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8 Fort
Richardson paratroopers killed Saturday
FORT RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) - Army officials say eight
Fort Richardson paratroopers were killed and three were
wounded Saturday in two unrelated incidents in Iraq.
An Army spokesman says in the first incident, four
paratroopers were killed and two were wounded while
repelling an attack on the Provincial Joint Coordination
Center in Karbala.
The spokesman says an illegally armed militia group
conducted the attack using grenades, small arms and
indirect fires. A total of five U-S soldiers were killed
and three were wounded in the incident.
The two wounded Fort Richardson paratroopers were listed
as not seriously injured and were evacuated to an Army
hospital in Baghdad for treatment.
In the second incident, four Fort Richardson
paratroopers were killed and one was wounded when their
armored vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb while they
were conducting a mounted patrol near Karmah, Iraq.
The wounded paratrooper was listed as very seriously
injured and was evacuated to a Baghdad Army hospital for
treatment.
Next of kin have been notified.
Budget memo outlines department reduction targets
Target numbers for reductions to the operating budget are included in a memo from Palin Budget Director Karen Rehfeld to department commissioners.
The Governor is pursuing $150 Million in cuts. The target numbers in the memo dated last Friday add up to over $168 Million.
Rehfeld explains in the memo that was done in order to give the Governor more options from which to choose.
When asked if the $150 Million dollar target figure was reasonable or ambitious, Senate President Lyda Green told reporters during a press conference late this (Tuesday) morning that she thinks its ambitious.
She recalled a previous effort to pare sparing by $250 Million over a five year period. Green said that was difficult then and believes this attempt will also prove difficult.
A number of areas are instructed to be left "held harmless."
They include retirement cost increases, some formula programs like education, local government support, and the longevity bonus program which the governor wants to resurrect.
Senate Finance Committee Co-Chair Lyman Hoffman said he was glad to see the direction for a ten percent reduction and that key areas are held harmless.
He was concerned though that some of the department amounts seemed high given their importance.
Hoffman specifically mentioned a nearly $11 Million cut for Public Safety; over 80 million for Health and Social Services; and nearly $20 Million for the Department of Corrections.
Departments were given until February 1st to respond to the memo. Budget amendments are due to the Legislature on March 1st.
Senator Hoffman expressed concern about lawmakers having enough time to complete budget work.
House speaker now favors idea for Palin sponsored ethics bill
House Speaker John Harris reserved himself and told his State Affairs Committee today (Tuesday) that he's willing to let Governor Palin take the lead on ethics reform legislation.
He had initially opposed that
direction.
But Harris has now asked the Governor to incorporate thoughts contained in legislative bills into her measure.
The speaker says he's also asked Palin to be the carrier of a comprehensive ethics legislation. He says that will get them around any pride of authorship within the Legislature.
Harris is the sponsor of a measure that would prohibit lawmakers and staff from entering into consulting contracts and bar spouses and domestic partners of legislators and legislative employees from receiving compensation for lobbying.
Lawmakers
warn that ethics bills shouldn't be too onerous
JUNEAU, Alaska - Some state lawmakers say better
compensation could help resolve the ethics problems that
are bedeviling the state legislature.
As House and Senate committees began hearing ethics
bills this week, a philosophical debate is emerging over
whether Alaska should be served by a citizen or a
professional Legislature.
House Speaker John Harris of Valdez says lawmakers would
have fewer conflicts of interest if they were all paid
the same professional lawmaker's wage and did not earn
other income.
Lawmakers currently earn about 24 thousand dollars a
year although interim pay, per diem and expense
allowances boost that to two and three times that
amount.
Harris says he does not plan to introduce legislation to
change lawmakers' compensation but would welcome a
debate on the issue.
Juneau Democrat Beth Kerttula says the question is a
fair one but should not be wrapped up in the ethics
debate.
Ethics bills are being heard and held in committee while
awaiting the arrival of a larger more inclusive bill
from Governor Sarah Palin.
Palin's bill is expected to be introduced by the end of
the week.
