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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.

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[Wednesday, May 22, 2013 13TH EDITION 4:00 A. M.]

UPDATE: Parnell signs oil tax and gas line bills
(AP & KINY) - Gov. Sean Parnell has signed into law several bills, including an overhaul of Alaska's oil tax structure.

Parnell championed the overhaul as a way to increase oil production and referred to the bill Tuesday as the "More Alaska Production Act."

Critics fear the plan gives away too much to oil companies with no guarantee about what Alaska might see in return. Protesters gathered outside the venue where Parnell spoke and signed the bill in Anchorage.

The passage of the bill during the last legislative session led those who oppose it to start a petition aiming to get a referendum on the ballot next fall to repeal the tax overhaul.

Juneau and Southeast Alaska Representative Beth Kerttula offered reaction, saying the bill is a terrible thing and contains nothing that guarantees that Alaskans will see a return on their resources wealth, which is supposed to be guaranteed in the state constitution.

Kerttula's hopeful that people will sign the petition to get the referendum on the ballot and then vote for it.

She says it's hard to be so critical, but if she's ever going to be critical of the Governor this is going to be the day.

 

Kerttula thinks it's a bad bill and a bad thing for Alaska and Alaskans should not stand for it.

It's got to be repealed, according to Kerttula, otherwise the fundamental things we depend on in Alaska like schools roads and hospitals won't be available in the future.

Juneau Valley Representative Cathy Munoz is more optimistic, saying she's hopeful that the production levels will go up as we're facing a sharp decline in oil production.

They're encouraged that companies are starting to look at Alaska again for investments, Munoz says, and she's hopeful that the changes put forth in the oil tax overhaul will continue us on that path.

Parnell also signed bills involving permitting and a gas line project.

Parnell says taken together, the bills are part of an historic package aimed at moving Alaska forward.

Republicans took over the Senate after last year's elections, putting the GOP in control of the House, Senate and governor's office for the first time in years.

 

Governor signs budget bills, Juneau's capital budget approved in its entirety
(AP & KINY) — Gov. Sean Parnell has signed state budgets totaling $13.2 billion.

The operating and capital budgets constitute about $1.1 billion less in unrestricted general fund spending compared with the current year. Unrestricted general funds refer to money that isn't restricted in its use by the law, constitution or something else.

Parnell vetoed $2.5 million, much of which was attributed to a calculation error. He called his reductions "modest."

Juneau's capital budget of over $83 million was spared any reductions or vetoes from the governor.

Juneau Representative Cathy Munoz indicated that all of Juneau's projects were approved by the governor and she's very appreciative to Parnell and his administration for their support of our community.

Projects that were funded under the capital budget for Juneau include the State Library Archives and Museum building, which Munoz says received $20 million.

The Juneau Access Project also received $10 million in the budget.

Munoz says there is a wide variety of projects funded in the capital budget for the Capital City and it will bring a lot of benefit to the community.

Parnell, who earlier in his term vetoed a record $400 million in spending, says lawmakers this year stuck to the spending limit that all sides had agreed to.

Juneau's other State House Representative, Beth Kerttula, expressed some concern with the state budget, saying it was very reduced this year.

If you consider that the state's dipping into some of its savings, Kerttula says we're all ready in deficit spending.

Kerttula says the budget, again, has not kept up with inflation for education.

There were areas that were all ready not keeping up with inflation or maintaining what the base line funding should have been, she says, and they didn't see those increases this year either.

 

Egan calls new oil tax law bad policy but is thankful for SLAM funding in budget
There's reaction from the remaining member of Juneau's legislative delegation to news that Governor Sean Parnell signed into law the overhaul of Alaska's oil tax structure on Tuesday along with the budgets for the state.

Juneau and Southeast Alaska Senator Dennis Egan offered his thoughts on the changes to Alaska's oil tax laws, saying he thinks it's a bad policy.

The oil tax bill gives tremendous tax breaks to companies, he says, and doesn't provide us anything in return.

Egan says he doesn't have any problem with giving companies tax breaks, pointing out that the Alaska Senate passed a bill that would have done so in the 2012 legislative session.

That bill failed in the House.

