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Ball of fire spied in
Juneau skies
What was apparently a meteor was seen streaking through Juneau skies this morning.
(Friday)
Karen Ross was going to work out the road toward Lena Loop when she spotted
it at about 7:45.
She described it as a great big ball of light, a red and green flashing streak going across the sky from the airport down into the Mendenhall Valley.
A call to the FAA Control Tower at Juneau's Airport confirmed the sighting.
An official there said from their view it was
seen out to the northwest toward Auke Mountain.
Ross said she's never seen anything like it before and thought it was an aircraft of some sort.
We received an e-mail from Bob Johnson of Yakutat who said the meteor was visible from there headed in a northeast direction towards Canada.
A meteor that passed through
the skies here in January of 2000 plummeted on to Tagish Lake in British
Columbia.
Scientists said then that it gave them the most valuable clues yet about the
origin of our solar system.
Peter Brown, a planetary scientist at the University of Western Ontario,
said it was the most primitive meteorite ever found.
An initial analysis suggested that the organic material in the bus sized
meteor could be the same material that formed the Earth.
Bills
pre-filed by Elton address severance tax and ballot measure language
The second batch of pre-filed bills in advance of Monday's start of the First Session of the 24th Alaska Legislature was released today. (Friday)
Juneau Senator Kim Elton is the author of some of those measures including one that amends the state's severance tax as it relates to oil.
He says Senate Bill 38 will require payment of a tax of at least five percent of the gross value that will go up or down depending on the price of oil.
Right now, as the price of oil goes up, taxes to the state remains the same.
Elton says its anticipated that the change embodied in Senate Bill 38 will increase severance tax receipts and a portion of the increase will be shared with local communities.
Another measure pre-filed by Elton addresses problems with coming up with ballot titles and language for constitutional amendments and propositions as was experienced last year.
Senate Bill 39 sets up a five member panel to advise the Lieutenant Governor. The panel would include two proponents and two opponents on a specific matter and a fifth person from a list submitted by the chief justice of the state supreme court.
Elton says its an attempt to shield the process from political considerations as much as possible.
The state constitution provides that the Lieutenant Governor shall be responsible for the language. Elton says his proposal sets up a statutory way in which recommendations can be made.
The Lieutenant Governor doesn't have to take the panel's recommendations. But the bill, if approved, would require him or her to explain why the language varied from the panel's recommendation in the voter pamphlet.
Elton says the measure was spurred by the problems in developing language for the U. S. Senate vacancy, marijuana and bear baiting ballot propositions last year.
Mat Su lawmakers follow through on bill amending FRANK Initiative
As promised, two Mat Su Borough area lawmakers have pre-filed a bill aimed at requiring a statewide vote on any plan that emerges to build a new state capitol in Juneau.
House Bill 48 was among the measures on the list of pre-filed bills that came out this morning.
Representatives Bill Stoltze and Carl Gatto say their proposal would broaden and strengthen laws under the FRANK Initiative.
The initiative requires a statewide election to approve any costs associated with moving the state capitol OUT of Juneau.
Under the proposed legislation, Alaska voters would also be asked to approve the costs for construction of a new building or legislative hall in Juneau.
When they announced their plans for the legislation prior to the general election in November, Stoltze referenced what he described as "considerable 'behind the scenes' discussions about constructing a multi million dollar building in Juneau."
He said then the people of Alaska must be allowed to have a role in these decisions. He adds he wants the same criteria that relocating the capital would have.
Gatto thinks there are much higher funding priorities than building a new legislative hall in Juneau and does not support any plan proposed by Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho that seeks to, as Gatto put it, subvert the will of the people
Juneau officials are working with the Governor's Office and the Alaska Municipal Bond Bank in seeking bonding to construct a new capitol building which would not require voter approval.
High school project team
chooses flexible auditorium option
The High School Project Team has settled on a design option based on an
Anchorage high school.
The team made up of School Board and Assembly members met
yesterday (Thursday)
to decide on program spaces for the new high school redesign.
