Palin names von Scheban as DOT commissioner
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Governor Palin has picked an engineer as her commissioner of Transportation and Public Facilities.

Palin today (Friday) named Leo von Scheben to the job.

He's the co-founder of an engineering firm, U-S-K-H Incorporated. He also holds a masters of business administration degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Palin calls him the ``best of the best.''

She says von Scheben is a visionary with a great private-sector perspective who will make sensible decisions on infrastructure projects in Alaska.

Von Scheben lives in Big Lake.

Plans call for closing Juneau based correspondence school
The Juneau based Alyeska Central School will close after the current school year.

The Yukon Koyukuk School District has operated the statewide correspondence school as a charter for the last three years.

It was never able to meet its projected budget, according to Superintendent of Schools Christopher Simon.

He says they were counting on 180 students this year, but only have 127 enrolled.

The administration plans to recommend to the school board at is meeting in February that the school be closed effective June 30th.

Simon adds they wanted to give parents and staff enough notice so they can make other arrangements for next school year.

Five employees are impacted including three teachers, the principal and an administrative assistant.

Simon says the staff worked hard to keep the school open. He says they were wonderful and very professional.

The Yukon Koyukuk School District took the school over after the state decided to shut it down.

The superintendent says it was never really able to recover. A lot of parents thought the school was already closed when it wasn't, he says.

Prefiled bills include rewrite of oil tax overhaul
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The Legislature rewrote Alaska oil taxes last year but two House Democrats want to reopen the debate.

Anchorage Representatives Harry Crawford and Les Gara of Anchorage, Friday, prefiled a bill that would tax oil producers on the amount of oil they produce in Alaska instead of on their net profits.

Gara says the state should tax the more verifiable number, which is the percentage of sales value of oil.

He says the current system, which takes into account a company's operating and capital costs, is open to manipulation.

Gara says it would be a shame to let money leave the state that could be used for savings and for schools.

The issue was a major point of contention last year.

Lawmakers struggled to come up with a formula that would raise taxes but also encourage companies to spend more money to develop new oil and gas fields.
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The new bill is likely to meet resistance from other lawmakers and even Governor Palin.

She says time is needed to see if the current law is abused.

But she says lawmakers should debate the issue if they choose.

Incoming Majority Leader Ralph Samuels says he hopes the debate is put to rest for awhile -- at least until the regulations for the new tax law are written.

Federal officials open public review of latest Tongass plan
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Federal officials today (Friday) opened public review of the latest management plan for the nation's largest national forest.

The plan spells out seven alternatives for balancing logging, recreation, and other uses of Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska.

Opposing sides are critical of the choices.

The Sierra Club says the proposals place too much emphasis on timber to the detriment of the environment and other uses.

Logging industry officials say the plan leaves little room for a timber economy to flourish in southeast Alaska.

The public comment period is open for 90 days. A final plan is due out in late August.

The release of the document is the latest step in a revision of the 19-97 Tongass Land Management Plan.

The Forest Service had to revise the plan after a federal appeals court found the plan was seriously impaired by mistakes made by the federal agency in projecting timber demand.

In the current revision, alternatives range from allowing 40 million board feet to 420 million board feet of timber a year to be logged.

Montana woman to head Forest Service
WASHINGTON (AP) - Montana forester Gail Kimbell today (Friday) becomes the first woman to head the U-S Forest Service.

She succeeds retiring chief Dale Bosworth.

Kimbell, who supervises national forests through northern Idaho, Montana and the Dakotas, was appointed to the position by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns.

She becomes the Forest Service's 16th chief.

Bosworth, a career forester who became chief in April 2001, will step down within a few weeks.

As chief, he was a key player in President Bush's program to increase timber sales and auction off oil and gas leases in roadless areas of national forests. The Clinton administration had put that land off-limits to commercial development.

