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[Thursday, January 26, 2012 9TH EDITION 2:40 P. M.]

'News of the North’ content copyright of Alaska Broadcast Communications Inc. and Juneau Alaska Communications LLC. Any unauthorized use will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

City Manager candidates meet the public
The two remaining candidates up for consideration to replace current City and Borough of Juneau Manager Rod Swope spoke at a public reception last night (Wednesday) at City Hall.

When the Assembly narrowed to the list of candidates, it narrowed it to current Deputy City Manager Kim Kiefer and Chief of Staff for the Coast Guard’s 17th District Captain Norman “Buddy” Custard.

Kiefer and Custard both gave a presentation on the functions of local government and fielded questions from an audience made up of Assembly members and concerned citizens.

When asked if her experience as the current Deputy City Manager gave her an advantage as a candidate, Kiefer said yes and no. “For the Assembly I think it cuts both ways. I think they want to have a process and they have said that they want to have a clean process on it and that it’s open for anybody. And I believe in that. I want to go through a process, I don’t want to just get appointed to this. I want to get it because they think that I’m the best one to do it. Yes, I have experience that other people don’t just by being in the organization, but I don’t think that’s a reason to say here’s the job.”

Custard talked about the most important attribute he’d bring to the job. “Passion. I have passion. I am a public servant, that’s what I am at heart. I enjoy serving the public. I have a strong leadership background, that’s what I’ve been doing for quite a long time, that’s what I’ve been groomed to be is an executive leader. But, I really enjoy being a public servant.”

Both were asked how they would handle the projected $7.5 million budget deficit facing the city and borough.

Kiefer said she’ll use a team approach. “I’m going to rely very heavily on the administrative team. The department heads, and that’s what I mean by the administrative team, they know their budgets and I don’t. I need to go to them and say Ok, talk to me about what’s going on. Is there a way you could look at doing things differently?

After they have their chance individually to do that I want to bring everyone together and as a group look at that. I think there are ways we can shave some money off but not necessarily shave the end product that we provide.

There may be some ways to put pieces together and still be able to come out whole, but if we don’t work together we’ll never know that. I think it’s really important, because we’re so small, that we need to be a team and work together as a team to move forward.”

Custard said it’s about communication. “That to me gets back into the community relationship. Understanding that. I know there’s a survey that’s going to be going out so we’re going to get some input from the community as to their concerns probably about what services they do not probably want to see cut more than what they do want to see cut. So, taking that input, I think it’s also important to be reaching out to all of these other economic councils we have throughout the community and also talk to the merchants.

Because what we want to do is we do not want to be doing something that’s going to impact the commerce we all ready have. We don’t want to be reducing services or budgets that would have a cascading effect on the merchants, because that’s where we get a lot of our sales tax.”

Current City Manager Rod Swope is set to retire at the end of March. He indicated he expected the Assembly to make a final decision on his replacement by the end of January.

The Assembly has scheduled an executive session for Saturday afternoon to take up the matter.

Docks and Harbors to examine CIP projects, potential 16 B improvements
The Juneau Docks and Harbors Board will take up a few measures at their regular meeting Thursday night in the Capital City.

That word from Port Director Carl Uchytil, who says the first measure will be to prioritize a list of FY 13 CIP projects that will be presented by the Port Engineer.

He says the board will also be asked to approve design funds to move forward with the design of the Aurora Harbor project.

Uchytil says the board will also hear a report from a subcommittee that investigated proposed changes to improve the staging area of the 16 B downtown docks project.

That meeting gets underway at 7:00 p.m. Thursday in Assembly Chambers at City Hall.

Senate leader outlines goal for oil tax legislation
A plan for oil tax legislation in the State Senate was unveiled during a press availability with the majority bi-partisan caucus Thursday.

Senate President Gary Stevens says his goal is to have the bill to his Resources Committee in a week and a half.

From there it's to Senate Finance, the Senate floor and then over to the House.

Stevens says he's told Speaker Chenault his goal is to move the Senate version to the lower body with at least 30 days left in the session.

Caucus members were hesitant to disclose provisions of the measure at this point, but Finance Committee Co-Chair Bert Stedman said they are probably closer than what a lot people might think.

He says they need to define what to fix and then have the policy debate on how to fix those areas.

Then Stedman thinks people will see how the Senate, the administration and the House will be fairly close in agreement on the areas that they need to work on.

Concerns include the progressive surcharge now triggered when a company's net profits hit $30 a barrel, tax credits and addressing heavy oil.

