Lawmakers smarting over last year's budget cuts
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Lawmakers are still licking their wounds from a swath of budget cuts made by Governor Palin last June.

Today, (Thursday) their own budget director says they may be the fall guys if overall spending increases significantly in coming years.

Just three days into the legislative session, lawmakers from the House and Senate Finance Committees sat through two rounds of budget overviews.

They are still seething from last summer's stunning cuts and minced no words with Palin's budget director Karen Rehfeld this week.

Representative Bill Thomas, a Haines Republican, spoke of embarrassment from explaining cuts to his district, which took a six million dollar hit.

The Legislature's budget director, David Teal, said the immense surplus from high oil prices makes it easy to manipulate the budget. He said even though Legislature and the governor are using the same numbers, it looks as if legislators are spending more from the state treasury.

Rehfeld says her office is willing to work with lawmaker to reconcile the differences.

DOT Commissioner faces Transportation Committee questions
By STEVE QUINN=Associated Press Writer
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Transportation Commissioner Leo von Scheben outlined his department's goals with the House Transportation Committee.

He also discussed concerns about rising costs and work force retention during the nearly two-hour hearing Thursday.

But the hard part is still to come for von Scheben.

He and his deputies will return for some hearty discussion with a committee whose role will be far greater than last year when the Legislature was consumed on gas pipeline development and oil taxes.

Among the more difficult topics to be discussed in the future will be the financially-struggling Alaska Marine Highway System.

Divers report four holes in fishing vessel that went aground near Wrangell
Divers have been able to take a look at the bottom of the fishing vessel that went around west of Zarembo Island near Wrangell in Southeast Alaska early Wednesday morning.

The Seattle fishing tender Dolphin contacted the Coast Guard's Juneau Command Center to report the incident.

The center's Lieutenant Nathaniel Johnson says divers were able to determine that the vessel sustained four holes and an additional gash to the bottom of her hull near keel.

There were 34,000 gallons of number two diesel on board. The vessel was initially reported leaking fuel.

The lieutenant says they won't know for sure how much fuel was lost until the Dolphin reaches a facility where her tanks can be pumped out.

The plan calls for the divers to make temporary repairs today with the vessel traveling to Ketchikan tomorrow if the repairs pass a Coast Guard inspection.

In the meantime the Dolphin is anchored at California Bay on the North end of Prince of Wales Island with oil containment safety boom deployed around it.

The cause of the grounding is under investigation. None of the eight crew members were injured.

The Dolphin is owned by Seattle-based Trident Seafoods Corporation.

State ferry to receive Coast Guard award for Empress of North response
The Coast Guard Meritorious Public Service Award will be presented to Captain Phil Taylor and the crew of the state ferry Columbia for their role in assisting in the rescue of passengers aboard the cruise ship Empress of the North.

The cruise ship ran aground on Rocky Island Light south of Juneau last May 14th.

Petty Officer Levi Read with the District 17 Public Affairs Office says the Columbia was very instrumental to the overall success of the mission.

The Columbia diverted from its original destination when it responded to a Coast Guard Urgent Marine Information Broadcast.

After it arrived on scene, the Columbia volunteered as a host platform for the 252 passengers who had already been evacuated from the cruise ship.

He says the Meritorious Public Service Award is second highest award the Coast Guard can present for unusual courage in the advancement of search and rescue missions.

The ferry also helped safely transport the passengers back to Juneau. No injuries were reported.

Petty Officer Read says the award is the second highest award the Coast Guard can present for unusual courage in the advancement of search and rescue missions.

The ceremony is scheduled for 10 Friday morning at the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities building on Channel Drive.

Ferry officials hope to accelerate release of summer schedule
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP and KINY) - Alaska Marine Highway officials now say a summer ferry schedule likely will be available by the end of January.

The state ferry system has been the target of criticism for not having the schedule out by the first of the year.

Ferry officials this month announced a target date of February 13th for the schedule but are now pushing that estimate up.

Tourism officials say bookings are being lost by independent travelers wanting to schedule trips.

Roger Wetherell of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities says there will be some changes to the draft schedule. He wasn't ready to disclose what they are at this point. He thinks they will serve in the public in a more favorable light.

Some in southern Southeast Alaska communities remain critical of a proposal to drop one of two ferries from the run to Bellingham, Washington.

Ferry system director John Falvey says the second ferry is needed to meet demand between Juneau, Haines and Skagway.

Senate minority supporting gas line process
The Republican Minority in the State Senate is supporting the Governor's gas line process.

