|
Alaskan
Brewery checking out Kmart site
The rumors started right after Kmart announced its Juneau store was among
those closings.
The rumors focused on who might move to occupy the space. A couple had it
that the Alaskan Brewing Company would consider moving there.
We put the question to the company's Kristi Monroe, who said they are
always keeping their options open. She says since industrial use zoned
property in Juneau is so limited, they are keeping their options open. So
she says the company is interested in taking a look at it.
She didn't know if the company has made any formal inquiries yet with
Kmart.
In addition to rumors there's been suggestions. They include putting city
hall there since its pretty close to the police station and an adjoining
parcel set aside for a possible new city hall in the future.
Another suggestion is put the new high school there. A second high school
is planned for Dimond Park.
Duran appeal rejected
The Juneau Planning Commission denied an appeal lodged by Duran
Construction during its meeting last night.
Community Development Director Dale Pernula says that means the compliance
officer's decision forbidding the storage and processing of material at
the Alaway Avenue site remains in effect. The officer determined the
company was operating a storage yard without a conditional use permit.
Attorneys for both sides presented legal arguments at last night's
meeting. Public testimony was taken at a previous meeting
The site is near the police station in the Lemon Creek area. Storage of
heavy equipment is not allowed in areas zoned general commercial, such as
the Duran site, and processing is prohibited, according to Pernula.
Pillars line-up announced
The Glacier Valley Rotary Club has lined up its Pillars of America Freedom
series speakers for this year.
Club President Max Mertz says former Air Force Pilot Brian Udell is the
speaker April 23rd. Udell holds the record for surviving the highest speed
ejection from a U. S. fighter aircraft at nearly 800 miles per hour.
The speaker April 30th is Jerry Traylor. Traylor is stricken by cerebral
palsy and is effectively paralyzed from the waste down. But regardless,
Mertz says Traylor runs marathons in less than five hours on his crutches.
He's run across the country and climbed Pike's Peak on his crutches
Former Olympic swimmer Diana Nyad is the speaker on May 7th. For
ten years she was the greatest long distance swimmer in the world. She did
that in 1979 by making the 102 point 5 mile swim from the island of Bimini
to Florida.
She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1986. She's now
a correspondent with ABC Sports.
In past years, the Rotary Club has always presented four speakers. But
Mertz says the speaker industry has really developed over recent years and
its becoming very expensive to bring people to Juneau.
Mertz says part of the reason was to minimize the cost and the other was
to make their task a bit easier.
The club's main object is to subject Juneau's youth to the guest speakers.
Mertz says they plan to ask for additional business contributions this
year so about fifty percent more youth can attend the luncheons.
Customary trade okayed by federal
panel
The Federal Subsistence Board adopted a regulation yesterday that allows
rural residents to trade or sell subsistence-caught fish among themselves
or to non-rural residents. The board voted unanimously in favor of the
customary trade measure, which bans commercial transactions involving
subsistence fish.
Second $100,000 dividend going to
Kodiak natives
Shareholders of a small Native corporation on Kodiak Island are getting a
second installment of a huge dividend.
Akhiok Kaguyak made the first 100-thousand
dollar payment to 147 shareholders last August after cashing out most of a
trust account. The second round of checks goes out today.
The trust fund was established under a 1991 amendment to the Alaska Native
Claims Settlement Act. It was funded by the 1995 sale of nearly
77-thousand acres of corporation land to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Trustee Council.
Board Chair Pauline O'Brien says more than five million dollars remain
in the trust account.
Cutter moving to Alaska
The Coast Guard Cutter Long Island is changing its home port from San
Diego to Valdez.
The 110 foot Long Island normally has a crew of 17. Chief Roger Wetherell
says its use in Alaska will go beyond the Port of Valdez. It will patrol
various regions of Alaska as it accomplishes a broad range of Coast Guard
assigned duties, he says.
Wetherell says the Coast Guard is constantly evaluating its requirements
to respond to different missions that include security of ports. In that
regard, he says its occasionally necessary to relocate vessels and other
assets. The home port change was also spurred by the recent addition of
two 87 foot patrol boats in San Diego.
Wetherell says the vessel is scheduled to begin its service in Alaska in
the Fall. The Long Island was commissioned in 1991.
Susitna dam idea resurrected by
Young
Congressman Don Young wants to resurrect plans to dam the Susitna River to
generate electricity.
The controversial Susitna dam project was first proposed back in the
1980s, before the state eventually dropped the idea.
Young told reporters yesterday that he wants to revive the project. He
says the project makes good economic sense. He says the dam project would
provide an abundant, cheap source of electricity that could attract
industry.
Cost estimates for the dam project back in the early '80s ran to more than
five billion dollars. The state spent more than 130 million
dollars studying the idea before abandoning the project.
When the project was first proposed, environmentalists and fishing
enthusiasts said it would threaten fish and wildlife habitat.
