Capital projects adding up
JUNEAU (AP) - State lawmakers' wish list of capital projects is growing long and could add up to more than 800 million dollars.

But still to be worked out is whether all of those projects stay on, and where the money will come from.

House Finance Co-Chairman Kevin Meyer says the capital budget could be between 400 and 500  million dollars. It would be funded from several different sources, including the state's general fund, the oil revenue surplus, bond debt, and possibly the Constitutional Budget Reserve and other sources.

Additionally, the Anchorage Republican says a separate proposal by Senator Ben Stevens to use Alaska Permanent Fund earnings to fund school construction and maintenance projects has grown by another 100 million dollars. He says a new draft of Senate Bill 155 totals about 450 million dollars and will come up again in the House Finance Committee this week.

Meyer says the question of whether to use permanent fund earnings must still be addressed.

House Speaker John Harris, a Valdez Republican, says he believes there is marginal support for the permanent fund earnings proposal in the House, but questioned whether it would leave finance committee.

HB 1 conference committee finally to meet
A conference committee on House Bill One is scheduled for today, but progress on a resolution is not expected.

The legislation is the education funding bill approved by the House on March 2nd.

The Senate also okayed the 70 million dollar funding level, but added a provision making 38 million dollars of the amount dependent on a Republican plan to overhaul the state-run retirement system.

A conference committee was appointed on March 30th by both bodies.

House Finance Co-Chair Kevin Meyer told reporters this morning that there hasn't been much change in the situation. He says the House is sticking to its position and Senate is maintaining its position, so a stalemate remains.

But in the meantime, Meyer says they'll making progress on retirement legislation. Over eight hours of testimony was taken during a hearing Saturday.

Senate Finance Co-Chair Gary Wilken has said to expect no action on public schools money until the fate of a retirement reform measure is known.

The conference committee begins at 5 p.m. 

Agreement on railroad link feasibility study inked by Alaska and Yukon
The Governor of Alaska and the Premier of the Yukon Territory conducted a joint press conference via a teleconference this afternoon (Monday) on a memorandum of understanding that creates a committee to work toward a connection between the Alaska - Canada railroad

Governor Murkowski says the agreement establishes the Alaska - Canada Rail Advisory Committee which will be formed by May 20th of this year.

Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie (Fen-tee) says the plan is to be completed by June 30th of next year.

The leaders said the study will assess the long term social and economic benefits of the rail connection.

The cost is estimated at $5 Million with Alaska's share covered by federal funds. 

Record high temperatures reported across the Panhandle
Warm temperatures punctuated Juneau's weather and weather across the region over the weekend.

Meteorologist Kimberly Vaughn in the Juneau Forecast Office says the Capital City tied the record high temperature Saturday reaching 65 degrees. The record was set previously in 1977.

It reached 66 degrees Sunday, shy of the 70 degree record set in 2003.

Today's record is 73 degrees. Its expected to be near 70 on the Back Loop Road where the forecast office is located, but Vaughn says it will be cooler at the airport and downtown ranging between the low to mid 60s.

Record warm temperatures were established across the region last weekend.

Records were set Saturday in Skagway, Haines, Gustavus, Hoonah, Wrangell, Annette Island, and Klawock.

All but Wrangell also established record highs on Sunday. The hottest temperature was record Sunday in Klawock where it reached 81 degrees. The previous record for the date was 73 in 2003.

And the forecaster says its going to stay like this for a few days, with temperatures remaining warm at least through mid-week

She says temperatures will begin to cool off a bit Thursday and Friday.

CBJ and school budgets up for public comment
The public will get an opportunity to comment on the proposed  CBJ and school district budgets for next fiscal year tonight. [Monday]

By charter there must be at least one public hearing on the proposed budgets.

City Manager Rod Swope says tonight would be a good opportunity for residents with suggestions or concerns to come and tell the Assembly.

The Assembly is scheduled to adopt the budget in about seven weeks on June 13th. Swope says comments are also welcome then, but adds its pretty late in the game at that point.

The Assembly meets tonight at 7 at City Hall.

Bill would allow cities to compete for new capitol
JUNEAU (AP) - Anchorage Republican Representative Norm Rokeberg says the Capitol is inadequate, unfriendly and unsafe and he has resurrected his bill to allow communities to compete to build a new one.