Minimum wage bill introduced in State House
A group of minority Democrats in the State House is sponsoring legislation to increase Alaska's minimum wage to eight dollars an hour.
An initiative approved by voters in 2002 increased the minimum wage to $7.15 an hour.
Two other provisions called for an annual inflation increase and keeping Alaska's minimum wage at least a dollar greater than the federal level.
In 2003, the Legislature and then Governor Murkowski succeeded in rolling back those provisions.
Anchorage Representative Les Gara is among the sponsors. He says a Legislative Research report says if the wage had been inflation proofed as approved by voters, it would be at eight dollars right now.
Gara says that's a starting point for discussion purposes, although many of the sponsors would like to see it at nine dollars.
House Bill 42 is pending a hearing in the Labor and Commerce Committee. Its also been referred to House Finance.
Bidding begins Wednesday on CBJ subdivision lots
The City and Borough of Juneau will offer 43 residential lots for sale beginning tomorrow (Wednesday) in its South Lena Subdivision.
The lots range in size from about three-quarters of an acre to one and a half acres. Access is via Point Lena Loop Road and Ocean View Drive.
City Manager Rod Swope says bids will be accepted through the end of business March 21st and sold by sealed, competitive bid.
The land sale brochure, bid form and other information will be available on the CBJ website at
www.juneau.org beginning Wednesday.
The information will also be available at each of the municipal libraries and at City Hall.
Estimated
completion for theater project is in three years
The 20th Century Building Working Group presented its plan to the Assembly yesterday [Monday] to refurbish the
Gross Theater.
The 65 year-old Art Deco structure is located in
downtown Juneau.
The group's Steve Sorensen updated the Assembly during a
session yesterday.
Deputy Mayor Merrill Sanford says they figure they'll be
done with that project in about three years.
Sorensen told the Assembly that the group is working on
starting the funding for the project.
He said the group will be coming to the Assembly within the
next year to see if there's any help CBJ can offer the
project in terms of permitting.
Under the proposed plan, condominiums and commercial
rental spaces will be constructed on the upper floors
and the theatre will be restored and equipped to become
a state of the art performing arts facility seating 500
people.
The project is estimated to cost 12 million dollars.
The fundraising plan calls for city, state and federal funds
as well as grants and a local fundraising campaign.
Also during yesterday's work session, the Assembly was
briefed on the Affordable Housing Task List.
Sanford says there's some action being taken on the
list. Its being worked on by different committees
already and staff is moving forward on the issue.
Affordable
housing and cruise ships before Planning Commission
The Planning Commission will discuss two possible
amendments to CBJ codes tonight. [Tuesday]
The first is an amendment to the subdivision code that,
if approved, would allow a reduction in lot size.
On the reduced size lots house's would be restricted to
a maximum of 1,000 square feet of living space and a 300
square foot garage or storage area.
"Bungalow" houses and subdivisions are the
terms that have been adopted to refer to the proposed
new class of development.
The goal of the ordinance is to encourage small house
construction and more affordable housing.
The second proposed measure would amend the Land Use
Code, to add cruise ship berthing and lightering as a
specific use with its own permitting process.
The proposed amendment includes the establishment of an
overlay district where it may be permitted, and a
procedure for amending the district boundary.
Up for action tonight is a conditional use permit to
modify the exterior facade of the Miner's Hall building at 422 South Franklin Street.
The permit would also allow the conversion of a second
story dormitory style housing to three individual
apartments.
The Planning Commission meets at 7 tonight in the
Assembly Chambers.
U.S.
Supreme Court rejects subsistence lawsuit
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - The U-S Supreme Court has
rejected a lawsuit that claims the federal government
unconstitutionally favors rural hunters and fishermen in
Alaska.
The lawsuit was brought by a group of urban Alaska
residents and several non-Alaska hunters and fishermen
who objected to federal regulations stemming from the
1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.
Under ANILCA, rural Alaskans are given a priority for
subsistence uses of fish and wildlife on federal lands
and waters.
