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Governor calls nation's view of Alaska 'sorely distorted'
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Between a failed attempt to open an arctic reserve to oil drilling and two maligned bridges, Governor Murkowski says the nation's view of Alaska is ``sorely distorted.''
In his State of the State address to the Legislature tonight (Tuesday), proposed funding a two-year national marketing campaign to sway public opinion on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Murkowski says the national distortion of Alaska comes from misled special interests in the national debate, which attributed as the key factor in blocking ANWR from passing Congress last year.
The ``Bridges to Nowhere'' - the proposed Knik Arm Crossing and Gravina Island bridges - have also made Alaska the subject of ridicule thanks to what he called ``special interest extremists.''
He says it's important to push ANWR drilling through while President Bush, a supporter of opening ANWR, is in office.---
Also tonight, the governor proposes tossing the state's oil production tax system to replace it with a tax on oil companies' net profits.
The governor also used tonight's forum to pitch his plan to spend 50 (M) million dollars to study a rail link from Alaska to Canada.
He also called on lawmakers to support the Anchorage and Ketchikan bridges.
Murkowski also says his administration tomorrow (Wednesday) will announce a performance incentive program to improve student achievement scores.
Lawmakers comment on State of State
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Governor Murkowski's idea to mount a national marketing campaign to sway support for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is drawing mixed reviews from lawmakers.
House Minority Leader and gubernatorial candidate Ethan Berkowitz, (a Democrat from Anchorage) says the best antidote for bad press is good policy.
Senate President Ben Stevens, (an Anchorage Republican) says the idea is worth looking into, as environmental groups use ANWR as a platform by which to raise their money.
He says - quote - ``They're going to shoot at us anyway ... why not shoot back?''
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Also Tuesday, the governor proposed tossing the state's oil production tax system to replace it with a tax on oil companies' net profits.
Chuck Logsdon is Murkowski's gas negotiating team spokesman. He says the net profits tax proposal is sound in its basic structure, but the details need to be worked out.
The proposal is linked to negotiations with three oil producers for fiscal terms to build a 20 (B) billion dollar natural gas pipeline from the North Slope.
Murkowski's negotiators are proposing including broad revisions to oil taxes as part of a gas deal.
House and Senate Democrats warned there is danger in melding oil taxes with the gas line, and possibly surrendering the state's taxing authority for 30 years or more.
Senator Hollis French, (a Democrat from Anchorage) says specifics are lacking in the net profits tax proposal to make a judgment about the idea.
ACS experiences problem with fiber optic gear in Juneau
ACS customers in parts of the Mendenhall Valley were impacted by an outage last night and today.
The outage occurred at about eight last night (Monday). Meagan Stapleton, the company's director of Corporate Communications says they experienced a fiber optic problem.
About 85 percent of the local and Internet service was restored by midnight last night. Nearly all of the service, 99 percent she says, was restored by one this afternoon. (Tuesday)
She said that was done by working around the fiber equipment.
At this report there are about 50 customers without service. At its peak last night about 29-hundred local telephone and Internet customers were affected.
She says they're still working on the original problem trying to figure out what happened.
Names
of Guardsmen killed in helicopter crash released
ANCHORAGE (AP) - A woman from Washington state and an Anchorage man were among the four Alaska Army National Guard crew members killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq.
First
Lieutenant Jaime Campbell had been living at Fort Wainwright with her husband, Army Captain Sam Campbell.
Miki Krausse of Ephrata, Washington, is Jaime's mother. She says her 25-year-old daughter was one of two pilots flying the U-H--60-L Black Hawk when it went down Saturday.
Krausse says Jaime had planned to start a family after she returned from Iraq in the summer.
Forty-four-year-old Chester Troxel also was among the Alaskans killed. He was a pilot and mechanic who lived in South Anchorage with his wife and two teenage children.
Tom Blake, a friend, says Troxel was extremely devoted to his family.
The Alaska National Guard released
all four names this afternoon. The other two are identified as
Specialist Michael Ignatius Edwards of Anchorage and Specialist
Jacob Eugene Melson of Wasilla.
The Alaskans were members of the Guard's First Battalion, 207th Aviation
Regiment headquartered at Fort Richardson, outside of Anchorage.
The cause of the crash is not known.
Weather was described as "not optimal."
Brigadier General Craig Christensen who is head of the Alaska Army
National Guard says he personally knew the crew members who were
killed, and is grieving their loss. He says a memorial service is
being planned.
Christensen says the deaths were the first wartime deaths for
members of the Alaska Army National Guard since World War Two.
About 60 Guard members from the Alaska unit deployed in August 2005
for a one-year tour of duty in Iraq.
