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Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
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6:51 am - In the News
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Drug czar kicks off anti-meth ad campaign, Alaska among states targeted
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The nation's drug czar has kicked off a $9 million ad campaign targeting methamphetamine abuse that will run mainly in the states most affected by the drug problem.
Gil Kerlikowske (kur-lih-KOW'-skee), the director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, was in St. Louis yesterday to launch the campaign. Missouri has ranked first in the nation for years in meth lab busts.
The campaign runs through November and will use TV, radio, online and billboard advertising, even ads on gas pumps. The ads focus on prevention and provide information to meth users and their families seeking recovery services.
The ad blitz will focus on the 16 states with the worst meth problems, including Alaska.
Safety changes ahead for Seward Highway
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The state Transportation Department will be installing rumble strips in the center and shoulder of the Seward Highway to help keep drivers in their lanes.
The department also says it will install reflective markers on curves.
The Anchorage Daily News reports officials talked about the improvements Tuesday at a hearing with state lawmakers concerned about this summer's deaths on the highway.
Eight people have died on the highway since May.
Statewide, the number of fatal crashes could actually be down this year. There have been 38 so far. That compares with 56 throughout all of 2008 and 75 fatal crashes in 2007.
(Anchorage Daily News)
August was a wet one in Juneau
It was a wet August in Juneau.
It was the 12th wettest on record, according to Meteorologist Nikki Becker in the Juneau Forecast Office.
She says rainfall amounted to 7.34 inches which was 1.97 inches above normal.
The wettest days occurred on the 17th and 29th which established daily records for both dates.
There was 1.8 inches on the 17th and 1.26 inches on the 29th.
The average monthly temperature was 59.5 degrees, point 2 degrees above normal.
The warmest temperature was 80 degrees on the 5th which established a record for the date.
The lowest was 42 degrees on the morning of the 31st.
The month's peak winds occurred on the 29th.
There was an east wind that peaked at 39 miles per hour at the airport and to 29 miles per hour on South Douglas Island.
Utah soldier killed in Afghanistan remembered
SOUTH OGDEN, Utah (AP) — Friends and family of a Utah soldier killed in Afghanistan held a vigil to remember him on the lawn of his mother's home in South Ogden.
Kurt Curtiss died August 26 in Paktika Province in Afghanistan.
The 27-year-old was shot while his unit was supporting Afghan security forces during an enemy attack.
Ruth Serrano on Tuesday recalled seeing her son at Christmas. She said he was handsome and well-mannered but that something was wrong and he wouldn't talk about it.
Curtiss, of Murray, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska. He left behind had a wife and two young children.
Curtiss went to Afghanistan in December. He had already served two tours in Iraq.
Standard-Examiner, http://www.standard.net
Nearly 200 Guardsmen will deploy to Afghanistan
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — About 200 members of the Alaska Air National Guard will deploy this week to Afghanistan.
The airmen are with the Guard's 176th Wing, based in Anchorage.
Among those being deployed are flight crew members, maintenance specialists and support staff.
It's part of a rotating deployment that started a year ago and will continue through January. Soldiers will work in 30- or 60-day shifts, ferrying people, equipment and supplies throughout the Middle East.
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| Tuesday, August 25th, 2009
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6:39 am - In the News - ancestors unearthed
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Remains discovered in Kivalina
BARROW, Alaska (AP) — Construction workers doing excavation for Kivalina's new wastewater treatment plant unearthed the remains of three people believed to be members of a tribal group that lived in Alaska more than 1,000 years ago.
The Arctic Sounder newspaper reports that archeologists won't be certain how old the remains are until radiocarbon dating is done.
They think the bodies were members of the Ipiutak, a tribal group that lived in Alaska from about 500 to 900.
City administrator Janet Mitchell says the remains are being kept by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium until the excavation concludes — in case more bodies are found.
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| Monday, August 24th, 2009
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8:17 pm - evening
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So it was a long day, worked two rooms. Forgot my lunch at home so went to lunch with co-workers. Was recording almost to quitting time. Didn't get my paperwork done and have a trial tomorrow so don't expect to get it done tomorrow either. So got dowstairs and talked with the boss about flying over to Sitka next month. Then got brave and talked to her about a co-worker whose behavior has been irking me and some others.
Then I was putting on my coat and noticed I had a missed call. It was the 503 area code, which I know is Oregon. I couldn't figure out who it could possibly be. I finally gave in and called it back. Surprise surprise, it was Dad, max's dad. They leave for home Wednesday night. I asked if Max had brought them blueberries and he said no. So Boo and I delivered the rest of the waffle blueberries to them. We visited for about a half hour or so. Then hit Wal-Mart for the cd Blain was trying to find on Saturday. Boo had it in her car, so I asked her about it.
Then she dropped me off at home. I came over here to Blain's and watched his brother try to reload his Everquest profile. It was fine when he camped out last night but is messed up tonight. That's okay, gives me a chance to catch up here!
