Fuel tank at old logging camp burns near Hoonah
A fuel tank at the old White Stone Logging Camp near Hoonah burned for several hours before being brought under control Friday afternoon.

The Hoonah Volunteer Fire Department battled the stubborn diesel fuel fire at the old logging camp located just outside the Hoonah city limits.

The initial report of the fire came in at about just after 11 o'clock Friday morning.

Hoonah City Administrator Jerry Medina says it's a stand alone refueling tank that was used by the operators of the White Stone Logging Camp before it was shut down.

There are some people living in housing units and some trailers that the Hoonah Indian Association bought from White Stone.

No reports of injuries or indications of how the fire started yet.

Senate halts work over retirement bills
JUNEAU (AP) - The state Senate today (Friday) postponed its floor session and committee hearings as Senate President Ben Stevens expressed concern that the House Finance Committee may be trying to bury a proposal to overhaul the state's retirement systems.

The Anchorage Republican says the Senate will operate internally until they see what happens with the bill. He calls the bill the most substantive piece of legislation lawmakers have worked on this session.

The House Finance Committee yesterday assigned a working group to examine the retirement proposal. Finance Co-Chairman Kevin Meyer, an Anchorage Republican, says he believes the Senate is overreacting and there is NO intention of burying the bill.

Supporters of the bill say the changes would save employers money and would mean less risk and more flexibility than the current system.

But opponents of the proposal say the plan to introduce new 401-k-type investment accounts places the risk on the workers whose retirement would depend on how those investments fared. 

Card room bill makes out of Finance and heads to House floor
The House Finance Committee moved out a bill today (Friday) to legalize so called card rooms after taking public testimony.

Card rooms operate similar to casinos but only allow certain games of chance such as poker, rummy, bridge and cribbage. And unlike casinos, the house is not allowed to play or bet on the games.

The sponsor, Eagle River Representative Pete Kott says the proposal would create jobs and establish a new source of tax revenue for the state.

Local Juneau businessman Ethan Billings agreed and called for the bill's passage during his testimony.

Opposition was sounded by Chip Waggoner, the executive director of the Alaska Catholic Conference. He said there were two main reasons for their opposition.

Most importantly, he said some Alaskans, who become addicted to gambling, will be hurt badly. Secondly, he said the state does not have the money to fund the necessary programs to deal with all of the problems that will be created with the expansion of legalized gambling.

The bill would allow card rooms in boroughs of at least 30-thousand residents.

Only those 21 and older could gamble under the proposed law.

The measure passed out of the House Judiciary Committee earlier this week.

The next stop for HB 272 is the House floor.

A similar bill by Anchorage Republican Senator John Cowdery is working its way through the Senate.

Amerada Hess proposal moves to Senate after House reconsideration  vote
The measure calling for the use of earnings from the Amerada Hess account within the Alaska Permanent Fund was approved on reconsideration in the State House of Representatives today on a 22 to 15 vote.  

It was approved initially Thursday 22 to 17.   

The Governor proposed using its earnings to pay off the bonds for $340 Million of capital projects. But that approach was changed by the House Finance Committee

Rather than tying up the earnings for a long period of time to pay off the bonds, the committee changed the measure by creating the Alaska Capitol Income Fund within the general fund. The earnings from Amerada Hess would flow to that account.

A court ruling when the Amerada Hess fund was created forbid the use of its earnings for Permanent Fund Dividends even though its managed by the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation.

Even so opponents characterize it as a raid on the Permanent Fund and said there should be a public vote first.  

House Bill 187 now moves to the Senate.  

Measures propose to add islands near Juneau to marine parks system
Juneau Senator Kim Elton and Downtown Representative Beth Kerttula have introduced legislation to add 14 islands near Juneau to Alaska's marine parks.

They include Aaron, Battleship, Benjamin, Bird, Coghlan, Cohen, Gull, Indian, Lincoln, Little, North, Portland, Ralston, and Suedla Islands.

The measures also add much of the north and east sides of Shelter Island. Part of the island is already included in the park system.

The measures exclude private landholdings.

Senate Bill 190 and House Bill 292 were referred to the Resources and Finance Committees in each body.  

House resolution supports Kensington Mine
The State House today (Friday) approved a resolution supporting the opening of the Kensington Mine near Juneau.

Coeur Alaska is now awaiting issuance of federal and state permits.  If granted, plans call for begining construction this summer.

The vote was 36 to zero.

Search ended for whalers
JUNEAU (AP) - The Coast Guard says it is suspending its search for three whalers missing from Gambell on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea.