McQueen and sales manager cop plea
A former Juneau car dealer and his top sales manager have pleaded guilty
to federal charges they defrauded customers.
Thirty-six-year-old Curtis McQueen pleaded guilty Monday to one count of
mail fraud while 35-year-old Kenneth Hill pleaded guilty to a charge of
wire fraud.
Other charges against the two were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
They are scheduled to be sentenced in March.
Stidolph enters innocent plea
A 21-year-old Juneau woman has pleaded innocent to assault charges and
failure to render assistance at a December traffic accident.
Laura Stidolph also is charged with drunken driving, refusal to submit to
a breath test and disorderly conduct.
Stidolph has been free on five-thousand dollars bail. Her trial is set for
March 17th.
JPD investigates two accidents
Icy roads contributed to two accidents yesterday. (Tuesday)
Sergeant Ben Cornell says they were notified of the first accident just
after 10 a.m.
Their investigation revealed that the vehicle was traveling southbound on
Glacier Highway near the Auke Bay School going about 45 miles per hour in
a 35 mile per hour zone.
The vehicle fishtailed and headed into the curve in front of Auke Bay
School and continued to fishtail and swerve as the driver, trying to
regain control, over corrected --causing the vehicle to swerve off the
road where it hit a rock and flipped.
Cornell says the driver and his passenger received bumps and bruises. The
driver was later cited for careless driving. Damage to the vehicle was
estimated at $7,000.
The second accident occurred just before 1-30 in the afternoon.
Sergeant Cornell says a 2002 Jeep Liberty inbound on Glacier Highway by
Davis Avenue began to lose control and spun out into oncoming traffic,
striking a 2002 Dodge Durango pick-up.
Both drivers received bumps and bruises. Their vehicles didn't turn out as
well. The Jeep Liberty received $2,000 in damage and the Durango truck
about $5,000 in damage. The driver of the Jeep was cited for careless
driving.
State House majority members to
meet Sunday to reorganize
Lisa Murkowski's appointment to the U. S. Senate left another hole besides
her State House seat in District 18. House Republicans will now have to
pick a new majority leader.
Republicans will meet to reorganize this coming Sunday. That could result
in even more changes, especially in committee assignments, but also in
other leadership roles.
Anchorage Representative Lesil McGuire says the changes to the caucus
could be sweeping.
The appointment of Eagle River conservative Nancy Dahlstrom to replace
Murkowski shifts the balance of power within the caucus.
McGuire says there are several factions looking for those leadership
roles, but she hopes the new majority leader is someone philosophically in
line with Murkowski.
In the meantime, Beverly Masek of Willow says she wants to be the Majority
Leader this session. Masek issued a statement yesterday saying she will
vie for the job.
In addition to McGuire, front runners for the post are John Coghill and
Gary Stevens.
Difficulties experienced in
reorganizing U. S. Senate
One Republican senator compares it to ''an attempted coup.''
G-O-P lawmakers are hopping mad that a dispute with Democrats over how to
divide up funds for the new Congress has brought the Senate to a virtual
halt.
Newly elected senators can't be named to committees and numerous hearings
have been canceled because of the dispute.
Republicans say that since they won the November elections, they should
get the two-thirds of the committee money and office space that the
majority has historically enjoyed.
Democrats say they didn't take that big a share when they enjoyed a slim
majority last year. They took just 55 percent of the money and the office
space -- and they say with the tables turned, Republicans should agree to
that same share.
Majority Leader Bill Frist is warning he'll cancel next week's scheduled
recess if there's no agreement.
Senate majority flak charged with
ethics violation
A legislative ethics committee says the press secretary for the Senate
Republican majority violated state ethics code last year. The panel
recommends no penalty against Ron Irwin because he immediately corrected
the violation by canceling a planned news conference to blast
gubernatorial candidate Fran Ulmer's fiscal plan.
School in Ketchikan rebounding
from outbreak
A Ketchikan Catholic school is open again after illness kept most students
home Friday. Holy Name Catholic School closed early after fewer than 40 of
the school's 114 students attended. Several staff members also were ill.
The school remained closed Monday. Domestic oil stockpiles on the
decline
U-S petroleum stockpiles fell by more than 100 million barrels last
month. That's the biggest decline since 1999. And the level of inventories
were at the lowest point since 1975.
The American Petroleum Institute says the strike in Venezuela is largely
to blame. The general strike now in its seventh week. Venezuela supplies
about 15 percent of the crude oil imported by the U-S.
Oil prices have risen 20 percent in New York since the beginning of the
strike. The markets have also been reflecting rising concern about a
possible U-S attack on Iraq, another producer.
Man accused of molesting daughters
draws jail term
A former Bettles man has been sentenced to five years for molesting two of
his daughters. Forty-three-year-old William E. Mackey had pleaded no
contest in September to sexual abuse and assault charges. Prosecutors say
Mackey also threatened both girls with a handgun.
Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio News) |
