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[Thursday, January 19, 2012 12TH EDITION 5 P. M.]

News of the North’ content copyright of Alaska Broadcast Communications Inc. and Juneau Alaska Communications LLC. Any unauthorized use will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Authorities respond to head on collision on Back Loop Road
Juneau Police and Capital City Fire Rescue responded to what was described as a head on collision Wednesday night.

The call came in at about 7 p.m. from the Mendenhall River Bridge on Back Loop Road.

Sergeant Dominic Branson says their preliminary investigation revealed that a 2006 Toyota Tacoma, driven by a 50 year old man, was headed eastbound on Back Loop Road when it crossed the centerline colliding with a 1995 Toyota Corolla driven by an 18 year old man.

The driver of the Corolla was extricated from the vehicle, transported to Bartlett Regional Hospital by ambulance, and later transported from Juneau by air medivac.

Police did not know his status at this report. His identity has not been released.

The driver of the Tacoma had minor injuries and was released at the scene.

Both vehicles were totaled and towed from the scene.

Back Loop Road was closed in both directions at the Mendenhall River Bridge for about one hour.

The sergeant says their investigation into the crash continues.

Rollover reported in median along Egan
A one vehicle accident was reported Thursday morning.

It occurred after 7 outbound on Egan near Fred Meyer.

The vehicle rolled into the median there.

There's no word on injuries or other details from police

Taku wind event forecast for Juneau
There's something special in today's weather forecast for Juneau.

Meteorologist Tom Ainesworth says conditions are setting up for a Taku wind event starting Thursday evening.

He says the strongest winds will probably be late Thursday night and continuing into Friday morning.

Wind speeds may exceed 60 miles per hour and maybe even hit 75 miles by Friday morning, he says.

The forecaster says that could push the wind chill to 30 below zero.

The high wind warning issued this morning is in effect from 6 this evening to 5 Saturday morning.

Slide problem is damaging roads and threatening homes in Haines
There's a slide problem in Haines that is damaging some roadways and homes.

State DOT maintains one impacted road.

Al Clough is the Southeast Region director.

He describes it as a slope failure that's occurring along Ocean View Drive and extending across Lutak Road.

The roads have some cracks in them and the slope is moving down hill. In some places it's moving several inches a day.

He says his personnel and personnel from the Haines Borough are trying to keep the roadways in tact and the borough is also working to keep utilities intact.

One home has been damaged and Clough says there's potential for others to sustain damage.

He says one resident has voluntarily moved out of her house.

One person tells us a lot on Ocean View has sunk about 2 feet.

Clough says the situation has been on going since Friday night. He says its difficult to determine how much longer it will go on.

He says its also difficult to determine the cause since there's ten feet of snow on the ground.

Seattle endures ice storm
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle city officials are asking residents to get home before dark, if possible, because they fear even worse icing conditions by night fall.

And authorities are telling pedestrians to be extra careful on sidewalks and to look out for falling ice from trees, buildings and power lines.

Authorities say a man was killed east of Seattle by a falling tree as he was backing an all-terrain vehicle out of a backyard shed.

Operations were disrupted most of the day at Sea-Tac Airport. Alaska Airlines cancelled flights this morning.

Nome fuel transfer complete, tanker and icebreaker preparing to leave
The transfer of fuel from a Russian tanker to storage tanks in Nome was completed Thursday.

About one million gallons of diesel and 300,000 gallons of gasoline were delivered through 360 miles of Bering Sea ice by the Renda escorted by the Coast Guard Icebreaker Healy.

The fuel transfer started Monday and was completed at 5:30 Thursday morning.

Petty Officer David Mosley says the Healy will now focus on freeing the Renda from the ice where it was purposely frozen during the fuel transfer.

They hope to leave Friday, get through the ice and into open water of the Bering Sea.

The Coast Guard's only operational icebreaker will then head back to her homeport of Seattle after completing its eight month extended deployment.

Parnell praises Coast Guard crew
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Gov. Sean Parnell has extended his gratitude to the crew of the Coast Guard cutter Healy for its role in getting fuel to the iced-in city of Nome.

The Healy, the Coast Guard's only functioning icebreaker, broke ice as it led a Russian tanker delivering 1.3 million gallons of fuel to Nome.

The Healy was due back in its homeport of Seattle at Christmas, but had its mission extended seven weeks to blaze the path for the tanker.

Parnell thanked the Healy's crew for its service and sacrifice.

In the House chambers for the Governor's speech last night was Rear Admiral Thomas Ostebo, the commanding officer of the Coast Guard in Alaska.