The House approved the Governor's oil tax bill last session.

It's been lodged in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee chaired by Juneau Senator Dennis Egan since then.

House committee moves texting ban bill
AUSTIN BAIRD,Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska - (AP) — Alaska lawmakers moved a bill through the House Transportation Committee Thursday afternoon that puts the state one step closer to correcting what legislators from both parties describe as an error made in the language of a 2008 law that attempted to ban texting while driving. State judges have challenged that law.

After hearing testimony from one of the bill's co-sponsors, Rep. Les Gara, and others who addressed concerns of language and prosecution efforts under current law, the bill was sent to the Judiciary Committee. That came at the recommendation of the committee's chairman, Rep. Peggy Wilson.

Rep. Carl Gatto, who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee, is also a co-sponsor of the bill and will decide when the bill gets in front of his committee.

McGuire: Senate 'coming around' on oil taxes
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Sen. Lesil McGuire has asked Alaska's Natural Resources commissioner to better articulate what the administration thinks is wrong with Alaska's oil production taxes if it wants the Senate to make changes.

The Anchorage Republican told commissioner Dan Sullivan the Senate seems to be "coming around" on the issue. But she says senators need data.

Last year, the House passed a version of the governor's oil-tax cut plan but the measure stalled in the Senate, where leaders said they didn't have enough information to make a sound policy call.

Sullivan said one of the biggest complaints from companies relates to the progressive surcharge currently triggered when a company's net profits hits $30 a barrel.

The Senate is expected to come up with its own bill on oil production taxes.

Senate president: Any coastal zone bill should come from House
BECKY BOHRER,Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Senate President Gary Stevens says if legislation is proposed to revive Alaska's coastal management program, it should come from the House.

The Senate, during last year's second special session, passed legislation aimed at saving the program. The bill failed in the House.

Lawmaker returned to Juneau for that special session with the explicit intention of finding a compromise to save the program, which ended June 30.

The program lets states put conditions on certain activities on federal lands and waters. The Division of Elections is reviewing petition signers to see if a proposed initiative that would re-establish a program will qualify for this year's ballot.

Lawmakers can pre-empt the initiative by passing substantially similar legislation this session.

A joint legislative hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Feb. 6.

Settlement expected in education quality case
BECKY BOHRER,Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A settlement was proposed Thursday in a long-running lawsuit over education quality in Alaska.

Plaintiffs in the case, Moore vs. the state of Alaska, claimed the state had failed to meet its constitutional obligation to provide an education to schoolchildren and that the school funding system is inadequate and unfair.

The settlement would have the state provide $18 million for the lower performing schools, pending legislative approval

In return, the Citizens for the Educational Advancement of Alaska's Children would drop its lawsuit.

The governor's office, in a release, says the settlement targets struggling schools. The money, if appropriated, would be distributed by the Department of Education working with a committee of educators.

Districts with lowest performing schools could apply to receive money over the next three years

Legislative leader calls for paying down retirement debt with surplus
Anchorage Senator Johnny Ellis is calling on his fellow lawmakers to devote part of the projected surplus over the next two fiscal years to paying down the state's debt during a speech.

He based his remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday on a presentation to the Senate Finance Committee this week by Legislative Finance Division Director David Teal.

During that presentation, Teal described the future growth of the payments required to deal with the unfunded liabilities in the state's retirement system.

The payments total $18 Billion over the the next two decades which Ellis called a shocking figure.

He says the peak payment of $1.2 Billion in 2029 matches what the state spends on K to 12 education.

Teal told Senate budget writers that a deposit into the retirement system this year can save the state the bulk of those costs.

Teal testified that a $2 Billion deposit to the PERS retirement system could save the state about $400 Million a year in future budgets, or a 20 percent annual return on the state's investment.

Ellis called that a pretty good deal.

With a projected surplus of $3.7 Billion dollars this year and next, Senator Ellis urged lawmakers to take a significant amount of money off the table to pay down the state's debt.

Edgmon wants to expand energy program
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A Dillingham Democrat wants to expand a program that helps rural Alaskans pay for the cost of electricity.

Rep. Bryce Edgmon at this point doesn't expect a groundswell of support for his proposal, HB294. But he does see the bill as a way to have a broader discussion on rural energy costs and the Power Cost Equalization program, or PCE.

Edgmon says energy costs are a major concern for his constituents. He says he hasn't seen any other proposal that would provide immediate relief for rural Alaskans paying high energy costs.