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| Sunday, August 23rd, 2009
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1:58 pm - Work and life
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Had a nice morning with Blain yesterday. After I came back from walking Hazel he took me with him to go shopping. He got himself some clothes and bought me some shoelaces for Boo's shoes. Her left shoe didn't have any laces and the tongue was just flopping around. Then we went to Costco, the warehouse store, where it was grocery shopping time. He bought us brunch from the hotdog station there and then I went off to work. I didn't have enough cars to cover all the calls. One lady didn't want to wait 25 minutes for her cab, so she called another company. She called me back about 15 minutes later saying the other company couldn't even find her place, so please send the next available and she would wait! I had three calls come in, one was a Sandra and I sent Dan to pick her up. The third was a Sondra and I sent Jeremy to pick her up. Dan couldn't believe there were two calls for the same name in two different places. Jeremy's Sondra left in a yellow taxi, so Dan couldn't resist saying he got the "good" Sondra who got in the right cab and they were going downtown! LOL.
So guess what? Today I get to train Max to dispatch. You know what that means? There will now be TWO of my three ex-husbands working at the same place with me! LOL. Jess was teasing me that we need to get Tony to dispatch and Blain to drive cab and it would be a Melissa's men place of employment. I think Blain's comment to the that was the strongest "No" with a few expletives that I have ever heard from him, lol.
Nathan got a hold of me on Friday and said my application has passed the Juneau underwriter, now it has to be shipped off to Denver for final approval. I sure hope it gets done next week so I don't have to reapply to HOP for the down payment program again. What a nightmare that would be after everything we've gone through so far with one more paper and one more statement and one more report and one more inspection and one more repair and then update a statement, etc., etc.
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1:53 pm - In the News - Way too sad and ironic
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Separate Seward Highway wrecks kill siblings
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A man who died in a fatal wreck on Seward Highway Thursday was the brother of a woman killed in a car accident on the same highway last month.
Michael VanRoten, 30, died after he was ejected from his pickup truck near the intersection of Fireweed Lane and the Seward Highway after he collided with another car.
His sister, Kimberly VanRoten, 29, was killed July 4 on Seward Highway near Portage when a driver trying to pass two cars hit her car head-on.
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| Friday, August 21st, 2009
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6:44 am - In the News - more waste - with some hope
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2 Fort Rich soldiers killed in Afghanistan
FORT RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — Two paratroopers from Fort Richardson have been killed in Afghanistan.
The Army identified the victims as Staff Sgt. Clayton P. Bowen and Pfc. Morris L. Walker, both infantrymen.
Officials say the were killed Monday when their vehicle was destroyed by a roadside bomb.
The 29-year-old Bowen was from San Antonio, Texas. He joined the Army in April 1998 and was assigned to the Anchorage base in February.
The 23-year-old Walker was from Chapel Hill, N.C. He joined the Army last September, and was assigned to Fort Richardson in March.
Alaska based soldiers returning home from Iraq
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska (AP) — An advance party of 160 members of Fort Wainwright's 1st Stryker brigade is scheduled to return Monday to Fairbanks.
The brigade has been deployed in Iraq for a year.
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| Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
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6:22 pm - Been afk
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Been away from the keyboard for a while. So much happens on a daily basis. Nathan calling me on Friday to talk about rental verifications, most especially focused on Sean. His car was stuck in 2nd gear and he was afraid his transmission was going out until he figured it out. I was outside with Hazel and my feet got soaking wet in the grass. And at the end of the conversation Gina was waiting to talk about me about Jess and money.
So that was Friday night. Thursday night Blain got a perfect 40. We shot against Norsemen, one of the top teams. I got a 4 and a 3 on my first two games and figured I would be lucky to get a 10 for the night. But then the table laid out for me and I won the last two games giving me a 27 for the night. I just went and looked online at the scoresheet - turns out I had high score for my team.
Anyway, back to Friday, Blain and I went to BlockBuster and rented a couple movies. Have to watch the second one tonight and get them back. We got stew and french bread and pigged out while watching Grand Torino. Was a nice evening.
Saturday night was crazy at work. Some of our passengers had to wait an hour to get picked up. And I had a lot of drivers working, too. Kept them all running. Sunday wasn't quite so bad. Oh, and Sunday was short on pool. I was disappointed. Boo went clothes shopping, Blain had a raid to join and his dad had to go do something for his mom. So I went to the store and got shoes for myself at last.
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6:44 am - In the News - floods and flips - It's all about the water..
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Guided raft flips on Mendenhall River
A raft on a commercial guiding trip overturned on the Mendenhall River at about 5-30 Monday afternoon.
Eight passengers and the guide went into the water according to Capital City Fire Rescue Chief Eric Mohrman.
He says CCFR rescuers, with help from neighbors, pulled the people out of the river.
Some were rescued with ropes thrown to them as they floated down the river.
All were wearing life preservers.