Minority Leader Gene Therriault telling reporters this morning that his group doesn't see any reason to short circuit or derail that process.

He adds they don't feel it would serve the public's interest by not moving forward with the project.

Others have expressed an interest in examining other proposals including the one from ConocoPhillips that did not comply with the AGIA law.

Kenai Senator Tom Wagoner said he hasn't talked to any Alaskan who doesn't want a gas line.

As a matter of fact, he says they want a gas line as soon as possible and he says that can be done by reviewing the Trans Canada proposal which complied with the process outlined in law.

Young responds to earmark criticism
When Governor Palin said during her State of the State Address Tuesday that the state should rely less on federal earmarks, she wasn't just predicting a shift in Washington, D. C.

Palin had announced last month that her administration would request fewer of the congressional set-asides.

Earmarks are increasingly being criticized and there are demands in Congress to cut back on them.

Alaska Congressman Don Young says the anti-earmark fervor is "hype."

Speaking during a talk program on Anchorage radio station KENI, Young defended the practice of members of congress dictating where money will be spent, rather than letting bureaucrats decide.

"I don't think it's right for somebody sitting in Juneau to decide what money should be spent in Wasilla, Palmer or Kenai, or Homer," he said. "I don't think that's their right. I think it's the right of the people that request that from me and this is what I did."

Alaska, with the highest per-capita federal spending in the nation, has been especially singled out for its earmarks.

Young said he's most upset by fellow republicans opposing earmarks.

He said letting elected officials in Washington make the decisions is more consistent with local control than letting state bureaucrats distribute funds.

Interior officials: Drilling off Alaska won't harm polar bears
WASHINGTON (AP) - The directors of two Interior Department agencies say they're confident oil and gas exploration in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska can proceed without threatening polar bears.

The marine mammals depend on the sea ice and experts worry that a spill would cause significant harm to the bear population.

The officials appeared before a House special committee on global warming.

The committee is examining why the Interior Department is postponing a decision on whether to further protect the bear while simultaneously proceeding with oil lease sales in the sea.

Representative Edward Markey is a Massachusetts Democrat and the committee's chairman.

Markey says he was introducing legislation to bar any oil or gas lease sales in the Chukchi off northwestern Alaska until a debate over adding the bear to the Endangered Species list is resolved.

The decision on whether to declare the polar bear threatened under the Endangered Species Act is one of the most complex decisions facing Interior, with its various branches disagreeing on what the next step should be.

Randall Luthi is director of the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service, which is conducting the oil lease sales.

He says the bear already is adequately protected against harm from oil and gas development under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Dr. Steven Amstrup is a polar bear expert for the U.S. Geological Survey, the Interior Department's science arm.

He says if there is an oil spill, the impact on bears would be significant.

Stack fire quickly extinguished at Valley home that participated in fire safety program
Capital City Fire Rescue responded to a stack fire at a home that was prepared for such an emergency.

The call came in from the attached single family home at 2521 Alder Circle in the Valley at about 11:46 Wednesday night.

Fire Marshal Rich Etheridge says the fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters. The fire was contained inside the stack and there was no smoke damage in the residence. Fire damage was limited to $500.

He says the occupants closed the damper prior to exiting the home which limited the fire's oxygen supply.

The owner participated in the Home Safety Inspection Program during the winter of 2005.

Etheridge says they installed smoke detectors and provided the owner with other fire safety equipment and education materials.

The fire marshal urges residents to use caution with heating systems and open flames. He says there have already been four reported fire injuries in the first 9 days of the new year.   

Whale Pass welcomes baby
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) - The Prince of Wales community of Whale Pass is welcoming the first baby ever born in the small community, at least as far back as local people can remember.

The baby is named Boomchain Everett Loucks. He was born December 18th at 1:15 a.m.

Steve Loucks, the baby's father, says the baby was born right on the couch in the living room.

Steve said he and his wife, Christy, were out trapping in Exchange Cove when his wife went into labor. The baby's due date was a few days later.

He says by the time they get home, it was too late to go to Craig and the helicopters weren't flying.

Christy says the birth went well. There was help from the local EMS squad, and two doctors at Ketchikan General Hospital supervised by phone.

The couple named the child Boomchain because Steve works in logging and likes boomchains.

A boomchain is a heavy chain used to attach the ends of logs together to make a log boom, which helps in the building of log rafts.
(Ketchikan Daily News)

Anchorage police seeking man suspected of drugging children
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Anchorage police are looking for a man believed to have given two small children he was babysitting a prescription tranquilizer.

