Wreckage of plane recovered...pilot still missing
The wreckage of the Cessna 207 that crashed into Cook Inlet today (Tuesday) has been located and recovered.

However the pilot and sole occupant, has not been found yet.

He's identified as retired State Trooper Colonel Randy Crawford, age 52 of Soldotna.

Petty Officer Sara Francis in the Coast Guard Anchorage Center says an Alaska Air National Guard aircraft found the plane after honing in on it's emergency beacon at 1-41 this afternoon.

The single engine plane was located about two and half miles offshore in the Northern Redoubt Bay area.

The Seawalk Nevada, a tanker transiting Cook Inlet, visually identified the tail section of the plane and confirmed the tail number.

The tanker used it's crane to hoist the plane out of the water and bring it aboard the vessel.

At that time it was determined that Crawford was not in the plane

A Coast Guard helicopter will continue the search this evening.

Temperatures in the area are about 13 degrees below zero.

The Federal Aviation Administration operations center says the Kenai tower got a message from Crawford just after 10:30 this Tuesday morning, saying he was going down mid-channel.

The area is about 12 miles northwest of Kenai.

Crawford served as an Alaska State Trooper from August 1976 to December 2002.

Department of Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan said "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Michelle, and his entire family. Randy loved Alaska, he loved flying, and he was proud of his service to the people of Alaska. We will miss him very much."

Crawford served in Holy Cross, where he opened the post in 1980 Soldotna, Fairbanks, Kotzebue, Palmer and Anchorage.

Quake jolts Juneau
A moderate earthquake jolted Juneau at about ten minutes to 7 this morning.

Seismologist Paul Whitmore of the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer says it was a shallow quake with an epicenter about 115 miles northwest of Juneau.

The preliminary magnitude is put at 5 point 5, although it was  later revised to 5 point 7.

It was widely felt in Juneau.  There have been no immediate reports of damage.

It was also felt throughout Southeast.  The epicenter was about 60 miles west of Skagway and about 60 miles northwest of Haines. 

It was shallow quake, nine miles deep, which is why it was so noticeable, according to Whitmore.

There have been a number of aftershocks, but Whitmore says none were significant and have not been reported as being felt.

Many residents called our studios to report they felt the quake.

The web site to report observations is www.tsunami.gov  Start there. From there click on the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center site. And then select "Report Felt Earthquake."

No serious damage was immediately reported.

Minor damage was reported by some of our listeners including cracks in walls and sheet rock coming apart.

One caller said the shake caused his outside doors to open.

Bush lifts oil and gas drilling ban for Alaska bay.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush today (Tuesday) lifted the drilling ban for Alaska's Bristol Bay.

This clears the way for the Interior Department to open the fish-rich waters to oil and natural gas development.

Alaska officials as well as local communities had asked for the ban to be lifted.

But environmentalists have warned against drilling in the bay, which is also a major fishing area for salmon, crab and cod.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said one or two lease sales in about five-and-a-half million acres of Bristol Bay will be considered for leasing in the department's upcoming five-year 2007-to-2012 lease plan.
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The Bristol Bay waters were set aside for protection by Congress 1990, but the ban was lifted in 2003 at the Request of Alaska U-S Senator Ted Stevens. He argued that the area's oil and natural gas could be developed while still protecting the fisheries.

But a separate presidential drilling ban was not to expire until 2012. 

Gov. Palin welcomes Bristol Bay announcement
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Alaska Governor Sarah Palin today (Tuesday) welcomed the possibility of additional oil and gas production in Bristol Bay.

But she's promising ``a very aggressive role'' in making sure fisheries and the environment are protected. She says ``stringent, stringent measures'' will be taken to ensure that protection.

President Bush lifted the decades-old ban today. But the area still has to be proposed for leasing in a revised five-year oil and gas leasing plan, which is still under review. Two environmental impact studies and reviews must take place before leasing can be conducted -- a process that will take several more years to complete.

Palin says the state should be thankful that its energy resources will be used and that the ban lifting could help with sorely needed economic development in that region.

Alaska officials comment on Bristol Bay announcement
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Aleutians East Borough Mayor Stanley Mack, a fisherman, says -- quote -- ``The President has opened the door for us.''