The Chief says, once out of the water, the passengers were all in stable condition and transported to Bartlett Regional Hospital to be checked out.
Chief Mohrman says it appears the high water on Mendenhall River caused by recent heavy rain may have contributed to the incident.
A flood advisory was in effect for most of the day yesterday.
Skiff with seven aboard capsizes near Juneau, one person transported to hospital
A skiff with seven people aboard capsized in Lynn Canal near Aaron Island just north of Tee Harbor near Juneau Monday.
The Coast Guard has identified the owner operator as Gary Lehnhart.
The Coast Guard received the mayday a few minutes before Noon from the 20 foot Hughes craft.
It was reported initially that five were rescued by a Good Samaritan vessel and another was recovered by an Alaska State Trooper boat.
That person was one of two trapped under the capsized skiff.
The second person was recovered later.
A Coast Guard official says the 73 year-old man was unresponsive and that CPR was administered aboard the Trooper boat on the way to Auke Bay. He was transferred to an awaiting ambulance and taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital.
The person's name has not been released by the Alaska State Troopers at this report.
Three people located in good shape near Ketchikan
The Coast Guard has found a party of three missing since Saturday night alive and well in the Ketchikan area.
The two adults and a 12 year old girl from a 16 foot skiff were located on the beach in eastern Behm Canal 30 miles northeast of Ketchikan at about eight Monday morning by a helicopter from Air Station Sitka.
Scott Girard, a search and rescue controller in the Juneau Command Center, says 50 year old Klyn Kloxin and 46 year old Tracy Harrel, both of Ketchikan, and 12 year old Kylee Mourley, who is vacationing from Idaho, were all in good condition.
They had come ashore four miles north of Rudyerd Bay. They started a fire using a flare they had on board.
They were taken by helicopter to emergency medical services in Ketchikan and later to the hospital in Ketchikan where they were treated and released.
Giard says it was decided to check them out since they were out in the rain and cold for two and a half days.
They had come ashore four miles north of Rudyerd Bay.
Giard says it's unclear whether they were waiting out weather or what the source of their troubles were.
They were reported overdue Saturday night after they failed to return as scheduled.
They had left town at 8 that morning to fish for halibut in the vicinity of Bold Island and Twin Islands.
NEW - Derby catch looking good
The bottom line results of this year's Golden North Salmon Derby will be really good this year.
That from derby Co-Chair Susan Listberger who says the catch amounts to just under 15,000 pounds which she says is up about 45-hundred pounds from last year.
The Territorial Sportsmen were only able to channel $5,600 to their Scholarship Fund last year. The price isn't in yet from Alaska Glacier Seafoods, but Listberger says they're probably looking at about $21,000.
She says they sold about 1,550 tickets, about the same as last year.
Derby results are scheduled to be certified this afternoon.
Winning anglers, including first place winner Marsha Montag, will pick up their winnings during Awards Night at 7 p.m. Thursday at Centennial Hall.
Montag finished first, unofficially at this report, with a 28.6 pound King she weighed in at Douglas at about 6 p.m. Friday.
All CBJ Oct. 6 local election races now competitive
All the races on the October 6 local election ballot in Juneau are competitive.
There was a flurry of filings prior to Monday afternoon's filing deadline.
Current School Board President Mark Choate and Bill Peters, a former board president, filed their paperwork in the morning.
Filing later were board incumbent's Andie Story and Phyllis Carlson. Also filing for the school board was Mary Marks.
David Stone, who has filed for re-election to the Assembly District One Seat, netted competition from Karen Lawfer who filed Monday.
Stephanie Madsen gained competition from Ruth Danner for the Assembly District Two seat being vacated by Sara Chambers. Danner also filed Monday.
Mayor Bruce Botelho faces a challenge from Mark Farmer.
UPDATE - Anchorage mayor explains veto of gay rights ordinance
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP and KINY) — Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan says he vetoed a gay rights ordinance because there is no evidence it's needed and because the majority of 2,500 people who contacted him opposed it.
He says elected officials should reflect the will of the community.
The measure passed by the Anchorage Assembly last week would have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in jobs and housing.
His father, former Mayor George Sullivan vetoed the very first proposed sexual preference clause to the local government's Equal Employment Opportunity ordinance/ That was proposed in the 1970's as the city and borough there unified.
Monday's rain a record for the date in Juneau, flood advisory in effect yet
If you felt there was a lot of rain in Juneau Monday, you were correct.
It was of record proportions, according to Meteorologist Paul Suffern in the the Juneau Forecast Office.
He says 1.18 inches was recorded at the airport exceeding the previous record for the date of 1.11 in 2006.
The forecaster says the rain caused the flooding of Montana Creek yesterday and the flooding that's still occurring at Mendenhall Lake near Skater's Cabin.
A flood advisory for the lake and Mendenhall River is in effect until 12:30 this afternoon.
The forecaster says the river was at 12.8 feet earlier this morning which is a few inches above flood stage. It has since receded slightly below flood stage.
