Kohring suffers another setback before sentencing
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Former Rep. Vic Kohring has suffered another legal setback ahead of his Thursday sentencing.

U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick today (Monday) denied Kohring's request to interview a member of the jury that convicted him in November on federal bribery charges.

The jury determined that the Wasilla Republican had conspired with executives of an oil field services company, VECO Corp., to push through an oil tax favored by North Slope producers. Kohring was convicted of bribery, conspiracy and attempted extortion.

One juror has allegedly expressed remorse for the verdicts against Kohring, and Kohring sought court approval to talk to the juror.

But the judge noted in his order  that at the time of the verdicts, each jury member was individually polled about their verdicts.
(David Shurtleff/Alaska Public Radio Network)

Lew Williams passes away in Arizona
Long time Alaskan newspaper publisher Lew Williams is dead at the age of 83.

The Ketchikan Daily News reports in today's edition that Williams died Saturday in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The report says the publisher emeritus of the Ketchikan Daily News died while vacationing in Arizona, four days after he had been scheduled to return home to Ketchikan.

The account described Williams as a pioneer Alaska journalist, involved in newspaper, state and local affairs for more than 60 years.  

At his request, no service is scheduled.

The family suggests that memorials be made to the First City Council on Cancer.

---------

Williams served on the University of Alaska Board of Regents from 1991 to 1999. He was the recipient of an honorary degree from the University of Alaska Southeast in 1981.    

Alaska teachers union backs Begich in Senate race
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich has his second major endorsement in his bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.

The Democratic candidate received support from the National Education Association's Alaska chapter on Monday.

The organization represents 13,000 teachers and education staff throughout the state.

It's probably fitting as both of Begich's parents were teachers as are two of his sisters and a sister-in-law.

Last month, Begich made it official that he will go head-to-head against the Republican incumbent.

Last week, the Alaska State Employees Association/American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 52 declared its support for Begich.

Bethel area residents ask for elections assistance in Yup'ik
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The state division of elections says it is beefing up efforts to provide better language assistance to Alaska Native speakers at the polls.

The state was slapped with an injunction today (Monday) by Yup'ik residents in Bethel and five Kuskokwim River villages. They say translators are often unavailable at the polls. And even when available, their efforts are sometimes confusing and ineffective.

But division director Gail Fenumiai (pr. Fuh-NEW-mee-eye) says voters should see an improvement this year as a result of the state's newly revised minority assistance plan. The plan is currently under review by the Department of Justice.

She says the plan includes special training and better materials for bilingual election workers as well as CDs containing election information translated into several Alaska Native languages and Tagalog.

Fenumiai said the state was already working on the plan when the original lawsuit was filed last year.  

Elton John sold out...2nd show scheduled
It took less than an hour for the Sullivan Arena to be sold out for the Elton John concert, prompting the addition of a second show for the legendary pop performer.

Tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. Monday for the May 28 concert.

All 8,100 were sold out 58 minutes later. A second Anchorage show has been added on May 30.

Alaska gets $260,000 in HUD housing grants
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska Housing Finance Agency is getting some federal help to give 35 homeless veterans permanent homes.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is awarding the Alaska authority more than $260,000 in grant money for the effort. It's part of about $2.6 million that the department is giving to housing authorities in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to provide permanent housing for 440 homeless veterans.

Regional Director John Meyers says the program demonstrates the department's commitment to serve veterans as they once served the country.

In Alaska, the program will be served by the VA in Anchorage.

Alert neighbor leads to arrest of suspect who admits stealing from vehicles
A man who police say admitted to stealing items from vehicles was arrested early Sunday morning.

A resident of the 3000 block of Meander Drive in the Valley contacted police at about 5 a.m. to report seeing a white male rifling cars in the neighborhood.

The caller said the suspect was riding a bike and was wearing jeans, a black jacket and a red hat.

Responding officers found 18 year old Pavel Bogatko in the area. He matched the description provided by the caller and was in possession of several items he admitted were stolen from vehicles in the area.

One resident identified some stolen property and retrieved the items, according to police.

The suspect also said the bicycle he was riding was stolen , however no owner was located.

Bogatko was charged with theft in the third degree, a class "A" misdemeanor and jailed at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center.

Police recovered additional property that has not yet been identified.

Residents who may have had something stolen from their vehicles should contact the police department.

Multiple vehicle accidents reported by police
Six people including three children were transported to Bartlett Regional Hospital with what Juneau Police describe as non-life threatening injuries following a traffic accident involving three vehicles early Saturday afternoon on at seven mile of the Glacier Highway.

The initial report came into police at 1:20.

Responding officers found a 2005 silver Toyota Matrix east bound on Glacier Highway had swerved to avoid colliding with a red Chevrolet Pickup stopped for heavy traffic in a construction zone.

The silver Toyota clipped the rear of the Chevrolet pickup, and then entered the oncoming lane of traffic where it struck a green Toyota Corolla head on.

