Daily Sitka Sentinel from Sitka, Alaska • Page 3

Libertarians Make Push Daily Sitka Sentinel, Sitka, Alaska, Tuewlay, Aagwst 21,1184. Page 3 ByHALSPENCER Associated Press Writer ANCHORAGE (AP) The Alaska Libertarian Party relishes its role as the outsider the political force that likes to shake the tree of state government until the leaves start to fall. But party leaders lately are wearing furrowed brows. Despite their power as a force for change, the Libertarians have no representation in state government, so this year the party is fighting hard to send at least some of its six legislative candidates to Juneau. All six are running unopposed in the Aue 28 primary.

The party lost two seats in the House in. the 1982 general election with the defeat of incumbent Ken Fanning of Fairbanks and the decision of then- party chief Dick Randolph not to seek another term in order to run for governor a race he lost. The Libertarians have seven people in local government ranging from Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Stan Thompson to Fairbanks North Star Borough Assemblyman Bruce Wammack. "A political party must put people in office," especially into the Legislature says Randolph, the party's campaign coordinator. "While I think the Libertarian philosophy has a great deal of credibility in Alaska, a party exists to put people in office, and we have to start doing it.

We have to survive under the definition of what a party does." "I wouldn't say it's a matter of life or death that we win some legislative seats," says Andre Marrou, a Libertarian House candidate from Homer. "But I would call it highly urgent." So important is winning seats in the 14th Alaska Legislature that the party has decided not to help out in the David Bergland campaign for president. Instead, it will put all its resources into the six races for Alaska House seats. Randolph, a Fairbanks insurance man, says the party is working hard through mail and telephone solicitations to raise money on behalf of the candidates. He estimates the total cost of getting the six elected will be in the neighborhood of $200,000.

He said the party intends to give each candidate about $5,000 and each to raise his own funds for the balance of his campaign cost. The party's six legislative candidates are Will Darsey of Fairbanks, who is running for the District 18 seat occupied by Mike Miller, R-North Pole; Marrou, seeking Seat District 5 now held by Rep. Milo Fritz, R-Anchor Point; John Davis of Soldotna, running for Seat A in District 5, a post left vacant by the decision of Rep. Hugh Malone, D- Kenai, not to seek another term; Stewart Brandon of Nikiski, seeking the District 7 seat held by Mike Szymanski, D-Anchorage; and Henry Novak, of Ward Cove, trying for the Seat District 1 post now held by Rep. Ron Wendte, D-Ketchikan.

Randolph feels that four of the six stand 50-50 chances of winning in their districts. He declines to name them for fear of insulting the two whose chances appear less bright. A seventh candidate, Wes Craske of Sitka, withdrew this.month, saying he wants to devote all his time to helping on. a Libertarian drive to ask voters in 1986 to repeal the handsome pay raise lawmakers gave themselves in 1983. Basic pay rose from $20,020 annually to $46,800 a year and included lucrative -increases in pension benefits.

The Libertarian message is simple -less government is good. Marrou says Alaska state government is the largest in the history of the nation, in terms of state dollars spent per capita and in the number of "bureaucrats" per capita. Craske said Libertarians "consider the financial condition of the state of Alaska to be a crisis situation." His and his colleagues' effort to repeal the lawmakers' pay increase is just one more example of the party flexing its muscles from the outside looking in. In November, voters will have a chance to abolish the Alaska Transportation Commission due to an initiative sponsored by Randolph and the Libertarians. The party contends the state agency strangles competition and drives up freight rates in Alaska.

In-1982, the Libertarians backed a measure dubbed the Tundra Rebellion aimed at setting the stage for a state takeover of most federal land in Alaska. It was approved overwhelmingly at the polls although Attorney General Norman Gorsuch later ruled it unconstitutional. Randolph also credits party petition drives with leading to legislative repeal of the income tax and a decision by the the 1983 Legislature not to repeal Alaska's Permanent Fund dividend program. But Randolph says the party this year must channel its energy into getting some of its members into 'the Legislature. The Alaska Division of Elections says that as of Aug.

