JUNEAU DAILY NEWS MINUTE
Tuesday, January 14,1997 (c) Alaska Juneau Communications
*The 20th Alaska Legislature has convened for its four-month session. Lawmakers went
to work yesterday -- with Lieutenant Governor Fran Ulmer swearing in legislators elected
last November. Among those taking oaths of office were eleven new legislators and two
former House members who were elected to seats in the Senate. Republicans have
firmed up their control in both chambers and now control 43 votes in the 60-member
Legislature.
*Governor Knowles delivers his annual State of the State speech to the Alaska
Legislature tonight -- and lawmakers can expect to hear some familiar themes. For the
second half of his four-year term -- Knowles says he plans to continue pushing job
development, economic diversification and broader use of Alaska's resources. The
governor says his agenda in the new legislative session that started Monday will include
initiatives to encourage business development in rural areas with high unemployment.
*A preliminary autopsy of a state trooper killed Friday night indicates he was killed by
asphyxiation. Bruce Heck's body was found near Glennallen by a fellow trooper, and a
man accused of stealing a taxi in Anchorage has been arrested in the killing. The autopsy
results were released yesterday afternoon by Alaska State Troopers. State Medical Examiner
Michael Propst conducted the autopsy. Troopers say there were some marks on Heck's neck
and snow around his head and face when he was found.
*It may not have the waxed shine of a new vehicle but the flat, olive drab Blackhawk
helicopter that will land in Juneau today is fresh from the factory. CW4 Jacob Yearty of
the Southeast National Guard says that the new Blackhawk will be very useful to the
guard in a number of areas. The new chopper has twin engines and cruises at 120
knots, carrying 13 passengers. The maximum speed of the aircraft is 193 knots.
*A third dry year in a row, increased loads and cold temperatures have led to a shortage
of hydroelectric power in our area. Peter Bibb of AEL&P says the cost of operating
diesel generators will show up as an increase in the Cost of Power charge that you see
on your monthly power bill, although those increases won't show up until June of this
year. Customers are reminded that they can cut down on these costs by paying more
attention to individual power useage.
*An award-winning film on Alaska Natives' civil rights struggle will premier tonight on
national television. "The Land is Ours" tells the story of Alaska's Tlingit and Haida
Indians, from pre-contact days, through their political battles to achieve civil rights, to a
congressional land claims settlement of hundreds of millions of dollars. Many Alaska
Natives played significant roles to help make the film, appearing on camera and
donating photographs.