|
Juneau to recognize Dr. King
Today is Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
There will be a gathering in Juneau marking what would have been the slain
civil rights leader's 75th birthday.
The Black Awareness Association is sponsoring the event at Centennial Hall.
The group's Sherry Patterson says there will be a dramatic reading of Dr.
King's "I Have A Dream" speech and a musical presentation.
She says everyone's invited to attend.
It's scheduled to begin at 2 o'clock this afternoon at Centennial Hall.
Its a national holiday. Federal, state and city offices, schools, the
University of Alaska Southeast and banks are among those closed.
JDHS homebuilders take second in Las
Vegas competition
Members of the student chapter of the National Homebuilders Association at
Juneau Douglas High School did very well during competition in Las Vegas
over the weekend.
Instructor Craig Mapes called to report the Residential Construction Design
Competition team took second place honors. They earned a $500 cash prize.
This year's competition called for designing a one thousand and 761 square
foot home to be built in New Jersey.
The five member team consists of Matt delaBruere, Shannon Door, Devon Kibby
Mary Kotyk, and Tracy Lazaro.
Last year's team also earned a second place finish in the national
competition. The 2002 team claimed first place honors.
Ogan recall launched
An effort is under way in the Mat-Su to recall state Senator Scott Ogan.
Some valley residents believe Ogan has a conflict of interest when it comes
to exploring coal bed methane on more than 300-thousand acres in the Mat-Su
Borough. And they are organizing a petition campaign to recall the senator.
Evergreen Resources Incorporated of Denver wants to explore coal bed methane
drilling in the valley, a proposal that caused an uproar last summer.
Ogan was a former consultant for Evergreen, making 40-thousand dollars a
year. He has since resigned from the job.
The Anchorage Daily News says recall supporters want Ogan out, because they
say Ogan was promoting Evergreen's interest while working as a legislator.
Ogan says he's being unfairly criticized. He says his position on coal bed
methane exploration goes back years, long before he was hired by Evergreen.
And he says he's drafted a bill that would change the state's shallow gas
leasing procedures to protect property owners.
Petition organizers will need to collect more than 25-hundred signatures.
Eagle man freezes, another man dies
in fire
Alaska State Troopers report two deaths in separate incidents.
Human remains were found Friday in a cabin that burned near Caribou Lake on
the Kenai Peninsula. A Homer man who reported the fire said he believed a
construction worker was inside when it burned down.
The person's name has not been disclosed. An investigation into the cause of
the fire is continuing.
Troopers were notified of the other death last Thursday. The report came in
as a possible deceased person near Mile 145 of the Taylor Highway.
Troopers responded to Eagle and traveled to the area with two local
volunteers aboard snow machines.
The body found in the area was identified as 50 year old Eddie C. Biederman
of Eagle. Troopers' investigation determined Biederman left Eagle the
previous afternoon on a snowmachine headed for American Summit. His
snowmachine broke down near Mile 143. It appeared he attempted to walk back
to Eagle and froze to death.
His body was found at about Noon Friday by a dog musher.
Troopers believe alcohol is a factor in this case.
High court decision calls for
closing subsistence areas
The Alaska Supreme Court has issued a decision that will make it easier for
the state to close areas to subsistence hunting.
In its decision handed down Friday, The Anchorage Daily News says the court
overturned a lower court ruling that could have granted priority to
subsistence hunters in Ninilchik, Eklutna and Knik.
State regulators had declared the villages ineligible when they declared
most of the Cook Inlet region a non-subsistence area.
The case goes back to 1992 when the state closed the Anchorage region to
subsistence. Tribal governments for the three villages appealed.
Three years ago, the tribal governments won a decision in Superior Court.
But that decision was overturned yesterday.
The Supreme Court found that the joint state boards of fish and game had
acted reasonably when they created the non-subsistence area.
Campaign initiative falls short
An initiative to tighten state campaign finance laws has fallen short.
Supporters of the measure failed to get enough signatures to get it on this
year's ballot. But sponsors and organizers are confident enough names will
be gathered to let people vote on the issue in 2006.
Karen Compton, coordinator of the measure, says they will try again.
The initiative was sponsored by three state House Democrats as a way of
repealing major changes to state campaign laws made during the 2003
legislative session.
The changes resulted from a Republican-led drive that doubled the amount
that individuals could contribute to a state candidate and a political
party.
The Legislature also voted last session to approve a bill allowing people to
attempt to influence legislators or officials for up to 40 hours each month,
without having to register as lobbyists.
