JUNEAU DAILY NEWS MINUTE
Monday, January 20, 1997 (c) Alaska Juneau Communications
*The cremation of slain Alaska State Trooper Bruce Heck has been delayed until Thursday.
Heck's family had hoped to have his remains cremated Sunday. But District Court Judge Stephanie
Rhoades issued an order over the weekend, barring the cremation until Thursday. The delay is intended to give
lawyers for Heck's accused killer, John Kevin Phillips, more time to have a second autopsy performed.
Phillips' public defender, Robert Herz, said in court documents that the cremation should be delayed because
he didn't have enough time to get a second autopsy. He did not say what he hoped to learn from a second
autopsy, but said it was necessary to ensure a fair trail for Phillips.
*Today is Martin Luther King Junior Day, an official federal and state holiday. Most government offices and many
banks have been closed, and there has been no mail delivery. Public schools around the state and the
University of Alaska also are commemorating Martin Luther King Day. The federal government in 1986 chose
the third Monday in January as a holiday to honor the slain civil rights leader.
Here in Juneau, a march and ceremony was held to commemorate the life and work of Dr. King.
*The Tlingit community is mourning the loss of a patriarch. Jessie K. Dalton, known as "The Mother of All
Ravens" and a longtime Hoonah resident passed away Saturday morning at the Juneau Pioneers Home. She
was 93.
*Sealaska Corporation has taken the on-ramp to the Information Superhighway with the introduction of their new
webpage. Visitors to www.sealaska.com have four basic choices when they reach the home page: shareholder services,
news and information, what's new, and frequently asked questions.
Sealaska President and CEO, Leo H. Barlow says that the corporation will always strive to provide
shareholders with the best possible services and that the new web site is part of that commitment.
*With traffic becoming a growing concern in Juneau, many residents feel that additional public transportation
may be the key. Many cities, like Aspen, Colorado for example, have begun building light rails as a low-cost
means of public transit. Roger Millar (mill-AR), a consulting project manager for the Aspen light rail project will be in Juneau next week to meet with city officials and the public to look over the option. Millar has spent some time in the area to determine feasability of such a project in Juneau, and feels
positive that he has something to offer. He will show a slide show of the Aspen Project at a public meeting next
Monday evening, 7 o'clock at Centennial Hall.
*Alaska schools have gotten some generally low marks in a national study looking at such
things as quality of teaching and student achievement. The report card was produced by the national newspaper Education Week. And it came after a year of
looking at data gathered from all 50 states. The newspaper considered 75 factors that its editors believe lead to
high student achievement. That includes class sizes of 24 students or less, teachers with degrees in the
subjects that they teach and the rewards or consequences for meeting or not meeting state standards
*Alaska gained jobs in 1996, the ninth straight year of growth -- according to state labor records --
and some lawmakers say that shows careful budget cutting is not harmful to the economy. Even with the good news about jobs, the state's
unemployment rate went up last month -- hitting eight percent as the state remained in its winter job doldrums.
Joblessness in the larger communities of Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks remained lower in December than
in some smaller towns such as Kodiak and Wrangell.