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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.
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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.
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(Copyright ©2008
Alaska Juneau
Communications - KINY Radio)
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