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NEW - Vehicle knocks boy off bike at Valley intersection He's okay but a Riverbend Elementary School 5th grader was hit by a vehicle as he was riding his bike to school this morning. (Tuesday) The school district's Kristin Bartlett says it occurred at about 7:45 at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Stephen Richards Memorial Drive. She says the car was turning onto Riverside from the four way stop there when it hit the student, throwing him from his bike. The boy was wearing a helmet and appeared to be uninjured, but the driver called police to report the incident and sent the student to the school nurse. The boy's parents were taking him for a medical evaluation as a precaution, according to Bartlett She says they're reminding students to be alert when crossing streets on the way to school each day. And Bartlett says the school's police resource officer will provide bike safety lessons to students. The accident remains under investigation by police. Avalanche diversion structure to protect Snettisham tower Alaska Electric Light and Power is taking measures to protect a Snettisham hydro plant transmission tower that was knocked down by an avalanche last year. An avalanche diversion structure, uphill from Tower 4/6, is currently under construction. That was one of the two towers hit by snow, ice and debris in the April 2008 avalanche. The other tower hit at that time, Tower 3/5, was removed from its place on the line after getting hit again in January 2009. The utility's Scott Willis says the diversion structure is composed of 5 pipe columns, 4 feet in diameter and 40 feet tall, arranged in a "V" shape with I-beams welded between them. The massive structure is designed to split an avalanche around the tower. A heavy-lift helicopter has been lifting all the steel pieces onto the mountain. Willis says the only way to get the steel and workers to the site is by helicopter. He says transportation costs and the massive size of the structure is why the project is estimated to cost $1.5 to $2 million. Willis says that cost will be passed onto rate payers some time in the future. The project is expected to completed by the end of October. NEW- Sitka hunter fends off grizzly attack SITKA, Alaska (AP) — A grizzly bear attacked a Sitka deer hunter, who managed to fend the animal off by clubbing it with the butt of his rifle. Thirty-nine-year-old Karl Wolfe escaped with bites to his arm. Wolfe was hiking up a steep mountainside in the dark Sunday morning near Sitka's old pulp mill. The bear rushed Wolfe, bit him on his arm and knocked him to the ground between two trees. Wolfe didn't have a round chambered in his .30-06 rifle but managed to swing the gun around and hit the bear with the butt. The bear didn't go away. Wolfe says it swung around and came at him again. Wolfe chambered a cartridge and fired a shot from the hip. The bear fled and Wolfe said he didn't know if he hit the animal. Wolfe was treated for two puncture wounds. Young bear caught downtown is first of season Alaska Fish and Game Department personnel caught their first bear of the season Monday morning that will be transported out of town. It was on that hillside below Calhoun Avenue next to Fireweed Place on Willoughby Avenue, according to Area Management Biologist Ryan Scott. He says they got a call that the bear was caught in a wire fence. When they got there, they found the bear actually playing with the fence. He says the young female is in extremely good shape and will be transported out of town. Scott says they did try to catch a couple of other bears earlier, but with no success. He suspects some have already denned up or are close to it, although some could be out until November as they fatten up for their winter hibernation. So he says its important for residents to stow their garbage carefully over the next few weeks. 1st freeze of season reported overnight in Juneau....Monday's high warmest in the state A freeze warning for Juneau, the first of the season, was in effect overnight. Meteorologist Kimberly Vaughn in the Juneau Forecast Office told us before 6 a.m. that it reached a low of 30 degrees. She says Juneau had six hours of freezing or below freezing temperatures by 5 am. Even though overnight brought the first freeze of the season, yesterday's high for Juneau of 56 degrees was the warmest in the state. It reached 55 degrees in Skagway and Sitka. The high today is expected to be around 50. First snow in Fairbanks spurs numerous accidents FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — More than a dozen crashes were reported between Friday and yesterday afternoon in Fairbanks when the first snow fell in the city. Alaska state troopers also dealt with a couple of crashes yesterday. A police spokeswoman told The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner drivers shouldn't wait to put on studded or winter tires. (Fairbanks News-Miner) Palin finishes memoir, 'Going Rogue,' out Nov. 17 