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Ketchikan: Maxwell is New Director of Ketchikan Museums - Anita Maxwell is the new Director of Ketchikan Museums. Maxwell served as both the Senior Curator of Programs and the Interim Director for one year, and has most notably led the museum through a long-sought renovation to the Tongass Historical Museum while still supporting growth in programs and fostering community-wide support.

The renovation has been a tremendous milestone for Ketchikan Museums, allowing the museum to better serve both the community and visitors with new permanent and temporary exhibit galleries, expanded collections storage, security upgrades, and accessible public restrooms. Quoting an announcement, "She has also been an exemplary leader for the Ketchikan Museums team as we tackled this immense undertaking and its many challenges."

Maxwell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Montana. Prior to moving to Ketchikan in 2008, Maxwell worked for the Montana Natural History Center in Missoula. Starting as an intern, she worked in multiple programmatic and administrative capacities culminating in Directorship.

Beginning in 2009, Maxwell served as the Operations Manager, then Education Director for the Ketchikan Area Arts & Humanities Council. She took her first position with Ketchikan Museums as the Senior Curator of Programs in March of 2014, and within a few years began taking on the duties of the vacated Director position.

"Anita Maxwell is a very experienced and dedicated leader who is both welcoming and responsive to our community, and who has vision and enthusiasm that will help take Ketchikan Museums into the next phases of growth and vitality," stated the news release. - More...
Wednesday PM - July 19, 2017

Alaska: Compromise Achieved to Reform Alaska’s Unsustainable Oil Tax Credit System - On the final day of this special session a compromise was met which will save the state $200 million this year and protect oil investment for years to come according to Alaska House Republicans.

One of the most significant provisions of HB 111 ends Alaska’s cash for tax credits system retroactively to the first of July with provisions that allow companies to recover their costs through lower production tax payments once a project is producing oil or gas. This incentivizes actual production and protects the State of Alaska from huge future liabilities to cover losses from non-producing projects. allows oil companies to carry forward losses for either 10 or 7 years depending on the field's production and changes the interest rate to 5.25% for money owed to the state.

Ending cash payments to oil companies was a key element to HB111 and according to a House Republican news release, an easy place to find compromise since the credits have accomplished their goal of encouraging development. In the past 2 years Alaska has seen year over year increases in production for the first time in 3 decades.

“Overall the most important aspect is that Alaska must remain competitive in the global market for oil. This compromise allows Alaska to save money while still retaining incentives for the industry,” said Conference Committee Member Representative Dave Talerico (R-Healy). 

“Ending cash payments to oil companies was an easy place to find agreement but I’m thankful the area of Net Operating Losses saw compromise,” said Rep. DeLena Johnson (R-Palmer). "Removing the ability to deduct losses would've been dangerous, as it is allowed by every other oil producing regime."

The Alaska Legislature passed the compromise version of legislation Sunday night to reform Alaska’s system of subsidizing the oil industry on the North Slope with tax credits. House Bill 111 ends Alaska’s unique cash for tax credits system and strengthens the four percent minimum tax to ensure Alaska receives some production tax revenue in times of low oil prices. Sunday’s compromise was brokered by House Resources Committee Co-chair Representative Geran Tarr (D-Anchorage), who served as the Chair of the HB 111 Conference Committee.

Governor Bill Walker reacted positively Sunday night towards the passage of House Bill 111 on the final day of the Second Special Session of the 30th Alaska Legislature. HB 111 was the only bill remaining on the second special session call for lawmakers to address. - More...
Wednesday PM - July 19, 2017

Alaska: ADOT&PF Seeks Public Review of 2017-18 Winter Ferry Schedule - The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities proposed Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) schedule for fall, winter, and spring 2017-2018 is now available for public review. Scheduled service is similar to last year’s service, and is designed to meet community service needs while staying within available funding and maintaining vessel regulatory and safety standards.

Communities and interested people can review and comment on the proposed schedule on or before July 30, 2017. With the timing of the budget, the public comment period is slightly shorter than those in recent years, to allow the public sufficient lead time to make reservations for sailings that begin on October 1st.

