KRBD - Ketchikan

Alaska State Troopers on Prince of Wales Island are investigating the theft of appliances and fixtures from a trailer near Hydaburg.

The crew trailer belongs to Southeast Roadbuilder, according to the online troopers dispatch report.

The report states that at some point during the past two weeks, someone entered the trailer at a job site near mile marker 7 of Hydaburg Highway, and stole approximately $3,000 worth of items.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Alaska State Troopers on Prince of Wales at 907-826-2918.

Alaska State Troopers in Ketchikan are seeking information about a stolen gun, taken between Oct. 24 and Oct. 29 from an unlocked home on Beachwood Lane.

The gun is a black Ruger SR-22 Caliber handgun, according to the Troopers online dispatch.

Anyone with information pertaining to this case or any criminal activity is asked to contact Alaska State Troopers at 225-5118.

Callers can remain anonymous.

Nobody was injured after a Hummer overturned at about 8 p.m. Tuesday near mile 8 North Tongass Highway.

The 24-year-old driver was southbound on North Tongass Highway, going about 45 mph, when he was distracted by his dog inside the vehicle, according to the online Alaska State Troopers dispatch.

The driver reportedly looked away from the road, and the vehicle crossed the center line, entered the ditch and rolled onto the passenger side.

The driver told Troopers he was not injured, and had not been wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash.

The Hummer sustained heavy damage and was towed from the scene.

An investigation is ongoing.

Ketchikan City Council met for not quite a half-hour Thursday, finishing its regular meeting in what might be record time.

The primary item on the agenda was a vote to move forward with a policy to encourage the city to use local businesses.

The policy was suggested by the Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce as a way to support the local economy.

City Finance Director Bob Newell drafted language to add local procurement to a list of exemptions that allow purchases of up to $50,000 without City Council approval.

Council Member Judy Zenge said she’s pleased with the suggested language.

“I’m happy that the manager and Bob met with the Chamber and I think it’s a good idea that we move this forward,” she said.

The motion was approved 5-0.

It directs city officials to draft an ordinance that will come before the Council at a later meeting.

Council Member Dick Coose was absent, and Council Member KJ Harris has resigned his seat.

The city has been advertising for applicants interested in filling in for Harris for the next year.

The Council will interview candidates and make an appointment sometime in November.

A pickup truck drove into the side of Rose’s Caboose early Wednesday afternoon, damaging the restaurant building and injuring the driver and one person inside the building.

Rose’s Caboose is a longtime, popular local restaurant on 4761 N. Tongass Highway, in Ketchikan.

The 911 call came in a little after 1 p.m., said Josh Dossett, deputy chief of  Ketchikan Police Department.

“Both (the) fire department and police department were dispatched to the scene where we found a single-vehicle accident: one vehicle striking, almost dead-center the caboose, knocking it off its mooring,” he said. “There was extensive damage to the building.”

One employee in Rose’s Caboose was reported injured in the accident, and the 31-year-old driver of the truck complained of some pain, Dossett said. Both were taken by ambulance to PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center for evaluation.

Dossett says neither seems to be badly injured.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, and police are not ready to release the name of the driver. Dossett had some details of what happened, as told by the driver to police.

“Looks like the vehicle was traveling into town, began to slide, according to the driver, felt like it was beginning to slip, went into the guardrail on the north side of the parking lot, went through the parking lot, clipping a vehicle there that was in the parking lot, unoccupied, and struck the front of Rose’s Caboose,” he said.

The kitchen and serving area are inside a train caboose, with a separate small seating area in an adjacent building.

The restaurant’s Facebook page announced Wednesday afternoon that Rose’s Caboose will be closed until further notice.

Prompting a feeling of deja vu, Joe Miller is running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Lisa Murkowski.

This time, though, Murkowski won her primary and has the Republican Party backing, and Miller is running as the Libertarian Party candidate.

Miller visited Ketchikan last week to meet supporters and talk with local media.

Miller said he decided to accept the Libertarian Party’s nomination to give Alaskans a choice in the Nov. 8 general election.

Miller was invited to become the Libertarian candidate just last month, after the former candidate chose to drop out.

“So, it’s a very short campaign. It’s a viable campaign,” he said. “And if we pull this off, it will probably be the shortest campaign in the history of American politics that’s taken out an incumbent.”

While he ran previously as a Republican, Miller said he shares basic Libertarian values.

“I believe that decision-making should be closer to home, and that’s really a Libertarian principal,” he said. “The federal government should be constrained, like the Constitution said, and we closer to government should be in control of that. It’s basically a way to avoid the type of corruption that I think has so polluted Washington, D.C., today.”

Miller said he’s also running because he feels Murkowski was not an effective representative for Alaska.

He said the old method of trying to get as much federal money as possible for the state isn’t working anymore, because the available money is shrinking.

“There’s very few people in this state who have not felt the influence of the shrinking money pot from the federal government, but that’s where political leverage has gone, to try to get as much of that shrinking share of federal money as can be gotten — and the reality is, that’s a dead-end road for Alaska,” he said. “We know the end result of that is less and less, as far as money goes, to this state. So why not chart out a new course for Alaska?”

Miller said the answer is getting more access to the rich resources in Alaska, most of which is currently owned or controlled by the federal government. He said that includes timber.

As a Libertarian, Miller said, he would not be obligated to vote with either party, and there is potentially going to be a 50-50 split in the Senate following the November election.

In that case, Miller said his vote would be a valuable commodity.

“Could you imagine, if we’re in a split, and basically I have the ability to tell, for example the Republican Party, who the majority leader is going to be? And of course, my commitment to Alaskans is, I’m running to make life better for you (so) that decision is going to be focused on making sure the person that gets that position is someone that will be basically cooperative with our effort to get our resource base back,” he said.

Miller also criticized Murkowski for her recent announcement that she will not support Republican Party’s presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Murkowski called on Trump to step down as the nominee following the release of a video in which Trump made vulgar comments about women.

Murkowski’s decision effectively throws support to the Democratic nominee, Miller said.

“I absolutely oppose Hillary (Clinton) as president,” he said. “I think she’d be catastrophic to resource development in this state. She’s made it clear where she stands on those issues. She will kill jobs in this state. Anybody that wants a future in this state should not vote for Hillary Clinton.”

Miller was disturbed by the comments in video, but still supports Trump as the candidate who will make the best decisions for Alaska.

Six years ago, Miller was the Republican nominee for Senate after beating Murkowski in the primary election, but then Murkowski ran a write-in campaign for the general election and won.

Miller said this time around, he’s doing some things differently.

For example: “I’ve got a campaign manager,” he said, laughing. “It’s helpful, because then I don’t have to be the campaign manager.”

Miller said they’re also raising money at a fast pace from Alaskans who believe in his message, which includes limited federal government and state’s rights.

“For example: Does the Constitution talk about marriage? No it doesn’t. It’s a state issue; states should be deciding (and) the federal government should not be infringing. Roe v. Wade was perhaps one of the most anti-states-rights decisions that was out there. Other areas: Drug use, for example. I’ve made it very clear that the federal government’s drug war is clearly unconstitutional. At the borders, yeah, they’ve got a role, but outside of that, they don’t have any constitutional role in that area. The states should be making those decisions,” he said.

Miller said he is optimistic about his campaign, and said some polls place him within single digits of Murkowski.

Other polls, though – such as a recent one commissioned by the Alaska Dispatch News – show Murkowski with a wide lead.

In that poll, Miller is a distant second place, followed by Democrat Ray Metcalf and independent Margaret Stock.