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Assembly chooses Kiefer to
succeed Swope
The Juneau Assembly has tapped current Deputy City
Manager Kim Kiefer to replace outgoing City Manger
Rod Swope, who plans to retire at the end of March.
The Assembly had previously narrowed the list of
candidates to Kiefer and current Chief of Staff of
the Coast Guard's 17th District, Captain Norman
"Buddy" Custard.
The Assembly voted 8-1 in favor of appointing Kiefer
the new City Manager at its meeting Monday night.
The lone opposing vote came from Randy Wanamaker,
who said given the economic and demographic
challenges facing the community, the compressed
selection process that they used and the fact that
they do not have a plan to deal with the budget
deficit he was unable to support the nomination.
After the announcement, we asked Kiefer if she had a
feeling she'd be chosen. She said she didn't know
she'd get the job and that she was very honored.
Kiefer said through this process, she's been very
humbled by the people who have stopped her on the
street or e-mailed her to say that they support her
and think she'd be a great City Manger.
She said it's been very humbling to have that kind
of support throughout the community and that she's
excited as she looks forward to continuing her
service to the city of Juneau.
Kiefer said in the months before Rod Swope vacates
the position, she'll be looking to pick his brain as
much as possible. She said there's some things that
he's done over the last 9 years that she's had
little involvement in so she'll be looking to
understand that process.
She's trying to make it a smooth transition for
Swope as well as herself. He's got things he's
trying to finish up and she's also got things to
finish up so you won't see them joined at the hip
for the next two months, according to Kiefer. She
said she'll be making a list of questions for Swope
as they come up and her guess is that she'll be
asking those questions right up until his last day
on the job.
Change to
land use code on eagle nests sent back to Planning
Commission
An ordinance that would have amended the CBJ Land
Use Code as it related to development near eagle
nests was remanded back to the Planning Commission
by the Assembly Monday night.
The
Planning Commission last week voted
unanimously against its adoption.
The ordinance was in response to state DOT work out
the road in the vicinity of 28 and 29 mile that
requires blasting in the area of eagle nests.
Commission Chair Michael Satre explained what
they'll do now, saying based on the previous
conversation they had on the topic, their intent
would be to immediately refer it to their Title 49
Committee.
He said they'll do
that to either reshape or facilitate committee
discussion on how to amend the ordinance, whether it
be through prescriptive rationalized variance
criteria or amending the ordinance that was seen
Monday night.
Satre said they would take it forward to the
Planning Commission for public hearing and
ultimately back to the Assembly.
In other action Monday night, the Assembly agreed to
protest the liquor license for the Sandbar due to a
delinquent sales tax of $261.85 and delinquent
filings of returns for August through November of
last year. The protest would be lifted as soon
as the returns and associated taxes, interest and
penalties are paid.
The Assembly also approved an ordinance that
appropriates a state grant of $50,000 for lighting
upgrades at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center,
known as the JACC.
School Board Budget
Committee moves onto next phase
The Juneau School District's Board of Education
Budget Committee moves on to the next phase of the
budget process at its' meeting Tuesday night.
The district's Kristin Bartlett says the
committee is now at a point in the process where it
will get a chance to have input into developing next
year's budget.
According to Bartlett, the first meeting of the new
year was reserved for the budget proposal to be
presented by the superintendent and staff.
Bartlett says last
week's meeting was largely reserved for public
comment so this will the first time that the
committee gets to weigh in on what it believes are
the priorities for funding over the next fiscal
year.
There will also be public testimony at this meeting
and Bartlett says there will also be answers to
questions that people asked at last week's meeting
that have been prepared by staff to present to the
committee.
The next meeting will be on February 14th, and
Bartlett says at that meeting there will likely be
an amended proposal based on input from the
committee.
She says after that
there will be another meeting on February 21st that
will also allow for public testimony. At that
meeting the Budget Committee will finalize its'
recommendation to the board.
Bartlett says despite the fact that the board
members are a part of the committee, the
recommendation will go to the formal Board of
Education, where it willl begin their action in
creating a final budget to submit to the City and
Borough of Juneau.
Superintendent Glenn Gelbrich's proposed budget
would cut $5.8 million and eliminate 66 job.
The meeting gets underway at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday in
the library at Juneau Douglas High School.