Coast Guard monitoring 2 boats trapped by ice in a bay near Ketchikan
Two, 40 foot wooden boats are trapped in George's Inlet northeast of Ketchikan by about 8 inches of ice.

That's according to Senior Chief Chad Mountcastle in the Coast Guard's Juneau Command Center.

He says the two men were on a voyage from Ketchikan to Metlakatla.

They've requested food, water and fuel. Mountcastle says Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Services plans to fly in with a helicopter and drop off the supplies.

The Coast Guard offered to get them out of there with one of its copters, but the men declined.

The chief says there are some medical concerns at play, but the men do not want to abandon their boats.

He says the boats are their homes.

The chief says moving through sea ice is dangerous in a wooden boat due to potential damage to the hull.

He says the Coast Guard will continue to monitor the situation

Parnell repeats support for his oil tax-cut plan
BECKY BOHRER,Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Gov. Sean Parnell says an oil tax-cut bill, deemed problematic by the Senate's president, represents meaningful tax reform.

Parnell repeatedly called for "meaningful tax reform" during his State of the State address Wednesday. On Thursday, he told reporters that meaningful reform and the tax-cut bill passed by the House last year were one in the same.

Parnell says the bill, HB110, is capable of boosting investment and production significantly. He says he wants the Senate to hold hearings on it.

That's unlikely: Senate President Gary Stevens said the bill has problems and that he'd like to see an oil tax bill come from the Senate instead.

Parnell says he has yet to hear a proposal from the Senate that would make a huge impact on production.

Paskvan: Better foundation to act on oil tax issue
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A Fairbanks Democrat says senators looking at possible changes to Alaska's oil tax structure have a better foundation to act upon than a year ago.

Sen. Joe Paskvan said late Wednesday that it's possible an oil tax bill could come from a Senate committee this session. Paskvan is co-chair of the Senate Resources Committee, one of the panels from which legislation could spring.

He had no timetable for introduction of any bill, but Senate President Gary Stevens said the Senate realizes the importance of getting a bill to the House early enough for a full vetting by that chamber.

The two made their comments after the governor's State of the State speech.

Parnell: Pipeline timeline borne of frustration
BECKY BOHRER,Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell says he didn't seek approval of the North Slope's three major players before setting a timeline for progress on a major natural gas pipeline project.

Parnell says the timeline was borne of frustration, and Alaskans are tired of waiting for a pipeline.

Parnell has urged Exxon Mobil Corp., BP and ConocoPhillips to unite behind a project that allows for liquefied natural gas exports to the Pacific Rim if the market has shifted from the Lower 48. On Wednesday, he set a March 30 deadline for this. But he says this deadline would allow for the Lower 48 option to remain on the table.

He says if the companies don't meet his expectations they should expect a "change in direction." He didn't specify what that might be.

Stedman MIA at State of State address
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — One notable face was missing from the audience during Gov. Sean Parnell's State of the State address: Alaska Sen. Bert Stedman.

Stedman says his boat, on which he lives during the legislative session, froze in the brutal Juneau cold.

The Sitka Republican says he let the governor's office know, in advance, that he wouldn't be attending the speech.

Predators may block Alaska sea lion recovery
DAN JOLING,Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A new study says Alaska's endangered Steller sea lions may have trouble recovering because killer whales and other predators such as sharks are taking a toll on juvenile animals that never make it to breeding age.

The study by researchers at Oregon State University and the Alaska Sealife Center does not reach conclusions as to why Alaska's western population of Steller sea lions declined by about 80 percent.

Among the suspected causes are predators, climate change, or a shift in sea lion prey that has been less nutritious.

Oregon State marine mammal expert Markus Horning was the lead author of the new study that used transmitters to track 36 juvenile sea lions in the eastern Gulf of Alaska.

The study says predation on juveniles may have been significantly underestimated.

Begich, Murkowski express frustration on pipeline
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska's senators disagree with the Obama administration's decision to reject plans for an oil pipeline that would run from Canada to Texas.

President Barack Obama, in announcing his rejection Wednesday, said there wasn't enough time for a fair review of the project under an approaching deadline tucked into an unrelated bill.

Sens. Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski voiced frustration with the decision, saying it would deny affordable energy and jobs.

Murkowski, a Republican, says this is a case of election-year politics trumping good policy.

Begich, a Democrat, says he'll continue to push the administration to approve the Keystone XL project.

Murkowski plans tsunami debris discussion
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski will host a discussion on the effect on Alaska of debris from last year's tsunami in Japan.

