Judge sentences former Alaska lawmaker in bribery case
By DAN JOLING - Associated Press Writer
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A former Alaska legislator convicted of taking bribes to push legislation for a major natural gas pipeline has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison.

Former state Representative Vic Kohring, a Republican from Wasilla, was sentenced today (Thursday) in federal court. He was convicted in November of three corruption charges.

Kohring was convicted of accepting at least $2,600 from executives of VECO Corporation, an influential Alaska company that provided engineering, construction and facility maintenance services to oil producers.

Prosecutors say Kohring used VECO CEO Bill Allen as a human ATM machine, tapping him for handouts of $600 to $700 at a time.

One such transaction was caught on video by FBI agents who hid a camera in a hotel room rented by VECO in Juneau, Alaska's capital, in March 2006.   

Commissioner of health and social services resigns
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The head of the Department of Health and Social Services has resigned.

Commissioner Karleen Jackson gave the department's 3,500 employees one day's notice of her departure.

Jackson wrote in an e-mail to staff that her resignation is effective Friday.

She said Bill Hogan, Deputy Commissioner for Family, Community and Integrated Services, will serve as acting commissioner.

Jackson was first appointed to the post in 2006 by former Gov. Frank Murkowski. She was one of only two of his cabinet appointees to keep their jobs under Gov. Sarah Palin.

More recently Jackson has come under fire from Republican legislators over spending within the department.

Electric rate hike to take effect April 16th 
The Alaska Electric Light and Power emergency rate hike will take effect April 16th.

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska has approved AEL&P's amended filing with the RCA to postpone implementation of the increased tariff so it applies only for power consumed after the April 16th avalanches.

So AEL&P customers who had their meters read the first week in April won't have to pay higher utility rates for the entire month of April.

The higher rates will be calculated from April 16th.

The rate before the April 16th avalanches was about 11 cents per kilowatt hour. The current rate is about 52.5 cents per kilowatt hour. 

The emergency cost of power adjustment rate will be the same as previously approved, only the implementation date will change.

The avalanches knocked down two transmission towers and damaged several others interrupting the flow of power from the Snettisham hydroelectric dam.

Rally planned to protest electric rates
A rally has been organized to protest the AEL&P emergency rate hike.

Ashley Richardson is with the Juneau Peoples Power Project.

She says the group is not saying to not pay the bills, just the emergency increase which amounts to about 40 cents per kilowatt hour.

The group is circulating a petition where signers say they will not pay the for the rate hike. Richardson says they're thinking if they get enough signatures it might make a difference. "It's not our responsibility that they weren't insured and weren't keeping up on this avalanche."

Richardson notes that AEL&P customers have drastically reduced their consumption of electricity and the diesel fuel being burned to generate it and that should be reflected in a lower rate hike.

The day of the avalanches 84,147 gallons of diesel fuel were consumed.

Last Tuesday, 46,355 gallons were burned. A drop of nearly 40,000 gallons.

Richardson says "it's absurd' to be told to get a loan to pay their electrical bills.

She says AEL&P should "hold out their hands to someone else".

She says it's not consumers fault that AEL&P was not insured and weren't keeping up with the potential avalanche danger.

The rally and petition drive is scheduled for this Friday at 3 p.m. on the steps of the Capitol.

Juneau Unplugged prepares application for assistant with electric bills
The United Way has contracted with Catholic Community Services to implement the program to help the most vulnerable Juneau residents pay their higher electric bills.

One million dollars was initially appropriated by the Assembly. Another one point five million is potentially available depending on how many apply.

The applications were finished today (Thursday) and will be available at Saturday's Reenergizing Juneau Forum at the Mendenhall Mall.

Former City Manager Kevin Ritchie is heading up the Juneau Unplugged program.

He says applications will be accepted after May 16. In the meantime, its an opportunity for eligible households to review it and get the income verification ready to submit along with their electric bill and the application.

The guideline for eligibility is 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline adjusted for Alaska. That means a single person household could up to $26,000 per year and a family of four could earn up to $54,000.

