Anchorage news

• Newscast — Monday, July 6, 2020

  07-07-2020 03:13 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2020/07/070620-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:Five Tlingit sacred items could be returned to Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
  At least three people were injured — one seriously — when fireworks accidentally detonated in a crowd during Sitka’s Independence Day celebration.
  Two employees at Providence Transitional Care Center in Anchorage speak about what it was like to work in the middle of state’s larges
  
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• It’s official: Alaska won’t see any large cruise ships this year

  07-07-2020 01:35 via ktoo.org
  
  Juneau’s cruise ship docks are empty on April 23, 2020. The cruise ship season was supposed to begin, but sailings have been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Jennifer Pemberton / KTOO)
  Norwegian Cruise Line canceled the five late-summer sailings left on its schedule.
  It’s the final nail in the coffin for a tourism season marred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cruise giants Carnival and Royal Caribbean announced earlier this summer they’d scrap their 2020 Alaska seasons. An
  
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• Tlingit cultural items could be headed back to Alaska

  07-07-2020 00:42 via ktoo.org
  
  The Sealaska Heritage Institute acquired a Chilkat robe believed to be a funerary object in 2015. (Photo by Elizabeth Jenkins/KTOO)
  Five sacred Tlingit items could be returned to Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. 
  A notice published in the federal register on Monday stated the items were “acquired” by William P. Palmer III and given to the University of Maine in 1982. The items now reside in the university’s museum. 
  They include a shaman&rsqu
  
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• Hiker dies after apparent fall near Juneau’s Perseverance Trail

  06-07-2020 23:10 via ktoo.org
  
  Granite Creek Basin in September 2019. The area is accessed via the Granite Creek Trail, which starts 2 miles up Juneau’s popular Perseverance Trail. (Jennifer Pemberton / KTOO)
  A man is dead after an apparent hiking accident near Juneau’s Perseverance Trail on Friday, July 3.
  The Juneau Police Department reports that the victim was a 36-year-old man. His name and hometown have not yet been disclosed.
  Capital City Fire/Rescue Chief Rich Etheridge says the man suffered a massive head
  
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• Gardentalk – Your best tools for this summer’s slugs

  06-07-2020 21:27 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Beer trap improvised from a discarded plastic cup attracts a whole bunch of slugs in a North Douglas garden. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
  Where there’s rain, there are also slugs.
  June 2020 just tied with June 1949 for 25 days of measurable rain, the most ever for the month of June in Juneau. June 2020 is also the second-wettest June ever with 7.3 inches of rain at the Juneau International Airport.https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2020/07/garden070220.mp3
  With so much moisture, Master
  
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• How Providence workers fought to contain ‘lightning speed’ coronavirus at site of Alaska’s largest outbreak

  06-07-2020 20:54 via ktoo.org
  
  Connie Mast is the director of nursing at the Providence Transitional Care Center, the site of Alaska’s largest coronavirus outbreak. Mast has worked for Providence for 18 years. Photographed outside of her workplace on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. (Tegan Hanlon/Alaska Public Media)
  A phone call at 4:45 one morning in late May woke up Connie Mast, the director of nursing at the Providence Transitional Care Center.
  “They said that we have a positive patient,” Mast recalled. “Th
  
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• Passenger on board the Alaska ferry Kennicott tests positive for COVID-19

  06-07-2020 20:33 via ktoo.org
  
  The mainline ferry Kennicott pulls out of Whittier as fishermen watch in 2011. (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska)
  A passenger traveling on the Kennicott ferry has tested positive for COVID-19. The Alaska Marine Highway system says the traveler tested negative before boarding the Kennicott in Bellingham on June 27.
  After extensive contact tracing, the State Health and Social Services Department says the passenger only had close contact with one person on the journey – a traveling companio
  
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• Skagway asks small cruise ships not to come…for now

  06-07-2020 20:21 via ktoo.org
  
  Skagway’s Broadway Street on a summer day. (Photo by Emily Files/KHNS)
  American Cruise Lines plans to sail their small boat cruises through Southeast Alaska at the end of July. Skagway’s assembly wants to see a more robust COVID-19 mitigation plan before the company docks in town—even if that means waiting until 2021.
  Assembly member Dustin Stone moved to continue working with the cruise line to create acceptable protocols for docking, but to ask the company to leave Skagway of
  
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• Defund the police? Murkowski says no, but they don’t need weapons of war