HILLEL ITALIE - AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Sarah Palin has finished her memoir just four months after the book deal was announced. Her publisher says the release date has been moved up from the spring to Nov. 17. Harper publisher Jonathan Burnham says the former Alaska governor invested herself deeply and passionately in the project. He says the book contains fascinating detail. The 400-page book is the first for Palin, who has been an object of fascination since Republican Sen. John McCain chose her as his running mate during his 2008 presidential bid. The book will be called "Going Rogue: An American Life." A huge first printing of 1.5 million copies has been commissioned by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins. NTSB releasing report on Alaska Ranger sinking WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board says it will announce the probable cause of the sinking of the Alaska Ranger at a meeting Wednesday in Washington, D.C. The Seattle-based fish processor went down in March of 2008 in the Bering Sea west of Dutch Harbor. Five of the 47 people on board died. The board will release the findings of its investigation and make recommendations. The investigation led the Coast Guard to make a recommendation in July that operators of ships with controllable-pitch propellers review the controls. Survivors of the Alaska Ranger said the 200-foot ship started going in reverse after it began leaking in the stern. Alaska pilot aborts Fairbanks takeoff FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A plane was taking off from Fairbanks when the pilot slammed on the brakes and aborted the liftoff because of concern an incoming plane was too close. Passengers were shaken but unhurt Sunday in the incident reviewed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Spokesman Allen Kenitzer says the pilot on the ground was not comfortable, although the jets were about eight miles apart and safe. Both were Alaska Airlines planes. Spokeswoman Bobbie Egan told The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner the aborted takeoff was a pilot's decision based on safety training. The plane underwent a mechanical inspection and took off about an hour-and-a-half late. (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner) Agency agrees to deadline on listing ice seals DAN JOLING - Associated Press Writer ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A federal agency must decide within three weeks whether a seal dependent on Arctic sea ice should have additional protections. A federal judge Friday approved a settlement between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Center for Biological Diversity, which had sued to force a decision. The settlement requires the agency to decide by Oct. 15 whether spotted seals merit listing as a threatened or endangered species due to threats from global warming and oil development. The agreement calls for a decision on two other ice-dependent seals, ringed and bearded seals, by Nov. 1, 2010. Ringed, bearded, and spotted seals off the coast of Alaska use sea ice in different ways for giving birth, rearing pups and resting. NEW - Grand jury indicts Chignik Lake man ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A 24-year-old Chignik Lake man has been indicted by an Anchorage grand jury on charges of second-degree murder and two counts of assault. Anchorage District Attorney Adrienne Bachman says Edwin John Pedersen is accused of killing 22-year-old John Kalmakoff on Aug. 14. He's also charged with assaulting a man and a woman that day. Alaska State Troopers say Kalmakoff died of injuries, including head trauma, suffered in a fight with Pedersen, who turned himself in to a local officer. If convicted of second-degree murder, Pedersen faces a sentence of 10 to 99 years. His bail remains at $250,000. He is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday in Naknek Superior Court. Chignik Lake is a village of about 100 people 500 miles southwest of Anchorage. Anchorage man gets 10 years for dealing drugs ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Anchorage man has received 10 years in federal prison for dealing drugs. Prosecutors say 31-one-year-old Donteh Devoe on two occasions in 2007 sold crack cocaine to a government informant. The total amount of crack cocaine distributed by the defendant was more than 13 grams. United States District Court Judge Timothy M. Burgess found Devoe to be a career offender because of his prior felony convictions. Anchorage Police arrest man on child porn charge ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Anchorage man accused of possessing child pornography was arrested shortly before he was to fly to Idaho. Police say they began investigating 22-year-old Matthew Pierce when an undercover officer found an IP address at his home was sharing child porn. NEW - Mount Redoubt volcano alert downgraded ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Mount Redoubt volcano appears