On Dec. 29, 1986, the Juneau Harbors Board planned to pick a design at its upcoming meeting for a new fisheries terminal to be built at Norway Point. The most popular of the designs to be considered was a terminal including a drive-down float. The board also planned to have a special meeting regarding whether it would decide to redact money that would allow the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly to get 64 more slips to finish the Auke Bay float project. The city realized it was short on money, which prompted the board to consider setting aside money from the current budget.
A report alleging that the Alaska Public Employee Association committed financial wrongdoing hit the employee union after Christmas. The report pointed to an audit giving $15,800 to a former union officer for vacation time, but did not make any other specific accusations. The investigation was to be conducted by the Alaska State Troopers.
At 7:15 am on Sunday, a fire that consumed a mobile home in the Thunder Mountain Trailer Court and caused approximately $45,000 to $60,000 worth of damage. If it weren’t for the family dog who barked at the smell of the fire, the owners would not have woken up and escaped in time. The fire department came and quickly extinguished the fire soon after it started.
U.S. President Ronald Reagan honored the two Voyager pilots Richard “Dick” Rutan and Jeana Yeager and plane designer Burt Rutan with three presidential medals after their non-stop flight around the world. Reagan called the plane’s landing the “best Christmas present America could have had.”
“This Day in Juneau History” is compiled by Empire freelancer Tasha Elizarde, who sums up the day’s events — 30 years ago — by perusing Empire archives.
