Juneau Daily News Online

Monday,  January 14, 2002

Lawmakers return to Juneau
The second session of the 22nd Alaska Legislature convened this morning. The Senate went in first at about 11 minutes past ten. The House gaveled in at 11:08.

The upper chamber recessed shortly after convening for a Committee on Committee meeting to address changes spurred by last year's resignation of Drue Pearce who took a job with the Interior Department.

Eagle River Senator Randy Phillips was named the new chair of the powerful Rules Committee. Senate President Rick Halford replaced Pearce as a member of the committee.

Ben Stevens, who replaced Pearce in the Senate, was named chair of the Labor and Commerce Committee replacing Phillips on that panel.

Fiscal gap and subsistence highlight legislative briefings of press
The leadership of both legislative bodies conducted what were billed as informal press briefings this morning.

When asked about a spending cap proposed by Finance Co-Chair Dave Donley , Senate President Rick Halford said he saw such a move as a first step. Halford views it as a way to gain credibility with the public who he thinks doesn't believe and understand the size of the gap or the need for a contribution by themselves.

The House Majority Caucus met yesterday and discussed coming up with a fiscal plan. Speaker Brian Porter believes a majority recognizes the need to find other sources of revenue from a list of choices, including use of Permanent Fund earnings and a statewide tax.

Porter added that the House is a long way from implementing such steps and will work with its minority and the Senate in trying to come up with answers.

The long, contentious subsistence issue was also addressed by the two leaders.

Senator Halford was asked about the plan brought forth by a task force appointed by the Governor. He said if the panel is talking about a local priority versus a statewide rural priority, there is potential for compromise.

Speaker Porter says he's encouraged with comments coming from the Senate on the local preference language. When asked if the would allow the Senate to take the lead on the subsistence issue, Porter said if the upper chamber has enough votes for that particular approach, he hoped they could proceed at the same time.

Minority Democrats identify top issues for session
The Legislative minority outlined its top goals during a press conference this afternoon.

Senate President Johnny Ellis said the message they're receiving from Alaskans all across the state is that this be the session where a long range fiscal plan is finally addressed in a meaningful way and the subsistence issue is solved once and for all.

Ellis added that those were identified as the two top issues during a planning session Saturday. He said that's the minority's message to its Republican colleagues that those should be the top issues for both political parties.

Measure introduced by Knowles seeks to continue cancer treatment funding
Governor Knowles has introduced a bill that would continue Medicaid coverage for women diagnosed with breast and cervical cancer who are unable to pay for treatment.

The program is currently set to expire in June of next year. Knowles' bill would remove the expiration date of the program. Knowles says he hopes the bill will win quick approval in the Legislature.

Under the program, 24 Alaska women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 105 were diagnosed with cervical cancer during fiscal year 2001.

Court hearing on reapportionment plan continues
The court battle over the state's new political map has entered its second week. Judge Mark Rindner is hearing challenges to the redistricting plan in state Superior Court in Anchorage. Republicans and local governments are challenging the constitutionality of the new map.

One arrest made after call about armed men at Lemon Creek apartment
An investigation continues by Juneau Police into an incident Friday night involving two armed men. In that case, the landlord of a Lemon Creek area apartment building called police on behalf a tenant reporting two men with guns were at the tenant's residence.

Officers contacted Thomas Schauwecker and a passenger in a vehicle as it was driving away from the residence. Two loaded handguns and illegal drugs were found in the vehicle. Schauwecker was arrested for Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance in the 4th Degree and driving with a revoked license. He was jailed at Lemon Creek on no bail.

Woman arrested for drunk driving following stop by three patrol units
It took three Juneau Police cars to stop a suspected drunk driver early Saturday morning.

Sergeant Ben Cornell says it started when a patrol unit was following a car Egan outbound near Norway Point at about 2:45 a.m.. The 1989 blue Chevy sedan swerved back and forth crossing the center line and fog lines numerous times. At another point it drove into the median striking the median markers. The officer was not able to stop it.

Two other vehicles responded and all three were able to box the car in at the Vanderbilt Intersection forcing it to stop. The driver, 37 year old, Georgina Nelson - Gruwell, was charged with D-W-I and jailed at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center.

Avalanche claims two lives
Two people were killed in an avalanche at Summit Lake glacier near Paxson Saturday. State Troopers say three people were buried Saturday in the avalanche at mile 195 of the Richardson Highway. The avalanche occurred about ten miles off the highway. The victims were all members of the same Fairbanks family. They were snowmachining at the time.

Troopers say the avalanche occurred when a cornice gave way, and plunged several hundred feet from the top of the cliff. The avalanche carried three adults and a teen-ager to the bottom of a steep ravine.

Wesley Rice helped dig out his wife, Susan Rice. However the other two people, Wesley Rice's brother and his daughter, could not be located.

The bodies of Donnie Rice and his daughter Jessica, were located Sunday morning. However, the rough terrain prevented retrieval of the bodies. Troopers are not sure when the bodies can be recovered.

Troopers say Susan Rice suffered a possible broken hip. She and her husband were hypothermic by the time rescuers were able to get to them late Saturday. Both were taken to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.

Victim of Anchorage traffic accident identified
Police have released the name of a Wasilla man who was killed in a rollover on the Glenn Highway. Anchorage police say 71-year-old J. W. King died Friday afternoon when his truck rolled off the highway north of the Mirror Lake exit.

Anchorage police say King was driving southbound toward the city when he lost control of his 1989 Ford Bronco and it flipped. The truck left the icy roadway and rolled down an embankment. King was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the truck.

Downtown satellite office to open in downtown Juneau
The Alaska Marine Highway is opening a downtown satellite office in Centennial Hall tomorrow. It will be located in the Juneau Convention and Visitor's Bureau complex previously used by the Forest Service.

The system's Sharon Gaiptman says it will be a full service facility where residents and visitors will able to pick up schedules, make reservations and purchase tickets.

She says the year round hours of operation will be Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 1 and 1:30 to 4.

Classes underway at UAS
Spring semester classes started at the Auke Lake Campus of the University of Alaska Southeast today.

Chancellor John Pugh said during his weekly program on KINY this morning that late registration is ongoing for anyone who still wants to sign up for a class. He also said that there are some classes that start later in the semester.

Duke #1 again
The Duke Blue Devils are number-one in this week's Associated Press college basketball poll. Duke regained the top spot on the heels of Kansas' 87-to-77 loss to U-C-L-A last Saturday.

That setback sent the Jayhawks down to number-four in the new poll. Florida and Maryland rise to second and third in this week's Top 25.

Duke defeated North Carolina State Sunday 76 to 57. Juneau's Carlos Boozer contributed 22 points. The victory came just a week after Florida State ended Duke's 22-game winning streak and dropped the Blue Devils to number two in the rankings until today.

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