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Home Depot and golf course lease highlight Assembly agenda
The Juneau Assembly tonight
(Monday) will take up a resolution authorizing the city manager to negotiate the sale of about ten acres of land near Costco to Home Depot.
The property is part of a thirty acre site that the city has been using as a gravel source over the past twenty
years.
At issue is whether the city should negotiate only with Home Depot or put the land out for competitive bids.
The Assembly Lands Committee is recommending that the Assembly authorize the manager to negotiate with Home Depot.
Its rationale is that Home Depot is ready right now to enter the Juneau market and that an additional twenty acres of industrial land in the gravel pit can be made available for other developers.
And additionally, the panel says the nearby Juneau Ready Mix Subdivision consisting of sixteen industrial lots may soon be on the market.
Also tonight, the Assembly is scheduled to consider an ordinance authorizing the city manager to execute a lease with Totem Creek Incorporated for the development of an 18 hole golf course on city-owned land on the west side of Douglas Island near Outer Point.
The Assembly Lands Committee has unanimously recommended approval of the lease.
The Planning Commission is also recommending the Assembly approve the lease, but had one advisory recommendation regarding the extension of North Douglas Highway.
The commission does not want a future road alignment to be located within the Watershed Protection Area unless no practicable or reasonable alternative exists.
Bonds for new high school up for Assembly approval
The Assembly is expected to approve an ordinance tonight providing for the issuance and sale of eight million dollars of general obligation school bonds
The amount is part of the $54 million approved by the voters on October 5, 2004 for the construction of a new high school in the Mendenhall Valley.
The bond proceeds will be used to fund the project costs for the first year.
The remaining $46 million in bonding authorization will be issued as $1.5 million as general obligation mini bonds in the summer of 2005 and $44.5 million as general obligation school bonds in early 2006.
This project qualifies for seventy percent reimbursement under the State's School Construction Bond Debt Reimbursement Program. However, the reimbursement under the State's Debt Reimbursement Program is subject to annual appropriation by the Legislature.
The remaining debt service, after state reimbursement and assuming the State fully funds the debt reimbursement program, will be paid from property taxes. The estimated total cost of the debt service, including interest at a rate of 5%, is $11,710,000.
The city and borough should receive reimbursement from the State of $8,197,000, assuming full state funding, leaving $3,813,000 to be paid from local taxes.
CBJ officials say the maximum property tax mill levy needed to fund the local share, assuming full state funding, will be .09 of a mill or $9 per $100,000 in assessed value.
The Assembly meets tonight at 7 at City Hall.
Lawmakers return to Capital
The First session of the 24th Alaska State Legislature
convened this morning.
The House gaveled shortly after ten and
elected Valdez Representative John Harris as Speaker.
The Senate convened a
few minutes after eleven and elected Anchorage Senator Ben Stevens as its
president.
The highlight of the first week comes Wednesday
evening at 7 when Governor Frank Murkowski delivers his annual State of the State Address to a joint session.
Kerttula to miss initial days of session
Juneau Representative Beth Kerttula says she'll miss the first few days of the legislative session.
Her mother was involved in an automobile accident. Kerttula says she's happy to report that it appears her mother is doing real well, but she needs to be with her family in Palmer until the doctors say she's really out of the woods.
Kerttula says her legislative office is up and running and she will be talking with her staff every day.
Guess bed ridden in Anchorage
ANCHORAGE (AP) - State Senator Gretchen Guess won't be in Juneau when the Alaska Legislative session begins today. She'll be in bed.
The Anchorage Democrat, who is eight months pregnant, is taking her doctor's bed-rest order seriously.
Guess says she'll stay in Anchorage until her doctor allows her to travel or until her baby is born. She's due in mid-February.
The senator and her husband, Jeff Tyson, had planned to have their baby in Juneau. She's already moved her car and belongings there.
Now Guess plans to do her job by phone. State law allows all actions to be done by phone, except for voting on the floor and moving bills from committee.
Guess says she's ready to be a lawmaker from home. She's got her laptop computer, wireless Internet and other necessities at her bedside.
