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“We’re expecting the snow to start in the Juneau area late [Wednesday night] as the weather front starts pushing in and then it’ll continue through Thursday and begin to diminish Thursday night. We’re expecting between seven and 11 inches of snow through about Thursday afternoon with the heaviest snowfall falling on Thursday morning and into the afternoon hours,” says Brian Bezenek, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Juneau.
The storm, says Bezenek, is being caused by a warm system rolling in and mixing with all the cold air in place. “We have all this warm moist air that is coming in across the gulf and is going to be forced across this cold air and it’s just going to be lifted up and all the moisture is going to fall as snow across the northern half of the panhandle.”
According to Bezenek, the worst snowfall will occur sometime between 4 a.m. and noon Thursday. Bezenek warns motorists of reduced visibility. This is Juneau’s third winter storm of the season.
Tlingit instructor Marsha Hotch is one of the speakers at Friday’s Forum@360: Living the Language. At the recent Tlingit Tribes and Clans Conference in Juneau, Hotch demonstrated how to use puppets as a language teaching tool for children. (Photo by Lisa Phu/KTOO)
Be part of the studio audience at KTOO December 20th at 5 p.m. for Forum@360: Living the Language.
The forum features Tlingit speaker and clan leader David Katzeek, UAS Tlingit Language Instructor Marsha Hotch, UAS Assistant Professor of Alaska Native Languages Lance Twitchell, and linguist Alice Taff.
David Katzeek will share what “Living the Language” means and will elaborate on the power and spirit of the Tlingit language.
Marsha Hotch is speaking on bringing language into the home and will introduce the mentor-apprentice program.
Lance Twitchell will talk about how to create a multilingual community.
And, Alice Taff is highlighting language resources for the community. She’ll demonstrate how to use online tools that already exist.
Forum@360 will be recorded for later broadcast on 360 North statewide TV and KTOO-FM.
Please spread the word to anyone who might be interested – Forum@360, Friday, December 20th, 5 pm at KTOO.
(Graph by Scott Ciambor/Alaska Mental Health Board)
The Juneau Assembly Human Resources Committee heard an update Monday night on Juneau’s need for a housing unit for homeless. Alaska Mental Health Board Planner Scott Ciambor says a Housing First project in Juneau was developing quickly before the Alaska Council on the Homeless changed a crucial grant.
“The status of this project is it went really fast really quick, and so once we hit that snag in May of the guiding light of the Special Needs Housing Grant paving the way, things have kind of tempered down a little. But when we were talking prior to that, the size was 45 units, with the idea that 30 would be straight off the street because we have more than enough capacity of folks needing that type of housing,” explains Ciambor.
Scott Ciambor presented on Housing First to the Juneau Assembly Human Resources Committee Monday night. (Photo by Lisa Phu/KTOO)
Ciambor says the Special Needs Housing Grant was the pathway for Anchorage and Fairbanks to get housing for homeless. With none in Juneau, Ciambor says the chronic homeless often use the emergency room, department of corrections, and Rainforest Recovery Center for housing. The concept of a Housing First model addresses the need of getting homeless into housing without a prerequisite for sobriety.
“You take a person who needs housing and shelter. You get them out of the streets and into someplace where they can be safe first and then you surround them with the services so that they can make that next step,” Ciambor says.
Human Resources Committee Chairman Jesse Kiehl asked Ciambor to give the assembly an outline of project costs.
One of the topics the CBJ assembly discussed during the hour-and-a-half executive session was parking. (Photo by Lisa Phu/KTOO)
The Juneau Assembly met behind closed doors Monday night to discuss the city’s parking management.
Earlier in the day, City Manager Kim Kiefer gave an update on the situation. “The parking meters as they are right now, people still need to use them as they’re designed to be used,” she said.
The city has had ongoing issues with the current system run by Aparc Parking Solutions. Information from the parking machines weren’t getting accurately communicated to handheld devices used by the Juneau Police Department.
