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Assembly bridges
budget gap with reserve fund and tobacco tax
The City and Borough of Juneau's looming two year $4.1 million
budget gap has, essentially, been bridged.
At last night's (Wednesday) Assembly Finance Committee meeting,
members discussed taking money from the budget reserve fund, the
school district, tobacco tax revenue, and delaying the opening of
the Dimond Park swimming pool.
The committee agreed to spend $2.1 million out of the budget
reserve fund and $2 million of tobacco tax money to close the gap.
The tobacco tax revenue will be used to help meet CBJ social
service obligations.
City Manager Rod Swope says the Assembly direction would prevent
the need for lay offs of CBJ employees.
After the meeting, Deputy Mayor Randy Wanamaker said the
committee's direction does not mean personnel actions, including
reduced overtime and lay-offs, are off the table.
He says it means, that given revenue collections and anticipated
expenses, they should be able to cover the budgeted items just to
maintain services.
However, he adds, there is essentially no money for increases in
services.
Several months ago, the shortfall for the next two fiscal years
was estimated at $8 Million.
That number was reduced to $4.1 million by carrying forward money
from projects and programs that had not been spent yet, basic
assumptions on property and sales tax collections, and deferring
some expenses and purchases of equipment.
Assembly awards bids for two
projects
During a special meeting of the Assembly last night (Wednesday),
two bids were awarded.
The first was to Miller Construction Company for Phase Three of
the West Mendenhall Sewer project.
The company bid $1,337,850.
That's about $541,000 below the engineer's estimate
Arete Construction was awarded the bid for improvements to Main
Street which include replacement of utilities, traffic lane
reconfiguration, sidewalk reconstruction and landscaping.
The company submitted a base bid and bid for an additive alternate
amounting to $1,779,285.
That total bid is about $6,000 below the engineer's estimate.
Fire
quickly doused in arctic entry way of Lemon Creek area home
Capital City Fire Rescue responded to a residential fire in the
19-hundred block of Lemon Creek Road shortly after two this
morning.
Captain Ed Quinto says they found a small amount of flames in the
front of the arctic entryway.
He says the flames were quickly extinguished.
Damage is estimated at $5,000.
There were no
injuries as everyone was able to evacuate safely.
The possible cause,
according to Fire Marshal Dan Jager, is the discarding of smoking
materials in a trash can outside.
One killed in
Sitka fire
A residential fire involving a fatality was reported in Sitka
early this (Thursday) morning.
Firefighters responded to 804 Lake Street.
Sitka Fire Chief Dave Miller says when firefighters arrived there
was heavy smoke coming from the first story and the lower story,
with a one bedroom apartment, garage and storage area had just
erupted into flames.
Residents of the upper story escaped the fire and were uninjured.
The resident of the apartment was missing.
The Chief says, after fighting the fire for about an hour and a
half, the blaze was knocked down enough for firefighters to gain
access into the apartment.
That's when they found the body.
The person's identity is not available at this report.
The Sitka Fire Department preserved the scene pending arrival of
the state fire marshal.
Police
believe body of man found in Ketchikan is teen who disappeared
last Fall
Ketchikan Police believe they know the identity of the man whose body
was found Wednesday morning.
Based on clothing and personal effects identified by family
members, Deputy Chief Josh Dossett says they believe it may be 19
year old Michael Abt.
He was reported missing by his family on November 22 of last year.
The family had just recently moved from Sitka and they say he was
depressed about the move and they were afraid he was going to hurt
himself.
The body was shipped to the Medical Examiner's Office in Anchorage
where dental work will be used to make a positive identification.
The body was found by city workers near one end of a utility
catwalk crossing Ketchikan Creek.
Former Sitka
woman pleads not guilty to murder
A woman accused of murdering her husband 22 years ago in Sitka
pleaded not guilty today in Superior Court in Sitka.
Jane Limm, who requested the court refer to her using her current
legal name, Jane Reth, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder
and evidence tampering.
Her bail remains at $250,000 cash.
Sitka Superior Court Judge David George initially set Reth's trial
for April 12, but that will likely be pushed back to give the
defense time to prepare, as is the case in most murder trials.
Reth, now 45, is accused of killing her husband, Scott Coville,
who disappeared in Sitka in 1988 after just a few months of
marriage.
The California couple met in college. He dropped out to try
fishing in Alaska, while she finished her degree and joined him a
couple months later.
Reth left Alaska after Coville's disappearance.
She has been living in California and Illinois. She had a physical
therapy license in California.