CZM initiative may be in
doubt
The fate of the initiative
seeking to reestablish a coastal management program
in Alaska may be in doubt.
Senate President Gary Stevens alluded to that during
a press availability with the Senate Majority
Tuesday.
He told reporters sponsors may not have the number
of signatures they need.
The process requires that sponsors gather signatures
in at least three-quarters of the state's election
districts. It appears that might be the difficulty.
A hearing of the joint Judiciary Committees is
scheduled for February 6 and Stevens indicated they
will proceed with the hearing.
Stevens was scheduled to meet with House Speaker
Mike Chenault today on how to proceed.
Stevens says lawmakers could still take action on a
piece of legislation with or without the existence
of an initiative.
Lawmakers could approve substantially similar
legislation to preempt the initiative from going to
the ballot this year.
Oil tax measure scheduled
before Senate Resources February 10
The Senate Resources Committee is poised to begin
work on an alternative to the Governor's proposed
measure seeking to reduce oil and taxes.
Kenai Senator Tom Wagoner co-chairs the panel.
He says one area they will focus on an incentive to
increase production by those companies currently
producing in the state.
Wagoner says if you're going to get additional oil
in the pipeline at an earlier date. it most come
from those areas currently producing areas with
known reserves.
Another focus area will progressivity.
The progressive surcharge is now triggered when a
company's net profits hit $30 a barrel.
Work is scheduled to start in that panel on February
10th.
Senate President Gary Stevens has told House Speaker
Mike Chenault that his goal is to get a bill to the
lower body with at least 30 days left in the
session.
Decoupling bill proposed in
Alaska House
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) Another bill that would change
Alaska's system of taxing oil and gas production
together has been introduced, this time in the
House.
Rep. Mark Neuman says his bill, HB306, is the same
measure that passed from the House Resources
Committee during the decoupling debate in 2010.
Neuman says he intends to propose an amendment to
address a particular gas-tax rate.
He says he disagrees with the governor that the
state should wait until there's an actual gas line
project before talking fiscal terms. He says fiscal
terms are important to moving a project ahead.
The Senate Finance is also looking at the decoupling
issue, which could be included in the larger oil tax
debate.
Neuman, a Republican from Big Lake, says he would
rather see it stand alone.
Kerttula raises concerns
about in-state gas bill
BECKY BOHRER,Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) House Democratic Leader Beth
Kerttula says a proposal intended to advance an
in-state natural gas pipeline project goes too far.
The proposal would give the Alaska Gasline
Development Corp., or AGDC, the ability to do such
things as issue bonds and exercise eminent domain.
It also would allow for an exemption from certain
oversight by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, as
well as from state and local taxes during project
construction.
Kerttula says the proposal isn't the answer to
getting Alaska natural gas to Alaskans. She says it
goes overboard in giving powers to one entity, AGDC.
AGDC is the group advancing the project.
Rep. Mike Hawker, a co-sponsor of the proposal, says
the provisions contained in the bill are the kind
needed to get a mega-project under way.
Thane Road reopened following avalanche
control work
Thane Road
reopened at 11:30 this morning following avalanche
control work by State DOT.
Greg Patz, the Maintenance Superintendent for the
Southeast Region of State DOT. says they moved
some snow but none made it to the roadway.
The work commenced at 10 a.m. following significant
warming at elevations in the area of the starting
zones.
There's been a lot of snow the last few days and
with it now turning to rain, Patz says the snow on
the ground was getting heavier creating conditions
for avalanches.
He says their goal was to get the snow down
under safe, controlled conditions.
Grader side swipes parked cars downtown
A CBJ road grader side swiped three parked cars
Monday morning on 7th Street downtown.
The accident occurred at about 9 a.m. according to
the blotter item from Monday.
Total damage to all three vehicles was estimated at
$5,000.
No citation was issued. Police determined that the
grader operator was not careless, but rather the
road's condition with all the snow was to blame.
More airport
terminal work starts up Monday
New work is scheduled to start up at the terminal of
Juneau's Airport.
Its the renovation of the main entry, according to
Airport Architect Catherine Fritz.
She says to use alternate entrances located in the
baggage claim area and the commuter airline end of
the terminal.
The work starts Monday and will continue through the
end of May, according to Fritz.