But he says they will walk through that door very cautiously.

He says they need to make sure development in Bristol Bay can work with the traditional commercial and subsistence fisheries they have relied on for thousands of years.

Aleutians East Borough Administrator Bob Juettner says this is a wonderful opportunity for them to stabilize their economy and bring jobs to the region. But at the same time, he says they cannot let anything threaten their traditional way of life.

U-S Senator Lisa Murkowski notes the lifting of the moratorium still does not clear the way for any energy leasing in the area.

The area still has to be proposed for leasing in a revised five-year oil and gas leasing plan, which is still under review. Two environmental impact studies and reviews must take place before leasing can be conducted - a process that will take several more years to complete.

She says -- quote -- ``This is not the end of the public process, but rather the start of a dialogue that could lead to important energy development in our state.'' 

9-1-1 surcharge increase gets nod of approval
The Assembly has approved an increase in the emergency 9-1-1 surcharge applied to local telephone bills.

The current 75 cents per-line per-month charge, set 14 years ago, will increase to $1.90.

Assembly member Jonathan Anderson was the lone no vote.

Anderson said he fully supported modernizing the 9-1-1 system, but only disagreed with the way it's being funded.

He said it's a tax increase and believed it should be paid for with current sales and property tax revenue.

Juneau Police Department's Public Safety Systems Coordinator Erann Kalwara told the Assembly last night that the current 9-1-1 system runs, at least, a $200,000 deficit every year.

The increase will fund upgrades, operation, and future replacement of the enhanced 9-1-1 service which is expected to cost over $400,000.

Kalwara outlined a couple of the problems facing police dispatchers

She said there are five to ten businesses with massive phone systems that do not show locations when an emergency is called in to police dispatchers.

Kalwara said that 40 to 50 percent of 9-1-1 calls originate from cell phones or wireless devices and, right now, dispatchers have no way of knowing were those callers are located.

She said Juneau's 9-1-1 system is way behind the current available technology.

Housing commission established, members appointed
The Assembly unanimously approved a resolution establishing the Juneau Affordable Housing Commission during its meeting last night.

The nine members of the new panel were also appointed to three years terms.

The members are- Erin Walker-Tolles, Stephen Sorensen, Honey Bee Anderson, Greg Pease, Cathy Munoz, Tamara Rowcroft, Alan Wilson, Lavonne Garvey, and Justin Shearer.

The commission will advise the Assembly on various aspects of affordable housing like funding, regulations, and legal issues.

Preserve America resolution, garage money, zoning map change okayed
The Juneau Assembly last night, approved a resolution that allows the CBJ to apply for a federal program called the Preserve America Historic Preservation Initiative.

Last August, the CBJ submitted an application to designate Juneau as a Preserve America community to be eligible for federal funds.

The Preserve America program is a federal initiative that allows designated communities to apply for federal grant money for preservation, planning, tourism and marketing projects.

If accepted, the designation will be able to be used by the CBJ, the Chamber of Commerce, the Arts and Humanities Council, and the Juneau Convention and Visitors' Bureau in marketing and tourism related projects.

The Assembly approved an ordinance appropriating $72,000 from the Downtown Parking Fund for repairs to the parking garage.

The project will include removing existing striping, cleaning and resealing the concrete deck and restriping the parking spaces in a new configuration.

And the Assembly approved an ordinance, recommended by the Planning Commission, that amends the zoning map.

It revises the boundary between General Commercial and Industrial zoning districts to the southeast of Egan Drive and Old Dairy Road, and north of the intersection of Old Dairy Road and Airport Boulevard, so that several lots in the Valley Center Subdivision and Field Meadows Subdivision are within the General Commercial zoning district.

Those properties are currently zoned Industrial, but are used for commercial purposes which predate the industrial zoning designation.

Birth center, former Elks lodge remodel highlight Planning Comm. agenda
A family birth center and use of the former Elks Lodge downtown are on tonight's Planning Commission agenda.

The Juneau Family Birth Center is seeking an allowable use permit for its proposed facility.

The 8,715 square foot facility would be located near the Valley Medical and SEARHC clinics on Salmon Creek Lane. The site is a former rock quarry.

