Photo by Nadja Roessek ON ICE—Mollie Erickson (center) goes for the puck while women and girls of all ages enjoy the afternoon playing ice hockey in Nome Jan 31. C VOLUME CIX NO. 5 FEBRUARY 4, 2010 Road to Nome would cost billions Study favors Yukon route, but don’t pack the car just yet By Diana Haecker the Elliot Highway, paralleling the Alaskans to facilitate travel from east A state-funded transportation Yukon River, going west from to west and the most crucial would study to evaluate the location and Koyukuk and heading for Koyuk be- be the ability to explore for mining benefit of various possible routes fore meeting up with the Nome- resources of gold, copper and coal,” to connect western Alaska to the Council Highway. The project cost Wetherell said. interior road system came out with estimates range between $2.3 billion He added that the road would cre- the recommendation to build a and $2.7 billion. ate jobs during construction, and road along the Yukon River to Alaska Department of Transporta- offer the promise of jobs at resource Norton Sound. tion and Public Facilities spokesman development projects as well as road It’s destination: Nome. Roger Wetherell said that the study crews to maintain the road once The recommended road route weighs both sides of the findings and built. The authors of the study list as would be 500 miles in length, begin- that the positive far outweigh the ning outside Manley Hot Springs on negative. “It is to the benefit of continued on page 16 Federal mediator will add voice to teacher salary talks By Tyler Rhodes would have come from the Nome offer, which Wehde said was the dis- After two rounds of talks, salary Education Association, which stood trict’s best and final, essentially of- negotiations between Nome Public its ground Jan. 28 in asking for a 7 fered a 1.2 percent raise each year Schools and its teachers are headed percent raise for teachers over the over the next two years. The first for mediation. next two years. It was the same re- offer was essentially for a 1 percent Photo by Nadja Roessek “We are at impasse,” said Su- quest the team made at the initial bar- raise each year over the two years. SLIP SLIDING—(left to right) Zach, 11, Justin, 4, and Athena Tuell, perintendent Jon Wehde. “We were gaining session Jan. 19. Despite the increase, the teachers’ 6, enjoy a warmer winter day at the Anvil City Square playground anticipating a move that wasn’t For its part, the district put on the union said the district’s offer showed in Nome on Jan 31. forthcoming.” table an offer that slightly eclipsed The move Wehde was hoping for that tendered on Jan. 19. The latest continued on page 8 Court approves diocese’s bankruptcy plan By Diana Haecker priests and lay workers of the dio- age approved the final details of the will now review case by case to Donald Kettler, said that the dio- Almost two years to the date since cese’s rural outposts including Nome consensually formulated plan agreed divvy up the $9.8 million that now is cese’s 46 parishes chipped in and proceedings started, the federal and northwestern Alaska. on by CBNA attorneys and lawyers in a settlement fund. contributed $650,000 toward the set- bankruptcy court in Anchorage has Last week, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the 289 victims of clergy sex Robert Hannon, CBNA’s chancel- approved the Fairbanks diocese’s Judge Donald McDonald in Anchor- abuse. A court-appointed arbitrator lor and special assistant to Bishop continued on page 16 third amended reorganization plan, in effect putting an end to the bank- ruptcy proceedings. The Catholic Bishop of Northern Alaska, the busi- KNOM radio plans to go independent of bishop ness side of the Fairbanks diocese, By Diana Haecker from the [Federal Communications filed for Chapter 11 protection when Nome’s radio station KNOM Commission] to take over the more than 200 cases of sexual abuse plans to separate from its current Bishop’s license,” Schmidt said. claims were brought against former owner, the Catholic Bishop of North- The $150,000 that was given in ern Alaska. KNOM’s name toward the diocese’s Station manager Ric Schmidt said settlement fund has not actually been On the Web: that a temporary founding board con- paid out from the radio station to the www.nomenugget.net sisting of him, his wife, Lynette, and fund. “We don’t have that kind of Kelly Brabec are in the process of es- money,” Schmidt said. Rather, it will E-mail: tablishing a nonprofit organization be part of the negotiations to buy the [email protected] named KNOM Radio Mission