The Alaska Energy Authority says the kilowatt-hour charge for electricity can be three to five times higher in rural Alaska than in more urban areas. PCE helps rural electric utility customers by paying a portion of their electricity costs.

Alaska Air Group reports annual record profits.
Alaska Air Group reported its fourth quarter and year end financial reports Thursday.

Company Chair and CEO Bill Ayer said 2011 was the best full year adjusted profit in its history surpassing the record set in 2010.

He said the fourth quarter was the second best fourth quarter in the company's history, surpassed only by last year.

The company reported full year net income of $244.5 Million compared to $251.1 Million in 2010.

Fourth quarter net income amounted to $64 Million or $1.76 per diluted share. That compares to $64.8 Million or $1.75 per diluted share in 2010.

Permanent Fund 2nd quarter earnings report released
The Alaska Permanent Fund earned 4.2% for the second quarter of Fiscal Year 12.

Corporation CEO Mike Burns says the return mitigated some first quarter losses.

He says the year to date return now stands at minus 4.5%.

Burns says U. S. stocks showed the most growth during the second quarter with a return of 12.3%. Global stocks returned 7.7% and non-U. S. stocks, 3.5%.

But, the stock portfolio remains in negative territory for the year, according to Burns, who says between natural disasters, political upheaval, and the European debt crises, 2011 was a challenging year for global stock markets.

He says their real estate and bond portfolios helped balance the stock losses.

Real estate returned 3.1% in the second quarter and 4.7% for the fiscal year so far.

U. S. fixed income returned 2% for the quarter and 3.8% for the fiscal year, while non-U. S. fixed income returned 0.7% for the quarter and 4 percent for the fiscal year.

Burns says their alternative investments were mixed, with performance relatively flat or slightly down for the quarter and fiscal year.

Statutory net income, the amount used to calculate the Permanent Fund Dividend, was $386 Million for the quarter, bringing the year to date total to $854 Million. Statutory net income for the previous fiscal year was $2.1 Billion.

Alaska's nest egg ended the quarter with a value of $38.6 Billion. It ended Fiscal Year 11 above $40 Billion. As of Thursday, Burns says the fund is about $100 Million shy of that mark.

New forest management rules unveiled
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration says new rules to manage nearly 200 million acres of national forests will protect watersheds and wildlife while promoting uses ranging from recreation to logging.

The new rules, to replace guidelines thrown out by a federal court in 2009, are set to take effect in early March.

Juneau man busted on drug charge
A drug arrest was made in Juneau Tuesday afternoon.

Juneau Police and Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs (SEACAD) along with FBI and U. S. Postal Service agents intercepted and then did a controlled delivery of heroin at about 1:00 p.m. in the 200 block of S. Franklin Street.

Arrested there was 61 year old d Stephen Dabney of Juneau.

Dabney was charged with misconduct Involving drugs in the 2nd degree, a class A felony.

That crime is punishable by incarceration of up to twenty years and a fine of $250,000.

Man hit by vehicle in Anchorage was sought for child sex abuse
An Anchorage man injured in a vehicle collision on the Seward Highway was wanted on charges of child sex abuse.

Alaska State Troopers say 42-year old Patrick k. Davids was walking along the highway at Mile 102 Sunday night.

He was hit by a commuter van and dragged about 400 feet.

Davids is accused of sexual abuse over the last three years.

Police began an investigation last week. On Friday, a warrant was issued for Davids' arrest on charges of
first- and second-degree sexual abuse of a minor.

Troopers say they were concerned that Davids, a South African citizen, would flee the country.

A Trooper had spotted Davids on the highway, but before he could make the arrest, Davids crossed into the road and was hit.

Davids was listed in critical condition at Providence Hospital as of Monday.
(Anchorage Daily News & KENI Radio)

Teen joyrider stopped in Anchorage after taking 2 cars
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Anchorage police say they've arrested a 14-year-old boy who took two cars for a joyride as owners let them warm up.

The first was taken shortly after 7 a.m. yesterday from McCarrey Street. It hit a snow bank nine minutes later and the driver fled.

A second car was stolen at 7:41 a.m. on Boniface Parkway and spotted being driven recklessly.

Police blocked the car, and when the driver stopped and fled, officers arrested a suspect.

The boy is charged with vehicle theft, criminal mischief, drunken driving and resisting an officer.

Police charge pickup driver in pedestrian crash
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Anchorage police have arrested a 22-year-old pickup truck driver suspected of seriously injuring two 24-year-old people early New Year's Day as they walked on a downtown sidewalk.