An allowable use permit is also sought for a change in use on the first floor of the former Elks Lodge.

The new owners wants to use it as an Internet lounge and retail outlet for consumer electronics and general merchandise.

The second floor will continue to be used for community events.

The panel will also be briefed on the process now underway for identification of a preferred CBJ alternative for a Second Channel Crossing.

The Planning Commission meeting gets underway at 7 p.m. in Assembly Chambers at City Hall.

Warning issued for Mendenhall Lake ice
Mendenhall Lake ice is thin. That warning coming from the Juneau Ranger District of the U. S. Forest Service.

The agency says a hiker was walking on the lake Sunday next to an isolated iceberg when he fell through the ice. He was able to pull himself out

Its recommended that hikers, skiers, and motorized users stay off the lake surface until cold temperatures can freeze the lake surface to safe levels.

A press release from the Juneau Ranger District explains that icebergs can absorb heat and melt the ice around it. They can also melt below the surface and become unbalanced and fracture the ice around them creating an unsafe condition.

Also take care in areas where rivers and streams come into the lake. Formation of ice in those areas is retarded due to the relative heat of the moving water.

In addition, the several freeze and thaw cycles this winter causes severe percolation of air into the ice layers. And the agency says the more that happens, the weaker the ice layer becomes.

Dike Trail snow removal work scheduled
Work is planned tomorrow (Wednesday) to remove snow from the airport's Dike Trail.

Juneau Airport Manager Dave Palmer says a truck will be will be removing snow from the trail between 9:30 and Noon.

He says the idea is to keep the trail accessible in the event of an emergency which was one of the recommendations made following a recent FAA inspection.

Officials shut down trans-Alaska oil pipeline after spill
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The trans-Alaska oil pipeline was taken off-line today (Tuesday) after a spill of up to 500 gallons was discovered.

The crude oil spilled from an aboveground section of the pipeline at a remote gate in the Brooks Range in northern Alaska.

The spill was being blamed on a loose fitting on a six-inch pipe.

Mike Heatwole, spokesman for the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, says the repair was made and the pipeline is being restarted. He says the shutdown lasted about six hours.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation says it should have a vacuum truck on site any time now. Officials say the truck will be used to vacuum up any oil and snow. Any ground that has been fouled by the oil also will be excavated.

BP: 4Q production unlikely to change after 5 quarters of decline
LONDON (AP) - British oil giant B-P said today (Tuesday) that fourth-quarter production isn't likely to change compared with the previous three months.

That's after more than a year of declining output for Europe's second-largest oil company by market value.

The company expects to report production of three-point-eight million barrels of oil equivalent per day in the quarter ended December 31st. That's only slightly higher than in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter last year, production was just over four million barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The company has been hit by a series of problems. Those include the temporary closure of operations at the Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska and delays to the opening of the key Thunder Horse platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

B-P says production levels had been affected by weather-related delays in Alaska, unusually low seasonal gas demand and a quota cut by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

B-P share prices on the London Stock Exchange have lost about 20 percent of their value since April. That's after a series of problems starting in 2005 with a Texas City refinery explosion that killed 15 workers.

Heating bills jumping 30 percent in Southcentral
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Maybe a sweater is a better choice instead of turning up the heat this very chilly winter.

Starting this month, heating bills are going way up.

The average cost of natural gas is jumping 30 percent.

Curtis Thayer with Enstar Natural Gas Company says the utility is sympathetic to concerns about the latest in a series of sharp annual increases it has imposed.

But he says the days of plentiful and cheap natural gas for Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula and Mat-Su are over.

He says the known gas fields of Cook Inlet are depleting rapidly.

On top of that the market prices for oil and gas have been running extremely high in recent years.

Thayer says Alaska gas prices, however, remain substantially lower than any other region of the nation.
(Anchorage Daily News)

APOC staff says Ben Stevens broke ethics rules
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Alaska Public Offices Commission staffers say state Senate President Ben Stevens is accused of multiple violations of financial disclosure rules.

APOC staff is recommending that thousands of dollars in fines be imposed by the five-member panel, which meets in Anchorage this week.

