Southeast Alaska: Double Murder Investigation Underway in Juneau - Shortly after noon on Sunday, the Juneau Police Department received a 911 call from a residence located in the 2700 block of Roger Street. The male caller reported finding two deceased people inside the residence. Juneau Police Officers and Capital City Fire Rescue personnel responded to the residence and two people, a male and a female, were pronounced deceased by ambulance personnel.

The preliminary invesigation identified the two deceased as Elizabeth K. Tonsmeire, a 34-year-old Juneau resident, and 36-year-old Juneau resident Robert H. Meireis. The investigation revealed that both Tonsmeire and Meireis were shot and the case is being investigated as a double murder. - More...
Monday AM - November 16, 2015

Alaska: Board of Regents Adopt a Tuition Increase and FY 17 Budget - Tuition was the main topic during public testimony presented to the University of Alaska Board of Regents at its November meeting in Anchorage. Representatives from student government organizations across the system presented varying degrees of support for a tuition increase, with some campus student organizations fully supporting the proposed nine percent increase and others wanting to hold that line at five percent.

Student leaders agreed that students should help the university face the looming budget shortfall. "I personally support the tuition increase to help fund the financial gap,” said Kenai Peninsula College representative Jayce Robertson. “However, the tuition increase should only be a portion of financing the gap. Please keep close to your hearts and minds that the backbone of the university is the students."

The testimony was reflected in the Board’s final action. After robust discussion, the Board of Regents voted in favor of a five percent across-the-board increase for the academic year beginning Fall 2016. - More...
Monday AM - November 16, 2015

Alaska - National: U.S. Senate Passes Bill to Combat Domestic Violence - U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) last Thursday praised the U.S. Senate’s unanimous passage of their bipartisan bill which they recently introduced, to help combat domestic abuse and sexual violence.

The Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent (POWER) Act mandates that each year, the United States Attorney in each judicial district across the country work with domestic violence service providers or coalitions and an area volunteer lawyer project to hold at least one event which promotes pro bono legal services. The purpose is to reinforce a critical way of empowering survivors of domestic violence, engage citizens, and help lift victims out of the cycle of abuse. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, cosponsored the bill.

Also critically important to both Senators is addressing the high rates of domestic and sexual violence among the Native American and Alaska Native populations in their states – so the bill includes a provision requiring many United States Attorney’s offices to work with the Native populations in their judicial district in planning and holding an event every few years with a focus on addressing these crimes in Indian Country and among Native populations.

Senators Sullivan and Heitkamp, both former attorneys general of their states, both say they understand how the legal system can help prevent the probability that victims will again be abused, and that a lack of access to legal services is one of the leading obstacles for women with children in getting out of domestic violence situations. - More...
Monday AM - November 16, 2015

Alaska: Alaska first with comprehensive approach to drone privacy & use guidelines - The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Legislative Task Force has unveiled its privacy and use guidelines for Alaska’s drone operators prior to the holidays with the personal rights of citizens in mind. With as many as one million drones soon to be under Christmas trees and then in the skies, the task force is emphasizing privacy this season, adding to its ongoing focus of safety.

A DJI Phantom UAV for commercial and recreational aerial photography
By Lino Schmid, commons.wikimedia.org

“The public’s number one concern is privacy, and it is mine as well,” Representative Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, said. “Enormous opportunities abound in this fast-evolving industry, and I want Alaska to get a piece of that pie, but we must first ensure the privacy rights of Alaskans are protected as we welcome this new technology that can save lives, save money, and save time.”

Co-chaired by Rep. Hughes and Sen. Peter Micciche (R-Soldotna), the task force is comprised of private industry members, State of Alaska department officials, public members, and individuals with technology and aviation expertise, and began work on the guidelines last spring. Personal privacy rights have been in the forefront of concerns raised by the public to the task force.

The task force examined common scenarios and decided an illustrated, easy-to-understand format was best. “I am very happy with the final product – it will be a great tool for educating the public. It’s user-friendly and applicable to all ages and skill levels of drone operators,” Hughes said. Non-drone users will find it helpful as well. The guidelines answer questions such as when does a flying drone breach privacy, what if my neighbor is sunbathing on her deck and my son is flying his drone, and can I shoot a drone down if it’s flying over my house? - More...
Monday PM - November 16, 2015

Alaska: Alaska Historic Canneries Initiative Grant Program Announced - The Alaska Historical Society has announced the Alaska Historic Canneries Initiative Grant Program to fund projects that document, preserve, and educate about the history of the Alaska seafood industry. Grants of up to $1,000 are available to individuals and organizations, and are meant to jumpstart cannery history projects in Alaska.

“Nothing is more important to the identity of coastal Alaska than our connection to fishing and processing, but relatively little has been done to promote or preserve this history,” explains Project Director Anjuli Grantham. “For example, only two canneries are listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Alaska, even though hundreds of fish processing sites are scattered across Alaska’s shoreline.”

The vision of the Alaska Historic Canneries Initiative is to inspire communities, businesses and individuals to raise the profile and enhance the preservation of seafood industry history in Alaska. - More...
Monday AM - November 16, 2015