BELMONT POINT—Gold dredges are parked at the Snake River shore on Belmont Point, on Friday, July 11. Photo by Lizzy Hahn C VOLUME CXIV NO. 29 July 17, 2014 Council approves Richard Foster Building construction, puts booze and tobacco tax on ballot By Sandra L. Medearis Richard Foster Building. sought more funds. McLain Museum and Beringia to Repair contract The Nome Common Council took The project will showcase the Car- The project manager, architects open and operate within available They saved further consideration up some issues Monday they had rie M. McLain Museum, the library and general contractor cooperated in funds. on a disputed contract for repairing found controversial in the past and and Kawerak’s Beringia Culture and value engineering exercises that re- The Council gave the Richard the City’s light duty and emergency got through them maintaining kind Science Center. duced the construction cost by ap- Foster Building the go-head with the vehicles for a work session. They spirits and light hearts. Cost of the work had been pen- proximately $700,000, bringing the lion’s share of funding secured. continued to deny low bidder Trinity The Council caused spectators to ciled in at $12.2 million and awarded figure down to $10.5 million and re- Sails the contract even though the clap their hands when it passed a res- to SKW, but the Council had held off ducing the overall cost to just under Tax increase on ballot City’s attorney, Patrick Munson, in a olution giving contractor ASRC on giving the starting flag while proj- $19 million. In other business, the Council ap- memo to the Council said awarding SKW Eskimo a notice to proceed ect managers looked for savings The current plan allows for all proved putting a tax increase on al- of the contract to the low bidder was with the construction phase of the through value engineering and three entities, the library, Carrie M. cohol and cigarettes before the a separate issue from a possible land voters on the October municipal bal- lot. continued on page 4 Diomede sees passen- ger flights restored By Diana Haecker 44 weeks per year, routed Nome to The ink is dry on contracts be- Diomede to Wales to Diomede to tween Erickson Helicopters Inc., Nome, with four-seat B-105 heli- Kawerak Inc. and the U.S. Dept. of copters,” reads the document. Transportation to restore regularly The story of helicopter transporta- scheduled passenger flights between tion to and from Little Diomede is Little Diomede and the mainland. long and complicated, said Alaska Going into its third year of sched- Dept. of Transportation planner Rich uled passenger flights by helicopter Sewell. Little Diomede residents for – fixed wing airplanes can fly only years had only the unreliable possi- during springtime when the sea ice bility to catch a ride to or from the has set up firmly enough to double island by a helicopter under contract as a runway – the program hit a few to deliver U.S. postal mail. While it weeks delay. was relatively easy to get a seat on a When the fiscal year ended on flight from Diomede to either Wales June 30, paperwork had not been fi- or Nome – with mail delivered, the nalized to offer a seamless transition helicopter was empty – return trips to the new fiscal year and a new con- often were impossible. tract. Essential Air Services, a govern- Not until July 8 did the U.S. DOT ment program that subsidizes air issue an order to finalize the neces- transportation to rural communities, sary contracts. did not offer a way out because Lit- The Department has chosen Er- tle Diomede was not on a list that of- Photo by Bret Hanson ickson Helicopters and Kawerak Inc. fered regularly scheduled air service GONE FISHING— Ayuu Roesch and Amber Koutchak proudly carry their catch, during last weekend’s to provide air transportation to in 1978. Unalakleet Humpy Derby in memory of Anna Natiqaq Etageak. See story and more photos on page 8. Diomede, from July 1, 2014 through Being on the list would’ve made June 30, 2015. “The service is to Diomede eligible for the program. consist of one round trip per week, continued on page 5 Musk ox pose complex problem for biologists to solve By Sandra L. Medearis against the wild animals carrying the him they like having the animals Musk oxen entering the city limits sharp horns. around, Gorn said. of Nome and hanging out in parks, This was the gist of a discussion Many welcome the animals for yards, roadsides, airport and gardens with state Fish and Game biologist photo opportunities and show and have generated many questions and Tony Gorn. tell for visiting relatives. one big fact. Biologists are looking for an an- Concerning fish and game man- That fact is that a solution