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Juneau schools closed
Wednesday due to snow
Superintendent Peggy Cowen has declared Wednesday a "snow day".
Juneau Public Schools will be closed on Wednesday, January 19th.
The closure includes all schools in the Juneau School District and the RALLY
program.
School term- nine month employees should not report to work.
The school district's press release states', if it's possible to do so
safely, supervisors, ten and twelve month employees should work regular
hours.
Juneau Christian School and
the Montessori school are also closed Wednesday.
The City and Borough of Juneau
offices will be closed Wednesday.
CBJ crews will be plowing snow
and clearing streets and City Manager Rod Swope is urging parents not to let
children play in snow berms along side roads or at the end of cul-de-sacs.
Search for
missing woman continues today
There's
been no sign of 46 year-old Rebecca Mass (Moss) of Juneau missing
since Sunday in an area at the end of North Douglas Highway.
The search resumed at first
light this morning.
The search area yesterday included from Outer Point to just beyond the end of the road. A search of the beach to Middle Point was also conducted.
The woman's car was found at the end of the
highway Sunday evening.
Mass, who is a local attorney, was last seen when she dropped her 10 year son off at a friend's house at about four Sunday afternoon.
She failed to return at the predetermined time to pick her son up and a few hours later was reported missing.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact State Troopers at 465-4000.
Kayak of missing Ketchikan boy found
A search started yesterday for a 17 year old boy who is president of his class at Ketchikan High School.
He's identified as Gerard Fudge.
Coast Guard Lieutenant Susan Parrish in the Juneau Command Center says Fudge took his kayak out over the weekend in some pretty bad weather. They're not sure exactly where he was headed.
His kayak was found pulled above the high tide mark near Gravina Point. Some of his personal items were found in a nearby cabin.
The search was called off at sunset yesterday . State Troopers
are leading today's ground search.
Names of more missing
crabbers released
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Alaska State Troopers have released the names of more of
the missing crewmembers of the crab boat that sank in the Bering Sea over
the weekend.
Among the missing are 48-year-old Josias Hernandez Luna of Kodiak and
26-year-old Aaron Marrs of Louisville, Kentucky.
Also missing is 46-year-old Gary Edwards -- skipper of the Kodiak-based Big
Valley.
Two members of the six-man crew were found dead after the 92-foot boat sank
in stormy weather Saturday about 70 miles west of Saint Paul Island. A third
man -- 30-year-old Cache Seel of Kodiak -- survived after he was found on a
life raft.
One of the dead is identified as 35-year-old Carlos Rivero of Uruguay.
The other dead crew member is a 33-year-old man from Belgium, but troopers
have not been able to locate relatives and have not released his name.
The Coast Guard suspended its search for the missing men last night. Earlier
it called off its search for a crewman who was washed overboard from another
crab boat Saturday.
The crewman -- 33-year-old Manu Lagai of Spokane, Washington -- was not
wearing a survival suit when he was washed off the Sultan 150 miles
northwest of Saint Paul Island.
Snow continues to fall in
heavy proportions in Juneau
A heavy snow warning remains in effect today for the Juneau area.
Meteorologist Brian Tassia says they're expecting up to another 18 inches.
There was a total of 18 point 6 inches at the airport as of midnight and 25
point 2 inches as of nine this morning at the Juneau Forecast Office on Back
Loop Road.
Another six inches is expected during the day today, again tonight and also
tomorrow.
Winter weather in Southeast
forecasts
There's a blizzard warning in effect for Skagway through tonight.
North winds 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts to 40 in exposed areas are
the forecast today with a wind chill to 35 below.
An additional snow accumulation of two inches is expected today with six
more tonight and an additional six inches tomorrow. (Wednesday).
Heavy snow warnings are in effect for Haines, Gustavus, Angoon and Hoonah.
Fifteen or more inches is expected in Haines by tomorrow; up to 18 inches in
Gustavus; 20 inches in Hoonah; and up to 15 inches in Angoon.
A wind chill to 20 below is also in the forecast in Haines for tonight.
Kerttula back on job in Legislature
Juneau Representative Beth Kerttula returned to Juneau today.
Her mother was injured earlier this month in a traffic accident prior to the start of the session and Kerttula went to her parent's home in Palmer to help care for her.
Kerttula said during a press availability with House Democrats this afternoon that her mother is thankfully doing well enough now which allowed her to return.
She was sworn in
today.
Smaller Learning Communities concept
discussed on Capital Chat
The Juneau School District is now exploring the possibility of implementing
Smaller Learning Communities.
Assistant Superintendent Bernie Sorenson, who was among the guests on KINY's
Capital Chat this morning, says the idea behind the concept is to make more
students successful.
The plan right now is set up the new high school this way, if the community
agrees, she says
Sorenson thinks there may be components of the plan implemented at the current
high school by next year, again if the community thinks that's the way to
go.
A planning grant was received from the federal government last Spring to
explore this possibility. She wasn't sure of the cost of implementation but
said the district will apply for implementation grants in March or April.
She says those will amount to anywhere between $400,000 to $500,000.
One community forum has been held so far and Sorenson says there will be
other ways for people to get involved.
Sorenson ways the district is looking for people to serve on a study or
planning team group that will explore the aspects of Smaller Learning
Communities.
The group will meet for the first time on Monday, February 21st. Any
teacher, student or community member interested in applying should contact
Sorenson.
In addition, Sorenson says the district will also meet with site councils, parent
groups and community organizations to outline the concept.
