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The wolf may have been "Romeo," the lake's unofficial mascot, judging from a description and details of his behavior released by the Juneau Ranger District.

"This wolf has been frequenting the trails ner Mendenhall Lake, the Dredge Lake area and Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center for several years," the press release said.

Some people walking their dogs in the area have been complacent because the wolf hasn't been sighted lately, the release said. Dogs should be leashed and the wolf should be avoided, rangers advised.

Studded tires OK in Juneau until May 1

JUNEAU - The Juneau Police Department, in consultation with the Department of Transportation, will delay enforcement of the studded tire ordinance until May 1.

The studded-tire ban would normally take effect April 15 and run until Sept. 30, as posted on local highways.

Due to this year's unpredictable weather conditions, enforcement will be delayed, police announced Tuesday. Authorities will be paying special attention to the May 1 cutoff, however.

The fine for driving with studded tires after the deadline is $110.

Lights out at bedtime for much of Juneau

JUNEAU - About 8,000 Juneau residents lost power Monday night when an insulator failed at 11:15 p.m. near Stephen Richards Memorial Drive and Mendenhall Loop Road, according to Alaska Electric Light & Power spokeswoman Gayle Wood.

Power restoration started about a half-hour after the outage. The crew finished repairing the insulator within two hours, and power was fully restored, the power company said.

$538,786 awarded to trails projects

JUNEAU - The Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation has awarded $538,786 in grants to benefit trail projects across the state in 2007.

Two projects in Southeast Alaska were funded, including the Upper Dewey Lake Trail Restoration project in Skagway and the Hoonah Community Trails project.

The city of Skagway was given $18,852 to begin the multi-stage process of rebuilding the Upper Dewey Lake Trail as well as doing some deferred maintenance. The trail is considered to be "the crown jewel" in Skagway's extensive trail system and requires extensive work to remedy the trail's poor original design and repair years of use and erosion. The storms of November 2005 storms exacerbated that damage.

Hoonah received $49,986 for its community trails project, which will complete nearly a quarter-mile of non-motorized, diversified gravel trail around much of the Hoonah Harbor Park. Two access points will also be constructed to facilitate parking and trail entry for users of all abilities.

The Recreational Trail Program is a federally funded program that provides money to develop and maintain recreational trails and facilities, acquire trail right-of-ways and develop education programs. The grants were announced in a press release Monday.

For more information about the program visit www.alaskastrails.org.

Clean water actions grants available

ANCHORAGE - A total of $675,000 is available for clean water projects through the Alaska Clean Water Actions grants, the Department of Environmental Conservation announced Tuesday.

Each year, proposals are solicited for clean water projects to be funded. The funds are granted to local communities, governments and citizens groups for projects that monitor and restore Alaska's targeted high priority water bodies.

"Among notable successes is the Granite Creek restoration project in Sitka. Efforts include sediment controls, inventorying salmon populations and seeding and stabilizing erosion areas, as well as routine maintenance of ponds, ditching and other pollution control systems. The end result is healthier water for Alaska," said the department Director of Water Lynn Kent.

This year, $125,000 in funds are also available through the national BEACH grant program for community beaches that may have sewage pollution (fecal coliform or enterococci). A department survey of 125 coastal communities and Alaska Native Tribes found several beaches that ranked high for the possibility of bacteria pollution that should be further monitored.

For more information about the ACWA grants priorities, visit www.dec.state.ak.us/water/acwa/acwa_index.htm.

All applications must be submitted to Marcie Fader by 4:30 PM, April 30. To learn more, contact Fader at 269-7576.

Elderly man dies of pneumonia at home

ANCHORAGE - No sign of neglect or abuse was found in connection with the death of an elderly man at an Anchorage assisted living home, the state medical examiner said.

James Waska, 83, was found dead last month at the Turnagain Adult Foster Home with no staff members on hand. He died of pneumonia, said medical examiner Franc Fallico.

Anchorage police did not find any evidence of a crime in Waska's death, but have turned the matter over to specialized investigators with the state, said Lt. Paul Honeman.

Pneumonia can develop quickly and Waska's age also was a factor in his death, Fallico said.

Waska didn't have bed sores, rashes or signs of dehydration, Fallico said.

"My perspective is that he did not die because of neglect, from what the autopsy tells me," he said.

Anchorage baby sitter charged with molesting small girls

ANCHORAGE - An Anchorage man is accused in multiple counts of repeatedly sexually abusing small girls left in his care.

James Kraus, 62, is charged with 84 counts of sexually abusing minors. The former state Department of Corrections worker was arrested Sunday and is being held on $100,000 cash bail.

The charges involve three girls between the ages of 5 and 8 and cover a period of about a year.

Police said Kraus was a longtime resident of a low-income housing complex in the city's Fairview neighborhood and made friends easily with children in the apartments. He was known as "Uncle Jim."

Parents eventually let him baby-sit, which he did without payment, according to police.

"I think based on his prior Department of Corrections career and his abilities with children, he made friends fairly fast," said Detective Brett Sarber.

The children played board games, watched TV and played in the playground with Kraus, and slept in his apartment overnight, police said. He also showed them pornography DVDs, then forced the children into sex acts, police said.

Kraus told the children not to tell anyone about his actions, police said.

The father of two of the girls told police a few days ago that he believed his children were being abused, according to charging documents filed in Anchorage District Court.

Kraus, who has no criminal history in Alaska, made his first court appearance Monday.