Judy Oliver, a teacher and longtime Hoonah resident, was in intensive care late Saturday at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, where she was flown to have surgery after the attack, said Hoonah officer Arlen Skaflestad, Oliver's nephew.

"It was completely unprovoked," Skaflestad said of the attack.

Hoonah, a community of about 850 people, is on Chichagof Island 50 miles west of Juneau.

Oliver was picking blueberries shortly after 7 p.m. Friday off an old logging road known in Hoonah as the Water Dam Road about seven miles from town, Skaflestad said.

Her husband, Carl Oliver, later said he thought he heard the couple's golden retriever running through the woods. He saw the bear on his wife and the dog attacking the bear.

Carl Oliver was carrying a rifle and shot the bear three times, Skaflestad said. "He said the bear was very active. He was afraid he would hit Judy."

The shots drove the bear off. Carl Oliver lifted his wife into their car and drove to the Hoonah clinic. From there she was flown to Juneau.

Judy Oliver underwent surgery from about midnight to about 9 a.m. Saturday, Skaflestad said. Her injuries included a broken jaw and a broken clavicle.

Searchers looked for the bear for several hours Saturday morning but could not find it, Skaflestad said.

The berry-picking spot is popular with residents, Skaflestad said. Grizzly bears are common near the community but attacks are not, he said.

-- The Associated Press

ANCHORAGE

Fraser nominated for post to lead 4 Alaska commands

A change is expected soon in the top military leadership in Alaska, officials said Tuesday.

The president has nominated Air Force Maj. Gen. Douglas M. Fraser to replace Lt. Gen. Howie Chandler as head of Alaskan Command and three other commands headquartered here: the 11th Air Force, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and Joint Task Force-Alaska.

Fraser, nominated to be lieutenant general, is currently serving as director of air and space operations at Headquarters Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.

Chandler has been confirmed by the Senate to become deputy chief of staff for air and space operations at the Air Force's headquarters at the Pentagon, officials said. Fraser's nomination has not yet been confirmed. An official change-of-command ceremony will be scheduled locally once the confirmation is complete.

-- Anchorage Daily News