Deadline for first PFD direct deposit is Tuesday, PFD chief promoted
An important deadline related to the filing of Permanent Fund Dividend applications is coming up next week.

Tuesday is the deadline for Alaskans to apply on-line and qualify for the first direct deposit October 4th.

As of today (Friday), Dick says about 234,000 on-line applications have been filed. That already exceeds the 211,000 filed last year.

Original estimates thought there would be 325,000 on-line applications this year, but Dick figures it will exceed that amount by the time of the filing deadline March 31st.

All others applying on-line who qualify for direct deposit will get this year's dividend on October 19th. The mailing of checks will be November 14th this year.

Meanwhile, this is Dick's last day on the job. He's moving down the hall at the Department of Revenue to become chief of Revenue Operations which oversees the tax collection operation.

"I'll be going from a position that gives out money, to one that collects money," he says.

Recruitment for the position wraps up at the end of the month. Dick says it hoped his replacement will be on board by the end of February.

But, in the meantime, he says the division is in good hands with excellent managers and staff.

Dick was in the position for seven and a half years. 

Playground design developed for Twin Lakes with help of Juneau school kids
The new Twin Lakes playground now has a preliminary design.

Project Playground's steering committee and John Dean, a designer from New York based Leathers Associates, visited schools and met with over one-thousand kids yesterday. [Thursday]

He says "the kids were just a riot" and, of course, they wanted everything.

Dean then distilled the ideas into a preliminary schematic design which was presented at last night's design celebration at Harborview Elementary School.

He says it's not easy to complete a design, by hand, in about half a day.

Dean says they wanted the playground to "speak Juneau".

He says it's not out of a catalog, it will be custom built, and will feature not only playground equipment, but also have a Native Alaska component and a history or culture wall.

Project Playground's Dawn Welch says they asked kids what their dream playground would be. She says there will be a castle, a train with ore trains and a little mining pen, an orca whale, a tree fort, lots of covered slides, mazes, and things to climb through.

She called it an "outstanding process" to get that design in such a short time.

Welch says emphasis was placed on making the playground accessible for children in wheelchairs and disabilities. Southeast Alaska Independent Living has volunteered to host "Project Playground.

Welch says they hope to build the new Twin Lakes playground this fall or next spring.

Project Playground is in the process of raising the $200,000 needed to build the new playground.

Welch says once the design and playground equipment is finalized, people can sponsor a swing, a slide, a tree fort, a castle or whatever suits their interest.

Checks can be made out to Project Playground and mailed to SAIL at 3225 Hospital Drive suite 300, Juneau zip code is 99801.

Population report for Alaska released
The State Department of Labor has released its population report for 2005 in Alaska.

State Demographer Greg Williams says the population is 663,661.

That's about nine-tenths of one percent growth in the last year and one point one percent since two thousand which he says indicates growth is slowing down a little bit.

Williams says the most rapid growth has come in the Mat-Su Borough, which has been the pattern for quite some time.

Numbers show the Mat-Su population grew by just over four percent between 2000 and 2005 to more than 74-thousand people. The growth in 2005 was nearly five percent.

According to the report, population numbers elsewhere in the state were mostly flat.

Anchorage's population grew by only point-one percent. That's the city's lowest growth rate in almost a decade.

The Mat Su gained almost 29-hundred people in 2005, about the same number that left Anchorage last year.

Williams says about half of those who left Anchorage settled in the Mat-Su.

The population of the City and Borough of Juneau increased by 482 between 2000 and 2005. That put the Capital City's growth at two tenths of one percent.

Juneau and Sitka were the only areas in Southeast to see growth.

Anchorage's population grew by only point-one percent. That's the city's lowest growth rate in almost a decade.

The Mat Su gained almost 29-hundred people in 2005, about the same number that left Anchorage last year.

Williams says about half of those who left Anchorage settled in the Mat-Su.

But the Municipality of Anchorage continues to dominate the state with a population of 278,241 accounting for nearly 42 percent of the Alaska's population.

The Anchorage - Mat Su region population of 352,282 comprises 53 point 1 percent of the state's population.