Tulsequah Chief Mine forum rescheduled, Canadian attendance in doubt
The public forum in Juneau on the proposed reopening of the Tulsequah Chief Mine in British Columbia has been rescheduled.
The public forum was scheduled a few months ago, but there were a number of delays on the Canadian side, according to Chris Zimmer of the Transboundary Watershed Alliance.
He says the Canadians declined the invitation extended early last fall. He says the forum has been rescheduled for February 8. Zimmer says its hoped this invitation will be accepted, but they've heard through the grape vine that they will again decline.
Zimmer says the office of Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho will send a formal invitation to the Canadians and adds they should know in a couple of weeks what the Canadians will do.
Canadian federal officials released a draft report last week in which its concluded that no significant environment impacts were found.
Environmentalists and others are concerned that the multi-metal mine would hurt the Taku River's sockeye salmon fishery.
The mine is located about 12 miles from the border alongside the Tulsequah River, seven miles upstream from its confluence with the Taku River.
The comment period began last week and ends February 18th.
Terry Chandler is president of Redfern Resources Limited, the mine developer. Chandler says the Vancouver, British Columbia-based company is hoping to begin construction of the mine in 2006 after receiving the required permits.
The mine is expected to employ 200 and operate for nine years.
Arrest made in death of woman in Napaskiak killed in arson caused fire
State Troopers made an arrest Sunday in connection with the death of a woman in a house fire in the southwest Alaska village of Napaskiak Friday morning.
The suspect is identified as 28 year old Margaret "Maggie" Jacob-Anvil, of
Napaskiak.
She's charged with Murder in the First Degree and Arson in the First Degree.
The arrest is the result of an investigation by troopers with Bethel AST and the Alaska Bureau of Investigation and two deputy fire marshals with the State Fire Marshal's Office.
According to the investigation, the suspect, her boyfriend, and the victim, who is being identified by family as 21 old Josephine Ann Riley, of
Napaskiak, were drinking heavily at the victim's house when the victim made sexual advances at the suspect's boyfriend.
The women became involved in a physical altercation, which the boyfriend broke up. The boyfriend left the residence at about 1:30 am, leaving the suspect alone with the victim.
Troopers say the suspect waited until the victim fell asleep then lit some blankets, which were hanging in the home, on fire with a disposable lighter and left the house. The fire was reported at about 2:00 am.
Following her arrest, Jacob-Anvil was transported to the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center in Bethel where she is being held on $100,000.00 bail.
An examination by the State Medical Examiner's office on Saturday established cause of death as asphyxiation caused by the fire.
Jacob-Anvil was expected to arraigned today in Bethel.
Napaskiak is a community of 419 people seven miles southeast of Bethel.
Accident sends three to the hospital
There was a traffic accident Sunday afternoon near Mile 13 of the Glacier Highway adjacent to the Auke
Bay Ferry Terminal.
Capital City Fire Rescue
was notified at about 2:30.
As the result of the two car collision, three people were transported to the hospital for further evaluation of injuries.
Police say all were complaining of pain.
One vehicle sustained an estimated $5,000 damage. The other was totaled.
One driver was cited for failure to yield. As he was turning in to the ferry terminal, he pulled in front of the other vehicle.
Fatal accident on Kenai Peninsula claims life of child, infant in critical condition
One child was killed and an infant critically injured in a two vehicle accident on the Kenai Peninsula's Sterling Highway Saturday morning.
The accident occurred at about 5:30 at Miles Post 38 near the "Y", according to Greg Wilkinson of the State Troopers
The
investigation determined a 1996 Ford Minivan operated by 36 year old Retha Williams was headed northbound when she hit black ice, making her lose control and
slid sideways into the southbound lane colliding with a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Eleven year old Cassie Williams, one of the passengers in the mini-van, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Chris
Targonsky, 14, Anthony Folkes, 16 and 6 month old Adam Williams were transported to Central Peninsula General Hospital. The infant was later medivaced to Providence
in Anchorage and was last reported in critical condition.
All are residents of Nikiski
The driver of the other vehicle, 53 year old Dean Eichholz and his passenger, 55 year old Patricia
Eichholz, 55 years suffered minor injuries. They are residents of Soldotna.
