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Two busted in Seward with stash of illegal drugs

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Two busted in Seward with stash of illegal drugs


Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Wildlife Troopers executed a search warrant on Sept. 19 at a Seward residence, where they found two people in possession of a large trove of illegal drugs.

Michele Spiers, 58, and John Hoogland, 68, had been the subject of an investigation that had started in July.

They were said to be in possession of fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder, heroin, methamphetamine, hydrocodone, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, dronabinol, and suboxone. They also had packaging materials, digital scales, multiple cell phones, counterfeit money, and ledgers that detailed what appears to be the sale of illegal drugs over four years.

Troopers said evidence seized during the raid implicated numerous other individuals and further charges are expected to follow.

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Spiers and Hoogland were charged with three counts of misconduct involving controlled substances in the second degree, four counts of MICS in the third degree, and one count of MICS in the fourth degree.

Spiers was also charged with one count of violating her conditions of release. Both were booked at Wildwood Pretrial Facility in Kenai without bail. The investigation is ongoing, Troopers said.

Spiers has been in and out of jail for years on various criminal charges. Hoogland appears to be a truck driver and his court record is mostly for violations related to trucking, such as overweight, registration issues.



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Alaska

Limited state revenue foreshadows fiscal tug-of-war in Alaska Legislature • Alaska Beacon

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Limited state revenue foreshadows fiscal tug-of-war in Alaska Legislature • Alaska Beacon


In a series of hearings this week within the Alaska State Capitol, public-school advocates from across the state presented hours of impassioned and often emotional testimony in favor of a bill that will sharply increase Alaska’s funding for public schools.

But a pair of cold-blooded financial hearings also showed that the request may have to compete with the Permanent Fund dividend and aid for aging state buildings.

In December, Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposed a $7.7 billion state budget for the fiscal year that starts June 1. 

That spending would require the state to spend $1.5 billion from savings, and it isn’t too dissimilar from what the governor has proposed in each of the past two years.

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In each of those years, the Legislature took the governor’s plan and slashed his proposed Permanent Fund dividend in order to avoid spending from savings.

The Legislature’s preferred dividend formula is called the 75-25, for the way it takes the annual transfer from the Alaska Permanent Fund to the state treasury, then divides it, 75% for services, and 25% for dividends.

“The last two years, the Legislature has put forward the 75-25 dividend and been able to have a balanced budget. This year, that is probably not enough,” Alexei Painter, director of the Legislative Finance Division, the Legislature’s budget analysis wing, told the Senate Finance Committee this week.

The problem is twofold: Lawmakers are preparing to spend more, and oil isn’t giving the state as much revenue as it used to.

When it comes to oil, the problem is one caused by success. State tax law allows oil companies to lower the amount they pay in production taxes through a deduction based on their operating expenses. 

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ConocoPhillips is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to develop the Willow project on federal land, and it can deduct its expenses from taxes it would otherwise pay this year. That makes it a money-loser for the state treasury in the next few years.

The nearby Pikka project is being developed by another company, which doesn’t currently produce oil. That company, Australia-based Santos, will be able to apply its deductions to future oil production, so even though the North Slope will be producing more oil, the state won’t be earning more money.

In the state Capitol, House Bill 69, an education-funding increase proposed by members of the state House, is expected to cost at least $300 million above what the governor has proposed spending on education. An official estimate isn’t yet available.

Add the cost of that legislation to already-expected cost increases, and there’s not enough money to go around, Painter told the Senate Finance Committee, then reiterated his comments to the House Finance Committee on Thursday.

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“Simply switching the dividend to 75-25 is not going to be enough to balance the budget this year. You’re going to have to either find other budget reductions, reduce the dividend further or explore other revenue options. You can’t just do that one thing and it’s solved, which has worked the last two years,” he said.

To date, no legislators have introduced any legislation proposing to significantly change state taxes. During the first six years of his administration, Dunleavy has vetoed every tax bill to reach his desk, and legislators have never overridden any of his vetoes.

Painter also warned both committees that the governor’s proposed budget doesn’t include enough to keep up with maintenance at state facilities.

Alaska has a maintenance backlog of more than $2 billion, and many state buildings were built during the oil boom of the 1970s and 1980s. That leaves many of them overdue for replacement or repair.

