Waterfront: Two cruise giants assemble a panel of health experts to give them a path back to sailing, B-1 NHL set to return Joy co-stars Starz drama Players and league gear up for Former Ketchikan resident, FCP games beginning Aug. 1, A-6 performer lands role in ‘P-Valley,’ B-2 57º/51º Weather, page A-3 $1.75 SATURDAY/SUNDAY, JULY 11-12, 2020 TWITTER.COM/KDNNEWS WWW.KETCHIKANDAILYNEWS.COM 20 PAGES Stand up, America! Boro atty. talks remote sales tax Ordinance 19 will allow collection of sales tax from online purchases By SAM STOCKBRIDGE Daily News Staff Writer A proposed ordinance that would allow the Ketchikan Gateway Borough to apply sales tax to online purchases got one step closer to reality at Monday’s Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly meeting, though not without scrutiny. Ordinance 1917, which the Assembly on Monday unanimously voted to in- troduce, would allow an intergovernmental entity called the Alaska Remote Seller Sales Tax Commission to collect sales taxes from online purchases on be- half of members of the commission. To facilitate that end, the ordinance would adopt the commission’s remote sales tax code as a new section of the borough’s existing tax code, potentially generating between $400,000 and $1 million in new revenues each year for the borough, according to Monday’s agenda state- ment. Borough Finance Director Cynna Gubatayao — who is the secretary of the commission’s board of directors — and Borough Attorney Glenn Brown have worked closely with Alaska Municipal League to establish the commission See ‘Sales tax,’ page A-5 51 COVID-19 cases reported in Alaska New resident cases spread across Hernando Melendez poses while a friend snaps a portrait on July 4 in front of a large scale American flag at Madison True Value. Staff photo by Dustin Safranek 13 communities, none in Ketchikan KETCHIKAN (KDN) — Alaska Anchorage counted 21 of the res- set a new record Thursday as 51 ident cases Thursday, Fairbanks tal- new positive test results for lied 14 cases and the City of Kenai COVID-19 were reported for state identified three new cases. residents in a 24-hour period, with Wasilla and North Pole each Countries ease barrier for seafarers active cases continuing to outnum- counted two of the Thursday cases. ber those classified as recovered. One new case apiece was identified By K. OANH Ha pore, Greece and the United Arab Seafarers will now get interna- celed flights limited travel. A total of 55 resident and nonres- in Eagle River, Juneau, Nome, the and Krystal Chia Emirates said they would ease coro- tional recognition as "key workers" to "It is time to act for seafarers," said ident cases of COVID-19 were Nome Census Area, Palmer, Se- Bloomberg navirus-related restrictions for sea- enable freer movement and quicker Kitack Lim, secretary-general of the recorded on Thursday, according to ward and Willow. More than a dozen countries with farers and boost commercial flights repatriation, following a virtual In- International Maritime Organization. the Alaska Department of Health Thursday’s cases raised the crucial global shipping hubs agreed to help facilitate crew swaps. The ternational Maritime Summit hosted "Safe ship operations and crew well- and Social Services. Alaska resident total to 1,323 since to ease port and border restrictions pact comes after months of pressure by the U.K. Thursday. Some crews being should not be compromised. The record 51 new resident cases the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in for seafarers to help the more than on governments, ports and shippers have spent more than a year at sea, The humanitarian crisis seafarers was dispersed across 13 communi- Alaska in early March, according to 200,000 workers still stranded on to find ways to get workers off ves- exceeding limits under maritime face has implications for all of us, for ties, none of which were in DHSS. vessels return home. sels after a rash of suicides and an agreements, as border restrictions to the world economy and for the Ketchikan or other southern South- Of the four new nonresident Nations including the U.S., Singa- uptick in expired contracts. halt the spread of Covid-19 and can- See ‘Seafarers,’ page A-2 east Alaska communities See ‘COVID-19,’ page A-2 Alaska judge declines to block virus aid to businesses By BECKY BOHRER of success" on the merits in his underlying those who need them," he said. lenberg "jumped the gun" in weighing in on Dunleavy administration and ratified by law- Associated Press case. Even if Forrer had, Pallenberg in his The order came a day after Pallenberg heard the merits when the case had not been fully makers and included language saying busi- JUNEAUKetchikan — A state court Daily judge NewsFriday de- - 07/11/2020order wrote he would notCopy have blocked Reduced dis- arguments to 54% on