As of 6:30, he says Mendenhall Lake was still about a half a foot above flood stage.
Water damages up to 500 boxes at state archives
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — (KINY)- Rain water has damaged up to 500 boxes of documents at the Alaska State Archives.
Officials say an inflated plastic bubble blew off its fastenings late Sunday or early Monday at the archives in Juneau.
Rain water got into a second-story room in two places. Some water also dripped down to the first-story vault.
Some maps and between 400 and 500 cardboard boxes that included court, legislative and governor's office records were damaged.
Juneau Senator Dennis Egan says it's tragic because the building holds all the state's archives from all over the state.
But he notes, amazingly, there happens to be a group of archivists from the U.S. west coast in Juneau for a convention and they're working on preserving the documents.
Egan says some of the damaged documents were from his father Governor Bill Egan's administration and also from state's territorial days.
Egan says hopefully the new archives project on the property next to the state museum in downtown Juneau will be built and the rain and water won't be an issue again.
Officials are using dehumidifiers and fans in the affected areas. Some of the damaged boxes were taken to another building to be dried out.
The state archives have been closed until further notice.
************************************* Update
A skiff with seven people aboard capsized in Lynn Canal near Aaron Island just north of Tee Harbor near Juneau Monday. One person died in the incident.
The Coast Guard has identified the owner operator as Gary Lehnhart. The person killed was his father, 76 year old Robert Earl Lehnhart of Lake Forest, California, according to Alaska State Troopers.
The Coast Guard received the mayday a few minutes before Noon from the 20 foot Hughes craft.
It was reported initially that five were rescued by a Good Samaritan vessel and another was recovered by an Alaska State Trooper boat.
That person was one of two trapped under the capsized skiff.
Lehnhart was recovered later.
A Coast Guard official says the man was unresponsive and that CPR was administered aboard the Trooper boat on the way to Auke Bay. He was transferred to an awaiting ambulance and taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital.
Lehnhart with with family headed back to Juneau after vacationing in the St. James Bay area.
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| Thursday, August 13th, 2009
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9:42 am - Frantic day
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Jess's bday - Gina miscommunication with him; sushi dinner; they went to movie; I stayed home
12th - cleaned house - Boo's stuff, closets, my room, bathroom, rent deposit, door handle and tools, scrap up dish soap, plunge the bathtub - LOL. Jess woke up and carried stuff to Moby, almost didn't pass inspection, Jess put up smoke alarms while Art did invoice. Dungeness with Blain.
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| Monday, August 10th, 2009
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12:18 am - In the News - Oooppsssieesss
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NEW - Commander of Coast Guard Cutter rescued near Ketchikan after getting lost on hunting trip
The Coast Guard rescued one of its own this morning. (Sunday)
Lieutenant Andrews Hoag, the commanding officer of the Cutter Naushon homeported in Ketchikan, became lost on a hunting trip.
He did not return to camp Friday night as expected.
One of the two people he was hunting with left the camp Saturday morning to reach an area where communications are possible and placed a mayday call.
The call was picked up by a vessel in the area who reported it to State Troopers who in turned notified the Coast Guard.
The lieutenant was spotted this morning (Sunday) at 6:50 a.m. waving his arms on the northern shoreline in Blackwell Arm, 30 miles east of Ketchikan.
Troopers, Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Service and Sitka Mountain rescue participated in the search.
Cab runs into Valley gas station and convenience store
A taxi cab ran into the Tesoro gas station convenience store on Mall Road in the Valley Saturday.
Police Sergeant Terry Allen says the call came in at 5:45 p.m.
He says the cab, a 1999 Chevrolet van driven by a 54 year old Juneau man, crashed through an outside wall and was partially inside the building when they arrived on scene.
Police say the cab driver was taken to the hospital by Capital City Fire Rescue. The cabbie's fare refused transport.
Sergeant Allen says everyone in the store at the time was able to jump out of the way.
Alcohol is not believed to be a factor. Police believe a medical problem with the driver may have been the cause.
The cab was totaled. Damage to the store is estimated at $75,000.
The owner tells police the store will be closed for the next few days while repairs are made.
The original report says the store was on fire, but no fire was found when Capital City Fire Rescue arrived on scene.
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| Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
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9:56 pm - Grandma and Grandpa G.
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So I sent Faith an email on Monday about contacting Mom and Dad G. She answered me on Tuesday morning and I quickly called them. Mom said the dinner Tuesday night was best for them. So I shot off a text to the kids to not make any plans, the grandparents were available. I didn't hear at all from Boo, not even after lunch, so I sent an email to her work in case she was there. Set up for dinner at the Thane Orehouse. Finally reached Boo, she had been baking a cake all afternoon for M and Ed's daughter, Rain. She's a year old already, OMGoodness! Dillon joined us. Boo carpooled all of us down there. We got there early, then Mom called and said they were just leaving Lemon Creek and would be a little late, but they were coming. So we entertained ourselves until they arrived. Mom G almost didn't recognize Boo when she got up and approached to give them hugs. Rob they didn't get to see the last time they were in town. It was a very nice dinner. The bugs were horrendous afterwards when we went outside for photos.