The Alaska Republican says Alaskans need to hear what is being seen and what is being done about debris showing up on the Alaska coast from the March 11 event.

The hour-long discussion is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Peter Murphy, the Alaska coordinator of the marine debris program from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will be a speaker.

Kristin Ryan of the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Dave Gaudet of the Marine Conservation Alliance Foundation will also be part of the round table.

The discussion will be web cast.

Begich, Snowe to sit together for State of Union
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Democratic Sen. Mark Begich has a Republican seat mate for next week's State of the Union address.

Begich plans to sit with Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe.

The seating arrangement is in keeping with a push led by Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mark Udall to permanently end the tradition of seating along party lines for the president's annual address to Congress. Murkowski, a Republican, plans to sit with Udall, a Democrat from Colorado.

Snowe, in a news release, says she and Begich have both worked to set aside partisan politics to do what's best for their states, and for the nation. She says the seating arrangement is a symbolic gesture but says she hopes her colleagues can pursue a similar form of bipartisanship during this year's legislative session.

Ketchikan sex offender taken to jail
A Ketchikan man found out of compliance with the state's sex offender registration law has been arrested.

A dispatch from State Troopers says 28 year old Anthony Dick, a convicted sex offender, was taken into custody Wednesday night.

He was charged with two counts of failure to register as a sex offender and jailed at the Ketchikan Correctional Center.

Charge dismissed in moose meat case
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Alaska State Troopers have dismissed a charge against a man accused of trading moose meat for firewood.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner says the case against Chad Gerondale has been dropped.

Gerondale said all he wanted to do was keep his family warm when he offered to swap 125 pounds of moose meat for two cords of firewood last week on a Fairbanks radio show. But a trooper showed up at Gerondale's house and cited him for illegal barter of game meat. He was ordered to appear in court on Feb. 3.

The charge was dropped because of a change the game board made just last week removing word "barter" from the state law that prohibits the sale of game meat and other animal parts.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

Deadliest Catch skipper sentenced to jail
KENAI, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska fishing captain who led a crew on the program that spawned the cable TV show "Deadliest Catch" will serve five years in prison for a fatal crash.

The Peninsula Clarion reports 60-year-old Clarence "Ole" Helgevold Jr., of Soldotna, was sentenced Wednesday after his car crashed with a snowmobile last January, killing George Larion.

State-of-the-art fish hatchery almost complete
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A state-of-the-art fish hatchery in Fairbanks is almost complete.

The Ruth Burnett Sport Fish Hatchery has been three years in the making. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has now moved 24,000 Arctic char eggs into the hatchery.

The hatchery was scheduled to open in the summer of 2009. But there were delays and the cost of the hatchery doubled from the original cost estimate, from approximately $25 million to the most recent estimate of nearly $48 million.

In coming weeks, the department will move approximately 20,000 chinook salmon fingerling and 70,000 coho salmon fingerling into the hatchery.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

JPD adds search feature to "Ask A Dispatcher" program
The Juneau Police Department has a new feature for its "Ask A Dispatcher" program.

Many of the questions presented over the last two years cover similar topics.

So the department now has a way for people to search a topic by keyword.

The search feature on the police department web site is reached by clicking on the "View Posted Questions Here" button.

If an answer isn't found, Lieutenant Kris Sell says there is the option of posting a question and receiving a personalized answer.

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Online:

http://www.juneau.org/police/PublicInfo.php

Alaska's first Olive Garden opens Monday
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Many Alaskans have wished for years that an Olive Garden restaurant would open in the state.

Their wait is almost over, with an Olive Garden set to open Monday in Anchorage.

The Anchorage Daily News says the restaurant at the Tikahtnu (TEE-cot-new) Commons shopping center will be the first Olive Garden doing business in the state.

A second Olive Garden in South Anchorage is scheduled for later this year.
Anchorage Daily News)

Sitka-based reality show off the air
SITKA, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska-based reality show is no longer being shown.

"Hook, Line and Sisters" first aired Dec. 29 on TLC. It was mostly shot in Sitka last year during the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery.

One of the show's sisters, Sierra Anderson, declined comment to KCAW radio about why the show was canceled, citing network policy. However, she speculated on her website that there weren't enough viewers to make the show profitable, and was informed Jan. 6 it was off the air.

It was originally intended to have seven episodes.

TLC spokeswoman Hillary Povar confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that the show is no longer on the schedule.

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‘News of the North’ content copyright of Alaska Broadcast Communications Inc. and Juneau Alaska Communications LLC. Any unauthorized use will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.