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Two suspects sought for robbery and
stabbing of Juneau cabbie
Juneau Cab is offering a $500 reward for the arrest and conviction of the
man and woman involved in the stabbing of one of their drivers Wednesday night.
That word from Juneau Cab Manager Roland Harris.
Harris says the cabbie, who he would only identify as Eric, is still in
critical condition. He came out of surgeryThursday morning. Harris says he was
talking a little bit, but was still heavily medicated as of mid-day.
The 9-1-1 call came in from the Super 8 Motel at about nine o'clock. Police
Officer Bob Kolvig says the 37 year old man suffered multiple stab wounds.
The driver told officers he was robbed at knife point as he was dropping the
suspects off at the motel.
An undetermined amount of cash was taken with the suspects fleeing on foot.
Officers were able to track them to an area in the Valley, although they are
not disclosing exactly where.
They did release these descriptions of the two suspects.
One is described as an adult native male between 21 and 22 years old. He has
a light build, is clean cut, no glasses and wearing a gray pullover with
baggy pants. Police say he may have an injury to his left hand and or
fingers due to the violent struggle of the assault.
The other suspect is a native female adult, between 19 and 20 years old.
She's heavy set and wearing a gray pullover and jeans.
Anyone with any leads or information is asked to contact the Juneau Police
Department at 586-6000. Informants may call Crime Line and remain anonymous.
That number is 586-4243.
Juneau store plans confirmed by Home
Depot official
A Home Depot official confirms our report from Wednesday that it is
examining a parcel of land in the Lemon Creek area for possible location of
a new store in Juneau.
Company official John Simley says its in the early stages. They're awaiting
results of a soil suitability test and then approval of necessary permits if
the test pans out.
The parcel of land is the front portion of the Juneau Ready Mix site. Juneau
Ready Mix would move to the back part of the lot to make way for the store.
Our initial report said it could take up to two or three months before they
start thinking about construction. Simley confirmed that length of time and
added it generally it takes from 8 to 11 months from the time they enter a
site and open a store.
He confirms the company is looking at a store approximately one hundred
thousand square feet in size. He says they considered a smaller footprint,
but decided on a larger store since they see Juneau growing in the future.
The company has been noted for spring openings in the past, but Simley says
they're opening more stores in December and January than they have opened
all year.
When asked if the Juneau store could open by this next coming December or
January, he said its hard to say until all the permits are in hand.
Mt. Juneau avalanche gets notice of
Capital City citizens
The fine, powdery snow from overnight has enhanced avalanche conditions.
Several people called the radio station just before ten this morning to
report an avalanche on Mount Juneau.
Pat Vallejo was kayaking in the channel at the time. He says he was in front
of the Princess Dock and saw The entire event from the top of Mount Juneau
with the cloud going all the way up Mount Roberts.
Other callers expressed concern about anyone who might have been walking in
the area at the time.
Police checked out Basin Road and the surrounding area and found no problems
there.
A woman who lives in the vicinity of the airport said she heard two booms
within a span of 10 to 15 minutes.
The National Weather Service reported about seven inches of snow at the
Juneau Airport and its office off of Back Loop Road overnight.
The heavy snow warning issued for the area Wednesday was cancelled early
this morning.
Juneau pull tab operators call for
tax relief
Juneau area pull tab operators are asking the Assembly that they be exempted
from the local 5 percent sales tax.
They say if a bill imposing a state tax on pull tabs becomes law, without a
local exemption, they'll be out of business.
The bill has already been drafted and is expected to be introduced in the
first week of the legislative session.
Juneau places a five percent sales tax on the pull tab operator's gross
receipts. The bill about to be introduced in the State House places a tax on
what's known as the operators ideal net.
The ideal net is the revenue left over after payouts on winnings and the
sales tax is deducted. For example, on a one dollar pull tab, about 20 cents
would fall into the ideal net column.
According to state law, the non-profit groups must get at least 30 percent
of the total ideal net.
Pull tab operators told the Assembly Finance Committee last night that the
margin of profit is so small that any additional taxes will put them out of
business.
Mac Meiners is a pull tab Member in Charge and keeps track of the pull tab
revenue that goes to the Juneau Gun Club, among other non-profit groups. He
says if both taxes are combined, pull tabs operations will no longer be
profitable Meiners says they're after a fair and equitable tax.
CBJ officials are projecting that the city will collect in excess of
$600,000 in sales tax revenues on pull tabs sales this year.
Meanwhile, a provision in the current House bill would stop municipalities
from collecting sales tax on pull tabs. It would stop municipalities from
collecting sales tax on pull tabs.
Last year, a similar bill was introduced in the Legislature that would have
increased the state tax levy on pull tab sales and preclude CBJ from levying
a sales tax.
Finance Committee chair Jeannie Johnson says the Assembly will meet again in
about two weeks to make a decision before the legislature moves on the pull
tab tax bill.
Glory Hole appropriation deducted
from Alaska Committee request
The Assembly Finance Committee has approved the Alaska Committee's funding
request, minus $10,000.
Several months ago, the Assembly approved a $10,000 grant to the Glory Hole
during the homeless shelters' budget crunch.
The ten grand was taken out of the Alaska Committee's original $390,000
funding request. Committee members told the Assembly that since contract
clerical help wasn't hired until later in the year that it could live with
the $10,000.
So the Assembly approved the Alaska Committee's $380,000 budget.
The Alaska Committee will earmark $240,000 to Gavel to Gavel, and $28,000
for constituent airfares. The rest will go for office expenses.