State flags have been ordered to half staff by Governor Murkowski in honor of the soldiers.
The flags will remain at half-staff until the morning of Wednesday, January 18.
Memorial set for Jamestown native believed to have been killed in Iraq
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The family of Ronald Schulz is planning a memorial for him on Saturday in his hometown of Jamestown, North Dakota.
The Islamic Army in Iraq claimed to have killed the Eagle River, Alaska, man last month.
Schulz's sister, Julie, says that U-S officials have NOT confirmed Schultz's death. And his body has not been found. But she says the family identified him from videos.
A video on a Web site last month purportedly posted by the Islamic Army of Iraq claims to show a man being shot in the back of the head as he kneeled, blindfolded, in an open, empty area of dirt.
His face was not shown and it was impossible to verify his identity.
The video also showed Schulz's identity card. The extremist group earlier claimed it had killed the 40-year-old Schulz, a former Marine who has planned to return to Alaska with his Jordanian
fiancee.
His family had earlier pleaded with Schulz's captors to set him free.
Rokeberg pushing legislative move idea
On Thursday, legislators will tackle the North Slope gas line and a prior proposal from Rep. Norman Rokeberg, R-Anchorage, to hold a competition for Alaska towns seeking to host a new legislative hall.
"I'm going to try to convince (Juneau) that they should compete with other cities in the state, They'd even have a leg up on it, I think," Rokeberg said.
Rokeberg, who filed the bill in 2005, said his personal preference would be to put a new state capitol in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, perhaps at Point MacKenzie.
His bill would authorize the Legislative Council to solicit proposals from major towns in Alaska to build a new capitol. The towns would pay for the building's construction and charge an annual $1 rent from the Legislature.
Alaska Airlines faces $500,000 penalty over safety issue
SEATTLE (AP) - The Federal Aviation Administration proposes a 500-thousand dollar fine against Alaska Airlines for operating a plane for 478 flights without proper emergency lighting.
The F-A-A says a maintenance contractor failed to reinstall the lights after work in 2004 and the plane flew for five months and went through 40 inspections before the problem was noticed. The plane continued to fly for 43 more flights before the problem was fixed.
Alaska Airlines official Amanda Tobin says the airline is in legal discussions with the F-A-A over the matter.
Alaska Airlines has had a rough stretch in recent weeks. Two planes at
Sea-Tac Airport have been damaged by baggage handlers and handlers are now accused of throwing a dog crate into a plane, instead of using a ramp.
Home Depot project on Planning
Commission agenda
The proposed Home Depot store is on the agenda of the Juneau
Planning Commission this evening.
Community Development Director Dale Pernula says the subdivision, a
conditional use permit, and a variance relative to the site in Lemon
Creek for the store are on the agenda.
The subdivision filing is for the entire city owned gravel pit area
behind Costco. City Manager Rod Swope says they're required to
develop a plan for the entire area, not just what Home Depot may
decide to purchase and use.
The conditional use permit will address the entire scope of the Home
Depot project including traffic concerns, the size of the facility
and where it will be located exactly.
Also on the agenda is a conditional use permit for a seasonal
"zip line" tour at the old Treadmill Mine site.
Pernula says testimony will also be taken on amendments to the
Juneau coastal management program.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in Assembly Chambers at City Hall.
Property tax exemption
granted to Alaska Glacier Seafoods
The Assembly has authorized an export manufacturing exemption for
Alaska Glacier Seafoods.
CBJ code allows a temporary, 5-year, export manufacturing exemption
if certain requirements are met.
Property taxes on the company's dock, ice machine and crane property
included in the 2005 assessment will be exempted.
The company's building might qualify for the exemption this year if
the Assembly ultimately approves.
CBJ Finance Director Craig Duncan outlined for the Assembly last
night [Monday] how a manufacturing company can qualify.
To qualify, he says a manufacturing company either has to reduce the
amount of similar products imported into Juneau, or produce a
product and export it.
According to the business's application, the company takes locally
caught fish, processes and packages it for export and for sale in
Juneau, accounting for 93 percent of its operation.
The cost of exporting is a disincentive for local manufacturing
businesses.
City Manager Rod Swope says the temporary property tax exemption
offset those costs for a while to help the business get started. The
exemption is directed at smaller manufacturing businesses for which
Swope says they want to do everything it can to promote within the
city.
The measure allows for a 100 percent exemption in the 1st year, 80
percent in the 2nd, 60 percent in the 3rd, 40 percent in the
4th, and 20 percent in the 5th, with zero exemption in the 6th year.
Alaskan Brewing and Taku Smokeries have qualified for the exemption
in the past.
