Juneau Daily News Online

Thursday,  January 31, 2002

Skagway Air pilot who perished in crash delayed taking off due to weather
The pilot of the Skagway Air plane who was killed when the aircraft crashed near Haines January 15th delayed his departure due to weather. That according to the preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Scott Erickson is heading up the NTSB investigation. He says Joel Mathis delayed his take off by about ten minutes. And he says they have observations from Haines residents about low clouds in that area. The plane crashed about 300 feet up a mountainside three miles east of Haines

The investigation also focuses on the man and the plane, but the wreckage has not yet been retrieved. Erickson says retrieval of the wreckage is up to Skagway Air and will be dependent upon on their resources and weather conditions.

The plane crashed shortly after taking off from Skagway on its flight to Haines.

Man killed in Philippines identified as Sitka resident
An American man killed by gunmen in the Philippines has been identified as a resident of Sitka. Brian Smith was hiking with a friend near the Mount Pinatubo volcano on Wednesday when they were attacked by gunmen. A spokesman for the Philippine army said the attackers were believed to be communist guerillas who operate in the area.

According to friends in Sitka, Smith grew up in Denver, Colorado and attended Sheldon Jackson College in the late 1970s. Smith, who was 42, was a licensed big game guide in Alaska.

Frank Roth of Sitka, a friend of Smith's, said Smith also worked as a fish buyer in the Bristol Bay area during summer and frequently traveled to Asia in winter, teaching English as a second language.

Pillars speakers include moon walker and women held captive by Taliban
The last man to walk on the moon will be the first speaker in this year's Pillars of America Freedom series sponsored by the Glacier Valley Rotary Club.

Eugene Cernan, the commander of Apollo 17, is the speaker April 17th.

The second week of the month long series on April 24th features General Stephen Ritchie. He's the last American pilot to earn "ace" status by shooting down five enemy planes.

The two women held captive by the Taliban for 104 days, Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry, are the speakers May 1st.

The series wraps up May 8th with Olympian Rulon Gardner. He won a gold medal in the 2000 Olympic Games in Greco-Roman wrestling by beating a Russian veteran in what was considered a long shot.

Another pedestrian killed in Anchorage
Anchorage police say a man is dead after being struck by a pickup truck last night on the Glenn Highway. He's identified as 41 year old Raymond Alexi. He was taken to Alaska Regional Hospital, where he died.

Investigators say the man was struck by the truck at about 7-40 p-m. Officers are continuing their investigation and no citations have been issued. The man was the third pedestrian killed this month in the city.

Boat and car fires doused by Capital City Fire and Rescue
The fire call came in at about five yesterday afternoon as an illegal burn, but when Capital City Fire and Rescue arrived at 5659 Glacier Highway they discovered a boat, sitting on rubble, on fire.

Because of the boat's fiberglass construction, Glacier Station Captain Beth Weldon says firefighters had to use foam on the fire. And a front end loader was used to knock the boat over to completely douse the flames and for overhaul. She says the boat appeared to be a derelict. The cause is under investigation.

Firefighters from the downtown station were called to a car fire at about six last night. Captain Ed Quinto says the car parked about four to five feet away from a house at 5019 North Douglas Highway was quickly extinguished by firefighters. The house was not damaged, but the car was totaled. The cause of that fire is also under investigation.

Shavers faces additional charges in stabbing
Prosecutors have added additional charges to a man accused of a stabbing Friday night on a boat at Harris Harbor.

Forty-eight-year-old George Shavers is charged with felony assault with a dangerous weapon, a lesser felony assault charge and felony tampering with evidence. Police say Shavers threw bloody rags and a weapon into the harbor.

Thirty-eight-year-old Barry Richards sustained more than 20 stab wounds and a skull fracture in the attack. Shavers is being held on 500-thousand dollars bail at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center.

Young's anger at Senate spurs missed votes
Congressman Don Young says he missed House votes last month because he got mad at the Senate and left town early. Young told reporters Wednesday that he left Washington on December sixth. As a result, he missed 44 votes during the next 13 days before the House adjourned.

Congressional Quarterly reports that, in all, Young missed 21 percent of House votes last year. That's the highest percentage among the 435 House members.

Young told reporters that he was - quote - ``tired of the Senate keeping us here for no reason at all.'' He said he expected people would understand his actions.

The Senate was tied up in December with arguments over the economic stimulus package, energy legislation and defense spending.

Absent Ketchikan city council member loses seat
A Ketchikan city councilman has lost his seat due to absences. Jim Van Horn has been receiving medical treatment out of state and has missed more than half the meetings in the last six months. His removal from the council was automatic under the city's charter and did not require a vote of the council.

Homer fish broker arrested in scam case
A Homer-based fisheries permit broker has been arrested on a theft charge. Alaska State Troopers say 40-year-old Deborah Moore is suspected in the disappearance of more than 289-thousand dollars in funds being handled by her brokerage. The brokerage arranged for the sale of fishing permits, commercial fishing boats and individual fishing quotas.

Troopers say they think Moore either scammed more than half a dozen people out of their money or invested the money in a scam and lost it. She's being held at the Homer jail on 500-thousand dollars bail. Her arraignment was scheduled for this afternoon.

Gamble youth charged with sexual assault
A 15-year-old boy from the village of Gambell is being held in Nome for an alleged sexual assault on a three-year-old girl. State Troopers say they received a report of the assault Sunday and flew to the village, located on Saint Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea.

The boy, whose name has not been released, was arrested and transported to Nome for detention. Troopers say he's been charged with second-degree sexual assault and fourth-degree sexual abuse of a minor.

Was Space Needle terrorists target?
What was a photo of Seattle's Space Needle doing on a computer file found in Afghanistan? Officials don't know, but they say there's no evidence of a specific threat from the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Washington Governor Gary Locke says federal officials have assured him that the state is not under any credible threat of attack. The National Guard says the photo was taken from some distance away and had little intelligence value.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said on C-B-S that it's a reminder that people want to do harm to the United States, and Seattle in particular.

Algerian Ahmed Ressam was arrested with a car trunk full of explosives as he arrived at a border crossing from Canada in December 1999. His arrest prompted Seattle to cancel millennium celebrations at the Space Needle.

Two performances planned by Juneau Symphony this weekend
The Juneau Symphony stages concerts this Saturday and Sunday.

Conductor Kyle Wiley Pickett said on KINY's Capital Chat this morning that two performances are unusual, but he said there were a lot of requests for a Sunday matinee. That's scheduled for three p.m. Saturday night's performance of Holst - The Planets begins at 8. Both are at the high school auditorium.

This year's Youth Concerto Winner, Pianist Dan Wallen Gruenberg, will perform a Mozart Concerto during both concerts.

Meanwhile, Pickett says the youth concert is scheduled for tomorrow morning. He says about a thousand fourth graders will be bused to the high school auditorium.

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