9, only 1,707 of 278,665 Alaska voters were registered as Libertarians. But Randolph says the figure is misleading. He notes, for example, that he fetched just under 15 percent of the vote in his race for governor in 1982 a percentage that lifted the Libertarians to the status of an official party in Alaska. "I got just over 30,000 votes," Randolph says, suggesting that Libertarians are so independent they won't even register as Libertarians. He and his fellows hope some of their legislative candidates will receive that kind of support in the Nov.

6 general election. No Smoking Rule: No Arrests, Fines By DEAN FOSDICK Associated Press Writer JUNEAU (AP) A half-dozen formal complaints have been filed, but all have been resolved without any fines or arrests since the state broadened its no- smoking law about a month ago, officials said Monday. Commissioner Dick Neve, whose Department of Environmental Conservation enforces the public smoking ban, admitted there had been some initial confusion about the new law, which took effect July 17. But Neve said that appears to be clearing up. "We had a lot of calls about it, but I think that's gone down lately," Neve said.

Jana Baumann, an information officer with the department, said public response has been overwhelmingly "positive and "Three out of four Alaskans don't smoke and they're especially willing to Jet Crewmen Die in Crash ANCHORAGE (AP) An Air Force medical investigation team late confirmed the deaths of two crewmen aboard an F-15 Eagle fighter that crashed about 70 miles west of Talkeetna. i The dead were identified as Capt. Benjamin Cotharin, a pilot with the 43rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, and Russell Joftnson, a weapons technician with" 21st Aircraft Generation Squadron, said Staff Sgt. Lauren Sobkbviak, an Air Force spokesman. The two were aboard the $20 million aircraft that disintegrated when it smashed into a hillside 25 miles south of the Yentna Glacier, Sobkoviak said.

Medical personnel confirmed the deaths after gathering evidence at the crash site Monday, he Air Force officials would not say why Johnson was aboard the plane, nor would they speculate on the cause of the crash. The F-15 was reported missing Friday while on a routine training mission about 125 miles northwest of Anchorage. Searchers found its wreckage Sunday at about the level of a mountain ridge. comply," Baumann said. Mandatory no-smoking laws have been on the books in Alaska since 1975 but the Legislature extended the ban last session to include elevators grocery stores, state office buildings' courtrooms, taxicabs and buses and restaurants that seat more than 50 people.

"When you go out to eat, the question about whether you'd rather sit in the smoking or non-smoking sections could become as routine as hearing them ask if you want blue cheese or Thousand Island (dressing) on your salad," Baumann said. Under the new law, the person "in charge" of a place or a vehicle covered by the law must see that a no-smoking sign is hung in a conspicuous place. If a person fails to post the sign, or if someone smokes in a no-smoking area, then they could be cited or served with a civil complaint. Fines for failing to post the signs range from $20 to $300 -a day. People who light up in a no- smoking area could wind up inhaling fines of $10 to $50.

"We've received about a half-dozen complaints and most (of the alleged violations) were resolved over the phone," Baumann said. "No arrests have been made. No fines. "In most situations, complaints have been filed after the fact," she said. "It's not the kind of thing where DEC or law enforcement people will witness the crime and put handcuffs on (the violator).

It's more like for a parking violation." Registration Open For UAJ Classes Registration for fall courses offered by the University of Alaska Juneau begins Monday. Courses in education, English, art history and intercultural communications are offered. Special interest courses include one on elections and a workshop on evaluating components of physical fitness. Tuition is $30 per credit for undergraduate courses and $60 for graduate courses. Classes will begin Sept.

4 To register, stop by Islands Com- muiiity a.m. to 6 p.m Aue 27-31. For more information, call Caro'lyn Servid at the college at 747-6653. School Board To Meet Tonight Coast Guard Sitka School Board will meet 7 p.m. tonight in the Maksoutoff Room of the Centennial Building.

Items on the agenda include bid openings for blinds, an address to the board by T. Cole, reconsideration of a leave of absence and a policy question regarding school attendance. WELCOME BACK TO SITKA TASKAH 3-Week Engagement Thru Sept. 3 5 Nites Weekly Tucs. Sat.

Country Western GOOD LISTENING DANCING MUSIC! At The American Legion Club JS A helicopter on a' training mission was diverted to search for four kayakers reported overdue on a trip from Fred's Creek on Kruzof Island to Sitka early Monday night. The kayakers later arrived in Sitka, according to the Coast Guard spokesmen. They had been delayed by bad weather. City Panel to Meet The Downtown Revitalization Committee will meet 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Centennial Building.