The problem may be worse than official reports indicate, Painter said, offering the Fairbanks Pioneer Home as an example.

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That building has a deferred maintenance list of a few million dollars, but it also needs a new roof and doesn’t meet federal standards for accessibility by handicapped people.

Replacing the building would cost $115 million, he said.

In the House Finance Committee on Thursday, Rep. Will Stapp, R-Fairbanks, asked Painter what would happen if average oil prices finished $10 below what the state is expecting in the coming years.

That would widen the expected deficit by $350 million to $400 million, Painter replied.

“Have you done any modeling on the 99-1 yet?” Stapp asked, jokingly referring to a dividend formula that would leave just 1% of the annual Permanent Fund transfer for dividends.

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“I don’t even think that would cover the costs of running the PFD program,” Painter said.

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Help with paying utility bills listed among top requests from Alaska 211

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Help with paying utility bills listed among top requests from Alaska 211


ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Workers at United Way’s statewide 211 line said Thursday that Alaskans asking for help to pay their utility bills is one of the top requests.

According to United Way data from 2023, utility assistance continues to be one of the top four unmet needs in Alaska, with that list rounded out by requests for help with housing, transportation, and food.

In the case of utility bills, United Way’s Chief Operating Officer Sue Brogan said the agency has a database with as many as 70 partners around the state that can provide some sort of energy assistance. That database features nonprofits, city and state programs, and tribal and non-tribal entities.

Brogan said trained navigators can help people find programs for which they might be eligible. The database also keeps track of which programs are currently accepting clients and have funding available and which ones don’t. The State of Alaska, for example, reports a backlog on processing applications for heating assistance programs.

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Some of the money available includes a recent $50,000 donation from Enstar, which Brogan said is designed to help Southcentral Alaskans who are struggling to pay their heating bills.

“All of that information is in the database,” Brogan said, “and so, when somebody calls in for help, the resource call specialist can take that person through all of those qualifications to make sure we are making a good referral.”

In addition to calling, Brogan said people can go directly to the Alaska 211 website to research various programs themselves, though she said calling or emailing the call center has the advantage of getting personalized help.

“Where do you start, what’s the eligibility, what do I have to bring to my appointment?” Brogan said. “We can help you with that; we can help you navigate that. And that is one of the greatest things about 211, is that we have staff that are here that can help you with that step.”

Alaskans can call 211 or (800) 478-2221, visit the website at Alaska211.org, or email Alaska211@ak.org.

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The call center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Callers can leave messages after hours.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com



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Alaska environmental commissioner picked for Trump administration EPA post • Alaska Beacon

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Alaska environmental commissioner picked for Trump administration EPA post • Alaska Beacon


Alaska’s top environmental regulator was chosen to be the new Pacific Northwestern regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced on Wednesday.

Emma Pokon, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, was chosen by President Donald Trump to lead EPA’s Seattle-based Region 10 office, Dunleavy said.

“I can’t think of any Alaskan better suited to oversee federal environmental regulations and laws for Alaska than Emma Pokon,” Dunleavy said in a statement.

Pokon has led the Department of Environmental Conservation since August 2023, when she became acting commissioner upon the resignation of Jason Brune. Dunleavy named her as commissioner the following December.

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Pokon joined the department in 2020, moving there from the state Department of Law, where she served as a senior assistant attorney general. At the Department of Law, she handled environmental and natural resource matters.

Poken, in the governor’s statement, said it had been “an incredible privilege” to be part of DEC’s leadership for the past five years.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue public service in this new role and look forward to working with EPA leadership and Region 10 to ensure balanced implementation of the nation’s environmental laws,” she said.

Deputy Commissioner Christina Carpenter will serve as acting commissioner of the department until a permanent successor to Pokon is chosen, Dunleavy’s statement said.

The Region 10 office serves Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and 271 tribal governments.

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Pokon replaces Casey Sixkiller, who led the regional office in President Joe Biden’s administration. Sixkiller, a former Seattle deputy mayor and chief operating officer of King County, Washington, now serves as director of the Washington Department of Ecology.

The Region 10 EPA office has been led in the interim by Acting Administrator Dan Opalski.

 



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