A private attorney, Jon-Marc Petersen, of the Wasilla firm Denali
Law Group represented Reth.
(Anchorage Daily News)
Sitka
murderer scheduled for sentencing
SITKA, Alaska (AP) — A 20-year-old Sitka man is scheduled to be
sentenced tomorrow for the March 2008 stabbings that left four
people dead.
Jason Abbott pleaded "guilty, but mentally ill" in the
deaths of his grandparents, his aunt and her friend.
Police looking
for man involved in suspicious activity around school
Juneau Police are investigating reports of a suspicious man in the
area of Floyd Dryden Middle School.
Police were informed on January 21 that the man had driven by
three girls and asked them if they wanted a ride.
After they declined, the man drove away.
He was described as having a slim build, short dark hair, a
mustache and a small earring in his ear.
He was driving a 4 door, dark colored, mid-sized SUV with gray
interior.
The police department's Cindee Brown-Mills says officers have
increased patrols in the Floyd Dryden area over the past several
days and have been unable to locate a vehicle or person matching
the description.
She says all leads have been exhausted and they are looking to the
community for help in finding the man.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the police
department at 586-0600 or Juneau Crime Line at 586-4243.
Brown-Mills says they are also reminding parents to talk to their
children about contact with strangers, safety in numbers, and to
stay in well lit areas when walking outside.
Girdwood man dies
nearly a week after accident
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A 43-year-old Girdwood man has died,
nearly a week after being involved in an accident on the Seward
Highway.
Alaska State Troopers say Paul C. Wiersema died late Wednesday at
an Anchorage hospital.
He was involved in a collision Jan. 29 with a trailer pulled by
another vehicle that served into his lane.
Troopers say the other driver lost control of his trailer, which
held a full-sized pickup.
The trailer clipped a guardrail and fishtailed sideways into
Wiersema's lane.
The left side of the trailer collided head-on with Wiersema's
pickup.
Troopers don't believe alcohol was a factor, and everyone reported
wearing seat belts.
No citations were issued, but troopers continue to investigate.
Anchorage mayor:
wounded officer out of hospital
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan says a
police officer ambushed while sitting in his cruiser last month
has left the hospital.
Officer Jason Allen was shot five times while sitting in his
patrol car early Jan. 9 on a residential street.
In a recent hospital interview, the 47-year-old Allen said he
expected his recovery to extend well beyond his stay at the
hospital, but that he planned to get back to duty eventually.
The mayor said Wednesday that Allen is out of the hospital.
Police say they think Allen was targeted solely because he is a
police officer.
A reward fund started to catch the shooter now stands at $25,000.
(Anchorage Daily News)
UAS housing
decision reversed
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The University of Alaska Southeast has
decided to allow students living in co-ed campus housing to stay
put for the rest of the semester.
University officials had sought to move students following an
alleged rape on Jan. 23.
Officials reversed the decision this week after students
complained that a housing shakeup would disrupt their studies.
---
Dominic Merrill is
charged with felony sexual assault. He is being held on $25,000
bail at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
Errors weaken
trust in Alaska Amber alerts
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An emergency communication center in
Wasilla was conducting a weekly test Wednesday when somebody hit
the wrong button and sent out an Amber alert by mistake.
KTUU reports there was another false alarm about a child kidnaping
in October and a fake Amber alert scam last July.
Mat-Com official Dan Stearns says officials want to keep mistakes
to a minimum so the public doesn't think the alerts are
"crying wolf."
(KTUU-TV)
Lawyer: Court
likely to affect campaign spending
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An attorney for the state Legislature's
reading of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision will mean "no
limits" on corporate spending — and no reporting
requirements — when it comes to campaign ads.
The written preliminary analysis was provided by legislative
counsel Alpheus Bullard.
Lawmakers are holding hearings, including one Wednesday, to better
understand the ruling's repercussions for Alaska.
This is a political year, with most legislative seats, as well as
the governor's office, a U.S. Senate and a congressional seat, up
for grabs.
Last month, a divided Supreme Court threw out parts of a
decades-old law that said companies and unions can be prohibited
from using their own money to make and run campaign ads urging
support, or defeat, of specific candidates.
The decision applied to spending not coordinated with candidates.
French: Panel to
'contain' campaign court decision
JEREMY HSIEH -Associated Press Writer
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — State Sen. Hollis French says his
Judiciary Committee will craft a bill "to contain" the
effects of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring
corporations' spending on political messages protected free
speech.
State attorneys testifying before the panel Wednesday said they
believe the decision voids an existing state law that bans
corporate spending on ads for a specific candidate.