We took photos of the forest fire smoke sunball in the sky on the way home. I put them up in my August folder on Facebook. (hint, hint, Jackie and LisaMarie).
I was horrified at how much weight Dad has lost just in the few years since the last time we saw him. His arms are no bigger than mine now. This was the man who could fold his strong shoulders around me and make me feel small and safe. Suddenly I felt like I needed to be protecting him from any strong breeze! Wow. But dinner was really good. I hated the pictures because I certainly am big enough to be 2 people. It is SO time to find the money and order the Smart cookies again. I need to get down to the weight where the 20 pounds of bounce back won't be bad. I always seem to gain just 20 pounds back from whatever I lose until I start earing again. Tracy got the Lapband surgery and is encouraging me to do the same. I am thinking about it, but can't wait too long to think about it.
Tonight I went to Mum's and watered the plants and yards. Sad that in the Rainforest you have to haul out a hose and water the lawn because it's been so dry. But it does happen on a cycle so I just need to grin and wait it out.
Pool tomorrow night. I have to collect scoresheets because Ken is out of town this week. I would like to do as good as I did last week. That perfect 40 felt nice, and the 10-0 game I still feel guilty about. I think it really was a good thing that Blain and I went in separate rigs! I don't know who we are playing tomorrow night, but my fingers are crossed and my MP3 is charged up.
Tom gave me a letter of intent to repair to provide to the Engineer and whomever else I need in regards to the condo door and window. I have to call Jennifer at HOP tomorrow and ask Nathan if the underwriter will accept it. If they both do, then I will have Art come back in and do the re-inspection ---right after I clean house! Can tell I don't spend much time at home, the place is a disaster! With my stuff! Ugh.
Okay, I am stuffed from the halibut seafood wrap I had at the Pasta Garden. And 3 glasses of lemonade - bet I'll be getting up in the middle of the night tonight! We went out to the Glacier after dinner to walk Hazel. The trails are all bear viewing trails now and dogs are not allowed. So we walked the sideway and went down to the lake. Hazel isn't scared of the water! She waded out until the cold touched her belly. Now the car smells like a wet dog - oh well. It was fun. Caught a glimpse of the black bear sow fishing the bright red sockeye out of the stream. Not enough of a glimpse for a photo, though. And there was a young porcupine down the hill from the bus shelter at the base of a tree studying the tourists climbing over themselves to take pictures. Hazel was so crazy eager to meet the poor thing, I had to wrap her leash around a nearby tree to keep her from pulling me over.
Which reminds me, little Keegan is trying to talk now. He calls me alisssa, and Hazel is Puzzle. So cute! And he knows his name from me is Pumpkin. I haven't found one for Aaron other than Chubby Cheeks, which isn't all that appropriate.
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| Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
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6:46 am - In the News -
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150 Strykers return from Iraq
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The first group of Strykers has returned to Fort Wainwright.
About 150 soldiers returned Monday morning.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports Col. Edward Daly, commander of the United States Army Alaska, let the soldiers be reunited with their families as soon as possible.
After the soldiers marched in formation into a hangar, he dismissed them with a simple, "Be safe, fall out."
The advance group of brigade members will make preparations for the return over the next six weeks of the remaining 4,000 soldiers from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat, 25th Infantry.
(Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
Wal-Mart is 2nd-largest private employer in Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The state Labor Department reports Wal-Mart has moved up two spots and is now No. 2 on the list of largest private employers in Alaska.
State economist Neil Fried told The Anchorage Daily News Wal-Mart grew to more than 3,000 employees last year by expanding into grocery-selling supercenters.
Providence Health & Services, including Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, is No. 1 with more than 4,000 workers.
Carr's grocery chain is third, followed by Fred Meyer and ASRC Energy Services on the list of top employers.
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Non-profits like the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium are on the list. SEARHC is ranked 31st statewide and first in Southeast Alaska.
Ketchikan General Hospital is 72nd.
Other Southeast headquartered companies on the top 100 list include Petersburg based Icicle Seafoods at 32nd, and Greens Creek Mining in Juneau which is ranked 84th.
The list doesn't include government jobs. Overall, the largest employer in Alaska is the military, followed by the state.
Fried says retail jobs average $27,700 a year and oil and gas jobs $113,500.
(Anchorage Daily News)
Searchers find body of woman in waters west of Douglas Island...awaiting positive I.D.
A helicopter crew searching for a missing female cruise ship passenger located the body of a woman late this afternoon. (Monday)
Alaska State Troopers identified the cruise ship passenger reported missing from Holland America's Zaandam as 45 year-old Amber Mulkuch of Washington State.
The body has not been positively identified, although the Coast Guard ended its search last night.
Mulkuch was reported missing Monday morning.