There are three ways to verify eligibility.

If applicants are already on public assistance, Ritchie says the public assistance program will provide them a letter indicating they're already qualified by income. He says those agencies are sending their clients a letter which he thinks will be out next week. That letter should be attached to the application and a copy of the electric bill.

For those not receiving public assistance, but within 200 percent of the poverty line, Ritchie says they should provide a copy of the first page of the 2007 income return which shows their income level and number of people in the household. That should be submitted with the application and a copy of their electric bill.

There's also what Ritchie describes as a special needs category involving people who are above the 200 percent poverty line, but who may have lost their job or are struggling financially due to a heath concern or other unusual expense.

He says a committee will be charged with pouring over those applications.

Ritchie says plans call for covering 70 percent of the increase in the cost of electricity.

Juneau Unplugged can be contacted by calling 463-6130, but Ritchie says they hope to make the application available on the city and borough A-E-L and P web sites as well as at libraries.

Public assistance agencies have also agreed to send the application to their clients.

Relief fund looks to help others pay electric bills
It's called the "Juneau Unplugged Relief Fund.

It's a collaborative effort between the United Way of Southeast Alaska and KeyBank.

United Way President Brenda Hewitt says it would create another pool of money in addition to what was received from the Assembly to help the most vulnerable of residents deal with higher electric rates.

But she says this supplemental money will help address special circumstances for those just above the 200 percent of poverty line but are struggling financially due to health concerns or a loss of their job.

She says KeyBank will match donations up to a cumulative total of $5,000.

United Way will oversee the effort.

Energy use forum set for Saturday
Reenergizing Juneau, a community wide forum on energy use in Juneau, is planned Saturday.

It's presented by the CBJ Sustainability Commission.

Chair Sarah Lewis says they want to address as many of the concerns and problems experienced by residents associated with the energy crisis.

She says they want to provide tips for energy conservation and offer presentations on a wide variety of energy related topics.

Experts and samples of energy saving products will be available, as well as information on financial assistance.

Lewis says the Juneau Economic Development Council, Catholic Community Services, and United Way are putting together a program to help people who will have trouble paying higher electric bills.

The Reenergizing Juneau forum is scheduled from 10 to 6 Saturday at the Mendenhall Mall and the CBJ Valley Library which is in the mall.

The Commission on Sustainability was created by the Assembly last fall to look at the best ways to utilize Juneau's resources without destroying their use for future generations.

The forum is scheduled from 10 to 6 Saturday at the Mendenhall Mall and the CBJ Valley Library which is in the mall.

The Commission on Sustainability was created by the Assembly last fall to look at the best ways to utilize Juneau's resources without destroying their use for future generations.

Energy plan in the works by Palin
Governor Palin says she will unveil a plan next week to address the high cost of energy.

Palin released a statement Wednesday noting that record high oil prices are adding to the state treasury while Alaskans pay more for fuel.

She says medium- and long-term solutions cannot wait.

The Alaska Energy Authority has been working to identify ways to reduce the burden of paying for fuel.

North Slope crude oil reached a record over $123 per barrel this week.

Governor Palin says every month the price remains over $120 per barrel adds an extra $650 million to the state treasury above what was forecast in April.   

Two state Senators call for Department of Corrections review
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Two Anchorage lawmakers say the Legislature needs to audit the state's Department of Corrections.

Democratic Sens. Bill Wielechowski and Hollis French have asked the state's Legislative Budget and Audit Committee to authorize the audit.

The two lawmakers say allegations of unhealthy and unsafe conditions for inmates and corrections officers drove their concern.

This development was first reported by KTVA -- CBS 11.

The Legislature's budget and audit committee meets next Wednesday to vote on the audit request.

The request comes a few weeks after a vote by the corrections officers union in which a majority registered disapproval of Commissioner Joe Schmidt's leadership.
---
Information from: KTVA-TV

Anchorage port workers start national security enrollment
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The Homeland Security department says maritime workers at the Port of Anchorage have started signing up for an ID program geared toward tightening up security there.