Arctic Rose report doesn't reveal
cause of sinking
The Coast Guard says the exact cause of the sinking of the Arctic Rose in
the Bering Sea is unknown. But a report released today says the
Seattle-based fishing vessel went down quickly because of an open door.
The report says the vessel could have capsized in less than two minutes and
sank in four minutes.
All 15 people on board were lost nearly three years ago on the
catcher-processor owned by Arctic Sole Seafoods of Lynnwood.
Former crew members testified at a Coast Guard board of inquiry that a door
on the lower deck was routinely left propped open to ventilate the
processing area.
An underwater camera that filmed the wreck on the bottom saw that the hatch
was still open.
Seafood industry jobs up for grabs
The state began recruiting seasonal workers this week for its lucrative
seafood industry. Some 50 processing jobs for king crab in Adak are the
first to open.
State revenue, in 2001, from taxes on the seafood industry reached 19 million dollars.
Interviews began yesterday in Anchorage for Icicle Seafoods, which has a
king crab production facility in Adak in the Aleutian Islands.
State Labor Commissioner Greg O'Claray says it is not too early to apply for
seafood processing jobs.
The seafood industry is one of the leading private employers in Alaska.
Jobs are based at sea and onshore. Jobs include filleting fish, cleaning
shellfish, and canning and freezing operations.
A state employment analyst says it's important to recruit early. She also
says many jobs require overtime and can generate substantial income.
Silver Bay emerging from bankruptcy
A Southeast Alaska logging company is working its way out of bankruptcy.
Silver Bay Logging will begin repaying its more than one-hundred creditors
this year, including some employees who have been waiting for paychecks.
A company official says the 30-year-old company will operate on a much
smaller scale as it regains viability.
The logging company filed for Chapter eleven bankruptcy protection last
January. A judge then approved the company's reorganization plan.
Last year, the company was able to log only part of the season. This year
Silver Bay will operate its Wrangell sawmill for the entirety of the logging
season starting in March.
Part of drug ring face charges in
Ketchikan
Six people indicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute drugs were in a
Ketchikan court Tuesday for a hearing.
The six are accused by federal prosecutors of being part of a group of 26
whose distribution network stretched from California to Alaska.
Nathan Griffin, Olive Karels, Michal Lichtwald, David Markle, Patricia
Shields and Tara Stuart were arrested Monday and charged with conspiracy.
Griffin and Karels also are charged with possession with intent to
distribute.
U-S District Court Magistrate Mary Guss determined that each of the six
qualified to be represented by public defenders.
Further hearings are scheduled for Friday in U-S District Court in
Anchorage.
Assistant U-S Attorney Stephan Collins says the arrests stem from an
investigation that's been under way for between 18 months and two years.
Bear baiting ban signatures
submitted
Bear baiting would be banned, under an initiative which the sponsors say now
has enough signatures to reach the ballot.
Sponsors turned in their petition booklets to the Division of Elections
office in Anchorage today.
They say they gathered over 33-thousand signatures,10-thousand more than the
number required.
The initiative would prohibit using bait to attract bears to a hunting spot.
It would also apply to baiting bears for the purpose of viewing of
photographing.
One of the sponsors, former Lieutenant Governor Lowell Thomas, Junior, says
that's because bear baiting for any purpose leads to bad habits. He says it
conditions bears to the use of human food and tends to bring them into
communities.
Alaska is one of eight states where bear baiting is legal.
If the lieutenant governor finds enough of the signatures are valid and
certifies the petition, the measure will appear on the November ballot.
Flu update from CDC
Federal health officials say 93 children have died of the flu so far this
season, but that the season seems to be winding down.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 92 children under five
typically die of the flu each season. But the C-D-C said only 55 of this
year's 93 deaths were children under five. The others were older.
The government lists 38 states with widespread flu, including Alaska. And
the C-D-C says that, for the first time this season, health care visits for
flu-like illnesses have dropped nationally. They were six-point-two percent
of outpatient visits in the latest reporting week, down from nine-point-four
percent.
The season got off to an unusually early and harsh start. This raised fears
that the season could be one of the deadliest in years, especially among
children.
Anchorage park strip in store for
renovation
The Anchorage Assembly has approved a contract aimed at renovating one of
the city's highest-profile landmarks. The assembly Tuesday night approved a
140-thousand dollar contract with an engineering firm to design renovations
for the Delaney Park Strip downtown.
Wind storm leads to school closings in Mat Su
Winds tore through the Mat-Su valley for the second day in a row yesterday.
Officials say winds reached 90 miles per hour, forcing the closure of more
than a dozen elementary schools. Middle and high schools reported attendance
at about half normal numbers.
Kenai Borough Assembly reasserts
stance on shallow gas lease buy back
The Kenai Peninsula Borough is reasserting its stance that it wants the
state to buy back local shallow-gas leases. The assembly voted, 5-to-4, not
to take up the measure for reconsideration. The assembly first approved the
idea December 16th.
Study looks at cancer pollutants in
wild versus farmed salmon
A major study says farmed salmon hold more potentially cancer-causing
pollutants than do salmon caught in the wild.
Researchers blame feed used in fish farms, which includes fish that people
do not eat. Researchers say the feed concentrates pollutants.
The study says eating more than one meal of farm-raised fish a month could
slightly raise a person's lifetime risk of cancer. But the Food and Drug
Administration says the pollutant levels are too low for serious concern.
Salmon farmed in northern Europe had the most contaminants. Then came North
America and Chile, which is a leading supplier of fish to the United States.
A researcher at the University at Albany in New York says people can keep
eating salmon for its heart-health benefits, but be more picky.
The study is in the journal Science.
(Copyright ©2003
Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio)
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