Turn back the pages — Oct. 15, 1987
Compiled by Julie Rosier
Slashers hit rigs — Seward police received a rash of tire slashing complaints last weekend as vandals went on a slashing spree that left a string of punctured tires and angry vehicle owners across Seward. Beginning Thursday night, police received more than 31 complaints from people who had one or more tires punctured and estimated that there may be as many as 50 victims. “This is more than recreational tire slashing — this is some dedicated work,” said one police official. The ferry terminal was particularly hard hit, where at least nine vehicles were vandalized over the weekend. One state-owned truck had all four tires slashed, including the spare. The area around the small boar harbor accounted for about half of the complaints, but vehicles in business parking lots and on 3rd and 5th Ave, were also struck. “I’m offering a $200 reward, not for the arrest of the persons involved, but just for a name,” said one victim who had two tires slashed. Police have confronted one juvenile who admitted guilt and has been charged with malicious mischief and are in the process of charging two more male juveniles for the slashings that occurred Thursday night at the ferry dock. Four additional junior high-age juveniles are being questioned for tire slashings that occurred throughout Seward within the past week.
Seward ships ice — Next time you open the freezer, don’t just reach for ordinary ice cubes. At least that’s what one Japanese entrepreneur is hoping for who recently shipped 20 tons of glacier ice to Kushiro, Hokkaido. “This has been a dream of mine,” said Takashi Ohmizu, in an interview last week as he supervised the unloading of ice collected floating off the Aialik glacier. “Alaska glacier ice has a clean image. Japanese people hope it’s a piece of Alaska natural,” he said. Ohmizu, president of Alaska Natural Products, came to Alaska last May, scouted ice with a seaplane and collected samples in ice chests for shipment to Japan. Ohmizu returned to Japan to seek outlets for his product, which will ultimately be sold in liquor and department stores. He hopes to ship up to 300 tons this year. Ohmizu chose Seward as a base of operations because it’s the sister city of his home port of Kushiro. He said that the two cities are assisting his business venture with dock facilities and transportation. Seward Fisheries, Inc. helped process this month’s shipment.
Boro, no to liquor license — Seward Chapel tentatively blocked a Nash Road liquor store from opening when church members protested the liquor license transfer at the borough assembly meeting Tuesday night. P&B Enterprises, owner of Short Stop, a proposed grocery and package liquor store at 1.6 Mile Nash Road had their liquor license transfer protested by the borough assembly in a 13-1 vote because the premises are within 500 feet of Seward Chapel. The borough ordinance governing liquor license protests states that the assembly “shall cause a protest to be filed with the State Alcoholic Beverage Control Board ...where the location of the premises would be within five hundred feet of an already established school, playground or church...” Seward Police Chief Louis Bencardino acted as spokesperson for P&B Enterprises, Inc. He stated he was not an owner. His wife, Connie, is president and agent of the corporation. Seward Chapel was represented by Annette Reese. She stated she had collected 55 signatures from residents opposed to the transfer. She also stated that the best of her knowledge, approximately 85 adults live within a 1-mile radius of the proposed liquor store.
Flood hits low lying areas — Tom Clock was one of the first people to know how much rain Seward received during last week’s deluge. For the second consecutive year, flood waters threatened to turn Marianne Clock’s Bed and Breakfast into an unmoored houseboat. Flooding was reported throughout much of the low lying areas around Seward last week, but was particularly bad in the Camelot Subdivision and areas near Salmon Creek after three days of torrential rain. While waiting for a caterpillar to shore up the bank behind her home Marianne Clock reminisced about last year’s flood. “They had to take us out of here by helicopter,” she said. “We never had a problem until the railroad moved the creek 200 yards. We’ve been waiting all year to shore up the bank. I don’t know why they have to wait until the last minute but I’m just getting too old for this.” “Do you want another piece of pie?” she asked. “If we could just raise our home about 8 feet,” Tom Clock added, smiling. “They (the borough) told us six weeks ago that they had the rock and money, but were waiting for the necessary permits.
Variety of maritime classes at Alaska Vocational Technical — As AVTEC enters its sixth year of training fishermen and mariners, they are offering the same comprehensive array of classes along with some new features. Here’s your chance to upgrade that license, learn some new troubleshooting techniques for your marine engines or even gather your crew together for one of the safety and survival classes. Choose from over two dozen classes ranging in length from one to five weeks. Trawling technology and fish finding systems have been updated with new information and material. Trawling Technology covers an overview of trawl methods, improved ground trawls, trawl door theory, by catch, fish behavior and fish preservation. Fish Finding Systems includes theory and practice on color echosounders, fish lupe, sonar and netsounders. These courses are taught by Dennis Lodge, well-known authority on bottom fishing and marine electronics. AVTEC now has the only U.S. Coast Guard approved Master/Mate and Motorboat/Ocean Operator course offered in Alaska. Other Coast Guard approved classes are Able-Body Seaman, Lifeboatman, Radar Observer and Celestial Navigation. Those wishing to receive their radar observer endorsement can train on the Racal 9000 simulator. AVTEC offers the 8-day basic, 3-day refresher and 1-day recertification courses along with Radar Ship Handling. Instructor Captain Clem McCann, recently named Seaman of the Year by the U.S. Coast Guard, has guided over 500 licensing preparation students to a remarkable 96 percent success rate.