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State health department survey measures at risk behavior by
Alaska's youth
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services has released
two Youth Risk Behavior surveys.
One is for traditional high school and for the first time, the
other covers alternative high schools.
Survey Coordinator Patty Owen says 1,373 students from 43
transitional high schools and 1,020 students from 15 alternative
high schools were surveyed.
She says the results of the survey, which is conducted every two
years, is similar to what they found out in 2007.
Owen says the survey determined that suicide is a leading cause of
death in Alaska in the ages of 15 to 19.
The results revealed that 11.7 percent have made a plan on how
they would attempt suicide and 8.5 percent have attempted suicide
one or more times in the past 12 months.
She says the good news is that many of the risk taking behaviors
such as contemplating suicide, smoking, drinking alcohol and
taking drugs have gone down since their first survey over 14 years
ago.
But, in general, she says the figures are still alarming with too
many kids at risk.
For the first time, the survey posed a question about using
prescription drugs, such as Oxycontin and other pain killers
without a prescription.
What they found out was that about 21 percent had used
prescription drugs without a prescription one or more times during
their lives.
She says the survey results will help those programs that address
the health risks facing Alaskans in that age category.
Shell clears another offshore drilling hurdle
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Shell oil company has cleared another
hurdle in its quest to explore for oil off Alaska's northwest
coast.
Alaska Sen. Mark Begich said on Thursday that the Environmental
Protection Agency approved Shell's air quality permit for
exploration in the Chukchi Sea.
The permit is one of the last administrative steps needed before
final approval for drilling in the Chukchi is granted.
Shell plans on having up to three exploratory wells operating in
the Chukchi next summer.
The company proposes exploratory drilling in open water using a
500-foot drill ship, an ice management vessel, an ice class anchor
handling vessel and oil spill response vessels.
A public comment period on the matter ends Feb. 17.
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Information from: KTUU-TV
Two school
students hurt in Fairbanks bus accident
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Two students had minor injuries after a
school bus was rear-ended in Fairbanks.
The bus stopped for a red light and was hit from behind by a
pickup.
An 18-year-old complained of head and neck soreness and a
13-year-old had knee pain.
Alaska
Airlines has 3rd highest cancellation rate in November
Airlines set on-time records in November.
Despite wintry weather and the Thanksgiving crush, ABC News says
the government reports more than 88% of major airline flights were
on time in November, a new record.
United and Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time record in
November. Comair had the worst.
The government allows flights to be up to 15 minutes late and
still qualify as - on-time.
Alaska Airlines had the third highest rate of cancelled flights at
zero point 8 percent.
Alaska's on-time rate was 78 percent. Thirteen percent of flights
were late and 7 percent very late.
(ABC NEWS and KINY Radio)
Palin
"Juneteenth" lawsuit thrown out of court
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit
against former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin that alleged she
violated the plaintiffs' constitutional rights by failing to issue
a proclamation in 2007 for a celebration commemorating the freeing
of U.S. slaves.
The plaintiffs are asking the U.S. District Court in a motion
expected to be filed Monday to vacate the decision, saying they
just learned the proclamation was issued just before
Palin's July resignation.
Coast Guard
to close Loran system
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) — Starting next month, the U.S. Coast
Guard will begin shutting down the Loran navigation system that
has been used by those at sea.
The 53-year-old system uses radio signals from land-based towers
to determine positions at sea. It has been eclipsed by the
satellite-based Global Positioning System.
President Barack Obama had cited Loran as an example of an
obsolete system that could be shut down to save money.
The decision affects 24 Loran stations in the United States,
including one near Ketchikan.
(Ketchikan Daily News)
Feds
OK extension of Alaska Railroad to Delta
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Federal regulators have approved the
plan to extend the Alaska Railroad 80 miles from Eielson Air Force
Base to Delta and nearby Fort Greely.
After months of review the Surface Transportation Board said
Tuesday it is satisfied with the plan that would provide
year-around freight access to military training grounds.
The Department of Defense is contributing $100 million for a
half-mile bridge across the Tanana River.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the entire rail extension
could cost about $700 million.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
Borough government in Kenai pulling out of climate change pact
KENAI, Alaska (AP) — The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly is
dropping out from a climate change agreement.
The Alaska Coastal Communities Global Climate Change Compact calls
for the state's coastal communities to collaborate to fight
human-induced global climate change.
Borough assembly members say the agreement could harm the area's
economy.
Proposal calls for hiking Ketchikan tobacco tax
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) — The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly
moved a step closer to setting an April special election asking
voters to approve a tobacco tax.
Voters would decide whether to impose a 5-cents-per-cigarette tax
and a 45 percent tax on the wholesale price on all other tobacco
products.
Mat-Su mayor worried
critical habitat designation for beluga whales could delay
development
WASILLA, Alaska (AP) — Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Talis
Colberg says the pending federal designation of critical habitat
for Cook Inlet's beluga whales could delay development in the
area.
The federal government listed the whales as endangered in 2008,
and last year proposed designating more than 3,000 square miles of
Cook Inlet as critical habitat.