Of the five options presented, the project team chose the flexible
auditorium design. It's a model based on South Anchorage High School.
In the preferred option, the 500 seats in the auditorium are retractable to
offer flexibility of uses within the auditorium space. The retractable seats
will be auditorium quality.
The option includes, a 2,400 square foot auditorium stage with 500
retractable seats to offer flexibility within the space.
Superintendent Peggy Cowan says the project team rejected the previous
proposal, a combined
auditorium - cafeteria design.
The chosen option includes an 12,000 square foot main gymnasium seating
about 1,400 spectators.
There will also be a smaller auxiliary gym
A small engine shop has been included in the new design.
The option also has spaces developed for the previous new high school design
including health, counseling, resource-special education, library, media
center, science, visual arts, music, family and consumer science,
business-vocational education, technology, and several computer labs.
Cowan says the option addresses space allocations for the instructional
needs of a school of 838 students.
She says the common spaces that are problematic for future expansion, are
designed for the 1,012 students that the district expects ten years after
opening.
Cowan says it is not the school that was planned last May.
She says some of the features that were designed for both school and
community can not be accommodated in the scaled down school.
But, she says, it will be a good educational space and benefit the
community.
Designs will be brought back to the project team and high school staff for
their input.
Cowan says the design drivers are flexibility and an opportunity to organize
the school into smaller learning communities.
The scaled down version of the school was approved by voters last year.
The design was developed by the architects, Minch Ritter Voelkers, in
association with school district and CBJ staff.
Small boat harbor fees out for public comment, DeHarts
purchase to proceed
An increase in fees as part of a long term financial plan addressing small boat harbors was approved by the CBJ Docks and Harbors Board of Directors last night.
Under the plan, Port Director John Stone says fees will go up about two and a half to three times from what they are right now over a five year period.
The plan now goes out for public comment with the board scheduled to take final action at its February 24th meeting.
Copies of the proposed fees will be available at Docks and Harbors offices, the CBJ web page, libraries, and the City Clerk's office.
The board's negotiating committee was given the green light to negotiate the purchase of DeHart's Marina.
A schedule for bids for the reconstruction of Harris Harbor was approved. Stone figures the project will go out to bid within a month or so with construction starting up next summer.
The 2005 waterfront vendor and loading zone policy at the downtown cruise ship docks was approved.. The policy contains regulations and permit conditions that apply to those operations.
Members agreed to ask the Assembly to request funding from the Legislature to help complete the Auke Bay commercial loading facility.
An electric utility certification application tariff was approved for submission to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska.
The tariff will be part of the boards' application to become an electrical utility in the small boat harbors.
Stone say the tariff would be 10 to 15 percent cheaper than what patrons currently pay for electricity to Alaska, Eclectic, Light and Power if the City and Borough of Juneau were to become utility in the harbors.
Two tideland leases were approved.
The first is a request from a landowner at Yankee Cove for a tideland lease so he can put in small boat dock to be used by commercial fishermen and sightseeing. The dock has already been approved by the Planning Commission.
The other was for reconstruction of a building on South Franklin Street. The Planning Commission last week granted a permit for the building and the tideland is required to complete the work.
Police union; management
and city officials meet to discuss shift change
Police union officials met with the police administration and city officials
Thursday.
Officers are scheduled to change from 12 hour to 8 hour shifts on Monday.
The union representing the officers, the Public Safety Employees
Association, is fighting the change.
Officer Paul Comolli, PSEA's local shop vice president, attended the meeting.
He says both sides "candidly exchanged ideas" and PSEA offered to
work with management to address any concerns they have with the
functionality of 12 hour shifts. Comolli says police department management
declined the offer.
Police Chief Rich Gummow attended the meeting. He says the discussions were
"helpful and informative."
Gummow say they listened to PSEA's comments regarding the impact of the changes
from 12 to 8 hour shifts.