Egan says if they give an incentive to the oil companies we should get something in return, like promises to provide new exploration, drilling and oil so we all benefit.

This way the oil companies benefit, he says, but he hopes he's wrong.

As for the state operating and capital budgets, Egan says all of the communities in his district got money in addition to several Juneau projects.

They got $3 million for Petersburg's airport runway and some major funding street projects, he says, along with $2.5 million for the jail in Petersburg.

There was also money for a dock and some abatement issues in Skagway, according to Egan.

The budget saw severe decline this year, he says, as opposed to previous years.

Egan says he thinks District P as a whole did very well.

Of course, Egan points out, the main line item for Juneau is the $20 million for the State Library Archives and Museum building and he thanks the governor for keeping that in the budget and not vetoing it.

Egan says the only thing that upsets him are the changes that were made to the Northern Lynn Canal ferry service and new ferry designs.

He says he's also disappointed with the amount of funding for schools.

 

Assembly Finance to hear presentations from Eaglecrest and Airport Boards
Budget work continues at tonight's meeting (Wednesday) of the Assembly Finance Committee.

City Manager Kim Kiefer says they've got a couple presentations lined up from the Eaglecrest and Airport boards of directors on their respective budgets.

Then, she says, they will be going through the "pending" list as there are a number of items the Assembly's has added to that document.

The local government will review that list of items one at a time at the end of their budget review period and deciding that they want to keep them in the budget, or decide they'd like to fund it but need to find the money to do so.

Kiefer says they also need to determine the Mill Rate.

They need to decide if they want to keep it where it is, increase or decrease it and Kiefer says if they decide to lower it they need to provide her with direction on how to handle those decreases in funding

Kiefer says they've had a little bit of good news since they started the budget process in April as they've found out they'll be receiving some Payment In Lieu of Taxes funding that's about $500,000 more than what they had anticipated.

That's going the direction they want it to, she says, and that's good news.

The downside, according to Kiefer, is they don't think that money will be there in future years.

But, she says, at least for now it gives them a one-time hit that's on the positive side for a change.

The Assembly Finance Committee meets at 5:30 p.m.  in Assembly Chambers at City Hall.

 

Housing subcommittee to compare notes and get updates
The Assembly's Ad Hoc Housing Committee meets Thursday afternoon with a couple of matters on the agenda.

Members Randy Wanamaker, Mary Becker, Carlton Smith and Jesse Kiehl divvied up the list of open permit holders for housing and contacted them to find out how their work is going and asked if they're experiencing any problems, do they anticipate any road blocks in the future, or do they have suggestions for helping them resolve their issues.

Wanamaker says both he and Becker talked to people who are not experiencing any problems. Wanamaker says he doesn't know about the feedback Smith and Kiehl received.

He's going to suggest that they contact people who are still in the permit process to see what they might learn from them.

The subcommittee will also receive updates on tasks assigned to staff.

One is  to work on the tax deferral ordinance to comply with the state law that provides for deferral of taxes on new housing proprieties.

Another is redefining the work on large and small subdivisions to increase the size of small ones so that it's easier for companies to build housing.

And the panel will be looking for an update on what's been done to improve the "permitting culture" so that people feel regulators are there to assist them.

The meeting convenes at 1:30 p.m. in City Hall Conference Room 224.

 

Murkowski compares dealing with Forest Service to Groundhog Day movie
Alaska U. S. Senator Lisa Murkowski compared dealing with the Forest Service to the movie "Groundhog Day" during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday.

 

She said the federal government is going back on its obligations again with the Forest Service recently calling on Southeast Alaska timber communities to return 5.1 percent of the funding granted previously under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act.

The agency wants the funds back because of sequestration.

States failing to do so would be subject to penalties, interest payments and administrative costs under the directive.

The act funds emergency services, roads and schools in those communities.

Murkowski says it's time for the agency to find a different path forward.

She said this decision is just the latest in a long line of misguided Forest Service actions that have had a crippling impact on timber dependent towns.

Murkowski stressed that rural communities should not be penalized for the agency's failure to plan for the impact of sequestration on these payments.

