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Tests
reveal no sign of asbestos at JDHS
Authorities finished checking out Juneau Douglas High School over weekend
following Friday's small fire that was caused by a spark from a welder's
torch.
There was concern that asbestos could have been released when a wall
containing the material was cut to reach a hot spot.
But Superintendent Gary Bader says test results revealed no sign of
asbestos and that the building would be open for classes today.
The spark caught a piece of plastic pipe on fire which spread to several
studs in the wall before it was doused.
Two workers and one firefighter were treated for smoke inhalation.
School was out for the holiday break Friday. The renovation work continued
over the holiday.
High winds rake Juneau
The high winds in the Juneau area started to calm down this morning. The
high wind warning was downgraded to a wind advisory. Gusts to 45 miles per
hour were expected.
Metrologist Bob Mosely in the Juneau Forecast Office expected the winds to
come down prior to Noon.
Gusts to 60 or more have been detected since the high winds began over the
weekend. Mosely says that was especially true at higher elevations. Gusts
to 100 miles per hour were recorded on Sheep Mountain.
In addition to windy, yesterday was wet in Juneau. It was the wettest ever
for the date at 1 point 15 inches. That topped the old record of 1 point
01 set in 1971.
Warm, rainy weather closes Juneau
ski area
Eaglecrest remains closed today. That according to the ski area's Pauline
Higdon who says limited snow cover could not withstand the tropical storm.
The decision to close down the ski area was made Saturday morning. Higdon
says they'll continue to assess conditions on a daily basis.
Salcha cut off by flood waters
The state Department of Transportation says access to Salcha remains cut
off by flood waters on the Old Richardson Highway. And it could be
Wednesday before the waters freeze sufficiently to allow construction of
an ice road.
About 30 Salcha families remain stranded due to overflow from the Tanana
River that covers the Old Richardson Highway. The flooding was caused by
an ice jam on the Tanana River.
A department official says about two miles of the highway are flooded,
with water up to two feet deep in some places. Transportation crews
removed a portion of the roadway on Saturday to help relieve the flooding.
Temperatures in the area are expected to drop to 40 below tomorrow night
and after a day or two of that, there should be enough ice to make an ice
road.
Salcha is located about 35 miles southeast of Fairbanks.
Man shot by State Troopers was
disabled
The uncle of a man shot by Alaska State Troopers Saturday near Soldotna
says his nephew was disabled and could not have quickly gotten out of his
vehicle when ordered to do so.
Thirty-year-old Casey Porter of Nikiski was shot to death early Saturday
morning. Troopers say he refused to get out of his vehicle when ordered to
do so and then sped toward a trooper before being shot to death.
Brando Wik, Porter's uncle, says Porter had broken his neck and back in a
car wreck last August and had been using a cane to operate the clutch of
the car. He says he thinks Porter would have gotten out of the vehicle if
given time.
But trooper spokesman Greg Wilkinson says that doesn't explain why Porter
accelerated toward a trooper. Wilkinson says the incident is still under
investigation.
Two Assembly committees meet
Monday night
Two matters are up for discussion at this evening's Assembly Committee of
Whole meeting.
One is a report on an option to form a regional hazmat team in Juneau.
Another is a presentation from the CBJ Fisheries Development Committee.
The Committee of the Whole meets beginning at 5 p.m.
The full Assembly meets at 6:45 as the Human Resources Committee to take
up nominations for three vacancies on the Bartlett Regional Hospital Board
of Directors.
Dr. Bob Urata has applied for reappointment to the physician's seat on the
board.
Annette Kreitzer has also applied for reappointment to one of two public
seats. But Lennie Gorsuch has chosen not to reapply. There are seven
applicants for the two public seats.
Murkowski in nation's capital
Governor Frank Murkowski is in Washington D.C. this week for a series of
meetings with federal officials and to attend the swearing in of his
daughter, Lisa Murkowski, as his replacement in the U.S. Senate.
Murkowski has scheduled a meeting with Interior Secretary Gale Norton to
discuss her department's proposed management of fish and game on Alaska's
federal lands.
Murkowski is set to meet with officials of B-P, Phillips and Exxon to
discuss the prospects for ANWR and the natural gas pipeline proposals.
The Governor says he's also scheduled meetings with some of the
independent oil producers because, he says, the state has seen more
interest from the smaller companies to come to Alaska.
