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Juneau Daily News Online

Friday, January 22, 1999  © Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio News

Jury gets Lowe case
   Mystery still surrounds  Marjo incident
The jury has the case of Anne Lowe. She's charged with tampering with evidence in the case of the Marjo in which Bob Meyer was accused of killing his former wife Dianne and daughter Christine. The jury deliberated a few hours after getting the case yesterday and reconvened this morning at 8:30. She faces from zero to five years for the felony charge. Lowe is Meyer's widow who was charged in March of last year with the death of his former wife and daughter His boat the Marjo burned and sank near Sitka on June 4 of 1996. Meyer told authorities that his wife and daughter disappeared when he went back into the boat to rescue the family dog. Meyer, who was also facing a trial this month, apparently committed suicide on October 6th of last year. His body was found in the water at the end of a dock in Sitka.

Burglary suspect misses court date
The man arrested for the burglary of the Hangar Restaurant in the early morning hours of January 7th did not show up for his arraignment today. Juneau District Attorney Rick Svobodny says its not sure 33 year old Shawn Biddinger knew of the hearing because of a scheduling mistake made by the court. He says a new summons has been issued. Police found Biddinger with a box of liquor taken from the Hangar Restaurant after responding to the burglar alarms that morning at Merchant's Wharf. He was released from custody over the state's objections.

Administration seeks millions to fix Y2K glitch
The Knowles Administration is asking the Legislature for $19.3-million in funding to prepare for the Y2K computer glitch. Administration Commissioner Bob Poe (left) unveiled the funding proposal during a press conference this morning. Poe says 65 percent of the state's 89 mission critical systems are in testing now and about 15 percent have been fixed. With just 343 days until the year 2000, Poe says the Administration is asking the Legislature to take quick action on the request. He says his biggest fear is that health services, like Medicaid, will be delayed after the bug hits on January 1, 2000. Poe says the state is working on contingency plans in the event of computer failures that day.

Pete Griffin named new District Ranger
KINY News of the North has learned that Pete Griffin of the Ketchikan Ranger Office has been named the Ranger for the Juneau Ranger Office. He replaces Karen Mollander who transferred to Forest Service Headquarters in Washington, D.C. last fall. John Favro has been the acting ranger since Mollander's departure.

Airport-bird debate heats up
What to do with the problem of birds at Juneau's Airport was discussed at today's Juneau Chamber of Commerce meeting by local Audubon Society officials and Airport Manager Dave Miller (left). The airport has allowed hunting in the vicinity and using noise to divert the birds. Chris Kent (right) of the Audubon Society says his group is opposed to the measures. He adds that they're looking forward to the result of wildlife studies so the measures can be avoided in the future.

Winter weather to continue
The National Weather Service says Juneau could have anywhere from one to two feet of snow on the ground by Sunday night or Monday morning. The snow is expected to start falling tonight or early tomorrow and pile up over Saturday and Sunday. A wind chill advisory and a wind advisory for downtown and Douglas were cancelled before Noon today. Meanwhile, the city water utility has received three reports of water frozen lines so far with the cold weather. Utility officials leaving a trickle of water running in the sink farthest from where the service line enters the house. They also advise checking heat tapes or insulation and ensuring that there's heat in crawl spaces.

Listeners support parts of Knowles budget plan
Callers to KINY's Capital Chat were invited by Host Chris Burns (right) today to express their opinion on the budget plan put forth by Governor Knowles in his address to the Legislature Wednesday night and to share their own ideas for dealing with the billion dollar revenue shortfall facing the state. The Governor has proposed using Permanent Fund earnings and imposing an income tax that would mainly impact non-residents working in Alaska. Some opposed the Governor's plan completely and called for more cuts. Others embraced all elements of the blue print. Most supported parts of the plan and suggested other remedies. Those included calls that Anchorage and other communities start collecting a sales tax to help pay for services now underwritten by the state.

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