Photo by Peggy Fagerstrom NAUGHTY OR NICE—Santa takes care to let the Nome Police Department know that he’s one of the good guys as he makes his way through town in a snow storm. C VOLUME CVII NO. 52 DECEMBER 25, 2008 Piligrim Hot Springs back in church’s hands By Diana Haecker As part of the reorganization, CBNA filed a The Catholic Bishop of Northern Alaska has motion to legally rescind and default the hot regained control over a piece property it has springs property and get its rights to develop owned since 1917 after a judge freed Pilgrim back from Pilgrim Hot Springs Ltd. Hot Springs of a 99-year lease held by Pilgrim According to Tom Buzek, CBNA’s business Hot Springs Ltd. administrator, Pilgrim Hot Springs Ltd. also CBNA had tried to rescind the lease for a filed a creditor’s claim. In court, the company long time as church administrators felt that Pil- did not insist on keeping the lease, Buzek said. grim Hot Springs Ltd. hasn’t kept its end of a The court then officially and legally re- lease deal to develop the property’s geothermal, scinded the lease on Dec. 5. “This is an excit- agricultural or tourism potential. ing development,” Buzek said. “We now have In February, CBNA filed for Chapter 11 of an opportunity to develop this property to its the federal bankruptcy code when faced with a full potential and possibly serve the long-term multitude of victims who claimed sexual abuse energy needs of communities in the area.” Archive photo by Tyler Rhodes at the hands of priests and church workers in a SCENIC SPOT—The tub at Pilgrim Hot Springs steams against the backdrop of the Kiglu- time span between 1960s and 1980s. continued on page 3 aik Mountains. The church recently succeeded in terminating a lease on the property. NovaGold gets reprieve on $20M loan repayment date By Tyler Rhodes have worked flexibly with Auramet In the airtight credit market of this to extend the bridge loan facility,” economic recession, the owner and said NovaGold President and Chief operator of the Rock Creek mine has Executive Officer Rick Van wiggled itself a little breathing room. Nieuwenhuyse in a press release. NovaGold Resources Inc. an- “This extension provides the time for nounced Dec. 19 that its due date the company to continue discussions to repay a $20 million bridge loan with a variety of interested parties to has been extended a couple of address NovaGold’s funding needs months. With the original deadline to advance our development stage of Dec. 29 looming, the firm’s only projects in 2009.” producing mine suspended and no While the announcement means new source of cash apparent, No- NovaGold will have more time to vaGold appeared headed for a fi- put its finances in order, it offers no nancial meltdown. prediction as to the fate of the Rock The deadline extension from Au- Creek mine just outside of Nome. ramet Trading LLC to March 13, NovaGold announced its suspension 2009 will give NovaGold more time of operations at the open-pit mine to resolve its financial shortfalls. “We are pleased to have been able to continued on page 4 Utility making deals with late payers, including Rock Creek By Sandra L. Medearis pany, under duress from environ- Nome’s utility provider has been mental rule compliance and financial making special payment plans with pressures, would make weekly pay- some ratepayers to clean up past ments on its bill. electric bills. The shutdown took away hopes Last week, utility manager John and extensive effort in working out a Handeland told the Nome Joint Util- power supply agreement that would ity System board that he was meet- have helped ease fixed generation ing with NovaGold Resources and costs for the average small consumer. the City’s attorney to make a similar NJUS needs to settle this payment Photo by Tyler Rhodes payment plan with the mining com- issue to revise its budget and get on LETTING THE BIG GUY KNOW—Ethan George-Kelliher fills Santa in on his wish list during a visit at pany after the gold diggers ran out of with making the 2010 spending year the Nome Preschool Dec. 17. money to run Alaska Gold operations at the Rock Creek Mine. The com- continued on page 4 Visit the Nugget on line at www.nomenugget.net e-mail [email protected] 2 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2008OPINION THE NOME NUGGET Letters Letter to the Editor, wish come true. My wish was mov- didn’t like how they took care of me. the Army Corp of Engineers over the mine would still be running. th In the Nome Nugget, December 11 ing back to Unalakleet to reunite I’m not saying O.C.S. is bad but the their process for permitting the Rock What he inherited, however, was a issue with my family. My family and way they handled my situation was- Creek Mine a number of folks have mine that insiders admitted to me, in your Editorial you said we are friends are so excited to have me n’t good. asked me how I feel about the shut- “would never be allowed to operate tough and enduring because we back. You don’t know how much Before I moved into the Shield’s down of the mine. in the lower 48.” It certainly seems stand in the world’s longest lines at I’ve been waiting for this to happen. life, I had no Christ in my life, not Mostly I just feel sad. Sad, of to me that the people of Nome de- the post office and build bulging bi- Now my heart is almost complete. trust, and I was alone. But God put course, for the folks from our region serve the same health and environ- ceps from hauling home all those I didn’t have the best childhood me in a special place with a good who found themselves so suddenly mental protections as other catalogs from Cabala’s, L.L. Bean, like the other kids here in Nome or family who are Christians and would without a job. But even more sad that Americans. and Frederick’s of Hollywood. anywhere else. I was the oldest and help me. The Shields family helped the entire process wasn’t undertaken Perhaps it will be determined that I say no because most of Nome I had a lot of pain, suffering, and ha- me a lot and brought big pieces that properly from the outset, with a real- Nome just doesn’t have the gold re- dumps their trash at the post office tred. I was 11 years old when I first were left behind and matched it all istic understanding of the costs of sources to support industrial scale garbage cans sorting out all the crap got in foster homes. I tried my best together. They have done a lot to building a safe and functional mine mining in today’s economy, but that they don’t want to take home, let to find one in Unalakleet but no luck. help me, my family together, solve in the north. Nome’s history and has never stopped the small scale in- alone catalogs. I never liked living in foster homes my problems, my education, and to landscape is already littered with dependent miners who continue to Bill Probst that are non-native or foster families live strong. It wasn’t just the enough overly optimistic and finan- operate here. I have always admired P.O. Box 459 that don’t treat me right. My siblings Shield’s who helped me it was the cially misguided mining adventures. the rugged determination of Nome’s Nome, AK 99762 are separated from me. But I’m Lord. He made many good things During their first season of con- family of miners, and I cheer every happy with whom they are living that happened through Tim and Lor- struction I, like others, heard a num- time I see one of the small and in- Dear Editor, with because they are happy with- lie. ber of first and second-hand stories ventive floating dredges go by. What was your Christmas wish? whom they are living. But I had so I would like to thank the Shields of rushed work, used equipment, lax The Rock Creek Mine may still Well, I finally got my Christmas much hatred for O.C.S. because I family, my closest friend Sheikea safety standards, outside engineers come back on-line, but it seems to and her family the Brights, and many ignoring local knowledge of how to me Nova Gold will need to do what friends for being there for me. Tim build in the north, and the general they failed to do the first time: pro- Letters to the editor must be signed and and Lorlie will always be my part of cutting of quality to meet a produc- duce a fiscally responsible business include an address and phone number. my family. I love you guys! I’ll get tion schedule. They’d promised us a plan that knowledgeably and realisti- my Christmas wish on December 19, “showcase” mine, but did not appear cally factors-in all the challenges of Thank yous and political endorsements 2008 to move back to Unalakleet. to be building one. operating in the north, and includes Sincerely, This season saw new management our community’s right to safety and are considered ads. Marie Eakon Ivanoff and a lot of improvements.