Anchorage news

• Hostetler Park renovation project includes new plan for Alaska Victims Memorial

  27-02-2017 04:45
  
  A small park in the northwest corner of downtown Anchorage will soon have a new look.
  Hostetler Park is located where Third Avenue becomes L Street. Since 1994, the eastern portion of the park has been occupied by the Alaska Victims Memorial. It includes the names of more than 350 Alaskans who died because of a violent crime, whether it was through homicide or a drunk driving crash.
  Now, the Rotary Club of Anchorage is leading an effort to rebuild the park and the memorial.
  “These victims
  
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• Newscast – Friday, May 10, 2024

  11-05-2024 02:46 via ktoo.org
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/20240510-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:A new study reveals that snow slides are a leading cause of death for mountain goats,
  Should Southeast Alaska have a hatchery-only king salmon sports fishery? Researchers recently tried to answer that question as a possible solution to a declining number of wild kings,
  Active aurora is forecast this weekend due to intense solar flares in recent days
  
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• Dunleavy declares disaster amid historic breakup flooding on the Kuskokwim River

  11-05-2024 00:20 via ktoo.org
  
  A truck drives through floodwater on Sixth Avenue in Bethel on May 9, 2024. (MaryCait Dolan/KYUK)
  Amid historic breakup flooding on the Kuskokwim River, Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Friday issued a disaster declaration for lower Kuskokwim and Yukon River communities. The declaration allows eligible communities and individuals to access state funds for emergency-related costs and provide assistance.
  The declaration comes as icy water continues to flood multiple communities on the Lower Kuskokwim.
  The Ku
  
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• Sudden ANTHC leadership change: Valerie Davidson no longer at the helm

  11-05-2024 00:14 via ktoo.org
  
  Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson, former president of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, speaks at a press conference on June 14, 2021. (Jeff Chen/Alaska Public Media)
  Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson was not only head of one of the largest tribal health organizations in the nation, but also recognized as a trailblazer in Native health care. But Davidson is no longer president and CEO of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
  In a statement on its website, ANTHC ann
  
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• Brinksmanship and compromise emerge in Alaska’s Capitol as legislative session nears an end

  10-05-2024 20:54 via ktoo.org
  
  Budding trees and bushes are seen in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
  Members of the Alaska Senate have killed, at least temporarily, a plan to end a tax policy worth more than $100 million for one of the state’s largest oil companies.
  The move came after Hilcorp Alaska and members of the state House of Representatives warned that there would be consequences if the Senate moved forward with plans to end a tax policy that ben
  
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• Alaskans suing state over food assistance delays ask judge to order faster application processing

  10-05-2024 20:46 via ktoo.org
  
  Packaged food sits on shelves at Sitka’s Salvation Army food pantry in 2018. (Photo by Emily Kwong/KCAW)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/09SNAP.mp3
  Alaskans who sued the state last year over long wait times for food assistance are asking a federal judge to order the state to speed up processing.
  The state’s Division of Public Assistance has struggled in recent years to keep up with pending applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known a
  
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• Avalanches are a leading cause of death for Southeast Alaska’s mountain goats

  10-05-2024 20:35 via ktoo.org
  
  Close up view of an adult male mountain goat in late-winter, near Juneau Icefield, Alaska. In the background, steep avalanche prone slopes are visible. (Photo courtesy of Kevin White)
  The mountain goat is one of nature’s most skilled mountaineers. The hooved herds make their way through harsh Alpine terrain with relative ease. And they’ve been living with mountain snow since the Ice Age.
  According to wildlife ecologist Kevin White, that also means that they live amid avalanche paths.
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, May 9, 2024

  10-05-2024 03:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/20240509-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:Alaskans who sued the state last year over long wait times for food assistance are asking a federal judge to order the state to speed up processing, but the state says the situation has improved dramatically,
  Transboundary gold mines are controversial because of their environmental impact, but a nonprofit group released a report that found that these mines operate somewhat like a Ponzi scheme
  