  06-07-2020 20:05 via ktoo.org
  
  Close up of the Juneau Police Department badge. (KTOO file photo)
  U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is against defunding the police, but she wouldn’t mind disarming them of weapons of war.
  Murkowski is co-sponsoring an amendment that would ban the Pentagon from transferring certain surplus military weapons to police departments. Murkowski, in a written statement, said local law enforcement agencies don’t need things like grenade launchers, armored drones or bayonets.
  “Police should be t
  
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• Central Council of Tlingit and Haida fireworks sale draws hundreds

  05-07-2020 03:57 via ktoo.org
  
  (Photo courtesy Raeanne Holmes/Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska)
  The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida fireworks sale was a big hit from day one.
  Tlingit and Haida President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson said the sale’s soft opening on June 20 brought out a couple of hundred people.
  (Photo courtesy Raeanne Holmes/Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska)
  “Yeah, it was crazy. Sales have been doing very well. Very brisk,&rdq
  
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• ‘Back the Blue’ demonstrators hold Independence Day rally in Juneau

  05-07-2020 03:40 via ktoo.org
  
  Bea Findlay leads a Back the Blue rally on Independence Day in Juneau. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/KTOO)
  More than 50 people gathered in downtown Juneau to march in support of local and national police on Independence Day. 
  Many of them are part of a new group called Juneau Backs the Blue that formed via Facebook in the past few weeks. 
  “There’s a group of us that just didn’t like how police are being treated across the country, we understand there’s a lot of con
  
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• For the second day in a row, the state reports an Alaskan has died of COVID-19 as number new cases climbs

  05-07-2020 00:41 via ktoo.org
  
  Another Alaskan has died with COVID-19 — the 16th death of an Alaskan from the virus. 
  Details about the death reported on Saturday  were not immediately available. However, the state reported on Friday that the 15th person who died was an Anchorage man in his 80s who died in June. 
  State health officials reported that by the end of the day on Friday, 55 new cases had been identified:  48 residents and 7 non-residents. 
  The majority of the new cases are in Anchora
  
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• Anchorage names bars and restaurants where patrons may have been exposed to COVID-19

  05-07-2020 00:03 via ktoo.org
  
  Chilkoot Charlie’s is one of the largest bars on the list, though not associated with many cases. The city says two people known to be infected with COVID-19 visited in June. This photo is from a drive-in comedy show held in the parking lot in April. (Mayowa Aina/Alaska Public Media)
  The Anchorage Department of Health has announced 19 locations in the municipality, Palmer and Seward where individuals infected with COVID-19 were confirmed to have “spent extended time” prior to t
  
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• Another Alaskan dies as the state reports another record high number of new COVID-19 cases

  03-07-2020 21:30 via ktoo.org
  
  Another Alaskan has died as the state report again breaks its record for the highest single-day jump in new COVID-19 infections. 
  State health officials reported that by Thursday, 60 people had tested positive for the virus. That’s 46 people who are from Alaska and 14 non-residents who are in the state for work or as visitors. 
  Among residents, Anchorage saw the highest numbers of newly identified infections, with 19 new cases among residents. Fairbanks reported 11 new cases. The
  
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• Goldbelt shareholder fined $1,000 over Facebook post accusing state regulator of inaction

  03-07-2020 18:42 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The cover design of Goldbelt Inc.’s 2016 annual report was inspired by the late Clarissa Rizal, a Goldbelt shareholder and weaver. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
  State financial regulators have fined a Goldbelt, Inc. shareholder over a Facebook post complaining of inaction by the state agency responsible for financial oversight of the corporate board. This comes as the state’s broad powers over shareholder speech is under review by the Alaska Supreme Court.https://s
  
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• Rick Caulfield retires as UAS chancellor

  03-07-2020 18:13 via ktoo.org
  
  UAS Chancellor Rick Caulfield poses with incoming freshman Triston Chaney from Dillingham who is pursuing his undergraduate degree in Marine Biology this semester. (Photo by Annie Bartholomew/KTOO)
  University of Alaska Southeast Chancellor Rick Caulfield retired on Tuesday.
  Over the course of his five years leading the campus, he dealt with declining enrollment and repeated state budget cuts that left the entire university system struggling. His departure comes at a time when the campus is facin
  
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• Newscast — Thursday, July 2, 2020

  03-07-2020 03:15 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2020/07/070220-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida fireworks sale was a big hit from day one.
  Homeless service providers say there hasn’t been a drop in demand for services from people experiencing homelessness this year.
  As national dialogues on race continue to evolve, the Juneau school district is grappling with how to best address race and equity in the classroom.
  Alaska recorded fifty new coronavirus cases
  