Money for sewer projects and
Fish Trap replica approved
The Assembly approved the financing for two sewer projects and an
historical project last night. [Monday]
The first ordinance appropriated a $1,200,000 Department of
Environmental Conservation loan for the Bayview Subdivision sewer
project.
It will partially fund a new pressure sewer main from Bayview
Subdivision to the Mendenhall Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The terms of the low interest loan under the Alaskan Revolving Loan
Fund program are 20 years at 1 point 5 percent interest.
The loan will be paid with Wastewater Utility customer revenues.
The Bayview sewer system is being connected to the treatment plant
due to concerns about meeting state water quality standards.
The estimated total project cost is $1,900,000.
The second ordinance appropriated just over $2,533,000 in DEC grant
funds for the next phase of the North Douglas sewer system and for
improvements to the Bayview Subdivision sewer system.
The funds will partially finance extending the North Douglas sewer
system about 4000 linear feet along the North Douglas Highway,
system improvements to Bayview Subdivision, and the installation of
about 7,500 linear feet of sewer force main from Bayview to the
Mendenhall Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Grant funds used for the North Douglas Sewer Phase II project will
be matched with sales tax, approved by the voters in October 2005.
The third ordinance appropriates funds for an ongoing historical
project. It amounts to $4,500 for construction of a replica of the
Montana Creek Fish Trap.
The original trap is between 500 to 700 years old.
Four thousand dollars will be provided by the Alaska Humanities
Forum and the National Endowment For The Humanities and $500 by the
Sealaska Corporation.
Alaska Legislature opens session with booked calendar
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska Legislature
gaveled in Monday
The 2006 session opened late morning with lawmakers ready to wade into some of the year's complex issues.
Hearings are scheduled on funding for two multi-million-dollar bridge projects.
Hearings also are scheduled on a bill to tax natural gas reserves, the state's retirement systems, and education funding.
Two of the biggest issues will have to wait.
One is how to spend a projected one-point-two billion dollar budget surplus.
Legislators also must review terms for a 20 billion dollar North Slope natural gas pipeline.
Natural gas talks resume in
Juneau
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Governor Frank Murkowski says negotiations
have resumed between the state and three oil companies on terms for
a North Slope natural gas pipeline.
State negotiators and B-P, Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips took a
break from talks last month. The governor said then the time off was
for the holidays and for negotiators to re-energize for a final push
for a deal.
Murkowski says there is no deadline for concluding the talks.
The two sides are negotiating long-term tax and royalty terms for a
natural gas pipeline stretching from the North Slope to Canada and
markets in the Midwest. The oil companies say they need the
multiyear terms locked in for the 20 billion dollar gas line to be
feasible.
Law Department intervenes in proposed natural gas pricing
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska Department of Law says Southcentral natural gas prices should NOT be closely tied to Lower 48 prices.
The Law Department is opposing a proposed new Enstar Natural Gas Company supply contract that would more closely link its costs to prices in other states.
The Regulatory Commission of Alaska says it will consider state objections to a proposed supply contract between Marathon Oil and Enstar.
State lawyers say tying Alaska costs to Lower 48 prices hurts Anchorage consumers and could result in windfall profits for Cook Inlet oil companies.
Enstar representatives say Cook Inlet gas supplies are dwindling and prices must rise to provide incentives for new exploration.
Push on to pass marijuana bill
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - One day into a new legislative session, the push is on to toughen Alaska's marijuana laws.
The Senate Finance Committee today (Tuesday) heard amendments to Governor Frank Murkowski's bill that would re-criminalize personal use of the drug. Dubbed a ``must-pass'' bill last session, Murkowski is asking state lawmakers to consider evidence of marijuana's dangers that should trump the courts' right to privacy rulings.
Committee co-chair Lyda
(LIE'-da) Green (a Wasilla Republican) says she expects the bill to move out of committee on Thursday for later floor debate and a vote.
Alaska laws regarding marijuana use are among the loosest in the country. A 1975 Supreme Court decision made it legal for Alaskans to possess small quantities of marijuana for personal use in their homes.
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Senate Bill 74 would stiffen penalties for marijuana use and possession. It would make possession of four ounces of pot or more a felony. Chief Assistant Attorney General Dean Guaneli
(GWAH'-nell-ee) testified that marijuana is more potent, and therefore more dangerous, than in the 1970's.
Opponents say criminalizing the drug will not solve the problems of drug
abuse
Robbery suspect arrested
in Anchorage
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Note to would-be robbers: If you are going to cover yourself in blue ink, wipe it off before you run into a police officer.
