MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018 newsminer · PDF fileWeather permitting, moderate displays will be...
1
SOURDOUGH JACK: “We’re not in Manhattan, what’s wrong with keeping things neat?” The weather. Today: Clear. Highs around 5 below. Light winds. Tonight: Clear Lows 13 to 23 below. High today .............. - 5 Low tonight .......... -23 WEATHER » A7 GOOD MORNING Classified » B7-8 | Comics » B5 | Dear Abby » B6 | Opinion » A6 INSIDE • • • Transgender Fairbanksan leads in social justice, wrestling, politics. » A7 Inside Today Aurora forecast. Auroral activity will be moderate. Weather permitting, moderate displays will be visible overhead from Utqiag- vikw to as far south as Talkeetna. This information is provided by aurora forecasters at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. For more infor- mation about the aurora, visit http://www.gi.alaska. edu/AuroraForecast EAGLES SOAR TO VICTORY Philadelphia tops New England in Super Bowl LII SPORTS Page B1 One dollar newsminer.com MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018 THE VOICE OF INTERIOR ALASKA Public support pours out for ‘cocktail bill’ By Amanda Bohman [email protected] A bill aimed at letting alco- hol distilleries continue mix- ing cocktails drew heavy pub- lic support at a hearing Satur- day in Juneau. The bill clarifies that the Alaska Legislature intended for mixed drinks to be served in distillery tasting rooms when it passed a law in 2014 allowing tasting rooms. “I know the smoked salmon vodka does well with bloody marys, but, by itself, it really doesn’t do so well,” said Rep. Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, sponsor of House Bill 269. Tucker spoke before the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee, which held the hearing on the bill. The new tasting room bill addresses a state regulation in which distilleries are directed to serve their products in sep- arate containers from mixers, forcing customers to mix their own drinks. The regulation is favored by bar owners who, think that dis- tillery tasting rooms are de fac- to bars where the owners don’t have to shell out the big bucks for a liquor license and can sell drinks at wholesale prices. Opponents of the regulation called it petty and a waste of time. Tuck said mixed drinks were served to celebrate the tasting room bill being signed into law four years ago. “Do we really want people just taking straight shots of alcohol?” he said. The ABC board approved the regulation last month. “The ink on the new reg- ulation by the ABC board hasn’t had a chance to dry yet, let alone be implemented,” said Pete Hanson, CEO of the Alaska Cabaret, Hotel, Restau- rant and Retailers Association. Tasting rooms have an unfair advantage, he said. Kimberly Metcalfe of Juneau agreed. “It’s putting established bars at a big disadvantage,” she said. “(Distilleries) can sell the alcohol so cheaply.” The chairman of the ABC board criticized the regulation in testimony to lawmakers. “The public looks at it, just kind of scratching their heads. ‘What is going on?’” said Bob Klein, a distiller who said he abstained from the vote. Plenty of the testimony to the House committee, whose meeting was recorded, came from distillers, who are pleased with Tuck’s bill. Alaska reportedly has nine alcohol distilleries with a 10th one opening. The Interior has four distilleries with tasting rooms: Fairbanks Distilling Company, in Fairbanks; Arctic Harvest, in North Pole; Ursa Major, near Ester; and Hoar- frost Distilling, in the south Fairbanks industrial area. House Bill 269 aims to allow distilleries to continue mixing drinks in tasting rooms Mushers pummeled by Eagle Summit By Brad Joyal [email protected] U P THE STEESE HIGHWAY — It was the biggest one-two punch the teams will face during the 35th running of the Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile Inter- national Sled Dog Race. After mushers made their way through Rosebud Summit, which has an elevation of 3,640 feet and is 15 miles outside of the first checkpoint, they pre- pared their sled dog teams for Eagle Summit, which is slightly higher at 3,685 feet. Although the mushers will face a higher summit when they cross into Canada and encounter King Solomon’s Dome and its 4,002- foot peak, the rookies in the field were mighty confident about their chances to conquer Eagle Summit as they got set to leave the Mile 101 Steese Highway checkpoint, the second official stop on this year’s Quest. “I’ve heard it’s got pretty good snow cover on the backside, so it should be real sugary and soft by the time I go through it,” said Riley Dyche, a 26-year-old rookie from Darkhorse Racing Kennel in Fairbanks. “That isn’t ideal, but I probably shouldn’t have much trouble controlling the team.” Despite King Solomon’s Dome’s greater elevation, Eagle Summit is