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Eaglecrest opens tomorrow
Limited operations, one lift to run
Juneau's Eaglecrest Ski Area finally opens for the season tomorrow. But Business Manager Gary Mendivil says they'll still be bedeviled by a lack of snow. Due to a very limited snow cover on the lower mountain, only the Ptarmigan Chair lift will be running, he says. There were only 8 inches at the lodge and 86 inches on top as of 10:00 this morning. Mendivil says some trails on the lower mountain will be closed. He says skiers and snowboarders are advised to exercise extra caution due to hazards that are marked and unmarked both on and off the ski trails. Snow showers are in the forecast for the ski area's elevation tomorrow and Friday so Mendivil says they'll reassess the possibility of opening the lower chair lift after tomorrow's operations. Eaglecrest set a record on January 14th. That date marked the longest period in which the area could not open for the season.
One year after an Alaska Airlines jet plunged into the sea off California, the victims of the crash are being remembered. The crash claimed the lives of 88 people, including five Alaskans. The victims' friends and relatives are going out in boats today to visit the spot where the jet went down. They also went to a warehouse to see recovered bits of the plane. About 500 people gathered at the Oxnard, California performing arts center last night for a memorial ceremony and a service was held to bury a casket with remains the coroner could not identify. A memorial mass is being held today at the Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage. In Seattle, the Air Line Pilots Association is holding a ceremony to award its Gold Medal Award to the flight crew of Alaska Airlines Flight 261. It is the highest honor bestowed by the association, which represents pilots at all major US airlines. Cockpit recordings show that the pilots fought to keep the jetliner flying before it crashed.
The State House adopted a resolution this morning in opposition to the decision by former President Clinton to include the Tongass and Chugach National Forests in Alaska into the roadless policy developed by the the Forest Service. House Joint Resolution 6, sponsored by Wrangell Representative Peggy Wilson (right), was approved 37 to 0 and sent to the Senate. Read text of HJR 6 here.
Three crewmembers of a fishing vessel that sank in Prince William Sound were rescued overnight. The distress call from the 37 foot longliner came in to the Coast Guard shortly after 11:00 last night. Lieutenant Stacie Fain of the Command Center in Juneau says the boat went up on the rocks on Evans Point which is the northern most point of Evans Island. The vessel developed a hole as a result, started taking on water and sank. The crewmembers were able to get to the rocky shoreline. Another vessel in the area was able to retrieve them before a Coast Guard helicopter out of Kodiak arrived on scene. Lieutenant Fain believes the Veter is home ported in Seward. Names were not available at this report.
A study is underway to look closely at the health problems of people who worked on Amchitka Island during atomic testing in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The study has found at least 20 people have developed types of cancers often associated with radiation. But experts say the number is too small to be statistically significant.
Huge new military cargo transport planes, the C-17's, could be based in Alaska. That according to the Commander of the Alaska Command, Lieutenant General Norton Schwartz, who testified before the Joint Armed Services Committee yesterday. General Schwartz said Alaska's airspace is a valuable training resource. The dilemma, he says, is the transportation costs associated with moving forces to Alaska to train. Schwartz says the C-17 can airlift large quantities of men and equipment long distances making military training in Alaska more economical.
Alaska commercial fishermen could be in line for a higher quota of halibut this year. The International Pacific Halibut Commission is recommending higher quotas. Director Bruce Leaman says research last summer indicates that the total weight of halibut available may be greater than thought. Read more about the Commission here.
A Juneau man has admitted forging a check from his grandfather's estate. Federal prosecutors say Bruce Albert Wright took more than $120,000 and deposited the money into his own investment accounts. He reached a plea agreement with prosecutors and will be sentenced in March.
The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of a spill from a tanker at Port Angeles, Washington. Officials say as much as 420 gallons of oily water leaked Monday from the tanker operated by the Alaska Tanker Company. The vessel's last stop was Valdez, where it took on a load of 800,000 barrels of North Slope Crude.
The Juneau Crimson Bears' men are up north for the Palmer Elks Showdown basketball tournament beginning tomorrow. Their first contest is scheduled against Chugiak at 4:15 in the afternoon. Tune in to KINY for all the action. The schedule pits Juneau against Palmer on Friday at 6:00pm, and versus Homer at 3:45 Saturday afternoon. All of the games will be heard on Hometown Radio KINY. Listen live on the web here.
Anchorage's Megan Gerety has finished fourth in the opening women's uper-G of the world championships being held in Austria. American Daron Rahlves won the gold medal in the men's super-G as the Americans continue to make a strong showing.
Members of a committee pursuing the publication of a book devoted to the stories of Juneau Pioneers were guests on KINY's Capital Chat this morning. Janet Ruotsala (left in photo) and Jeannette McLeod (right in photo) say the working title is "Memories of Gastineau Channel." Routsalasays the plan is to focus on 200 families who came to, or lived in, Juneau from 1880 to 1959. She says their latest deadline is February 15th in order to send the book to print by May 1st. Dave Froemming of the Alaskan Southeaster magazine is helping arrange for publication. They need financial help to publish this, their second book. The first one was about Juneau's early gold mining days. For more information, or if you'd like to help, or make a donation call 364-3371, or email jruotsala@aol.com
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