State Briefs
Search continues for missing pilot
JUNEAU - Searchers continued today to look for a Petersburg pilot and his floatplane that went missing Friday while he was on a solo hunting trip near Admiralty Island.
Friends of Lawrence "Smokey" Howell, 32, have arranged for an underwater camera search of Mitchell Bay, which will begin today, said the Coast Guard.
Howell was last seen flying his cream and blue Cessna 180 floatplane near Gambier Bay on the southeastern side of Admiralty.
Douglas wolf measures start Sunday
JUNEAU - It will be illegal to hunt or trap wolves on Douglas Island starting Sunday, Dec. 22, the state Department of Fish and Game said.
The state Board of Game, during its meeting in early November in Juneau, voted 6-0 to halt the taking of wolves on Douglas until the wolf population increases to seven or the deer population significantly decreases.
Board members and some local residents were concerned that trappers last winter had killed seven wolves, perhaps an entire pack and much of the population on the island. Other members of the public said banning trapping and hunting of wolves would lead to a reduced deer population and restrictions on hunters.
Selawik man charged with attempted murder
SELAWIK - A man from the Northwest Alaska village of Selawik was charged with first-degree attempted murder Tuesday after he allegedly stabbed his nephew, Alaska State Troopers said.
Harold Smith, 38, made threatening comments toward his nephew Loren Smith, 24, and then stabbed the younger man once on the chest and on the back, troopers said. Loren Smith was able to get the knife away from his uncle and leave the home, troopers said.
Loren Smith was treated at the village clinic for superficial wounds. A village public safety officer and village police officer arrested Harold Smith at his residence in Selawik, a community of 772 about 70 miles southeast of Kotzebue.
Greene to step down from Superior Court
FAIRBANKS - Superior Court Judge Mary Greene will step down in February after 18 years on the bench.
Greene, 52, has been hired in the University of Alaska Office of General Counsel in Fairbanks.
Former Gov. Bill Sheffield appointed Greene as a judge in January 1985. She said she had planned to continue at the job until retirement but decided to take the university job because it represents an opportunity to experience another aspect of law.