The commission is tentatively scheduled to take up the issue on Thursday.

Calls placed to Stevens office in Anchorage on Tuesday by The Associated Press have not been returned.

Anderson seeking delay in start of trial
Anchorage Representative Tom Anderson is seeking a delay in his trial on federal corruption charges.

His lawyer is asking the court for an extra two months in order to prepare a defense.

The trial is now scheduled for February 12th.

Attorney Paul Stockler is requesting a delay until April 23rd.

Stockler says he's been reviewing hours of video and audio recordings made during the F-B-I investigation.

Anderson is charged with money laundering, extortion, and bribery.

Investigators say he used a shell company to launder bribes from a corrections company. He allegedly received up to 13-thousand dollars.

Anderson's term expires next week when the legislative session starts.

He did not run for re-election last year.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Judge finds that sneaker is not a deadly weapon
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - An Alaska court has reversed the assault conviction of an Arctic Village man.

The Court of Appeals ruled in the case of Bluesky Martinez that a sneaker used to knock down his girlfriend and kick her was NOT a deadly weapon.

The couple got into a fight at the village store in October 2004.

Prosecutors charged Martinez with felony assault. The thinking was that when he kicked the victim in the head, it was in such a way that the tennis show became a dangerous weapon.

A jury found Martinez guilty. He was sentenced to a year in prison.

He appealed. The court overturned the conviction, finding that the sneaker was NOT used in a way that would have caused substantial risk of death of serious physical injury.

Couple charged with abuse sentenced to time served
PALMER, Alaska (AP) - A Mat-Su Valley couple who initially were charged with multiple counts including abuse, neglect and child endangerment involving their five foster children have been sentenced to time served.

That's 17 months each for Patrick and Sherry Kelley.

At the sentencing yesterday (Monday) Superior Court Judge Michael Wolverton said news of the Kelleys' arrests two years ago shocked and angered the community.

Wolverton said the couple would have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law if the allegations proven true. The judge said the established facts weren't nearly as heinous as originally believed.

The many charges against the Kelleys were whittled down by a plea agreement to felony assault and criminal nonsupport, a misdemeanor, against 37-year-old Sherry Kelley and felony child endangerment against 46-year-old Patrick Kelley.

The couple both pleaded no contest and went free last February.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Juneau among the elite of "True Western Towns"
Juneau is ranked as the ninth top True Western Town for 2007 in the January/February 2007 edition of True West Magazine.

Editors made that determination on a number of criteria and especially how each town has preserved its history through older buildings, districts, museums and other institutions and events.

The top ten also take the lead in promoting their historic resources to visitors, according to the editors.

The citation for Juneau states, "Juneau isn't your typical horse-and-cattle drive Western town. But its mining heritage is deep, dating back to 1880 when a Tlingit chief directed Richard Harris and Joe Juneau to gold deposits. The interaction between the native and white cultures has been another big factor in the history of the area."

Executive Editor Bob Boze Bell says Juneau is a most pleasant surprise.  "It has five historic districts and a number of buildings on the historic register, and it has comprehensive plans for preserving and maintaining its diverse history."  He adds, "Juneau richly deserves recognition for its accomplishments."

The rest of the top ten list is as follows:

1. Helpler, Utah

2. Silver City, New Mexico

3. Guthrie, Oklahoma

4. Wickenburg, Arizona

5. Cheyenne, Wyoming

6. Sheridan, Wyoming

7. Deadwood, South Dakota

8. Pendleton, Oregon

10. St. Joseph, Missouri

Peninsula teen gets trip to Quantico
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A 17-year-old junior at Kenai High School represented the state of Alaska at the F-B-I headquarters in Quantico, Virginia.

Adrianna Garcia joined 49 other teens from around the United States for a three-day conference. The conference consisted of learning more about the negative impacts of street drugs, leadership training and team building.

The teens also got to do some sightseeing of nearby Washington, D-C.

Adrianna and her mother, Jackie, stayed in the dorms at the F-B-I.

The trip was hosted by D.A.R.E. America -- the organization that informs youths about the dangers of recreational drugs.

As part of her responsibilities, Adrianna will give talks at graduation ceremonies across the state.

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