The draft schedule is based on established community service needs and events. It is available online with accompanying documents... - More...
Wednesday PM - July 19, 2017

Alaska - National: Republicans fail on health care. Here's why the rest of Trump's agenda won't be 'so easy,' either By PATRICK T. HICKEY - Passing legislation is always a difficult, messy task. America’s highly polarized political environment, with party activists demanding ideological purity on both sides of the aisle, makes that task even harder.

The announcement by Senators Mike Lee and Jerry Moran that they would oppose bringing the Better Care Reconciliation Act to the Senate floor has derailed Republican attempts to replace the Affordable Care Act.

During his campaign, Donald Trump claimed that passing health care reform would be “so easy.” So why were Republicans unable to pass a health care law despite controlling both the White House and Congress?

It turns out that the relationship between Congress and the president is more complicated than Trump thought. Most citizens and political scientists assumed that conservative Republicans would prefer any health care law that Trump supported over the Obamacare status quo.

However, my research shows that this assumption is too simplistic. As Trump now knows, ideological extremists may also vote against bills proposed by their party’s president. The recent struggle to pass a Republican health care law is a prominent example of this phenomenon.

Trump’s two-sided task

President Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are waging a legislative battle on two fronts with no compromise in sight. Both moderate Republicans and extremely conservative Republicans oppose the current health care bill for completely separate reasons. - More...
Wednesday PM - July 19, 2017

Wedding: Xiao Hong & Franklin Roppel Exchange Wedding Vows - Xiao Hong and Franklin Roppel were united in marriage Saturday, June 17, 2017 at the home of Frank and Nancy Murkowski in Wrangell. Former Alaska Governor Frank H. Murkowski officiated at the ceremony.

Xiao Hong of Tokyo, Japan, is the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Xiao Han Yong of Shanghai, China and Franklin Roppel is the son of the late Robert and Beulah Roppel of Ketchikan, Alaska.

The bride was attended by her sister, Xiao Fen and nephew An Xiao Lin of Shanghai, China. The groom was attended by his son, John Roppel of King George, Virginia, and his daughter Cynthia Baird of Greenwich, Connecticut.

The bride is currently employed by Ettusais, a division of Shiseido Cosmetics of Tokyo and has a bachelor's degree from Asia University of Tokyo. The groom is a graduate of Ketchikan High School and has a bachelor's degree from Oregon State University. - More...
Wednesday PM - July 19, 2017

TOM PURCELL: Credit-Card Debt Explained - America’s credit-card deb has surpassed the $1 trillion mark. A 20-something fellow I know helped me understand why.

"It all began in college when a credit-card company offered me a free credit card," he said.

"OK."

"Well, shortly after I got the card, my transmission blew up, and I didn’t have the money to pay for it. So I charged it."

"That’s an unpleasant thought."

"Yeah," said the fellow. "I maxed out my credit limit on my first purchase, but that wasn’t a problem because the credit-car company doubled my limit!"

"How kind of them," I said.

"Then Christmas came along, and I used my card to get my girlfriend a diamond necklace."

"How’d that work out?"

"She left me for a guy with a bigger credit limit! I went to the nearest bar to drown my sorrows. I bought rounds for everyone." - More...
Wednesday PM - July 19, 2017

JOHN L. MICEK: From 'I Alone Can Fix It' To 'I Won't Own It' - A year ago this week, newly anointed as his party's candidate for president, Donald J. Trump capped the Republican National Convention in Cleveland by ascending the podium in the Quicken Loans Arena, and offering these words:

"Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it."

A year later, as the latest iteration of an Obamacare repeal lay in smoking ruins, Trump said this:

"I think we're probably in that position where we'll let Obamacare fail. We're not going to own it. I'm not going to own it," he said Tuesday. "I can tell you the Republicans are not going to own it. We'll let Obamacare fail and then the Democrats are going to come to us."

But Trump, along with Congressional Republicans, does own the healthcare bill's failure for this simple reason: His party controls the White House and Capitol Hill.

Trump cut Democrats out of the process, and neither House Speaker Paul J. Ryan, R-Wisc., nor Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., made any meaningful attempt to include them in talks.

"This White House, like the last one, has outsourced healthcare to Congress," U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., told MSNBC last month. "That's what happened with this bill. Congress is largely writing this bill." - More...
Wednesday PM - July 19, 2017