Alaska Digest
Man charged in Haines traffic fatality
JUNEAU - A 23-year-old Haines man has been charged with manslaughter in connection with a fatal car accident on Sept. 2.
Raymond Pardee was being held in the Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
Haines police also arrested him on charges of drunken driving and three counts of reckless endangerment, one for each of his passengers that survived the accident near Union Street and Allen Road.
Daniel Folletti, 20, sustained head injuries in the accident. He was flown to Juneau, where he died of head injuries, Haines police reported.
Police said investigation is continuing. They reported that Pardee was driving a Chevrolet Suburban that flipped in the early morning accident.
Manslaughter is a felony charge that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in jail.
Teens found in Kmart
JUNEAU - Police arrested five youths Saturday afternoon after they were found in the empty Kmart building or fleeing from it.
Arrested were two 16-year-old girls, a 15-year-old boy, a 14-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl. They were charged with second-degree burglary and third-degree criminal mischief, both felonies.
The youths were lodged at the Johnson Youth Center, the state juvenile jail.
Police, arriving at the former store shortly after 1 p.m., found a shattered pane in one of the front doors. Inside, they found that glass had been broken on three display fixtures and a freezer door. Police estimated the damage at $1,400.
Alaska auditions for 'American Idol' off
ANCHORAGE - Alaska is out as an "American Idol" contender.
The popular reality television show that gives unknowns a shot at pop stardom has canceled its upcoming auditions in Anchorage because of scheduling conflicts.
"Idol," which airs on Fox, canceled its Sept. 28 date at Sullivan Arena to reschedule auditions in Orlando, Fla., after Hurricane Charley resulted in a low turnout at the original Orlando tryout Aug. 26.
There are no plans to reschedule the Anchorage auditions.
In three seasons, "Idol" has become a pop culture phenomenon, scoring enormous television ratings, becoming a powerful brand name and making megastars of its celebrity judging panel.
Sullivan Arena officials said they were told by "Idol" reps to expect between 4,000 and 5,000 participants, including many traveling from outside the state. There were only eight regional tryouts scheduled for the show's upcoming fourth season, and all but the Anchorage tryouts were set in major metropolitan areas.
More than 10,000 participated in tryouts in St. Louis and Cleveland. More than 20,000 showed up in Washington, D.C.
Family dog attacks child
ANCHORAGE - A 5-year-old boy at an Anchorage foster home was attacked by a family dog with a history of biting children.
The boy's injuries were extremely serious, requiring numerous stitches to his face, authorities said.
The owner turned the dog into the city animal shelter. It was put down at a private clinic. The state Office of Children's Services, which oversees foster care, is investigating.
The dog, a 70-pound Labrador mix named Jake, bit the boy in his room as he was getting ready for bed Aug. 25, said Beth Wallan, spokeswoman for the city's Animal Care and Control Center.
Kim Kromer, the foster mother and dog owner, wasn't in the room and didn't see the attack, according to what she told an investigator, Wallan said. "All she heard was growling and barking," Wallan said.
Kromer opened the child's door, and the dog came running out. She saw the boy bleeding and called 911. An ambulance took the boy to Providence Alaska Medical Center, Wallan said.
Someone called animal control, and an officer went to the hospital to investigate.
"What happened was a tragedy for everyone involved, and if there was any way that I could turn back the clock and stop it from happening, I certainly would do it in a heartbeat," Kromer told the Anchorage Daily News.
Twice before, in August 2000 and June 2001, Jake bit children, said Rick Novy, animal care and control enforcement supervisor. An animal control officer investigated, and the children needed medical treatment, he said. But in both those instances, the dog had been provoked, he said.
Both times, Jake was quarantined at home for 10 days to make sure he didn't have rabies.
Animal control authorities didn't see a need to classify Jake as aggressive or put restrictions on him, such as requiring a muzzle.
Oil companies say test wells show promise
ANCHORAGE - Test wells operated by ConocoPhillips and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. in the eastern National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska look promising, the Houston-based companies said.
A well drilled in the Spark area discovered on Alaska's North Slope in 2001 released condensate, a sort of very light oil. A 2002 test well into the same rock layer in an area called Lookout nine miles away hit oil.
A comparison is complicated because the wells flowed at different rates and were drilled using different techniques, said Ken Boyd, a former state oil director now working as an industry consultant. Neither company is a client, he said.
"I think they're dealing with a very complicated reservoir," Boyd told the Anchorage Daily News.
As at many North Slope oil fields, the wells also found natural gas. But the oil companies lack a pipeline to move the gas to market.
Conoco has yet to announce an estimate of how much oil and gas it thinks it has found.