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Man arrested after crashing his car into
fence at Governor's Mansion
A Juneau man was arrested Monday morning after driving his SUV into the
front fence of Governors' Mansion.
27 year-old Robert E. Riggs was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
Police say Riggs' blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit of
point zero-eight.
After hitting the fence, Riggs parked his Chevy Blazer in the Mansion's
driveway on Calhoun Street, where he was taken into custody.
The fence sustained about $500 damage and Riggs' Blazer about $1000 in
damage.
Riggs was booked into Lemon Creek Correctional Facility with bail set at
$1000.
Legislature gavels into session
The second session of the 23rd Alaska Legislature convened Monday morning.
Members of Juneau's legislative delegation say they know exactly what the focus
of the session will
be.
Senator Kim Elton says the focus will be money, where we get it,
and how we spend it. Downtown Representative Beth Kerttula agrees with
Elton's assessment.
Valley Representative Bruce Weyhrauch says the main focus for him will be
trying to implement measures that close the fiscal gap.
He thinks the main job is to educate both the public and lawmakers on the
proposed percent of market value program. In conjunction with that he also
wants to work on what he calls "up front pricing." That way, he
adds, people would know what the money would be used for if the program was
approved.
Senator Elton agrees that the percent of market value program will be the
main focus. He doesn't believe there will be a lot of impetus for taxes in
an election year. He believes there are public officials who really believe
the preferred solution for bridging the fiscal gap is getting at the
earnings of the Permanent Fund.
House blocks override vote on veto
of Longevity Bonus program
The State House of Representatives will not allow a motion to override the
Governor's veto of the Longevity Bonus to come to the floor.
That word from Speaker Pete Kott during a press availability Monday morning.
He said its an issue that's behind them and to bring it up now would be a
waste of time. He says they have polled their members and there's not enough
votes to bring the issue up for an override session.
The House voted on majority - minority lines, 11 to 27, this afternoon,
against bringing up the override.
Minority Whip Beth Kerttula of Juneau is not surprised by the majority's
stance. She thinks its a sad thing that the matter won't get considered.
Democrats in both bodies pre-filed legislation to fund the Longevity bonus
program next fiscal year.
GCI equipment problem effects
downtown and Douglas
Cable and Internet service provided by GCI to the Capital City was down
Monday morning.
Company official David Morris says service in the downtown area and Douglas
were impacted at about 10:30.
An equipment failure is cited as the cause. Morris says water in node six of
the network system led to the failure.
Morris estimated about 35-hundred customers were affected.
Gavel to Gavel coverage of the opening sessions of the Legislature was
effected.
Taxi cab driver stabbing remains
under investigation
Juneau Police continue to look for the man and woman involved in the
stabbing of taxi cab driver Eric Drake last Wednesday night.
Captain Tom Porter says they are in the process yet of processing evidence
and following up leads.
He says they are receiving a fair number of calls from citizens and
encourage additional calls.
If you have any info you can call Crime Line and remain anonymous. That number is
586-4243.
Juneau Cab is offering a $500 reward for the arrest and conviction of the
suspects.
Tee Harbor water line money on
Assembly agenda
An ordinance up for public hearing and action at tonight's (Monday) Assembly meeting
appropriates nearly $491,000 as partial funding for construction of a new
water line to north Tee Harbor.
This money comes in the form of a state DEC grant and would underwrite
construction of about 16,000 feet of new waterline from Point Stephens Road
to Cohen Drive. The money was re-appropriated by the Legislature from the
completed Lena Point Reservoir project. Bond financing was also approved by
voters in 2002.
City Manager Rod Swope says the plan calls for doing this work in
conjunction with reconstruction of the roadway in the area by the state. In
addition to convenience, Swope says this will also result in a cost savings.
The city is waiting to proceed, but won't until the state is ready.
Its anticipated a bid for phase one of the project will be awarded in the
Spring. Phase two, calling for extension of the service to homeowners in the
area, is expected in 2005.
Another ordinance up for action tonight amends the traffic code regarding
speeding in a school zone.
City Manager Rod Swope calls it a housekeeping measure. It will make city
code consistent with state regulation.
As a result, fine money would go to the city's general fund rather than
state coffers.
The Assembly meeting begins at 7 p.m. in Assembly Chambers at City Hall.
Anchorage woman escapes sexual
assault
Anchorage police say a young woman escaped an attempted sexual assault on a
city trail.