Chenault: $2B may be 'top
end' for pension issue
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) House Speaker Mike Chenault
says his initial impression is that $2 billion is
probably the "top end" of what lawmakers would put
toward Alaska's unfunded pension liabilities.
The Senate Finance Committee is looking at the $11
billion in unfunded liabilities. Co-chair Bert
Stedman recently said he couldn't imagine the
committee not dealing with the pension issue with an
infusion of equity of greater than $1 billion and
less than $4 billion. He wasn't sure if the money
would go into the system or a side account.
Legislation has been introduced creating a pension
trust reserve fund and transferring $2 billion from
savings to it.
Chenault says he doesn't think it's a bad idea to
pay down some costs. But he has questions about why
the unfunded liabilities continue to mount.
Senate committee talks Iran
divestment
AUSTIN BAIRD,Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) An Alaska Senate committee is
considering a bill that would ban investments in
companies that conduct business in Iran.
Supporters of the bill describe Iran as a leading
threat to national security. But there are concerns
about the effects of enacting a ban and the
precedent it would set.
An estimated $79 million is invested in companies
invested in Iran's oil and gas development. That's
about 0.1 percent of the state's overall managed
assets.
During a Senate State Affairs Committee hearing,
Sen. Kevin Meyer questioned whether this would set a
precedent by limiting where the Permanent Fund could
make investments.
Sen. Bill Wielechowski, the bill's sponsor, said the
bill is very narrow, and other investments could be
considered on a case-by-case basis.
Bill honoring Alaska
National Guard passes House
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) July 30 would be designated at
Alaska National Guard Day under a measure that
passed the House Monday.
The bill, which passed unanimously, now goes to the
Senate for consideration.
The date marks the anniversary of when the Alaska
Guard was authorized in 1948. Rep. Bob Lynn, the
bill's lead sponsor, says the National Guard honors
Alaska, and Alaska should honor the guard with a
special day of recognition.
The bill is HB247.
Parnell overseas trip costs
about $20K
BECKY BOHRER,Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) Records show that Gov. Sean
Parnell's first state-sponsored overseas trip cost
about $20,800.
Parnell was away for over two weeks last fall,
visiting Israel and several European countries.
Part of the cost, about $3,900, was paid by the
Israeli government. Parnell has said his trip to
Israel came at the invitation of the Israeli
government, which also has reached out to other
state and federal leaders from the U.S. The gift,
listed on his ethics disclosure form requested by
The Associated Press, was for expenses including
meals, transportation, site visits and a hotel for
three nights.
While in Europe, Parnell promoted Alaska seafood in
London and sat down with leaders of three energy
companies now doing business in Alaska. Parnell and
his wife also visited a military hospital in
Germany.
Alaska rep
urges federal takeover of Central Park
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) An Alaska lawmaker's
resolution urging the federal government to take
over New York's Central Park has generated a lot of
attention.
For now, that's all it's going to get.
The House Resources Committee held the bill Monday.
The main sponsor, Ketchikan Republican Rep. Kyle
Johansen, said he is still hopeful the proposal will
move out of committee later.
The resolution, first reported by The Associated
Press, was highlighted in a New York Times blog last
week. It argues that the federal government's hold
on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is akin to
labeling Central Park a wilderness area and halting
future improvements or development there.
Johansen acknowledges that the bill is a sarcastic
swipe at environmentalists and government. But he's
using it to draw comparisons between Central Park
and a possibly oil-rich coastal plain at the
northwestern tip of the refuge.
Florida man named to lead
Anchorage schools
DAN JOLING,Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) A Florida man has been
named the new superintendent for Alaska's largest
school district.
Board President Gretchen Guess announced Tuesday
that Jim Browder will lead Anchorage Public Schools.
Browder, formerly the head of the Lee County School
District in Fort Meyers, Fla., and Steve Atwater,
the superintendent of the Kenai Peninsula Borough
School District in Kenai, Alaska, were the two
finalists from a field of 150 applicants.
Both men took part in three-day visits to Anchorage
earlier this month.
Superintendent Carol Comeau (COE-moe) earlier
announced she will step down June 30 from the
high-profile post she has held since 2000.