French believes lawmakers will give the issue priority, in part,
because this is an election year.
Most legislative seats are up, as is the governor's office.
French is running
for governor.
Palin cabins not
noted in tax assessments
RACHEL D'ORO -Associated Press Writer
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Cabins have gone up on two backcountry
properties owned in Alaska by Sarah Palin, her husband and a
partner, but the land shows zero value for building assessments,
according to property tax records.
It's unclear how long ago the structures were built, but the local
borough assessor says an aerial survey of the area was being
conducted for the first time in five years on Thursday.
Palin's attorney, Thomas Van Flein, says it is not the property
owners responsibility to report structures or assess themselves.
But Dave Dunivan, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough assessor, says
owners are required by state statues to report any omissions or
errors in their tax assessments.
The properties are located along Safari Lake, an undeveloped area
located near Denial State Park, and owned by the former Alaska
governor, her husband Todd and a friend, Scott Richter.
Coast Guard hoists stricken man
off fishing boat
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — A Coast Guard helicopter hoisted a
40-year-old man complaining of chest pains from a fishing boat in
the Bering Sea.
The Coast Guard Juneau office took a call just before 5 p.m.
Wednesday that the man was on the Alaskan Leader, a Kodiak-based
longliner 265 miles northwest of St. Paul Island.
The Coast Guard has two helicopters on St. Paul during the opilio
crab season. They reached the ship at about 9:30 p.m. but winds up
to 35 mph and waves of 20 feet prevented a rescue.
The helicopters tried again Thursday and Chad Smith was lifted off
the vessel just before noon.
The Coast Guard said the helicopters would head to St. Paul, where
Smith could take a commercial medical flight to Anchorage.
UA
president finalists to tour campuses
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The finalists for University of Alaska
president are to tour the state's campuses on March 1-3.
The UA Board of Regents has chosen nine semifinalists for the
post. Their names have not been released.
Regent Cynthia Henry is leading the presidential search and says
she expects three or four finalists will be chosen after
interviews in Fairbanks on February 27 and 28.
Those finalists, whose names will be made public, will then tour
UA's campuses in Fairbanks, Anchorage and Juneau.
The university system is looking for a successor to President Mark
Hamilton, who announced his resignation last summer.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
UA Fairbanks to close
virtual reality lab
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The University of Alaska Fairbanks is
closing its Discovery Lab, saying funding for the virtual-reality
facility will be used for other computing projects.
The lab run by the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center is to close
by May 1.
Center spokeswoman Debra Damron tells the Fairbanks Daily
News-Miner that the $250,000 needed each year to run the lab will
be used to help operate a new data-storage facility and
supercomputer.
The lab, which opened in 2003, has been used for a number of
different research projects, performing arts events and public
tours. Damron says much of the research can now be done on desktop
computers.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
Arctic port
measure introduced by Young
Legislation authorizing a study of establishing a deep water port
in the Arctic has been introduced by Alaska Congressman Don Young.
H. R. 4576 is aimed at protecting and advancing strategic U. S.
interests within the ever evolving region, according to Young.
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced similar legislation in
December.
Terms of the bills provide for a two year study.
Young's measure was referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Beluga
whale hearings begin this week
KENAI, Alaska (AP) — Federal officials will conduct public
hearings on the Kenai Peninsula this week on its proposed critical
habitat areas for Cook Inlet beluga whales.
The first will be held Wednesday night in Soldotna, following by a
Thursday night gathering in Homer.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is responsible for coming up
with a recovery plan now that the Cook Inlet beluga whales have
been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
There used to be more than a thousand of the white whales in Cook
Inlet but numbers have dwindled to a few hundred animals.
Other public hearings are also planned, including one February. 12
in Anchorage.
(Peninsula Clarion)
Petition
submitted to Governor opposes Southcentral coal mine
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A group opposing a proposed coal mine
on the west side of Cook Inlet delivered a petition to Gov. Sean
Parnell.
The Anchorage Daily News reports members of the Chuitna Citizens
Coalition met yesterday with the governor to deliver the petition
with 1,500 names.
They say the surface mine proposed by PacRim Coal about 45 miles
west of Anchorage threatens salmon habitat in the Chuitna River.
(Anchorage Daily News)
Fairbanks
man sentence in scythe attack
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A 32-year-old Fairbanks man accused of
threatening his girlfriend with a scythe has been sentenced to
four years in prison.
Justin D. Costello pleaded guilty Tuesday to third-degree felony
assault. Under a plea agreement, two years of his sentence will be
suspended, and he will be on probation for three years.
