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Man beaten and robbed downtown
Pair in custody after Sunday morning incident
Two people were arrested over the weekend in connection with the beating and robbery of a man near the downtown library. Sergeant Jerry Nankervis says Juneau Police were notified at 2:20 Sunday morning and found a 35 year old man who was intoxicated and suffering with minor injuries. Arrested nearby a short time later were 43 year old Michael Rae and Jolene Joey, 23. They're accused of throwing the victim down a set of stairs near the library and then beating him while taking things from the victim's pockets. Both suspects were charged with Robbery in the Second Degree. They were jailed without bail.
Efforts are underway today to locate and recover the light plane that crashed last Wednesday on a flight from Juneau to Young Bay with two aboard. The Coast Guard was asked to help, according to Chief Petty Officer Paul Webb in the Juneau Operations Center. A 47 foot motor life boat is acting as a platform as Troopers use an underwater camera. The search for survivors was suspended Saturday afternoon pending further developments. On board were Steve Zeckser, 51, and 63-year-old Edgar Burch. The search was suspended after more than 150 hours were spent looking for them. Two tires (including one pictured above) and some debris believed to be from the plane were found in the water by searchers late Friday morning. A mechanic who worked on the plane was confident the tires were from the single-engine Bellanca Scout. Zeckser is the owner-operator of the plane and was getting a flight review from Burch, who is a certified flight instructor. Zeckser worked for the local office of the US Forest Service for 21 years. He worked most recently as the Property and Procurement Officer.
A jail guard in Ketchikan shot and killed an inmate who was trying to escape. Thirty-eight-year-old John Neil Henry Ebling climbed two fences and had escaped Sunday from a recreation yard at the Ketchikan Correctional Facility when he was ordered to stop. Greg Wilkinson of the State Troopers says Ebling kept going. Wilkinson says the tower guard fired and hit Ebling. He was taken to Ketchikan General Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Guards spotted the inmate as he scaled the first fence. They fired rubber bullets, but he continued over the second fence. Ebling was convicted of attempted murder, robbery and other charges in 1999. He was arrested after an all-night manhunt and shoot out with police at a motel. Meanwhile, a man was charged with killing another inmate at the Anchorage city jail over the weekend. Twenty-two-year-old Terry Stromme was charged Sunday with first-degree murder in the strangulation death of 49-year-old Tom Elijah Sage. Sage was killed shortly after 10:00 Saturday night, about two hours after arriving at the jail. Both he and Stromme were being held on assault charges. State Troopers say Stromme challenged Sage about the use of a pillow. Spokesman Greg Wilkinson says when Sage dozed off and spilled some hot chocolate, Stromme strangled him. Investigators say there is no evidence the two knew each other outside the jail.
A pre-trial hearing in the case of Dwight Perkins (right) is set for this afternoon in Juneau Superior Court. The former Assembly member, Department of Labor Deputy Commissioner and Legislative Director for Governor Knowles is facing harassment charges. The criminal charges are in relation to unwelcome advances he made to two women. Perkins has pleaded "innocent" to two misdemeanor charges of harassment. A trial is scheduled to begin next Monday, January 9th. Perkins was named Legislative Director in October. When the charges surfaced, the appointment was withdrawn. The Governor's Office said it was a mutual decision. Perkins has since gone back to work at the Labor Department as a special assistant.
The weather during 2000 in Juneau was marked by an absence of snow. National Weather Service Forecaster Bob Shontz says the year had only had 23.8 inches of snow. He says that's the second lowest for any calendar year on record. The lowest was 1987 when there was 23.4 inches. Precipitation in 2000 amounted to 68.97 inches which was more than 15 inches above normal. Last year was warmer than normal with an average temperature of 42 degrees. That's 1.4 degrees above normal, but it was a continuation of the slow cooling trend of the past four years. The average temperature in 1997 was 44; 42.5 in '98; and 42. 2 in '99. The highest temperature of the year was 73 which occurred on June 24th, July 8th and August 10th. The lowest was zero recorded on January 15th.
Snowfall in Juneau during December was more than 20 inches below normal. National Weather Service Forecaster Bob Shontz says there was just 2.3 inches. He says that's the fourth lowest snowfall for a December. It's the lowest seasonal total on record through December with just 5.6 inches. The previous record was 7. 6 inches in 1996. Total precipitation for the month was 4.17 inches which was 27 hundredths of inch below normal. December was warmer than normal. The average temperature was 31.2 degrees which was more than four degrees above normal. There was a record high temperature tied in December when it reached 45 degrees on the 30th. That record was initially established in 1963.
Northwest Arctic Borough Mayor Ross Schaeffer is concerned that the ice road the borough builds in late winter may not get done. The road is usually built from Kotzebue to Noorvik, but this year's warm weather has left the ice too thin.
The filing period for the 2001 Alaska Permanent Fund dividend begins today when application books begin arriving in mailboxes around the state. Alaskans also can apply on-line. But that requires you send a signature page to the dividend office before your application is complete. The on-line application form available is available here. The amount of the 2001 dividend will be announced in late September. Payments by direct deposit will be made October 10th, with checks to follow later in the month.