The previous limit was four hours.
Cook Inlet beluga report issued
The beluga population in Cook Inlet is depleted, but appears to be steady.
Scientists say it appears the belugas of Cook Inlet are reproducing just
fast enough to keep numbers from falling dramatically.
Observers in airplanes, and videotape that was shot, found that an estimated
357 whales were in Cook Inlet. The Anchorage Daily News says that's about
the same number as in 1998, 1999 and 2001. The inlet was once thought to be
home to over 13-hundred belugas.
But numbers dropped to below 400 in 1998, a decline federal biologists
blamed on overhunting by Alaska Natives.
State official counter salmon study
State health officials say the health benefits of wild salmon far outweigh
contamination concerns pointed out in a recent study.
The study was published January Ninth in the journal - Science - and
examined the chemical contamination found in both wild and farm raised
salmon.
While the study showed elevated pollutants in farmed Atlantic salmon, it
also said some Pacific wild salmon stocks weren't so pristine either.
It found varying levels of contaminants in several species of Pacific
salmon. In particular, it recommended Southeast Chinooks should be eaten no
more than once a month.
That's based on the contaminants found and general Environmental Protection
Agency guidelines on such contaminants in food.
State health officials say the study doesn't take into account the immense
health benefits to eating salmon. And they say even if salmon does contain
some contaminants it is still better for your health than some fast foods.
State environmental epidemiologist Tracey Lynn says people should eat as
much Alaska salmon as they want and do so without worry.
Fish Board addresses limits in
Interior lakes
The state Board of Fisheries wants bag limits lowered on Interior lakes.
The board approved a plan by the state Department of Fish and Game to allow
anglers to catch no more than 10 fish per day. Only one fish could be over
18 inches long.
The regulations are expected to begin in April.
One lake affected is Quartz Lake, which is the most popular and productive
fishery in the Tanana River drainage. It holds Arctic char, rainbow trout
and silver salmon.
The creel limit at that lake is 30 fish.
Trout Unlimited president Ken Alt says he's happy the board is putting more
conservative limits on the lake. He says limits on keeping only one large
fish per day are also a step in the right direction.
Call for investigation of Kenai River
Classic issued
A Kenai legislator wants the state Department of Revenue to investigate the
Kenai River Sportfishing Association, the group in charge of the Kenai River
Classic fishing tournament.
Representative Kelly Wolf says the group is abusing its nonprofit status and
improperly spending money on political issues.
An invitation only event, the Kenai River Classic attracts powerful
politicians and business leaders from around the country to the river and
raises in excess of one million dollars annually.
Senator Ted Stevens and Governor Frank Murkowski were last year's co-hosts.
Wolf says the group has no gaming license, improperly keeps more than one
(m) million in an endowment and is active in political issues affecting
sport fishing.
State revenue officials won't confirm or deny whether an investigation will
take place.
Ricky Gease is executive director of the Kenai River Sportfishing
Association. He says the group has acted properly since it was incorporated
as a nonprofit in 1984.
Wolf likened the group to quote an ``Enron of Alaska'' and says the entire
board should step down.
Bear action
The Juneau Douglas Crimson Bears and the Wasilla Warriors split their two
games on Juneau's court over the weekend.
The Warriors edged out the Bears Saturday night 63 to 61. Juneau won Friday
night 61 to 54.
The women won the T-Bird Classic in Anchorage over the weekend.
The Bears claimed the title with a 46 to 38 victory over Colony Saturday
night.
Alcan 200 records top average speed of
over 100 miles per hour
The average speed of the overall winner of Saturday's Alcan 200 out of
Haines was 100 point 38 miles per hour. That's with four mandatory gas stops
figured in for Robert Strie of Fairbanks.
He was riding a 2002 Yamaha SRX 780 snowmachine. His overall time was one
hour, 32 minutes and 39 seconds.
The second overall finisher was Neil Ryckman of Whitehorse. His overall time
was one hour, 33 minutes and five seconds. His 2003 Arctic Cat F-7 700
maintained an average speed of 99 point 91.
Daniel Quimet of Whitehorse was the third overall finisher with an overall
time of one hour, 34 minutes and 39 seconds. his 2003 Pro X 700 recorded an
average speed of 98 point 36 miles per hour.
The snowmachiners encountered cold temperatures to 13 below, blowing snow,
and heavy drifting. Winds were gusting to 50 knots.
(Copyright ©2003
Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio)
|
