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Murkowski
orders reorganization to accommodate homeland security
Governor Murkowski is trying to beef up homeland security by reorganizing
the state's Military and Veterans Affairs Department.
He announced today that he's putting five employees from other state
departments under the direct supervision of the head of homeland security.
Those employees are already working on homeland security issues in other
departments, including Public Safety, Health and Social Services and
Environmental Conservation.
They'll remain employees of the original departments, but will report on a
daily basis to the homeland security office in Military and Veterans
Affairs.
Murkowski says the Military and Veterans Affairs Department previously had
only a start-up level office of homeland security with a staff of three.
The governor made the change through an administrative order.
Air National Guard chief detained
in Quatar
The new head of the Alaska Air National Guard will be staying in Quatar a
little longer than expected.
Colonel Tim Scott had been scheduled to return to Alaska at the beginning
of December, but his deployment has been expanded to six months.
Scott is commanding two-thousand active duty, reserve and National Guard
troops at a U-S military base there.
Fishermen rescued off of Kodiak
Five fishermen are safe after they were rescued from a life raft over the
weekend as their boat sank near Two Headed Island about 75 miles southwest
Kodiak.
The Coast Guard says a Jayhawk helicopter crew rescued two of the
fishermen Saturday night before a crewmember noticed the hoisting cable
was frayed. The Coast Guard crew waited overhead while more help arrived.
The other three fishermen and a rescue swimmer were taken on board a Good
Samaritan vessel, the Heritage, which responded to the Coast Guard's
urgent marine broadcast asking for help.
The Coast Guard says the men are all in good condition.
Petty Officer Daniel Peznell says the crew of the 58-foot Sunrunner
radioed a distress call about 5-30 p-m Saturday. The boat was taking on
water in 12-foot seas whipped by 30-knot east winds.
Along with the helicopter, the Coast Guard sent out a C-130 Hercules to
serve as a communications platform.
Shooting of man near Selawik
believed accidental
Alaska State Troopers say a man found at a shelter cabin near the village
of Selawik appears to have accidentally shot himself to death.
Troopers say 42-year-old Alfred Ballot Sr. of Deering was found lying face
down in the snow Saturday night. Troopers say there was no sign of a
struggle and all of Ballot's valuable were in tact.
Investigators think Ballot was traveling on his snowmachine with his rifle
slung over his left shoulder or in his left hand when he ran into a steep
embankment and fell forward. Troopers think the rifle struck the running
board of the snowmachine, causing the gun to go off.
Ballot suffered a fatal bullet wound to the chest. The body was
transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Anchorage for
autopsy.
Hiker hurt near glacier
An injured hiker at Mendenhall Glacier was aided by Capital City Fire and
Rescue Sunday morning.
Captain Ed Quinto says they the call came in from the man's cell phone at
10:45 on the 9-1-1 line. Eight members of Capital City Fire and Rescue
responded to the scene about one mile off the road system along the shore
of Mendenhall Lake.
The 47 year old man was treated on scene and carried to an ambulance. He
was transported to the hospital for the injury to his right lower leg.
Marine Park project and ski trail
among Assembly agenda items
An ordinance up for action at tonight's Assembly meeting authorizes the
issuance of $6.165 Million in revenue bonds for the Steamship Wharf -
Marine Park Project.
The bonds will be issued through the Alaska Bond Bank for a term of four
years. The current interest rate for similar bonds is about 3 point 25
percent.
Another ordinance appropriates $581,400 to the project needed to help pay
for higher than expected costs to construct the structural piling and the
deck surface. Also included in the appropriation are the bond issue costs
of about $110,000
An appropriation of $25,000 for development of a Nordic ski trail at
Eaglecrest is on the agenda.. Proponents say the plan may also help Juneau
as it seeks to host the Arctic Winter Games in 2006.
Resolution on runway safety area
before Assembly
A resolution on tonight's Assembly agenda urges the Federal Aviation
Administration to consider a better approach to runway safety areas at
Juneau International Airport.
The current proposal to increase the runway safety area is accomplished by
decreasing the landing area. The city claims a shortened landing area will
reduce availability in marginal weather, require lighter cargoes and
generally degrade access.
Assembly to decide how to handle
Tenth and Egan project appeal
The Assembly will decide at tonight's meeting how to address an appeal of
a Planning Commission decision on the Tenth and Egan intersection project
designed jointly by the city and state. The project includes the bridge.
The Juneau Freewheelers Bicycle Club lodged the appeal earlier this month.
The Assembly must first decide whether it will accept the appeal. If it
does, it then must decide whether to hear the appeal itself or appoint a
hearing officer.
The Floyd Dryden renovation schematic design approval is before the
Assembly tonight under unfinished business.
Couch falling from state truck
causes accident
A couch was involved in a traffic
accident on Egan this morning.
Police Sergeant Ben Coronell says they were notified shortly after eight
a.m. that a couch had fallen out of a state truck at about the four mile
point inbound on Egan Drive.
A 1995 Honda Civic that was behind the truck hit the couch, but no damage
was reported to the vehicle. The left rear tire went flat as the police
officer was talking to the driver.
The driver of the truck was cited for depositing material on the highway.
The couch was reportedly being moved to a legislative office in advance of
the start of next week's session.
Legislative leaders believe
education will be a chief focus of session
Education and how to fund it in rural areas will be one focus of the next
legislative session.
That's the view of Juneau Senator Kim Elton. He says that will include the
results of a study on the cost of education in rural areas. Elton says
there's a real push for unorganized parts of the state to organize and
help foot the cost of education in their areas.
Elton is a member of the Democratic minority, but a powerful member of the
majority agrees with his assessment.
Gary Wilken, a Republican from Fairbanks who co-chairs the powerful Senate
Finance Committee, says education will likely be on everyone's mind.
He says lawmakers will also be hearing from constituents about high school
exit exams which will finally be enforced next year.
And like other states, Alaska is still sorting out how the sweeping
federal ``No Child Left Behind'' Act will affect schools.
New semester starts at UAS
The Spring Semester started at the University of Alaska Southeast this
morning.
Chancellor John Pugh said during his weekly program on KINY this morning
that there is still time to register. Late registration will continue all
this week, he says.
A new addition to the school in time for the Spring Semester is the Egan
Library classroom addition.
That was the scene of the Scholarship Soiree Saturday night. The
chancellor says about 300 attended the fundraising event.
High school home building team to
defend national title
Juneau Douglas High School is defending is National Residential
Construction Team championship in Las Vegas this year.
That's the site of this year's International Home Builder's Show sponsored
by the National Home Builder's Association.
The team won the championship during the competition in Dallas last year.
Team member John Wagner explained on KINY's Capital Chat this morning that
this year's problem is a two story residential home which is 19-hundred
and 30 square in size.
The team coach is high school teacher Craig Mapes. He says the students
have made a couple of dry runs so far, including one to their parents.
Another is planned to Jensen, Yorba, Lott Architects Wednesday afternoon
after school. He says the architects were very helpful in preparing for
last year's presentation.
The team leaves Saturday for Las Vegas and makes its presentation Monday.
Ocean conference underway in
Anchorage
Hundreds of scientists are gathered this week in Anchorage for a five-day
ocean research conference. The conference will provide data on killer
whales, sea lions, fisheries, salmon stocks, climate change and the
oceanography of the Gulf of Alaska.
Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio News) |