He says in essence the union is proposing that the department maintain the
current 12 hour shifts or hold in abeyance the implementation date.
Both sides have agreed to meet again January 14th.
However, the shift change is not part of the union's current bargaining
agreement.
The chief says his decision to change the shifts will go forward as
scheduled Monday morning beginning at 6 A.M.
Gummow announced the change in November citing a lack of officer continuity
for administrative and prosecutor inquires, and follow-up with witnesses.
He says there are excessive delays in concluding investigations.
Gummow also says fatigue associated with 12 hour shifts is another reason
for making the change.
The union representing police officers says with an eight hour shift,
officers will be required to work five consecutive days carrying over for
many into the weekend, with some officers not getting a weekend off for
years putting a hardship on their families.
Under the current 12 hour shift, officers are off every two or three days.
Police officers ranked sergeant and below, dispatchers, and code enforcement
officers are represented by the Public Safety Employees Association.
Report looks at status of
Alaska Natives
ANCHORAGE (AP) - A new report issued today provides a look at the current
state of Alaska Natives.
The report is an analysis of a previous study done by the University of
Alaska Anchorage's Institute of Social and Economic Research.
Both studies were requested by the Alaska Federation of Natives to generate
fresh ideas in the Native community and increase dialogue with non-Natives.
Janie Leask, a trustee for the First Alaskans Institute, says the findings
are significant because it's the first report on Alaska Natives studied by
Alaska Natives.
The analysis shows that work needs to be done improving public education,
addressing health issues, creating jobs and lowering the cost of living in
rural Alaska.
Expert to verify cruise ship initiative signatures
ANCHORAGE (AP) - An expert is being called in to verify signatures submitted in a cruise ship ballot initiative.
NorthWest Cruise Ship Association has hired a former Secret Service agent to look for forgeries among the 23-thousand signatures.
The signatures have already been validated by the Division of Elections.
The initiative would impose a 50-dollar per person head tax on cruise passengers. It also would require cruise ships to get pollution discharge permits and make the cruise lines turn over to the state more than a third of shipboard gambling revenue after prizes and taxes.
And it would also station marine engineers aboard the ships to independently monitor discharges.
Alaska's lieutenant governor has already certified the initiative to be placed on the August 2006 primary.
Flu vaccine now available
to all in Alaska
The state has lifted restrictions on the availability of the flu vaccine.
The Department of Health and Social Services announced yesterday that the
remaining vaccine in the state is now available for any person six months of
age or older.
Until now, the vaccine has been limited to those identified as most
vulnerable.
Wildlife professionals slam state's wolf control program
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Wildlife professionals are lining up against the state's wolf control program to boost moose and caribou populations in several areas of the state.
More than 100 wildlife professionals have joined in a letter to state officials urging them to abandon the program.
They say the state's predator control program ignores the best advice developed by the National Research Council.
The letter's author is Anchorage biologist Vic Van
Ballenberghe, who calls the state's new approach a recipe for disaster.
Wayne Regelin, the acting commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, defends the program. He says it is not a research program. He says it is a predator management program.
Critics want the state to consider each area where the program now is operating as an experiment -- much like the way the initial area in the McGrath area is being handled.
Workers continue to remove oil from a grounded freighter
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Salvage crews today will attempt to remove more oil from the grounded freighter off the coast of Unalaska Island as long as weather permits.
The Coast Guard reports that workers spent yesterday drilling to access a fuel oil tank on the Selendang Ayu, which ran aground December Eighth.
Salvage crews have already collected more than ten thousand gallons of fuel oil from the grounded Malaysia-flagged freighter and pumped more than three thousand gallons of diesel and water from the vessel.
Cleanup efforts are ongoing with beach crews reaching certain areas of Skan Bay and Humpback Bay already.
Over 350 birds and five sea otters have been found dead in the area so far.
Commerce secretary designee accepts invitation to Alaska
WASHINGTON (AP) - The man designated to be President Bush's next secretary of Commerce is promising to make his first trip to Alaska.