Alcohol is not considered to be a factor. Investigation is continuing.
Inmate found dead in
Ketchikan, foul play not suspected
The death of an inmate at the Ketchikan Correctional Center is under investigation.
William H. Kennedy, 41, of Klawock was found dead in his cell Saturday morning.
He was found unconscious and not breathing and transported to Ketchikan General Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
State Troopers report the cause of the inmate's death is unknown at this time. He was alone in his cell at the time of his death and foul play is not suspected.
Troopers are now awaiting the results of an autopsy by the State Medical Examiner as the investigation continues.
Ketchikan man arrested for OxyContin
KETCHIKAN (AP) - Authorities say a Ketchikan man is facing drug charges.
Police say a Ketchikan Correctional Center officer last Thursday reported seeing two people in a pickup truck aboard the airport ferry smoking something through a straw.
Ketchikan police officers stopped the 1989 Toyota truck on Tongass Avenue. The passenger in the truck, 30-year-old Erik J.
Kantrud, was charged with misconduct involving a controlled substance and held without bail.
Police say they found 48 OxyContin pills, 176 valium and 38 Xanax pills on him, as well as drug paraphernalia in the truck.
Police are continuing to investigate.
Village of Kaktovik loses electrical power in blizzard
KAKTOVIK (AP) - Residents in the village of Kaktovik are without power today.
The village lost power at about 5 p-m yesterday in a blizzard that drove temperatures to 60-below.
The village school had power for a few hours after that, but it too lost power at about 10 p.m.
Residents now are seeking shelter in the village's heavy equipment maintenance building, because it has its own power source which is still up and running.
Officials say a C-130 plane from Kulis Air National Guard Base in Anchorage is headed to Barrow to pick up equipment and technicians to fix the power plant. From there, the plane is expected to go to Kaktovik and arrive at about 2 p-m.
However, the weather does not look promising. Jim
Butchart, deputy director of emergency management in the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, says there's a very real possibility the plane will not get to Kaktovic today. He says the situation is NOT life-threatening.
The cause of the breakdown isn't known. The village is located on the Beaufort Sea, more than 600 miles northeast of Anchorage.
Youth activity program funding applications now being accepted by CBJ
The City and Borough of Juneau Parks and Recreation Department is requesting proposals for the funding of youth activity programs.
Director Kim Kiefer says the program to open to public or private non-profit organizations.
The deadline is Tuesday, March 1st.
Grant applications are available at the Parks and Recreation Department at City Hall.
Fluoride panel working to come up with decision
Up to this point, the Juneau Fluoride Study Commission
has been taking testimony, now the panel is the process of formulating recommendations.
The panel, which met Saturday, has not reached any final conclusions, according to Commission Chair Bart
Rozell. He says they're still in the process of formulating some options.
One of the issues is the National Academy of Sciences report coming out in May.
He says there is some consensus that, before the commission takes any final action, that they ought to see what
the study has to say.
However, Rozell says the panel will make an initial recommendation and then wait for the release of the study before it takes any final action.
Fluoride was removed from the city's water supply last year to determine whether it was causing the leaching of copper in residential pipes.
The medical community wasn't notified when the city stopped adding fluoride.
That led to complaints from some doctors and dentists and fluoride was again added to the city's drinking water.
The commission is scheduled to meet again January 18th.
Snowmachiners have mishap preparing trail
ANCHORAGE (AP) - A group of snowmachiners preparing a
trail for this weekend's Copper Basin 300 had a serious mishap.
Three of them broke through thin ice on Paxson Lake and plunged into water over their heads.
The three soaked riders swam and crawled their way to solid ice, and then spent hours trying to stay warm with a small fire.
The snowmachiners left early Saturday to mark the trail, which begins and ends in
Glennallenn. Many of the stakes set out earlier had fallen over and been covered by snow.
Early yesterday morning the group was looking for the old trail when they headed toward where the lake empties into Gulkana River.
After finally getting through to an operator on the one working cell phone they had, Alaska State Troopers rescued the group with a helicopter about 7 a-m yesterday.
While cold, none of the snowmachiners was injured.
