Casey Kelly

Eleven-year-old Juneau songstress Anna Graceman failed to advance to the final four on NBC’s America’s Got Talent this week.

Viewers across the country voted for jazz singer Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. over Graceman on Wednesday. In earlier episodes she’d wowed audiences with her piano playing and outsized singing voice. After the results were announced, Graceman hugged Murphy, and tearfully thanked the crowd.

For her final performance on the show, Graceman performed the song “True Colors” originally recorded by ‘80s pop sensation Cyndi Lauper. It was the first time Graceman had appeared on stage without a keyboard or piano, which seemed to hurt her performance, according to the show’s three judges.

Graceman isn’t the only Alaskan who did well on this season’s America’s Got Talent. Illusionist Landon Swank of Wasilla also made it to the top ten. He too was voted off the show on Wednesday.

Losing the ability to speak clearly is one of the most devastating aspects of having Parkinson’s disease, stroke, or other neurological damage. For years, experts have tried to develop programs to help people with those conditions regain some of their ability to communicate.

One such program is coming to Juneau this weekend. SongShine uses a music-based method to help people reclaim their voices. A free workshop will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at KTOO. Casey Kelly has more.

Juneau residents turned out in force last night (Wednesday) to urge U.S. Postal Service officials NOT to close the Douglas Post Office.

The branch is on a list with thousands of other post offices nationwide being studied for possible closure by the financially struggling agency. But for the approximately 150 people who packed the Mt. Jumbo Gym Wednesday, it’s more than just a place to pick up mail and send packages. It’s a part of the community.

In fact, Douglas Post Office clerks Lee Kearney and Dean Ruby were grand marshals of the Douglas 4th of July parade last year, as pointed out by John Sandor and several others.

“I would be shocked if there’s another post office in the country whose postal workers served as grand marshals,” said Sandor.

Most of those who testified were Douglas residents, who like the convenience of having a post office nearby. But several said they live on the Juneau side of the bridge, but drive to into Douglas rather than use the federal building station downtown. Jack Cadigan gave three reasons why he prefers Douglas.

“Parking, parking and parking,” Cadigan said. “I counted, perhaps incorrectly, but 13 parking spaces 30 minutes each to service the main post office and the entire federal building – all seven stories and all the other agencies that are there. There’s 15 right down here on Douglas. We can come over here with packages, we can bring them in, we can get them shipped, we can get them mailed. And it’s great.”

Edwin Soto, president of the American Postal Workers Union Local 3323 in Juneau, said seniors, people with disabilities, and businesses in Douglas would take the biggest hit if the post office were to close. He argued the Postal Service’s savings would be modest at best, and said the real reason for the agency’s financial problems is a 2006 postal reform law that requires the U.S.P.S. to prefund future retiree health care benefits.

Soto called that “an obligation that no other federal agency or private business must bear.”

Diane Horbochuk, U.S. Postal Service District Manager for Alaska, was one of three Anchorage-based U.S.P.S. officials who heard the testimony. She said public input will be just one of the factors taken into consideration as the agency decides which post offices to shutter. Another factor she mentioned was the cost of running each location. If the Postal Service decides to close the Douglas branch, Horbochuk said there would be an opportunity for the community to appeal.

“At this point we have not made that decision,” stressed Horbochuk. “We’re going to go back and look at all our data, take into account the comments and make a decision. If we do make a decision that goes against what the community feels it should be, then you will be given the notice of what to do for what we would call an appeal. And that would be spelled out and we would post that in the post office.”

The Douglas office is one of 11 in Alaska still on the list for possible closure. The list originally included 36 post offices in the state, but 25 rural locations were spared after community groups voiced concerns.

Earlier this week Postmaster General Patrick Donohoe warned Congress that the Postal Service could lose 10-billion dollars in the fiscal year that closes at the end of this month, and the agency is in danger of defaulting as it reaches its borrowing limit.