Among the most controversial decisions has been the Bush administration's promotion of logging in Alaska's Tongass National Forest, the nation's largest.
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Forest Service: http://www.fs.fed.us/ 
Northern Region: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1 

Land sale being readied
The City and Borough of Juneau's Lena Point Subdivision land sale is right around the corner.

City Manager Rod Swope said on Capital Chat this (Friday) morning that the sales brochure is at the printer's.

He said "for sale" signs will go on the lots in March.

The sale is open to all by submitting a sealed competitive bid.

Dedication of low income apartments set for Monday
St. Vincent dePaul's dedicates its recently constructed low income apartments on Martin Luther King, Junior Day Monday.

There are seven low income, handicap accessible units, according to Tom Slagle who is president of the S. Vincent dePaul Society in Juneau..

There's an open house scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. with the actual dedication taking place at one.

Its at 8617 Teal Street. 

State adopts new background check regulations
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services has adopted new background check regulations.

Karen Darby is Deputy Chief of Certification and Licensing.

She says the overall goal is to help protect the health and safety of Alaska's vulnerable populations, who are receiving care at nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living homes and child care.

Under the new regulations, the facilities staff will be reviewed for past criminal histories. A new background check unit was formed at the beginning of 2006 and has been processing background checks since last March.

The unit has processed over 7,100 applications. To date, about 34 percent of all applications have indicated the possibility of a prior criminal past.

The unit has identified one applicant for a long term care facility that had been convicted of a homicide; 13 applicants had felony assault convictions; five with crimes against children; eight with sexually-based offenses; as well as applicants with histories of drug-related robbery, Medicaid fraud, and other serious crimes.

The regulations, which will be effective February 9th, affect employees and other persons who have unsupervised contact with clients in facilities and programs licensed or certified by the department.

Darby says the department will be providing training around the state for providers and oversight agencies so that they'll have a good understanding of the new background check regulations.

The department significantly rewrote the regulations based on an extraordinary amount of public comment, according to Commissioner Karleen Jackson.

She says the public comment process was essential and the changes suggested by the public strengthened and improved the regulations.

Bush signs fishing legislation
WASHINGTON (AP) and KINY - President Bush today (Friday) signed into law a measure that overhauls management of marine fisheries and strengthens protections against further depletion of dwindling stocks.

The bill reauthorizes through 2013 the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, a 30-year-old law that guides fishery management in waters between three miles and 200 miles offshore.

The act works to end over fishing in America by 2011, uses market-based incentives to replenish fish stocks, and strengthens enforcement of fishing laws.

Supporters said the measure strengthens current law by requiring an end to over fishing, science-based management of U-S fisheries and penalties for illegal fishing in international waters.

One provision in the revised federal law requires the nationwide implementation of the policy used in Alaska the past 30 years of having scientists set the overall catch levels.

David Benton, the executive director of the Marine Conservation Alliance based in Juneau and a former chair of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council from 2000 to 2003, says they pushed pretty hard for inclusion of that provision.

He said it was very troubling to see the kinds of conservation problems that the east coast of the United States were having. As a result, he says Alaska was getting targeted with the same criticism, when in fact it had a pretty good record.

Benton pointed out there are no overfished ground fish stocks in Alaska. He believes the policy now in effect for the entire country was fundamental for that result.

When Congress passed the measure, the Natural Resources Defense Council said the world's oceans are in serious trouble and the legislation would help reverse their decline.

Environmentalists hailed a provision that sets overall limits on the number of fish that can be caught, while allowing fishermen flexibility in how they divide shares of the total catch.

At the insistence of West Coast lawmakers, the bill - includes language to speed recovery of Klamath River salmon stocks in California and Oregon. For fishermen adversely affected by recent closures aimed at protecting threatened fish, there would be disaster relief programs.

Gas pipeline groups sign cooperation deal
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Two natural gas pipeline entities say they will work cooperatively to develop Alaska natural gas.