Weather allows more cleanup work at spill site
ANCHORAGE(AP) - The weather off the coast of Unalaska Island continues to favor a salvage team tackling fuel removal from the broken Selendang Ayu.
Calm weather yesterday (Sunday) allowed the team to remove nearly 10-thousand gallons of fuel mixed with water from the soybean freighter.
More than eight-thousand gallons was removed on Saturday.
Petty Officer Thomas McKenzie says the total fuel and water removed now stands at more than 35-thousand gallons.
Crews planned to go out again today, but the weather is expected to worsen later in the week.
Bad weather has hampered the cleanup effort since the Selendang Ayu went hard aground and split in two December 8th.
Most of the estimated 442-thousand gallons of fuel once on the boat is believed lost.
Trial of rape suspect in Anchorage starting up
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Jury selection is set to get under way today (Monday) in the trial of a 23-year-old Anchorage man accused of serial rapes.
Terral Wright opted to go before a jury after rejecting a 20-year plea bargain Friday.
Wright -- who was arrested in October 2002 -- is accused of lying in wait inside a woman's home, attacking her when she arrived home, tying her up and repeatedly sexually assaulting her after covering her head with a small rug so she couldn't see him.
According to police accounts, the victim recognized Wright's voice and identified him as the boyfriend of a friend. When police searched Wright's home they found clothing the victim said she had been wearing at the time of the attack.
A month later, a grand jury returned a 22-count indictment against Wright that included eight counts of first-degree sexual assault. It named two other alleged victims who reported being similarly attacked earlier that year, before the original complainant.
Appeals court questions molester's sentence
ANCHORAGE (AP) - The Alaska Court of Appeals has ordered an Anchorage judge to either reduce the sentence of an Eagle River man convicted of molesting three girls -- or justify the sentence.
The appeals court says Ted Beard earned 15 years in prison but perhaps not the extra three years tacked on by Superior Court Judge Mike
Wolverton.
Beard pleaded no contest to three counts of sexual abuse of a minor and was sentenced last year to 18 years in prison.
In its ruling last week, the appellate court said the benchmark sentence for a first offender convicted of aggravated sex abuse is ten to 15 years.
Judges may impose harsher sentences, but must explain why a particular defendant deserves more time than other people who commit the same crime.
2004 a booming year for Ketchikan tourism
KETCHIKAN (AP) - Tourism made for a very good year in Ketchikan in 2004.
About 903-thousand people visited the Southeast town last year. That's almost ten percent more visitors than in
2003, according to the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau.
Ketchikan Gateway Borough sales
figures reveal tourists spent more than 100 (m) million dollars between April and September, including more than 37 (m) million dollars on jewelry alone. And this year is expected to be even better.
The Northwest CruiseShip Association says scheduled ships will make an estimated 530 port calls and have the ability to bring almost 900-thousand passengers to Ketchikan.
Last year, nearly 867-thousand cruise passengers visited the town.
Fire causes 80-thousand in damage to duplex
ANCHORAGE (AP) - The Anchorage Fire Department says a fire caused 80-thousand dollars in damage to a south Anchorage duplex.
Officials say a tenant yesterday morning reported smoke billowing from an apartment in the building in the 37-hundred block of east 112th Avenue.
The fire apparently began in the chimney chase -- the narrow area surrounding the chimney.
Four people live in the duplex. One was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.
Fire officials recommend that homeowners get their chimneys cleaned annually.
Anchorage completes block heater program
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Anchorage has completed its engine block heater program for this winter.
The city says the last available appointment to have a block heater installed was filled on January 4th.
Officials say this winter over 22-hundred block heaters were installed in Anchorage vehicles. Vehicle owners were able to get block heaters installed for just 25 dollars.
The block heater program has operated for the past three winters and is expected to return again this fall.
The program is using federal money earmarked for air quality improvement projects. Approximately 400-thousand dollars was spent on the program this winter.
Lady Crimson Bears grab two wins from Golden Bears
The Juneau Douglas High School Lady Crimson Bears won the "Battle of the Bears" over the weekend in Juneau.
Juneau defeated the team from Bartlett of Anchorage 73 to 27 Friday night and 52 to 35 Saturday night.
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