the from injunction original request. to fit briefed.letter page nesses that secured federal funds directly nied a Juneau man's request to block distribu- bursement of funds amid the virus' economic The Department of Law, in a statement, said "We'll just deal with it at the Supreme Court available to them under a federal relief law tion of federal coronavirus relief aid under fallout. it was pleased the ruling allows the state "to level," he said. would not qualify. The state later sought to ex- expanded rules proposed by Gov. Mike Dun- "The current situation is too grave, and the move forward with helping to meet the needs The state designated $290 million of the pand eligibility as a way to provide additional leavy's administration. needs of Alaskans too great in the present of small businesses which are the cornerstone more than $1 billion it received in federal aid to businesses and allow businesses that re- Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg ruled emergency, for this court to stand in the way of the State's economy." coronavirus relief aid toward a small business ceived $5,000 or less in certain federal relief Eric Forrer had not shown a "clear probability of the distribution of these federal funds to Joe Geldhof, an attorney for Forrer, said Pal- program. The program was proposed by the See ‘Virus aid,’ page A-2 Ketchikan experiences first no—ships (cruise and steam) season By DAVE KIFFER on a Seattle-based steam ship, The Active, shortly For the Daily News after resigning as Secretary of State. Seward gave With the recent announcements by Norwegian, a speech in Sitka in which he promoted the idea American and Lindblad cruise lines canceling of an eventual Alaskan statehood, and he also vis- their remaining cruise ship seasons, Ketchikan ited Fort Tongass. will now have its first cruise ship/steam ship free In 1881, the Pacific Coast Steamship Company season since ... well, since Ketchikan became See ‘No ship,’ page A-3 Ketchikan 130 years ago. After the United States purchased Alaska from The Canadian Pacific Railway's coastal Russia in 1867, monthly boat service began be- tween Portland, Oregon and Sitka, with occasional steamer Princess Royal is seen at the dock stops in the other established community in the in Ketchikan, circa 1915. The single-stack region, Wrangell. The initial service was mail and wooden passenger steamer was con- other communications by naval ships, but within structed by the British Columbia Marine a couple of years several different private Railway of Esquimalt for the Canadian Pa- steamships began making their way up the coast, cific Railway's B.C. Coast Service. It oper- The Steamship Ancon is seen underway in some also stopping at Fort Tongass, the brief mil- ated for a time on the Alaska waters in this undated photo from the itary post established near the Canadian border. Victoria-Seattle-Vancouver route and oper- 1880s. An early visitor on one of those steamships was ated on excursions to Southeast Alaska. Image courtesy of Ketchikan Museums: David Nicoll image, Image courtesy of Ketchikan Museums: none other than Alaska purchaser William Henry Tongass Historical Society Collection, THS 79.9.9.3 Tongass Historical Society Collection, THS 63.9.10.35 Seward, who visited the Alaska territory in 1869 Today’s Trivia: Ketchikan, Alaska "Life is ours to be spent, not to be saved." How many U.S. Navy destroyers visited © 2020 Ketchikan 100 years ago this week? VOL. 93 NO. 161 — D. H. Lawrence (USPS 293-940) www.ketchikandailynews.com Answer, Page A-2 Copyright (c)2020 Ketchikan Daily News, Edition 07/11/2020 July 13, 2020 8:34 am (GMT -8:00) Powered by TECNAVIA Saturday/Sunday, July 11-12, 2020 KETCHIKAN DAILY NEWS LOCAL/ALASKA A-3 AROUND ALASKA Anchorage School District plans limited reopening California firm to buy assets of RavnAir for $8M ANCHORAGE (AP) — The Anchorage School District announced a plan to ANCHORAGE (AP) — Large airplanes and regional service certificates begin holding in-person classes two days per week when schools reopen in the owned by Alaska's RavnAir Group are expected to be purchased by a South- fall. ern California firm for $8 million. BY DAVE KIFFER The district announced Thursday that in-person classes are expected to resume Float Shuttle plans to take over six of the Dash-8 aircraft and two federal For the Daily News a five-day schedule after two and a half weeks of reopening, The Anchorage operating certificates owned by RavnAir's services, Corvus and PenAir, Alaska Bartender buzz cut raises $3,139 Daily News reported. Public Media reported Thursday. SKAGWAY — Red Onion bartender Deb Potter decided to do more than District officials scheduled Aug. 20 as the first day of classes since schools The carriers flew passengers from Anchorage to the Aleutian Islands, the just get her hair cut.