Officials with Alaska Gasline Port Authority and the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority, or ANGDA (ANG-dah) announced a memorandum of understanding yesterday (Thursday).

The port authority, created by voters in 19-99, is pushing to develop a natural gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez and associated liquid natural gas facilities.

The voter-approved ANGDA was authorized by the Legislature to ensure the distribution of natural gas and propane within the state.

ANGDA director Harold Heinze says the formal agreement allows two entities that share common interests to share confidential information.
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Governor Palin says she's glad to see interested parties cooperating on the project.

Palin says she will consider all proposals for getting the North Slope's gas reserves to market.

She is expected to introduce legislation at the beginning of the session that will guide the process of developing a gas line deal with oil and gas producers.

BP chief executive to retire at the end of July
LONDON (AP) - B-P Chief Executive John Browne is to retire at the end of July, about a year and a-half earlier than expected.

The company says he will be succeeded by Tony Hayward, head of exploration and production.

Last year, Browne said that he would retire at the end of 2008.

Since then, B-P, which is one of the world's largest oil companies, has suffered a series of problems leading to strong criticism from investors and damage to its reputation.

B-P shares are rising on the news.

Coast Guard says safety failures led to icebreaker diver deaths
SEATTLE (AP) - The Coast Guard cites a number of safety failures for the deaths of two divers from the icebreaker Healy.

The results of the investigation released today in Seattle indicated the two may have carried too much weight -- 60 pounds of lead and steel -- twice normal. That could have caused buoyancy problems with dry suits, which require that air pressure be adjusted during the dive.

One diver sank to 200 feet and the other to 187 feet. Both were pulled rapidly to the surface by ropes. Autopsies show they died of lung damage caused by excessive pressure (pulmonary barotrauma).

The Coast Guard report says the divers and crew failed to follow safety procedures during the dive under the ice last August when the Healy stopped about 500 miles north of Barrow, Alaska.

The two were 31-year-old Jessica Hill of Saint Augustine, Florida, and 22-year-old Steve Duque (doo-KAY') of Miami.

Duque was a member of the crew and Hill was the ship's science officer. Both had attended the Navy's dive school.

The ship's captain was relieved of duty after the deaths. 

Anchors fall off two oil tankers from Alaska
SEATTLE (AP) - Anchors fell off two oil tankers during heavy weather as they were carrying crude oil from Alaska to Long Beach, California.

The anchors were discovered missing when the tankers were being unloaded at Long Beach. The ships were allowed to continue to Washington where they finished unloading at a refinery at Cherry point.

Now they are waiting -- one at Port Angeles and one at Seattle -- for new anchors.

The Coast Guard, the state Ecology Department and the Alaska Tanker Company of Beaverton, Oregon, are investigating what went wrong.

The company C-E-O Anil Mathur (ahn-HEEL' MAHTH'ur) says one anchor was lost from each ship -- Alaskan Frontier and Alaskan Navigator, in storms late last month. Each ship has a total of two anchors and the remaining anchor on each ship is cracked.

He says the company is flying four anchors -- 15 tons each -- from Holland to be installed next week.

Officials say there was no harm to the environment.

Ice forces oil tanker from Nikiski dock
NIKISKI, Alaska (AP) - The oil tanker Seabulk Pride got into trouble again this week -- almost a year after it broke free of its moorings at a Nikiski dock.

On Tuesday ice strained the ropes of the 600-foot ship, forcing it to retreat to safer waters.

The Coast Guard is investigating the incident.

When it broke free last February, the ship spilled some petroleum into the ice-choked waters and drifted powerless onto a nearby beach. Rescuers eventually saved it.

Watchdog groups say this week's incident shows continuing gaps in Cook Inlet shipping safety.