“We are looking at a variety of different options that you look at when you have a system that isn’t functioning the way you want to,” Kiefer said. “So we’re looking at how can it be improved, can it not be improved, what are our other options, and how can we go forward with each one of those, and what makes the most sense for the city long term.
Parking laws and penalties are “for the most part” being enforced. Community service officers are on the lookout, Keifer said.
“They are ticketing now, so don’t think you can run in and park in a loading zone if you’re not loading, or think that you can park in someplace that’s marked for an hour and think you can spend a couple hours there. …So you need to be aware of where you’re parking and look at the signs.”
During the assembly meeting, member Carlton Smith said he’s heard from different people in the community that parking is one of the city’s main problems. Public perception is that the system may be broken, Smith said.
“One comment was made – in this interim period where we have the issue with the existing system – that it might be advisable to make a public announcement that until further notice, all those parking charges are abated, and I know that’s a financial decision, but it’s also a time when people aren’t certain whether the machines are working or not.”
The assembly discussed the issue during executive session. The city has put more than $400,000 into the current parking system.
Also during the hour-and-a-half closed-door session, the assembly discussed the 2012 incident involving a former Juneau teacher accused of assaulting a teenager at an Oregon football camp.
Matt Musslewhite is Director of Animal Control and Protection. (Photo by Lisa Phu/KTOO)
Director of Animal Control and Protection Matt Musslewhite advised the Juneau assembly last night not to pass any ordinances against certain dog breeds.
Musslewhite spoke during public participation in response to two recent dog attacks in Juneau and the media’s coverage. “There’s been discussion in the media focusing on certain breeds of dogs contributing to the majority of bite cases in our community,” he said.
According to Musslewhite, 76 dog bites were reported in 2012 – only 14 percent are from stray and loose pets, while the majority of bites are from the victim’s family pet.
“Juneau’s top three breeds for reported dog bites include Labrador retrievers, shih tzus, and Jack Russell terriers,” said Musslewhite.
Of the 26 breeds on the list of reported dog bites, Musslewhite said pit bulls come in low on the list.
“Based on this information,” he said, “I would strongly urge the assembly not to consider any future ordinance that would place restrictions on a specific breed.”
In the coming months, Musslewhite said animal control will look at updating current Juneau ordinances to improve reporting requirements for dog bites and rabies vaccinations. State law requires health care providers report animal bites inflicted on humans, he explained, but no law requires reporting animal bites inflicted on other animals.
According to Musslewhite, Juneau currently has 14 animals that are classified as “dangerous” or “potentially dangerous.”
Enroll Alaska agent Mike Clark’s office is located at Bartlett Regional Hospital. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)
Deadlines for health insurance enrollment are looming and individuals could face tax penalties for not having coverage.
People have one more week to enroll for coverage to begin on the New Year.
“Individuals have until December 23rd to get enrolled in health insurance that will take effect on January 1st,” says Tyann Boling, Enroll Alaska’s chief operating officer.
There is a penalty for individuals who can afford health insurance but don’t get coverage.
“If you don’t have health insurance in 2014, you can face a tax penalty of $95 per individual, and that tax penalty goes up,” explains Boling. “It has an escalation over the next three years.”
The last day for open enrollment is March 31st, but Boling says not to wait that long to enroll, “I think that March 31st is going to be a pretty hectic day. I would encourage people to reach out and get enrolled anytime between now and the end of March to make sure that they avoid the tax penalty and that they get health insurance that’s right for them and their family.”
According to Boling, Enroll Alaska agents are signing up more and more people for health insurance.
“Our numbers are going up,” she says. “We’re getting closer to hoping that our average will be 50 a day. And then my ultimate goal is to have 200 lives a day because we have the demand, the need for it.”
Juneau’s Enroll Alaska agent Mike Clark has hours at Bartlett Regional Hospital every week, Tuesday through Thursday, 1 to 5 p.m. He says he’s only seeing one or two people each day and hopes more people will make appointments. Clark says the healthcare.gov website is improving, “not perfect, but better. It drops frequently for maintenance or they say the website is busy now and you can give them your email and they will notify you when it’s available. It still gets overloaded.”
