ON PARADE – Children dressed as their favorite animals hold a Sitka Spruce Tips 4-H Club banner as they march down Lincoln Street on Earth Day, Monday. The Parade of Species was held in recognition of Earth Day. It was hosted by Sitka Conservation Society, University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service and the Sitka Sound Science Center. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly its regular meeting Tuesday approved dou [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
“We want to hear from the public, what they value i [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
Sitka schools were notified at around noon today that the city administrator had re [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Sitka High’s track and field athletes faced off aga [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
Alaska is getting an infusion of nearly $125 million to build and [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
The Alaska Senate voted unanimously on Monday to make it easier f [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
The Alaska House’s Rules Committee has eliminated, at least temporaril [ ... ]
By DAVID A. LIEB
The Associated Press
A conservative quest to limit diversity, equity and inclusion in [ ... ]
By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
Alaska’s three-member, bipartisan congressional delegation is sid [ ... ]
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
April 23
At 3:14 a.m. a downtown bar report [ ... ]
Vaughn Blankenship
Dies at Age 91
Vaughn Blankenship, a longtime Sitka resident, died Tuesday at SEARH [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
With about a month left before the end of the regular [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city will hold a public meeting Wednesday for pub [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
With only days to go before the statewide Native Yout [ ... ]
By Sentinel Staff
The Daily Sitka Sentinel and KCAW-FM Raven Radio won awards Saturday at the [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
To address a surge in mental health problems among young Alaskans [ ... ]
By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
A bill passed Thursday by the Alaska House of Representatives wou [ ... ]
City to Conduct
Relay Testing
The city electric department is conducting systemwide relay testing th [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Another lawsuit that has implications in Southeast Al [ ... ]
By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly on Tuesday will consider final reading o [ ... ]
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
Competing in their first home games of the season, Si [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
Citing what they characterized as unacceptable risks to wildlife [ ... ]
By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
The Yup’ik village of Newtok, perched precariously on thawing permafro [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Judge Hears Arguments In Virus Relief Aid Case
By BECKY BOHRER
The Associated Press
JUNEAU (AP) — A state court judge should block disbursement of federal coronavirus relief aid to small businesses under a reinterpretation of program rules by Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration, an attorney argued Thursday, saying a failure to do so could invite “mischief.”
The request is part of a lawsuit brought by Juneau resident Eric Forrer. Attorney Joe Geldhof, who represents Forrer, asked Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg to require the administration to adhere to rules it proposed and lawmakers ratified. Since the program outline was ratified, the state has sought to expand the rules as a way to provide additional aid to businesses.
Geldhof argued if Pallenberg did not require the administration to follow the standards ratified by the Legislature, “you will be inviting not just mischief but perhaps corruption.” Geldhof said he is trying to avoid a “standard-free” allocation of funds.
Pallenberg did not immediately rule.
The state designated $290 million of the more than $1 billion it received in federal coronavirus relief aid toward a small business program. The program, proposed by the Dunleavy administration and ratified by lawmakers, said businesses that secured federal funds directly available to them under a federal relief law would not qualify.
Forrer, who argues the ratification process itself was problematic, sought a court order that either would halt distributing funds set aside for businesses until lawmakers approve a “valid expenditure” or block spending that does not adhere to the “express terms” lawmakers ratified. Arguments, held by teleconference Thursday, focused on the latter.
Attorneys for the state, in court documents, said Forrer relies on a “literal application of language” in a program description that they say runs counter to the program’s purposes and ignores the legislative history and context of the coronavirus pandemic. They also say Forrer lacks standing in the case.
Assistant Attorney General Margaret Paton Walsh said the program description also references estimates that businesses could need an average of $30,000 to $50,000 and said it was expected that the least an eligible business could need is $5,000.
When the program plan was drafted, the first round of federal loan funds had been depleted and the second had not been made available, Glenn Hoskinson, a special assistant to Alaska’s commerce commissioner, has said. Hoskinson said the state Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development also was not aware then that businesses were getting partial amounts of funds requested from the federal programs.
The department last month announced eligibility changes intended to help more businesses. The changes include allowing businesses that received $5,000 or less in certain federal relief funds to become eligible for the state’s grant program, provided they meet other requirements.
The state has not yet implemented the changes, Hoskinson said, citing the litigation.
“It is the State’s position that the changes are permissible and lawful adjustments to the administration of the small business relief program, and we hope to be able to move forward very soon,” she said by email.
The program has gotten off to a slower start than expected. In a recent report to the Legislature, the department cited incomplete applications and a high volume of unnecessary documentation submitted as part of applications as a primary reason for the low number of approvals.
Rep. Ivy Spohnholz, chair of the House Labor and Commerce Committee, which has been monitoring the program, said the program is too restrictive. In a statement, the Anchorage Democrat also expressed concern with the time it’s taking for applications to be approved.
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20 YEARS AGO
April 2004
Michael Stringer, environmental specialist for Sitka Tribe of Alaska and a founder of the community garden, takes the concept of Earth Week literally. This weekend he hopes others will share his appreciation for “earth” and things growing in it by joining him in preparing the community garden just behind Blatchley Middle School for another growing season.
50 YEARS AGO
April 1974
Classified ads Houses for Sale: Price dropped to $36,500 for 2-story, 4-bdrm. carpeted home on Cascade. Kitchen appliances, drapes, laundry room, carport, handy to schools.