Thirty-two-year-old Randall Jerome Lanahan is charged with two counts of misconduct involving controlled substances.

Lanahan is suspected of dropping a soluble tranquilizer into glasses of orange juice and telling the children to drink it.

According to police, he told them he did it in an attempt to sedate them.

The children were hospitalized overnight for a drug overdose and released the next day.

Police say the incident occurred in November. An outstanding arrest warrant has been issued.

They says Lanahan uses his twin brother's identity but can be identified by scars on his arms.

Five Alaskans indicted for distributing marijuana
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Five Alaskans and a Canadian have been indicted for allegedly bringing marijuana into the state from Canada.

Federal prosecutors say David Knutson of Vancouver, British Columbia, regularly supplied 31-year-old Patrick McIlvain and other co-conspirators with marijuana.

Amounts, according to prosecutors, ranged from 80 to 150 pounds. Prosecutors say the drug was smuggled into Alaska inside snowmachines and in hidden compartments in inflatable boats and trailers.

The indictment also names 32-year-old Rachel Ross, 46-year-old Donald Knutson and 39-year-old James Adams, the second.

Prosecutors also are seeking the forfeiture of a Wasilla home and other personal property believed purchased with the proceeds from drug money.

Alaska makes list of worst states for animal cruelty laws
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Alaska has made The Humane Society's top-seven states for the weakest laws against animal cruelty.

The animal welfare organization issued its list Thursday. It ranked the seven from the best to the worst.

Alaska ranked first for having the strongest penalties for animal cruelty among the seven worst states. The group says animal cruelty in Alaska carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $10,000 fine.

Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, Utah and Mississippi also made the list.

Mississippi had the weakest animal cruelty laws with penalties capped at six months and $1,000.

The group says Alaska also is one of the states that has no felony animal cruelty provisions.

Two charged with defrauding Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A federal grand jury has indicted two Anchorage men on charges that they defrauded the state of Alaska.

The indictment names Nezar "Mike" Maad and Imad Salim Hereimi. Maad is accused of using his position as a state employee to defraud the state and obtain money to finance a start-up construction company.

The indictment says Maad was employed by the state as a publications specialist between January 2003 and May 2006. His duties included writing and designing printed material for the Department of Health and Social Services.

Hereimi owned a printing company called Horizon Graphics, which had no printing equipment and operated out of Golden Donuts.

Maad and Hereimi are accused of creating phony invoices with inflated prices -- often double the original invoice -- and submitting them to the state.

Prosecutors say the two were hoping to use the money to finance a construction company.

An arrest warrant was issued for Maad for failing to appear for a federal court hearing on a different matter. Hereimi is being served with a summons to appear in court.

Several years ago, Maad pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison for making a false statement to the U.S. Small Business Administration to obtain a $242,000 loan.

The Syrian-born Maad also owned Frontier Printing Services. His shop was vandalized in 2001 -- less than two weeks after the September 11th terror attacks. Machines at the print shop were smashed and the words "We hate Arabs" were spray-painted on a wall.

The Anchorage community at first supported Maad and his wife and established a "Not in our Town" fund on their behalf. The FBI launched a hate crime investigation.

Federal prosecutors later dropped the hate crime investigation and charged Maad with committing bank fraud.

Convicted murder maintains innocence in old homicide
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The man convicted of killing the fiancé of a former Anchorage exotic dancer will be sentenced Friday.

Fifty-year-old John Carlin maintains his innocence in the 1996 homicide.

He says Kent Leppink (LEP'-ink) may have planned his own death.

Carlin was convicted of killing Leppink on behalf of Mechele Linehan, who met both men at her job as a stripper at the Great Alaskan Bush Company more than a decade ago.

Leppink was engaged to marry Linehan and Carlin hoped to marry Linehan.

Carlin says Leppink was depressed and in need of money just before he died and may have made an arrangement with a friend or a stranger to have himself killed.

Leppink was found shot three times outside Hope.

---

Carlin did not testify at his trial but says he will address key portions of the prosecution case at his sentencing.

Prosecutors are seeking a 99-year sentence.

Prosecutor Pat Gullufsen says Leppink's death was a cold-blooded, solicited murder, planned and premeditated.

He says Carlin and Linehan made a calculated decision that (Leppink) should die and that Carlin has shown no remorse for the crime.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Anchorage police seek assistant principal on drug charge
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Anchorage police say a 43-year-old assistant middle school principal suspected of using drugs on school grounds is wanted on a felony drug charge.

