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Thunder Mountain
High School evacuated after natural gas odor reported
A suspected natural gas leak caused the evacuation of Thunder
Mountain High School at about 2-15 Friday afternoon.
After the fire department gave the all clear, students and staff returned
to school a few minutes after 3 p.m.
Tests of the air
conducted by Capital City Fire Rescue did not detect any natural
gas.
Students and staff were evacuated
and housed for about a 45 minutes at the Diamond Park Field
House and Riverbend Elementary School Gymnasium.
There were no injuries.
Observance for
Dr. King planned at St. Paul's
Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior's birthday will be formally
observed in Juneau Monday at 2 p.m. at St Paul's Catholic Church
in the Valley.
Since the holiday is designated as a "day of service",
Sherry Patterson of the Black Awareness Association said on KINY's
Capital Chat Friday that they explored ideas on what they
could do.
They decided to ask for financial contributions from residents to
provide clothes and diapers for children in need.
Contributions collected at the observance will go to LOVE INC for
disbursement.
A video on the life and accomplishments of Dr. King will be
presented during Monday's observance.
For more information call 957-0630.
Feds
declare fisheries disaster for Yukon River
MARK THIESSEN - Associated Press Writer
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has
declared a fishery disaster because of low Chinook salmon returns
along Alaska's Yukon River.
Locke made the announcement Friday during an appearance in
Anchorage after informing Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell in a phone
call.
Locke said the 2008 commercial Chinook salmon harvest was 89
percent below the five-year average. There was no commercial
fishery allowed in 2009 because of low returns.
He says he knows Alaska fishermen and their families are
struggling.
The declaration does not open up federal money but could pave the
way for congressional appropriations.
Subsistence
news....
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Interior Department says it's
taking longer than expected to review management of subsistence
hunting and fishing.
Officials met yesterday with leaders of 10 regional subsistence
councils in Anchorage.
The Anchorage Daily News reports the councils want more local
decision-making and less bureaucracy.
An Interior Department official says it's not ready to recommend
changes.
---
The Federal Subsistence Board has approved research to look for
possible links between climate change and fishing patterns in
three regions of Alaska.
The research projects will take three-to-four years and cost
$930,000.
The Anchorage Daily News reports studies are planned in Bering
Strait villages, Northwest Alaska and along the Yukon River.
(Anchorage Daily News)
Native villages
appeal state's permit of Red Dog
MARY PEMBERTON - Associated Press Writer
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Two Alaska Native villages near the
world's largest zinc mine are challenging the mine's water
discharge permit, saying it is a license to pollute.
The Native villages of Kivalina and Point Hope are appealing the
Red Dog Mine permit certified by the state and issued Thursday by
the Environmental Protection Agency.
Village residents say the permit is putting their health at risk.
Enoch Adams of Kivalina says the village supports economic
development, but is very concerned how toxic chemicals, including
cyanide and ammonia, are affecting drinking water and fish.
Trish Rolfe, executive director for the law firm Trustees for
Alaska, says the new permit allows "mixing zones" that
allow Red Dog to put mining discharges into a stream residents use
for drinking water.
Alaskan thankful
to be alive after Haiti quake
MIAMI (AP) — It took Christa Brelsford's brother and their
friends nearly an hour and a half to dig her from the debris after
Haiti's powerful quake, her legs trapped by rubble when a building
collapsed.
But Brelsford is glad to be alive, even though her right leg had
to be amputated below the knee.
Brelsford was volunteering in Dabonne, south of Port-au-Prince,
Haiti, on an 11-day program to teach adult and child literacy when
the quake hit.
Airlifted to a South Florida hospital, she told reporters Thursday
that she was running down some stairs when she slipped and fell as
the building gave way. Her brother frantically began digging,
pulling her free.
Brelsford was among 11 injured survivors from Haiti flown to the
University of Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital on Wednesday.
Brelsford, a student at Arizona State University who grew up in
Alaska, said she is thankful to be alive.
She was transported to a United Nations peacekeeping base, where
she slept on the floor with about 100 other Haitian and American
survivors. Eventually she was flown to the hospital where her
right leg was amputated.
She says she is "so thankful to be alive, there are so many
ways in the past two days that I could have been dead."
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Information from: The Miami Herald
Sponsors of
abortion initiative report they have enough signatures
Sponsors of an initiative to require parental notification before
a teenage girl gets an abortion say they have enough signatures to
put the measure on the ballot.
The group "Alaskans for Parental Rights" says it
collected about 47-thousand signatures -- more than the nearly
33-thousand required.
Petition organizers scrambled in the final week to make sure
enough signatures were gathered in at least 30 of 40 house
districts.