Tex Daniels II is charged with first-degree assault, driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to render aid.

Police say Ashley Brotherton and Clayton Wilbanks were rammed as they walked home from a New Year's Eve concert.

Police say Daniels was driving 50-60 mph and lost control of the pickup while passing another vehicle.

Witnesses told police Daniels tried to leave but his pickup had become stuck in a snow bank.

The Anchorage Daily News reports blood samples showed Daniels' blood-alcohol content was .226, exceeding the driving limit of .08.

His bail was set at $5,000.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Galena man charged in child porn case
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A man in the village of Galena is facing child porn charges.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner says 20-year-old Brenden Sweetsir is facing six felony charges for allegedly videotaping sexual contact he had with a 16-year-old girl in Anchorage and showing the video to a friend.

Sweetsir is charged with distribution of child pornography, unlawful exploitation of a minor and possession of child pornography.

Charging documents say the mother of the girl contacted Anchorage police last week.

The teenage girl told police she met Sweetsir on Facebook in November and went to his home on Dec. 2 where they drank alcohol and later had sex.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

Barefoot Bandit's lawyers say he's truly sorry
GENE JOHNSON,Associated Press
SEATTLE (AP) — Lawyers for "Barefoot Bandit" Colton Harris-Moore are fighting back against the notion that he's not sorry for his infamous two-year crime spree of break-ins and boat and plane thefts that ended in 2010 in the Bahamas.

In a filing in federal court Thursday in Seattle, defense attorneys said prosecutors released cherry-picked excerpts from emails in an effort to make him appear callous and self-aggrandizing. The 20-year-old called the Island County sheriff "king swine," called prosecutors "fools," and referred to reporters as "vermin."

Defense lawyers say the full emails show he remains sorry for what he did and thankful for the treatment he received from a state court judge in Coupeville who sentenced him to about seven years in prison.

He's expected to receive a similar sentence Friday in federal court.

FERC reschedules Anchorage pipeline meeting
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Federal regulators have rescheduled a meeting in Anchorage on TransCanada Corp.'s proposed Alaska natural gas pipeline project.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, had canceled a Jan. 18 scoping meeting while it waited for TransCanada to file draft environmental reports. TransCanada has since filed those.

The Anchorage meeting is reset to Feb. 13.

The focus is on TransCanada's proposed project from the North Slope into Canada. FERC has announced plans to do an environmental review of the Alaska portion. Through its meetings, it is trying to determine what potential environmental impacts to consider in the report.

The first scoping meeting is scheduled for Monday in Fairbanks. Additional meetings are planned in Delta Junction, Tok, Barrow, Nuiqsut and Kaktovik.

Report: North Slope employment up
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A new report shows average annual employment on Alaska's North Slope at a 20-year high in 2010.

The report, commissioned by the Senate Finance Committee, looks at North Slope employment trends and work activity, and at nonresident workers in Alaska's oil and gas industry. It was conducted by the McDowell Group, and released this week.

It comes amid debate on whether Alaska should change its oil tax regime to boost oil production and investment. The report doesn't address any possible impact that the tax, passed in 2007, has had on hiring.

It shows average annual North Slope employment of 8,445 in 2010, the most recent full-year payroll data.

Job growth has occurred amid declining production. The report says high oil prices and investment in existing infrastructure are the main drivers.

Settlement expected in education case
BECKY BOHRER,Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A settlement is expected to be announced Thursday in a long-running lawsuit over education funding.

Plaintiffs in the case, Moore vs. the state of Alaska, claimed the state had failed to meet its constitutional obligation to provide an education to school children. They claimed the school funding system is inadequate, and unfair.

The plaintiffs included parents, the Yupiit, Bering Strait and Kuspuk school districts, National Education Association-Alaska and Citizens for the Educational Advancement of Alaska's Children.

A news conference is planned for Thursday afternoon in Juneau.

Last year, the state agreed to settle another lawsuit alleging inequities in funding for rural public schools. Terms call for the governor to seek legislative approval for funding five high-priority school construction projects in rural Alaska over the next four years.

Research shows low college graduation rates in AK
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A legislative research report shows Alaska's college graduation rate ranked last nationally in all but two years between 1997 and 2009.

Alaska also ranked below the national average in high school graduation and college attendance rates.

The research shows college graduation rates ranged from 19 percent to 44 percent between 1997 and 2009. Rates relate to the percentage of first-time, full-time students who earn bachelor's degrees within six years.

