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SITKA— Alaska historically has placed last among the states in the percentage of mail-back questionnaires returned to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“We’re hoping to increase that,” said Eric Morrison, partnership specialist for the U.S. Department of Commerce U.S. Census Bureau.

To that end, the Census Bureau commissioned a totem pole to raise awareness, encourage participation in the census, and recognize the government-to-government partnership between Alaska tribes and the Census Bureau.

Sitka carver Tommy Joseph completed the pole in 15 days, and it had its first public viewing atop a truck in Tuesday’s Elizabeth Peratrovich Day parade down Lincoln Street.

The pole was blessed by St. Michael’s Cathedral priest Father Elia Larson in a ceremony at the ANB Hall attended by tribal and city leaders and Jan McStay, assistant regional census manager, who is based in Seattle.

“The 8-foot totem brings us an accurate and inspiring vision of the census,” McStay said at the ceremony. “It tells the story of separate peoples as one. The Eagle and the Raven — the two Tingit moieties — make up the whole of society. This beautiful cedar totem pole also symbolizes the unity of the Eagle and the Raven with man. The hands of man are the many colored hands of the census.”

“I like it,” Morrison said. “It’s simple, but elegant, too.”

Morrison, a Sitka native who now lives in Juneau, said Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand Camps pitched the idea of a pole to the Census Bureau and passed a resolution in support. The pole was intended to “represent the unique relationship between the Bureau of Census and the tribes,” Morrison said.

The Census Bureau paid $15,000 for the project, which was awarded through a bid process, Morrison said.

The pole has now left Sitka for a statewide tour, starting in Anchorage at the annual Fur Rondy.

In the 2000 census, Sitka had one of the highest participation rates in the state for turning in census forms by mail. While the rate for the whole state was 56 percent, Sitka’s rate was 70 percent — the highest rate among larger communities. The highest rate in the state was Saxman, at 79 percent, Morrison said.

“Sitka is very proud of their achievement in 2000,” he said. He attributed Sitka’s high return rate to the hard work by the “Complete Count Committee,” a group of community leaders who promote participation in the mail-in surveys.

The census questionnaire consists of 10 questions which should take only 10 minutes to fill out, Morrison said. Different communities plan events on the special date designated as Census Day, April 1.

Planning is already under way in Saxman, where the local committee is planning a big parade, potluck and door prizes, Morrison said. Census forms will be collected in a sealed ballot-box style container.

“We’ll try to get the pole in for that,” he said.

The importance of turning in census forms cannot be overstated, Morrison said. The state receives federal funding to the order of $2,700 per person for such federal programs as roads, transportation, health care, day care, libraries and senior centers, Morrison said.

“A family of four, for 10 years … that’s over $100,000 to the state,” he said.

He noted that the census also determines a community’s representation in the Legislature.

“In Southeast you may lose a senator, and one or two representatives,” he said.

The census forms will be mailed out to most addresses on March 19. Census workers will go door-to-door to collect information from those who did not turn in their forms. The census had its official start last month in Noorvik.

KETCHIKAN– Though his plane landed more than a week ago, Ketchikan High School counselor Robert McClory is still flying.

McClory was honored in Washington, D.C., recently as one of the top school counselors in the country.

“To me it was a big deal,” McClory said. “It was a real highlight in my whole career, to be honest. Just getting recognition from peers who I look up to and respect, it was a cool thing. I’m still floating on cloud nine right now with the experience of being recognized.”

McClory was one of eight nominees for national school counselor of the year by the American School Counselor Association. He and the other seven finalists were honored in the nation’s capital Jan. 26- 29.

Barbara Micucci, an elementary counselor from King of Prussia, Penn., was named counselor of the year.

Among the eight finalists, McClory was one of just two high school counselors and the only male in the group.

Ketchikan School District Curriculum Director Linda Hardin nominated McClory for the award. In her nomination letter, she called him an “educational entrepreneur,” saying there were no limits to his leadership and other skills.

“He’s really effective and he’s multi-talented,” Hardin said. “He notifies lots of parents well in advance if their kid’s starting to get into trouble. He’s very visible in the school. He’s out in the hallway all the time tracking kids down for various reasons.”

Hardin went with McClory to Washington, D.C., for the celebration. McClory’s wife Emily and his daughter Patricia, who is attending Harvard, also participated in the festivities.

