Recent News

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.

Dangerous highways, old bridges and the Alaska Class ferry top the Alaska Statewide Transportation Improvement Program over the next four years.

The STIP is Alaska’s list of priority state and local projects from 2012 through 2015 eligible for partial or full federal funding. The Federal Highway Administration requires all state transportation departments to put together a STIP.

Juneau projects include a new Brotherhood Bridge, a multi-use pathway between the bridge and the UAS campus, Egan Highway resurfacing, and a new outbound lane at the Salmon Creek and Egan intersection near Bartlett Regional Hospital.

This report outilines statewide priorities and funding issues.

A Sitka judge wants another opinion on whether John Marvin, Jr. is competent to stand trial for the shooting of two Hoonah police officers last year.

Superior Court Judge David George heard a set of different diagnoses during a competency hearing in Juneau on Tuesday. Judge George says another exam would help preserve Marvin’s rights while protecting the record for a potential appeal in the case.

Dr. Lawrence Maile, clinical director at the Alaska Psychiatric Institute in Anchorage, says Marvin is “competent to stand trial and has the capacity to assist in his own defense.” Maile believes Marvin suffers from anti-social personality disorder and alcohol abuse. He believes that Marvin understands the charges alleged and the court process already underway.

Dr. Fred Wise, clinical neuropsychologist at the University of Washington, says Marvin suffers from a delusional disorder and possibly an additional disorder that may be organically-based, such as what might be brought on by a tumor or brain injury. Wise, who examined Marvin for his defense, says that he suffers from a form of thought disorganization that’s not easily faked. During exams, Marvin would question why he was in jail and talk about being a “High Royal” or an “innocent.” Wise’s notes from his interviews seem to echo Marvin’s outbursts made during his first appearances in court last year.

A third expert who testified during Tuesday’s hearing only examined Marvin on his culpability in the crime, not his competency to stand trial. Dr. David Sperbeck, who identified himself as chief of psychology at Northstar Hospital in Anchorage, says Marvin would likely be found “guilty, but mentally ill.” Sperbeck’s own conclusion included major elements of diagnosis from the previous two experts. He also explained that diagnosing a mentally ill defendant may be complicated by differences in environment. He compared the comfortable setting at A.P.I. against the hostile, noisy atmosphere at Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau. Sperbeck, who examined Marvin for the prosecution, says he found Marvin “responsive, evasive, and gamey” in answering questions. Sperbeck examined Marvin on his culpability in the crime, not his competency to stand trial.

Judge George asked Sperbeck to do a follow-up evaluation on Marvin’s competency.

The 46-year old Marvin is being charged with murder and weapons misconduct in connection with the shooting of Hoonah officers Tony Wallace and Matt Tokuoka on August 28, 2010. Responding officers say Marvin held them at bay for at least a day following the shooting.

A jury trial in the case had been scheduled for last December and was recently rescheduled for October 17. But that date could be pushed into next year with another examination.

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.

Electric bills that go out today (Tuesday) will reflect another rate increase.

As KTOO has reported, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska late Friday approved Alaska Electric Light and Power’s petition for a permanent 24 percent rate hike. It turns out to be 22 percent on the average electric bill.

Most of that is already in place, since the RCA allowed the company to increase rates 18.5 percent in July 2010.

A-E-L & P spokesman Scott Willis says residential customers will pay about $2 to $3 more a month for electricity.

“As of last week we were paying 9 point 5 cents a kilowatt hour then on Tuesday that will go up to 9 point 8 cents a kilowatt hour and on the first of November it goes up to 11 point 94, that’s the seasonal jump,” Willis says. “Next June it goes back down to 9-point 8 (cents).”

The order has been 16 months in the making.  This report highlights some of the commission’s findings.

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.