|
Use
your |
Alaska News | Weather | Sports
| Poll | Forum | Editorial Cartoons | Comics | Strange | Classifieds | Home |
|
Use
your |
School board will review grading system
Public turns out in force to comment
Teachers and parents turned out in force at last night's School Board meeting to offer their comments on the way the panel rejected the pilot grading system. The pilot program used a method that some say is more descriptive and informative of a students educational progress than the familiar A, B, C grading system. The board decided at it's October 5th meeting to toss out the pilot grading system because of complaints that it was too complicated and varied widely from teacher to teacher. The board decided to assign a committee to review the pilot grading program and report to the full board at a later date.
Stan Ridgeway (right) was elected the School Board's new President last night. The election of officers came after three new members were sworn in. Carol Spalding, Deana Darnall, and Chuck Cohen were elected October 5. Former President Jeff Bush was elected clerk and Alan Schorr was selected as Vice President. Ridgeway says a board work-session is scheduled for November 13th. Topping the agenda will be planning for the new high school and the grading policy.
Unofficial results are in from Hoonah's runoff election yesterday. Mayor Albert Dick outpolled challenger Harry Sharclane 216 to 162. Wilford "Bill" Wolf led the race for a city council seat with 273 votes while Steve Brown netted 100. Grace Hillman was the top vote getter in a school board race. She outpolled Bill Bennett 200 to 177. Hoonah City Clerk Georgina Glover says the results aren't official yet. The canvass board will review 19 questioned ballots when it meets beginning at noon tomorrow. The results won't be official until then, according to Glover.
Another storm will move into the area tonight. National Weather Service Forecaster Jerry Painter says it will arrive overnight tonight. He says to expect rain all day tomorrow with a heavy downpour in the morning. Expect winds to 30 miles per hour in exposed areas, including downtown Juneau, with gusts to 40 miles per hour. (In photo at left, KINY's Keith Axt enjoys the first sunrays in weeks to come streaming in the window. The scene was a far cry from this time last year when residents were mopping up after a torrential downpour and windstorm -- see story below)
It was a year ago today that mud slides caused by a rain and wind packed storm were reported fromone end of the borough to the other. Two came down on the Glacier Highway. One was near the AWARE Shelter. The other entrapped a city public works
truck near Twin Lakes (right). Two slides were reported out North Douglas and others came down on Thane Road and near the ferry terminal. Lots of other damage was reported including the destruction of a home and part of Fritz Cove Road (left).
A Juneau 16-year-old accused of emailing death threats to a fellow high school student faces felony charges. The messages were apparently in retaliation for a drug-related incident at the high school, according to Juneau Police Sergeant Kevin Siska. The Sergeant says the suspect sent 9 messages to the victim. He says many were clearly death threats. Investigators got help from several Internet service providers in tracking down the source of the messages. They then searched the suspect's residence, seized computers and found evidence of the crime. Convicted of third-degree assault, coercion and witness tampering, the teen could face 5 years in jail on each count.
A 56-foot fishing boat went aground in Hoonah's harbor last evening. The State Trooper in Hoonah called for the help of a Coast Guard 41-foot utility boat (right) that happened to be there at the time. The fishing vessel Shield was able to pull itself off the beach. The Coast Guard boat towed it into port. The Coast Guard says it appeared the skipper fell asleep at the helm. No one was injured. A test conducted by the Coast Guard indicated the skipper was not legally drunk, but beer cans were noticed on board. No charges were filed. The name of the skipper was not released.
Three experts talked about winterizing your boats during KINY's Capital Chat this morning. Juneau Port Director Joe Graham advised checking boats on a weekly schedule throughout the winter and to check other boats around yours. Jim Sepal of Sepal and Sons Marine Surveyors said to think about fluids aboard your boat. That includes changing the oil, checking the transmission fluid, and topping off the fuel. He recommended use of a fuel stabilizer. Pete Bernstein of Alaska Ship Chandlers warned about safeguarding against freezing and keeping your boat well ventilated. All three recommended safeguarding against chafed lines and flapping tarps. (In photo, left to right, Port Director Joe Graham, Marine Surveyor Jim Sepal, and Pete Bernstein, owner of Alaska Ship Chandlers)
Crews are working to clean up an oil spill at the Cordova Electric Power plant on Eyak Lake. Initial estimates put the size of the spill at 500 to 1,000 gallons of waste oil. The spill occurred yesterday after heavy rains overwhelmed a pump and a waste oil tank overflowed.
State Superior Court Judge Brian Shortell is stepping down. Shortell presided over Exxon Valdez lawsuits in state court in Anchorage. He says he will retire in January after nearly 20 years on the bench. The Alaska Judicial Council is accepting applications for Shortell's seat on the bench.
Sealaska Corporation President and CEO Robert Loescher (right) will give the keynote address at the Alaska Federation of Natives Contention in Anchorage tomorrow morning. Sealaska's Ross Soboleff says Loescher spoke at an AFN meeting in February about subsistence issues on both a statewide and national perspective, but was invited back to address the convention to update the delegates on the federal takeover of fisheries management. The legislature's actions concerning subsistence will also be a topic in Loescher's keynote address and Soboleff says Loescher will praise native lawmakers for the strength they displayed during the subsistence debate. The Alaska Federation Natives Convention will be televised on cable channel 51.
The race for the leadership of British Columbia's troubled New Democratic Party has its second official candidate. It's Joy MacPhail, who resigned three months ago as finance minister. MacPhail joins Agriculture Minister Corky Evans in the race. The new leader, who will also become premier to succeed Glen Clark, will be selected next February.
The Challenger Learning Center in Kenai in now open. The educational facility will be fully operational by next spring. To provide a preview of the center, NASA sent two astronauts to Anchorage, including former West High Graduate William Oefelein (left) of Alaska's largest city. Oefelein says the center will offer Alaska students a priceless education in science and math. Astronaut Charles Walker describes NASA's attitude as "open for business". The first components of the space station have already been assembled in orbit and the space agency expects it to be completed in five years. Visit the Challenger Learning Center here.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is asking for the public's assistance in protecting bald eagles in Alaska. Law enforcement agents have responded to reports of people cutting down trees that had eagle nests in them, according to the Service's Connie Barclay. She says cutting down trees located near to an eagle nest can cause can the eagle to abandon the nest. The Bald Eagle Protection Act provides that up to $2,500 can be paid to persons who provide information which leads to the conviction of a person or persons who violate the act.
The US Forest Service in Alaska has established a Y2K business resumption team to focus on any support systems and business which may be disrupted by the Y2K date change. The agency's Mary Cummins says the team has examined computer systems and have determined that they are Y2K compliant. The team is developing contingency plans just in case a problem does arise January 1, 2000, according to Cummins. The agency's computers will be turned off December 30. Cummins says technicians will turn on the computers January 1 and troubleshoot any problems that may occur.(Captions for our photographs can be viewed by hovering over them with your mouse pointer)
Photographers/Public Information Officers:
KINY is actively soliciting photos of timely local news events. Please email us for details.