The initiative is in response to an Alaska Supreme Court ruling
that found a parental consent law unconstitutional.
Justices said a law that requires only parental notification could
be viewed differently.
The State House passed a parental notification bill, but it
stalled in the Senate.
To appear on the ballot, the initiative petition must be delivered
before the Legislative session starts next Tuesday.
(KENI- Anchorage)
Anchorage police officer on the mend, while his shooter remains on
the loose
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Anchorage police say Officer Jason
Allen is still in the hospital and faces a long process of
repairing wound damage to his arms.
Investigators are still seeking tips to help find whoever shot
Allen.
He was ambushed last Saturday as he worked on paperwork in his
car.
Salcha man
charged with killing landlord placed under arrest
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A Salcha man has been charged with
first-degree murder in the death of his landlord.
An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for 31-year-old Joshua
Whiting after he allegedly confessed to the crime in a
conversation recorded by the woman with whom he shared the cabin.
He was arrested
later in the day at his residence.
The landlord, 54-year-old David McEachern, was found in a pool of
blood Dec. 8. He had been shot in the back of the head —
information Alaska State Troopers did not reveal until charges
were filed.
Court records include no motive for the killing.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
Anchorage police call man's death a homicide
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Police are calling the death of a man
in his home as the city's first homicide of 2010.
A woman called police Thursday after finding her husband dead on
the kitchen floor in South Anchorage. Police on Friday identified
the victim as 44-year-old Steven Hardies.
Police are not releasing the cause of death, but the woman
reported seeing bullet casings on the kitchen floor.
The woman told police she last saw her husband Thursday morning
before she went to work. She returned home after several
unsuccessful attempts to reach her husband by telephone.
Police looking
for leads in Community Charter School theft
Police are investigating a theft at the Juneau Community Charter
School.
Thursday morning at about 8:30, JPD received a report that the
School had been burglarized sometime during the night.
The interior door had been forced open and a small amount of cash
taken.
Police are asking that anyone with information to call JPD at
586-0600 or the Juneau Crime Line anonymously at 586-4243
Juneau
Crime Line looking for help in solving burglary
A burglary at a downtown business last weekend is the focus of the
most recent Juneau Crime Line.
Police Sergeant Dave Wrightson says they were notified Saturday,
January 10, at about 6:50 a. m. of the crime at the Seward Street
address.
He says the glass front door was smashed and numerous photography
related items were stolen.
Through investigation and witness accounts, the sergeant says it's
believed that two people entered the business.
The business burglarized in this case was Art Sutch Photography
and Digital Imaging.
Callers to Crime Line may remain anonymous and still be eligible
for a reward.
Sergeant Wrightson urges anyone with information to contact the
police department or call Crime Line at 586-4243.
Wrightson says he attended a recent Crime Line Board of Directors
were rewards of $1,000 and $100 were approved in two other cases.
So, he says, it does indeed pay to call Juneau Crime Line.
Guilty plea in
Soldotna drug death
KENAI, Alaska (AP) — A 24-year-old man who supplied the heroin
that killed another man has pleaded guilty to criminally negligent
homicide.
The Peninsula Clarion newspaper reported Friday that Thayr Watson
is expected to receive six years in prison at his his Feb. 10
sentencing.
Watson was charged in the death of Jason McCafferty, whose
lifeless body was found in the bathroom of a Soldotna grocery
store in August 2008. Authorities say he ingested heroin sold to
him by Watson.
Watson's attorney, Adam Bartlett, declined comment until after
next month's sentencing.
Soldotna police said Watson was tied to the death through
surveillance tapes, cell phone records and personal records.
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Information from: Peninsula Clarion
Cause of
Chena Ridge explosion still a mystery
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The Department of Public Safety
continues to offer few details about what caused Sunday's
explosion at a home on Chena Ridge — other than to say it did
not involve a meth lab.
The home of 20-year-old Dane Koponen was cordoned off and
secured after Alaska State Troopers found numerous hazardous
chemicals.
Authorities have declined to name the chemicals, but say the
public is not at risk.
Koponen suffered burns and has been listed in satisfactory
condition at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center since Monday.
He's the grandson of former state Rep. Niilo
Koponen.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
Woman taken into
custody after Anchorage standoff
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Anchorage police say a woman who
threatened to hurt herself and her 4-year-old daughter has been
taken into custody after holding authorities at bay for more than
two hours.
Lt. Dave Parker said a SWAT team was called out early Thursday
afternoon to the East 41st Court apartment building where the
woman lives.
Parker says police negotiators were called in and the woman agreed
to surrender at about 2:30 p.m.
Neither the woman nor her child was injured. The woman's name was
not immediately released.
Parker says police department policy dictates that a psychological
evaluation be conducted in such cases.