Officials say the program is supposed to ensure that anyone with unescorted access to secure areas of port facilities and vessels has received a thorough background check.

Nationwide, more than 1.2 million workers are slated to apply to the program.

The Port of Anchorage is the 104th port to begin enrollment.

Man sentenced for sexual abuse of toddler
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Alaska State Troopers say a Shungnak man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and 15 years probation for sexually abusing a toddler.

Troopers say 25-year-old Chester Cleveland was sentenced in Kotzebue court.

He was convicted in January for sexually abusing a three year old boy he was baby-sitting in 2006.

Judge Ben Esch says the sentence was warranted given Cleveland's lack of remorse.

Shungnak is a community of 260 people located 150 miles east of Kotzebue.

Pelosi's complaint: Bush's answer is to drill in ANWR
The pain at the pump is extending into pain in Congress.

Congress is split Democrats versus Republicans and the Bush Administration on the way to deal with the energy crisis.

House Democrats have sent a letter to the president asking him among other things to open up the strategic oil reserve .

But, the president's response says Speaker of the House Nancy "Pelosi is drill in Alaska.

"They have plenty of environmentally approved leases already granted opportunities for drilling, but they still want to make the fight over ANWR."

Yet another record for North Slope crude
Alaska North Slope oil for delivery to the West Coast achieved another new record today by a few cents.

It closed at $123.69 a barrel, up from Wednesday's closed of $123.53.

ACLU argues that state must provide sex offenders treatment while in prison
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska is arguing that the state must make treatment for sex offenders available to any prisoner who wants it.

The state has ended all sex offender treatment for inmates.

Jason Brandeis is an ACLU attorney.

He says failure to provide treatment adds up to a disregard of the state Constitution and --quote--- "an abdication of the Department of Correction's responsibility to protect the public."

A trial court judge had ordered in-prison treatment and the ACLU urged the Court of Appeals to uphold those orders.

Democrat Jake Metcalfe drops out of U.S. House race
By DAN JOLING - Associated Press Writer
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Democrat Jake Metcalfe says he's dropping out of the race for the nomination for U.S. House from Alaska.

Metcalfe, the former chair of the Democratic Party in Alaska, said Wednesday his decision was tied to fake Web sites that contained links to Democratic rival Ethan Berkowitz.

The disputed Web sites contained variations of Berkowitz's name but were not associated with the candidate's campaign.

When users clicked on the Web sites, they were directed to pages that attempted to portray Berkowitz as a privileged California liberal or to gay cultural sites in San Francisco.

Metcalfe determined that the smear tactics used with the Web sites was connected to someone in his campaign. He said he called Berkowitz to apologize.

He said the controversy had become a distraction and he was unable to campaign.  

Perseverance Trail closed for blasting
Perseverance Trail is closed through this Sunday.

Channel Construction crews will be blasting away a landslide that occurred over the winter.

Trail Mix Executive Director George Schaaf says the contractor will be using high explosives and heavy equipment.

$900,000 in grants and contributions have been spent over the last two years on improvements to the historic trail.

In December of 2006, Trail Mix began work on the Perseverance Trail fall to replace rotting wood supports with a new trail built directly on bedrock.

Workers will also do some additional grading work and begin installation of a safety rail along portions of the trail with very steep slopes.

Griffin: Good time for ice field helicopter landing review
The Forest Service conducts a public hearing this evening to hear a report from its environmental consultant on helicopter landings on the Juneau Icefield.

Juneau Ranger Pete Griffin says Tetra Tech Corporation has been looking at several pieces of new information over the last couple of months since he made the helicopter landings decision in 2002.

There were about 17,000 landings on the ice field last year which is well below the 22,000 approved in Griffin's 2002 decision.

Griffin says back then they said they would review that decision and additional information that's come to light in five years time. He's says they're a little bit late, but 2008 is a good time to do the review.

The hearing is scheduled from 5 to 8 p.m. at the downtown public library.