widely considered the hardest stretch during the 1,000- mile journey from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, Yukon. Part of the reason is its descent is as big of a drop as in a roller coaster from its highest point For mushers, such as Nathan- iel Hamlyn, a rookie from Whitehorse, the extra snow was welcomed. Hamlyn took a major hit when he dropped four dogs to injury as he made his way through Rosebud. Democratic, GOP lawmakers: Memo doesn’t clear President in probe By Hope Yen ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was wrong to assert that a GOP-produced classified memo on FBI surveillance powers cleared him in the Russia investigation, Demo- cratic and Republican lawmakers said Sunday. They expressed hope that special counsel Robert Mueller’s work would continue without interference. Democrats could seek a vote on publicly releasing their rebuttal memo when the GOP-led House Intelligence Committee meets late this after- noon. The committee rejected that move last week, with one Republican member saying revisions were need- ed so the memo would not endanger national security. The Senate’s Demo- cratic leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, urged Trump to back the public release and said that refusing to do so would show the president’s intent to undermine the Russia investigation. Abortion is a focus of early action in legislative sessions Associated Press IOWA CITY, IOWA — Republicans who con- trol a majority of the nation’s statehouses are considering a wide range of abortion leg- islation that could test the government’s legal ability to restrict a woman’s right to termi- nate pregnancy. The Mississippi House passed a bill Fri- day that would make the state the only one to ban all abor- tions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. COCKTAILS » B7 BIGGEST BATTLE Go to newsminer.com for regular updates. Follow reporter Brad Joyal on Twitter: @FDNMquest . For in-depth Quest coverage, see pages A4-5. MEMO » A7 Sen. Curt Bramble, R- Provo ABORTIONS » A3 Jason Campeau grits his teeth on Sunday as he nears the top of Eagle Summit. Many mushers said they believe tackling the summit in the opposite direction is more difficult, but that doesn’t make the push any easier. ROBIN WOOD/NEWS-MINER QUEST » A4
Transcript of MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018 newsminer · PDF fileWeather permitting, moderate displays will be...
SOURDOUGH JACK:
“We’re not in Manhattan, what’s wrong with keeping things neat?”
The weather.
Today: Clear. Highs
around 5 below. Light
winds. Tonight: Clear
Lows 13 to 23 below.
High today ..............- 5
Low tonight .......... -23
WEATHER » A7
GOODMORNING
Classified » B7-8 | Comics » B5 | Dear Abby » B6 | Opinion » A6 INSIDE
• • •
Transgender Fairbanksan leads in social justice, wrestling, politics. » A7Inside Today
Aurora forecast.
Auroral activity will
be moderate. Weather
permitting, moderate
displays will be visible
overhead from Utqiag-
vikw to as far south as
Talkeetna.
This information is provided
by aurora forecasters at
the Geophysical Institute
at the University of Alaska
Fairbanks. For more infor-
mation about the aurora,
visit http://www.gi.alaska.
edu/AuroraForecast
EAGLES SOAR TO VICTORYPhiladelphia tops
New England in
Super Bowl LII
SPORTS
Page B1
One dollar newsminer.comMONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018
T H E V O I C E O F I N T E R I O R A L A S K A
Public support pours out for ‘cocktail bill’
By Amanda [email protected]
A bill aimed at letting alco-hol distilleries continue mix-ing cocktails drew heavy pub-lic support at a hearing Satur-day in Juneau.
The bill clarifies that the Alaska Legislature intended for mixed drinks to be served in distillery tasting rooms when it passed a law in 2014 allowing tasting rooms.
“I know the smoked salmon vodka does well with bloody marys, but, by itself, it really doesn’t do so well,” said Rep.
Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, sponsor of House Bill 269.
Tucker spoke before the H o u s e C o m m u n i t y a n d Regional Affairs Committee, which held the hearing on the bill.
The new tasting room bill addresses a state regulation in which distilleries are directed to serve their products in sep-arate containers from mixers, forcing customers to mix their own drinks.
The regulation is favored by bar owners who, think that dis-tillery tasting rooms are de fac-to bars where the owners don’t
have to shell out the big bucks for a liquor license and can sell drinks at wholesale prices.
Opponents of the regulation called it petty and a waste of time.
Tuck said mixed drinks were served to celebrate the tasting room bill being signed into law four years ago.
“Do we really want people just taking straight shots of alcohol?” he said.
The ABC board approved the regulation last month.