New chairlift to
be dedicated and reception planned for Eaglecrest
There are two special events planned for Eaglecrest this Saturday.
The new Black Bear chairlift at Eaglecrest will be officially
dedicated Saturday afternoon.
Later in the afternoon the Eaglecrest Board and the Eaglecrest
Foundation are hosting a reception to recognize contributors to
Black Bear Chairlift and to announce the new Books to Boards
program as well as the new fund raising campaign for the Porcupine
Chairlift.
The Books to Boards program is for fifty 6th and 7the graders at
both middle schools that participate in the reduced school lunch
program which indicates they may not have enough money to ski or
snow board at Eaglecrest.
If the students keep their grades and attendance up, they can ski
or snow board for free all season. The equipment will also be provided.
General Manager Kirk Duncan says it's an effort by the Eaglecrest
Foundation to open up the ski area to non-traditional users.
The Porcupine chairlift is from Aspen that was given to Eaglecrest
free of charge except for the costs of shipping.
The lift will replace the Platter Pull.
He says the lift will be friendlier for people learning to ski or
snowboard.
Duncan says the reception will celebrate recent improvements at
the city owned ski area that include the new mid- mountain
chairlift, road to the top on the mountain to service the
airport's weather station and converting and Ptarmigan Chairlift
to electric operation.
The Black Bear Chairlift will be dedicated at 3 Saturday afternoon
and the reception is at 4-30 at the ski lodge.
The public is invited to both events.
Snowmachine race to close Haines Highway
The Haines Highway will be closed from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Saturday.
The Alcan 200 Snowmobile Race will be utilizing the road during
those hours.
The road will be open from Haines to the border and closed in
Canada during the event.
Travelers will still be able to drive to the border, but can
expect delays while the race is ongoing.
Crimson Bears claw Golden Bears
in history making hockey contest
Alaska high school hockey history was made at the Treadwell Arena
Thursday night in
the Battle of the Bears, the Juneau Douglas Crimson Bears versus
the Bartlett Golden Bears of Anchorage.
It was the first time a Cook Inlet Conference team played a Juneau
team in hockey.
And to top it off Assistant Crimson Bears Coach Tom Rutecki says
Juneau won 5 to 3..
The Bears face off again Friday at 8 p.m.
Rutecki says these contests are providing a good tune up for two
league games against West Valley of Fairbanks Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday night's game starts at 7. Sunday's affair is a matinee
beginning at 1:45.
If Juneau Douglas wins both games, Rutecki says they'll take over
first place in the Mid Alaska League.
JDHS men's
basketball squad visiting Ketchikan
The men's basketball team at Juneau Douglas High School is in
Ketchikan this weekend.
Tip off both Friday and Saturday night is 7:15.
Friday's game will be broadcast on KINY.
Fairbanks
borough mayor promises air quality plan
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The Fairbanks North Star Borough
assembly unanimously approved an agreement with the state that
designates the borough as the lead agency in the effort to clear
the polluted winter sky.
Smoke from inefficient wood stoves is believed to be the No. 1
contributor to the problem that has put Fairbanks on the
Environmental Protection Agency's list of communities violating
fine particle pollution standards.
Borough Mayor Luke Hopkins told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner he
will introduce an air quality plan in the coming months.
He provided few hints about what the plan will contain, but said
it will have an education component.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
Bomb donated to
Kodiak museum goes out with a bang
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — A World War II relic which was displayed
outside a Kodiak bar for years turned out not to be a dud at all.
Soldiers on Wednesday detonated the 1,263-pound 'Deck-Busting'
aerial bomb on a remote area of the rifle range.
Radio station KMXT reports the bomb lost some of boom after 60
years, but it did go out with a bang.
The ordnance was recently donated to the Kodiak Military History
Museum by a local resident, but the museum director determined it
was more than just an interesting artifact.
Soldiers from the Fort Richardson Explosive Ordnance detail
inspected the bomb and determined it still had Dunnite, a highly
explosive material also known as "Explosive D."
They recorded the detonation and salvaged a piece of the "Da
Bomb," as it was known, for display at the museum.
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Information from: KMXT-FM
Bethel health
center closed for repairs
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — State officials say the Bethel Public
Health Center will be closed to the public while a septic tank
that collapsed is repaired.
The center is expected to be closed for up to two weeks.
Officials say the problem was discovered by janitors Tuesday
evening and resulted in the loss of plumbing service in the
building.
According to officials, engineers have determined that the center
staffers can safely work in the building despite the lack of
working restrooms.
Power outages are expected during repairs, so vaccines have been
relocated to the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation.
Officials say residents should call the center if they have
questions about health care options.
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