JUNEAU DAILY NEWS MINUTE
Thursday, January 23,1997 (c) Alaska Juneau Communications
*The federal government is now looking over several proposals to improve access to Juneau. Among the options presented to the Federal Highway Adminsitration are high speed ferries and a road up the east side of Lynn Canal. Federal funding for the project will be tied to which proposal looks best to the F.H.A.
*After 17 years at the helm of the Southeast Region of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Jon Scribner is calling it quits. Scribner plans to leave the Director's post in about two weeks. He says he isn't sure what he'll do next, but plans to have input on some DOT projects.
*The cost of buying a home in Juneau is roughly equivalent to the Seattle market. That, according to a new national survey by Coldwell Banker which shows the median price at a shade over $200,000. The most expensive housing in the U.S. is in Beverly Hills, California, where the same house would go for over $700,000. The cheapest housing in the country is in Oklahoma City. Anchorage has the honor of being exactly in the middle -- its housing price index is 100, which is the national baseline number.
*A Juneau man and a Hoonah man have been arrested for attempting to sell marijuana in Hoonah. The two were busted with about $1,100 in cash and several "baggies" of pot at a Hoonah residence. An investigation continues.
*The Mount Roberts Tram is nearing completion, and with it will come the long-awaited Grand Opening celebration. John Heiser, President of the Mount Roberts Development Corporation, says they are planning quite a party in late April featuring local and state dignitaries for the official ribbon-cutting, and a local Juneau Day with cut-rate rides up the mountain before the tourists arrive. Heiser says the building housing the restaurant and theatre at the 1,800-foot level of Mount Roberts is nearing completion, with just finish work remaining.
*The Coast Guard says it tried to warn the skipper of the 32-foot boat "Kerry" that the Mendenhall Bar was to shallow to cross last weekend. He ignored them and went aground. Coast Guard spokesman Randy Midgett says the vessel was boarded and the man was cited for several safety violations. The vessel was pulled off the bar, but after the Coasties left, the man tried to run the shoals again, running aground for the second time. The "Kerry" sits in the mud now, and is not expected to refloat until the high tide of February 8th.