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Two arrested in stabbing of
Juneau cab driver
Juneau Police have two suspects in custody in connection with the stabbing
of taxi cab driver Eric Drake last month.
Sergeant Troy Wilson says the arrests came just before midnight last night.
The suspects are identified as 20 year old Arron St. Clair and 18 year old
Violet St. Clair. Police say the pair is married.
They were charged with attempted murder in the second degree, robbery in the
first degree, both Class A felonies, and theft in the third degree, a Class
A misdemeanor. They were lodged at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
Sergeant Wilson says the arrests were made following an intensive
investigation involving the service of several search warrants and numerous
interviews.
Sergeant Wilson says the investigation is continuing. He declined to say
what evidence linked the pair to the crime.
Drake was robbed and stabbed on the night of January 7th when he took the
pair to the Super 8 Motel.
Arron St. Clair is no stranger
to Juneau Police.
He was arrested for burglary and assault on November 13th in 2001
A woman called police from her Mendenhall Valley residence that night to say
that she was blocking a burglar's escape from a shed.
When police arrived he was trying to get out and caused minor injuries to
the woman in the process.
Skull found in channel near
Marine Park...no evidence of foul play
Part of a human skull was found by a group of local divers last weekend.
The divers were in Gastineau Channel near Marine Park when they discovered
the skull partially buried in the muddy bottom.
The remains were turned over to Juneau police and placed into evidence.
Police are continuing the investigation in an effort to identify the
remains.
They say at this time there is no evidence of foul play.
Man jailed after failing to
show up to jail
State Troopers took a Juneau man to jail Wednesday who failed to
report to jail as scheduled.
They say 18 year old Robert A. Porter didn't show up to begin serving time
on the original charge of vehicle theft.
He was lodged at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center on no bail.
A dozen priests accused of molesting
children in Alaska over last 50 years
At least 12 Catholic priests assigned to Alaska have been accused of sexual
misconduct involving children over the past five decades.
That's the tally from a national survey and an independent study in
Anchorage.
At least 13 victims were counted between Juneau and Fairbanks dioceses in
the national survey, which examined cases between 1950 and 2002. More than
300 priests served in Alaska during that time period.
The findings from all 195 U-S dioceses will be formally released later this
month, but many dioceses already are releasing their numbers.
The Archdiocese of Anchorage has refused to release any survey information.
But an independent study commissioned by Archbishop Roger Schwietz last year
found that five priests have been accused of sexually abusing minors since
the archdiocese was established in 1966.
The review -- which did not include a count of victims -- also found two
other priests who were accused of abusing children before they were assigned
to Alaska.
Budget and high school on agenda of
joint Assembly - School Board meeting
The Juneau Assembly and School meet in joint session this evening.
(Thursday)
School District Superintendent Peggy Cowan explains there will be two items
on the agenda.
One is the district's budget and the other is the new high school.
The board is required to present a budget to the Assembly by the end of
March. Cowan says the work session is an opportunity for board members to
bring the Assembly up to date on the budget.
Mayor Bruce Botelho appointed a citizen's panel to gather questions about
the new school. Cowan says city and district staff are responding to those
questions.
The work session is scheduled from 5 to 8 at the D-Z Middle School library.
Tougher initiative measure passes House on
second try
Legislation that could make it more difficult to get voter initiatives on
the ballot passed the House today.
The measure had failed Wednesday but was brought up today for
reconsideration.
Eagle River Republican Nancy Dahlstrom and Unalaska Democrat Carl Moses
switched their votes, giving the proposed constitutional amendment the
27-vote margin it needed to pass.
The measure calls for petitioners to travel to more House districts and
gather more signatures in order to get a measure on the ballot.
It's sponsored by Representative Bill Williams. The Republican legislator
says too many initiatives are winding up on ballots without substantial
support from the far reaches of the state.
Because the measure is a constitutional amendment it requires a two-thirds
vote in both the House and the Senate.
If both houses approve the change, it will go to voters in the fall general
election.
Senate vacancy bill moves
from House committee
A bill that would change how Alaska would fill a vacancy in the U-S Senate
cleared the House State Affairs Committee today
It would require special elections, rather than appointment by the governor.
If the Legislature adopts it, it would block an initiative from the November
ballot.
That bothers House Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz who serves on the
committee. He says the bill usurps the initiative signed by 50,000 Alaskans.
Majority Leader John Coghill, who also serves on the panel, disagreed with
Berkowitz. He said that public policy can rightfully be handled by
lawmakers.
Initiative sponsors were worried that the Legislature would come back next
year and repeal the change.
The committee amended the bill to include non-binding language stating that
the bill should not be changed for at least two years.
Also amended was the section dealing with the threshold for political
parties to retain their official status. The new version would a 3-percent
showing by candidates for congress, as well as governor, to give their party
official recognition.
The initiative was spurred by Governor Murkowski's decision to appoint his
daughter Lisa to the Senate seat he vacated to become Governor
House Bill 414 now goes to the House Judiciary Committee which has a hearing
scheduled Monday afternoon.
Vets home bill submitted by Murkowski
administration
Governor Frank Murkowski has submitted a bill to the Legislature that
authorizes the conversion of the Palmer Pioneers Home as a home for Veterans
in Alaska.
He told reporters this morning that even though the state serves veterans in
the Pioneers Homes, it can't seek any reimbursement for that service because
the homes are not approved by the Veterans Administration.
The facility in Palmer would be changed to meet those requirements.
Palmer Senator Lyda Green was at today's announcement. She said it provides
for continued service of residents of her area and a long awaited new home
for veterans.
Alaska is one of two states without a home for veterans. At the same time,
the Governor says Alaska is the only state with a growing veterans
populations.
