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Ship with 990 people
onboard disabled in Bering Sea
The Coast Guard is enroute to a disabled vessel in the Bering Sea with 990
people on board.
The 591-foot Motor Vessel "Explorer" is in 35-foot seas and winds gusting
over 50 miles per hour about 650 miles south of Adak, Alaska.
This ship was disabled after a 50-foot wave broke bridge windows and damaged
bridge controls and injured two crewmembers.
The ship is currently operating on one of its four engines which can only
keep the ship's bow into the heavy seas.
The crew is using emergency steering to maintain its course.
The Explorer is being used for a Semester at Sea Program.
Of the 990 people aboard, 681 are students and 113 are faculty and staff.
The other 196 are ship's crew.
The Explorer is a 25,000-ton, Bahamian-flagged vessel, that was en route to Japan from Vancouver, Canada.
The ship does have internal electrical power and good communications with
the Coast Guard.
A medical staff of two doctors and two nurses is also aboard.
The 378-foot Coast Guard Cutter Jarvis, is getting underway from Dutch
Harbor, Alaska, to assist the Explorer.
Three Coast Guard long range aircraft are en route to the stricken vessel.
No injuries in accident involving school bus
A school bus was involved in a traffic accident on Fritz Cove Road at Dock Street after seven this morning.
(Wednesday)
There were no injuries, according to Police Sergeant Ed Mercer.
He said the school bus was apparently stopped when another vehicle slid in to the back causing minor damage to the bus.
The sergeant says there were six children on the bus at the time. They were transferred to another bus.
Lots more snow in Juneau's forecast
A winter storm watch has been issued for the Juneau area by the National Weather Service.
An accumulation of two inches is in today's forecast. Four to six inches is expected both tonight and tomorrow, according to Meteorologist Kerry Hanko in the Juneau Forecast Office.
The snow fall is expected to
be focused in the northern part of the forecast area, according to Hanko.
Learn to Ski participants announced on Capital Chat
The names of the 45 school kids drawn from a hat to participate in the Learn to Ski Weekend at Eaglecrest were announced on KINY's Capital Chat this morning.
Jeffra Clough, the Snowsports School
Director at Eaglecrest, and Assistant Director Tom Brayton said they had 76 applications this year.
They said the names will be listed on their web site and all participants will get a call inviting them to an orientation Friday evening to which their parents are also invited.
The orientation is from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Assembly Chambers at City Hall.
The Eaglecrest officials says they ask the kids to come both days this weekend and add they are skiers by the end of the weekend.
Minority Democrats reject
key conclusion in Bundy report
JUNEAU (AP) - Democrats in the Legislature say they strongly disagree with
conclusions of a report largely clearing Attorney General Gregg Renkes of
wrongdoing.
But he also concluded Renkes' stake wasn't big enough to merit a breach of
ethics.
House Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz says the attorney general should be
above reproach and that Renkes is skating on an ethical edge. He says Renkes
should resign.
State Representative Eric Croft says the Bundy report cleared Renkes on a
technicality after finding ethics breaches.
Croft says Bundy got it right by finding Renkes used state resources and
took official action in a matter in which he had a financial interest.
But Croft says Bundy erred with the finding that a hundred-thousand dollars
worth of stock in the company was insignificant.
Governor plans to issue
Renkes letter of reprimand
JUNEAU (AP) - Governor Frank Murkowski says he will reprimand Attorney
General Gregg Renkes and that he has asked for legislation to strengthen the
state's ethics laws.
In an interview with The Associated Press today (Wednesday), Murkowski said
he asked former U-S Attorney Robert Bundy to review the disciplinary actions
that can be taken against Renkes. He says he expects a response within a few
days, and will issue a letter of reprimand afterward.
Murkowski says he will consider Bundy's recommendations and the actions
Renkes has already taken in the reprimand. Renkes sold his shares in K-F-x
Incorporated after news stories broke about his holdings in the company that
is involved in the Alaska-Taiwan coal deal.
The governor says he has asked Bundy to draft a bill to set a level that
state employees can have interest in a company they deal with officially.
Alaska now has no such standards.
Free bus fares for low income
disabled take effect February 1
Two groups of people will be able get around Juneau on the city buses for
free, once again.
Low-income persons with disabilities will be able to ride Capitol Transit
buses free of charge beginning Tuesday February 1st.
Seniors were allowed to ride for free again last month.
For the last half year, the two groups were required to buy a discounted 12
dollar monthly bus pass.
In an effort to increase revenue for the bus system, the Assembly approved
the new fares in August.
Capitol Transit officials estimated that the city could make a little over
$48,000 a year by charging people with disabilities and just under $18,000
by charging seniors.
In December, the Assembly approved a return to the free use of the buses by
persons with disabilities that qualify as low-income and seniors.
Low-income persons with disabilities can board the buses without charge by
showing the driver a VIP Bus Pass and seniors can use the Senior Citizen's
Sales Tax Exemption Card.
Site work for new sports field to go to bid
The Planning Commission last night
approved plans for site work for the proposed sports field where the Alaska Marine Highway building on Glacier Avenue used to be.
Parking would also be added there.