The six people were in the Toyota. The driver of the red Chevrolet was uninjured. Police say everyone was wearing their seat belts.

Glacier Highway was closed to through traffic between Switzer and Fred Meyer for approximately 30 minutes.

As officers were clearing this accident, another multiple vehicle accident was reported on Egan outbound just north of Vanderbilt.

Four vehicles were involved in a chain reaction collision. Three were totaled. Police say no one was injured.

Sex offender arrested in downtown area for failure to register
Juneau Police arrested a sex offender Saturday for  failure to register as required by state law.

A police blotter entry says 71 year-old George Norman Martin was arrested on an outstanding $1,000 Alaska State Trooper warrant before 6 p.m. that day in the 100 block of Main Street.

Authorities in Angoon waiting for parties involved in a weapons case to sober up
The Village Public Safety Officer in Angoon responded to a report late Saturday night of an intoxicated man threatening others with a rifle.

He responded to a residence shortly before midnight.

The officer found the suspect passed out and several others at various levels of intoxication.

A Remington Model 700 rifle was located next to the suspect and secured, according to the Trooper dispatch.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is continuing as witnesses and victims sober up, according to the dispatch.

23.40 pound King leads Spring King Derby
The Spring King Salmon Derby sponsored by the Tlingit - Haida Central Council got under way the first of the month.

The leader as of this morning (Monday) is 23.40 pounds turned in by Meghan Bigelow on the first day of fishing last Thursday.

Also turned in that day was a 22.75 pound fish by Mike Wood which is good for second place at this point.

Seven fish were entered all together as of this morning.

The council's Archie Cavanaugh there are three weigh in stations

Entries can be turned in gutted and gilled at Jerry's Meats, DeHarts, and the Alaska Seafood Cannery, which is behind the new Breeze Inn in the Lemon Creek area.

The fishing continues until the end of the month.

The tickets are $40 and are available at outlets all around town.

First place includes $5,000 cash. Other prizes have a cash value of $2,599.25. They include two Alaska Airline Mileage tickets valued at $1,600.

A complete list of prizes, rules and the latest standings among other information is on the web at www.springkingderby.org 

Young remarks on Florida earmark described as "absurd and inaccurate"
A staffer for a Florida congressman is calling Alaska Congressman Don Young's defense of a Florida road earmark "absurd" and "inaccurate."

Young spoke on the House floor last week in defense of the 10-million dollar earmark for an interchange between I-75 and coconut road near Fort Meyers, Florida.

In his speech, Young said the project had the support of the area's representative, Republican Connie Mack.

During the debate, Mack distanced himself from the project. He says he only supported the project after it was clear that the county would jeopardize other federal funds by rejecting the interchange earmark.

Mack's chief of staff, Jeff Cohen, went further, suggesting that Young's speech shows a need for a committee on -quote- "psychological standards."

The House voted last week to investigate the earmark. One of the questions is how the project was added to the 2005 Transportation Bill after it passed Congress.
(Naples Daily News)

Contractors sue city of Juneau over project labor agreement
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Juneau's local government is being sued by a building contractors' association over the way the city doles out construction contracts.

The Associated Builders and Contractors of Alaska contends the city's method is unfair.

The issue centers on the city's project labor agreement for an estimated $14 million in renovations planned for Harborview Elementary School.

Bids are due Wednesday and require that contractors agree to certain labor practices, including hiring only union tradesmen.

AP NewsBreak: Groups seek to stop oil exploration off Alaska
BY JEANNETTE J. LEE - Associated Press Writer
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A lawsuit filed by Alaska Native and environmental groups seeks to stop seismic exploration by oil companies this summer in Arctic waters frequented by whales and other marine species.

The plaintiffs are challenging federal permits that allow energy giants Shell Oil and BP to search for oil and gas in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas using acoustic technology that they say has been shown to harm a variety of marine animals.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Alaska, names the Minerals Management Service and National Marine Fisheries Service among the defendants.

It is one of several ongoing suits filed in recent years to block oil companies from working in the waters off Alaska.

Coast Guard plans Barrow deployment as part of Arctic Awareness
As part of its Arctic Awareness program, the Coast Guard in Alaska plans a deployment to Barrow.

Rear Admiral Gene Brooks is the commander of the 17th District says its planned from July 27 to August 11.

The deployment will include two HH-65 Dolphin helicopters, one from Kodiak and the other from the West Coast, along with two small boats and a boating safety training team.

The admiral says there are a couple of goals.

"One of them is to learn how much Coast Guard work is really up there given the things we're seeing with climate change. The second thing is to learn how to do it in ways that do not harm what's already there and in ways that can enhance our own effectiveness for maritime safety and security."

Some deployments are also planned out of Nome to increase their patrol capabilities in the north Bering Sea and Chukchi Seas.