It quotes Mike Earnest, director of admissions for the University of Alaska, saying an open admissions policy and need for many freshmen to take remedial classes, adding to their time in school and debt, contribute to the rates.

Earnest says UA is working to address the situation.

Alaska students ranked at or above the national average on the ACT between 2001-2011.

Report: Little progress on teacher quality in AK
AUSTIN BAIRD,Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A new report says only three states have made less progress at improving the quality of teachers than Alaska since 2009.

The National Council on Teacher Quality gives Alaska an overall grade of "D."

The report says Alaska does not require a broad enough range of knowledge for new teachers. It says the state has an ineffective process for firing low-performing teachers with tenure and doesn't use enough data-based evaluation.

Legislators from both parties, union representatives and Alaska educators criticized the report for mischaracterizing education policy in Alaska.

Rep. Scott Kawasaki, a Democrat from Fairbanks, says many regulatory decisions are left to districts. Some teachers also say there are mistakes in the report's claims about teacher licensure requirements.

Report reviews first year of scholarship program
BECKY BOHRER,Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A new report finds Caucasian students in Alaska are four-and-a-half times more likely to be academically eligible for state-funded merit scholarships than Alaska Native or American Indian students.

But the report also finds that once eligible, public school students from most ethnic groups take advantage of the scholarship at the same rate, around 36 percent.

The report also finds that girls are more likely to be eligible for scholarships than boys but that 36 percent of each took an award during the first year after graduation.

The report released by the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education on Wednesday provides a status update on the Alaska Performance Scholarship Program. Last year's graduates were the first who could be eligible for the program, a pet project of the governor.

State: 'Serious' questions on GOP pipeline bill
MATTHEW DALY,Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says a Republican bill that would strip President Barack Obama of his authority to decide on a Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline raises "serious" legal questions.

A top State Department official told Congress Wednesday that the bill "imposes narrow time constraints and creates automatic mandates that prevent an informed decision" on the Keystone XL pipeline.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., would transfer authority over the 1,700-mile pipeline to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Obama blocked the $7 billion pipeline last week, saying officials did not have enough time to review an alternate route that avoided environmentally sensitive areas of Nebraska.

The plan by Calgary-based TransCanada Corp. would carry tar sands oil from western Canada across six U.S. states to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Challenges fail to derail Alaska militia case
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Two days of challenges in an Anchorage courtroom have failed to convince a judge to toss the case against three members of a Fairbanks militia.

The defense tried to convince U.S. District Judge Robert Bryan that evidence was tainted in the case and the charges were inappropriate. But the Anchorage Daily News reports that the judge found that federal agents did not violate the rights of one of the militiamen when they asked him where his trailer — with weapons inside — was located and he told them.

The judge left for another day the question of whether a search warrant obtained in part from evidence obtained by an undercover informant was proper.

The three militia members are charged with conspiring to murder law enforcement agents and weapons charges.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Census releases data on American Indian population
FELICIA FONSECA,Associated Press
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Almost half of American Indians and Alaska Natives identify with multiple races, representing a group that grew by 39 percent over a decade.

The U.S. Census Bureau released data Wednesday showing that 2.3 million people reported being Native in combination with one or more races. The growth in the multi-race category surpassed that of those who reported being Native alone.

The overall Native population in the U.S. comes in at 5.2 million, representing 1.7 percent of the country's population.

The Blackfeet Nation in Montana had the highest proportion of people who reported being part of more than one tribe or racial group at 74 percent.

Among Alaska Native groups, the Tlingit-Haida had the highest proportion of mixed-race individuals at 42 percent.

Census officials presented the figures Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Crabbers worried about ice in Bering
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska crabbers say sea ice is encroaching on the central Bering Sea and threatening the fishery.

The Bering Sea Fishermen's Association says the situation is threatening to grind the important fishery to a halt at the peak of the season.

The Anchorage Daily News says the fishery was expected to net 80 million pounds this year, but now crabbing boats are retrieving their pots or sitting in Dutch Harbor.

Man seeks to reclaim his 22 cats
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A man whose 22 cats were seized while visiting Anchorage on a trip to get supplies, visit the veteran's clinic and find a female companion says he has only one thing in mind now: getting his cats back.

Jim Hershberger and the cats were living in the Mentasta Mountains before he made the 250-mile "trip to town." His cats were seized Jan. 14 after a police officer found them in crates inside Hershberger's station wagon parked outside a friend's shipping container, where Hershberger was living.

