Alaska news

• McHugh fire delays traffic, highway closure possible

  19-07-2016 23:07
  
  UPDATE: The Anchorage Police Department warns the Seward Highway “may be closed at any point due” to the expanding wildfire at McHugh Creek. They suggest people reconsider their travel plans south of the city. The checkpoint for the one-lane of moving traffic has been moved from McHugh weigh station to Potter Marsh.
  ORIGINAL STORY: A wildfire near Anchorage is now at more than 500 acres, and an increase in winds predicted for today has heightened the fire’s critical s
  
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• Juneau utility installs $22 million diesel turbine

  19-07-2016 21:53
  
  Juneau’s privately owned electric utility, AEL&P, has already broken ground to build an industrial diesel plant to meet growing demand. And for the city’s residents that means the price for electricity is likely to go up. Before the development goes any further, some community members are asking the state’s regulatory commission to take a closer look.
  Bryan Farrell, an engineer at AEL&P, holds open the hatch to the diesel turbine. (Photo by Elizabeth Jenkins, KTOO &ndas
  
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• McHugh fire spurred by erratic winds, crews protecting homes

  19-07-2016 21:40
  
  A wildfire near Anchorage is now at more than 500 acres, and an increase in winds predicted for today has heightened the fire’s critical status. Crews are working to prevent the fire from damaging nearby neighborhoods. Traffic is backed up on the Seward Highway for miles.
  Smoke rises from the 200-acre McHugh Fire south of Anchorage along the Seward Highway on Monday night. (Alaska Division of Forestry photo)The McHugh fire, which began late Saturday, is burning in the Chugach State Pa
  
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• McHugh fire spurred by erratic winds

  19-07-2016 21:40
  
  A wildfire near Anchorage has grown since Monday, and an increase in winds predicted for today has heightened the fire’s critical status.
  Smoke rises from the 200-acre McHugh Fire south of Anchorage along the Seward Highway on Monday night. (Alaska Division of Forestry photo)The McHugh fire is burning close to the Seward Highway in some places, and transportation officials have closed the highway to one lane and are guiding motorists with pilot cars between mile 108 and mile 113. DOT&rsquo
  
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• Black Lives Matter and community policing in Alaska

  19-07-2016 19:43
  
  In the wake of more police shootings of black men, the attacks in Dallas, and subsequent protests nationwide, including in Alaska, the time is ripe to have an open conversation about race and law enforcement in Alaska. Though we’ll be talking specifically about the Black Lives Matter movement, you can’t talk about these topics without touching on the disproportionate number of Alaska Native men who are incarcerated and why that happens.
  People way signs in mi
  
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• Weather service: Red flag warning for fires in Anchorage

  19-07-2016 19:29
  
  Early this morning, the National Weather Service in Anchorage issued a red flag warning effective until 10 p.m. tonight, highlighting that Anchorage would be at a higher risk for wildfires.  The warning came as a result of low humidity and high winds in addition to hot temperatures in the mid 60s to lower 70s. The Weather Service noted that temperatures will be hottest and winds will be gustiest during the late afternoon going into the evening.
  
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• GOP in Cleveland: Alaskans shout their say in floor chaos

  19-07-2016 18:14
  
  Tuckerman and Kristie Babcock chat with Alaska delegate Jerry Ward in a lighter moment on convention floor. Photo: Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media.A ruckus erupted on the floor of the Republican National Convention yesterday afternoon. For many, it may have been the last gasp of an effort to nominate someone other than Donald Trump, but some Alaska delegates had another motivation.
  “There was a lot of yelling and enthusiasm from Texas, Colorado, Virginia, Alaska, Wyoming. And our group
  
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• Goat drowns trying to escape photographers in Alaska - USA TODAY

  19-07-2016 15:28
  
  USA TODAY
  Goat drowns trying to escape photographers in Alaska
  USA TODAY
  Crowds trying to take photographs trapped a mountain goat in a bay, where the animal eventually drowned Saturday. The animal, spotted in Seward, Alaska, went into the water to escape harassment and couldn't get back on land because so many people ...
  Goat chased to its death by picture-takers in AlaskaCNN
  Goat drowns trying to escape Alaska crowds taking its photoWJLA
  Mountain goat drowns trying to escape photo-taking
  
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• How Alaskans press their agenda in Cleveland - Alaska Public Radio Network

  19-07-2016 07:44
  
  How Alaskans press their agenda in Cleveland
  Alaska Public Radio Network
  Party conventions aren't all about funny hats and nominating presidents. Alaska delegates to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland are using the gathering as an opportunity to spread their Alaska-specific agenda to a national audience.and more »
  
