Southeast Spotlight: Community Update

Dear neighbors,

I hope this finds you well and enjoying some winter fun.  With all the great community activities going on (from sports to film festivals) there’s a lot to pick from. Below is just a sample – if you have others to share, let me know!  As a heads-up, I’ll be in Gustavus this weekend, and I hope to see you there.  As always, please keep in touch with any questions, comments, or notices.

EVENTS

SKAGWAY

• February 16: Borough Assembly meeting, 7pm.
• February 17-18: Girls Basketball playing 6pm (17th) and 7:30pm (18th).
• February 17-19: Skagway Film Festival at AB Hall, check out skagwayartscouncil.blogspot.com.

February 10, 2017: Great concert by the Juneau 5th grade symphony – bravo!

HAINES

• February 14: Assembly meeting – meets 6:30 pm in the Borough Chambers.  I’ll be calling to listen in on community business and updates.
• February 16: River Talk, 7 stories told by your neighbors, 7pm at the Chilkat Center.
• February 17: Haines Drama Debate and Forensics Sushi Fundraiser. Place orders by 5pm, pick up orders 3-5pm Saturday. Call 314-3074.
• February 17: Haines Glacier Bears boys’ basketball team hosts Wrangell.
• February 21: 2017 Oscar-nominated Live Action Shorts, 7pm at the Chilkat Center.
• February 24: Haines School Spelling Bee, 1pm at the school.
• February 24: Haines Glacier Bears boys’ and girls’ basketball hosting Craig.

January 27, 2017: Wonderful evening at the Governor’s Arts Awards. Alaska is blessed with a robust, energetic, and talented arts community – congratulations to all the recipients!

GUSTAVUS
I’m visiting Gustavus this weekend for a community meeting among other things.  Hope to see you there!

• February 18: Gustavus Community Meeting, 2pm at the Fireweed Café and Gallery.
I’ll be attending.
• February 18: Chili feed, 6pm at Annie Mae, fundraiser for the Community Center.

February 8, 2017: (left to right) Gov. Bill Walker, First Lady Donna Walker, and Juneau Harbormaster Carl Uchytil at the Governor’s Mansion to rededicate the American Society of Civil Engineer’s plaque recognizing the Mansion as an historic landmark.

KEEP IN TOUCH AND UP-TO-SPEED

I’ve been hearing from a number of you, which is great – please keep up the calls, emails, letters, and visits sharing your perspective on the issues that matter to you.  Additionally, I wanted to share a couple of resources for keeping track of what’s happening with the legislature.

Bill Action Status Inquiry System (BASIS): Research bills or topics, receive email updates on bills, find information on schedules and meetings, listen to hearings and floor sessions, and contact legislators.

Juneau Legislative Information Office (LIO): The Juneau LIO serves the Upper Lynn Canal region.  The LIO facilitates communication between the Legislature and the public.  Their staff makes understanding and participating in the Legislative process easy for constituents. Contact them to learn to use the Alaska State Legislature website, find out more about the legislative process, and stay informed.

I hope these resources help.  Let me know if you have questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Sam Kito III