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Wannamaker to
step down as Goldbelt chair, run for mayor possible
Randy Wannamaker says he will step down as the chair of Goldbelt's Board
of Directors at the annual meeting of Juneau's urban native corporation in
June.
He says he will not seek the chairmanship or other officer positions for
another term.
The Juneau Assembly member says he's stepping down in order to take
advantage of other opportunities to serve the Native community and the
public.
When asked if that might include running for Mayor of Juneau this year,
Wanamaker said he would seriously consider it. Sally Smith's term is up
this year.
Wanamaker has served as a Goldbelt officer for ten years. He does plan to
serve out the remaining two years of his director term.
Cruise ship docks okayed
Private cruise ship docks topped the Planning Commission's agenda last
night.
A conditional use permit to construct a dock at the northwest corner of
the Rock Dump was approved. The project also includes a bus staging area.
The panel also okayed a conditional use permit for a smaller lightening
and cruise vessel dock just south of the Franklin Dock.
In other action, a preliminary plat for the fourth phase of the Montana
Creek Subdivision was approved. The subdivision consists of 24 lots. Nine
lots were approved previously.
Legislative move initiative
sponsors want another vote
Backers of a proposal to move the Legislature out of Juneau are contesting
the results of a failed ballot initiative and calling for a new election
in 2004.
The measure failed at the polls last November by a margin of two to one.
Members of Alaskans for Efficient Government, which sponsored the
initiative, say the public was not full informed of the costs of the move.
The group will argue before the state Supreme Court that the initiative
deserves a second shot at the polls without, once again, going through the
petition process.
The group's attorney, Ken Jacobus, says he expects the case to go before
the Supreme Court in May.
Mallott recovering from operation
in New Zealand
Friends and family of Alaska Native leader and former Juneau Mayor Byron
Mallott (ma-LOT') say he is recovering in a New Zealand hospital after
undergoing emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain.
The surgery Saturday was successful and doctors expect a full recovery,
according to a family member.
The 59-year-old Mallott was studying education programs in small New
Zealand villages.
He developed a headache that grew severe and on Saturday he was
transported about 35 minutes north to Auckland.
Mallott is currently president and chief executive officer of the Alaska
Native advocacy group First Alaskans Institute.
State population grows, but mostly
in Southcentral
The latest estimate of Alaska's population has been completed by the State
Labor Department.
State demographer Greg Williams says it has grown between the 2000 census
and July 1st of last year by 2 point 7 percent or 16,866 people. The
state's population as of July 1st of last year was 643,786.
Most of the growth came in the Anchorage and Mat Su Borough. That area's
growth went up by two percent and included a natural increase and net
in-migration.
Juneau was only one of two areas in Southeast that saw an increase in
population which amounted to four tenths of a percent. The Capital City
saw 618 births, but out migration amounted to 348.
Sitka's population increased by three tenths of a percent. The biggest
percentage drop in the region and in the state was the 4 point 9 percent
in the Yakutat Borough.
The biggest increase, 4 point 2 percent, occurred in the Mat Su Borough.
Anchorage had a net increase of one point 5 percent. The Fairbanks North
Star Borough grew by one percent.
Juneau is still the second largest city in state with 30, 981 residents.
Fairbanks' population is 29,670. The population for the Municipality of
Anchorage is 269,070.
Bear ordinance subject of Assembly
committee meeting
The Assembly's Planning and Policy Committee reviewed the city's bear
ordinance at its meeting yesterday.
Committee Chair Dale Anderson says the ordinance was held in committee to
get clarification on issues surrounding administrative search warrants and
the requirements for garbage containment.
The committee also heard a report on civic improvements which Anderson
says spoke directly towards downtown traffic congestion. The McDowell
Group recently released results of a survey on that issue.
As a result, Anderson says the panel is focusing on two fronts. One is
signage as a primary improvement before the next tourism season. The
committee is also considering what he calls a clean sidewalk ordinance.
The panel is scheduled to take up noise abatement issues at its meeting
next Tuesday.
Convenience store ordinance on
agenda of Assembly committee
The Assembly Public Works and Facilities Committee took up changes in the
city's land use code dealing with convenience stores during its meeting
over the noon hour today. The ordinance deals mostly with the proposed
expansion of the Douglas Breeze Inn.
There are traffic, parking, lighting, and buffer issues to be dealt with
there, according to Committee Chair Jeannie Johnson. She hoped her
committee would move the ordinance to the full Assembly during its
deliberations today.
Anchorage park named after native
civil rights leaders
A Downtown Anchorage park is being named after two Alaska Native civil
rights leaders. The Anchorage Assembly yesterday unanimously approved a
resolution naming the park on Fourth Avenue, next to the old Anchorage
City Hall, after Elizabeth and Roy Peratrovich (Per-AT'-oh-vitch). They
led efforts in the 1940s and '50s to pass state civil rights legislation.
Free parking to end at airport's long term lot
The 30 minute free parking in the Juneau Airport's long term lot will be
discontinued as of this Saturday. That according to Patty Delabruere of
the airport manager's office.
She says the airport went to the 30 minutes free parking in the long term
lot after September 11th of last year to accommodate security restrictions
placed on the short term parking lot.
Thirty minutes of free parking is now available in the short term lot.
Delabruere says now that the short term parking lot is open, they're
trying to free up space in the long term lot.
Marijuana bust made in Whitehorse
Royal Canadian Mounted Police say
they seized 400 marijuana plants from a grower in Whitehorse last week.
The marijuana has been destroyed. Officers say 400 marijuana plants have a
street value of more than 250-thousand dollars.
Kenai Borough Assembly member
participates in meetings from Hawaii
A vacation is keeping a Kenai Peninsula Borough assemblyman from attending
meetings in person for two months. Assemblyman John Davis was elected just
four months ago. He missed a January 7th meeting and participated in a
meeting January 22nd by conference call as he vacations in Kona, Hawaii.
He plans to be back for March meetings.
Juneau's Bicknell preparing for
Yukon Quest run
Juneau Musher Debra Bicknell is in Whitehorse preparing for the February
9th start of the Yukon Quest from the Yukon Territory capital to
Fairbanks.
It wasn't until recently that they had enough snow to train on.
She says her dogs are doing well. She has 27, but the team is restricted
to 14. Bicknell has 16 she will run. All the others are all yearlings or
younger and will not be used in the race.
Her lead dog is named Rocky. Bicknell says his kids will be running behind
him.
She ran the Quest in 2000. Bicknell says she was scared to death at least
for the first five days, but feels a little more confident this year.
The trail between Whitehorse and Fairbanks is just over a thousand miles
Dog sled race cancelled
The Tustumena 200 sled dog race, scheduled for this weekend, has been
canceled.
Organizers say most of the trail is just a few inches of ice, there is
open water on creeks and rain is forecast for this week.
The Tustumena 200 starts in Kasilof and runs to the Caribou Hills and
back.
The cancellation is a disappointment for the 37 mushers who had signed up,
particularly for four who needed to complete a 200-mile race to qualify
for this year's Iditarod.
Those four mushers plan to head north this weekend and race instead in the
Knik 200. Organizers of that race say snow conditions are thin, but
adequate.
Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio News) |
