State Briefs
Drive attracts new voters
JUNEAU - Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School students registered 159 new voters during a four-day drive to get more people involved in elections.
Teacher Jamie Marks said 60 students and about 25 adults registered voters and handed out absentee ballot forms in one of several registration drives before Sunday's midnight deadline.
"The kids came back this morning and they were all very excited, talking about how many people registered," Marks said today.
The Alaska Committee and a number of businesses and individuals also registered voters over the weekend. State elections offices also stayed open.
Voters registered by the end of Sunday can cast ballots in the Nov. 5 statewide general election. Ballot items include the race for governor and lieutenant governor, U.S. senator and representative, Juneau's three legislative seats and retaining local judges. Also on the ballot is a measure to move legislative sessions north and a school bond measure that would help fund Juneau's new high school.
Kenai bids for Arctic games
KENAI - Kenai Peninsula Borough officials revealed their bid Friday to bring the Arctic Winter Games to the peninsula in 2006.
"We see this as a way to bring all the communities together and all the people on the peninsula together as well," Soldotna Mayor Dave Carey said.
The Juneau Assembly on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution supporting Juneau's bid to host the games. Fairbanks also plans to bid. The circumpolar games bring together about 2,000 competitors and spectators from Alaska, Canada, Russia and Greenland every two years.
For the Kenai Peninsula bid, events would be split up among practice venues in Girdwood, Homer, Nikiski and Kenai, with Soldotna as the central location.
Borough Mayor Dale Bagley said if the peninsula is selected, funding for the games, estimated to range between $3 million and $5 million, also will come from combined efforts from the borough community.
"The (money) we will need is doable," Bagley said. "Since we're working on bringing it here, the borough and cities expect to put money in. The oil companies will probably weigh pretty heavily into the equation as well. The nice thing for the corporations is since this is three years out, you can get them to put in a little at a time."
Bid packages must be delivered to the Arctic Winter Games site committee in Whitehorse, Yukon, by Oct. 15.
FEMA creates citizens council
ANCHORAGE - The Federal Emergency Management Agency will create a Citizen Corps Council in Alaska.
Citizen Corps is a community-based initiative aimed at allowing people to engage in homeland security efforts and support first responders and emergency managers.
The councils help arrange volunteer training and provide information for public education efforts.
The Anchorage Citizen Corps will work with state and federal agencies to coordinate local programs such as community emergency response teams, Volunteers in Police Service, Neighborhood Watch and the Medical Reserve Corps.
March for peace in Anchorage
ANCHORAGE - About 150 demonstrators took a peace message on a march around the Dimond Center mall on Sunday.
They carried signs such as "Honk for Peace," "Invasion war crime" and "We don't need no more trouble."
The marchers, who ranged from children to graybeards, received a generally friendly reception from Sunday drivers and autumn shoppers. One man in a red convertible paused to yell angrily at them.
Thousands of protesters opposed to a war in Iraq converged Sunday as part of a coordinated national effort that stretched from New York City's Central Park to San Francisco's Union Square and spots in at least a dozen other cities.
The rallies, pulled together by an umbrella group called the Not in Our Name Project, were timed to coincide with the eve of the anniversary of the start of U.S. bombing in Afghanistan.
One dead, one missing after ATV flips
ANCHORAGE One man died and another was missing after an Argo amphibious ATV flipped in a creek south of Tyonek Friday night, according to Alaska State Troopers.
The ATV flipped about 10 p.m. as three men were trying to cross the creek in it, troopers said. Scott Peters, 21, of Anchorage was able to get to the bank and walk to Tyonek for help. Troopers were notified the following morning. Searchers from Tyonek recovered the body of Michael Constantine, 38, of Tyonek on Saturday.
Another Tyonek man, Daniel Standifer Jr., 34, was still missing and the search was suspended, troopers said. Tyonek is on the east side of Cook Inlet about 50 miles west of Anchorage.
Whooping cough cases reported in Homer
HOMER State health officials have confirmed two cases of whooping cough, also called pertussis, in Homer.
Health officials held immunization clinics Saturday and have met with local officials and health care workers.
Alaskas schoolchildren are required to have shots to immunize them against the disease unless they seek an exemption for health or religious reasons.
Compiled from staff and wire service reports.