Two inside mobile survived crashing jet
A 12-year-old Ketchikan boy says he and his grandmother had to escape their mobile home through a window after a small jet crashed into it.

Daniel Mestas and Marie Wallace were finishing lunch Wednesday when the aircraft ripped into their home.

Pilot Stephan Freeman ejected from the jet but died.

Daniel Mestas tells the Anchorage Daily News the jet landed in the parking lot next to the trailer court but hit the trailer from the back at an angle.

He says the kitchen table flipped over and the impact knocked he and his grandmother off their feet.

The crash filled the house with smoke.

Daniel says he found a window in the living room that had been shattered.

He kicked out the remaining shards and a stranger outside helped him and his grandmother climb to safety.

The home was destroyed.

Two vehicles were demolished.

A second home also was damaged.

Ketchikan assistant city manager David Martin says six people in all were treated at the hospital for minor injuries from the crash. 

Rock slide temporarily closes Whittier tunnel
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - State transportation officials say a rock slide has prompted the temporary closure of the Whittier Tunnel.

The slide occurred about seven this morning (Friday). About two tons of rock fell, but all was contained in screening installed for such slides.

The tunnel will remain closed until all the gravel and rock are removed.

The department expects the tunnel should be back open later today.

Officials say there were NO injuries or risks presented by the slide.

Legal spat over $5 billion Valdez judgment back in court 
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Exxon Mobil's appeal of a five billion-dollar judgment against the company for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill is back in a San Francisco court this morning.

It's the third time the Irving, Texas-based oil giant's case has come before the Ninth U-S Circuit Court of Appeals in one of the nation's longest-running legal disputes.

It stems from a 1994 decision by an Alaska jury to award punitive damages to 34-thousand fishermen and Alaskans.

Their property and livelihoods were harmed when the Valdez struck a reef and spilled eleven million gallons of crude oil across the Alaskan coastline.

Willow woman dies in Parks Highway crash
WASILLA, Alaska (AP) - Alaska State Troopers say a 26-year-old Willow woman was killed last night in a traffic accident near Mile 49-point-five  of the Parks Highway.

Amyee Skarda lost control of her car and spun into the path of a cargo van.

Troopers say they received a report of the accident shortly before seven p-m.

Troopers say Skarda was driving north. She tried to pass another vehicle and lost control.

Her car turned into the southbound lane and was struck on the driver's side by a van driven by 49-year-old Gregory Vance of Wasilla.

Skarda was pronounced dead at Valley Hospital in Palmer.

Troopers say 38-year-old Burton Boyce was riding with Skarda and was treated for minor injuries at the hospital.

Vance was not injured.

Searchers find body of Kokhanok man
KOKHANOK, Alaska (AP) - Alaska State Troopers say searchers have found the body of a 25-year-old Kokhanok (KOCK'-hone-ack) man missing since last week.

Niel Nielsen was found yesterday (Thursday) dead of exposure in ice about 20 miles from his village.

Troopers say searchers plan to recover the body today.

There still is no sign of his traveling companion.

Nielsen left January 19th with 13-year-old James Hester on a 40-mile trip to Igiugig (ig-ee-UH'-gig).

Both villages are on the south side of Iliamna Lake.

Temperatures over last weekend reached ten below zero with winds gusting to 40 miles per hour.

Volunteer searchers found Nielsen's body on lake ice about 120 feet from shore.

Kokhanok is 88 miles northeast of King Salmon in Southwest Alaska.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Docks and Harbors Board wades through a crowded agenda
The Docks and Harbors Board last night agreed to send out for public comment proposed amendments to the waterfront sales permit program regulations to address tour complaints.

Port Director John Stone says the regulations will be out for public comment in February.

Public hearings are scheduled for March 13th at 7 p.m. in Assembly Chambers and March 15th at 5 p.m. at the Aurora Harbor Office.

The board's is scheduled to take action on the regulations following a public hearing during its regular meeting on March 30th.

Stone says the proposed regulations are largely in response to complaints that are sent to the Juneau Convention and Visitor's Bureau every summer from cruise passengers.

