Tripp J Crouse, KTOO

In this newscast:

• City reaches agreement over AEL&P sale: According to a release from the City and Borough of Juneau, city attorneys worked on a list of commitments with Hydro One and Avista Corporation, which owns Alaska Electric Light & Power. The city says it will resolve Juneau residents’ concerns.
• University of Alaska President Johnsen shares outlook for university budget: University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen has spent the last few months advocating for more funding for the university, arguing that it cannot withstand continued budget cuts.
  The Alaska House of Representatives passed its version of the state operating budget Monday by a narrow margin. It includes $19 million more for the university’s operating budget than Gov. Bill Walker proposed.
• Parole violations land Juneau burglary convict back in prison: A man who violated his parole was ordered to finish serving the remainder of his nearly two-year prison sentence in Juneau Superior Court on Monday. Judge Louis Menendez said he hopes Lester Hunt III can close this chapter in his life, and start new when he finishes.

You can hear these stories and more at ktoo.sandbox.5mts.com/listen.

A man who violated his parole was ordered to finish serving the remainder of his nearly two-year prison sentence in Juneau Superior Court on Monday.

Judge Louis Menendez said he hopes Lester Hunt III can close this chapter in his life, and start new when he finishes.

The 28-year-old’s original charge in 2010 was for burglary. Probation Officer Dusty Dumont said that while Hunt was on probation, he tested positive for methamphetamine, then hid from police.

Authorities say when they found Hunt at a Foster Avenue home, he was hiding behind a false partition in a closet. Dumont said that’s not conducive with someone wanting to change for the better.

Dumont said Hunt was a member of the 1488s, a white supremacist gang. Hunt has a prominent swastika tattoo just over his forehead. He had 64 write-ups while incarcerated, and at least nine petitions to revoke probation.

The state asked the judge to impose the full two years, while Hunt’s public defender asked for a one-year sentence.

Judge Menendez weighed Hunt’s extensive rap sheet, his history of drugs and his potential for rehabilitation.

In this newscast:

• House passes state budget in close vote: The Alaska House passed the state budget Monday by a bare majority. The 21-19 vote sends the spending plan to the Senate. The action came after minority-caucus Republicans criticized the budget for not including more of the spending cuts they proposed.
• JPD says alcohol likely a factor in accidental home shooting Saturday: Juneau police responded to a 911 call early Saturday morning for an apparent accidental shooting at a downtown residence.
  Police say the shooting appeared to be unintentional and alcohol was likely a factor.
• Police arrest suspect in downtown window smashing spree: Police identified Juneau resident Monte Nix as the suspect in the vandalism of at least seven downtown Juneau businesses during the weekend, and arrested him later Sunday on four counts of criminal mischief.Other criminal charges are pending. Police believe alcohol was a factor.

You can hear these stories and more at ktoo.sandbox.5mts.com/listen.

In this newscast:

• Alaska marijuana testing lab closes, leaving only 2 in state: The Juneau Empire reports Steep Hill Alaska, of Anchorage — One of only three marijuana testing labs in Alaska — declared in an Instagram post Thursday that the lab is “suspending cannabis testing operations on March 31, 2018.”

• Sealaska Corp. doubles April payout to shareholders: Sealaska’s spring shareholders’ payout is more than twice the size of the previous year’s. The Southeast regional Native corporation announced Friday it will distribute $23.1 million to tribal members beginning April 13. Last spring’s dividends totaled $10.6 million.
• Sentencing set for June for convicted Kodzoff Acres shooter: A Juneau man convicted of killing another man in a Valley trailer park more than two years ago may finally be sentenced later this spring. A full day on June 11 has been set aside for Christopher Strawn’s sentencing hearing. Last October, a Juneau jury found Strawn, 34, guilty of first-degree murder and third-degree assault in connection with the death of Brandon Cook, 30.

You can hear these stories and more at ktoo.sandbox.5mts.com/listen.

A Juneau man faces a charge that he allegedly attacked his girlfriend with a knife March 20 near the Glory Hole.

On Thursday in Juneau Superior Court, a grand jury indicted 38-year-old Robert J. Paul Jr. on a felony charge of second-degree assault.

The criminal complaint accuses Paul of attacking 35-year-old Natalie Sanders with a knife. She suffered a deep, 4-inch cut to her right leg.

According to court documents, the couple had been arguing. A witness told police that Paul had said, “I’m going to cut that b—-.”

A Juneau police officer testified that he arrived outside the Glory Hole and found Sanders sitting on the sidewalk with her lower right leg wrapped with a bloody towel.

She told police that Paul was making a slashing motion with a knife when they were arguing. She said she tried to kick Paul away and got cut.

Police found Paul later, unarmed. Paul told police he did not pull out a knife and he does not know how Sanders was cut.

The Office of Public Advocacy is representing Paul. According to online records, he is in custody at Lemon Creek Correctional Center.

In this newscast:

• Alaska Supreme Court hears case on who can and can’t run in party primaries: The Alaska Supreme Court justices were at Kenai Central High School to hear oral arguments in a case about who can run for partisan political office.
• King salmon sport fishing shut down on Southeast’s inside waters: The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is shutting down sport fishing for king salmon this weekend on most of the inside waters of Southeast Alaska due to conservation concerns. Anglers can’t keep king salmon in many parts of the region, except the outer coast, starting April 1.
• Juneau-Whitehorse flight to connect sister cities: Alaska Seaplanes recently announced that they will add a new flight between Juneau and Whitehorse. Alaska Seaplanes General Manager Carl Ramseth said he hopes his company will begin flying to Canada’s Yukon Territory soon.

You can hear these stories and more at ktoo.sandbox.5mts.com/listen.