JUNEAU DAILY NEWSMINUTE
By Chris Burns - kiny@ptialaska.net
Tuesday, January 9, 1996 (c) Alaska Juneau Communications
*The first good squabble of the new legislative session has come
over a Republican policy which does away with daily bill packets.
In previous years, the packets have contained bill descriptions,
committee meeting minutes and other information. The G.O.P.
leadership says the decision was made to cut down on staff time,
paper, and wear and tear on copy machines. But, Juneau Democratic
representative Kim Elton says the loss of the packets will
probably bog down the session as the information will have to be
hashed out in open debate.
*All of Juneau is invited to attend the 11th Annual Legislative
Welcome Reception tonight at Centennial Hall. Legislators will be
receiving special baskets filled with gifts from local merchants
-- and its the only place they can get their free parking passes
from the city. Most are expected to attend.
*Legislative housing got a shot in the arm last night when the
Assembly decided to begin the process of providing zero-interest
loans for projects meeting certain criteria. In another move,
city lawmakers approved an ordinance allowing developers to
combine up to 4 small lots into 1 large one. The idea is to rid
the Borough of under-sized, unusable lots.
*Results of a survey of Alaskans taken last Fall shows that
support for a Capital move continues to wane. Less than half of
those polled support a move, and less than 10-percent can now be
classified at hard core' movers -- those who want to get the
Capital out of Juneau at any cost. About three-quarters of those
polled said it's time to move on to other issues.
*A diver who suffered a rapid ascent from 40-feet near a fishing
vessel southwest of Sitka has been medevaced to Juneau. 51-year-old Burgess Bauder was taken to Bartlett Memorial where he's in
stable condition after treatment in the hospital's hyperbaric
chamber.
*Unemployment checks will keep coming to out of work Alaskans
through this Fall at least. Most other agencies depending on
federal money for operation could be shut down again on January
26th, when the resolution providing temporary funding expires.
But that resolution included special funding to keep the State
Unemployment Insurance Program going through September 30th.
*Bed and breakfast owners in Southeast are organizing. The INN-side Passage Bed and Breakfast Association of Southeast Alaska
will allow independent innkeepers to share promotion and
purchasing costs, and present a united front in dealing with
local and state governments.