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K-Mart building owners moving to secure
vacant facility
The former K-Mart building is undergoing some much needed maintenance.
City and Borough of Juneau Manager Rod Swope says it appears the threat of
legal action motivated the out-of-state owners to clean it up.
The owners, who live in New York, had stopped paying utility bills. During
last month's cold snap, a pipe burst and flooded the building, soaking piles
of cardboard and damaging the floor.
Swope says the property manager hired a local contractor to clean up the
water damage. The city turned the water off to the building. Swope says its
his understanding that owners will now turn heat back on in the building.
Swope says he's also learned from City Attorney John Hartle that the
property owners are "moving swiftly to pay back property taxes and
water bills."
Swope says it's unfortunate that it came down to the threat
of legal action to get the owners moving.
He says, originally he just wanted to get the message across
to them, that the building is a valuable asset so "don't let it go down
the tubes."
Norwegian Sky transferred from Alaska to
Hawaii
The cruise ship Norwegian Sky's Alaska voyages have been cancelled for this
summer.
That in a report from Len Laurance, the travel reporter for KFMJ Radio in
Ketchikan.
He says Norwegian Cruise Lines decided to reassign the vessel following the
sinking of the new "Pride of America" during a storm at its berth
in a German shipyard last week.
The 2,000 passenger vessel will be assigned now to the Hawaiian cruise
market with a new name, "Pride of Aloha."
The Norwegian Sky was scheduled to make 14 trips to Alaska this summer. The
cruise line has not yet decided how passengers booked on the Alaska voyages
will be handled.
Company officials have asked Alaska shore excursion operators not to cancel
excursion space that was being held for the Norwegian Sky. They indicated
the company may be able to find another ship to take over the cancelled
sailings. Word on that is expected Friday.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian Ski enters drydock on May 17 for a 21 day retrofit
and re-emerge as the "Pride of Aloha."
Diesel fuel nearly fouls Juneau Douglas
Treatment plant
Fuel oil was discovered in the Juneau Douglas Treatment plant late last
week.
CBJ Public Works Director Joe Buck says plant workers could smell diesel
fuel down in the treatment area.
Buck says they were able to adjust they way they were processing the sewage
to mitigate and minimize any damage to the treatment plant form the fuel
oil.
They suspect it's related to an accidental fuel spill last Thursday.
Buck says a local fuel oil company accidentally pumped fuel into a wrong
pipe at an address on Glacier avenue. The fuel oil then flowed into the
combined storm and sewer system over in the flats area near the Federal
Building on 9th street.
Indications are that upwards of 700 gallons of fuel oil were pumped into the
basement of the home by Taku Oil Sales.
Buck says the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is
investigating.
School Board deals with budget and other
matters
The Juneau School Board considered administrative recommendations for budget
reductions during last night's work session.
The board expressed concerns about the impacts cuts would have on student
achievement and school programs, according to Superintendent Peggy Cowen.
Items discussed include the possible relocation of the Alternative
High School, the charter school, the secondary literacy leader, and the
truancy tracker.
During its regular meeting, the board approved the 0-4 -05 school calendar.
The first day of school, next fall, will be Wednesday, August 25th and the
last day of school Wednesday June 1st.
The board also received a report from the district's truancy officer on the
implementation of the new attendance policy included in a borough ordinance.
In comparing statistics from last year to this year, the program appears to
be having a positive impact on students and members had praise for truancy
officer Bonnie Lanz.
Nation's highest court overrules Alaska
on Red Dog Mine air permit
The U. S. Supreme Court today issued a ruling in an Alaska case. The
nation's high court ruled in the Red Dog Mine pollution case.
The court found that the federal Environmental Protection Agency can
override state officials - and order some anti-pollution measures - that may
be more costly.
The 5-4 decision, considered a victory for environmentalists, found the
E-P-A did not go too far when it overruled a decision by Alaska regulators.
State regulators wanted to let the operators of the zinc and lead mine use
cheaper anti-pollution technology for power generation.
The state wanted to allow the mine operator to use equipment that would only
reduce pollution by 30 percent.