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• How Alaskans press their agenda in Cleveland

  19-07-2016 07:44
  
  The Alaska delegates stood out from the crowd with matching convention kuspuks. Photos: Lawrence Ostrovsky.Party conventions aren’t all about funny hats and nominating presidents. Alaska delegates to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland are using the gathering as an opportunity to spread their Alaska-specific agenda to a national audience.When you’re a small state, it helps to have allies. As luck would have it, the Alaska delegates are staying in the same suburban Clevela
  
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• For Alaska delegates, GOP rules fracas wasn't about Donald Trump - Alaska Dispatch News

  19-07-2016 07:36
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  For Alaska delegates, GOP rules fracas wasn't about Donald Trump
  Alaska Dispatch News
  CLEVELAND — For some Alaskans, the raucous moment on the floor of the Republican National Convention on Monday afternoon was not about Donald Trump, or Sen. Ted Cruz, or even about the presidency. It was about rules. The 5,000 Republican ...
  Alaska's Republican delegates prepare for national conventionKTVA.com - Anchorage, Alaskaall 6,883 news articles »
  
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• Brown bear seriously injured in 'hazing' attempt in Southeast Alaska - Alaska Dispatch News

  19-07-2016 04:32
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Brown bear seriously injured in 'hazing' attempt in Southeast Alaska
  Alaska Dispatch News
  A young adult brown bear was seriously injured Saturday evening when a Skagway Police Department officer shot it with a lethal slug. Authorities haven't been able to verify that the bear has died, but search efforts have also offered no further signs ...and more »
  
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• Alaska News Nightly: Monday, July 18, 2016

  19-07-2016 03:52
  
  
  Stories are posted on the APRN news page. You can subscribe to APRN’s newsfeeds via email, podcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @aprn
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  Senate gavels out and ends its special session
  Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO – Juneau
  Three days after the state House’s adjournment, the Senate has also gaveled out, ending the the latest special session in Juneau. In closing remarks, senators differ
  
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• Alaska cruise industry grows, global share shrinks - KTOO

  19-07-2016 03:47
  
  KTOO
  Alaska cruise industry grows, global share shrinks
  KTOO
  Three cruise ships dock in downtown Juneau at the height of the tourist season on July 14. (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News). Alaska's cruise industry is on track to hit the magic million-passenger mark this year. Industry leader John Binkley ...and more »
  
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• Akiak holds emergency AVCP meeting

  19-07-2016 03:34
  
  Akiak Native Community is calling for an emergency meeting of the Association of Village Council Presidents tomorrow and Wednesday in Bethel.
  Some village representatives say the sitting leadership of the AVCP has high-jacked authority from the tribes that created it.
  The meeting is not sanctioned by organization leaders, who say the campaign is the work of a small group of delegates. Activists say the sitting leadership also has failed to answer specific questions about the organization’s
  
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• Delightful and deadly, Alaska waterways are a double-edged sword for kids - Alaska Dispatch News

  19-07-2016 03:28
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Delightful and deadly, Alaska waterways are a double-edged sword for kids
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Kids should always wear PFDs when venturing out near Alaska's rivers. (Photo by Erin Kirkland). The stories told by mourning parents are shockingly similar. "I turned around, and she was gone." Or, "He knew not to go down to the dock alone." Children ...
  
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• Baton Rouge officers were 'targeted and assassinated' by gunman, police say - Alaska Dispatch News

  19-07-2016 03:13
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Baton Rouge officers were 'targeted and assassinated' by gunman, police say
  Alaska Dispatch News
  In the early moments of a brutal ambush that took the lives of three officers, a man dressed in black and filled with contempt crept toward a Baton Rouge police vehicle and pointed his assault rifle at the window. When Gavin Long realized no one was ...and more »
  
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• 19-year-old Shishmaref man honored at the White House

  19-07-2016 03:04
  
  
  A 19-year-old from western Alaska was honored last week at the White House for his work advocating on behalf of communities experiencing climate change first hand. Esau Sinnok spoke to me from his cousin’s house in Nome on his way back home to Shishmaref. He was in Washington advocating for “climate equity.”
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  Esau Sinnok (second from the left) talked at the White House aout “Climate Equity” (Photo courtesy of the Department of Interior)ESAU: Climate equity
  
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• 19-year-old Shishmaref honored at the White House

  19-07-2016 03:04
  
  A 19-year-old from western Alaska was honored last week at the White House for his work advocating on behalf of communities experiencing climate change first hand. Esau Sinnok spoke to me from his cousin’s house in Nome on his way back home to Shishmaref. He was in Washington advocating for “climate equity.”
  Esau Sinnok (second from the left) talked at the White House aout “Climate Equity” (Photo courtesy of the Department of Interior)ESAU: Climate equity, to me, me
  