Superintendent Peggy Cowan says they're nearly wrapped up with phase one of the high school renovation.
This is phase two which includes parking all the way from Harborview and the district office down to the high school.
The big piece is the new play field, she says.
The additional parking will support the new field and the swimming pool.
Cowan says they'll be going to bid on the project soon and working on it this summer.
Hydro dam project bill for Hydaburg reintroduced by Senator Murkowski
A measure introduced by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski today (Wednesday) extends the license of the proposed Reynolds Creek hydroelectric project on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast.
The legislation would give the Haida
Corporation, the sponsor of the project, up to six additional years to begin construction of the project.
Murkowski introduced the same measure last year and won full Senate approval, but it died in the House during the closing days of the 108th Congress.
The bill extends the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license for the proposed 5-megawatt power project.
The agency had issued a license three years ago for the 20-foot long, 6-foot high dam on Reynolds Creek.
The project includes a 3,200-foot penstock and a powerhouse and two turbine units and a transmission line to take power produced by the hydro project to Hydaburg and its 364 residents.
Murkowski says the project will produce power that is less expensive and more environmentally friendly than the current diesel-generated power used on the island.
The bill will now be reviewed
again by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Senator Murkowski seeks repeal of certain aviation taxes
ANCHORAGE (AP) - U-S Senator Lisa Murkowski is seeking to repeal a rural airplane ticket tax and a similar tax on some floatplane passengers.
Murkowski introduced two amendments today in Congress to repeal the taxes.
The Republican senator says that rural Alaskans have unfairly had to pay an airline ticket segment tax on their flights into hub airports from rural communities.
The tax is unfair, Murkowski says, because rural Alaskans have no other means of transportation.
The first proposal would reduce the number of Alaskans who would have to pay the segment tax.
The second proposal would exempt seaplane passengers, who fly on floatplanes to small communities in Alaska, from paying the seven-point-five percent ticket tax on scheduled floatplane service on top of the segment fee.
The Senate Finance Committee is next to consider the proposed exemptions.
Credit union official charged with
fraud
ANCHORAGE (AP) - The U-S Attorney's Office says a former liquidations
officer for Alaska U-S-A Federal Credit Union has been charged with bank
fraud.
Federal prosecutors say 37-year-old Bill Stonerock pleaded not guilty
to the charges after he was arrested and indicted by a federal grand jury
last week.
According to the indictment, Stonerock created a scheme to pocket proceeds
from repossessed vehicles.
Prosecutors say Stonerock would sometimes sell vehicles on the side, keep
the proceeds and later report those vehicles among those sold for the credit
union.
The indictment says Stonerock sold about 72 vehicles for about 310-thousand
dollars.
Investigation continues on body
found in crevice
KETCHIKAN (AP) - The Alaska Medical Examiner says there were no signs of
outward trauma on the body of a woman found in Ketchikan.
Police found 47-year-old Lucille Kugzrucks' body eight days ago outside a
building a few hours after a co-worker reported her missing.
Authorities say an investigation is continuing and results from toxicology
tests should be available in about two weeks.
Double amputee robbed in Wasilla
WASILLA (AP) - Police say a double amputee who was robbed in Wasilla got a bit of good news a few days ago.
Police say the man got his dog back.
Police say 52-year-old Joseph Wethern was robbed at gunpoint nearly two weeks ago, and then the thieves also stole his dog.
The suspects forced their way into Wethern's apartment and stole cash and prescription drugs. Then they grabbed his dog, a black and white Boston terrier and fled.
Police say a few days ago some children returned the dog. They said they got the dog from some other kids, but knew nothing about the robbery.
Proposed bill would repay new
teacher's student loans
KENAI (AP) - Senate Majority Leader Gary Stevens is proposing a bill
designed to attract new teachers to both elementary and secondary positions.
Senate Bill 61 would establish a program to repay up to ten-thousand dollars
in student loans per teacher.
Stevens' aide Doug Letch says the bill is the same as one approved by the
Senate Health, Education and Social Services Committee in 2003.
That bill died in the Senate Finance Committee.
The repayment would apply to all first-time teachers hired after July 1st.
Letch says the bill would make repayments available only if state budgets
allowed it.
He says other criteria -- such as the length of time a teacher would have to
stay on the job -- would be developed later by the Alaska Commission on
Postsecondary Education and the state Department of Education.
Panel to take testimony today on better law enforcement
ANCHORAGE (AP) - A panel will hear testimony today in Anchorage on improving law enforcement in rural Alaska.
The panel will hear testimony on a variety of topics, including alcohol abuse and domestic violence.
The hearing is part of a series of public meetings throughout Alaska.
Testimony is being taken this morning on a first come, first serve basis from 8-30 to noon at the Hotel Captain Cook.
The nine-member panel will make recommendations to Congress and the Alaska Legislature on potential changes for rural law enforcement in the state.
National group advocates new home for Alaska's only elephant
A national zoo accrediting group says Maggie the elephant would be better off at another facility besides the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage.
The American Zoo and Aquarium Association says female elephants are highly social animals and need the company of other female elephants.
(Copyright ©2005 Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio)
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