The body was located by a TEMSCO helicopter crew on the west side of Douglas Island about 4:30 p.m. while assisting the Coast Guard and Holland America in the search effort.
A Coast Guard helicopter transported the body to the Air National Guard Hangar in Juneau. From there, the Alaska State Troopers took the body to Bartlett Regional Hospital for identification.
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The Zaandam left Juneau bound for Glacier Bay late Sunday night.
The Alaska State Troopers' Beth Ipsen says they're told Mulkuch made a phone call to the ship's purser at about midnight or one a.m. She was also seen about that same time by other passengers.
The woman is believed to have fallen overboard between Douglas Island and Glacier Bay National Park.
The Alaska State Troopers and the Coast Guard will conduct an investigation into the cause of the incident.
Troopers are meeting the Zaadam in Sitka this morning to question the woman's traveling companion and other passengers and crew.
Smoke and haze to hang around for a couple of days yet
The smoke and haze in Juneau skies caused by wildfires in Canada will hang around another day or two.
Meteorologist Pete Boyd in the Juneau Forecast Office says that with the upper level flow of the winds the smoke and haze will probably be here today, tonight and probably into tomorrow.
He says conditions will a little better than it was previously, but with the wind conditions and with the continued burning of the fires, it will hang on for a bit yet.
The wildfires causing the hazy and smoky skies here are burning near Watson Lake in British Columbia and near Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.
http://images.morris.com/images/juneau/mdControlled/cms/2009/08/04/476223264.jpg
{my note - last night the smoke was so heavy that I could stand on the hill at Home Depot and look across through the haze to Costco, but couldn't see the mountain back behind it}
CBJ Burn ban now in effect
Fire Marshal Dan Jager has declared an immediate ban on open burning in the City and Borough of Juneau
The ban is in effect until at least today due to the presence of smoke from Canadian and Interior wild land fires.
Red Flag warnings for Interior wildfire danger
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The eek, about 15 miles north of Fairbanks.
It has burned about 300 acres as of 4 p.m. Monday.
The state Division of Forestry says the blaze is the top priority for fire managers.
Also of concern are the Crazy Mountain Complex and the Railbelt Complex, two groups of interior fires that continue to grow in conditions of low humidity and high temperatures.
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| Monday, August 3rd, 2009
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6:00 am - In the News - fire!
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Wildfires in Canada the cause of hazy Juneau skies
Haze and areas of smoke will be words included in Juneau's weather forecast through the week due to wildfires in Canada.
Meteorologist Chris Cox in the Juneau Forecast Office says there are several large fires in the southern Yukon including a very large one just south of Whitehorse.
He says northerly winds will push smoke from the fires into the Southeast Panhandle for the next several days.
The forecaster says the smoke will be in and out of the area probably through the end of the week.
NEW - Wildfire smoke spurs advisory for Interior
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A dense smoke advisory remains in effect until noon in Fairbanks, Nenana and the upper Tanana Valley.
The National Weather Service says wildfire smoke is limiting visibility to less than a mile, but air mixing should improve visibility this afternoon.
Wildfire threatens Alaska village
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Cooler temperatures are helping crews fight a wildfire moving toward a small village in eastern Alaska, but the weather is expected to warm again.
Fire information officer Sarah Saarloos says the blaze is about four miles from the center of Circle, a community of about 95.
Saarloos says the fire is slightly more than a mile from a home on the outskirts of the community, located about 90 miles west of the Canada border.
Fire officials say no evacuations are in the works and there are no reported injuries.
Officials say erratic winds and dry conditions fueled the fire Saturday. Winds are expected to pick up again in the days ahead.
The blaze is among four wildfires burning close together that officials are calling the Crazy Mountain Complex.
At least 490 square miles have burned.
NEW - Firefighters move to protect homes south of Nenana
NENANA, Alaska (AP) — Officials managing the Railbelt Complex wildfires staged five engines and four bulldozers near the Rex Bridge area south of Nenana.
They say Chinook winds forecast today and tomorrow could push the fire south, threatening homes.
About 360 firefighters are deployed on Railbelt Complex fires that have burned nearly 464,000 acres — 725 square miles.
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12:11 am - In the News - King Salmon losing battle for survival
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Vanishing king salmon in Alaska's Yukon River leave smokehouses empty, economic crisis
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska's prized king salmon is vanishing.
One river after another has been closed to king fishing this summer because significant numbers of the fish failed to return to spawn.
The dismally weak return follows weak runs last summer and poor runs in 2007, which also resulted in emergency fishing closures.
King salmon spend years in the Bering Sea before returning as adults to rivers where they were born.
Biologists speculate that the mostly likely cause was a shift in Pacific Ocean currents, but food availability, changing river conditions and predator-prey relationships also could be affecting the fish.
People living along the Yukon River believe the blame should go to the pollock fishery.
King salmon get caught in the huge pollock trawl nets, and the dead kings are counted and most are thrown back into the ocean. Some are donated to the needy.
