Photo by Denise Olin WALKING FOR THE CURE—Nomeites show their support for those affected by cancer by participating in the Walk for the Cure Saturday in Nome. C VOLUME CIX NO. 41 OCTOBER 21, 2010 Territorial guardsmen saluted By Tyler Rhodes Alex Oyoumick. With proud salutes and basking in In addition to recognizing the men the glow and applause from a crowd who served, the ceremony on Alaska of supporters, six veterans of the Day also served as the official un- Alaska Territorial Guard received veiling of a statue in front of the Old long overdue recognition Monday. Federal Building honoring the terri- At a ceremony held at the Alaska torial guard. The statue, one of sev- National Guard Armory in Nome, eral installed throughout the state, is Conrad Oozeva, Winfred James Sr., a result of work conducted by the Franklin Okitkun, Francis Rivers Sr., Alaska Native Veterans Association. Vincent Tocktoo and Laban Iyatun- The association was able to re- guk received certificates and medals ceive more than $100,000 in state honoring their service in the guard funding to place the statues in that was assembled to protect Alaska Nome, Anchorage, Fairbanks, from the threat of invasion during Bethel, Juneau, Kotzebue, Nenana World War II. Also honored, but un- and Point Barrow. Alaska Native able to attend the ceremony, were Veterans Association board member Photo by Tyler Rhodes Allen Ahnangnatoguk, Frankie Ah- Harry Fields was in Nome for the nangnatoguk, Jacob Ahwinona, SALUTE—Alaska Territorial Guard veteran Laban Iyatunguk returns a salute to cadet Lt. Col. Kyle Greims- Clarence Irrigoo, Clifford Tom and continued on page 10 mann after receiving a medal and certificate Oct. 18 in Nome for his service during World War II. Unalakleet elects Middy Johnson to NSEDC board Brevig Mission Norton Sound Economic Development Corp. board seat election to be held Nov. 16 By Laurie McNicholas according to an advertisement the corporation take a position as manager of NSEDC’s fish Middy Johnson resigned as manager of William (Middy) Johnson won Unalakleet’s placed in the Sept. 16, 2010 edition of The processing plant in Unalakleet. At that time NSEDC’s Unalakleet fish processing plant last seat on the Norton Sound Economic Develop- Nome Nugget. NSEDC’s policy prohibited board members August to take the top job with the Native Vil- ment Corp. board of directors in a runoff elec- Candidates in the runoff election were lim- from serving as employees of the corporation. lage of Unalakleet. He subsequently filed as a tion Oct. 12, defeating incumbent Frank ited to Katchatag and Johnson, who finished Johnson stirred controversy by appointing candidate for the Unalakleet board seat in the Katchatag by seven votes. Johnson received second with 76 votes in the Oct. 5 election. Art his brother, Paul Johnson, to replace him for the NSEDC election held Oct. 5. 112 votes compared to 105 for Katchatag. Ivanoff received 46 votes in the Oct. 5 election remainder of his three-year term as Unalak- The Brevig Mission city council has sched- In the election for the NSEDC board seat (not 43 as reported in the Oct. 14 edition of leet’s board member. The NSEDC board al- uled a special election on Nov. 16 to choose a held Oct. 5 in Unalakleet, Katchatag led three Nugget), and Charles Degnan tallied 23 votes. lowed the appointment to stand rather than call representative of its community for the NSEDC other candidates with 92 votes, but received Middy Johnson previously served as Un- for a special board seat election in Unalakleet. board, according to City Clerk Allen Okpealuk. only 38.8 percent of the total vote. NSEDC re- alakleet’s representative on the NSEDC board In October 2007 Paul Johnson ran in Unalak- He said the election originally slated for Oct. 5 quires that candidates receive at least 40 per- from October 2004 to April 2006, when he re- leet’s regular election for the NSEDC board was not held because the city’s copier ran out cent of the votes cast to be elected to the board, signed before his three-year term expired to seat and was defeated by Katchatag. of toner and ballots could not be printed. On the Web: Drunken break-in ends with a ride to jail www.nomenugget.net By Tyler Rhodes filed by Nome Police Officer Ian Police reported arresting Mos- flicted by the intruders was limited to E-mail: An apparent alcohol-fueled deci- Koenig, he and Officer Mike Yant quito as he tried to flee the build- a couple of doors and windows. [email protected] sion to break into Milano’s Restau- found Logan Mosquito, 19, and ing from its southeast door. Ryan Im of Milano’s said one beer rant in Nome’s