Junk vehicle roundup wraps up
The CBJ Spring junk vehicle roundup reached its goal of 400 cars before ten this morning. (Thursday)

The free disposal junk car program started Monday.

Judy Harvey, the manager of the city's junk vehicle program, says they reached the limit sooner than expected.

It used to be a one day event. The city decided this year to spread it over several days until the budgeted number were brought in.

Another round up is tentatively anticipated for the fall.

The program is funded by CBJ funds and a motor vehicle tax.

Last year's round up cost about $400,000.

Miller Construction apparent low bid for track and field at new high school
Bids were opened Wednesday for the track and field at the new Thunder Mountain High School.

The apparent low bidder was Miller Construction at $3,339,580.

The engineer's estimate with additive alternates $3,696,000.

Arete Construction was the other bidder. Its bid came in at $3,793,000.

School District Facilities Planning Coordinator Deb Morse says the bid is scheduled to be submitted to the Assembly for approval at its meeting Monday night.

She says the "Notice to Proceed" will be going out after the bid gains that approval.

Work is scheduled to start this summer. She says placing the turf on the field might slip until early Spring. She says a lot of it depends on the weather in October.

Wasilla woman to be extradited to Colorado on for murder of baby
PALMER, Alaska (AP) - An Alaska woman charged with the death of her newborn is resisting extradition to Colorado.

Twenty-two-year-old Morgan Hite has been charged with first-degree murder and child abuse. Authorities say she secretly delivered a baby in Colorado.

Hite says she wants to talk with her attorney before going to a state that has the death penalty.

Man accused in killing seeks release
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - A man who is accused of slitting the throat of a mental health worker in Fairbanks wants release from a psychiatric facility in Anchorage.

Fifty-one-year-old Brian Galbraith is institutionalized in the Alaska Psychiatric Institute. His request comes a month after a murder charge was dropped when Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Robert Downes declared him incompetent to stand trial.

Galbraith has been treated for paranoid schizophrenia since at least 1980. He was staying in a group home in Fairbanks when authorities say he killed 32-year-old Genine Holznagel-Leary.

The institute's clinical director, Larry Maile, says an Anchorage judge will have to determine that Galbraith poses an imminent threat to others.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

Alaska part top Facebook deal
Alaska is among 48 other states and Washington D. C. that has reached an agreement with the popular social networking site Facebook to make the site safer for underage users.

It will mean stricter security on the site.

The changes include banning convicted sex offenders, limiting older users from being able to search for subscribers under 18, and building a task force to bind better ways to verify user's ages.

Alaska has lowest rate of fatal falls in 65+ age group
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - A report from the National Safety Council says Alaska has the lowest death rate from accidental falls among people over age 65.

The rate was highest in New Mexico at 99 deaths per 100,000.

In Alaska it was 15 per 100,000.

The National Safety Council says a fall is now the leading cause of injury deaths nationwide in that age group.

25 emaciated dogs taken from property near Palmer
PALMER, Alaska (AP) - Twenty-five emaciated dogs have been rescued in the last two days from two properties on Lazy Mountain by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Animal Care.

Officials say many of the dogs are so thin and dehydrated that they need intravenous fluids. Many had a variety of injuries.

They say the dogs, all husky mixes, were confiscated from Doug Bartko. They say several dead dogs were also found on Bartko's property.

Anchorage TV station KTUU says Bartko is a former musher who ran the Iditarod 24 years ago.

Animal Care has cited Bartko for five counts of interference with an investigation and ten counts of failure to provide humane animal care.

Additional charges are pending.

Officials say the case has pushed the dog population over capacity at the shelter.

They are reducing adoption fees as a result.

One Wing passes on
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A bald eagle known as One Wing, which survived the Exxon Valdez oil spill, has died.

One Wing lived at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center.

A veterinarian who performed a necropsy says a tumor was found on One Wing's heart.

The bird was called One Wing because when he was poisoned by crude in the 1989 spill, he fought rescuers so hard he tore up his wing beating it against the ground.