McClory said it was nice to have a group of people there to clap for him.

The trip included a black-tie gala honoring McClory and the other finalists.

During the days leading up to the gala, the nominees spent time together talking about programs and things that have been effective in their respective schools.

McClory said it was informative to meet with peers and see what is working around the country.

One of the things that Micucci does well is reach out to parents, McClory said. Micucci spends time trying to make parents more comfortable in the school setting.

“I think that was one of the things I came away with, is that working with parents really can translate into improved successes in the school,” McClory said.

The group from Ketchikan visited with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, about education issues in Alaska.

“She took half an hour out of her busy day to meet with me and talk with me about the importance of education and school counseling. That was a cool thing,” McClory said.

They also visited the office of Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, to visit with his staff. He said that was a particularly fun stop, because 2005 Kayhi graduate Kate Geldaker sat in on the meeting as an intern on Begich’s staff.

Before Geldaker graduated from Kayhi, McClory helped her secure some scholarship money for college. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2009.

Helping students find scholarship money is one of the most visible aspects of McClory’s job.

“Every kid that gets a scholarship here sees Bob and we give some pretty hefty scholarships here,” Hardin said. “He works really hard on the scholarship stuff and he works really hard on making sure kids have credits for graduation.”

Kayhi hosts an annual scholarship assembly under McClory’s direction. Last year, Kayhi seniors were offered approximately $4.8 million in scholarships and students accepted almost $3 million of those offers.

“When the kids come in and you feel like you are sharing in the success of them getting into this program or that program, it’s neat,” McClory said. “So much of their future successes are really tied to the education that these kids pursue and achieve.”

McClory added that it doesn’t matter what students pursue after high school, whether it’s a university, trade school or apprenticeship, as long as they are moving forward when they leave high school.

“One thing I’ve tried to do is help kids realize that high school graduation isn’t an end, it’s just a beginning,” McClory said.

When meeting with his fellow nominees, McClory tried to share with them how running a rural counseling department might be different than being a counselor in an urban setting.

He said that being involved in the school wasn’t enough in a smaller community. Counselors should also be active in events outside of the school.

McClory has done that with participation in Alaska Junior Miss pageant. The event has been held in Ketchikan for the past two years.

“That doesn’t have anything to do with his counseling job, but that’s kind of the way he is,” Hardin said of Junior Miss. “He involves himself in the community a lot, so people know him even outside the school setting and I think that’s a big plus.”

Even the trip home from Washington, D.C., held some highlights for McClory.

When he went through security on the way home, the TSA agent checking him through asked to search his bag.

McClory said she was stern at first and pulled him aside to go through the bags contents. When she got to the box containing the glass award he had received, she said she had to check out what was inside.

When she got it open to see what it was, her whole demeanor changed, McClory said.

“She got a big smile on her face and it went from a real stern tone to, ‘Congratulations,’” McClory said. “It made me think that people everywhere think school counselors are important.”

On the flight from Seattle to Ketchikan, he and his wife were upgraded to first class and the flight attendants announced that they had a “celebrity” on board and told of McClory’s honor.

The February issue of Alaska Airlines magazine had been put on the plane that morning and McClory was used as a source in an article title “Teens Apply Themselves.”

“It was fun conclusion to a fun trip,” McClory said.

McClory has been counselor at Kayhi for the past seven years. Before that he worked as counselor at Schoenbar Middle School for 15 years and has been in the Alaska school system for the past 27 years.

He is very satisfied with his current position at Kayhi.

“I’d really say I’ve enjoyed my years here at Kayhi most of all the years I’ve been in Alaska. I really like it here a lot,” McClory said.

EAGLE — Veteran Hans Gatt will have a nearly three-hour lead in the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race when he’s able to take off again just after 6 a.m. Friday from Dawson City, Yukon Territory.

Gatt at 6:02 p.m. Wednesday was the first musher into Dawson, where there’s a mandatory 36-hour layover.

As the first musher to Dawson, Gatt will take home four ounces of Klondike placer gold if he completes the entire race.

Lance Mackey was second to Dawson at 8:49 p.m. Yukon time. Hugh Neff arrived third, 15 minutes after Mackey.

The 1,000-mile race began Saturday in Fairbanks. The finish line is in Whitehorse.

KETCHIKAN— A Ketchikan judge rejected an initial plea agreement, then sentenced a man to nearly four years in prison for stabbing an 86-year-old World War II veteran during a theft.