ASMI to market Alaska
seafood in Brazil
Alaska is about to expand its worldwide marketing of
the state's seafood products.
That's according to Ray Riutta, the executive
director of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
who was a guest on KINY's Capital Chat Monday.
He said they have just opened a contractor's office
in Brazil.
ASMI plans a buyer's trip there in a couple of
months. He says they will take representatives of 10
companies from Alaska with them.
He calls it a great opportunity.
Riutta says Brazil's economy is doing well.
It's primarily a white fish market, so he says the
marketing of cod will the primary focus there,
although they will be pushing salmon and other
products as well.
Palin PAC raises $752,000 in
last half of 2011
BECKY BOHRER,Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) Sarah Palin's political action
committee raised about $752,000 during the second
half of 2011. That's less than half the nearly $1.7
million that SarahPAC raised during the first half
of the year.
The former Alaska governor and 2008 vice
presidential nominee announced in October that she
would not seek her party's nomination for the
presidency.
Financial disclosures that were filed Tuesday with
the Federal Election Commission do not show any
contributions to any of the 2012 GOP presidential
contenders. Palin's contributions in August do
include $5,000 to the Republican Party of Iowa and a
charitable contribution of $300 to Paws and Effect
of Des Moines, Iowa.
SarahPAC spent $1.2 million during the second half
and ended 2011 with about $1 million on hand.
Anchorage man dies after
weekend stabbing
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) The victim in a weekend
stabbing in Anchorage has died.
Anchorage police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker says
56-year-old Thomas Atkinson Jr. died Tuesday
morning. An autopsy will be performed.
Police say Atkinson had been drinking with some
other people at his home in east Anchorage early
Sunday when one of the men allegedly started
stabbing and punching him. He was taken to the
hospital and underwent surgery. At the time, police
said medical personnel indicated he would survive.
Initially wanted on assault charges, 21-year-old
Richard Smith turned himself into police late Sunday
night. Parker on Tuesday said Smith remains in
custody, and police continue to investigate.
Man charged in connection
with Barrow shooting
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) North Slope Borough Police
say a 20-year-old man has been arrested on attempted
murder charges in connection with a shooting in
Barrow that left two people injured.
Dave Evikana was arrested Monday and charged with
two counts of attempted murder and one count of
weapons misconduct.
KTUUsays witnesses told police that Dave Evikana
entered a Yugik Street home early Saturday morning
and fired four rounds from a gun, then took off on a
snowmobile.
According to police, 26-year-old Sean Gunnells had a
gunshot wound to his right leg and 20-year-old
Jasmine Dunbar had a superficial gunshot wound to
her left leg.
Police say the two were treated at Samuel Simmons
Memorial Hospital and released.
(KTUU-TV)
Police arrest man in
cousin's shooting
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Anchorage police have
arrested a man accused of shooting a relative in the
foot with a shotgun after arguing about money.
Police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker says in a release
that 29-year-old Chase Brewer has been arrested on
assault and other charges.
Police allege Brewer shot his cousin, 26-year-old
Jason Chernikoff, in a mobile home park in the
Muldoon area of east Anchorage Tuesday morning and
then fled. Chernikoff was hospitalized.
Parker says officers followed footprints in the
snow, and found a shotgun in the storage shed of
another mobile home. A police dog then led officers
to Brewer, who is being held without bail.
Arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday.
Nearby Bartlett High School was put into lockdown
during the search for Brewer.
Kivalina woman arrested in
stabbing case
KIVALINA, Alaska (AP) Alaska State Troopers say a
30-year-old Kivalina woman has been charged with
stabbing a member of her household.
Rhonda Norton is charged with three counts of
assault.
Troopers say the victim was preparing to leave
Norton's home Saturday night with their children and
was stabbed in the back by Norton.
Troopers say Norton was intoxicated.
Fairbanks woman charged in
credit union robbery
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) A 33-year-old woman
scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon on a
theft case is charged with robbing a credit union
earlier that day.
Jessica Nel Brown is charged with holding up the
Alaska USA Federal Credit Union within a Fred Meyer
store on Fairbanks' west side.
Police say Brown walked into the credit union at
12:40 p.m. and passed a threatening note to a
teller.
She was arrested in her vehicle at 3 p.m.