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• Widespread high water and flooding continues for lower Kuskokwim communities

  10-05-2024 00:27 via ktoo.org
  
  Floodwaters rise in Bethel’s Alligator Acres neighborhood on May 9, 2024. (Photo by MaryCait Dolan/KYUK)
  Kwethluk remains on flood warning, while Bethel and lower Kuskokwim communities are on flood advisory as the river swells over its banks.
  National Weather Service Hydrologist Johnse Ostman said on KYUK morning show Coffee at KYUK on Thursday that high water is widespread throughout the lower Kuskokwim region.
  “We’ve seen high water all the way from below lower Kalskag down t
  
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• Could Alaska be the final destination for Japan’s carbon pollution?

  09-05-2024 21:42 via ktoo.org
  
  Officials from Japanese energy companies listen to a presentation from U.S. Department of Energy officials at a carbon workshop Tuesday in Anchorage. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Northern Journal)
  For decades, Alaska shipped liquefied natural gas to Japan, which burned the fuel to generate power — and also generated ample climate-warming carbon emissions.
  Now, the Biden administration wants to study whether those Japanese emissions could be captured, liquefied and shipped back to Ala
  
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• “Welcome to Deishú”? A mysterious sign change sparks discussion of Haines Borough’s name

  09-05-2024 20:48 via ktoo.org
  
  A sign welcoming people to town as been changed from saying “Welcome to Haines” to “Welcome to Deishu” on Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Rashah McChesney/Chilkat Valley News)
  If you drove into town from the ferry terminal two weeks ago or from up the Chilkat Valley, you may have noticed something odd about the cedar signs welcoming you to Haines.
  In fact, the signs wouldn’t have welcomed you to Haines. Instead, they said “Welcome to Deishú.” That&rsqu
  
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• Alaska Native corporation ending involvement in controversial Ambler road project

  09-05-2024 19:51 via ktoo.org
  
  The NANA Regional Corp. office in downtown Anchorage is seen on Wednesday. The Native corporation, citing dissatisfaction with management by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, is ending its involvement with the Ambler Access Project. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
  The regional corporation owned by the Iñupiat people of Northwest Alaska said Wednesday it is severing its ties to the Ambler Access Project, the controversial road that a state agency proposes to bui
  
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• Alaska Legislature heads into session’s homestretch with energy-related bills still on the table

  09-05-2024 19:43 via ktoo.org
  
  Hilcorp’s Dillon platform in Cook Inlet (foreground) photographed last year. (Nathaniel Herz for Alaska Public Media)
  Leaders in both the state House and Senate have listed energy legislation as a primary focus of this session. That’s as gas producers warn that Cook Inlet natural gas supplies are dwindling, threatening higher prices.
  But there’s only about a week left for lawmakers to pass bills that address a number of energy issues. So it’s a good time to check in with
  
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• Newscast – Wednesday, May 8, 2024

  09-05-2024 02:42 via ktoo.org
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/20240508-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:The Juneau Assembly wants the city to ask community organizations if they’d be interested in continuing to care for graveyards on Douglas — with potential funding,
  An audio postcard from this years MMIP Awareness Day in Bethel
  
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• 10-mile Lower Kuskokwim ice jam causes flooding, high water

  08-05-2024 21:57 via ktoo.org
  
  Ice jammed outside of Akiak, May 7, 2024. (From National Weather Service)
  Early Wednesday morning, Akiak residents reported slowly rising water and the sound of moving ice. Tuluksak is experiencing what residents describe as some of its “worst flooding” in 10-15 years. A 10-mile-long ice jam had been wedged below Akiak, which is under flood advisory on Wednesday.
  Bethel Search and Rescue member Mark Leary joined the RiverWatch team on their Tuesday aerial survey of the Kusk
  
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• Volunteers want the city to manage Douglas Island’s cemeteries. Instead, the Assembly is asking for help.

