Thursday, January 8, 1998
Tongass in
the red
According to the Wilderness Society, the Tongass National Forest lost more tax dollars on
commercial logging in 1996 than any other national forest. The organization says the
Tongass lost $30.6-million. The Forest Service says the commercial logging program
nation-wide lost $15-million, a figure disputed by the Wilderness Society. They say
losses totaled $204-million, a discrepancy explained by a government accounting system
that ignores many expenses. Senator Frank Murkowski calls the report by the group
brazen hypocrisy.
New high
school a step closer
The deadline for proposals for a consultant to draft a report on the operation of a
proposed second high school for Juneau has passed, and according to John MacKinnon, deputy
mayor and chairman of the Assembly Committee of the Whole, a consultant may be selected
soon. A new school could cost the Juneau School District as much as a million
dollars a year for utility bills. After the proposals are evaluated and the
consultant is picked a committee to oversee the drafting of the report will be appointed.
Elton
calls "Capital creep" bad policy
State Representative Kim Elton says if state policy makers are allowed to take their
offices to Anchorage, as Commerce Commissioner Debby Sedwick did, then Juneau will lose
out on the support staff and the ability to keep those policy making decisions here as
well. Elton believes decisions like that are not based on good policy, but on what
works best for the individual.
State
schools get bad report card
In the annual report released by Education Week on the nation's schools, Alaska schools
scored near the bottom in almost all categories. The state received failing grades
for giving nearly half of the state's education money to areas other than instruction, and
for an education funding formula that creates many inequities. Education
Commissioner Shirley Holloway says many of the items noted in the report are in the
process of being fixed.
Motor
vehicle deaths down
Alaska had the lowest number of motor vehicle fatalities in ten years last year.
Only 74 people died on State roads last year, meaning Alaska did what few other
state's in the nation did. State Troopers say the downward trend is due to safety
minded motorists obeying traffic laws, and law enforcement's continued push to arrest
drunk drivers.
UAS spring
semester starts next week
Registration for Spring Semester classes at the University of Alaska continues through
Saturday. Advisors will be on scene at the Auke Lake campus to help students until 6
tonight and tomorrow, and from 10 to 2 Saturday. There will be a special downtown
registration at the Bill Ray Center tomorrow from 10 to 6, and vocational and technology
classes will register Saturday at the Nugget Mall from 10 to 5. Classes start
Monday.
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