July third warmest on record for Capital City
July was a noteworthy weather month for Juneau.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Tom Ainsworth says July turned out to be the third warmest July since records began being kept in 1943.
He says am unusually warm and dry weather pattern over the northern hemisphere continued to bring sunny and warm temperatures well into July.
The average temperature last month was 59 point 9 degrees.
The highest temperature of 85 degrees occurred on the 6th and the lowest of 44 was recorded on the 3rd and 7th on some clear nights.
Three record high temperatures were recorded in July
The 85 degrees on the 6th broke the old record of 81 set in 1972.
The 82 degrees recorded on 29th broke the previous record of 80 degrees set in 1976 and the 79 degrees on the 30th broke the old record of 78 degrees set in 1978.
July 2009 was the 7th driest on record.
Precipitation amounted to only 2 point 35 inches. That's 1 point 79 inches below normal.
The highest 24 hour rain total was 83 hundredths on an inch measured on the 19th through the 20th.
The highest wind gust recorded at the Juneau Airport was 30 miles per hour from the east on July 7th.
A 53 mile per hour gust was recorded on south Douglas Island on the same day.
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| Thursday, July 30th, 2009
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6:34 am - In the News - igloos melt in Alaska
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Juneau hits record high Wednesday, another record expected today..Seattle hottest ever
The high temperature in Juneau yesterday was a record for the date.
Meteorologist Corey Van Pelt in the Juneau Forecast Office says it reached 82 degrees. That broke the old record of 80 degrees set in 1976.
And it appears another record will be set today.
The record high for this date is 78 set in 1978. The forecast calls for highs in the low to mid 80s.
After today, the forecaster says the temperatures will come down a bit.
Friday's high is expected to be 74 and then 70 on Saturday.
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| Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
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5:48 am - Native American News
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In the News Friday, July 24th:
Appeals court demands accounting for Indian trusts
MARY CLARE JALONICK - Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that the Interior Department must account for century-old land royalties owed to American Indians, reversing a lower court's ruling that the task is impossible.
A 2008 decision by U.S. District Judge James Robertson said the department had unreasonably delayed an accounting but added that the complicated task was ultimately impossible.
He later said the Indians are entitled to $455 million, a fraction of the billions they say they are owed.
The appeals court said Friday that the court erred in freeing the government from the accounting burden.
The long-running suit claims the Indian plaintiffs were swindled out of royalties overseen by the Interior Department since 1887 for things like oil, gas, grazing and timber.
In Today's News:
Alaska organizations owe payroll taxes to IRS
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A state report says some tribal governments, cities and non-profits owe $4.4 million in unpaid payroll taxes and penalties to the Internal Revenue Service.
One nonprofit, the Aniak-based Kuskokwim Native Association, owes $2.6 million.
The finance director, Samantha Gunes, told The Anchorage Daily News the association had no idea how it would ever be able to pay.
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| Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
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6:29 am - In the News - death ends vacation for local boy
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Juneau teen dies after hike in Arizona
A Juneau teen has died after passing out during a hike at Phoenix's South Mountain Preserve
Kevin Walkenford was a Floyd Dryden 8th grader this past year and was to begin at Thunder Mountain High School this fall.
According to family members, the 14-year-old, his mother, aunt and cousin set off on the hike early Sunday morning.
Near the end of the four-hour hike, they say, Kevin became disoriented and confused.
They placed him in shade and tried to get him to drink water and then poured water on him try to cool him down.
Park Rangers then alerted firefighter EMT's who arrived about half an hour later.
The family says Kevin was breathing when the EMT's arrived.
CPR was started when he was being transported in the ambulance.
Maricopa Medical Center spokesman Michael Murphy said Monday that the teen was pronounced dead late Sunday afternoon.
One of the teen's family members was treated for dehydration.
Temperatures in the preserve ranged from 105 to 110 degrees late Sunday morning.
According to the family, a story appearing in the The Arizona Republic reporting that the hikers had run out of water during the hike is not correct.
The family says the four were experienced hikers and carried enough water to last throughout the four-hour hike.
A memorial account for Kevin has been established at Alaska USA.
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| Monday, July 20th, 2009
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6:39 am - In the News
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Wildfires have burned 1 million acres in Alaska
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — More than 400 wildfires have burned over 1 million acres in Alaska so far this year, making this one of the fifteen worst wildfire seasons in more than half a century.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports a fire near the Chitina River grew Sunday to more than 24,000 acres. A fire information officer with the National Park Service, Kathleen Kavalok, said the smoke plume Sunday reached about 7,000 feet and drifted west.
The biggest fire in the Interior is the Minto Flats South Fire about 12 miles from Nenana. It has burned more than 191,000 acres. Other fires include blazes near McGrath, Fort Yukon and Circle.
The Alaska Interagency Coordination Center says 68 fires are active across the state and firefighters have staffed 10.
