Regional Briefs
Assembly panel picks track option
JUNEAU - A Juneau Assembly committee on Wednesday decided that the best fix for the running track at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park is simply to resurface it.
Earlier this year, student athletes and coaches asked the city to resurface the track, which they said was causing shin-splints and other injuries.
An engineering study completed this month recommended that the city put a polyurethane surface on top of the existing asphalt-bound track, at a cost of $262,000.
At a meeting Wednesday, the Assembly's Public Works and Facilities Committee agreed, opting against a more expensive option to remove and replace the track. Another option, that of widening the surface of the track to eight lanes, would more than double the cost, the study said.
Committee chairwoman Frankie Pillifant said the panel next will consider a financing package for the project. One option is to transfer leftover funds from other projects to pay for the resurfacing, she said.
Man charged with child porn
ANCHORAGE - A federal grand jury indicted an Anchorage man Tuesday on one count each of possessing and distributing child pornography.
John Adams, 22, is charged with using his personal computer to possess about 15,000 images of child pornography and to distribute images.
Anchorage police, U.S. Customs, the Computer Crimes Unit, the Crimes against Children Unit, and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children investigated the case.
"It came from a tip from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children," said Steven E. Skrocki, assistant U.S. attorney. The center is a national clearinghouse for information on missing children and the prevention of child victimization.
The maximum penalty for distribution and possession of child pornography is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Federal grand jury indicts pipeline suspect
ANCHORAGE - A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted the man suspected of shooting the trans-Alaska oil pipeline earlier this month, causing more than 285,000 gallons of oil to spill onto the Alaska tundra.
Daniel Carson Lewis, 37, already faces state charges. The federal grand jury in Anchorage indicted him on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Lewis already has pleaded innocent to state felony charges of first-degree criminal mischief, third-degree assault and drunken driving. He is accused of shooting the pipeline north of Fairbanks near Livengood on Oct. 4.
He faces a maximum of 22 years in prison for all the state charges, and he could be fined and ordered to pay restitution to the oil companies and the state.
The cleanup is expected to be lengthy and could run into the millions of dollars. Workers have recovered more than half the oil.