WATCH OUT— Toddlers were the first to compete in foot races at the customary street games held as part of the annual Independence Day celebrations in Nome. Photo by Diana Haecker C VOLUME CXV NO. 27 July 9, 2015 NJUS wipes out debt to City of Nome By Sandra Medearis nancing agreement expired June 30. The Nome Joint Utilities System In an update to the city manager has paid off a $2.2 million line of and Nome Common Council by Fi- credit from the City of Nome, ac- nance Director Julie Liew, NJUS, crued interest included. based on May 31 figures, had drawn The utility ran short of cash in No- down a total of $2, 575,962.39 and vember when, for a handful of rea- paid back all but $656,386.98 plus sons, it had not applied for project $11,935.20 in accrued interest at 2.5 reimbursements from grant and loan percent annually. agencies. Utility executives said the John Handeland, utility manager, lack of reimbursements and too-low said Monday that NJUS had paid the electric rates had left NJUS without remaining principle balance and ac- insufficient operating money and un- crued interest ahead of the June 30 paid accounts receivable. deadline. Additionally, NJUS had NJUS, owned by the City of rendered its Payment in Lieu of Nome, signed an agreement allowing Taxes to the City before it was due, the utility a $2.2 million line of credit and NJUS was whittling down the backed up by the City’s designated continued on page 4 savings reserves. The short –term fi- Alaska sues EPA over new water rule By Diana Haecker the agencies’ jurisdiction over state Despite denouncing his predeces- land and water resources beyond the sor Sean Parnell’s practice to fight limits established by Congress under “federal overreach” in the court the Clean Water Act. The plaintiffs room during the gubernatorial race ask the court to declare the final rule last year, Governor Bill Walker an- unlawful as it allegedly was issued nounced last week that the State of in violation of the Clean Water Act, Alaska has joined 13 other states in a the National Environmental Policy lawsuit against the federal Environ- Act and the Administrative Proce- mental Protection Agency and the dure Act. The plaintiffs also allege US Army Corps of Engineers, chal- that the rule extends Congressional lenging the recently published “Wa- authority beyond the limits of the ters of the United States” rule, also Commerce Clause and that it inter- known as the WOTUS rule. feres with state sovereignty. They Alaska joined the states of North ask the court to vacate the entire rule Dakota, Arizona, Arkansas, Col- and to prohibit the EPA and the orado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Army Corps to use, apply, imple- Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, ment and enforce the rule. Wyoming and the environment de- “Alaska has over 174 million partment and state engineer of New acres of wetlands, and more coast- Mexico. line and wetlands than all of the The states filed the complaint in Lower 48 combined,” said Governor Photo by Russell Rowe the US District Court for the district Walker in a press release. “While not COUNTRY STYLE— Sandra Rowe, baby Bradley and Carl Emmons with reindeer Velvet Eyes celebrated of North Dakota, southeastern divi- all of these waters are covered by the the Fourth of July by participating in a parade consisting of a few families on 4-wheelers in Cottonwood. sion. The complaint alleges that the WOTUS rule “unlawfully expands continued on page 6 Where there is smoke there is not necessarily fire nearby By Maisie Thomas A strong east wind had pushed the 22 of these are large. On Monday morning, Nome res- scent of wildfires that burn near The Interagency Coordination idents woke up to the smell of Koyuk, Shaktoolik and Unalakleet Center website describes a very large smoke. up the coast. fire as being over 2,500 acres and a Fires have been especially numer- large fire is defined to be anywhere ous this year, with the Sockeye Fire from 250 to 2,500 acres in size. On the Web: in Willow and the Card Street fire in Two very large fires are currently Sterling having wreaked havoc in burning near Unalakleet, two very www.nomenugget.net residential areas in the Mat-Su Bor- large and one large fire are blazing E-mail: ough and the Kenai Peninsula. near Koyuk and one very large and Though the most severe effects one large fire are near Shaktoolik. [email protected] occurred in the interior part of According to the Alaska Bureau Alaska, the Seward Peninsula and of Land Management, none of the the eastern Norton Sound area have fires currently pose a direct threat to not been spared from wildfires. the villages or any structures. According to the Alaska Intera- Due to rain over the July 4 week- gency Coordination Center website, end, it was thought that the two Photo by Jeff Erickson there are over 300 fires burning FIRE— The Egavik fire is burning up a ridge near Unalakleet, on June around the state as of press time, and continued on page 4 24. 2 THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015 OPINION THE NOME NUGGET Letters Honesty is the best Policy these areas. Alaska Dept of Education believes ple math problem, one I taught in 7th the peak of the Bell curve the truer Dear Editor, I miss the old days, when paper their child is proficient, and will be grade math, the closer the Median the result. The farther any one of In order for Government and pub- pencil IOWA tests administered in used in teacher evaluations. (middle), Mode (most frequently oc- lic institutions to work there has to be the 1980’s were scored and returned Setting the scores should be a sim- curring) and median (Average) are to continued on page 3 trust in them. This is rarely achieved before the end of the school year. by keeping the key parts of the Parents and teachers could look at the process hidden from public view. results which included a grade level In March almost all of the students equivalency and a percentile score of Sound Off: Combat Recession by in the State of Alaska sat down in their child from last year’s test and front of a computer to be weighed this year’s and decide, do we need to Medicaid expansion and measured in Reading, Writing do summer school or enrichment and Math using computers, a very classes, truly a collaborative effort. public process. Tuesday the most important part By Rep. Les Gara supported by every Democratic and Walker Administration came in, they This should have resulted in of this year’s testing process will According to a recent study, Independent legislator. It was sup- continued prior repair work, at a fu- quicker results to parents and Dis- occur, behind closed doors. Results Alaska is either in a recession or on ported by a Governor who’d been a rious pace, to fix the Xerox system. tricts, in order to do intervention over will be unavailable to schools until the brink of one. It’s time for non- Republican before running as an In- It now pays at over 90 percent accu- the summer or in the next school November, 7 months after testing partisan solutions, not time to play dependent. And it is supported by racy during the first billing submis- year. ended. Russian Roulette with the economy. just enough Republicans that we sion. Opponents say that’s less than This is not the case, because this Invited Educators and others will Alaska will lose 4,000 jobs across have the votes to pass it. But GOP 100 percent. But they fail to note is a brand-new test it has to be cali- look at test items and remove those the economy by September. Block- leaders said they won’t allow a floor that for claims the Xerox system brated, question that were missed by deemed too hard, and too easy, but ing a vote on a Medicaid Expansion vote unless a majority of their own doesn’t pay accurately, a phone call all students need to be removed. And more importantly they will set the cut bill that’s passed in Democratic and caucus members agree to support the from a provider results in 100 per- then the bar set for cut off scores in- scores. These scores will inform dis- Republican states, that would create bill. So, a non-partisan bill stalled cent of claims being paid by the next dicating proficiency or lack of in tricts and parents if the State of 4,000 Alaska jobs, isn’t smart poli- even though it had enough votes to or following month. tics. pass. The state is still successfully forc- The public supports it across party No one disputes the jobs Medi- ing Xerox to improve this system Letters to the editor must be signed and include an lines. But Republican legislative caid Expansion will bring. In the through litigation. Alaska hasn’t address and phone number. Thank you notes and leaders decided to block this bill first year, Alaska will receive $145 retroactively made right for all Par- political endorsements are considered ads. from House and Senate floor votes million in additional federal funds nell-era claims mangled by Xerox. during 140 days of legislative ses- that will bolster the economy, rising It’s working to do that. But the sys- sion and special sessions. to roughly $200 million/yr.