Coast Guard, tugs, help refloat grounded ferry
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - An Alaska state ferry that grounded on a small southeast Alaska island has been refloated.

Coast Guard and state Department of Transportation officials say the Lituya was refloated at 2:10 this afternoon (Friday), a half hour before high tide.

                            The 181-foot Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Lituya aground on
                            Southeast Alaska’s Scrub Island Friday morning. The ship reportedly broke free from its
                            mooring early Friday morning, Jan. 30. (photo courtesy of Sandra Wilson)

The ferry operates between Metlakatla and Ketchikan every day and ties up in Metlakatla each night.

At around one a-m this morning, winds that gusted to 80 miles per hour blew the 181-foot vessel off its mooring and away from the Metlakatla pier.

No one was on board.

The ferry grounded about one mile north on Scrub Island.

The ferry's skipper boarded the vessel at about seven a-m.

He turned off the generator and secured weather-tight doors.

The Coast Guard says a small amount of diesel escaped through a vent when the ferry was listing this morning.

The Lituya is used on the run between Metlakatla and Ketchikan.  

Snettisham line repair work resumes in marginal weather
Repairs to the Snettisham line resumed today (Friday) after being shut down for two days.

Scott Willis of Alaska Electric, Light and Power told us late this afternoon that the avalanche control crew was able to get in close to full days work. 

It was determined that naturally occurring avalanches  that came down Thursday night so the work area was declared safe.

Willis says he's told visibility is hindered at times due to the snow and fog.

He says the crew was able to make splices at one side the transmission lines with splices at the other side still left to complete.

Willis says there appears to be about a day and half of work left to do before the line can be transmitting electricity again.

he says crews will be working at the site again Saturday weather permitting.   

An avalanche on January 12th destroyed tower 3-5.

That tower was also destroyed by avalanches last April 16th.

The repair job involves bypassing that tower this time.

Coast Guard to test Katmai life raft in Seattle
SEATTLE (AP) - The Coast Guard board investigating the sinking of a fishing vessel in the Bering Sea will reconvene Tuesday in Seattle.

The board will meet at the Divers Institute of Technology to test the buoyancy of a life raft from the Katmai to determine if it inflated properly.

The Seattle-based Katmai went down Oct. 22 off the Aleutian Islands with the loss of seven of the 11 crewmen.

Nasty weather scrubs Chenega run
The scheduled run of the fast ferry Chenega from Juneau to Haines has been scrubbed by the Alaska Marine Highway.

Spokesman Roger Wetherell says the strong weather moving through Lynn Canal spurred the cancellation in the interest of safety.

Alaskans brace for Redoubt Volcano eruption
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Seismic events are picking up at Mount Redoubt, and that has meant an increase in business for hardware stores and auto parts shops in Southcentral Alaska.

Residents of Anchorage and other communities have been stocking up on dust masks and protective eye wear ahead of a possible eruption of Redoubt Volcano.

The Alaska Volcano Observatory on Sunday raised the threat level to orange, the stage just before an eruption

Geophysicist John Power says today the observatory (Thursday began seeing even higher levels of seismic events and long periods of tremors.

The volcano is about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Past eruptions have sent clouds of volcanic ash toward Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

Particulate can injure skin, eyes and breathing passages, especially for the very young, the elderly and people with respiratory problems.

It can also foul engines, including jets that fly into ash clouds. But potential danger all depends on the wind.

When Mount Spurr erupted three times in 1992, it blew ash far north of Anchorage in June and September but dumped a significant amount on the state's largest city in August.

Democrats decry delay in obtaining Palin e-mails
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska Democratic Party says a six-month or more delay in obtaining official e-mails from Gov. Sarah Palin's office is inexcusable.

Party officials issued a press release Friday after hearing that their records request from last September may not be answered before the end of March.

In a letter to the Department of Law, Palin's administrative services director, Linda Perez, asked for the extension because of problems converting e-mails into a format that can be easily reviewed and redacted.

Democrats accuse the administration of obfuscation and say staff should be able to identify the requested e-mails with simple search commands.

Their e-mail request is one of 18 pending public records requests.

Deployment ceremony planned Tuesday in Anchorage
FORT RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) - A deployment ceremony is being planned at Anchorage's Sullivan Arena for 3,500 soldiers from Fort Richardson.

The ceremony is planned Tuesday morning for the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division.

The soldiers will leave for Afghanistan later in February and in March for a 12-month deployment.

Among those expected to speak at the ceremony are Gov. Sarah Palin and Col. Michael Howard, the unit commander.

University regents appointed
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Gov. Sarah Palin has appointed a Juneau engineering professional to the University of Alaska Board of Regents.

Kenneth Fisher, who was appointed Thursday, is an engineer officer with the U.S. Public Health Service.

He works as a senior representative to the state for the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Palin also has reappointed Mary K. Hughes of Anchorage to the Board of Regents.

Hughes, who chairs the Alaska Humanities Forum, is the former municipal attorney for the city of Anchorage.

Hughes also served as state director for the office of U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski from 2005 to 2008.

Members of the 11-member board are appointed by the governor and are confirmed by state lawmakers. Thursday's action is pending legislative approval.