Warren Olson of Anchorage brought the suit on behalf of
himself, the late Dale Bondurant of Soldotna, Kodiak
guide Jeff Jacobson and four of Jacobson's clients.
In 1998, Jacobson's clients lost their chance to hunt
Dall sheep in Northwest Alaska when the Federal
Subsistence Board effectively allowed sheep hunting
there by rural residents only.
Olson's group said the preference violates the equal
protection clause of the U-S Constitution.
They lost in federal district and appeals courts and the
U-S Supreme Court rejected the appeal without comment.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
Alaska
man killed in car crash in Hawaii
LIHUE, Hawaii (AP) - A 51-year-old Alaska man was killed
and three other people were injured yesterday (Monday)
in a collision between a rental car and a tour bus on
the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
The two other people in the rental car, a 50-year-old
woman and a 23-year-old man, were treated at Wilcox
Hospital in Lihue (Lee-hoo-ay) and released. They were
also from Alaska.
The driver of the Polynesian Adventures bus, a
60-year-old man, was also treated at Wilcox Hospital and
released. No one else was in the bus.
The names were not released by police.
The accident closed the highway in both directions for
about an hour.
Police say both vehicles were traveling north when the
car tried to make a U-turn in front of the bus.
The bus hit the car and pushed it across the highway and
onto the shoulder.
State
lawmaker to provide peers pipeline lessons
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - State Representative Ralph Samuels
is calling class to order on Thursday.
He's holding a workshop on issues pertaining to the
natural gas pipeline lawmakers hope to see built within
the next ten years.
The Anchorage Republican has been on the front lines of
this issue the last several years and is offering
colleagues from the House and Senate a crash course on
the topic.
Samuels says the lawmakers need to understand industry
terminology, federal and state laws and the range of
arguments concerning where the gas line should go and
who should build it.
Twenty percent of the lawmakers have arrived new to the
state's capital for this year's session.
And in a few weeks Governor Sarah Palin is expected to
announce a plan to the Legislature.
Shell plans to conduct seismic survey experiments
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Officials with oil company Shell say it plans to conduct seismic survey experiments this spring on floating ice in the Beaufort Sea.
In a program description to government regulators, Shell says it will try to solve technical problems with doing seismic surveys in shallow waters.
Water depths in some of the leases are too shallow for seismic ships to operate in summer.
Shell says the seismic tests will take place on ice at least 48 inches thick in water less than 60 feet deep.
Geophysical services company Veritas will conduct the experimental survey.
(Anchorage Daily News)
Air
travel from Canada and other locations now requires passport
ATLANTA (AP) - New passport rules go into effect today (Tuesday).
The new rules require Americans flying to Mexico, Canada
and the Caribbean to have passports to get back into the
country.
The new rules will have an impact in Alaska, where
residents are accustomed to flying to Canada with just a
driver's license or birth certificate.
The new regulations requiring passports were adopted by
Congress in 2004 to secure the borders against
terrorists.
The only valid substitutes for a passport will be a
NEXUS Air card, used by some American and Canadian
frequent fliers; identification as a U-S Coast Guard
merchant mariner; and the green card carried by legal
permanent residents.
Current members of the U-S military are exempt.
Alaska U. S. Senator Ted Stevens encouraged Alaskans to obtain passports.
He said implementing the new requirements for air travelers is an important step in increasing national security.
Stevens added that the new layer of air security will help prevent terrorists from entering the United States through the nation's airports.
Hundreds of vehicles used in Iraq to arrive in Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Military officials say hundreds of military vehicles used by Alaska Army units in the Iraq war will arrive tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Port of Anchorage.
The 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team ``Arctic Wolves'' based at Fort Wainwright will receive 249 Stryker vehicles and hundreds of containers filled with other equipment.
The equipment is scheduled to arrive on the U-S-S
Shugart, a 907-foot long vessel.
The Shugart, which left Kuwait in mid-December is also carrying six H-H-60 Blackhawk helicopters bound for Fort Wainwright.
