State Briefs
Assembly appoints JEDC board members
JUNEAU - After a short debate, the Juneau Assembly appointed Heather McCarty, Janie Homan and Jeremy Anderson to the Juneau Economic Development Council's board of directors Monday.
The Assembly received nine applications for three seats on the council, which promotes economic diversity and sustainable development in Southeast Alaska. McCarty was reappointed to the board and Homan was appointed to a public seat. The debate centered on the appointment of Southeast Alaska Conservation Council Executive Director Jeremy Anderson to a nonprofit environmental group seat.
Assembly member Dale Anderson suggested a Carolyn Morehouse, an environmental engineer at the state Department of Environmental Conservation, be appointed instead of Jeremy Anderson.
But the community loses a chance to work out controversial issues if environmental groups are shunned, Assembly member Jim Powell said.
The JEDC board recommended the Assembly reappoint McCarty and appoint Homan, Morehouse and Anderson to the remaining two seats, in that order, JEDC Executive Director Lance Miller said. Members were concerned about gender balance on the board, he said.
The Assembly approved Jeremy Anderson's appointment in a 6-1 vote with Dale Anderson voting no.
State unemployment rate flat in October
JUNEAU - Alaska's unemployment rate remained at 6.3 percent in October, unchanged from the previous month, the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development reported. The comparable national average was 6.8 percent for October.
The better-than-expected jobless rate contrasted from September when labor officials saw unemployment dip by a half percent. That indicates that an expected seasonal drop in jobs came a month earlier than expected, said labor economist Dan Robinson.
The seafood industry in particular appeared to have slowed considerably in October as quotas for pink salmon were reached early, Robinson said.
Alaska's October unemployment rate was seven-tenths of a percent higher than the same time last year.
Unemployment in Juneau was 5.1 percent, up from 4.6 percent in September. Unemployment in Anchorage fell to 4.6 percent, down from 4.8 percent in September.
A total of 21,039 Alaskans were unemployed in October.
Emergency signal causes four-day search
JUNEAU - Coast Guard rescuers, a Civil Air Patrol ground party and a Federal Communications Commission agent from Anchorage spent four days searching for an activated Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon before finding it in a vehicle at the Juneau Airport last week.
The Coast Guard detected an EPIRB signal Nov. 9, which can indicate boaters in distress, and searched with rescue crews, a C-130 airplane from Kodiak and a Jayhawk helicopter from Sitka. Officials determined the signal was on land.
Because the older EPIRB signal bounces off the mountains, it was difficult to locate its source, officials said. After 89 hours of searching, the unit was found in a vehicle in the airport parking lot.
In 2001, the Coast Guard received 239 EPIRB alarms in Alaska, about 94 percent false alarms or from other non-emergency causes. The majority of the false alarms resulted from accidental activation, the Coast Guard said. Officials asked EPIRB owners to keep batteries fresh, handle the units with care and check in rough weather for accidental activation.
Anytime an EPIRB is removed from a vessel or aircraft, it should be turned off and properly stowed, officials said.
New state regulations on cruise ship waste begin
JUNEAU - New state rules to regulate wastewater discharge from cruise ships and other passenger lines will be in place for this summer's cruise ship season.
State regulations on wastewater discharge went into effect on Friday, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The new rules will apply to cruise ships, state ferries and smaller passenger ships and will require operators to keep detailed records on wastewater emissions while in Alaska waters.
"Alaska is the first state to have such a comprehensive and aggressive cruise ship waste management program," said Environmental Conservation Commissioner Michele Brown.
The new rules also give state regulators access to vessels for the purposes of inspecting and monitoring waste treatment.
Woman arrested in Barrow stabbing
BARROW - A Barrow woman is accused of fatally stabbing her live-in boyfriend last week.
Eileen Sovalik, 43, was arrested Friday night, North Slope Borough police said Monday. Sovalik is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Charles "Butch" Morrison, 48.
According to the criminal complaint, Sovalik told authorities Morrison had made her angry while she was intoxicated. The document alleged she threw a TV set against the wall, got a 12-inch knife and stabbed Morrison once in the chest.
He was taken to a Barrow hospital and was pronounced dead early the next morning.
Aftershocks continue to rattle the Interior
ANCHORAGE - Aftershocks from the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Nov. 3 continue to rattle the Interior.
A quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.0 struck at 11:21 a.m. Monday, 44 miles east of Denali National Park, the Alaska Earthquake Information Center reported. A group of people on a boat in one of Juneau's downtown harbors reported signs it was felt here.
Another quake, with a preliminary 4.1 magnitude, occurred at 10:50 p.m. Sunday. It was centered 39 miles east of the Denali Park entrance. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Barrow bids farewell to the sun
BARROW - Barrow residents on Monday said goodbye to the sun, which won't make another appearance until Jan. 23.
Sunrise was at 12:37 p.m. and sunset was at 1:46 p.m.
Ipalook Elementary School second grade teacher Jill Exe said students were marking the occasion.
"They will be making posters and they always like to have a 'goodbye to the sun' party the day it goes down for the year," Exe said.
Local banker John Gleason said he has been in Barrow for two and a half years now, and is used to the sun's departure.
"It's just the start of winter," Gleason said. "I hardly pay attention to it."
Gleason said his 18 years in Alaska have made it clear that the sun is a rare commodity in winter.
Compiled from staff and wire service reports.