There will also be another community forum on Saturday, February 19th.
Haines boy injured in snowmachine mishap
A boy hurt in a snowmachine accident in Haines Monday was transported to Juneau by the Coast Guard yesterday.
Petty Officer Douglas Green said the eight year old suffered a broken leg, some bleeding in his thigh and a possible broken pelvis as the result of the accident. The youth's name was not released.
A Coast Guard helicopter went to Haines and transported the boy and his father to Juneau where he was taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital.
The boy is in stable condition this morning, according to the nursing supervisor at Bartlett Regional Hospital.
His identity has not been released.
Man hurt after falling from Mendenhall Lake iceberg
The fire department conducted a rescue at Mendenhall Glacier yesterday.
Captain Beth Weldon says shortly before Noon Capital City Fire Rescue was called to treat a
man who had fallen off an iceberg in Mendenhall Lake.
She says ten EMS rescue personnel were on scene and several walked out to the patient. A private six wheeler and a snowmachine were used to help transport the patient to the ambulance.
Two members of the Snowmachine Club assisted in breaking the trail for the rescuers.
The
man, who was not identified, was transported to the hospital.
He
was listed in good condition this morning, according to the hospital's nursing supervisor.
His identity was not released.
Teenagers arrested for
school vandalism
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Seven teenage boys have been arrested for allegedly
breaking into West High School in Anchorage.
Police say the break-in occurred sometime early Monday.
The boys are ages 15 and 16. Police say one boy crawled through an open
window and opened the doors from the inside, and let the others in.
Police department official Anita Shell says several silent alarms went off.
Police responded, and caught two of the boys, who then gave up the others.
Damage to the school was contained to about 250 dollars.
The several boys have been charged with several crimes, including burglary
and criminal mischief. The boys were released to their parents.
School calendar up for action at tonight's board meeting
The Juneau School Board takes up the calendar for the 2005 - 2006 school year in final reading during its meeting this evening.
Veterans Day is a holiday in the proposal calendar.
Superintendent Peggy Cowan says there was criticism from employees and parents who thought it was disrespectful not to honor the day as a holiday.
The first day of school would be Wednesday, August 24th, and the final day on Friday, June 2nd.
The proposed winter break would be two weeks and a day since New Year's Day is on Sunday. The proposal calls for Monday, January 2nd off.
Up in first reading this evening is the charter school application submitted by Montessori.
The School Board meeting convenes at 6 p.m. in the District Office Board Room on Glacier Avenue.
Small boat harbor fees and charges up for public hearing
There's a public hearing this evening by the Finance Committee of the Docks and Harbors Board of Directors.
Up for comment are the proposed regulations for the small boat harbor fees and charges.
The hearing is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Hickel Room of Centennial Hall.
Many voters did not return absentee ballots
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Elections officials say a lot of Alaska voters that asked for absentee ballots did not return them.
A record number of Alaskans asked for the ballots in the 2004 general election.
More than 58-thousand absentee ballots were mailed to voters, and more than 32-thousand were returned by the Election Day deadline.
Election officials say in the previous presidential election, a much larger proportion was actually returned.
Laura Glaiser, director of the state Division of Elections, says she would have liked to have seen more returns this past election.
Officials aren't sure why the proportion of returned ballots was so low.
Conoco begins winter exploration
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Conoco Phillips Alaska is beginning work on winter exploration on the North Slope.
The company says it plans to drill or participate in four wells this winter.
That means the company actually has exploration going on at eight wells when including activity that went on last year.
Rick Mott, Conoco Alaska's vice president for exploration and land, says two of this year's wells are at the company's Kokoda prospect in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska at the end of a 70-mile ice road.
Mott says with the ice road the company can actually test the wells if the exploration goes well.
The company will use a Doyon rig to drill at
Kokoda.
Thousands of homeowners get
bad information
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Anchorage mailed out thousands of applications for
homeowners looking for a tax break this year.
But the city says about three-thousand of the applications included
information about the wrong property.
City officials say the mailer was two-sided, with one side having
information about the property that is eligible for a partial tax exemption.
But officials say some of the addresses did not match the property
description. Officials say the printing machine at the company hired to do
the job apparently jammed.
The residential property tax exemption is being pushed by Mayor Mark Begich.
It would shave ten percent of the taxable value off a home.
The question is going to be put to voters on the April 5th ballot.
Tennison retiring
next week.
The manager of Centennial Hall is retiring.
A reception sponsored by the CBJ parks and Recreation Department for Dayle Tennison is planned
for next Tuesday, January 25, at Centennial Hall.
Its scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Egan Room.
An initial report mistakenly
said the reception was today.
Man says fishing site discriminates against disabled
KENAI (AP) - A man has filed a complaint against the city of Soldotna, claiming a ``handicap only'' fishing spot is discriminatory because it is not properly patrolled.
John Smallwood filed his complaint with the Alaska Commission for Human Rights last month.
In his claim, Smallwood said the city has failed to maintain appropriate signs and adequately patrol the handicap ramp at Centennial Park.
Smallwood says he and others with impaired mobility and physical disabilities are unable to fish there.
City manager Tom Boedeker says it would be a shame to lose the only handicap fishing area. Other sites in town are handicap accessible but not limited to disabled people.
Boedeker says patrolling the site would be too costly for the city.
The human rights commission is not commenting on the complaint at this time.
Copyright ©2005 Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio)
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