Missing are 38-year-old Jason Nowpakahok, the mayor of Gambell, his eleven-year-old daughter Yolanda, and his nephew, eleven-year-old Leonard Nowpakahok.

They were part of a six-person crew in a 16-foot skin whaling boat that capsized shortly before two a-m Wednesday.

Twenty-year-old James Uglowook was pulled from the ocean but died.

Two others were rescued by another small whaling boat.

A Coast Guard C-130 from Kodiak flew back to the scene yesterday (Thursday).

The Coast Guard estimates its aircraft searched more than 500 square miles for signs of the whalers on Wednesday and Thursday.

No one on board the boat had worn a life jacket.

Residents of Gambell are grieving their loss.

Conrad Ooozeva is a lifelong resident of Gambell. He says the tragedy won't deter the village from continuing its traditional way of life.

The accident has devastated not only Gambell, but other coastal villages in western and northern Alaska, where whaling dates back generations.

Sixty-nine-year-old Patrick Omiak of Diomede says the loss hurts everyone.

Budget with ANWR provision okayed, Bush renews call for opening area
Congress narrowly approved a budget Thursday that could pave the way for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

The Senate approved the $2 point 6 Trillion spending plan 52 to 47 just hours after it was okayed by the House 214 to 211.

In the past, proposals to allow drilling have died in the Senate because of a filibuster threat.

The budget resolution can not be filibustered, giving proponents a chance to gain that authorization without that obstruction.

An Energy Bill has passed the House with ANWR included, but that provision once again faces significant opposition in the Senate.

During his press conference last evening, President Bush mentioned the need to drilling in ANWR and renewed his call to open the area's coastal plain.

He told reporters an energy policy needs to recognize that the nation can find more energy at home in an environmentally friendly way.

Alaska Senators Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski say passage of the budget resolution puts the process of opening ANWR one step closer.

The Energy Committee in the House and Senate will now begin writing legislation, setting out the process for ANWR leasing exploration, that will enable Congress to find the $2.4 Billion included in the budget from expected ANWR revenue.

That legislation will be delivered to the Budget committees and included in an overall budget reconciliation measure. Action on that measure is expected this Fall

More record temps recorded in Southeast
Record setting high temperatures continued in Juneau and across the region yesterday.

It reached 67 degrees in Juneau which tied the record last set in 1958.

Meteorologist Don Drew says there were several other records in the Panhandle including the 65 in Yakutat, 66 in Wrangell, 68 at Gustavus, and 71 in Klawock.

Red flag warning extended for Juneau area
The National Weather Service has extended it's "red flag warning" for the Juneau area until 9:00 this evening, according to Capital City Fire Rescue.

Red flag warnings are issued during times of high fire danger due to winds and dry conditions.

Open burning during a Red Flag Warning is not permitted, according to Fire Marshal Rich Etheridge.

The fire department is asking people not to conduct open burns until the fire danger improves. 

A wind advisory with gusts to 45 miles per hour is in effect for the downtown area and Douglas through four p.m.

Transient moorage regulations for small boat harbor going to Assembly
Proposed regulations for small boat harbor transient moorage management were approved last night (Thursday)  by the Docks and Harbors Board of Directors.

Port Director John Stone says they will be presented to the Assembly at its meeting May 9th.

He says regulations establish policies for handling the moorage and allow the Harbormaster to designate areas in the harbors.

He says the first thing they're going to do is designate the south side of "C" float in Douglas Harbor as transient moorage. He says that will have a 14 day limit in the summer time. After that period of time, the owner must clear their boat of the area for 24 hours.

The panel also approved two sets of policies for managing transient traffic at Statter Harbor.

The board directed Stone to develop regulations to address overdue accounts in the small boat harbors.

The board accepted for consideration two tideland lease applications for installing two, two hundred foot sections of dock off of the work float in Auke Bay.

A public hearing on those will be held during the Operations Committee meeting on May 10th. 

House approves elections bill
JUNEAU (AP) - State lawmakers approved a bill  Thursday lowering the bar for fledgling political parties in Alaska to attain official party status.

The bill approved by the House of Representatives allows parties a place on the ballot if they register at least two percent of the state's qualified voters instead of the current three percent requirement.

Parties also can be made official if one of their candidates receives at least two percent of the votes in an election for governor, U-S Senate or U-S House.

Parties now must receive at least three percent of the votes cast in a gubernatorial race only.

The sweeping elections bill also increases the cost of requesting an election recount.