Soldier held in Afghanistan is based at Fort Richardson
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has identified the American soldier based who went missing June 30 from his base in eastern Afghanistan and was later confirmed to have been captured.
The Defense Department said in a statement Sunday that the soldier is 23-year-old Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl of Ketchum, Idaho. The statement also says his status is now classified as missing-captured, rather than whereabouts unknown.
Bergdahl is a member of 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Richardson in Alaska.
In a video posted online by the Taliban on Saturday, he's heard saying he's "scared I won't be able to go home."
Before the Pentagon released Bergdahl's identity, two U.S. defense officials confirmed to The Associated Press that the man in the 28-minute video was the captured soldier.
The military said on July 2 that a U.S. soldier had disappeared after walking off his base in eastern Afghanistan with three Afghan counterparts and was believed to have been taken prisoner.
Convicted molester returned to Alaska jail
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) — A convicted sex offender who failed to appear at his sentencing last year has been captured in Mexico and returned to an Alaska jail.
The U.S. Marshals Service says 35-year-old Tracy Swisher of Mossy Rock, Wash. is being held without bail in Ketchikan while he awaits next month's sentencing in Craig.
Swisher was convicted in January 2008 of sexually abusing a child under the age of 13.
The abuse occurred at a U.S. Forest Service cabin on Prince of Wales Island.
June's unemployment rate unchanged...increases in jobs lag behind last year
Alaska's unemployment rate stayed about the same from May to June, although increases in payroll jobs continue to lag behind last year's levels.
Last month's unemployment rate came in 8 point 4 percent.
May's rate was revised down to 8 point 3 percent.
State economist Dan Robinson says the nation's rate moved from 9 point 4 to 9 point 5 percent.
Robinson says for the second month in a row the pay roll job count was below a year ago.
He says in June 2008 there was about eleven-hundred more jobs than this June.
Robinson says there was the usual seasonal job increases, but it's been about 5,000 fewer than normal.
He says 35,000 jobs were added between January and June.
Normally, about 40,000 jobs would be added during those same months.
The sectors that are up from a year ago include health care at 1,100 jobs; government is up 800 although almost 300 are firefighters at the Department of Natural Resources and oil and gas is still up 400 jobs over last year.
The sectors that saw the biggest losses from a year ago are construction down 1,200 jobs; retail trade down 900 from a year ago and food and drink services down 400 from a year ago..
An estimated 31,139 people were unemployed in June, compared to 24,165 last year.
Juneau's rate for June was 6 point 4 percent, compared to 4 point 7 a year ago.
The number of unemployed in the Capital City last month was an estimated 1,199 compared to 895 one year ago.
The rate in Haines was 8 point 2 percent last month, compared to 7 point 6 in June 2008. The number of unemployed was 121 compared to 114 one year ago.
The rate in the Skagway, Hoonah, Angoon census area had a 8 point 8 percent unemployment rate last month, compared to 6 Pont 8 in June 2008. The number of unemployed rose from 217 compared to 170 one year ago.
The Prince of Wales Island outer Ketchikan census area was 14 point 7 compared to 11 point 2 a year ago. The number of unemployed was 375 compared to 282 one year ago...
Ketchikan had a 6 point 8 percent unemployment rate last month. Compared to 5 point 2 percent one year ago.
The number of unemployed was 601 compared to 465 a year ago.
Sitka's unemployment rate last month was 6 point 7 percent compared to 6 point 5 last year. The number of unemployed went from 265 last year to 322 last month.
The rate in Anchorage was 7 point 3 percent in June, up from 5 point 6 last year. The number of unemployed was an estimated 11,444 compared to 8,586 last year.
The rate in the Mat-Su Borough was 9 point 9 percent in June, up from 7 point 5 last year. The number of unemployed was 4,094 compared to 3,050 last year.
The rate in Fairbanks was 7 point 8 percent in June, up from 6 point 3 last year. The number of unemployed was an estimated 3,636 compared to 2,891 last year...
The highest rate in the state in June was the Wade Hampton Census Area in southwestern Alaska at 31 point 3 percent.
The lowest was the Denali Borough at 3.2 percent.
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| Friday, July 17th, 2009
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4:54 pm - RAIN!!!!!!!!
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Oh thank the heavens!!! We finally have rain. Not just the "Oh, i'm thinking about it" sort of one drop here on drop there, but the real stand out with the shampoo and take a shower normal rain!!!
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4:48 pm - In the News --- Globs identified
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Test shows gooey glob in Alaskan waters is algae
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A gooey substance floating off Alaskan waters in the Arctic Sea and mystifying local officials and the U.S. Coast Guard has been identified as algae.
The Anchorage Daily News reports that test results from the state Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed yesterday that the blob was "marine algae."
The thick, dark and peculiar-smelling substance has appeared in the water between Wainwright and Barrow on the northern shores this month. It was initially feared as an oil spill but the U.S. Coast Guard said it was not manmade.
The substance had left people scratching their heads because no one recalled a similar material being found.
(Anchorage Daily News)
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