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Lobbyists leave Juneau with a long list
of projects for funding
City and Borough of Juneau officials huddled with their Washington, D. C.
lobbyists in town this week.
John Roots and Don Norden had a work session with the Assembly Wednesday.
City Manager Rod Swope says the funding for the Second Channel Crossing
continues to top their list. And he says they were advised by the lobbyists
that project probably ranks second only to the bridge that would connect
Ketchikan with its airport on Gravina Island.
The lobbyists joined Swope in meetings with all other city agencies to
identify possible projects for funding. Those projects include a helicopter
landing pad at the hospital and various airport, road, trail and bridge
projects.
Swope figures there's in excess of $150 Million in requests. He says it will
now be his job to figure out what's possible and put them in a priority
order.
State
ordered to negotiate on fast ferry hiring
An agency has ordered the state to negotiate with a ferry union over hiring
a crew for the new state ferry Fairweather.
The Alaska Labor Relations Agency ruled that the state committed an unfair
labor practice by not negotiating with the union about workers for the
Fairweather.
The dispute focused on labor for the Fairweather, now nearing completion at
an East Coast shipyard. The 250-passenger catamaran is scheduled to start
service in May, and will operate as a Juneau-based day boat to Haines,
Skagway and Sitka.
Late last August, the state notified the ferry union that the state would
handle labor representation for Fairweather crew members differently than it
does for crew on other marine highway system ferries.
The ferry system's shipboard personnel are represented by three unions. The
state wanted to establish a single, separate bargaining unit for Fairweather
crew members.
Group looking for solutions to tourism
problems meets this weekend
Collaboration Juneau has scheduled a meeting for this Saturday as it
continues in its efforts to find lasting solutions tot he problems created
by tourism.
Steering Committee Co Chairs Paula Terrel and Todd Saunders were guests on
KINY's Capital Chat this morning.
The Assembly initially granted $46,000 last year and the group is requesting
another $50,000 from the Assembly.
Terrel says the process is open to all. A briefing will be held for
newcomers to the process from 8 to 9 Saturday. The meeting is from9 to 3 at
the Aspen Hotel.
New high school subject of neighborhood
meeting
The City and Borough of Juneau is sponsoring a neighborhood community
meeting regarding the proposed new Valley high school tonight.
The meeting is an opportunity for city officials to provide information
about the school, the site, and to allow people living adjacent to the
proposed school near Dimond Park, to voice any concerns, according to
Superintendent Peggy Cowen.
She says this is one of a continuing series of meetings for members of the
neighborhood.
Tonight's' meeting gets started at 6-30 at Riverbend Elementary School.
Cope Park master plan subject of
meeting
CBJ Parks and Recreation Department has scheduled a public meeting tonight
(Thursday) to discuss the Master Plan for the Cope Park Area.
There are four alternative layouts.
Briefly, layout "A" will renovate the three main entrances into the park. The
trail along the south and southwest sides of the park will be made into a
gravel path and connected to the rest of the park.
Layout "B" will also redo the trail system. The parking lot is the same as
Layout A but provides a little more room for a drop-off area. The tennis
courts will move to the upper terrace area.
Layout "C" will remove the parking in front of the tennis courts and add some
parking in other areas. Flowers and shrubs will be planted in front of the
tennis courts.
Layout "D" will expand the parking along the West Side to incorporate more
spaces. A section of trees will need to be removed in order to expand the
parking. The parking in front of the tennis courts will be removed, but six
new spaces will be created.
The four alternatives are described in detail on the city's website at www.Juneau.org
click on the Parks Department.
Tonight's' meeting starts at 7 in the Assembly Chambers.
New gate use agreement okayed by
Juneau Airport directors
The Airport Board of Directors last night approved the final draft of the
perimeter gate use agreement and the installation of a new access card
system at two gates
Patty deLaBruere of the Airport Manager's Office says its anticipated the
system will be operational within the next few weeks to a month. After that
time, both systems will operate together before the present system is
deleted.
The board did not take action on the budget addition of $20,000 for the
purchase of a mobile unit to house the weather station. deLaBruere says the
motion was deferred pending receipt of additional information.
The weather office is currently in the terminal, but federal inspection
services, which includes Customs, has to expand. In conjunction with the
need to relocate airport security to accommodate baggage screening,
deLaBruere says they are completely out of space in the terminal.
She says the board may take up the budget request again next month.