Recounts by request will go up from 300 dollars to one-thousand dollars for precincts, 750 dollars to two-thousand dollars for House districts and from ten-thousand dollars to 15-thousand dollars for statewide races.

The bill also requires that ballot initiative circulators be U-S citizens, 18 or older and residents of the state.

The bill passed 38-to-1 and heads to the Senate.

Ice classic counts 46 winning tickets
The ice officially went out on the Tanana River today at 12:01 p-m.

The manager of the Nenana Ice Classic says this year's jackpot is worth 285-thousand dollars. There were 46 winning tickets with each ticket worth slightly more than 61-hundred dollars. The winners were not immediately announced.

Cherrie (Sherry) Forness says the black and white tripod started listing yesterday and tipped over on its side at about 10:30 a-m today.

But she says it was ice moving down the river that eventually tripped the wire and stopped the clock in the watch tower at 12-01 to end the game.

The Ice Classic was started in 1917 when a group of railroad workers decided to fight boredom by erecting a tripod to guess when the ice would go out. Break-up usually occurs during the last few days of April and first week of May.

Last year, the ice went a few days earlier, at 2-16 p-m on April 24th.

Alaska one of the highest for work related deaths
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Alaska's work-related death rate was more than twice the national average in 2003.
The U-S Bureau of Labor Statistics says Alaska had 28 work-related deaths in 2003.

Alaska also had the highest job-related death rate in 2003, with 13-point-nine deaths per 100-thousand people.

Only Wyoming fared worst.

Alaska's workplace fatalities have fallen over the years. In 2002, 42 employees were killed, down from 64 in 2001.

State labor economist Dean Rasmussen says a greater percentage of Alaskans work in dangerous industries -- such as fishing and logging -- than in the Lower 48.

Sentencing hearing begins for prominent businessman
ANCHORAGE (AP) - A sentencing hearing is under way in Anchorage federal court for 61-year-old Josef Boehm -- the president of the Alaska Industrial Hardware chain.

Boehm pleaded guilty five months ago to conspiring to commit child sex trafficking and to providing drugs to people under age 21.

Federal prosecutors say Boehm was the mastermind of the drug use and sexual exploitation of juveniles that took place at his South Anchorage home.

Defense attorneys says Boehm was a crack addict who was manipulated by others.

During the first-day of testimony yesterday (Thursday), 24-year-old Bambi Tyree said she first smoked crack with Boehm at his home when she was 13.

She says the house in a middle-class residential area was rampant with sex and drugs and often involved youngsters in their early teens.

Tyree is expected to be cross examined by defense attorneys today.

Boehm already has agreed to pay one-point-two (m) million dollars to a trust fund to be used by his child victims for rehabilitation, counseling and education.

Boehm's sentencing hearing is expected to last three or four days.

He faces a maximum penalty of eleven years in prison.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Alaska's online check-in innovation makes Digest list
Alaska Airlines has made the list of Reader's Digest "100 Best of America."

Its the magazine's annual compilation of the 100 best people, places, ideas and innovations in America.

The airline's Sam Sperry says they were recognized for the "Best Airline Innovation" for being the pioneer of online check-in.

Reader's Digest Editor-in-Chief Jackie Leo says their aim was to spotlight hidden treasures, great products, cool trends, and inspiring stories that show what's extraordinary about America.

The list is published in the May issue of Reader's Digest or readers can view it online at www.rd. com/best 

Fertilizer developed by Kenai man
KENAI (AP) - A Kenai Peninsula man has developed an organic fertilizer he hopes will be a big success.

Barron Butler is owner of Alaskan Organic Plant Food Company.

His completely organic fertilizer is made from unused clam parts called viscera. He obtains the parts from a commercial processor.

Butler says he recalled listening to an old Alaska homesteader years ago who said he put clam parts on his strawberry patch as fertilizer and had enormous success.

So Butler went to work.

This season, Butler said he plans to turn out five-thousand bags of fertilizer for sale. He hopes to sell 100-thousand bags within three years.

Butler says so far he has about 20 retailers that carry his product around the state and is working on Outside markets.

Eagle named Janice scheduled for release
The Juneau Raptor Center plans another release this evening. (Friday)

The center's Jamie Sorg says its an adult female bald eagle named "Janice."

Sorg says the bird was picked up in the Salmon Creek area with various injuries probably caused by a fight with another eagle.

She had puncture wounds to her chest and a scrap across the top of her head.

Sorg says Janice recovered quickly and its time she go back to where she belongs.

The release is scheduled from the Brotherhood Bridge parking lot at 7 Friday evening.

Two eagles were released last Thursday evening.