Joint military exercise set
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The biggest annual military training exercise in Alaska is set to kick off.

About 5,000 soldiers, airmen, Marines and sailors are expected to converge in Alaska for Northern Edge 2008, which begins Monday.

The largely aerial event is conducted primarily out of Elmendorf and Eielson Air Force bases, the Pacific Alaska Range Complex and in the Gulf of Alaska.

The exercise aims to train cross-service combatants to fight with better coordination and to improve command and communication aspects of combat.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Mechanical problem with Auke Bay generator causes outage
An outage impacting a significant number of Alaska Electric, Light and Power customers occurred Saturday afternoon.

The utility's Gayle Wood says it occurred at 12:43 and knocked power off to about half of their customers.

To blame was a mechanical failure to the largest generator at Auke Bay.

She says when that happens their load shed scheme takes effect. So customers scattered throughout the city and borough lost power for about 25 minutes.

Wood says the last customers were restored at 1:10 p.m.

She says its a mechanical problem that will take some time to sort out.

The main turbine also tripped off line two weeks ago Saturday.

The generator would not normally be operating if the line for Snettisham had not been knocked out by avalanches April 16th.

Bush: No quick fix for rising gas prices
WHITE HOUSE (AP) - President Bush says he's troubled by rising gas prices and will take a look at proposals to relieve the crisis -- but warns there's no quick fix.

The president told ABC's "Good Morning America" that "it's going to be a while" before the problem is solved.

He adds that America is "too dependent on foreign oil and we need to be exploring more at home."

Bush is in favor of building new refineries and drilling for oil in the Alaskan wilderness.

He says federal tax rebate checks will help Americans facing soaring gas prices. And he reiterated his call for Congress to make permanent the tax cuts enacted during his administration.

Graduation ceremonies held in Juneau and Anchorage
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP and KINY) - The University of Alaska Southeast and the campus in Anchorage held its graduation ceremonies Sunday.

A record number of 348 graduated from the Auke Lake campus in Juneau

A total of 2,100 students received diplomas in Anchorage.

Man charged with attacking trooper
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A 27-year-old Nenana man is accused of assaulting a state trooper, among other charges.

Ramey Stevens was arrested by troopers Friday on charges of assaulting a trooper, driving under the influence, criminal mischief and harassment.

Troopers were called to Nenana after a man was reported being intoxicated and damaging vehicles at a diner.

Troopers say Stevens drove on the sidewalk, damaged a parked vehicle and assaulted a man, then tried to flee.

According to troopers, Stevens also choked another man, assaulted a trooper and spit on two correctional officers.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Troopers charge Noatak man with assault
NOATAK, Alaska (AP) - Alaska State Troopers say a Noatak man drove a snowmobile while drunk and pointed a rifle at five villagers, including a 3-year-old child.

Fifty-two-year-old Gordon J. Wesley was charged Thursday with five counts of assault and three counts of reckless endangerment.

Troopers were called to Noatak by residents who said Wesley nearly drove a snowmobile into a man.

Troopers say Wesley went to his home, grabbed a rifle and aimed it at people, including the 3-year-old.

Troopers arrested Wesley and transported him to jail in Kotzebue. He was also charged with driving while intoxicated.

Noatak, population 470, is about 55 miles north of Kotzebue.

Snare removed from Denali wolf
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A snare that had been around the neck of a large, gray wolf at Denali National Park and Preserve has been removed.

Tom Meier, a park wildlife biologist was able to remove the trapper's snare on Friday.

Meier says the wolf and a smaller companion were seen by several National Park Service employees near the Savage River Campground on Thursday evening.

Fresh snow overnight helped track the wolf the next day.

The wolf was located on a ridge and was immobilized with a tranquilizer dart.

Veterinarian Denise Albert cleaned the wound and administered antibiotics. She says the snare was deeply embedded in the wolf's neck, but the wound was not badly infected.

Park officials say the wolf rejoined the smaller wolf, perhaps its mate, and appears to be recovering.

Copper River dipnet fishery set for June 4 opening
GLENNALLEN, Alaska (AP) - The Copper River personal use dipnet fishery will open at 8 a.m. on June 4.

The Department of Fish and Game says the first 112-hour opening will run through June 8th.

Last year, nearly 15 salmon per permit were caught and more than 8,300 permits were issued for the personal use fishery.

Park Service names regional director
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Sue Masica has been named as the Alaska regional director of the National Park Service.

Masica has been the agency's chief of staff for the past two years, serving as senior adviser to the national director and other top park service officials.

She replaces the retired Marcia Blaszak, the regional director since 2003.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Girdwood festival canceled
GIRDWOOD, Alaska (AP) - Organizers of the Girdwood Forest Fair have canceled the festival.

They  say the event, which would have been held in July, was canceled because of illegal camping, drugs and drinking that has gone on in recent years.

Last year, the festival drew an average of 5,000 people for three straight days.