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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.

Stories include a recap of the public meeting over the potential closure of the Douglas Post Office.

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.

Thirty-year-old Joe Tagaban of Juneau is the victim of an underground accident early Wednesday morning at the Kensington Gold Mine.

Coeur Alaska says Tagaban died while performing his regular duties at the mine. The accident happened in an underground stope at the 1260-foot level where Tagaban had been working.

The company is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has been notified.

Tagaban had worked at the mine for about a year. In a news release, Coeur d’Alene Mines Corporation President and CEO Mitchell J. Krebs said Tagaban was a respected and well-liked employee at Kensington.

“Our collective thoughts and prayers go out to Joe’s family and his co-workers,” he said.

Kensington mine is about 45 miles northwest of Juneau. An emergency response team is stationed at the mine.

Kensington opened in June 2010. This is the first fatality.

The City and Borough of Juneau is considering a program that could increase the quality and availability of child care in the community.

The lack of child care in Juneau is notorious, says JEDC’s Meilani Schijvens.

“There’s a joke here in Juneau that if you wait until you think you might be pregnant you’re probably too late to sign up for child care, if you want an infant spot,” Schijvens quips. “You need to sign up when you think you might be in love.”

A recent study by the Juneau Economic Development Council indicates about half of children under age six in Juneau are in unknown child care situations. That means they are either cared for by parents splitting shifts or by unlicensed providers.

The turnover rate among licensed child care providers in the capital city is nearly 20 percent higher than the state average.

According to JEDC, the pay is so low that qualified child care providers quickly move on to other jobs for better wages and benefits.

The Association for Education for Young Children, or AEYC, has posed a solution, called the HEARTS program.

It stands for hiring, educating and retaining teaching staff. The program is similar to others around the country, which offer incentives for child care providers so they can earn credentials in early childhood education, increase their earnings and stay in the business.

AEYC’s Nikki Morris says the HEARTS program would award each licensed child care provider more per hour based on their level of education.

“They can see that as they increase their training there is compensation that goes along with that,” Morris says.

The HEARTS program also would offer providers incentives to stay in business by helping to offset costs like first aid and CPR certifications. It would waive some fees and taxes for licensed child care providers.

AEYC Executive Director Joy Lyon says the incentive program would result in better child care options in Juneau as well as provide working parents with the assurance that their young children have a quality day-care experience.

The HEARTS program will be reviewed by the CBJ Assembly Finance Committee. It would cost the CBJ just over $143,000 a year. Click here for the HEARTS Initiaitve.