Police on Wednesday night were seeking Mario A. Toro Jr., an educator at Gruening Middle School.

A school district official reported seeing Toro acting erratically during a training session Tuesday.

Witnesses told police Toro made repeated trips to his car and had a white powdery substance on his nose.

Police Lieutenant Paul Honeman (HONE'-eh-man) says officers searched Toro's car and found a bag that field-tested positive for a narcotic.

School district officials say Toro has been placed on administrative leave.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Driver in Anchorage overcome by carbon monoxide
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Anchorage police say five people in a car were overcome by carbon monoxide, including the driver.

The driver passed out and the car slammed into a snow bank yesterday. But police say that actually was lucky. Otherwise, the people in the car might have been in greater danger had they continued to breathe the air inside the car.

Police say all five were either taken to a hospital or treated at the scene.

Police say they found that the car's muffler had been damaged some time ago, causing it to vent into the plastic bumper instead of away from the car.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Construction academy classes to start next month
The Juneau Construction Academy was outlined on KINY's Capital Chat Wednesday morning.

The effort is a partnership between state agencies, trade groups and non-profits aimed at training Alaskans in construction jobs.

Ed Flanagan, the project coordinator for the Alaska Works Partnership, says it's a novel program based on a successful pilot project in Anchorage last year.

One part of the two part program offers after school courses for students at Juneau Douglas High School and the Yaakoosge Daakahidi Alternative High School.

The other part provides training for adults, mostly at the University of Alaska Southeast.

The classes are free thanks to a $3 point 5 Million appropriation from the state.

The president of the Southeast Alaska Building Industry Association, Russ McDougal, says there's a great need for more construction workers in Juneau.

He says that's because, in part, the current work force is aging. In addition, a goal is to hire local residents for jobs.

All the details on signing up are at www.juneauconstructionacademy.org 

The deadline for signing up for the initial class that starts February 2nd is this Friday.

Wrightson to represent Juneau in state spelling bee again
Brayden Wrightson is on the comeback trail.

The fifth grader at Harborview Elementary School will represent Juneau again at the State Spelling Bee in Anchorage February 29th after winning the district spelling bee Wednesday night.

It took an excruciating 31 rounds, according to his family. His two winning words were "Harpsichord" and "Spherical".

The 11 year old placed eighth at last year's State Spelling Bee.

This year's state winner will participate in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D. C. this May.

Brayden is the son of Angie and Dave Wrightson.

Alaskan making as a Pittsburgh Penguin
PITTSBURGH (AP) - A former Anchorage hockey player is continuing a goalie tradition for the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins -- coming out of nowhere to save their season.

Ty Conklin is following in the tradition of Patrick Lalime (la-LEEM') in 1997, Ron Tugnutt in 2000 and Johan Hedberg in 2001.

The 31-year-old Conklin got his chance when starter Marc-Andre Fleury sprained an ankle in December. Conklin has yet to lose in regulation, going 10-0-1.

Ancient mask from Alaska ghost village returned to descendants
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The descendants of the long-abandoned Eskimo village of King Island have received an ancient mask from a Washington state woman whose family had it for more than 100 years.

Charlene Saclamana, a tribal leader with the Nome-based King Island Native Community, was first contacted in November by Marilyn Lewis of Port Townsend, Washington.

Saclamana says Lewis told her she had a mask that might have come from King Island. The artifact has since been confirmed as indeed being from the Bering Sea island.

On the back of the mask is a faint inscription that reads: "Taken from a medicine man's grave on King Island."

Lewis told the Nome Nugget that her father's uncle Nate traveled by steamship from Seattle to Alaska in 1898 to try his luck in the gold rush.

The uncle spent three years in Alaska, apparently not searching for gold but working as a bartender, probably in Nome or Skagway.

He kept notes at the time, but never mentioned a visit to King Island, leading to his family's theory that someone sold or gave him the mask.

The uncle gave the mask to Lewis' father in 1927 and the relic remained in the family all these years. Lewis' elderly parents gave it to her late last year, asking if she would help find where it came from.

The mask is now on display at the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum in Nome.

Weak salmon run projected for Deshka River
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - State fisheries biologists are projecting the Deshka River king salmon run will be the weakest since forecasts began in 1999.

Biologist Richard Yanusz is forecasting 20,300 kings returning to the Deshka this year. That's 6,500 fewer than the previous all-time low forecast of 26,800 in 1999.

The Deshka is a popular Matanuska-Susitna Borough destination for catching kings.