Tag: city council

Cat Links TRAVELLING

News from around our 50 states

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

Alabama

Montgomery: Alan Eugene Miller, 57, a truck driver convicted of killing three men in a workplace shooting rampage more than two decades ago is set to be put to death on Sept. 22, the Alabama Supreme Court said. The clerk’s office announced the scheduled execution date of Miller, who was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in the slayings, which occurred in Shelby County in 1999. Testimony indicated Miller was delusional and believed the two men he killed were spreading rumors about him, including one that he was gay. Although a defense psychiatrist testified Miller was mentally ill, he also said Miller’s condition wasn’t bad enough to use as a basis for an insanity defense under state law. Another Alabama inmate already is set for execution later this month. A federal judge last week ruled the execution of Joe Nathan James Jr. could go ahead as scheduled on July 28, refusing the condemned man’s request for a postponement. James was convicted of killing his former girlfriend, Faith Hall, in Birmingham, almost three decades ago.

Alaska

Anchorage: Officials ended their search for a woman whose 2-year-old grandchild was found alone last week in a locked car stuck in mud on a rural road, authorities said. No clues to the whereabouts of Mary Dawn Wilson, 69, have emerged since her Ford Focus was found last Thursday with the child and personal items believed to belong to Wilson, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said in a statement Saturday. Authorities believe the child was alone in the car for two days. The search was changed from “active” to “reactive,” meaning that a search could be launched again if officials receive new information or evidence, the statement said. The statement added that at “this time, there is no evidence

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Cat Links ADVENTURE

Bethel City Council votes to tax adventure flight companies on extra services

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

During their July 12 meeting, Bethel City Council unanimously passed a measure to begin ensuring adventure flight companies are taxed on their extra services. During the meeting prior, an attorney for flight company Renfro’s Alaskan Adventures tried to argue against the tax, arguing that the city can’t legally tax FAA flights.

During this meeting, Bethel City Attorney Libby Bakalar agreed, but said that every service besides the flight itself can and will be taxed by the city at their 6% sales tax rate.

“So for example, if there’s a guide service that goes along with the plane trip, the cost of that guide service is being charged. If you’re selling a package where you put people on a plane but you’re feeding them lunch, you have a naturalist, whatever services you have that aren’t the specific air travel services are still taxable and need to be itemized out,” said Bakalar.

During council’s discussion on the tax, the Bethel City Clerk reminded the council that the city’s sales tax is the city’s primary form of revenue. The city plans to release a legal brief on why it’s entitled to tax these services at the next city council meeting.

And this October, city voters will be able to decide whether the City of Bethel can issue mask mandates. During last night’s meeting, the Bethel City Council voted unanimously to add a ballot proposition about city mask mandates to the municipal October election ballot.

In another unanimous vote, the council also voted to approve an extra $55,727 to the Bethel Fire Department’s budget. Firefighters were forced to work extra shifts over the past year due to fewer volunteer firefighters. The Bethel Fire Chief estimated that the department lost about 22 of its about 25 volunteer firefighters during the pandemic, but

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