Military officials at Forts Richardson and Wainwright say the vehicles, equipment and helicopters will undergo an extensive four-month maintenance and overhaul program.
Study:
Beaufort Sea polar bears shift from ice to land for dens
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Alaska's Beaufort Sea polar
bears are moving onto land to dig snow dens and give
birth and federal scientists say it's likely due to
climate warming.
A U-S Geological Survey study tracked pregnant female
polar bears from 19-85 to 19-94 and again from 19-98 to
2004.
In the earlier period, 62 percent of the female polar
bears studied dug dens in snow on sea ice.
In the later period, just 37 percent gave birth on sea
ice. The rest instead dug snow dens on land.
The bears that continued to den on ice moved east in the
Beaufort Sea off Alaska's northern coast, away from ice
that was thinner or unstable.
Anthony Fischbach (FISH-bock) is the lead author of the
study.
He says he and his fellow researchers concluded that sea
ice changes may have reduced the availability or
degraded the quality of offshore denning habits.
He says that in recent years, Arctic pack ice has formed
later, melted earlier, and lost much of its older and
thicker multiyear component.
The study makes no predictions of harm to bears in the
short term.
But it suggests that if warming continues as predicted
according to some climate models, pregnant bears might
in the future have to swim long distances in the fall
from pack ice to denning habitat on land.
The study is under U-S-G-S review.
Fischbach spoke about the study at the Alaska Marine
Science Symposium, which continues through tomorrow
(Wednesday) in Anchorage.
Department of Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne in
December proposed listing polar bears as a
``threatened'' species. A public comment period on the
proposal is open through April 9th.
Juneau
resident faces illegal hunting and fishing charges
A Juneau man is charged with hunting and fishing
violations following a moose hunt in Gustavus in early
December.
26 year old Jeffrey W. Rice is charged with misconduct
involving weapons, attempting to take big game by
shooting from, on, or across a roadway and a false
statement on his sport fishing license.
The Alaska Bureau of Wildlife Enforcement in the
Department of Public Safety says Rice shot from a
roadway and toward an occupied residence while hunting
for moose in Gustavus.
The alleged false statement came on his 2004 sport fishing license when he claimed to be a resident of Alaska, but did not qualify as a resident.
Arraignment is scheduled for February 7 in Hoonah
District Court for the offenses related to moose hunting
and in Juneau District Court for the false statement
charge.
Sun coming back to
Barrow
BARROW -- After a long wait, the sun is returning to
America's most northernmost city today (Tuesday).
Brad Herold with the U-S Weather Service office in
Barrow says the sun reappeared today at 1-06 p-m, and
will quickly set again at 2-13 p-m.
The sun has been below the horizon in Barrow since
setting on November 18th, a period of over two months.
Herold said it is doubtful that residents will be able
to see the sun today, since the forecast is for cloudy
skies with snow flurries.
Electric
association head says wind project is safe for birds
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) - The Kodiak Electric Association
wind generation project on Pillar Mountain is not putting birds in harm's way.
Both the power company and the Kodiak Audubon Society
got together Friday at Kodiak College to discuss the
project.
The utility and the Audubon Society have been studying
the impact of the wind generation on birds, and have
found little to worry about.
The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service approved the Pillar
site as passing wildlife preservation regulations.
Scott told the group of about 20 people that the Pillar
site has about two to 35 times less than average bird
use when compared to other wind turbine farms in the
U-S.
Audubon member Stacy Studebaker says Audubon is
comfortable that the project will not harm birds that
might fly through the area.
(Kodiak Daily Mirror)
Grant to allow seafood marketing group to advertise overseas
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has received a three
million dollar federal grant to promote the state's fish products overseas.
The money is from the U-S Department of Agriculture.
The U-S-D-A's Market Access Program provides such grants to a variety of mostly agricultural trade organizations.
The money allows the groups to market goods ranging from apples and beef to grains and walnuts.
The government recently allotted 100
million to 67 U-S trade groups.
(Anchorage Daily News)
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