Murkowski is also scheduled to meet with the Secretary of Education to
discuss the "No Child left Behind" program. The Governor says
some of Alaska's schools are not at a level to meet the initial
requirements of the federal program.
The Governor is scheduled to attend the swearing in of the new Congress,
including his daughter Lisa, tomorrow.
Elsie Pegues passes away at 79
Long time Juneau resident Elsie F. Pegues died Friday at the Sitka
Pioneers Home.
The 79 year old Pegues was born on October 23, 1923, in Juneau . She was
the daughter of Otto and Flora Schombel. Schombel had come to Alaska with
the U. S. Lighthouse Service the previous decade.
As an employee of Alaska Electric, Light and Power, he operated Juneau's
first commercial radio station, KFIU. When it went off the air, KINY
assumed the 1310 AM frequency when it started broadcasting in 1935.
The Schombel's were early homesteaders in the Mendenhall Valley. The
family moved to Haines where they operated the Haines Light and Power
Company.
Elsie was employed by the Juneau and Douglas Telephone Company and worked
for Dorothy Pegues at the Alaska Sunday Press.
She married Don Pegues in March of 1949.
She was an active member of the Emblem Club and her family says she was
especially proud of her long membership in the Alaska Native Sisterhood.
She served several terms as president of Tenakee Springs Camp 76.
She was also a life member of Juneau Igloo 6, Pioneers of Alaska
Auxiliary.
At her request, no services are planned. A celebration of life gathering
will be held in Tenakee Springs at a later date.
Funeral services scheduled for
Meland
A memorial service for former Sitka State Senator Pete Meland is scheduled
for this Saturday. It will be at the Faith Lutheran Church in Roseburg,
Oregon at 2 p.m.
Meland passed away in Roseburg last Thursday.
He represented Sitka in the 7th through the 11th Alaska State
Legislatures.
Heli-skiing finds rough going in
Alaska
Helicopter skiing and snowboarding might be a welcome industry elsewhere,
but they're a hard sell in Alaska. Critics say the sport is noisy and
intrusive.
In Girdwood, one company has scaled back its expansion plans because of
opposition to potential new landing sites. Near Haines, the state is
proposing new restrictions on such operations in response to local
residents.
Times are tough even in Thompson Pass, the region outside Valdez where
heli-skiing was limited only by weather and clientele. Now a federal
agency is developing a new management plan that could hamper the
industry's growth.
Bruce Rogers of the Bureau of Land Management says the explosive growth of
helicopter recreation has also led to calls to rein it in. He says some of
those calls have come from competing heli-ski businesses.
Test of tribal sovereignty watched
in California
A legal case in California could turn out to be an important test of
tribal sovereignty.
The state's political watchdog agency is suing one of the state's
wealthiest and most influential Indian tribes, alleging violations of
campaign finance reporting laws.
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians -- which operates two casinos
in the Palm Springs area -- argues those laws don't apply to it because
it's a sovereign entity.
But according to the Fair Political Practices Commission, the state has a
sovereign right of its own to ensure the integrity of its election system.
The F-P-P-C alleges that the Agua Calientes was late in disclosing more
than eight million dollars in donations to candidates and causes
between 1998 and 2002.
The tribe argues it disclosed all the information required by the F-P-P-C,
although not always on the commission's forms or on its timetable. The
tribe contends it did so voluntarily and has no legal obligation to make
the disclosures.
Flights disputed at SEA-TAC
Business is returning to normal at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport,
after two incidents disrupted flights yesterday.
Authorities say in one incident, a baggage screener was found sleeping on
the job. In the other incident, a caller made several bomb threats.
Authorities say the screener apparently had been asleep anywhere from
eight to 30 minutes. Security officers had to check concourses with
bomb-sniffing dogs as a precaution.
More than 20 incoming flights were delayed.
After the bomb threats, officers swept the terminals but found nothing.
Passengers were kept aboard arriving planes until the search ended.
Coast Guard in Alaska rescues
surfer
A surfer was rescued by the Coast Guard near Ketchikan Sunday afternoon.
Lieutenant Stacey Fain is in the Juneau Command Center says the man was
surfing in an area called Rotary Beach, about a mile from Ketchikan.
Friends watching from the beach says man got out too far. The current
prevented his return to the beach. Visibility was poor and winds were
gusting to 50 knots. They called for help and Station Ketchikan launched
its boat and picked the man up.
Ross Avila was evaluated by emergency medical technicians, treated for
mild hypothermia and released.
Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio News) |