House Minority seeking changes to
"ELF"
Members of the Democratic minority in the State House introduced legislation
today aimed at increasing oil tax revenue.
It calls for changes in a 1989 law known as "the ELF", or Economic
Limit Factor, which provides exemptions to severance taxes
The sponsors are Beth Kerttula of Juneau, David Guttenberg of Fairbanks, and
Eric Croft and Les Gara of Anchorage.
Gara told reporters that because of breaks granted by ELF, the state's
production tax has plummeted from 13 point 5 percent in 1993 to 7 point 5
percent today. He adds it will be down to four percent by 2013 unless it is
changed.
The sponsors have lined up the support of former Governors Jay Hammond and
Wally Hickel.
The current Governor doesn't seem so inclined. He thinks such a change would
spur the oil industry to reassess their commitments and budget priorities
and addressing where it can get the highest return for the least risk.
Gara says because of breaks granted by ELF, the state's production tax has
plummeted from 13 point 5 percent in 1993 to 7 point 5 percent today. He
adds it will be down to four percent by 2013 unless it is changed.
"Payday" loan
bill panned
Consumer advocate groups say a so-called consumer protection bill would
actually allow triple-digit interest rates to be charged on short-term
``payday'' loans.
But Representative Tom Anderson says the bill is intended to help consumers
by regulating an industry that currently operates without rules.
The Anchorage Republican's House Labor and Commerce Committee is sponsoring
the bill.
Steve Cleary of the Alaska Public Interest Research Group says there's
nothing in the bill's current form to shield borrowers from high interest
rates.
But Anderson says the bill does provide consumer protection because it
allows customers to get out of the loans if they change their minds within
24 hours.
Anderson says he is willing to make changes in the bill, although probably
not all the changes some consumer advocates want.
Lawmakers throw in with fund protectors
A pair of Anchorage legislators has signed on as honorary chairmen with the
group opposed to spending permanent fund earnings for state government.
Representatives Harry Crawford and Eric Croft, both Democrats, are joining
Alaskans, Just Say No and its opposition to using permanent fund earnings to
help pay costs of state government at this time.
The announcement comes less than a week before the convening of Governor
Murkowski's ``Conference of Alaskans.''
The 55 delegates invited to that conference will debate four questions,
including whether a portion of fund earnings should be used to help pay for
state government. That would lower the amount paid to Alaskans in permanent
fund dividend checks.
Croft says Alaskans, Just Say No represents diverse viewpoints. But he says
members agree that people's dividends should stay in the their pockets, not
be taken to pay for government services.
Croft and Crawford say that instead of taking money from the dividend, the
state should urge development of Alaska's natural resources and get a fair
share from the sale of oil resources at the current high prices.
Meanwhile, Gavel to Gavel Alaska plans to provide live television coverage
of Governor's Conference of Alaskans from the University of Alaska
Fairbanks. The conference begins Tuesday and is scheduled to run through
Thursday.
Changes to boating safety
bill okayed
The State House of Representatives extended the sunset of the state's
boating safety law from 2005 to 2010 during Wednesday's floor session.
House Bill 93 includes a provision that eliminates the need to register
non-motorized vessels.
Juneau Representative Bruce Weyhrauch is the prime sponsor.
The measure was approved 37 to 3 and will be sent to the Senate.
Empty Kmart in might house Anchorage school
district offices
A vacant Kmart building in Anchorage could become the Anchorage School
District's administrative office center.
The school district wants to redevelop the building, which is near an
eastside mall.
School officials say they're considering a 27-and-a-half million dollar
proposal from a local development team to renovate the building and sell it
to the School District.
The deal is contingent on voters approving a 30 million dollar bond
package that would be used to finance the project.
Currently, school offices are scattered throughout town, including five that
are leased at a combined rate of nearly two million dollars.
George Vakalis, assistant schools superintendent, says the district could
save more than a million dollars a year by moving the bulk of the school
district's offices to one location.
Senate Republicans plan to scale back
energy bill
Congressional Republicans are planning to retool and trim down the national
energy bill, and try again to pass it.
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski says she hopes Alaska gas line incentives will
be spared as Senate Republicans scale back the cost of the bill in hopes of
picking up more votes.
Murkowski also hopes to protect energy bill provisions that would steer
close to a billion dollars to the Denali Commission over 20 years for rural
energy projects.
Homeland security chief wants to beef up
border patrols
U-S Homeland Security officials are planning to tighten control at the
Alaska-Canada border.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge plans to put more focus on the border
and on maritime security in Alaska and elsewhere.
Ridge says he wants to start talks with Canada about security along Alaska's
long, wild border with Yukon and British Columbia. He says he recognizes
there are some unique needs there.
Ridge also says one of the next steps he wants to take in building on
existing border security arrangements between the two countries is to look
at maritime security. He says that probably will affect Alaska more than any
other coastal state.
Immigration order splits up
Anchorage family
A family in Anchorage could be split up after an immigration judge ordered
the parents to leave the country by tomorrow because they overstayed their
tourist visas.
Faatoaga and Leity Tuua's four children must stay behind, at least for now,
because the couple doesn't have enough money for airplane tickets.
The children are legally allowed to stay because three of them were born in
American Samoa, a U-S territory. The parents were born in Samoa.
The couple entered the country in 2001 on visitors' visas, which only
entitled them to a six-month stay. They say they didn't understand the
system, but at some point figured out they had overstayed.
The Tuaas' children will stay with family friends in Anchorage until enough
money is raised to send them to their parents.
(Copyright ©2004
Alaska Juneau Communications - KINY Radio)
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