Friday, February 2, 2001 © Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio News
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Angoon hydro power makes headway
USFS will make final decision on proposed project
A proposed one megawatt hydroelectric project for Angoon cleared a hurdle Thursday. Since the hydroelectric project would be located within the Admiralty Island Wilderness Area, the Federal Electrical Regulatory Commission concluded that it does not have jurisdiction. The decision allows theproject to bypass a licensing procedure. Carlton Smith (left), the President and CEO of Kootznoowoo, the native corporation for Angoon, says the decision now puts the ball squarely in the US Forest Service's court. The option of building a hydro project on Thayer Creek was reserved for the corporation in ANILCA. As a result, Kootznoowoo transferred most of it's timber selections from Admiralty to Prince of Wales Island, but preserved the opportunity for the corporation to develop hydro power at a later date. If the Forest Service approves the project, the facility would be built alongside Thayer Creek, about four miles north of Angoon. It could be capable of generating about twice Angoon's present electrical demand. Right now, the community is powered by diesel generators. Smith underscores the importance of the project to Angoon by pointing out that the cost of power to the village is four to five times what it is in Juneau. He adds that it's not anticipated that Angoon will become part of the Southeast Intertie for several years, so this stand-alone project is needed. The project will be on the agenda of a community meeting scheduled for March 13th through the 15th in Angoon.
A judge has ruled that local pull tab operators should pay a 1-percent sales tax on gross receipts. Three Juneau pull tab operators appealed a city decision that the sales tax passed by voters in 1996 applied to pull tabs. On Wednesday, retired Supreme Court Justice Jay Rabinowitz turned down the appeal by Last Chance Co-op, Multiple Charities Association Co-op, and the Alaska Native Brotherhood Camp 2. Rabinowitz also threw out the pull tab operators request for a trial and granted the city's request for a summery judgment for payment of about $900,000 in back taxes. Deputy Mayor John MacKinnon says he's pleased with the ruling, but considers it the "easy" part. He thinks it will be far more difficult to collect the back tax revenue. The operators can appeal the Superior Court decision to the State Supreme Court.
The reapportionment of Alaska's election districts was examined on Capital Chat this morning. The guests included Board Chair Vicki Otte, Board member Michael Lessmeier of Juneau and Executive Director Gordon Harrison. Harrison said the board's work so far has been organizational. He said they can't proceed on the actual redrawing of election district lines until receiving official population figures from the federal government based on last year's census. Harrison says that's required by April 1, buthe expects to obtain the figures earlier. Otte says it will be a public process and include hearings before and after a plan is drafted. The estimated size of each district is 15,673 which is about 2,000 more than the last reapportionment. Harrison expects that Southeast will continue to have five districts even though they haven't grown by 2,000 in population. He said it's possible a Southeast district would have to include some Prince William Sound residents. (In photo, left to right, Lessmeier, Otte and Harrison)
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham told a meeting of western governors today that national and economic security is dependent on the nation's energy security. The western governors are meeting in Portland, Oregon to discuss California's energy crisis. Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber blamed flawed deregulation for rising electricity prices. Kitzhaber said increased electricity production is vital, but he warned the environment must be preserved in the rush to build new power plants. Alaska Governor Tony Knowles is also at the meeting. Knowles told the group the federal government needs to do more to increase production of natural gas. He said the energy market hasn't been able to attract the kind of investment needed to take advantage of Alaska's vast natural gas reserves because of deregulation.
Fire Department personnel responded to Douglas this morning to assist an Alaska Electric, Light and Power employee who was injured. Indications are that the man was struck by a pulley and broken his leg, according to a fire department official. He was transported to the hospital. The call came in at about 10:25.
The Director of the University of Alaska Southeast Sitka campus has submitted his resignation. Dr. John Carnegie (left) says he doesn't have the energy or stamina to continue. Carnegiedescribes his decision as a quality of life issue. He says wants to get some rest. Carnegie came to the UAS Sitka campus in the fall of 1995 to direct the Rural Sanitation Project and to initiate the campus's Environmental Technology Program. He became interim campus director in July 1999 and was named director a few months later. Carnegie has offered to adjust the specific time of his departure to meet the needs of UAS and a new Director.
The search continues today for the body of a man missing and feared drowned in the Kuskokwim River near Sleetmute. Allen Fredericks had set out on a snowmachine early Monday with Nickoli Peters. The snowmachine and Peters' body were found in the river Tuesday.
Bartlett Regional Hospital is sponsoring health screenings tomorrow at the Nugget Mall. Included will be non-fasting cholesterol and random glucose testing, blood pressure tests, and glaucoma screenings, according to the hospital's Cheryl Washburn. Washburn says it should take about 15 or 20 minutes to complete all the tests, with results available immediately. The free health screening is from 11:00am until 3:00pm tomorrow at the Nugget Mall.
The Tlingit-Haida Central Council has netted a federal grant amounting to just over $2-million for Head Start services to handicapped children. The grant is administered by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The grant award was announced today by Alaska's congressional delegation.
A delegation of Russian border officers and inspectors from Petropavlovsk is in Kodiak this week to learn about fisheries enforcement procedures from the Coast Guard. USCG officials are briefing the delegates on vessel board procedures, equipment, US fisheries management and maritime boundary line issues.
Sue Hargis is the Juneau Area Federal Employee of the Year for 2000. Her selection was made by the Juneau Area Federal Executive Board. Hargis is the Coast Guard's boating safety coordinator for Alaska. Alaska was the last state to adopt a program and Hargis is given a large share of the credit for helping to establish it here. She also points to the "Kids Don't Float" program as among her greatest achievements. The program lends mostly youth-sized life jackets to the boating public free of charge. She says the program has saved at least 8 lives that they know of. Hargis is also active in the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service today is celebrating the recovery of the Aleutian Canada goose (left). The bird, once thought to be extinct, now numbers over 37,000 and is poised to come off the Endangered Species List.
A ferocious comeback by the Juneau Douglas Crimson Bears against Chugiak's Mustangs came up 2 points short during yesterday's first game of the Palmer Elks Showdown Tournament. The final score was 65 to 63. The Bears take on the Palmer Moose at 6:00 this evening. The game will be broadcast on KINY, or listen live here.
There's extra help available for the junior class at Juneau Douglas High School in preparing for the graduation exam. Principal Deb Morse (right) says free tutorial sessions begin next week. She says they start next Monday and Tuesday.
It's Day Two for the season at the Eaglecrest Ski Area. The ski area's Pauline Higdon said during her radio report this morning that there's limited cover on the lower mountain requiring extra caution due to the marked and unmarked hazards. She says there's only 3 or 4 inches at the lodge and 84 on top. Just the Ptarmigan Chair Lift is open, she says. More snow is needed to open the lower chair lift and beginners area. Eaglecrest had its latest opening ever when it opened for the season yesterday.
Hans Gatt of British Columbia is holding the lead in the International Rocky Mountain Stage Stop Sled Dog Race in Wyoming. Melanie Shirilla of Lincoln, Montana is 19 minutes behind Gatt overall. Ken Anderson of Fairbanks and Jacques Philip of Nenana are in third and fourth place. The race is expected to wrap up next Wednesday.
The Trail of 98 Sled Dog race from Skagway to Whitehorse has been canceled due to lack of interest by mushers. Race organizers planned for at least a dozen entries, but only six committed by yesterday's registration deadline.
When it comes to weather, what's bad for the East Coast is good for the Aleutians. National Weather Service experts say that the same system that brings nasty weather to the East Coast brings warm weather to the Aleutians, and vice versa(Captions for our photographs can be viewed by hovering over them with your mouse pointer)
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