State Briefs
State employee pleads innocent
JUNEAU - A state employee pleaded innocent Monday in Juneau Superior Court to more than 20 felony counts of fraud, theft and forgery.
Gary Martin, 43, was indicted by a grand jury Friday on charges that he stole more than $150,000 from the state.
Martin is a procurement officer for the Alaska State Library, part of the Department of Education and Early Development.
He is charged with two counts each of first-degree theft, a scheme to defraud, first-degree tampering with public records - all felonies - and official misconduct, a misdemeanor. He also faces 14 counts of second-degree forgery. According to the indictment, the alleged incidents took place in 2000, 2001 and this year.
According to court records, Martin is accused of setting up at least two bogus companies, ordering services and merchandise from those companies for the state, and pocketing the fee paid by the state.
Martin also is charged, in a pending case, with possessing automatic weapons and obtaining drugs by deception.
District Attorney Rick Svobodny asked the court to freeze Martin's assets while he awaits trial so funds would be available for restitution if Martin is found guilty.
Defense attorney Louis Menendez said Martin agreed to leave his money in his bank account while the court considers the motion to freeze his assets.
Martin's next court appearance is scheduled for Friday.
Fog lifts, flights resume
JUNEAU - Heavy fog caused Alaska Airlines to cancel 16 flights into and out of Juneau on Sunday and Monday, stranding more than 1,000 passengers after the Thanksgiving holiday, said company spokesman Lou Cancelmi.
"Mother Nature screwed up the plans of quite a few people," Cancelmi said.
Commercial airplanes are prohibited from landing in heavy fog by FAA visibility regulations, Cancelmi said. The fog lifted this morning and the airline has added an extra flight today to help relieve the back-up of passengers waiting to leave, he said.
"We have good weather today and we are anticipating the comings and goings of all our (flights)" Cancelmi said.
The flight cancellations are the second set recently. Some flights were canceled just before the Thanksgiving holiday because of high winds.
Grounded vessel nearly cleaned up
ANCHORAGE - The cleanup of spilled oil and other waste from the Japanese commercial fishing boat Genei Maru No. 7 is nearing completion, the U.S. Coast Guard said Monday.
The Genei Maru caught fire and was abandoned by its crew in May. It had been adrift in the North Pacific before running aground on Afognak Island near Kodiak last month.
Crews have removed from the vessel more than 8,000 gallons of oil, about 2,000 gallons of oily water and 50 cubic yards of solid waste, including electronics equipment, fishing gear, spoiled foods, plastics and other assorted trash, the agency said.
Over the weekend, workers from FOSS Environmental Service examined the ammonia system aboard the wreck and found no ammonia in the lines. It's believed the ammonia was released during the fire.
City Assembly funds sewer study
JUNEAU - The Juneau Assembly on Monday agreed to spend $50,000 to study copper levels in the effluent from the Mendenhall Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The plant was cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this year for having high levels of copper in the plant's effluent, and staff members have been trying to find a solution, said city Public Works Director Joe Buck.
The copper comes from houses' copper pipes that are eroding, Interim City Manager John MacKinnon said.
Money for the studies will come from the sewer fund's retained earnings. The city is looking at changes to the water system to reduce copper-pipe corrosion, updating testing procedures to assure copper levels truly are out of compliance, modifying the plant to remove copper from the effluent, possibly installing a deep-water marine outfall, and changing the federal permit based on updated river and effluent flow data, said a memo from Buck.
The studies should offer a solution by spring 2003, according to the city.
The Assembly also agreed to spend $30,000 on a sewer-rate study. In other action, members appropriated $12,000 to build a water main at Wilma Avenue in the Mendenhall Valley.
City schedules mini-bond sale
JUNEAU - The Juneau Assembly on Monday agreed to issue up to $1 million in general obligation bonds directly to Juneau residents.
The so-called "mini-bonds" are part of a $15 million bond package for harbor and utility projects approved by voters this fall. It is the fourth time the city has sold bonds directly to local residents, Interim City Manager John MacKinnon said.
The bond sale is scheduled for Jan. 25 and the amount and maturity of the bonds will be determined by buyer interest. Interest rates will be set by the Seattle-Northwest Securities Corp. the day before the bonds are offered.
"Individuals can show up on the day of the bond sale and we'll explain to them what it is that we're doing, what the limitations are ... and we'll help people if they wish to buy," city Finance Director Craig Duncan said. "The bonds we'll offer will range in maturity from one to 20 years and the interest will be a comparable market rate that's in effect on Jan. 24."