The panel approved an expenditure of up to 50,000 dollars of Port Maintenance Funds to remodel the cruise ship terminal visitor center. That's the old ferry office downtown..

A contract amendment for design services related to the Auke Bay Commercial Loading Facility was approved

The board authorized Stone to enter into a contract with the American Sail Training Association for services related to organizing and managing a Tall Ship Challenge event in Juneau.

That would occur during the summer of 2008 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Alaska Statehood.

Stone says he'll be working with several other ports in the state to arrange that event.

The board approved a tidelands lease application for a jewelry store downtown. Stone says that would allow the applicant to have land abutting the new seawalk that's planned in the area.

He says the Assembly will be asked to approve an ordinance authorizing the lease.

State revives aerial wolf control program
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The state's aerial wolf control program was reinstated Thursday.

It was more than a week after a judge ruled program illegal.

The Superior Court ruling had said the state failed to follow its own rules when authorizing the program.

To revive the program, the state Board of Game filed rewritten regulations with the lieutenant governor's office for its five aerial wolf control areas.

Animal rights groups may return to court to argue that the process of rewriting the rules was illegal.

The aerial wolf control program is intended to boost moose and caribou populations in five areas of the state.

About 400 wolves have been killed so far under the program.

Permit hunt reports due to Fish and Game.
The Department of Fish and Game is waiting for hunters to return required permit hunt reports.

Assistant Area Biologist Ryan Scott in Juneau says they rely on permit reporting to manage wildlife populations and plan area hunts.

Scott says the consequences for not reporting are fairly severe and include losing permit hunt privileges next year and being cited and fined.

Anyone with questions is asked to contact the Douglas Area Wildlife Conservation Office.

Feds launch plan to cut recreational offerings at nation's largest forest
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Federal officials are working on a plan to trim costs of recreational cabins and other sites at the Tongass National Forest.

The U-S Forest Service launched the five-year plan to meet maintenance budget shortfalls at the 17 million Tongass -- the country's largest national forest.

Officials are looking at possible options, including shutting as many as 45 public-use cabins in the Southeast Alaska forest.

But officials stress the public will be involved in the process.

They're holding a series of community workshops to look for ideas that could lead to fewer closures.

Other possible options include enlisting volunteers to help with maintenance, increasing user fees and farming out some remote, low-use properties to community groups or commercial operators.

Alaskans want icebreaker moved from Seattle to Anchorage
WASHINGTON (AP) - Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and Congressman Don Young are pushing the Coast Guard to move the icebreaker Healy from Seattle to Anchorage.

The Republican congressmen say it would make sense to base the icebreaker closer to the Arctic.

The Healy has been based in Seattle since its launch in 2000.

Seattle also is home to two older Coast Guard icebreakers, the Polar Star and Polar Sea.

All three ships are maintained at the Todd shipyard in Seattle.

Moving the Healy would cost about eight million dollars.

Congressman Jim McDermott of Seattle says the proposed move by the powerful Alaska lawmakers is ``payback'' for opposition from Washington lawmakers over Arctic oil drilling and oil shipments into Puget Sound.

Business group to sue over Puget orca listing
SEATTLE (AP) - The Building Industry Association of Washington plans to sue the federal government over the November decision to list Puget Sound orcas as an endangered species.

The association is concerned the listing would restrict property use near the sound.

The association's lawyer, Tim Harris, says the Puget Sound orcas don't merit special protection because there are other killer whales in the Northwest, Alaska and Russia. He says singling out Puget Sound orcas is like listing an individual school of fish.

A spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Brian Gorman, says there is no question that Puget Sound orcas are a distinct population with unique genetics and behaviors.

There are currently 89 of the Puget Sound killer whales.

Whaling captain says barrow ice surges are rare
Barrow whaling co-captain Lloyd Leavitt says he hasn't seen such large ice surges in Barrow since 19-78.

Ridges of sea ice this week crashed onto a Barrow roadway and blocked all but one lane.

North Slope Borough disaster coordinator Rob Elkins says ice stopped about 30 feet short of a borough pump station.