No injuries reported in apartment fire  on Douglas
Capital City Fire Rescue responded to an apartment fire on Great Western Street on Douglas Island  Tuesday morning. 

 

Fire dispatch initially said it was at a Lawson Creek Road address.

The alarm came in at about 8:15, according to Fire Chief Rich Etheridge.

He told us at about 8:45 that the fire was knocked down.

Everyone in the building was evacuated. No injuries were  reported.  Fire Marshal Dan Jager said one resident was sleeping at the time and alerted by a smoke detector.

 

The fire was contained to a bedroom on the first floor of the two story units, although the Fire Marshal says there is heat and smoke damage throughout.  He did not have a damage estimate, but described it  as extensive.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.  Jager says interviews will be done with the tenants in the attempt to pinpoint the cause.

 

Fire officials in Anchorage seek help solving suspicious fire
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Fire investigators in Anchorage are asking for help in solving a suspicious restaurant fire.

The Anchorage Daily News reports the Sunrise Grill and Pancake House suffered about $1 million in damage on May 11. Whether it's a total loss will be determined by the insurance carrier and business owner.

Anchorage Fire Dept. spokesman Al Tamagni says in a statement that evidence found at the scene leads investigators to believe there was a burglary at the restaurant before the fire.

They are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 561-7867 or the arson hotline at 267-5060. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest on felony charges.
(Anchorage Daily News)

 

UPDATE: Yup'ik fishermen found guilty of illegal fishing
BETHEL, Alaska (AP) — Two dozen fishermen on trial this week for illegal fishing have been found guilty by a judge in Bethel.

The fishermen's attorney, James J. Davis Jr., says he will appeal the convictions issued by Monday through Wednesday by Magistrate Bruce Ward. Davis says one of the 25 fishermen is in Hawaii and his case will be heard later.

The fishermen were cited last year during a poor king salmon run. They argued they have a spiritual right to fish for king salmon when restrictions are in place.

KYUK Radio says Ward found the state's need to restrict kings supersedes the fishermen's religious rights.

Ward imposed $250 fines for all but one fisherman, who was fined $500.

The trials began in April with specialists on Yup'ik culture testifying for the fishermen.
(KYUK-AM)

 

Canadian guide sentenced for illegal sheep hunts
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A Canadian guide has been sentenced after admitting he guided two hunts in Alaska in which undersized Dall sheep were killed.

Sixty-seven-year-old Patrick Downey of Turner Valley, Alberta, was sentenced in federal court in Fairbanks. Federal prosecutors say Downey was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine and placed on five years' probation. During that time, he will not be allowed to hunt or guide in the United States.

Downey for 20 years has guided hunters in the Brooks Range. In 2008 and in 2009, he guided hunts in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in which Dall sheep killed had less than a minimum full curl. Both times prosecutors say he pounded the tips with rocks to try and conceal their sub-legal size.

Lawmaker plans bill on conflict of interest rules
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An Anchorage lawmaker plans to introduce a bill in the next legislative session that would overhaul Alaska's conflict of interest rules.

Democratic Sen. Bill Wielechowski's proposal would require a majority vote to allow a House or Senate member with a stated conflict to abstain from voting. Wielechowski's office says currently a single lawmaker can force another legislator to vote, even if there's a significant conflict.

Besides requiring a recorded vote, Wielechowski's office says the bill also would better define what constitutes a conflict. Legislators would have a conflict if a bill they are asked to vote on would substantially benefit their employer, someone they're trying to work for or someone from whom they have gotten at least $10,000 in income in the preceding 12 months.

 

Angoon man arrested on outstanding warrants
An Angoon man was arrested Tuesday on three outstanding arrest warrants.

A dispatch from Alaska State Troopers says the warrants for 27 year old Nathan Johnson were issued for failing to appear for violating conditions of release, criminal trespass, and assault in the fourth degree.

The dispatch says Johnson was arrested at an Angoon residence without incident and transported to Juneau where he was jailed at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center.

Bail was set at $1,100.

 

Former Anchorage police officer charged
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A former Anchorage police officer is accused of misusing his authority when he was on the force and improperly accessed records.