Police say a man tried to assault the 18-year-old woman yesterday morning as
she walked along the wooded trail.
The woman told police the man grabbed her and cut her on the face and chest
before she got away.
Police official Ron McGee says the woman ran to a nearby home.
The attacker is described as a heavyset white man about five-feet-nine
inches tall. He had dark hair, dark eyes, sideburns, bushy eyebrows and a
dimple in his chin.
Police say the man was wearing a brown leather jacket, blue jeans, a dark
knit cap and dark gloves.
Snowmachiner killed in Kenai Peninsula
accident
Alaska State Troopers say a 36-year-old Ninilchik man died over the weekend
in a snowmobile crash.
Troopers say Greg Lee took his machine out Saturday night and his wife
called friends at seven-30 Sunday morning when he had not returned.
Troopers say Lee was found near Mile Three of Oil Well Road in Ninilchik.
Investigators say Lee apparently had been traveling west at a high rate of
speed when he attempted to move from the roadway to a trail.
Troopers say Lee hit a snow berm on the south side of the road, became
airborne and crashed 35 feet later.
The snowmobile then hit a tree and continued for 80 feet before coming to
rest on its top.
Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash.
Alaska flying to Dutch Harbor
Alaska Airlines began flying to Dutch Harbor again Saturday after days of
canceling flights there from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
Greg Witter of Alaska Airlines says a backlog of 550 passengers had been
stranded due to bad weather. Many of those stranded were fishing industry
workers.
Witter didn't know how many got out on the three flights that left yesterday
(Saturday). The type of 737 that Alaska Airlines flies to the Aleutians
holds about 112 passengers.
Witter says a malfunctioning navigation aid at the Dutch Harbor airport has
exacerbated weather problems.
He says without it, you need great weather to fly.
If the weather holds, the airline hopes to get all its stranded passengers
out by Monday.
Wood chipping operation closes on
Homer Spit
A Kenai Peninsula wood chip operation is shutting down at the end of this
month.
Gates Construction, which runs the Homer Spit operation, has told the city
of Homer it's closing up shop due to poor markets and dwindling supplies of
salable trees.
The decision brings to a close a logging boom on the western peninsula that
began in 1992 because of high timber prices.
The logging accelerated over the next 10 years to keep pace with a
tree-killing epidemic of bark beetles.
Loggers cleared 120-thousand acres of virgin, but often spindly, spruce
forest.
State figures show wood products employment on the peninsula rose from 35 in
1992 to a peak of 190 in 1998.
State and industry officials say more than 90 percent of the trees were
shipped out across the Homer Spit, either as round logs or chips.
Mad Cow hindering mushers
Alaska and Canadian mushers are coping with restrictions on beef because of
a case of mad cow disease found in a Washington herd.
Canadian officials last week relaxed some restrictions that were placed on
Alaska mushers.
As it stands now, mushers will be allowed to use dry dog food that contains
no beef products, as well as other non-beef foods such as chicken and
turkey.
That's an improvement over the blanket prohibition that was placed on
mushers December 24th. That prohibition banned all American pet food -- beef
or no beef.
But the remaining restriction represents a logistical and competitive
nightmare for Alaska mushers.
Organizers of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race in Whitehorse have
written the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Ottawa asking for ideas on
how to improve the situation.
Mushers and race officials are hoping the Canadian government will issue
mushers permits to allow the use of beef before the January 23rd to 24th.
That's the deadline for food drops at checkpoints along the race route.
Whitehorse prison goes smoke free
The Yukon Territory's only prison is going smoke-free.
Guards at the Whitehorse Correctional Center are getting training in how
best to deal with cranky inmates forced to give up cigarettes sometime in
the next two months.
Prison superintendent Sharon Hickey says the decision to make the jail
smoke-free was made after plans to build a new jail, where smoking would
have been forbidden, were scuttled.
Hickey says both staff and inmates have complained about smoke in the
37-year-old jail.
James Barnes, a member of the prison's inmate committee, is a member of the
panel that helped develop the plan. He says the ban won't completely
eradicate cigarettes from the prison. There's always the black market.
The black markets in lockups force prices up significantly.
Barnes says he's heard of single cigarettes selling for anywhere between
five and ten dollars, and lighters changing hands for 20 dollars.
(Copyright ©2003
Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio)
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