to have returned to normal. The Alaska Volcano Observatory downgraded Mount Redoubt's alert code and says the chances of the volcano returning to its prior eruptive behavior is unlikely. Redoubt began erupting on March 22. In early April, a lava dome formed in the volcano's summit crater and began growing, leading to concerns that it could collapse quickly. The dome has continued to grow, and experts say it will pose a hazard for some time. But they say the outward signs of lava dome instability have declined. Experts say depending on wind and cloud conditions, sulfur smells could reach populated areas and steam plumes will be visible on occasion. Barrow whalers land 4 bowheads on first day BARROW, Alaska (AP) — Barrow whalers landed four bowheads on the first day of the fall hunt. Whaling Captains Association President Eugene Brower said crews struck the whales Saturday just after first light. Two more were struck Sunday. "It started out with a bang," said Brower. The spring hunt was far slower, with whalers landing four bowheads total. Barrow whalers are allowed a quota of up to 22 whales — or "strikes" — in 2009. If a boat strikes a whale with a harpoon, but doesn't land the bowhead, that strike counts against the overall quota. North Slope Borough Mayor Edward Itta is captain of the Saggan Crew that landed a 37-foot female bowhead. "The ideal whale," he said. It took up to seven boats three hours to tow the whale back to town, he said. Itta said friends and family members had been baking at all hours to serve bread and Eskimo donuts along with heart, meat, intestine, kidneys and flipper to visitors. Some of the muktuk will be pickled and sent to relatives in Anchorage. Some of it will be frozen and eaten raw over the winter. The Anchorage Daily News reports the hunt is a tradition of Arctic coastal communities and the source of a favorite subsistence food. Captains hold feasts in their homes after a successful hunt. They save some for Thanksgiving celebrations at church and share with elders. Everyone who helps with butchering gets a share. Barrow, population 4,100, is the northernmost community in the United States. Currently, whalers have been heading north of Point Barrow, to the Beaufort Sea, Brower said. That's where whales are moving west, migrating back to their winter grounds to the south. The International Whaling Commission, which governs the world's large whale stocks, voted in 2007 to extend subsistence bowhead hunting in Alaska through 2012. (Anchorage Daily News) State flags to be lowered for former state representative State flags will be lowered to half-staff today (Tuesday) in honor and memory of former State Representative Keith Specking. Specking died September 19. He was 90. He was elected to the State House in 1970 representing the Kenai Peninsula. He also served as a legislative assistant to Governor Jay Hammond. Specking served in the U. S. Army in Hawaii during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Flags will be raised to full-staff again Wednesday morning. Families urge expansion of Denali KidCare ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A dozen families crowded into an Anchorage church Monday night to press state lawmakers and the commissioner of Alaska Health and Social Services to expand Denali KidCare. Those in attendance say they and many other families can't afford traditional coverage and make too much to qualify for Denali KidCare — the Medicaid program run by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Health Commissioner Bill Hogan told those at the meeting that the Parnell Administration supports expanding eligibility limits. (KTUU-TV) Native corporation poised for fight over government contracting ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Five Alaska Native corporations have launched a public relations campaign to fight congressional attacks on government contracting that has helped make them some of the state's largest companies. The Anchorage Daily News says the corporations organized after Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri raised concerns about the Small Business Administration's program for minority-owned, socially disadvantaged companies. (Anchorage Daily News) Former News-Miner publisher dies at 75 FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Paul Massey, the former publisher of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, has died while vacationing in Germany. He was 75. Massey was the publisher from 1992 until 2000, introducing a Saturday edition and presiding over the newspaper's switch from afternoon to morning delivery. Marilyn Romano, his successor, said Massey emphasized public service and was a consistent presence at local functions. Massey's daughter, Jennifer, told the newspaper her father apparently died in his sleep. The cause of death is not immediately known. (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner) Post a comment in response: |
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