Mark J. Moeller is charged with criminal use of a computer, misuse of confidential information and official misconduct. Moeller was served with a summons on Tuesday.

It's not immediately clear if the 25-year-old man has an attorney.

Police say Moeller used the Alaska Public Information Safety Information Network to run queries on his sister-in-law, as well as a 23-year-old woman he arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in December. Police say he also ran queries on the woman's former boyfriend and obtained information about the man from Alaska State Troopers.

Moeller was hired by the police department in October 2011 and resigned in February.

 

Ex-state worker charged with workers' comp fraud
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A former Alaska state employee and his supposed masseuse are accused of worker's compensation fraud.

Scott A. Groom and Laurayne K. Fischer are charged with 93 counts including perjury, theft and falsification of business records.

The Anchorage Daily News says the two are currently living in Wisconsin.

Prosecutors say Groom and Fischer defrauded the State of Alaska out of more than $20,000 of worker's comp benefits.

According to prosecutors, Groom was an operator at a state Department of Transportation weigh station when he was injured on the job in 1999. Years later, Groom settled a worker's compensation claim with the state for $201,500.

Prosecutors say Groom never got massage treatment from Fischer as claimed and that the two submitted fraudulent workers' compensation reimbursement and later lied about it.
(Anchorage Daily News)
 

UPDATE: Rig manager testifies in Shell barge grounding
DAN JOLING,Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The rig manager aboard a Royal Dutch Shell PLC drilling barge says a second tug could have prevented it from running aground in December off a remote Alaska island.

Todd Case was the offshore installation manager employed by Noble Drilling when the Kulluk (KUL'-uk) ran aground off a small island near Kodiak Island on a tow across the Gulf of Alaska toward Seattle.

Case in the third day of testimony before a Coast Guard investigation panel recounted how weather got progressively worse after the Kulluk departed Dec. 21 from Dutch Harbor.

The line between the towing vessel Aiviq (EYE-vik) and the Kulluk parted Dec. 27. Multiple attempts failed to maintain replacement lines.

Case says looking back, multiple tugs as part of the original towing plan could have prevented the grounding.

Bail denied for defendant in Coast Guard killings
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A federal judge has denied bail for a 61-year-old man accused of killing two men at the Coast Guard station on Kodiak Island.

James Wells wanted to be released to detention and electronic monitoring to third-party custodians as he awaited trial for the fatal shootings of Coast Guardsmen Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins and retired Chief Petty Officer Richard Belisle in April 2012. Wells is charged with murder and is set to go on trial in February 2014.

KTUU says Wells appeared before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge John D. Roberts in Anchorage Monday.

Roberts said he was not "at all convinced" that bail was appropriate in the case.

Wells' arrest in February came after an investigation led by the FBI and the Coast Guard Investigative Service.
(KTUU-TV)

 

Washington man convicted in Juneau woman's death
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A Washington state man is scheduled to be sentenced next week in the death of a Juneau woman last year.

The Juneau Empire reports Jacob Andrew Mommer was convicted earlier this month of first-degree murder and second-degree assault in the January 2012 death of Ashton Ericka-Marie Reyes.

Mommer is scheduled to be sentenced May 31.

Dan Donohoe, a spokesman for the King County prosecutor's office, says Mommer could face up to about 36 years in prison.

Prosecutors said a Seattle Police investigation found that Reyes and her boyfriend had arranged to sell the suspects marijuana, but were robbed and shot during the drug deal. The boyfriend survived.
(Juneau Empire)

 

Alaska man disappears while on Florida Keys boating trip
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — Authorities in the Florida Keys are searching for a man who disappeared during a boating trip.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office reports that the U.S. Coast Guard detected 40-year-old Jay Wesley Rydberg's emergency beacon May 14 at 4:13 a.m. During a 78-hour search, Rydberg's beacon was found 33 miles north of Key West, but there were no signs of Rydberg or his 39-foot trimaran sailboat.

At the time the beacon went off, there were no reported storms in the area.

Rydberg had been living on his boat at a Key West marina for the past year. His sister told authorities that he had moved from Alaska to Florida to be near his 11-year-old son, who lives in southwest Florida.