  08-05-2024 21:49 via ktoo.org
  
  Ed Schoenfeld looks at a headstone at the old Douglas city cemetery on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gravesMP3.mp3
  Trudging through the bumpy, brush-covered grounds at the old Douglas city cemetery, Ed Schoenfeld squints at a headstone. It’s half protruding out of the ground, with fiddleheads popping up around it. 
  “It’s a headstone for Fred Schuler. It says he was born in Germany in 1859 and died November 11,
  
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• Legislature rejects Dunleavy appointees to state school board and commercial fishing agency

  08-05-2024 20:52 via ktoo.org
  
  Members of the Alaska House and Senate vote on the confirmation of state Board of Education and Early Development member Bob Griffin on May 5, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
  The Alaska Legislature shot down one of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s nominees to the state Board of Education and Early Development on Tuesday. Members of the House and Senate objected to what they said were ethics violations by Bob Griffin, who has sat on the state board for five years.
  The 21-39 bipartisan vote came
  
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• The U.S. was supposed to get keys to a new heavy icebreaker this year. Instead, construction is years late as costs soar.

  08-05-2024 19:59 via ktoo.org
  
  Artist rendering of the Polar Security Cutter design. (VT Halter Marine/Technology Associates, Inc.)
  The Coast Guard’s plan to build three heavy icebreakers is five years behind schedule and the price has ballooned to $5.1 billion from an initial estimate of less than $2 billion, according to projections from Congressional Budget Office and other watchdogs.
  “The Coast Guard originally aimed to have the first PSC (polar security cutter) delivered in 2024, but the ship’s estimate
  
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• FBI arrests man in Juneau after stabbing multiple people on cruise ship

  08-05-2024 03:47 via ktoo.org
  
  The Norwegian Encore berths in Juneau in Oct. 2022. (Clarise Larson/ for the Juneau Empire)
  The FBI arrested a cruise ship employee in Juneau on Tuesday afternoon, the day after he allegedly stabbed multiple people with scissors aboard the Norwegian Encore. 
  Ntando Sogoni, 35, of South Africa was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
  In an interview, FBI Public Affairs Officer Chloe Martin said the agency continues to investigate the
  
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• FBI arrests cruise ship crew member in Juneau after allegedly stabbing multiple people on board

  08-05-2024 03:47 via ktoo.org
  
  The Norwegian Encore berths in Juneau in Oct. 2022. (Clarise Larson/ for the Juneau Empire)
  The FBI arrested a cruise ship employee in Juneau on Tuesday afternoon, the day after he allegedly stabbed multiple people with scissors aboard the Norwegian Encore. 
  Ntando Sogoni, 35, of South Africa was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
  In an interview, FBI Public Affairs Officer Chloe Martin said the agency continues to investigate the
  
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• Newscast – Tuesday, May 7, 2024

  08-05-2024 02:45 via ktoo.org
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/20240507-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:Juneau’s annual workshop on How to Run for Local Office is this Saturday, and October’s municipal election is already shaping up to be an interesting one,
  A proposal headed to the Alaska Board of Fisheries next year would change how a popular run of king salmon is managed near Petersburg,
  Tongass Voices: Haa Tooch Lichéesh Coalition members find inner strength through ocean dipping
  
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• How to Run for Local Office workshop preps candidates for Juneau’s October election on Saturday

  08-05-2024 00:42 via ktoo.org
  
  Michael Beasley drops a ballot into a drop box at the City Hall Assembly Chambers on Election Day on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. (Clarise Larson / for the Juneau Empire)
  Juneau’s annual How to Run for Local Office workshop is happening on Saturday. It gives anyone a chance to ask questions and learn about what it takes to campaign for the Juneau Assembly or School Board. 
  Current and former members will offer advice to prospective candidates for this October’s municipal election.
  Peg
  
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• Alaska House nears vote on big increase for public school maintenance statewide