Old Federal Building Justin Ahkinga, 19, standing in the Ahkinga reportedly again retreated from the restaurant was taken and (Bering Straits office building) restaurant while a juvenile was try- into the building after also trying to consumed, and the cash register had landed a trio of young suspects in jail ing to climb into the building exit the southeast door. He was ul- been tampered with but not opened. late last week. through a broken window in the timately apprehended at the build- The window of the restaurant’s main Police were called to the restau- restaurant’s main door. According ing’s south door. The report noted entrance had been broken out. A win- rant around 6:20 a.m. Oct. 15 on a to the complaint, the two young a strong odor of alcohol on the dow in the door connecting the report of a burglary in progress. Ac- men fled farther into the building breath of both men. cording to the criminal complaint upon seeing the officers. The damage to the building in- continued on page 20 2 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010OPINION THE NOME NUGGET Sound Off: Equity in health care access essential for all Alaskans By Susan B. Andrews and John zons. professor at University of Alaska books, balloons and a milkshake. reassured us. “I’m proud of him. No Creed The school nurse characterized the Southeast in Sitka. We recounted the She later told us by phone: whining, no complaining, and polite KOTZEBUE—The phone rang at transfer as a routine precaution. In- doctor’s prognosis—Trevor’s condi- “Trevor looked up at the doctor with to a fault.” about 9:30 on a Thursday evening in deed, Trevor might even get sprung tion likely wasn’t a typical school-re- those beautiful blue eyes just before The following week in Kotzebue, mid-September. soon enough to return to school and lated bug. surgery and asked, ‘When am I going we recounted Trevor’s ordeal around It was a nurse from Mt. Edge- cross-country running practice the The following morning, a surgeon to be able to run again?’” town. cumbe High School in Sitka. next day. called to say the hospital was prepar- That evening Tom Pennington “It’s lucky it happened in Sitka Our son Trevor had been vomiting But a physician at Sitka’s tribal ing Trevor, with our permission, to emailed an update: “Just got back and not Kotzebue,” one local resi- all day in sick bay. hospital, Southeast Alaska Regional remove his appendix immediately, from the hospital. Ol’ Trev is looking dent told us. ”He may not have made “We’ll be bringing Trevor over to Health Consortium, soon dashed before it bursts. SO MUCH BETTER than earlier it otherwise.” the emergency room shortly,” the those hopes. We cannot describe the frustration today. He’s lost that green color and Maniilaq Health Center in Kotze- nurse explained. “We’re concerned “We’re going to keep Trevor that even if we had tried, we could now looks like a pretty healthy guy. bue can perform neither surgery nor he’ll get dehydrated.” overnight and run a CAT Scan in the not have traveled to Trevor soon He’s smiling, talking, and seems CAT Scans. Not three weeks before, Trevor morning,” she said, as we listened on enough. pretty darn good.” Even a medevac flight to Anchor- and his twin sister Deirdre had speaker phone. Meanwhile, the admissions direc- Tom also sent a photo of Trevor age might not have saved our son’s stepped on the afternoon jet in Our daughter Tiffany, soon be re- tor at Mt. Edgecumbe heard about resting in his hospital bed, taken life. Kotzebue—their windswept, treeless turning to college, flung open her Trevor’s plight and rushed to his while talking to us on his cell phone We share this story not as a per- hometown in Northwest Arctic bedroom door as the doctor de- side, where she would stay before after the surgery. Alaska—heading for freshman year scribed Trevor’s condition. and after surgery, later bringing him “Worry not, he’s doing well,” Tom continued on page 13 at Mt. Edgecumbe, nearly a thousand “You’ll be alright, Trev,” we as- miles across the state in Southeast sured our son. Alaska. After we hung up, Tiffany started As we did with their older brother sobbing. and sister before them, we sent our The next morning, we emailed A Look at the Past 14-year-old twins to Mt. Edgecumbe Tom Pennington, a former colleague to broaden their educational hori- in Kotzebue and now an education Letters to the editor must be signed and include an address and phone number. Thank yous and political endorsements are considered ads. Editorial Disconnect A mob mentality is a dangerous situation, and when itʼs on the na- tional level we should be afraid.