to man- swer he said. agement, 15 years as a state biologist age the squat, hairy guests is com- Moving them is not working, be- has show there are always polarized plicated, complex and elusive. cause the animals won’t stay put. Bi- opinions, Gorn observed—not just The question has divided opinion ologists have considered thinning the with musk oxen, but also with other into more stances than just for or musk ox population in the area. They species. may have to concentrate on the pred- Some people want the musk ox ators that make the musk ox come to gone right now; others do not want On the Web: town for shelter. state Fish and Game to do anything For now, it seems humans will too aggressive. Some people think www.nomenugget.net have to coexist and use some com- about extreme encounters between E-mail: mon sense in sharing the community. humans and bears—maulings—and [email protected] The human population, for its part, think musk ox are great. has shown a variety of feelings. Some find the survivors from the Some dog owners fear and hate Pleistocene period just downright an- the musk oxen because the animals noying. Photo by Patty Andersen have injured or killed dogs with their “A bunch of them came into my GOOD FENCES—A fenced enclosure in the yard of the Witrowsky horns, goring them, even driving in yard, ate all my flowers and then home in Icy View thwarted an attempt by a musk ox to get to their dog. their horns and flipping pets into the rubbed their asses against my The musk ox did bend a metal fence post. The state Dept. of Fish and air. Game advises residents to put up chain link fences that are secured ef- Still, some dog owners have told continued on page 16 fectively to stop nuisance muskox. 2 THURSDAY, JULY 17, 2014 OPINION THE NOME NUGGET Voter registration deadline is coming up More early voting sites established in region Sunday, July 20 marks the dead- “Changes made after July 20, in- The Alaska Federation of Natives, AFN. “The team’s next efforts will A voter is eligible to vote early if the line to register to vote, update voter cluding party affiliation changes, the ANCSA Regional Association be to continue non-partisan voter voter is voting at the Regional Elec- registration or change political party will not be effective for the August and Get Out The Native Vote in co- registration, and to educate voters on tions Office where the voter is regis- affiliation for the upcoming August 19 primary.” operation with the Division of Elec- the issues and candidate races.” tered and if the voter’s registration 19 primary election. The Division of Voter registration applications are tions established new absentee When voting absentee in-person, record is active and current. Since Elections office in Nome will be available at any Division of Elec- in-person and early voting sites the voter’s eligibility to vote is veri- the voter’s eligibility to vote could be open this coming weekend to assist tions regional office, at municipal throughout the state. Statewide, 128 fied after the voter is issued a ballot. verified, the voter simply signs a cer- voters. It will open on Saturday, July clerks’ offices, at the Division of villages were added to the list. Since the voter’s eligibility cannot be tificate and the voted ballot is placed 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Motor Vehicles and at public li- These voting sites were estab- verified at the time of voting, the directly into the ballot box. Sunday, July 20 from 12 p.m. to 4 braries. Registration applications are lished in villages that either did not voter’s voted ballot is placed inside In the Norton Sound and Bering Strait p.m. for voter registration. also available on the Division of have one or needed to reestablish an absentee voting envelope prior to region new absentee early voting sites are The division also accepts voter Elections website at www.elec- themselves officially with the state. being placed in the ballot box. When Brevig Mission, Buckland, Deering, registration applications submitted tions.alaska.gov. “This is just one step in ensuring voting early, the voter’s eligibility to Diomede, Elim, Gambell, Golovin, by mail, fax, or e-mail. Koyuk, Point Hope, Point Lay, Savoonga, The party affiliation on a voter’s the Native community is able to ex- vote is verified at the time of voting “I encourage Alaskans not to wait Shaktoolik, Shishmaref, St. Michael, record on July 20 will determine ercise our fundamental right to vote,” through the Division of Elections to register or make a change to your Stebbins, Teller, Wales and White Moun- which political party ballot a voter is said Julie Kitka, President of statewide voter registration system.