  07-05-2024 20:59 via ktoo.org
  
  Members of the Alaska House Finance Committee discuss their first-draft budget on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
  A key Alaska House committee has approved funding for the most school maintenance projects in several years — from new roofs to copper pipe and electrical replacements.
  The finance committee advanced a $552 million construction and renovation spending plan that includes a huge increase for school maintenance. If adopted, the $63 million earmarked
  
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• Tongass Voices: Haa Tooch Lichéesh Coalition members find inner strength through ocean dipping

  07-05-2024 20:45 via ktoo.org
  
  People dipping with Haa Tooch Lichéesh Coalition at Auke Recreation Area on March 24, 2024. (Photo by Yvonne Krumrey/KTOO)
  This is Tongass Voices, a series from KTOO sharing weekly perspectives from the homelands of the Áak’w Kwáan and beyond.
  Haa Tooch Lichéesh Coalition is a nonprofit that offers Indigenous-based healing practices and reconciliation with the violent history of colonization and its impacts on Juneau’s community today.
  One of these tra
  
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• Alaska officials announce ‘One Pill Can Kill’ campaign to address fentanyl crisis

  07-05-2024 20:37 via ktoo.org
  
  Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Monday announced a new state awareness campaign called “One Pill Can Kill,” aimed at addressing the fentanyl crisis in Alaska. (Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media)
  Alaska officials have announced a new awareness campaign aimed at highlighting and combating the growing danger of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
  Gov. Mike Dunleavy and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan announced the “One Pill Can Kill” campaign at an Anchorage news conference Monday. Sullivan said tha
  
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• Alaska House committee kills state-owned corporation’s plan to borrow up to $300 million

  07-05-2024 19:53 via ktoo.org
  
  Members of the Alaska House Finance Committee, at left, listen to budget aide Remond Henderson during a break in amendment discussions on Monday, March 27, 2023. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
  Members of the Alaska House have refused a request by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority for permission to borrow up to $300 million for unspecified mining-related projects.
  On Friday night, the House Finance Committee removed the requested bonding authority from House Bill 122,
  
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• Close encounters with a curious killer whale remind Juneau residents of the city’s wild nature

  07-05-2024 03:57 via ktoo.org
  
  An orca travels near Admiralty Cove on Saturday, March 23, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  On a recent sunny Friday in Juneau, Lindsey Bloom was eager to get outside and enjoy the spring weather. 
  “I was like ‘Okay, I’m just going to go for a little paddleboard. I’m gonna just watch the sun sparkle on the water and that’s gonna like light me up from just a day of emails,” Bloom said.  “I mean it just seemed so … just so benign.”
  At Blo
  
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• Newscast – Monday, May 6, 2024

  07-05-2024 03:46 via ktoo.org
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/20240506.mp3
  In this newscast:Juneau residents had some close encounters with a curious killer whale.
  Sitka’s “Indian Village” was recognized as one of 11 endangered historic places in the U.S. Organizers are hoping that attention will inspire efforts to conserve and rebuild a cultural hub.
  
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• Competing House and Senate bills propose fixes to homeschool laws ruled unconstitutional

  07-05-2024 03:39 via ktoo.org
  
  The Alaska State Capitol on March 25, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
  Lawmakers in the Alaska House and Senate are racing to craft a bill that would allow homeschool programs to continue after a judge threw out two key homeschool laws as unconstitutional, leaving parents of more than 20,000 students wondering what next school year will look like.
  Legislators are hoping to pass a bill in the next week or so that would provide those parents with some clarity on what’s ahead, but
  
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• UAA graduation is extra sweet for students who missed high school ceremonies 4 years ago

  07-05-2024 02:18 via ktoo.org
  
  Student commencement speaker Katie Scoggin walks up to the podium for her graduation speech at the Alaska Airlines Center on Sunday, May 5, 2024. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)
  Just before receiving her diploma as a University of Alaska Anchorage graduate on Sunday, Katie Scoggin spoke to her classmates about the importance of being part of a community.
  “There is strength not only in numbers, but especially in dedicating yourself to serving others and giving back to the communitie
  
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