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• Cruise industry grows, global share shrinks

  19-07-2016 02:38
  
  Alaska’s cruise industry is on track to hit the magic million-passenger mark this year.
  Three cruise ships dock in downtown Juneau July 14, at the height of the tourist season. (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska News)Industry leader John Binkley said that many passengers are projected to sail to the 49th state by the end of the season. That will be the first time in half-a-dozen years.
  Binkley, president of Cruise Lines International Association Alaska, said the number is about
  
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• Senate gavels out and ends its special session

  19-07-2016 02:27
  
  Three days after the state House’s adjournment, the Senate has also gaveled out, ending the the latest special session in Juneau. In closing remarks, senators differed over how successful the body was in addressing the state’s legislative challenges this year.
  Sen. Berta Gardner addresses the Alaska Senate on April 7, 2014 . (Photo by Skip Gray/Gavel Alaska)Democratic Minority Leader Berta Gardner of Anchorage said she was disappointed the Legislature couldn’t agree on a compre
  
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• Denali Park re-opens following aggressive bear incident

  19-07-2016 02:12
  
  Denali National Park is re-opening areas that were closed for multiple weeks because of a problem bear. The bear first started charging hikers in late June and was rewarded with a backpack full of food thrown to try to deter him. The young grizzly then bit a visitor in early July. Park spokeswoman Kathleen Kelly said Savage River area visitor facilities and trails are only open conditionally.
  “If anyone spots or even sees this bear, we will close the area immediately,” Kelly said.
  Ke
  
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• APD releases names of officers involved in Home Depot shooting

  19-07-2016 01:42
  
  The Anchorage Police Department has released the names of the officers involved in last week’s fatal shooting. Officers Cole Grigg and Bart Filipowicz both fired on 23-year-old Benjamin Zekovic after he advanced on them while throwing weapons. The incident took place after a robbery at Home Depot in East Anchorage. Both officers were put on a 4-day administrative leave after the July 12th incident.
  
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• Walker adds new Oil and Gas advisor position to cabinet

  19-07-2016 01:21
  
  Governor Walker said today he’s created a new cabinet level position in his administration- an Oil and Gas advisor. He appointed John Hendrix to the job, who most recently worked as General Manager for Apache Alaska, a company that pulled out of the state this spring, citing low oil prices.
  John Hendrix, Governor Walker’s new Oil and Gas advisor (Photo courtesy of Governor Walker’s Office)Walker made the announcement during a speech Monday at an Anchorage Chamber of Commerce lu
  
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• Lake swimming, mountain biking and trail running at Hammerman Triathlon - Alaska Dispatch News

  19-07-2016 01:14
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Lake swimming, mountain biking and trail running at Hammerman Triathlon
  Alaska Dispatch News
  One hundred individual competitors and about twenty relay teams competed in the 2016 Hammerman Triathlon at Kincaid Park. Will Ross won the race for the seventh time, and Megan Chelf won the women's division. Nancy Meade-Miller dons her goggles ...and more »
  
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• EPA fines BP, Hilcorp for spills on the North Slope - Alaska Public Radio Network

  19-07-2016 00:29
  
  EPA fines BP, Hilcorp for spills on the North Slope
  Alaska Public Radio Network
  BP Exploration Alaska and Hilcorp Alaska have agreed to pay fines after spilling oil and waste on the North Slope. Cleanup personnel wipe oil from well piping on May 4, 2014 where a BP Exploration Alaska pipe ruptured and contaminated nearby tundra.
  
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• EPA fines BP, Hilcorp for spills on the North Slope

  19-07-2016 00:24
  
  BP Exploration Alaska and Hilcorp Alaska have agreed to pay fines after spilling oil and waste on the North Slope.
  Cleanup personnel wipe oil from well piping on May 4, 2014 where a BP Exploration Alaska pipe ruptured and contaminated nearby tundra. (Photo by Don Fritz/ADEC)The Environmental Protection Agency announced the companies will pay $130,000 in federal penalties.
  According to the EPA, the Clean Water Act violations by both companies affected Arctic wetlands that support wildlife li
  
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• Flood watch extended for Interior Alaska rivers - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

  19-07-2016 00:15
  
  Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
  Flood watch extended for Interior Alaska rivers
  Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
  Rain falls over downtown Fairbanks on Monday in this screenshot from the News-Miner's Arctic Cam webcam. Ducks in a Row. ERIN CORNELIUSSEN/FAIRBANKS DAILY NEWS-MINER. Waterfowl wander around the Chena Hot Springs Resort on Saturday, ...
  
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