Rokeberg's bill would allow cities or boroughs of more than 30-thousand residents to submit proposals to the Alaska Legislative Counsel, which would decide the winner.

Rokeberg presented his plan to the House State Affairs Committee Saturday. Rokeberg has sponsored a similar measure in the past.

The committee meeting was held less than a week after Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho put the brakes on his plan to build a new capitol in Juneau and lease it to the Legislature to pay the construction costs.

Botelho says he does not expect a commitment from the Legislature this year to help pay for the building.

Botelho plans to revisit the new capitol issue this summer after the city has completed its annual budget.

He says the city might consider paying to build the new capitol itself.

Prosecution may rest case in Harmon murder trial
JUNEAU (AP) - Prosecutors hope to rest their case today (Monday) in the murder trial of a man accused of raping and killing a 19-year-old woman in her Tenakee Springs cabin.

Twenty-six-year-old James Harmon is charged in the 2003 death Maggie Wigen.

Juneau District Attorney Patrick Gullufsen says he plans to rest his case after testimony from state medical examiner, Doctor Franc Fallico, who performed the autopsy on Wigen.

Wigen's body was found the week after she was reported missing.

She was buried near the cabin she rented in the island community 45 miles southwest of Juneau.

Harmon is charged with first- and second-degree murder, first-degree sexual assault, first-degree attempted sexual assault and second-degree theft relating to her death.

In testimony last week Lawrence Pippin -- a state fingerprint examiner and crime scene investigator -- said he identified 19 fingerprints at the cabin that he matched with Harmon.
(Juneau Empire)

Anchorage teen dies after assault
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Anchorage police say a 19-year-old man hospitalized after an assault this morning has died.

The teenager's name has not been released.

Police at about six a-m were called to a trailer court at 15-45 South Hoyt and found the injured young man.

He was transported to a hospital and he died about three hours later.

Police are investigating the incident as a homicide.

Anchorage police find man stabbed
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Anchorage police say they have few clues into who stabbed a man and left him on the side of a street.

Police received a call at about nine-30 p-m Saturday that a man had been stabbed.

They found the man lying near 15th Avenue and Karluk Street on the city's east side.

The man was conscious and breathing but was unable to speak.

Sergeant Tom Oels says police don't know how it happened and don't know if it happened at that location.

Police say they will decide their next move after speaking to the victim.

Man indicted in 1997 death of wife
KENAI (AP) - A Kenai grand jury has indicted a man in the falling death of his wife in Homer.

Forty-one-year-old Jay Darling -- is serving time in federal prison for insurance fraud -- has long been a suspect in the 1997 death of Wanda Wood Darling since she fell from a bluff.

He was indicted by the grand jury on Friday on a charge of first-degree murder.

Two years ago, Jay Darling was sentenced to 40 months in jail for insurance fraud after pleading guilty to one federal charge.

According to prosecutors, Darling told friends he planned to get life insurance money by faking his own death in a kayaking accident so his wife could collect.

He applied for the life insurance seven days after marrying Wanda Wood in 1997.

The murder trial will be held in Homer. No date has been set.

Darling, who is no in prison in California, is expected to be returned to Alaska within the next few months.

Junked Vehicle Roundup coming up Friday and Saturday
The City and Borough of Juneau aims to rid the town of more junked vehicles this week.

The next Junked Vehicle Roundup is this Friday and Saturday, according to City Manager Rod Swope who says its free this time. That's because there's now a charge that flows to the city from the state when vehicles are registered.

It will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Friday and Saturday off Anka Street near Costco. Swope says to look for the signs.

People must get their vehicles to the site. Garbage must be removed and only one spare tire is allowed.

Participants must also fill out an Owner's Responsibility Form.

He encourages people to take advantage of this event Friday and Saturday since there probably won't be another until late summer or early fall.

Swope says they received over a thousand junks last year.

Officers, firefighters protest proposed retirement systems change
ANCHORAGE (AP) - About 130 police officers, firefighters and their families rallied yesterday (Sunday) in Anchorage, opposing a plan in the Legislature to change state pension systems.

A bill approved by the Senate and under consideration in the House would change state pension systems into individual investment accounts.

The change would affect future state workers and take effect July 1.

Supporters of the bill say it will help prevent a deficit in the state's Public Employees Retirement System and Teachers Retirement System from getting larger.

They want benefits paid based on the performance of investments -- without defined benefits.

