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Juneau Daily News Online

Tuesday, January 19, 1999  © Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio News

Session opens in Juneau
   House and Senate begin 120-day meeting
The First Session of the 21st Alaska State Legislature convened this morning (left). The House gaveled down at about ten with the Senate following suit about an hour later. Republican Representative Brian Porter of Anchorage was elected Speaker of the House on a unanimous vote, while Anchorage GOP Senator Drue Pearce was selected Senate President on a 15 to 5 vote. Even though the minority voted against Pearce, they wished her well. Juneau Representatives Bill Hudson and Beth Kerttula (upper right) were among the 40 House members sworn in, and Senator Kim Elton (bottom right) was one of ten members of the upper chamber taking the oath of office. Newly installed Speaker Porter, a former Anchorage Police Chief, was brandishing a night stick used by his father who was also a cop. He told his fellow House members that the night stick will be employed as his gavel as he works to bring order to their proceedings.

Woman busted for credit card theft
A Juneau woman has been arrested for credit card theft and forgery. According to police, Sarah G. Owens stole a credit card and charged more than 2-thousand dollars between November 23 and December 27. She was held at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center without bail.

Board to decide fate of cablecasts
The Juneau School Board is scheduled to make a decision on televising future board meetings during its meeting tonight. The board debated the cost of the proposal and how to pay for it during its last meeting. Superintendent Mary Rubadeau says current estimates peg the cost at $34,000 a year. The lion's share of the expense, about $22,000, is for closed captioning. Rubadeau says she is seeking a waiver of that requirement or grant funding. Another item up for action is the school calendar. The Superintendent says the school community is split between two options. The one she's endorsing includes a spring break. The other proposal,l which does not include the break, would allow classes to get out before Memorial Day.

AFA appeals USFS ruling
The Alaska Forest Association is appealing a Forest Service plan to sell timber in the Tongass National Forest. The industry group says the 13-million board-foot sale planned for just north of Petersburg puts too much old growth timber off limits.

Builders doing well in Capital City
The building industry in Juneau is doing very well, but more could be done. That message came from members of the Home Builder's Association of Juneau who were guests on KINY's Capital Chat this morning. Association President Russ McDougal (right) says local government efforts to encourage additional housing has helped. But, he added, that more lots need to be made available so additional low income housing can be developed. He says city and state officials are working in that direction and he hopes for an improved situation in the future.

Cape Fox gets new CEO
Cape Fox Corporation has hired a new chief executive officer. He is Peter Gigante, who has managed a number of businesses in Malaysia and the central Pacific over the past eight years. Gigante replaces Doug Campbell who resigned as C-E-O of the Native village corporation last July. Cape Fox corporate holdings include more than 20-thousand forested acres as well as a number of Ketchikan-based businesses including a cannery, tour agency, lodge and title company.

BC mine shutting down
Canada's largest copper mine is shutting down indefinitely, throwing more than one-thousand people out of work. Citing low ore prices, B-C's Highland Valley mine near Kamloops says it will close in May.

Fast-ferry price grows in Canada
The British Columbia government's fast-ferry project has sprung a huge financial leak and it has cost B.C. Ferries Corporation President Terry Ward his job. Opposition politicians, who have questioned the project for at least three years, called for resignations and a public inquiry Monday into the financial quagmire facing the fast ferries. Deputy premier Dan Miller, the minister responsible for B.C. Ferries, said the cost to build three fast ferries now is likely to top 300 million dollars which is about 195 million U.S dollars. The three ferries were originally estimated to cost $210 million or about $136 million American in 1994.

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