Girl escapes abduction in Anchorage
Anchorage police say a 10-year-old girl foiled two men who attempted to
snatch her off an Anchorage street.
The incident occurred yesterday morning in the Fairview neighborhood.
Police say the girl came away with a good description of the men.
Police say the two men tried abduct the girl shortly after 8-30 a-m. The
girl normally walks to school with her brother, but he was sick, so the girl
was alone.
When one of the men tried to pull her into the truck through an open door,
the girl dodged him, ducked behind a large trash receptacle and ran back
home to tell her mother.
The girl also was able to provide police with a good description of the
truck.
Another suspect in shooting of Air
Force cop now in custody
Anchorage police say the third suspect in the drive-by shooting and death of
an Elmendorf airman has turned herself in. Police say the woman is
17-year-old Dorian Dixon, indicted in the death of Crystal Saint Auburn in
November.
Dixon flew back to Anchorage from Maryland on Wednesday, where she had fled
with her boyfriend, 20-year-old Steven Hinshaw, who prosecutors say fatally
shot Crystal Saint Auburn on November 25th.
Police say Dixon rolled down her window, and leaned back in her seat, so
Hinshaw could fire at Saint Auburn, who was a passenger in another car.
The two other suspects are in jail
Railroad conference set for Juneau today
The chairs of the Transportation Committees in the state Senate and House are
sponsoring a conference Thursday to promote an Alaska-Canada rail connection.
Anchorage Senator John Cowdery says the goal of the conference in Juneau is
to increase awareness of the project, particularly as it relates to
construction of an Alaska Highway natural gas pipeline.
Governor Murkowski will address the session.
Cowdery says the focus of the conference will be on how best to proceed with
completing what's called ``the last transcontinental railroad.''
Approximately a thousand miles separate the end of the Alaska Railroad near
Eielson Air Force Base outside Fairbanks with the northern limits of the
British Columbia Railroad at Fort Nelson.
An afternoon session will feature panels exploring environmental,
permitting, military and resource factors.
Telecommunications firm undergoing
changes
Alaska Communications Systems is reshaping itself.
The Anchorage Daily News says the Anchorage-based company is shifting its
focus to customers instead of products, in an attempt to move the company
toward profitability.
Liane Pelletier is the company's new chief executive. She says the company's
management structure has been changed to break down the walls between its
operating units.
That means A-C-S Local, A-C-S Wireless, A-C-S Internet and A-C-S Long
Distance are gone. Pelletier says all those groups will now work together
under management units focused selling all of what A-C-S has to offer.
A-C-S is the state's largest local phone company. It was created in 1999,
but has lost money every year since it first sold stock to the public in
1999.
Juneau rain sets record Wednesday
There was a record rainfall for the date in Juneau Wednesday.
Meteorologist Kimberly Vaughn in the Juneau Forecast Office says there was
an accumulation of one point 31 at the airport. She says that broke the
previous record of one point 06 inches set in 1965.
Lady Bears lose to Wasilla
The JDHS women Bears lost their basketball game in Wasilla last night 52 to
41.
They begin play tonight at the East Tournament in Anchorage when they meet
Lathrop of Fairbanks. The tourney continues through Saturday.
The men host Wasilla in Juneau Friday and Saturday nights. Tip off on KINY
both nights is 8 p.m.
Salvation Army back in doughnut
business in Alaska
The Salvation Army is getting back into the doughnut business with the help
of retail partner Fred Meyer.
Boxes of Salvation Army doughnuts are available at Fred Meyer stores in
Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Oregon. Proceeds support Salvation Army social
service programs.
A Seattle team of Salvation Army staff and volunteers revived the doughnuts,
which were originally served to American soldiers in World War One.
Starbucks to premiere in Paris
Just say oui. Almost six years after it began establishing itself in
Europe, the Starbucks Corporation is about to open its first store in Paris.
The doors open to the public tomorrow at the first of ten branches planned
in Paris in the next year.
But in a country where people still like their coffee to be black, bitter,
and above all, cheap, the corporation admits it may take a while to make
ends meet.
Starbucks C-E-O Howard Schultz tells The Associated Press that research
shows the French remain skeptical about whether coffee from America can
``measure up.'' He predicts curiosity will bring them in.
Starbucks hasn't revealed their prices in Paris yet. They say only that
prices will reflect the local market conditions.
(Copyright ©2003
Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio)
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