State officials are seeking comments on the draft Alaska Education Plan, online at www.eed.state.ak.us. The deadline for comments is Feb. 19. After reviewing the public's comments, the department will present the draft plan to the state Board of Education and Early Development. The state board is scheduled to consider plan at its meeting on March 19-20 in Juneau. The plan is the state's blueprint for public education and provides the basis for accountability to the public. The Alaska Statewide Education Summit, held in November 2008 in Anchorage, initiated the effort to develop the Alaska Education Plan. Nearly 450 participants discussed education topics.

Play It Again Sports achieves gold standard

Bustin'the Ketchikan myth The camera crew for the Discovery channel's Mythbusters show, seen bottom center, at the Mountain Point boat ramp earlier this month in Ketchikan, film the special ice boat (not pictured) the Mythbusters built for an upcoming episode of the show. Stand-by emergency rescue personnel and members of the Ports and Harbors Department, can be seen in the background in their orange jump suits. AP Photo/Hall Anderson/Ketchikan Daily News

Play It Again Sports of Anchorage, a sporting goods provider of new and used sports and fitness equipment has been recognized by the Winmark Corp. for achieving a gold standard measurement. The gold standard is reached when a store achieves a set of standards set forth by the franchisor during the evaluation process. The Anchorage store achieved the customer satisfaction, store operations and product quality standards to earn the recognition in 2009. Play It Again Sports stores are franchised and branded under Winmark Corp. There are nearly 350 locations in North America, all individually owned and operated.

AHFC issues funds for rental housing

Alaska Housing Finance Corp. has awarded $46.8 million in grants and federal tax credits more than $70 million in combined new housing construction and renovation of existing homes for seniors, low-income families and persons with disabilities. The corporation this year is contributing more than $5.5 million to increase housing in Alaska. AHFC is also recommending awards from the Denali Commission of just under $4 million. Eight projects in all were included, including units in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Houston, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Soldotna and Togiak.

New Seattle berths are homeport for Alaska-bound cruises

The Port of Seattle's new two-berth facility, the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, will be a homeport for Alaska-bound cruises beginning in April. Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International will homeport there. The two-story, 143,000-square-foot facility is located on the north end, in historic Smith Cove, putting cruise passengers 10 minutes away from the city's retail core and Space Needle. The new terminal opens April 24, when Holland America Line's Amsterdam sails into Puget Sound, signaling the beginning of the 2009 cruise season. The new terminal provides two, 1,200-foot berths both equipped with shore power facilities, eliminating the need for vessels to run their diesel engines while at dock creating a significant savings in fuel costs, plus the environmental benefit of no air emissions.

Comment sought on Izembek refuge management plan

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is seeking public comment on an Izembek State Game Refuge draft management plan. The management plan and future regulations will be used by department staff to authorize appropriate activities in the refuge through special area permitting. The proposed policies address such issues as access and use of resources in the refuge. The department will conduct a separate regulatory review for the Izembek State Game Refuge after the management plan is finalized later this year. The draft plan is available for public review and comment through March 17. Copies are available on the department Web site at www.wildlife.alaska.gov and at Fish and Game Department offices in Anchorage, Douglas, King Salmon and Kodiak. Written comments may be submitted via e-mail to dfg.dsf.izembekplan@alaska.gov or mail to Izembek SGR Management Plan, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Habitat, 333 Raspberry Road, Anchorage, AK 99518-1565

Alaska fuel dealer indicted for felony offenses

Trial is set for March 23 in Fairbanks Superior Court for a Delta Junction-area fuel dealer and its principal owners on 17 felony counts of failure to pay state excise tax on fuel sales. The indictment names Dipper Fuel and Lubes Inc. and principal owners Charles and Teri Hennager. They were also indicted on a count of felony theft, alleging they collected state tax and kept it, rather than submit the tax revenue to the state. The defendants entered a plea of not guilty on Dec. 9 in Fairbanks Superior Court. The indictment alleges that Dipper Fuel and Lubes, Inc. received and sold both gasoline and diesel and retained in excess of $25,000 that they were required to submit to the state, between early 2005 and mid-2006.

Southeast United Way awards community impact grants

United Way of Southeast Alaska announced community impact grant awards totaling $37,700 to 13 partner agencies. Grants of $3,000 went to Southeast Alaska Independent Living to take services to Kake, Angoon, Hoonah, Metlakatla, Skagway, Petersburg, Wrangell and Prince of Wales; to Polaris House in Juneau; and SERRC/the Learning Connection. Grants of $2,700 went to the Association for the Education of Young Children; to Catholic Community Service; and to Ketchikan Homeless Shelter. Grants of $1,800 went to Love Inc. of Juneau, and to Ketchikan Youth Initiatives. The Four A's (Alaskans Aids Assistance Association) received $1,500. Brave Heart Volunteers of Sitka received $1,600. Rendezvous Senior Day Care Center in Ketchikan will get $1,300 and Hospice of Haines will receive $1,400.

First National Bank donates in 2008

First National Bank Alaska's fourth-quarter contributions of nearly $600,000 pushed above $1.6 million the total 2008 contributions to Alaska communities in 2008. The total includes charitable gifts, activity sponsorships and in-kind donations of time and talent during the past year. Education was again a major focus of the bank's support. The bank also supported various community organizations across the state.

GCI hits wireless milestone

General Communications Inc. reached a milestone of serving 100,000 wireless customers in Alaska under its own GCI brand, Alaska DigiTel and Alaska Wireless. GCI also announced that more than 70 percent of its GSM customers that used the Dobson/AT&T network have now been converted to GCI's new statewide network, which currently serves the state's larger communities. GCI expects to serve the remainder of the state by the end of 2010. GCI launched its EVDO Rev A wireless Air Cards late in the fourth quarter of 2008.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Anchorage third in fit list

Alaskans' vices may include ice cream, Spam, coffee and pilot bread, but none of these are enough to keep Anchorage off the most fit list in a recent U.S. News & World Report story, "America's 10 Fittest Cities - and 10 Least Fit Cities, Too." Rated by the percentage of residents that reportedly exercise regularly and percent that get vigorous regular exercise, Anchorage is behind only Boulder, Colo., and Provo-Orem, Utah. The list is based on a national initiative known as Healthy People 2010. Managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy People 2010 suggests that adults should get 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least five times per week, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. According to U.S. News & World Report, more than 62 percent of Anchorage adults met or exceeded the initiative goal for regular exercise. In 2007 only 49 percent of adults nationwide met the criteria.

Alaska Pacific receives $5M investment from Treasury

Alaska Pacific Bancshares Inc., the parent company of Alaska Pacific Bank, has received $4.8 million from the U.S. Treasury Department as a part of the treasury's capital purchase program. This funding marks the company's completion of the sale of $4.8 million in senior preferred stock, with a related warrant to purchase up to $717,150 in common stock to the U.S. Treasury. The transaction is part of the treasury's program to encourage qualified financial institutions to build capital to increase the flow of financing to businesses and consumers and to support the U.S. economy.