Court records say that Costello's girlfriend told state troopers
that he began punching her one morning in November at a cabin they
share before grabbing a 3-foot long scythe and threatening to kill
her. She was able to escape as Costello swung the scythe at her.
Authorities say they Costello was intoxicated when they took him
into custody.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
Troopers arrest
mom, son on pot charges
WASILLA, Alaska (AP) — A mother and her son have been arrested
on drug charges after Alaska State Troopers say they busted a
marijuana growing operation in Wasilla.
Fifty-one-year-old Jane C. Cain of Wasilla and her 29-year-old
son, Katsuhige C. Lewis of Palmer, were arrested.
Troopers say a search warrant was served at Cain's home late
Tuesday, where police found the two dismantling an alleged
marijuana growing site.
Troopers say they found several trash bags stuffed with freshly
cut marijuana. Once processed, troopers say it would have produced
about 20 pounds of pot.
The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reports each faces several charges
of drug misconduct.
(Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman)
Ownership
of hybrid wild cats conditionally approved
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Game Board voted to allow Alaskans
to own hybrid wild cats if owners can prove the pet is at least
four generations removed from a wild ancestor.
At the meeting that wrapped up Monday in Anchorage the board
rejected a call to legalize monkeys as pets.
And, The Anchorage Daily News reports, the board also adjusted the
law permitting moose to be killed for funeral and memorial
potlatches.
SPCA Alaska director
comments on news of animals shot at Mat Su shelter
HOUSTON, Alaska (AP) — The
director of Alaska Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals says a Houston police officer should not have shot and
killed four cats and four dogs at an animal shelter.
Sally Clampitt says the unwanted animals should have been
euthanized by a veterinarian instead.
Houston Mayor Roger Purcell says the city is working to have an
animal control officer licensed to give lethal injections.
Some of the pets
killed Tuesday had been at the shelter since November.
The officer who shot the animals, Sgt. Charlie Seidl, told The
Anchorage Daily News the shelter can't keep animals indefinitely.
Cooperative
Extension Service looking for public input
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The University of Alaska Fairbanks
Cooperative Extension Service is looking for opinions from state
residents to aid in long-range planning of programs and services.
Extension director Fred Schlutt says results from the online
survey will help the service focus its work in six areas: health,
energy, climate change, food security, economic development, and
youth and families.
Two Rivers
bartender will start Yukon Quest
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Two Rivers bartender Abbie West drew
the No. 1 bib number for the Yukon Quest.
She'll start the 1,000-mile sled dog race that begins Saturday in
Fairbanks.
Twenty-four mushers drew their numbers at a yesterday's banquet.
Four-time champion Lance Mackey had the No. 11 draw.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports there are nine mushers who
have previous top-five finishes.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
Tests prove link
to pepper in salmonella outbreak
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Tests have shown that the same strain of
salmonella that sickened more than 200 people in at least 42
states, including Alaska, has been found in black pepper -- but
it's not clear if it's the only source of the outbreak.
Rhode Island Department of Health spokeswoman Annemarie
Beardsworth said Wednesday that the results "strongly
suggest" that black pepper is to blame for at least some of
the illnesses.
Black pepper was used to coat salami at Daniele Inc., a meat
company in Burrillville, R.I. The company recalled more than 1
million pounds of salami last month after many of those who got
sick reported they ate it.
But Beardsworth says about half the people sickened didn't eat any
salami.
She says federal officials are investigating whether any
contaminated pepper was sold directly to consumers or used in
prepared foods.
Runners careful navigating icy
Alaska roads
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaskan Scott May ran over 1,500 miles in
2009. Many of his strides were taken on dirt and asphalt during
summer months, but a significant amount of his mileage was
completed on snow and ice.
So May has learned what kind of snow and ice is conducive to the
sport. He says he avoids running on loose, unpacked snow and finds
he can get decent footing in regular running shoes along the sides
of roads that have been sanded.
One of May's favorite winter spots is on the frozen surface of
Auke Lake, especially when there is fresh snow atop the ice.
On extremely slimy days, May employs ice cleats on his running
shoes to aid in traction. He also recommends installing screws
into the bottom of shoes to create built-in grip.
May only uses his grippers a few times each winter, but some other
winter runners swear by them.
As the seasons change, other outdoor enthusiasts change with them.
Scott Fischer is a runner, cyclist, skier and co-owner of the
Foggy Mountain Shop.
He runs on plenty of icy surfaces during shoulder seasons, but
when winter is in full swing he simply switches to Nordic skiing.
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