Carlos Gutierrez is going through the confirmation process, which includes hearings before the Senate Commerce Committee.
The committee is now chaired by U-S Senator Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican.
Stevens told Gutierrez yesterday (Wednesday) that the only way to understand Alaska is to see it and he invited Gutierrez north.
Gutierrez says he would ``be in Alaska as soon as possible.''
Traffic stop in Mat-Su nets illegals
PALMER (AP) - A routine traffic stop in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough has netted five undocumented Mexicans.
Officials say the five are indicative of a rising number of immigration arrests in the valley.
Trooper Vance Peronto reported finding the five in a van Tuesday stopped along the Glenn Highway for an equipment violation.
Officials say the men initially told the trooper they can from Mexico and lived in California, but later admitted entering the United States illegally.
The driver of the vehicle -- 19-year-old Alden Lebaron of Wasilla -- told authorities he was driving the five to his family's drywall business.
Kenai police made third arrest
KENAI (AP) - Kenai police have made a third arrest in a series of property crimes that occurred in the Forest Drive area between Halloween and Christmas.
Kenai police say they arrested a Soldotna 16-year-old yesterday on charges of burglary, criminal
trespass, theft and criminal mischief.
A 16-year-old and an 18-year-old were arrested previously in the investigation.
Kenai police continue their investigation into multiple burglaries of homes in the area.
(From Joe Nicks,
KSRM)
Red Cross sets goal of 400 million dollars for tsunami relief
ANCHORAGE (AP) - The American Red Cross estimates that it will need about 400
million dollars to provide aid to tsunami victims.
The American public, along with corporations and foundations, has already pledged 150
million dollars to the group's relief efforts in Asia.
The American Red Cross is working to distribute food and rehabilitate water and sanitation systems. Vaccinations will be administered to help prevent diseases and mental health support services are being provided for those suffering emotional trauma. Relief supplies such as tents and cooking utensils are also being supplied as part of the response effort.
Alaska's Red Cross executive Joe Mathis says the organization will continue to provide the most effective aid they can and will share with the public how the donated dollars are spent.
Last year the American Red Cross of Alaska mobilized relief to more than one-thousand Alaskans affected by disaster and taught over 78-thousand-500 Alaskans how to be better prepared for disasters.
Legislative cable broadcast
begins Monday
JUNEAU (AP) - Alaskans will again have the opportunity to follow the workings of the Legislature through a statewide cable television program.
``Gavel-to-Gavel Alaska'' will begin its 10th year of legislative broadcasts next week.
The show also is available by Internet
web casting.
The service will beam coverage of legislative sessions and committee meetings, news conferences and other important events of state government live into most Alaska homes, schools and offices.
``Gavel-to-Gavel Alaska'' is produced by
KTOO-TV in Juneau. It will premiere Monday on the first day of the new legislative session.
Opening day coverage will include House and Senate floor sessions and the swearing in of new legislators.
``Gavel-to-Gavel Alaska'' will air Governor Murkowski's State of the State address on Wednesday night.
Christmas Tree chipping at the land fill Saturday
The annual Christmas Tree chipping offered by the City and Borough of Juneau is tomorrow (Saturday) at the land fill.
Janet Grange, an administrative officer with Public Works Department says its from 10 until 2. She says to proceed through the main gate to the recycling area.
Everything must be removed from the trees, she says. That includes tinsel, ornaments, and stands.
Wallace Tree Service will be chipping the trees Grange says the chips will be hauled to the Community Garden will they will be used a mulch
Grange says Friends of Recycling is also having a magazine collection Saturday at the State DOT Regional Office at Seven Mile of the Glacier Highway.
Lady Crimson Bears to
tangle with Golden Bears
The Juneau Douglas Lady Crimson Bears host the Bartlett Golden Bears this
weekend for two basketball contests.
Tip off tonight is at 6 p.m. Game time Saturday is at 4 p.m.
Copyright ©2005 Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio)
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