News of the North June 27

From the capital city, I'm Grace Dumas, and here are the stories we're following this hour. A recent Black Bear shooting near downtown Juno is prompting renewed calls from residents for the city to address what they described as an armed encampment on Capitol Avenue. In a post on the Facebook page, Juno Community Collective, neighbors have petitioned the city and borough of Juno to remove the encampment, saying unsecured garbage has attracted bears to the area for years and now poses a growing public safety risk. This concern follows the July 9th shooting of a young black bear near Willoughby Avenue. The bear was later euthanized by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game after suffering fatal injuries. Fish and game officials say the incident could likely have been avoided if attractants, including unsecured trash, had been properly managed. Residents say they're particularly concerned because the shooting occurred near Holmes and the Fosby apartments. The Alaska Wildlife Troopers continue to investigate the shooting, no charges or citations have been issued, and city officials have not yet publicly responded to the residence petition. The Juno Assembly is expected to take up several major issues during its meeting tonight, including whether to place two bond measures totaling $25 million on October's municipal election ballot. One proposal would ask voters to approve up to $16 million for repairs and upgrades at several public schools, while the second would authorize up to $9.4 million for improvements to the Mendenhall wastewater treatment plant. Last year, the Assembly chose not to place those bond questions on the ballot because of an already crowded election. Assembly members will also consider asking voters to renew the city's temporary 3% sales tax for another five years. The tax helps fund services, including police, fire, road maintenance, snow removal, and general government operations. Also on tonight's agenda are proposed changes to some sales tax exemptions and a request from the Juno Housing First Collaborative to lease Cityland near Home Depot for affordable and supportive housing. Public testimony will be accepted before the assembly votes. The cost of renovating Juno's future City Hall may come in lower than expected. A $4.4 million bid from Carver Construction is being recommended for assembly approval tonight, well below the city's original $6 million estimate for renovating the first two floors of the Michael J. Burns Building. The renovation is part of a $20.5 million project to purchase and convert much of the building into a new city hall. Once complete, the space will house 11 city departments, about 147 employees, and a new assembly chambers. The city received five bids for the project, with Carver Construction submitting the lowest. While some individual construction costs varied widely among bidders, the overall proposal came in significantly under budget. City officials say the move has been delayed until next May. An important update is that we are not going to be able to move out of the Marine View building or this building by the end of the calendar year, as we had originally hoped. So we have entered into an additional six-month lease with Marine View. We anticipate the project to be complete by May.

However, the way that leasing works when you're over a barrel is you don't necessarily get a better rate for three months versus six months. And the risk of it taking, let's say, four months was such that it was just made more economic sense to sign a six-month lease. So because that is now eating up some of our contingency in the project costs, the general fund portion of that will eat up contingency. I wanted to make sure that you were aware of it. The relocation has faced... rising costs over the past year, but the lower construction bid could help offset some of those increases. A voluntary agreement limiting Juno to five large cruise ships per day could soon become city law. That story next when News of the North continues. A voluntary agreement limiting Juno to five large cruise ships per day could soon become city law. In a story by the Juno Independent, a proposed ordinance will be introduced at tonight's meeting as well that would make the current five-ship limit. Mandatory. Assembly members sponsoring the measure say the change is intended to provide certainty for residents and the cruise industry, especially after a recent federal court ruling upheld a cruise passenger limit in Bar Harbor, Maine, which strengthens the legal basis for similar regulations. Assembly member Paul Kelly says the proposal is meant to establish a citywide cap of five large ships, including any future cruise docks, such as the one proposed by Gold Belt on Douglas Island. Supporters say the limit reflects what Juno's infrastructure can reasonably handle. If introduced, the ordinance will be referred to the Assembly Committee of the Whole for further review before returning for public testimony and a final vote. A deadline to file for the Juno Assembly or Board of Education is 4.30 p.m. this afternoon. As the filing period comes to a close, former Juno School Board member Lisa Worrell is encouraging community members to consider running for office. Worrell says she never planned to seek elected office, but decided to serve as a lifelong Juno resident and parent to help bring her perspective to local decision making. If you're considering running for assembly or school board, I would strong encourage you to do so. I think anybody can. and should at least consider it and know that you can bring a valuable perspective on that board with a bit of homework and learning ahead and the rest you will learn on the positions. During her time on the school board, Worrell says she worked with members of the Klingit and Filipino communities to help inform discussions on cultural programs and the superintendent hiring process. She says serving in public office requires time and commitment but believes... Anyone with an interest in their community should consider running. Candidates have until today at 4.30 p.m. to file for the Juno Assembly or Board of Education. Thousands of Alaska voters moved to inactive status over citizenship questions. More than 3,000 Alaskans have been moved from the state's active voter rolls after being flagged as possible non-citizens. But state election officials say many of those cases may be the result of outdated information from the Division of Motor Vehicles.

Alaska Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher told lawmakers the unusually large number of flagged voters appears to stem from old DMV records. And officials are still investigating why more than 3,000 names were affected. Typically, only about 200 voters are flagged during routine checks. People placed on the inactive voter list can still vote, but they must first confirm their U.S. citizenship with the division of elections. Beecher says no additional documentation is required, only a confirmation by phone, email, or mail. Some naturalized U.S. citizens say they were incorrectly flagged despite registering to vote after becoming citizens. State officials maintain the recent removals were based solely on DMV information and were not prompted by the federal government. Students at the University of Alaska Southeast will soon have a new way to earn a law degree without leaving the state. UAS has announced a partnership with the Minnesota-based Mitchell Hamline School of Law that allows students to complete most of their legal studies while remaining in Alaska. UAS Chancellor Aparna Palmer says the program helps address a longstanding challenge since Alaska does not have its own law school. She says many students leave the state for legal education and don't always return to practice. The partnership offers two pathways. One guarantees admission for qualifying students and alumni while providing a 50% tuition scholarship. A second 3 plus 3 option allows undergraduates to begin law school during their senior year, reducing the total time needed to earn a law degree by one year. University officials say the program is designed not only for future attorneys, but also for students interested in careers where legal training is an asset. Now you're up to date with News of the North. I'm Grace Dumas.