Progress reports on subcommittees will be heard. Emergency Calls A Sitka Volunteer Fire Department ambulance transported a patient from 409 Spruce Apartment No. 5, to Sitka Community Hospital at 10:43 a.m. Monday. An ambulance transferred a patient from the Coast Guard Air Station to Sitka Community Hospital at 3:02 p.m.

At 9:11 p.m., a patient was transferred from the American Legion to Sitka Community Hospital. At 1:53 a.m. today, a patient was transported from 1803A Halibut Point Road to theMt. Edgecumbe Hospital. At 6:08 a.m.

today, another patient was transferred from 216FAA Housing at Mt. Edgecumbe to the Mt Edgecumbe hosptal. Sitka Hospital Elizabeth Ann Commodore and Sabnat Redilphy were discharged from Sitka Community Hospital Monday. EMERGENCY RUN Coast Guard and Sitka Volunteer Fire Department personnel transfer 22-year-old man from a helicopter to an ambulance Monday afternoon The man, identified by the Coast Guard as Joe Bergman address unknown, was accidentally shot in the left arm by a shotgun blast aboard a 42-foot fishing vessel, Nimrod of Oak Harbor, according to a Coast Guard spokesman. The man was hoisted from the fishing boat near Eagle Rock, in the southwestern part of Salisbury Sound.

Coast Guard Dr. James Rahman, who flew on the rescue mission, described the man's condition as "good" upon return to Sitka. The man was taken to Sitka Community Hospital. (Sentinel photo by Allen Sykora) Grandma Wing Walker VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) When Mary Mcllvain, a Vancouver grandmother of three, goes flying, she likes to wear a dress.

That's not unusual for people who stay inside an aircraft, but Ms. Mcllvain likes to do her flying on the wing, without a harness. "I love it," Ms. Mcllvain said of her wing-walking hobby that started in July. "It's fantastic.

It's a natural high. If kids did more stuff like this they wouldn't need drugs and all that." Her pilot, Wally Olson, owner of Evergreen Airport, also is a grandparent. "We call it the grandma and grandpa show, "she said. Ms. Mcllvain, 52, was inspired to wing walk as she and Olson were working at the airport earlier this summer.

"Boy, that sure is a beautiful airplane," Ms. Mcllvain said of Olson's restored 1917 JN4-D Jenny biplane. "What a plane like this needs is a wing walker," Olson replied. Ms. Mcllvain, who says she doesn't like to fly planes, volunteered, and they began to practice.

When the grandmother climbs out of the front seat of the Jenny, which cruises at about 65 mph, she hangs on to wires, struts and whatever else is handy as she sashays along the wing. She wears a dress, she says, "so the audience can see me." For extra thrills, she often lets the dress fall while in mid-flight. Last weekend, Ms. Mcllvain performed her stunts two days in a row before crowds of at least 8,000 people at the 25th annual Northwest Antique Airplane Club Air Show at Evergreen Airport east of Vancouver. go i ml MR tfe reads! Boaters Rescued JUNEAU (AP) A Soldotna man and his son were plucked from a life raft in the Gulf of Alaska by another fisherman less than an hour after their fishing boat sank Monday night, the Coast Guard says.

Donald Johnson and his son, Craig, both wore survival suits and were in good condition after they were rescued from a life raft at about 10:45 p.m., about 45 minutes after they radioed for help, said Chief Petty Officer Dan Dewell of the Juneau Rescue Center. The Johnsons were aboard the 36-foot fishing boat, Lavelta Lynn, when they reported taking on water and sinking HUA LI CHINESE RESTAURANT Sawmill Creek Shopping Plaza ORDERS TO GO 747-5333 Try Something Different for Lunch Hearty Chinese Noodle Soups from $5.25 Special Chow Mein Lunches $4.50 A Garage, Moving, Yard Sales Miscellaneous items for sale of up to $200 value giveaway. use this order form Name Odd jobs wanted or offered Items wanted to to buy or 1 Deadline for Sunshine Ads is Thursday at 4p.m. Individuals only (or Sunshine Ads. Please check the Sentinel's regular tow rain far classified and other advertising..