Alaska
tests nation's emergency alert system
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Radio listeners and TV viewers in
Alaska witnessed the first national emergency exercise of its kind
Wednesday morning, but the test ran into distribution problems
around the state.
Radio, television and some cable providers participated in a live
statewide test of the nation's Emergency Alert System, which
employed a never-used code that would be applied in a national
crisis.
"A national emergency action notification has been issued
for: District of Columbia, DC," ran a red message banner at
the top of the television screen to stations not beset by several
reported glitches.
Filling the rest of the screen was a scene of a snowy, wooded
mountain, superimposed by a large red stop sign and the words,
"Chill! It is just a drill."
The 10 a.m. Alaska Standard Time test will help officials prepare
for a future national exercise not yet scheduled, according to
state and federal officials.
The three-minute airing — activated from Washington, D.C., by
the Federal Emergency Management Agency — was unlike regular
periodic tests aired by broadcasters. It was the first official
activation of the Emergency Action Notification code, which would
give the president access to national airwaves during a real
crisis.
Officials considered the test a success, even though some
broadcasters did not receive the signal in time and others got a
weak connection or only the audio portion of the exercise.
For example, statewide cable provider GCI — with 130,000
subscribers — didn't receive the initial launch signal, although
it did get the disconnect signal, company spokesman David Morris
said.
Participants will spend the next weeks, or even months, working
through the problems, said Bryan Fisher, chief of operations at
the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
He said glitches could be blamed on various factors, such as old
equipment or flaws with programming or audio levels.
Participants, which included the Federal Communications
Commission, said the exercise has been in the planning since
September. The Alaska Broadcasters Association developed public
service announcements on the exercise that began airing Dec. 21,
said the association's executive director, Darlene Simono.
Alaska was chosen for the initial test run for several reasons,
Fisher said. Alaska is well-versed in similar exercises conducted
through the national public warning system to test tsunami
warnings and Amber Alerts within the largest state in the country.
Alaska's extreme isolation also cuts down on the chance of the
test reaching beyond state lines and potentially causing
confusion, Fisher said.
Suspected
drowning reported in
Hoonah
An apparent drowning has been reported in Hoonah.
Fifty-two year old Howard Harold Knudson was found dead in
Hoonah Harbor Wednesday morning near the boat on which he lived.
Foul play is not suspected although an examination is planned by
the State Medical Examiner's Office in Anchorage.
Fairbanks man accused of asking son for drugs
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A Fairbanks man accused of trying to
persuade his 14-year-old son to give him prescription painkillers
has been charged with a felony drug charge.
If convicted, 36-year-old Randall L. McCoy could be sentenced to
up to 10 years in prison.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the boy's mother and
stepfather recorded phone conversations between McCoy and his
children because of concern for their safety. McCoy has previously
been convicted of obtaining prescription drugs by
misrepresentation.
The parents told the Alaska Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Enforcement
in June that McCoy offered an iPod to his 14-year-old in exchange
for Vicodin the teen was getting for an upcoming surgery.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
Drop in Anchorage housing prices reported
Alaska (AP) — Anchorage housing prices declined more than 2
percent last year.
But Prudential sales manager Jack White told a Board of Realtors
luncheon Wednesday they should be grateful the drop is much
smaller than the average decline of housing prices nationally.
The Anchorage Daily News reports that state economist Neal Fried,
who also spoke at the luncheon, pointed out that lower prices make
housing more affordable.
(Anchorage Daily News)
Liberty to mark anniversary with open house
The Juneau based Coast Guard Cutter Liberty will conduct an open
house at Station Juneau downtown today. (Thursday)
It's to mark 20 years of service which occurred on December 18th.
The Liberty was delivering food, blankets and toys to Southeast
villages prior to Christmas when its 20th anniversary occurred so
its being marked now with Thursday's open house.
Lieutenant Andrea Manuel says the open house is scheduled from 3
to 7 p.m.
She says the tours will be available every half hour from Station
Juneau beginning at 3:30 and continuing to 7 p.m.
Crimson
Bears earn victory
The men's basketball team at Juneau Douglas High School was
victorious in Fairbanks Thursday night.
The Crimson Bears defeated Eielson,
the second ranked 3-A team in the state by score of 60 to 45.
Alex DeRocher had 21 points, Victor Wilson 10 points and Paul
Tupou 8 points.
The Bears take on Lathrop Friday night at 6 p.m.
Falcons
looking to soar to the hoops this weekend
The basketball teams at Thunder Mountain High School are in action
this weekend.
The women play Sitka Friday and Saturday. Tip off Friday is 6:15
and Saturday at 5:15.
The men tip off Friday night against Ketchikan at 8 and at 7
Saturday night.
Juneau's
Rhea to lead Beavers in show down with Ducks in Oregon's
"Civil War"
Former Juneau Douglas Crimson Bear hoops star Talisa Rhea leads
Oregon State University against the University of Oregon Saturday.
The so called "Civil War" between Rhea's Beavers and the
Ducks will be televised on cable channel 36 at Noon.
The 9 and 3 Beavers are looking to make it three wins in a row
over their in-state arch rivals.