He was sailing from Fort Myers back to Key West when he disappeared.

 

US test-launches intercontinental missile
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. Air Force has launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile from a California base, a month after the test flight was postponed because of tensions with North Korea.

Vandenberg Air Force Base says the Minuteman 3 lifted off at 6:27 a.m. PDT Wednesday. It later splashed down thousands of miles away in the Pacific.

It's the first Minuteman test-launch of the year. Several Minutemans are launched each year at from Vandenberg to determine the weapon system's accuracy and reliability.

Officials say the original mid-April flight plan was delayed to avoid it being misconstrued by North Korea during a time of heightened tensions. It was rescheduled for Tuesday morning but was pushed back a day due to a problem with range safety instruments.

 

Ice jam breaks on Yukon River
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A gap in an ice jam is slowly draining a massive backup of water upriver from the community of Fort Yukon.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner says part of the ice jam on the Yukon River broke early Wednesday morning.

Forecasters have been watching a large amount of water behind the ice jam 12 miles upriver from the community 145 miles northeast of Fairbanks. Fort Yukon police Sgt. Peter Hawbaker says that other than some ice Tuesday night and early Wednesday, water levels have not changed since dropping after minor flooding Monday.

Some low-lying areas of the town with more than 580 residents flooded including a road to the airport.

State emergency managers are working with Fort Yukon and other communities threatened or affected by flooding, including Circle and Eagle.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

13 appointed to Subsistence Advisory Council for Southeast Alaska
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, with the concurrence of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, has made appointments to the ten Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils.

The councils are charged with advising the Federal Subsistence Board on management regulations and policies and serve as a forum for public involvement in subsistence management in Alaska.

Those appointed to the council for Southeast Alaska include Timothy C. Ackerman of Haines; Frank G. Wright, Jr. of Hoonah; Patricia A Phillips of Pelican; Michael A. Douville of Craig; Harvey Kitka of Sitka; Bertrand J. Adams, Sr. of Yakutat; Floyd M. Kookesh of Angoon; Donald C. Hernandez of Pt. Baker; and Kenneth L. Jackson of Kake.

 

Knife in purse gashes woman; thought she was shot
SEATTLE (AP) — The woman who limped into a downtown Seattle coffee shop said she'd been shot in the leg — a statement that brought police cars and fire trucks rushing to the scene.

Traffic was shut down on a nearby street Tuesday afternoon as police searched for a shooter, although no one in the coffee shop had heard a shot.

As Seattle police later reported on their website, that's because there was no gunshot. As medics treated the woman, police determined that she had been carrying a kitchen knife in her purse. Although sheathed, the knife had managed to puncture both the purse and the woman's leg.

As the Seattle police blotter noted: "Sometimes Crimes Solve Themselves."

The woman was taken to a Seattle hospital for treatment.

 

Alaskan Pale will no longer be brewed on a year round basis
Alaskan Brewing says it will cease production of Alaskan Pale as a year round release.

Blamed is the dwindling availability of the key hops required to capture its unique Golden Ale taste, according to the company.

Quality Assurance Manager David Wilson is quoted in a release as saying so few farmers are growing this hop they've hard a hard time coming up with the consistency they need.

There's only a month's supply of Pale left, so the company recommends stocking up now.

No direct replacement for the Pale is planned in the product line, but the release says they continue to experiment with all types of beer, including Golden Ales.

 

Coaches best-paid state employees in Washington
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Football and basketball coaches are the top-paid state employees in Washington.

University of Washington coach Steve Sarkisian earned $2.7 million last year, followed by Washington State University coach Mike Leach at $2.3 million.

The Office of Financial Management recently released the state employee salary list.

Third on the list is UW basketball coach Lorenzo Romar at $1.35 million, and fourth is WSU coach Ken Bone at $855,000.

The Olympian reports coaches are paid from athletic department revenue, such as ticket sales and television rights, not taxpayer funds.

Someone other than a coach is fifth — Washington State University President Elson Floyd at $625,000, and sixth is UW president Michael Young at $563,000.

A total of 68 state employees earned more than $300,000. Most of them are in higher education.
(The Olympian)
 

' 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.