If passed by the council, the question about removing the bed tax from the tax cap calculation will be on the October ballot. State News Briefs Diesel Fuel Spills Near Portage Environmental officials says about 500 gallons of diesel fuel was spilled in an accident south of Portage today. The Department of Environmental Conservation says a rig owned by Weaver Brothers was hauling fuel to Kenai, when the rear tanker trailer unhooked and tore through a guardrail. The tanker trailer then rolled down an embankment into a highway ditch. Officials say about 500 gallons of fuel spilled into the ditch, which is about 300 to 400 feet from Ingram Creek.
Officials say the spill appears confined to the accident site.
There is no evidence it reached the creek. The remaining fuel was pumped into another tanker trailer. North Slope Borough police say Thomas Kanayurak Junior was driving the four-wheeler in Barrow yesterday, when he failed to turn away from a utility abutment. The machine broke through the abutment and struck a fire hydrant, ejecting all the riders. Kanayurak died about an hour after the accident.