Police Sgt. Kurt Lockwood tells the Fairbanks Daily
News-Miner that Brown was carrying a money envelope
from the credit union.
Brown was scheduled to enter a plea Monday afternoon
in previous cases. She had been charged with theft,
fraud and drugs misconduct.
She remained in custody Tuesday at Fairbanks
Correctional Center.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
Tununak snowmachiner found
dead
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) An elderly man from the
village of Tununak who went missing on his
snowmachine has been found dead.
Alaska State Troopers say 74-year-old Andrew
Chikoyak was found by searchers Sunday one day
after being reported overdue.
KTUU-TV says the man left Nunapitchuk for Tununak
but never arrived. Searchers were unable to find him
Saturday, but he was spotted Sunday by a trooper
aircraft out of Bethel.
An Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter based in
Bethel responded to the scene, where medics declared
Chikoyak dead. No foul play is suspected.
(KTUU-TV)
Woman accused of leaving
kids in car
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) A Fairbanks woman has been
accused of leaving her children in a car after it
slid in a ditch with temperatures approaching 30
below.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that Alaska
State Troopers say the woman abandoned her children
after the car became stuck Friday morning. Troopers
say inside the car were a 3-year-old and 4-year-old.
One child was dressed in a tank top and shorts and
the other wore a diaper.
Troopers say 25-year-old Kristin Smith told them she
left the children in the car to walk a quarter mile
to her husband's home. But troopers say once there
she took some prescription medication and fell
asleep and never returned to the vehicle.
Smith is facing felony charges of endangering the
welfare of a child.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
Anchorage seeks raised temp
for shelters
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) The city of Anchorage is
dealing with some of the coldest weather in years.
With that in mind, city officials want to raise the
temperature at which churches and social service
facilities can take in people from the streets or
living in their cars.
The Anchorage Daily News says shelters this winter
have been jammed with people, and the city wants
those facilities that normally don't take in the
homeless to have more opportunity to help.
A municipal law passed in 2010 set the mark at 32
degrees for churches, soup kitchens and similar
facilities to open their doors. The Sullivan
administration is proposing to raise that to 45
degrees.
The move would allow city-approved churches and soup
kitchens to become temporary homeless shelters nine
months of the year.
(Anchorage Daily News)
Alaska volcano lava dome
forms, alert level raised
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) The warning level for a
remote Alaska volcano has been raised after a new
lava dome began forming, indicating the mountain
could explode and send up an ash cloud that could
threaten aircraft.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory on Tuesday elevated
the alert status for Cleveland Volcano.
Officials say the new lava dome was spotted in the
summit crater. The observatory says as of Monday,
the dome was about 130 feet in diameter.
There have been no eruptions since Dec. 25 and Dec.
29, which destroyed the earlier lava dome built up
over the fall.
Cleveland is a 5,675-foot peak on an uninhabited
island 940 miles southwest of Anchorage.
Authorities say sudden eruptions could occur at any
time, and ash clouds 20,000 feet above sea level are
possible.
Cim Smyth wins Tustumena 200
KENAI, Alaska (AP) Cim Smyth is the winner of this
year's Tustumena 200 sled dog race.
The Peninsula Clarion reports Smyth of Big Lake
edged musher Jeff King of Denali Park by seven
minutes to win the race Sunday.
The Tustumena 200 started Saturday just south of
Kasilof. Mushers went to Homer, and then finished at
the start point.
(Peninsula Clarion)
Daffodil
Days underway
It's not too early for a sign of Spring. That sign
is the start of the American Cancer Society's annual
daffodil sale in Juneau called Daffodil Days.
Volunteer Wanda Fleming says sales began Monday and
continue through February 10th.
She says pre-sales volunteers will be contacting
people and businesses for orders during that time.
The cost is $10 per bundle. Fleming says there are
10 blooms to a bundle.
A minimum order of 10 bundles is required for
delivery which occurs on March 14th. Otherwise they
can be picked up March 14th at the Nugget Mall near
Shear Design or in the Goldbelt Building downtown...
Some extra bundles will be available that day at A
and P Grocery downtown for those who didn't
pre-order.
The money raised from the sale goes towards travel,
education and research for the American Cancer
Society.
Fleming says they raised $26,000 last year.
For more information call Fleming at 364-3617.
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