Anchorage police say a man in a blue face allegedly tried to rob a motel clerk at knife-point Saturday.
A description went out on the alleged robber, and it sounded a lot like a man Officer Kevin McDonald had talked to at another motel the previous day. Except, that is, for the blue paint.
When McDonald and another officer went to the first motel, police say the suspect walked in shortly after - complete with tell-tale blue ink stains on his face, throat and fingers.
Nineteen-year-old Daniel Peter Clark was charged with robbery and assault.
Jury selection begins in Kasilof murder trial
KENAI, Alaska (AP) - Jury selection has begun in a Kenai Peninsula murder trial.
Fifty-three-year-old Betsy Hester of Kasilof is accused of shooting her boyfriend, 49-year-old John Clark, on October 4th, 2003.
Hester is charged with second-degree murder.
Prosecutors say Hester and Clark were seen drinking and arguing at the Decanter Inn in Kasilof on October 3rd.
Hester told Alaska State Troopers that the couple returned home and Clark struck her.
Troopers say Hester acknowledged shooting Clark.
(Joe Nicks,
KSRM)
Russian River bear shooter gets 10 days in jail
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - An Anchorage man who illegally shot a brown bear sow near the Russian River last summer will spend ten days in jail.
Twenty-seven-year-old Michael Oswalt also must pay fines totaling 28-hundred dollars.
Oswalt pleaded guilty to taking a bear in closed season, taking a bear in a closed area, and shooting a sow with cubs.
The sow and its three cubs had been viewed by hundreds of anglers along the popular Russian and Kenai rivers.
After shots were fired July 31st, Oswalt initially denied to federal wildlife officers that he had hit any of the bears.
Officers two days later found the dead sow and traced the bullets that killed her to Oswalt's rifle.
(Anchorage Daily News)
Truck with four people rolls on Seward Highway
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Alaska State Troopers say an Anchorage family escaped serious injury when their pickup truck rolled yesterday (Monday) at Mile 43 Seward Highway.
Troopers say 43-year-old Ronald Halog lost control of his crewcab truck as he drove north.
The truck slid sideways across the southbound lane, hit the ditch, rolled once and landed wheels down.
Troopers say three passengers -- 34-year-old Tessie
Halog, a three-year-old child and an eleven-month-old baby -- all were in seat belts or other restraints.
Troopers say Tessie Halog received minor cuts and scrapes.
She was treated on the scene by Cooper Landing and Moose Pass emergency medical technicians.
Stevens
vows to stay and win ANWR approval
Senator Ted Stevens is heading back to Capitol Hill, a place he says is "a different world" from when he first went there almost 30 years ago.
Stevens spoke to reporters in Anchorage Monday, clarifying his dramatic "goodbye" after a vote last month against oil drilling in ANWR.
Stevens says he aims to stay in the Senate until he can get ANWR opened. "There's no question about that. Its going to happen. If they want to get rid of me, they're going to pass ANWR."
Stevens criticized his colleagues for personal attacks on him during the ANWR debate. He says it wasn't like that years ago.
Stevens blames "extreme environmentalists" for the heated rhetoric. The Senator says he's their main target. But he believes his opponents are losing the debate. He says polls show that more and more people in the United States support exploration and development of ANWR.
Stevens says he's not sure exactly what tactics he'll use to push ANWR this year, but it will likely end up in a budget reconciliation bill again.
(KENI Radio - Anchorage)
Personnel board dismisses second Marquez complaint
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Another complaint filed against state Attorney General David Marquez has been dismissed.
The state personnel board says Marquez violated no law by publicly commenting on a confidential memo written by former Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Irwin.
The ruling was in the second of two complaints filed by former U-S Attorney Wev Shea.
Irwin had questioned the legality of secret negotiations with oil companies over a natural gas pipeline contract.
Irwin was eventually removed from his job after Governor Murkowski made the memo available to reporters.
The personnel board says the governor released Marquez from any attorney-client privilege surrounding the memo.
(Anchorage Daily News)
Lack of snow keeps snowmobiles off Southcentral trails
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Southcentral Alaska snowmobile operators are finding many of their regular trails off-limits due to lack of snow.
Land managers in the Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna areas are keeping recreation areas closed to motorized use because of inadequate snow pack.
It's the same for the western Kenai Peninsula.
Chugach State Park remains closed to snowmobiles due to continued exposed vegetation.
Park managers say some trails are down to ice and rock.
The Seward and Glacier ranger districts of Chugach National Forest are also closed to snowmobile use.
In the Talkeetna Mountains above Palmer, the east side of Hatcher Pass is closed to snowmobiles because of insufficient snow cover.
(Anchorage Daily News)
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