Empire Archives is a series printed every Saturday featuring a short compilation of headline stories in the Juneau Empire from archived editions in 1985, 1995 and 2005. They include names, AP style and other content of their eras.
This week in 1985, Juneau’s largest public housing project, vacated last summer after an engineer questioned its strength in an earthquake, may be safe enough to reopen without any major renovations. Juneau Building Administrator Howard Furman this morning confirmed that a study underway by a local engineering firm appears to be clearing the nine-story Marine View Apartments of suspected major structural flaws that could have meant the building was unsafe in a major earthquake. Last June the city asked the Alaska State Housing Authority to vacate the 10-year-old concrete office-apartment complex on South Franklin Street after a report by ABAM Consulting Engineers, hired by the state to inspect the building, questioned if it would be safe.
Today the Marine View building is still used for housing and office space, but maintenance and other infrastructure issues have city leaders looking at relocating employees there elsewhere downtown.
Original Story: “Marine View may be safe,” by Chuck Kleeschulte. 1/31/1985.
This week in 1995, Juneau’s public television station wants to give the rest of Alaska a chance to watch the Legislature in action and is proposing to broadcast a month of live coverage to anyone that wants to air it. KTOO-TV plans to make the unedited broadcasts available for free to cable companies and TV stations across the state. Juneau’s city-borough assembly will be asked to cover some of the costs of the gavel-to-gavel coverage. The coverage, though, must be approved by the House and Senate majorities. Bill Legere, president and general manager of KTOO-FM & TV, met with the House and Senate leadership and the governor’s office last week to present the station’s proposal. House Speaker Gail Phillips, R-Homer, did not have a comment on the plan. A spokeswoman for Senate President Drue Pearce, R-Anchorage, said the majority caucus reaction to the plan was mixed.
Today all official committee meetings and floor sessions of the Alaska Legislature are available online live and on-demand via Gavel Alaska, which also carries live and recorded TV broadcasts of the most important happenings. Other activities including press conferences and legislative hearings away from the Capitol are also covered.
Original Story: “Sessions via satellite?” by Jeanine Pohl. 1/29/1995.
This week in 2005, although Gov. Frank Murkowski has proposed two years of increases to school funding, lawmakers this session are likely to hear the cry for even more money. For example, Joy Beaver and Cynthia Katzeek, two Juneau-Douglas High School students, think there should be more tutors in the schools and fewer students in each class. They plan to talk to school district officials and lobby legislators. Of 10 school districts polled by legislative researchers at the request of Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, six said they would have to make cuts to balance their budget even with the administration’s proposed increase. Anchorage’s deficit would be $10 million; Juneau’s, $625,000. Fairbanks would need to close a $1.5 million gap; Ketchikan, $100,000. Murkowski wants to increase what’s called the base student allocation from $4,576 to $4,880 next school year and to $5,190 the year after that.
Today the statutory Base Student Allocation is $5,960, only $30 than the last significant permanent increase that took effect in 2017. Attempts by legislators in recent years to permanently increase the BSA have been rejected by Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the issue is again being debated this session.
Original Story: “Schools, parents seek more money,” by Eric Fry. 1/31/2005.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