Coast Guard: Man reportedly dove into Bering Sea
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The Coast Guard has suspended the search for a man who reportedly jumped into the Bering Sea off a fishing boat.

Officials say the 39-year-old man, who was not wearing a survival suit, then avoided a fellow crew member from the Arctic Fox who tried to rescue him. The Coast Guard says the man then reportedly dove into the sea, and wasn't seen again.

The Coast Guard says this happened late Thursday morning about 11 miles northeast of Unalaska while the 58-foot fishing vessel was en route to Dutch Harbor.

The Coast Guard says it's not releasing the missing crewman's name pending notification of relatives.

Lawmakers discuss Sudan divestiture
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Lawmakers are again considering legislation that would require the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. to divest itself of investments in Sudan because of the violence in Darfur.

Three bills have been introduced this year, including one from Gov. Sarah Palin. They were heard in the House State Affairs Committee on Thursday.

Revenue Commissioner Pat Galvin says the governor's bill addresses some concerns that permanent fund officials had with similar legislation last year.

Galvin says that earlier legislation would have resulted in unintended costs to the state and required the state to pull out of some companies that were not being targeted.

Galvin says the new mechanism would allow the divestment to take place within nine months. He estimates the state has about $3.5 million invested in a handful of companies doing business with Sudan. 

Gold discovery could be among world's largest
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - A mining exploration company says a gold discovery north of Fairbanks is among the largest worldwide in 10 years.

International Tower Hill updated its reserves estimate on land about 70 miles north of the state's second largest city.

The new estimate puts the find at 5 million ounces of gold, but company president Jeffrey Pontius says that additional exploring could push the figure to 10 million ounces.

It will also take additional exploration to learn how much of the gold can be recovered.

Pontius says the mine could be operating within five to six years.

This falls in line with an October report.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

Willie Hensley pens memoir detailing an extraordinary life
Alaska Native leader Willie Hensley has written a memoir.

The book is entitled "Fifty Miles From Tomorrow".

Hensley grew up on the shores of Kotzebue Sound, 29 miles north of the Arctic circle.

When he turned 15 years-old in 1956, Hensley first left Alaska to attend a boarding school in Tennessee.

Hensley went on to graduate from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

He was living in the nation's capital during some tumultuous and notable times in the country; the assassination of President Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King's speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Hensley and his friend Hank Adams marched from the Capitol to the reflection pool and were present for King's historic speech.

Hensley was one of the founders of the Northwest Alaska Native Association and the Alaska Federation of Natives.

He was one of the leaders in the effort for Congressional approval of the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act passed, which gave Alaska Natives 44 million acres of land and about $1 billion dollars.

The land and money set the stage for the regional Native Corporations to become major players in the state's economy.

He has also served as a state representative and senator.

Hensley says he's back home now and loves the peace and quiet. He says he and loves to hunt, pick berries and spend time with his grandchildren.

The Washington Post writes in a review that Hensley's book "Fifty Miles From Tomorrow"... "is an entertaining and affecting portrait of a man and his extraordinary milieu."

New cost estimate rises for Knik Arm bridge
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A bridge intended to cut down the commute between Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough is getting more expensive.

The Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority on Thursday said a new estimate puts the price tag at $680 million, up $80 million.

That estimate is for the total cost, including construction, contingencies, design and engineering, construction management and right-of-way.

The authority says most of the estimated $680 million will be paid for by toll payers, not taxpayers. And it says the cost could go down because of the recession and decreasing world demand for asphalt and steel products.

The two-mile span is intended to connect the Port of Anchorage to Port MacKenzie.

eBay: Cars, boats and, just maybe, Miss.'s jet
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi is the latest state trying to unload pricey property because of the economic meltdown.

The state House voted Thursday to sell an eight-seat jet valued at $3.7 million that's used to haul Gov. Haley Barbour and other officials around. The plan needs Senate approval.

The jet can be sold by competitive bid or on eBay. It costs about $1,600 an hour to operate.

House Appropriations Chairman Johnny Stringer says selling the jet would provide another revenue source for the cash-strapped state. Officials would still have three taxpayer-funded planes to use.

Stringer says he got the idea from Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who made headlines when she tried unsuccessfully to sell her state's jet on eBay. Other states have sold desks, police cruisers and armored personnel carriers.

Alaska gets D-plus for teacher retention
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Alaska needs to do more to keep good teachers and weed out the bad ones.

That's according to a national study that gave the state a D-plus in teacher retention.

That grade reflects the national average, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality.

The study calls for schools to evaluate new teachers more than once a year.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Peregrine falcon rescued after flying to Hawaii
HONOLULU (AP) - A peregrine falcon that apparently flew thousands of miles from North America to Hawaii is recovering at the Honolulu Zoo from a broken beak and other injuries.

The falcon is a member of a breed that nests in Alaska and Canada. It was found tired and thirsty in Nanakuli in October.

The Hawaiian Humane Society captured the falcon and turned it over to exotic-bird experts at the Aloha Animal Hospital in Kahala.

Doctors at the hospital gave the falcon antibiotics and force-fed the bird because it could not eat.

Veterinarians there used dental acrylic to build the bird a prosthetic beak.

Peregrine falcons are found on all continents except Antarctica. As many as three are seen every winter in Hawaii.