.8’ 7:06 p.m./2.2’ Low 7:54 a.m./ -4.2’ 7:56 p.m./2.2’

ALASKA U.S. TEMPERATURE S By The Associated Press High/low/precip/snow By NOAA Fargo 59 92 Sunny Portland, ME. 52 70 .08 Sunny Flagstaff 54 71 Mocldy Portland, ORE. 58 83 Ptcldy Anchorage 60 53 0.00 Low High Prcp Otlk Fresno 65 96 Sunny Providence 57 76 .06 Sunny Annette M M M Grand Rapids 48 72 .09 Tstrms Pueblo 62 102 Tstrms Barrow 47 37 0.00 Alban, NY 46 70 Sunny Harrisburg 53 77 Sunny Raleigh Durham 59 79 Sunny Bethel 61 49 0.06 Albuquerque 71 97 Tstrms Hartford Spgfld 50 75 Sunny Rapid City 51 98 Tstrms Allentown 46 75 Sunny Bettles 81 57 0.00 Helena 68 85 Tstrms Reno 61 89 Tstrms Amarillo 73 103 Ptcldy Honolulu 74 88 .01 Ptcldy Richmond 59 77 Sunny Birchwood 62 49 0.00 Asheville 56 76 Mocldy Houston 76 94 .35 Tstrms Sacramento 58 86 Sunny Cold Bay 55 46 0.57 Atlanta 62 84 Tstrms Indianapolis 58 77 Ptcldy St. Louis 65 87 Tstrms Cordova 61 48 T Atlantic City 51 75 Sunny Jackson, MS. 68 90 Tstrms Salem, ORE. 58 86 Sunny Dillingham 57 49 0.16 Austin 74 94 Ptcldy Jacksonville 72 87 .18 Tstrms Salt Lake City 76 95 Shwrs Dutch Harbor 48 45 T Baltimore 51 78 Sunny Kansas City 68 89 Tstrms San Antonio 78 94 Ptcldy Fairbanks 83 58 0.00 Baton Rouge 74 90 Tstrms Key West 82 91 Shwrs San Diego 67 74 .01 Mocldy Billings 68 94 Tstrms Gulkana 71 39 0.00 Knoxville 57 83 Sunny San Francisco 63 74 Sunny Bismarck 61 101 Ptcldy Las Vegas 89 91 Tstrms San Juan, PR 77 87 .05 Shwrs Homer 59 50 0.00 Boise 60 92 Sunny Little Rock 57 87 Ptcldy Santa Fe 59 95 Tstrms Juneau 65 50 T Boston 59 75 .07 Sunny Los Angeles 63 81 Ptcldy St. Ste Marie 44 79 .01 Shwrs Kenai 59 44 T Brownsville 76 91 .14 Mocldy Louisville 58 81 Sunny Savannah 71 90 Sunny King Salmon 57 48 0.23 Buffalo 53 73 Ptcldy Lubbock 74 100 Sunny Seattle 55 75 Ptcldy Kodiak 51 48 1.45 Burlington, VT. 48 73 Sunny Madison 56 78 .04 Tstrms Shreveport 72 92 Mocldy Kotzebue 65 58 T Charleston, SC 70 84 Sunny Memphis 62 85 Tstrms Sioux Falls 61 94 Tstrms Charlotte 63 82 Ptcldy Miami Beach 75 92 .78 Tstrms South Bend 58 77 Shwrs McGrath M M M Chattanooga 60 86 Sunny Midland Odessa 73 98 Sunny Spokane 69 89 Ptcldy Nome 64 55 0.02 Cheyenne 57 92 Shwrs Milwaukee 59 81 .01 Tstrms Tallahassee 72 86 .77 Tstrms Northway 79 46 0.00 Chicago 65 79 .02 Shwrs Mpls St. Paul 58 88 Tstrms Tampa 77 88 .17 Shwrs Palmer 65 47 0.00 Cleveland 52 75 Sunny Missoula 62 81 Ptcldy Tucson 77 99 .17 Vryhot Petersburg 62 50 T Columbia, SC 69 86 .04 Sunny Nashville 56 84 Ptcldy Tulsa 68 91 Ptcldy Saint Paul Island 51 43 0.01 Columbus, OH. 50 79 Ptcldy New Orleans 78 88 1.48 Tstrms Washington, DC 57 78 Sunny Concord, NH 50 73 .02 Sunny Seward 59 50 0.06 New York City 55 76 Ptcldy Wichita 67 93 Ptcldy Corpus Christi 76 93 .08 Tstrms Newark 55 80 Ptcldy Wilkes Barre 44 74 Sunny Sitka 57 52 0.06 Dallas Ft. Worth 75 95 Ptcldy Oklahoma City 67 91 Windy Wilmington, DE. 49 78 Sunny Talkeetna 66 54 T Dayton 56 77 Ptcldy Omaha 70 93 Tstrms National temperature extremes: Valdez 59 46 0.00 Denver 64 97 Tstrms Pendleton 65 94 Sunny Wasilla 64 48 0.00 Des Moines 62 87 .05 Tstrms Peoria 60 83 .32 Tstrms • High: 109 at Tucumari, New Mexico Whittier 52 50 0.12 Detroit 51 74 Ptcldy Philadelphia 54 77 Sunny • Low: 26 at Bodie, California Yakutat 60 40 0.00 Duluth 53 81 Ptcldy Phoenix 83 86 .17 Vryhot ——— El Paso 83 102 Sunny Alaska temperature extremes: Pittsburgh 45 76 Sunny m — indicates missing information. Eugene 55 86 Sunny Pocatello 62 91 Tstrms • High: 83 at Wainwright • LowJune: 33 at 24,Barte r2021 Island 9:03 am (GMT -8:00) Powered by TECNAVIA