Rhea, the former Gatorade Alaska Girls Player of the Year, leads
the Beavers in points per game at 15.8. She's aiming to become the
16th member of Oregon State's 1,000 point club. The junior guard
currently has 930 points.
She's also in second place in school history right now with 150
three-point shots. She trails Felicia Ragland by 28.
Hatcher Pass ski
area plans advance
PALMER, Alaska (AP) — The Mat-Su Borough is moving ahead with
plans to create a ski area at Hatcher Pass.
KTUU reports the first phase will be Nordic ski trails on the
south side of Government Peak. An alpine ski area is planned on
the northern side.
The project was awarded nearly $6 million in funding with most of
that coming from the Federal Transit Authority to help build an
access road.
(KTUU-TV)
Houston mayor drives home
with fire truck
HOUSTON, Alaska (AP) — After a 14-day, 5,000-mile trip, a fire
rescue truck has arrived at Houston
The Mat Su Borough city bought the truck for $40,000 from a fire
department near Charlottesville, Virginia.
KTUU reports Mayor Roger Purcell and his wife flew east and drove
the 26-foot-long truck back to Alaska.
Purcell says the truck handled well with no problems. It replaces
a 27-year-old fire truck in the town about 25 miles north of
Anchorage.
Purcell and his wife volunteered because both have commercial
driver's licenses and passports. None of Houston's firefighters
had passports.
(KTUU-TV)
After 70
years, Anchorage couple still giving
ROSEMARY SHINOHARA, - Anchorage Daily News
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — He's 95. She's 90.
Roy and Marcia Zahrobsky met when he walked into her dad's grocery
store in Hampton, Iowa, back in the '30s to get some lunch.
Then one day he came up and asked her if she was going to the
dance.
"She was a cute little girl," he says.
Before you know it, a depression, a world war and a few decades
later, here they are, celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary
in a nursing home in the Muldoon neighborhood of Anchorage —
still together. They were married Dec. 28, 1939.
They've been married longer than some people live, she notes.
The couple live in the Prestige Care and Rehabilitation Center of
Anchorage, formerly the Mary Conrad Center.
They still argue a lot about everyday stuff, he says. Including,
for example, which one of them is responsible for resolving the
arguments.
"I give in a lot," she says.
"I give in a lot," he says.
She's more outgoing, with the same personality she had when they
met, says Roy Zahrobsky. Sitting in a commons area at the nursing
home, her wavy hair still showing a hint of dark, Marcia waves and
chats with people. While being interviewed, she interviews the
interviewer: "Where do you live?" she asks.
He's got the better memory and moves around more easily. He gets
up early every day, then goes to tidy up her room while she sleeps
in. They have lunch in her room together.
Both of them grew up in Iowa, he in Fort Dodge and Mason City and
she in Hampton.
A plumbing job brought him to Hampton, where they met.
The wedding wasn't much of a ceremony.
Roy had gotten a job on the West Coast, and knew he'd have to
leave Iowa.
He picked her up from work, and parked the car.
"I guess I gave her a nudge, and said, 'You want to get
married?' "
She did.
They soon drove off for Washington state in his new, gray Pontiac
sports coupe, stopping along the way in Grand Island, Neb., to
marry. They wore the clothes they were driving in. The preacher
called in some people to witness the occasion. And that was that,
a 70-plus-year union was formed.
Roy was a plumber in the beginning, and a foreman in charge of
pipe jobs for most of his career.
He came up to Kodiak and worked on construction of a military base
in 1940. She followed. But after Dutch Harbor was bombed, the
women and children were evacuated to the states in a troop ship.
She returned to her hometown and worked as a bank teller.
Roy worked all over the place in the years following, including in
the Aleutians and in Whitehorse, Yukon territory.
The couple came to Anchorage in 1949. They lived downtown a few
years. In 1970, they moved to Campbell Lake in West Anchorage,
where he built a house and kept a float plane.
Marcia worked, too, for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in
Whitehorse, where the Corps was engineering a pipeline to
Fairbanks and working on pieces of the Alaska Highway, then as
secretary to the general manager of the Alaska Railroad for many
years in Anchorage.
Marcia says the fact that they were apart quite a bit may have
helped them stay together. They kept rediscovering they were in
love, she says.
They gave up the house and most of their possessions after first
Marcia, then Roy moved to the nursing home. Roy's been there for
two years, Marcia for four.
"We're pretty fortunate to have each other," said
Marcia.
(Anchorage Daily News)
Study: Calorie
counts off at chains, frozen meals
MICHAEL HILL - Associated Press Writer
A new study says food at popular chain restaurants and in the
frozen food aisles can be more fattening than advertised.
A study of meals from 10 restaurant chains including Ruby Tuesday
and Wendy's found calorie counts averaging 18 percent more than
the values listed by the restaurants.
Diet meals made by Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, Healthy Choice
and others averaged 8 percent higher than the numbers on the
label.
The study was led by Susan Roberts, a professor of nutrition at
Tufts University, and published in the January issue of the
Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Roberts says the study "raises a big issue" and that
posting calories for consumers is only useful if the numbers are
right.
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