The four justices who dissented said the ruling undercut the states' power
to control their environmental policies.
Senator Murkowski comments on State of Union
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski praised President George Bush for his State of
the Union address.
She thought the President was forceful in his delivery and spoke very
strongly of a Democratic peace in Iraq.
The senator was disappointed there wasn't more of a focus on energy policy.
The senator said she especially was pleased by the president's new policy
initiatives that are intended to make health care more affordable and for
his focus on the Medicare reform - prescription drug benefit bill that
Congress enacted last November.
The senator was seen on national television receiving a hug from President
Bush as he was leaving the House floor after completing his address to
Congress.
Hundreds expressing interest in
Permanent Fund panel
Getting a spot on a panel to debate the future of the Alaska Permanent Fund
is going to be tough going.
So far, more than 800 people have been nominated for the 44 open spots for
the conference, which will meet in Fairbanks next month.
Fairbanks consultant Brian Rogers, who is in charge of organizing and
running the event, says names have been coming from all over.
Governor Murkowski first announced the conference in his State of the State
address last week.
He charged the panel with advising him on whether the state should use some
fund money to bridge Alaska's fiscal gap, which threatens to deplete the
state's reserve funds in the next few years.
Retired Anchorage bank president Mike Burns, who is helping shape the
process for selecting the rest of the delegates, says nominees will not be
questioned about their opinions on the permanent fund.
He says they want to get people with a range of ideas appointed to the
panel.
Length of halibut season in Alaska
under discussion at Juneau meeting
A commission asked to look into a longer halibut season says one may be
possible, but probably not a year-round season.
The International Pacific Halibut Commission, a joint U-S and Canadian
commission that sets the rules and quotas for commercial halibut fishing in
the Northwest, is meeting at Centennial Hall in Juneau this week.
The commission says a ten-and-a-half month halibut fishing season would be
easier to implement than a year-round season.
The fishing industry requested the commission look into a longer season.
Currently the halibut commission sets new season dates each year, but the
season generally runs about eight months.
Mayday near Ketchikan believed to be
hoax
The Coast Guard is suspending its search in the Ketchikan area after
receiving a mayday Monday evening. They believe it may have been a hoax.
An unidentified man told them his skiff overturned in Tongass Narrows near
Danger Island and that he was in the water.
Paul Webb, a search and rescue coordinator in the Juneau Command Center,
says they searched the area with aircraft and small boats and did not find
any signs of distress.
There were no reports of anyone overdue in the area.
Anyone who may know the identity of the caller is asked to contact their
nearest Coast Guard Unit or call toll free 1-800-478-5555.
Sex offender jailed on outstanding
warrant
A Juneau man was charged Tuesday with failure to update his sex offender
registration.
State Troopers say 40 year-old Charles F. Fawcett, Junior, moved without
updating those records.
He was issued a summons.
At the same time, he was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to
appear for a pre-trial hearing on a charge of driving with a revoked
license.
He was jailed at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center on that charge.
Would be lawmaker suffers heart attack
The Ketchikan man passed over by Governor Murkowski for a state Senate
appointment is recovering from a heart attack at a Seattle Hospital. Former
Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assemblyman and bar owner Jim Elkins was flown on
a medical flight to Seattle on Saturday.
Body of Anchorage man identified
Anchorage police say they have identified a man whose body was found outside
an apartment building Monday afternoon. Police say the man was 51-year-old
Ronald Smith. Smith was found on the ground east of the arctic entry way of
his apartment at 914 West 26th Avenue. Foul play is not suspected.
Cabin fire remains identified
Alaska State Troopers say human remains believed to be those of an Anchorage
man were found in the ruins of a Kenai Peninsula cabin that burned to the
ground. Troopers say 37-year-old Jamie Rose apparently died in the fire at
Caribou Lake on Friday.
Musher survives Klondike 300
This year's Klondike 300 Sled Dog Race was memorable for 51-year-old David
Armstrong. The Wasilla rookie was rescued Monday night after he got lost,
drove off a wild pack of dogs or wolves and hit his head on a tree.
Armstrong was not seriously hurt.
(Copyright ©2004
Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio)
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