James Eddy, 26, was sentenced Friday to three years, nine months in prison by Ketchikan Superior Court Judge Trevor Stephens.

District Attorney Stephen West and public defender Sam McQuerry told Stephens that Eddy had agreed to plead guilty to assault and theft in return for dismissal of a robbery charge, with the condition that the judge impose a prison sentence of no more than two years.

West acknowledged that the July assault on Edwin Shelton was particularly serious. Shelton was walking near a store, carrying groceries, when he was attacked from behind. Shelton suffered a broken arm, a cut on his head and a stab wound to his shoulder.

West said that a robbery conviction would carry a prison term of seven to 11 years. He asked for a seven-year sentence with all but two years suspended.

McQuerry said Eddy had a history of deteriorating mental health and was determined to do anything the judge recommended to improve himself.

Stephens said he could not agree to a two-year cap on the sentence. He suggested both lawyers discuss another plea agreement or go to trial.

Both sides agreed to a new deal Friday afternoon — a cap of four years to serve.

Stephens imposed a sentence of six years, with all but three years and six months suspended for the felony assault, plus two years, with all but three months suspended, for the theft charge.

With good time and credit for time already served, Eddy could be released in about two years.

JUNEAU— The company developing the Kensington mine near Juneau has discovered a new vein of gold.

Drill tests conducted at the end of last year revealed the new vein. The discovery could develop into a major gold system, Donald Birak, Coeur d’Alene Mines’ vice president for exploration, said Wednesday. Idaho-based Coeur d’Alene Mines is developing the mine.

The tests represent a first phase of drilling. More work needs to be done before the company can say how much additional gold the mine might produce.

The mine 45 miles northwest of Juneau was thought to have 1.5 million ounces of gold reserves and an initial life of 12½ years.

Coeur’s new drill tests showed eight of 14 core holes intersected “very significant gold mineralization,” the company said, with assays ranging from 0.144 ounces per ton to more than 1.29 ounces per ton.

Tom Crafford, the state’s large mine coordinator, said the numbers are fairly impressive.

Development of the mine stalled after Coeur’s plan to dispose of mining waste in Slate Lake was challenged in court. The mine was allowed to proceed after the U.S. Supreme Court gave it the go-ahead. A tailings facility currently is under construction.

Production at Kensington is expected to begin later this year. The mine estimates production at 120,000 ounces of gold annually. The mine is expected to employ up to 300 during remaining construction and about 200 during operations.

Gold was selling Wednesday for $1,108 an ounce.

The Associated Press

KETCHIKAN– Utility workers in Ketchikan have discovered the body of a young man.

The body was found Wednesday near one end of utility catwalk crossing Ketchikan Creek. It is believed to be that of a man in his late teens or early 20s.

Police say there was no identification on the body, which was clothed in a heavy winter jacket and had been there for some time.

Police aren’t saying whether there was evidence of foul play.

The body is being sent to the state medical examiner’s office in Anchorage.

That’s the gist of a measure introduced by sponsored by state Sens. Bert Stedman and Dennis Egan, who wants to make clear the governor’s “duty station” — where he or she spends the majority of time to fulfill the office’s duties — is Juneau.

Former Gov. Sarah Palin ruffled feathers by limiting her time in the capital city.

Palin did a majority of her work at her Anchorage office while maintaining a a home in Wasilla. She sometimes charged the state when her children traveled, which sparked at least one ethics complaint, which was settled.

Her successor, Gov. Sean Parnell, has moved his family to Juneau for the session.

Stedman’s office says there are no provisions in law requiring a governor live in Juneau or stay at the governor’s mansion.

If a governor maintains a home elsewhere, and decides to live there, the bill would cut off a travel allowance when out of Juneau.

Associated Press

FAIRBANKS— Three mushers have dropped out of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.

The field for the 1,000-mile race has narrowed to 24 mushers after the withdrawal of Jason Mackey, Becca Moore and Ramey Smith.

The race begins in Fairbanks at 11 a.m. Saturday en route to Whitehorse in Canada’s Yukon Territory.

Four-time champion Lance Mackey — a three-time Iditarod winner — and original Quest winner Sonny Lindner are among contenders who remain.

Also running are Zack Steer, Hugh Neff and Hans Gatt, a three-time Quest champion.