Riley McCelland Van Kirk was Juneau's first baby of 2001 at Bartlett Regional Hospital. He was born at 7:22 New Years Day morning to Jodi and Loni Van Kirk. Jodi Van Kirk says they were hoping the baby would have been born in 2000. There would have been a tax deduction and Riley would be eligible for a Permanent Fund Dividend if he had been born a few hours earlier. Riley joins a big family. He's got two sisters and a brother. It was a busy New Years Day at Bartlett with the birth of 5 babies, according to hospital official Mary Jo Toner. She says that's the busiest New Years ever at Bartlett according to records they've kept for the last 16 years. She says only 7 babies were born on New Years Day from 1985 through 2000. Three of those children were born on New Years Day 1988.
Several bills to crack down on drunk drivers have been introduced prior to the upcoming legislative session. Juneau Senator Kim Elton, a Democrat, and Eagle River Representative Pete Kott, a Republican, have introduced measures to lower the legal limit for blood alcohol content from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent. But the most comprehensive measure released in last Friday's first batch of pre-filed bills is sponsored by Representative Norm Rokeberg. The Anchorage Republican's proposal, House Bill 4, lowers the blood alcohol content to 0.08. But it also sets up stiff penalties for killing someone while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A driver who kills somebody while drunk would be guilty of a class A felony. A first conviction would carry a minimum sentence of 10 years behind bars. A second or more conviction would carry a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
US Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt wants to create five more national monuments, but the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (left) is not among them. He's recommending a grassy plain in California, two coral reefs in the Virgin Islands, and landmarks of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in Montana. An aide to the secretary has told reporters that he will not recommend that President Clinton extend monument status to ANWR. Alaska Senator Ted Stevens says that's because the president can't do that because of the so-called "no-more clause" of the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.
President-elect Bush today named Spencer Abraham (right) -- who was defeated for re-election to the Senate from Michigan -- to be the next secretary of energy. Bush made the announcement as he completed his 14-member Cabinet, also making his selections for transportation and labor. It had been rumored that Alaska's Governor Tony Knowles would be tapped for energy. Knowles, a Democrat, favors opening up the coastal plain of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. That's a position strongly held by Bush. Knowles had been at the forefront of national media lists as a candidate for energy secretary. His name was mentioned on NBC's "Today Show" and on the Cable News Network. Fueling speculation was the fact that Knowles and Bush were fraternity brothers at Yale.
Fairbanks police are investigating the death of a 47-year-old woman who apparently was stabbed to death. Police have arrested 20-year-old Nicholas Danico on one count of first-degree murder in the death of Evelyn Gloria.
A 24-year-old Bethel man has been arrested in the drive-by shooting of a local police sergeant's home in early December. James Brink was charged with first-degree weapons misconduct, third-degree assault and second-degree criminal mischief.
Sitka Beverage Corporation has made its first scheduled payment for land leased from the city. The city received more than $10,000 for the space in the Sawmill Cove Industrial Park. The money was the first monthly lease payment on the 16-acre tract.
The Princess-Capital City Classic basketball tournament wrapped up in Juneau last weekend. And the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears won one, and lost one. In the women's final, Gig Harbor defeated the Lady Crimson Bears, 61-54. Juneau was up 71 to 67, when Kentlake scored a three-point shot in the with 3.2 seconds left in the game. Juneau went on to keep the lead, winning the game 71-70. The tournament was a warm-up for what's ahead for the Crimson Bears. Next weekend, the Thunderbirds of East Anchorage -- the number one team in the state -- come to Juneau. They'll play the Bears Friday and Saturday nights. Both games start at 8:00 p.m. and will be broadcast live on KINY. John Dee will have the play-by-play as well as the pre-game show, which starts at 7:45. Listen live here.
Oyster and clam farmers are protesting that they don't have enough time to respond to new state regulations. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game -- which is rewriting the regulations -- says it had no choice but to act quickly on the matter. The agency says it was given a directive by the Legislature and the attorney general's office to act quickly. Ken Imamura, mariculture coordinator for the department, says the new regulations should be in place by April. Prince William Sound oyster farmers say the rush job has left too little time for public comment. Oyster farmer Dave Chipman of Cordova says there will only be 30 days for comment on the new regulations. The proposed new regulations expand the rules of operation for shellfish farmers from 4 to 25 pages. Imamura admits it is a major revision. But he says most of the new regulations reflect the growth in applications for "bottom farming" of native species, and won't affect the area's oyster farmers in a major way. Chipman and others remain unconvinced. He says the agency could allow more time for public comment, but won't.
Anchorage is offering free bus rides again this year, but not for as long a period as last year. Riders beginning today will be allowed to ride the bus in the city without paying the usual $1 fee for adults and 50-cents for children or seniors. The free fare will remain in effect through February. The program ran from November through January of last year. But city officials scaled it back out of fear of budget cuts after a tax cap initiative was placed on the November ballot. While the federal government reimburses the city for the fares, the city must pay for maintenance, fuel and drivers.
Juneau is helping residents again this year to get rid of old Christmas trees. Larry Zeiman of the city's Public Works Department says the trees will be cut into chips that will be donated to the Montana Creek community gardens. He asks people to remove all tinsel and other decorations before bringing the trees in for chipping. The service will take place Saturday, January 6, from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the DOT Parking Lot at Mile 7 of the Glacier Highway.(Captions for our photographs can be viewed by hovering over them with your mouse pointer)
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