Empire Archives is a series printed every Saturday featuring a short compilation of headline stories in the Juneau Empire from archived editions in 1984, 1994 and 2004.
This week in 1984, Four more years were tacked onto the sentence of convicted armed robber Roy Marshall, who escaped through an open gate at the Southeast Regional Correctional Institute at Lemon Creek last March 8. Marshall was apprehended by Juneau Police and Alaska State Troopers at a Cedar Park residence a little more than 24 hours after the escape. Although the state classified the crime as one of the least serious of its kind, Juneau Superior Court Judge Walter Carpeneti handed down a six-year sentence with two years suspended and cited a number of factors he took into account in making his decision. Carpeneti said Marshall’s history of escapes and attempted escapes, and the public concern raised by the incident, required him to hand down the four-year sentence. The judge could have sentenced Marshall to three to nine years after his no-contest plea to the second-degree escape charge.
Original Story: “Escapee gets four more years,” by Christopher Jarvis. 2/15/1984.
This week in 1994, Juneau fisher Kyle Ison probably is feeling especially romantic — and lucky — this Valentine’s Day. Ison, 24, is getting married the evening of Feb. 14. But he might have missed the ceremony had it not been for his survival suit and a passing fishing vessel. The boat Ison was fishing on, the 36-foot All Hands, capsized Saturday night in frigid waters north of the Mansfield Peninsula, off the tip of Admiralty Island, 14 miles west of Juneau. He and 30-year-old Gary Davidson, also of Juneau, had been fishing all week and had a full load on board, said Denise Ison, Kyle’s bride-to-be, the morning of the wedding. She said the boat capsized when it caught a wave and Davidson was able to radio a mayday distress call, which was heard by the fishing vessel Abng. Ison crawled onto the capsized vessel’s hull, dragging Davidson with him, until the Abng arrived and pulled them to safety.
Original Story: “Groom saved at sea: Valentine’s Day wedding still on after icy rescue,” by Annabel Lund. 2/14/1994.
This week in 2004, What started as a promising snow year with attractively discounted season passes at Eaglecrest is becoming another cause for debate about the ski area’s financial future. Projected ticket sales midway through the season are off more than $200,000, leading some city officials to urge cost cuts or even privatization at the public ski area. The mountain’s deficit for next year is expected to top $500,000, though Eaglecrest officials last week presented a business plan they hope will cut into the losses thereafter. Juneau Assembly member Jim Powell implored ski area officials to use volunteers and in-kind services as much as possible to save money. “It’s important that we keep Eaglecrest alive,” he said. The business plan would turn the winter recreational site in Douglas into a year-round facility. The ski area would generate more income from summer-related activities and services such as dog sled tours, a walkway through treetops, cabin rentals and food sales.
Original Story: “Eaglecrest submits plan to cut losses,” by Tara Sidor. 2/16/1994.