Hershberger told The Anchorage Daily News that he visits his cats in the city shelter where they are being held in an ongoing animal cruelty investigation. He says he's making a public plea and seeking legal help getting his cats back.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Bear forgoes winter nap in Kodiak
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — A bear is forgoing its winter nap at the east end of Kodiak City, leaving numerous tracks in the snow.

Larry Van Daele (DALE') with the state Department of Fish and Game says it probably is the same bear that frequented the area late last year.

KMXT Radio says there have been no reports of aggressive encounters or property damage, although there have been a few trash bin raids.

Still, Van Daele says people should be bear aware, particularly in wooded area after dark.

According to Van Daele, it's unusual for a bear to be active near town this time of year, but it's not unprecedented.

Radio collar studies on other bears show that as many as 25 percent of adult males do not hibernate for the entire winter.
(KMXT-FM)

1 of Alaska's own gets nominated
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Ben Grossmann wasn't up at 6 a.m. when the 84th annual Academy Award nominations were announced Tuesday. The former Alaskan had been up late caring for his 1-year-old daughter.

But Grossman, who now lives in Los Angeles and was a visual effects supervisor for the film "Hugo," knew something was up when the phone began ringing and he started getting emails and Facebook posts.

Grossmann was one of four nominated for best visual effects for their work on the Martin Scorsese-directed film about an orphan who lives in a Paris railway station.

Grossmann grew up in Delta Junction and Fairbanks and attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He worked as a photojournalist in news and television.

He plans on attending the Oscar ceremony Feb. 26 in Hollywood.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

SPORTS...
The Thunder Mountain Boys Basketball team didn't seem to have too much trouble playing four games over a five day stretch in the last week.

The Falcons capped off their string of games with a win against the Petersburg Vikings.

Thunder Mountain led 29-15 at halftime and never looked back, coming out of the gates hot in the 3rd quarter with a 15-5 run.

The Falcons have won 2 of 3, beating Mt. Edgecumbe 41-43 over the weekend and falling to the Chugiak Mustangs 50-43 late last week.

Thunder Mountain is 5-10 on the year heading into conference play with Ketchikan this weekend.

The Juneau Douglas Crimson Bears boys hockey team didn't quite wrap up the regular season the way they'd like to against the West Valley Wolfpack over the weekend in the Capital City, losing two games by a collective score of 9-3.

Despite the discouraging losses, the Crimson Bears are headed to the Mid Alaska Conference Playoffs, which start the weekend of February 3rd at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

JDHS will face off against either West Valley or Lathrop in the opening round of tournament play.

Museum displays pipeline cleaning device
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Officials with the University of Alaska Museum of the North say Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. has donated an oil pipeline cleaning device called a pig.

"Super Pig Hybrid-B" is too large to be displayed inside so it was installed at the northwest corner of the museum, which located on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.

The pig will replace an older model donated in 1984.

Officials say rubber components on the older pig had degraded so the museum approached Alyeska, operator of the 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline and asked if there was a pig ready to be decommissioned.

Museum officials say Alyeska agreed to donate the newer pig, which was in operation from about 2007 to 2010.

The pig was delivered in December after more than two years of coordination.

Kenai's chamber, visitors bureau merge
KENAI, Alaska (AP) — The chamber of commerce and the convention and visitors bureau in Kenai are becoming one organization.

The Peninsula Clarion reports that Brendyn Shiflea is the president of the new group, which will be called the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center.

The former visitors bureau has sent paperwork to the state to dissolve the organization. Once that's been given the OK, Shiflea says the group's money will be transferred to the new organization.

Shiflea says the goal of the two organizations were the same, promoting Kenai, and now many activities they shared in planning will be done by the new group. The merger also allows for financial stability.
(Peninsula Clarion)

Taco Bell enters breakfast arena, Alaska stores included in menu change
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Taco Bell, the fast-food chain that caters to late-night snacking, is making a play for the breakfast crowd.

The Mexican-style restaurant chain has introduced a breakfast menu at almost 800 restaurants, mostly in nearly a dozen Western states including Alaska.

Thursday's rollout adds to the scramble among fast-food heavyweights competing for the morning allegiance of consumers.

Taco Bell Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer Brian Niccol says if the launch goes as expected, the chain hopes it breakfast burritos will be on store menu boards nationwide by the start of 2014.

The chain's breakfast staples include burritos stuffed with eggs and either sausage, bacon or steak; hash browns; hot or iced coffee; and orange juice.

Breakfast is the fastest-growing business in fast food, according to NPD Group.

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