Coast Guard officials, however, say the tanker's operator appeared to have followed regulations and performed well.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Weather again prevents Trooper search for missing pilot
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Adverse weather conditions  prevented Alaska State Troopers from continuing the search for a missing pilot in Cook Inlet again today. (Friday)

The Troopers' Greg Wilkinson says its hoped they'll be able to make another shoreline search  for retired Trooper Colonel Randy Crawford once the weather improves in a couple of days.  

The Coast Guard  suspended its search  Wednesday for the missing pilot, pilot 52-year-old Randy Crawford, a retired trooper colonel.

Crawford on Tuesday morning was piloting a single-engine Cessna 207 on a flight from Kenai to Kokhanok for Air Supply Alaska.

He sent a distress call reporting that he had engine problems and that he was going down into Cook Inlet.

The plane was found three hours later and hoisted from the water, but Crawford was not on board.

Two Kalskag teens die in truck crash
KALSKAG, Alaska (AP) - Alaska State Troopers report this morning (Friday) that two teenage girls from Kalskag are dead after a truck they were riding in crashed into a tree.

Troopers say they were notified early this morning about the crash, which occurred at 10-30 last night in the western Alaska village.

Troopers say 20-year-old Kenneth Morgan Junior of Kalskag was driving a Chevy pickup and speeding when the vehicle slammed into the tree.

Passengers -- 18-year-old Tiffany Samuelson and 19-year-old Veronica Turner -- died of the injuries.

Another passenger -- 20-year-old Stanley Michaelson of Kalskag -- suffered a broken femur and was medevaced to a hospital. Another passenger -- 17-year-old Charissa Evan of Lower Kalskag -- also was medevaced with internal injuries.

Morgan was treated for an eye abrasion and released.

Troopers say alcohol was factor in the accident.

Snowmobile accidents claim lives of two Alaskans
State Troopers report two people died in separate snowmobile accidents in the state Thursday.

A 38-year-old McGrath woman was killed when she smashed her snowmobile into a pickup truck.

Troopers say Valkyrie Magnuson was driving the machine at a high rate of speed and struck a pickup truck operated by 57-year-old Nick Snow.

Magnuson was pronounced dead of her injuries about a half hour later at the McGrath clinic.

A Wasilla man was killed late Thursday night when his snow machine ran into a chain that was strung across a driveway on private property at the end of Biltmore Circle in Wasilla.

43 year old Rock E. Moreland was found dead at the scene.

An investigation is continuing.

Sergeant changes mind about no contest plea to sexual abuse
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A former Elmendorf Air Force Base sergeant accused of sexually abusing three girls has changed his no-contest plea and now wants a trial instead.

Theo McNamara had pleaded no contest last April to second-degree sexual abuse of a minor.

The 40-year-old man had agreed to a four-year sentence but withdrew that deal in court yesterday (Thursday).

A judge still needs to rule on whether to the change of plea.

McNamara was accused in July 2005 of sexually abusing three girls between the ages of four and 12.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Bears men lose to Bartlett
The Crimson Bears men are in Anchorage for the Alaska Airlines Classic Tournament.

The Bears lost to the Bartlett Golden Bears, Friday, by a score of 74 to 58.

The Bears defeated Bartlett earlier in the tournament. 

Crimson Bears play again at 1 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on KINY.

Idaho governor wants to reduce wolf population by 550 or more
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Idaho Governor ``Butch'' Otter says he will support public hunts to gradually kill at least 550 gray wolves from Idaho's packs.

This will come only after the federal government removes the animal from the Endangered Species Act.

The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to release a draft of a plan to de-list wolves in Idaho and Montana in the upcoming weeks.

The Idaho Office of Species Conservation estimates the state's current wolf population at about 650, in roughly 60 packs.

Otter eventually wants to see hunters kill enough wolves to bring the population down to about 100 wolves, or 10 packs.

That's the lowest threshold the federal government would allow before wolves again would be considered endangered.

Otter told a group of at least 300 hunters rallying at the Capitol yesterday that once wolf-hunting is allowed, he wants to bid on the first ticket to shoot a wolf.

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