A US Postal Service official will visit Douglas tomorrow (Wednesday) to hear from residents about the possible shuttering of their post office.

The Douglas branch is among thousands nationwide being considered for closure by the financially struggling agency. The unnamed official from the postal service’s Anchorage District Office will be at the Mt. Jumbo Gym Wednesday from 7 to 9 pm. Douglas Resident Susanne Williams hopes for a good turnout.

“It’s part of our identity – 99824,” Williams says. “And if it closes, what do we do then? We go to street delivery. But then for special needs, if you’re a senior, or if you do not have a car, it takes half a day. You either got to spend all morning getting over the federal building and back again, or you got to spend all afternoon.”

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe warned Congress Tuesday that the Postal Service could lose 10-billion dollars in the fiscal year that ends this month. That puts the agency in danger of defaulting as it reaches its borrowing limit.

Donahoe is asking Congress to let it break union contracts to fire employees, change retiree health benefits, and end mail delivery on Saturdays.

He testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where Alaska Senator Mark Begich questioned how the plan to cut Saturday service would affect small businesses.

Donahoe says of all the possible places to cut, Saturday service makes the most sense. But he clarified that the change would only affect shipping and delivery of packages.

“Generally the volume is about 10-15 percent lower on Saturday than the rest of the week. We will keep post offices open on Saturdays. So people would have access to our 30,000 plus post offices,” Donahoe said.

“For shipping packages and so forth for small businesses?” Senator Begich asked.

“Right,” replied Donahoe. “We’d be able to provide that service. Now we will not be running outgoing mail that night, that would be Monday, but they would have access to our services.”

Begich’s office says the Congressional delegation is still awaiting a list of which post offices on the list for possible closure will be spared. The list was expected more than a week ago, but was delayed due to Hurricane Irene.

As far as Coast Guard assets go, Petty Officer Joe Baxter says nothing beats the style, class and comfort of the new medium response boats.

“Crew accommodations, we have an actual toilet, marine toilet (a head), and we’ve got a microwave, a sink, creature comforts that were never on any other Coast Guard boat this size,” Baxter says.

The 45-footers are replacing a fleet of 41-foot response boats used at Coast Guard stations nationwide. Station Juneau hasn’t had one in over a decade, using a 47-foot motor life boat instead. For the newer vessels, Baxter says the Coast Guard made sure to get input from medium response boat crews during the design phase.

“They did an excellent job getting operators on the boat taking recommendations and applying those recommendations,” he says. “So, we sit on this boat, things are where we want them as an operator.”

Response boats are primarily used for Coast Guard legacy missions like search and rescue and fisheries and law enforcement. With twin 825 horse power engines, the new vessels can really fly. Top speed is 40 knots, or about 40 miles per hour.

“So we can get on scene a lot quicker,” says Baxter.

Of course, there are some major changes. A lot of the older boats in the Coast Guard fleet use outboard engines, but the new ones have a water jet propulsion system. Petty Officer Phillip Ketcheson says that means learning a new steering method.

“The direction you turn the outboard is the direction your stern will go. This is now the opposite. So rather than, we’ve taught the guys backing down, you kind of stare at your stern. On this boat, we’re teaching them to drive the bow. So wherever you turn your nozzle is the direction the bow is now going to go,” Ketcheson says.

The new medium response boats have been in the works for about 10 years. The Coast Guard ordered 180 of them. The first one was delivered to Station Little Creek Virginia in 2008. Each one costs about 2-million dollars. When the second one arrives in Juneau in October, it will be based at Auke Bay. The new response boat that’s already here is stationed downtown.

Casey Kelly fills in for Matt Miller. Stories include, a big earthquake jolts the Aleutian Islands overnight; A decision is expected on Alaska Electric Light & Power’s rate increase request; unions in Anchorage battle the city and a local hotel over wages and working conditions; Juneau man enters not guilty plea to 2nd degree murder charge; a preview of this weekend’s high school football games; and August really was as bad as you thought it was.