Inc. radio station and its assets from the Once the paperwork is finished to have the new entity listed as a continued on page 16 501c(3) nonprofit—and once other details are cleared—Schmidt plans to ON THE AIR—Ric and Lynette negotiate with CBNA to take over Schmidt pose next to the sign at the radio station. “We’re looking at the KNOM studio. A plan is in the purchasing the property and build- works to transfer the ownership of ings, and we need to get permission the station to a new nonprofit. Photo by Nadja Roessek 2 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010OPINION THE NOME NUGGET Letters Dear Editor, Upon questioning, the child merely good bet that they have stopped rep- law regarding Executive Session. ful Recall effort. “I am a new resident to Nome and mumbles, “I dunno...” and waits for resenting their constituency. The ap- The School Board is responsible Process. Process. Process! It ap- I have no children enrolled in our the person demanding explanations parent transparency of the behavior for supervising ONLY the Superin- plies to everyone, especially to those schools. Like many people, I am to tire of the one-way conversation of the principals whose contracts are tendent! Period. NSB policy and in elected office. concerned by the recent decision of and quit asking. The possible expla- not being renewed, compared to the state SB policy— they violated both Jana Varrati the school board regarding contract nations that occur to me for this de- relative obscurity of the school board by reaching down to the level be- Nome, AK 99762 renewals — but for different reasons cision are probably much worse than in this matter, make it look very yond their area of responsibility. than most. the reality of it, and I can think of nu- much as though the school board is Then they violated state law by dis- Dear Editor, I am concerned that this decision merous outrageous imaginary expla- the misbehaving party. cussing contract issues (over which I hope this finds most all of you was made behind closed doors, with- nations that place unspeakable blame I don’t have any kids to be af- they had NO authority) AND did not doing well. My family and I are OK. out public discussion, and that the on everyone involved. When elected fected by this decision, and frankly, I give the objects of their attention an My two younger daughters decided reasoning behind it is being kept representatives begin to believe that probably would not be interested in opportunity to discuss the issues or that it’s their turn to travel, so they from the public. I am reminded of a it is necessary to obscure their activ- the issue, except for the lack of trans- to defend themselves. joined sports. I’m glad for them. petulant child, caught misbehaving. ities from their constituents, it’s a parency involved. There are, how- Process. Process. Process! If the Way to go! ever, other elected officials that work NSB had/has issues with the princi- Although our areas probably ap- Letters to the editor must be signed and on issues that affect me more directly pal and vice principal of Nome- preciate GCI for expanding them- —and if this behavior is allowed to Beltz, they must, according to their selves, it isn’t much fun having our include an address and phone number. Thank yous pass unchallenged, it sends the mes- own policy, take it up with the Su- calls be dropped. Doesn’t it take and political endorsements are considered ads. sage to those other officials that they perintendent. Did they do that? NO! extra minutes too? And, since they can act similarly, without penalty. I In addition, the three SB members bought some of the other phone com- want the school board to understand who voted to not continue the con- panies, shouldn’t people be able to that if it continues to take the posi- tracts in question are LEAVING use those cell phones in these areas? tion that it is not accountable to the Nome! What’s that about? Is it the Worst yet are the calling cards we Editorial voting community, then it risks alien- old Slash & Burn/ Cut and Run? buy now a days. Oh, its perfectly ating more of that community than Thereby leaving this city with the fine if we want to call out of state, just the parents of children within it. ugly consequences of actions that but a lot of our families live here. If Keep Up The Pressure Carlton Brown they will not justify. we all in-state it takes mega-minutes Go to the school board meeting next Tuesday. Have three recall pe- Nome, AK I say “Phooey!” Follow the away. We should get the minutes we titions at the ready.