News of the North June 28

From the capital city, I'm Grace Dumas and here are the stories we're following this hour. Last night, the Juno Assembly balanced ceremonial honors with contentious public testimony and fiscal caution, proclaiming August 26 as U.S. Coast Guard Appreciation Month and recognizing local volunteers, there was also deferral of major capital bond decisions. Deputy Mayor Greg Smith read a proclamation. Lodding the Coast Guard's maritime safety and national defense rules, Coast Guard leaders accepted a tug-of-war trophy and were thanked for the service of cutters and crews visiting Juno. Public Congress. comment filled much of the first half of the session. The Juno Commission on Aging urged immediate review of persistent service failures by capital access, the city's paratransit contractor, citing missed pickups, reservation lapses, and staff unprepared to assist riders with disabilities. Wildlife and public safety concerns were also prominent. Residents pressed the assembly to direct police and code enforcement to curb trash practices that attract bears downtown, and neighbors near the Fosby apartments urged a task force to address a long-stand. ending quote unquote armed encampment that draws bears and allegedly elicits drug activity. City staff noted new trash receptacles and outreach funded by marine passenger fees and urged reporting of nuisance incidents. We see a lot of trash bears downtown, especially in our downtown core. Those restaurant garbage cans are just so very tasty. We have had some improvements with some new trash cans that are going. up thanks to some marine passenger fee funds. There'll be new cans in the Wharf alley between Pier 49 and Diamonds International. There's also a bunch of new, like easier to use small trash cans going up. Trash cans are wrapped in art, like educational art about, you know, bears and like don't feed the bears. We also do fine. We had public testimony with talking about our fine schedule, a $50 for the first fine. We do it as much as we can, but we rely on the public to help us know when a bear has gotten into trash. So please do call the non-emergency JPD line or CDD, both of those departments. do bear enforcement when you see a nuisance bearer. On finances, the Assembly chose caution rather than place two proposed bond measures on the October ballot. Members voted to refer a $16 million school bond and a nearly $9.4 million wastewater bond to the Assembly Finance Committee for fiscal year 28 budget review. The concern about putting...

bonds on the ballot this year where we know that there will already be other things on the ballot. But I'm going to ask that we set that aside. for a second and think through what our job is assembly members and what our duty is to our schools. They cited city staffing capacity, printing deadlines, and state reimbursement requirements. However, the assembly unanimously approved putting a temporary 3% area-wide sales tax extension on the ballot to maintain core services, including public safety, streets, and routine capital projects. Covering the city meeting is a developing story. Tune in again tomorrow at 6. 6 a.m. for the latest city updates. A Juneau man is facing assault charges after police say he threatened a neighbor with a handgun during a backyard dispute in the Mendenhall Valley over the weekend. Juno police said 55-year-old, Himaloto Foto allegedly confronted a man in the victim's backyard on Tongass Boulevard, threatening to shoot him and displayed a handgun. Investigators say the victim was able to prevent the gun from being fired during a struggle before the suspect fled on foot. Police later surrounded FOTU's nearby homes using SWAT, crisis negotiators, and a drone team. After two other occupants left safely, officers sent a drone inside and found FOTU asleep in a bedroom. He surrendered without incident after waking to the drone and officers' commands. Police recovered a handgun believed to have been used in the incident. FOTU was arrested and charged with third-degree assault, a felony, and a fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor. CBJ's recycling center will be closed today for scheduled maintenance on its bailer. City officials say the maintenance is routine and is designed to prevent excessive wear while keeping the equipment operating efficiently for years to come. The recycling center is expected to reopen with its normal operating hours tomorrow. Residents with questions can contact recycle works or visit the city's recycling website for more information. A draft report prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers outlines several possible medium-term options to reduce glacial flood risk in the Mendenhall Valley. That's story next when news of the North continues. A draft report prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers outlines several possible medium-term options to reduce glacial flood risk in the Mendenhall Valley, including one with an estimated price tag of $1.5 billion. The most expensive proposal would install a continuous steel sheet pile wall along roughly five miles of the Mendenhall River. Other options include reinforcing existing Hesco barriers, modifying the river channel or combining those approaches with estimated costs ranging from about $130 million to just over $400 million. City officials stress no decisions have been made. Juno plans to focus on this year's expected glacial lake outburst flood before considering longer term options. The city's preferred permanent solution remains a tunnel or lake tap through Bullard Mountain to drain suicide basin before flooding can occur. The Army Corps is continuing to evaluate all potential options, and city officials say public outreach will take place before any medium or long-term flood mitigation moves forward. The Alaska legislature has opened its third special session of the year, but lawmakers have little to debate after Governor Mike Dunleavy declined to introduce a new natural gas pipeline tax bill before the session began.

The special session was called after negotiations over tax incentives for the proposed Alaska LNG pipeline stalled earlier this month. The main disagreement remains a proposed tax on some privately owned oil and gas companies, which supporters say would offset potential revenue losses, but opponents argue could discourage new energy development. With no legislation on the table, both the House and Senate held brief procedural sessions Monday before adjourning until Friday. Legislative leaders say bringing all lawmakers back to Juneau is costly, and they won't reconvene in full until there's a bill to consider. The special session is limited to... pipeline legislation and can last up to 30 days, but lawmakers say time is running short to reach an agreement before Alaska's August primary election. Jonathan Kress Tompkins has emerged as the top fundraiser in Alaska's race for governor, according to the latest campaign finance reports. The former Democratic state lawmaker from Sitka has raised about $1.8 million since entering the race in February, the most of any of the 17 candidates. Much of that support came from wealthy donors outside Alaska, including employees of the California-based artificial intelligence company Anthropic. Former Anchorage lawmaker Tom Begich reported raising about $1.1 million, making him the second highest fundraising Democrat. Among Republicans, Matt Hilala, reported nearly $1.6 million, though more than $1.4 million came from his own money. Former Attorney General Treg Taylor raised about $1 million, while Adam Crum reported nearly $940,000. Alaskans will vote in August on a ballot measure that would restore campaign contribution limits. Both Kress Tompkins and Begich say they support bringing those. limits back, even as they continue raising large sums under the current system. Now you're up to date with News of the North. I'm Grace Dumas.