“The ink on the new reg-ulation by the ABC board hasn’t had a chance to dry yet,
let alone be implemented,” said Pete Hanson, CEO of the Alaska Cabaret, Hotel, Restau-rant and Retailers Association.
Tasting rooms have an unfair advantage, he said. Kimberly Metcalfe of Juneau agreed.
“It ’s putting established bars at a big disadvantage,” she said. “(Distilleries) can sell the alcohol so cheaply.”
The chairman of the ABC board criticized the regulation in testimony to lawmakers.
“The public looks at it, just kind of scratching their heads. ‘What is going on?’” said Bob Klein, a distiller who said he
abstained from the vote.Plenty of the testimony to
the House committee, whose meeting was recorded, came f rom dis t i l l ers , who are pleased with Tuck’s bill.
Alaska reportedly has nine alcohol distilleries with a 10th one opening. The Interior has four distilleries with tasting rooms: Fairbanks Distilling Company, in Fairbanks; Arctic Harvest, in North Pole; Ursa Major, near Ester; and Hoar-frost Distilling, in the south Fairbanks industrial area.
House Bill 269 aims to allow distilleries to continue mixing drinks in tasting rooms
Mushers pummeled by Eagle SummitBy Brad [email protected]
UP THE STEESE HIGHWAY — It was the biggest one-two punch the teams will face
during the 35th running of the Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile Inter-national Sled Dog Race.
After mushers made their way through Rosebud Summit, which has an elevation of 3,640 feet and is 15 miles outside of the first checkpoint, they pre-pared their sled dog teams for Eagle Summit, which is slightly higher at 3,685 feet.
Although the mushers will face a higher summit when they cross into Canada and encounter King Solomon’s Dome and its 4,002-foot peak, the rookies in the field were mighty confident about their chances to conquer Eagle Summit as they got set to leave the Mile 101 Steese Highway checkpoint, the second official stop on this year’s Quest.
“I’ve heard it’s got pretty good snow cover on the backside, so it should be real sugary and soft by the time I go through it,” said Riley Dyche, a 26-year-old
rookie from Darkhorse Racing Kennel in Fairbanks. “That isn’t ideal, but I probably shouldn’t have much trouble controlling the team.”
Despite King Solomon’s Dome’s greater elevation, Eagle Summit is widely considered the hardest stretch during the 1,000-mile journey from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, Yukon.
Part of the reason is its
descent is as big of a drop as in a roller coaster from its highest point
For mushers, such as Nathan-iel Hamlyn, a rookie from Whitehorse, the extra snow was welcomed. Hamlyn took a major hit when he dropped four dogs to injury as he made his way through Rosebud.
Democratic, GOP lawmakers: Memo doesn’t clear President in probeBy Hope YenASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was wrong to assert that a GOP-produced classified memo on FBI surveillance powers cleared him in the Russia investigation, Demo-cratic and Republican lawmakers said Sunday. They expressed hope that special counsel Robert Mueller’s work would continue without interference.
Democrats could seek a vote on publicly releasing their rebuttal memo
when the GOP-led House Intelligence Committee meets late this after-noon. The committee rejected that move last week, with one Republican member saying revisions were need-ed so the memo would not endanger national security. The Senate’s Demo-cratic leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, urged Trump to back the public release and said that refusing to do so would show the president’s intent to undermine the Russia investigation.
Abortion is a focus of early action in legislative sessions
Associated Press
I O WA C I T Y, I O WA — Republicans who con-trol a majority of the nation’s statehouses are considering a wide range of abortion leg-islation that could test the government’s legal ability to restrict a woman’s right to termi-nate pregnancy.
T h e M i s s i s s i p p i
H o u s e passed a bill Fri-day that w o u l d make the state the only one t o b a n all abor-t i o n s a f t e r 1 5 w e e k s o f p r e g n a n c y .
COCKTAILS » B7
BIGGEST BATTLE
Go to newsminer.com for regular updates. Follow reporter Brad Joyal on Twitter:@FDNMquest. For in-depth Quest coverage, see pages A4-5.
MEMO » A7
Sen. Curt Bramble, R- Provo
ABORTIONS » A3
Jason Campeau grits his teeth on Sunday as he nears the top of Eagle Summit. Many mushers said they believe tackling the summit in the opposite direction is more difficult, but that doesn’t make the push any easier. ROBIN WOOD/NEWS-MINER
QUEST » A4
