Military officials say a popular air show will go on, days after four people were killed when a military cargo plane crashed at an Anchorage base during a training demonstration for the event. The crash occurred Wednesday evening at Elmendorf Air Force Base, three days before the start of the Arctic Thunder air show, set to run Saturday and Sunday. The names of the four men on board the C-17 have not been released pending notification of relatives. Three of those killed were in the Alaska Air National Guard, and the fourth man was on active duty at Elmendorf.
Court papers indicate that former Veco Corp. head Bill Allen won't be a government witness in the corruption trial against former state Rep. Bruce Weyhrauch. Weyhrauch's lawyer, Doug Pope, filed a memorandum with U.S. District Court in Anchorage saying that federal prosecutors told him they have no intention of calling Allen to testify. Allen pleaded guilty to bribery and tax violations and now is serving three years at a federal facility in California. It's unclear how the government would prosecute Weyhrauch without Allen. However, there are other Veco officials they could call.
Alaskans will get another chance to comment on proposed changes to ethics rules for executive branch officials. The proposals are similar to those released after Sarah Palin resigned as governor amid ethics complaints last year. State ethics attorney Judy Bockmon says the changes reflect public comment since then and during the Legislature, when several ethics bills were proposed but went nowhere.
A board of military officers plans to investigate a plane crash that witnesses say sent a fireball rising hundreds of feet over an Air Force base near downtown Anchorage. Authorities say the plane was on a local training run Wednesday evening when it crashed at Elmendorf Air Force Base. They gave no immediate word on casualties, but Lt. Gen. Dana Atkins noted that the plane was not an ejection aircraft and said it was "likely nobody escaped." He said late Wednesday that "It's likely there are fatalities involved in this mishap." Air Force Capt.
A Princess Cruises ship operating in Alaska has struck and killed a whale near Juneau. Princess Cruises says the dead whale became stuck at the bow of the Sapphire Princess and the vessel stopped south of Douglas Island until the carcass was removed Wednesday afternoon. Princess spokesman Kirby Day says the dead whale was noticed about 8 a.m. as the ship was en route from Ketchikan to Juneau. Kaja Brix with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the animal appears to have been a juvenile humpback whale.
A 14-year-old girl has died and another teen was injured after a pickup truck struck them while they were riding their bicycles in Fairbanks. Police say Kirsten Shaye Tompkins died at the scene of the accident, which occurred at about 2 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of the Steese highway and the Johansen Expressway. Police say Kirsten's 13-year-old brother, Layne, was taken to a local hospital and expected to be released. A third bicyclist was not hurt.
Republican Gov. Sean Parnell and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ethan Berkowitz are heading into their respective primaries next month with the most money on hand. As of Friday, Parnell reported having about $124,000 on hand. Among his higher-profile rivals, Anchorage attorney Bill Walker reported about $89,000 and Ralph Samuels, nearly $57,000. For the Democrats, Berkowitz had more than $113,000, most of the roughly $114,000 he reported raising between Feb. 2 and July 23. State Sen. Hollis French had about $42,000 on hand.
Alaskans Against Government Mandates has more than five times the money as the ballot group supporting an initiative requiring parental notification for minors seeking abortions. In disclosures filed with the state, Alaskans Against Government Mandates reported having about $107,000 on hand as of Friday; much of its contributions have come from Planned Parenthood. Alaskans for Parental Rights, which supports the proposed initiative, reported about $19,600.
Alaska's governor is opposing creation of a citizens' advisory council to weigh in on Arctic drilling proposals. Gov. Sean Parnell says the proposal approved by a U.S. Senate committee Tuesday is unnecessary and would merely create another level of review and oversight to oil and gas development off Alaska's coast. Parnell says there's a "rigorous" existing regulatory framework in place, and his office chided Alaska Democratic Sen. Mark Begich for not consulting with Parnell or his staff before pushing the proposal.
The Coast Guard says it has responded to four fishing vessels that went aground in Alaska waters. No injuries have been reported in any of the Monday morning groundings. A sheen, however, is spreading in Prince William Sound from the Seattle-based Cape Cross, which is carrying 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Petty Officer David Mosley says a Coast Guard crew is expected to arrive later at the site in Main Bay, about 70 miles southwest of Valdez.