Mike Couturier of the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association says the change would make recruiting and retaining police officers more difficult.

He says the proposal could create instability in the city's police force.

He says officers could shift assets in their individual retirement accounts to another employer, removing an incentive to remain on the force.

Meanwhile, about 130 police officers, firefighters and their families rallied in opposition to the plan yesterday (Sunday) in Anchorage.

Senate votes to expand ballot initiative titles
JUNEAU (AP) - Ballot initiative titles would increase from six to 25 words under a bill that passed the state Senate today.

Senator Gene Therriault, a North Pole Republican, says more complex issues are appearing on the ballot as voter initiatives. He says the titles should be expanded so they give a more accurate summary of what the initiative would do.

Initiative summaries as they appear on the ballot would remain at 100 words under the bill. The change would not cost any additional money, according to the Division of Elections.

The measure passed 19-0 and will be sent to the state House.

Selendang Ayu cleanup resumes
UNALASKA (AP) - Workers are being mobilized to resume the cleanup from the Selendang Ayu oil spill off Unalaska Island.

Areas of the shoreline were fouled after the freighter grounded and broke up offshore in December.

The Selendang Ayu was carrying 442-thousand gallons of fuel oil when it lost power. While more than 100-thousand gallons of fuel was recovered in offloading operations in January and February, most of the rest of the oil is believed lost.

The Coast Guard says about 200 people and 22 vessels will be involved in the shoreline cleanup efforts.

Leslie Pearson, the on-scene coordinator with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, says the cleanup is expected to continue right through the summer.

Popular Anchorage fishing derby canceled
ANCHORAGE (AP) - A popular Anchorage king salmon derby has been canceled this year because a sponsor could not be found.

Alaska Railroad officials say several organizations expressed interest in staging the Ship Creek King Salmon Derby and the silver salmon derby but no one submitted a formal proposal.

The railroad owns the land along both banks of lower Ship Creek and must sign off on any derby plans.

Spokesman Tim Thompson expects the derbies to return next year, but says it's too late for any organization to run them this year.

The previous sponsor was Alaska Community Services -- an arm of the National Senior Service Corps -- found the derbies weren't profitable enough. 

Borough seeks buyer for school in King Cove
ANCHORAGE (AP) - The Aleutians East Borough is selling a school in King Cove and may put the building on e-Bay it can't find a buyer.

The borough is building a new school on higher ground in the Alaska Peninsula port city.

Borough administrator Bob Juettner (JUT'-ner) says the old school has 47-thousand square feet, 17 rooms, four bathrooms and an ocean view on more than three acres.

The asking price is two-point-eight (m) million dollars.

Juettner says he hopes to get the maximum price to help the borough pay for the old school's replacement.

The existing school was built around 19-80 on a sand-and-gravel spit that slices into King Cove.

The school and other buildings on the spit -- including a Peter Pan Seafoods plant -- could be hit if a big tsunami rolled into the community.

Boeing gets big order from Air Canada
SEATTLE (AP) - Boeing has struck a big deal with Air Canada.

The carrier plans to renew its fleet of wide body jetliners with the purchase of as many as 96 Boeing 777 and 787 planes.

Boeing says the value of the firm orders in the deal is about six billion dollars at list prices. A specific transaction price was not released, but frequently airlines receive substantial discounts for bulk orders.

The agreement includes firm orders for 18 777s, plus purchase rights for 18 more and firm orders for 14 787s, plus options and purchase rights for 46 more.

The 787, dubbed the Dreamliner, is Boeing's newest jetliner model.

Air Canada becomes the 18th airline to select the 787, bringing the total number of announced firm orders and commitments to 217.

Private landowner beautifies city land in Anchorage
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Officials in Anchorage are trying to decide what to do about a private beautification project that stretches across public land in a pricey neighborhood.

The homeowners -- Tennys and Thomas Owens Junior -- say they thought they owned the entire project site.

The couple built a rock-lined pond on the Westchester Lagoon property next to the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.

The work replaced a small wetlands pond the couple says attracted mosquitoes.

The city recently discovered that about half of the rebuilt, landscaped pond lies in the publicly owned Margaret Eagan Sullivan Park.

City parks director Jeff Dillon officials haven't decided whether the Owenses will have to take out some or all of the landscaping.
(Anchorage Daily News)