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• Stories of Alaska

  03-07-2020 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Friday, July 3, 2020
  Juneau Afternoon will be taking the day off to observe the Fourth of July holiday. In its place, please enjoy back-to-back episodes of The Write Question from Montana Public Radio, featuring interviews with Alaskan writers Kristin Knight Pace and Jeremy Pataky.
  Tune in at 3:00 p.m. on KTOO Juneau 104.3, online at ktoo.org. Folk Alley airs on KRNN at 4:00 p.m.
  
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• This July 4th, Native rights leader Elizabeth Peratrovich gets a new mural in Petersburg

  03-07-2020 01:27 via ktoo.org
  
  Mock up of the new Elizabeth Peratrovich mural on the Petersburg Courthouse (Image courtesy of the Petersburg Arts Council)
  At a time when monuments of colonizers and enslavers are being debated and removed across the country, a mural is going up this July 4th in the birth place and on the birthday of a Native civil rights leader. The new mural in the Southeast Alaska community of Petersburg celebrates Elizabeth Peratrovich, her legacy as a Native Tlingit woman, and voice for equal rights.
  Eliza
  
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• A former student speaks out about racism in Juneau schools; administration says it’ll do better

  03-07-2020 00:07 via ktoo.org
  
  Lacey Davis joined about 250 people gathered for a public “I Can’t Breathe” rally protesting the death of a black man, George Floyd, who was killed after a white officer pressed a knee into his neck while taking him into custody in Minnesota. People held signs decrying violence against black people and calling out institutional racism, many supporting the Black Lives Matter movement on Saturday, May 30, 2020 in Juneau, Alaska. Similar protests happened throughout the state with
  
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• Alaska reports 50 new COVID-19 cases, breaking record for state’s biggest one-day increase

  02-07-2020 23:43 via ktoo.org
  
  Alaska recorded 50 new coronavirus cases from Wednesday, but no new deaths or hospitalizations. It’s the biggest one-day increase in infections in Alaska since the pandemic began, breaking the prior record set earlier this week.
  The latest COVID-19 cases include 39 Alaskans and 11 nonresidents, according to the latest data update Thursday from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.
  The jump follows a series of double-digit, one-day case increases in Alaska for
  
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• Gardentalk – Your fruit, vegetables and flowers thank you for your support

  02-07-2020 21:39 via ktoo.org
  
  
  A kiwi plant climbs up the side of the building at the KTOO Agricultural Test Station and Garden of Science! (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
  Many garden plants get too tall or too heavy to support themselves over the entire season.
  That’s why Master Gardener Ed Buyarski says it’s important that we do our best to lift them up as they grow.http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2020/06/Gardentalk062620.mp3
  Keeping plants off the ground helps with pollination, air circulation, and prevents
  
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• A Juneau police officer killed Kelly Stephens last year, now Stephens’ family is suing

  02-07-2020 19:36 via ktoo.org
  
  Residents and visitors at the Chinook apartment complex in the Mendenhall Valley show tattoos they were given by Kelly “Rabbit” Stephens on Dec. 29, 2019 in Juneau. Stephens was killed during an early-morning confrontation with Juneau police officer James Esbenshade. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/KTOO)
  Last December 29, someone left a note on Virginia Stephens’ doorstep. It had a case number on it and a phone number for her to call. She said she had a hard time tracking anyone dow
  
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• Juneau’s emergency shelter will stay open through September, hopefully longer

  02-07-2020 08:24 via ktoo.org
  
  People who stay overnight at the emergency shelter inside the Juneau Arts and Culture Center use the same cot and blankets on consecutive nights. (Photo by Adelyn Baxter/KTOO)
  Usually in the summer, there’s a drop in demand for services for people experiencing homelessness. But local service providers say that hasn’t happened this year.
  This spring, the city extended its contract with St. Vincent de Paul — the non-profit that runs the emergency warming shelter — until mid
  
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• Current, former leaders from both major political parties oppose election reform ballot initiative

  02-07-2020 08:08 via ktoo.org
  
  A voter enters an election both at Northern Light United Church during Municipal Elections on October 1, 2019, in Juneau. On Tuesday, the House State Affairs Committee heard testimony on an initiative that would overhaul Alaska’s election laws. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/KTOO)
  An initiative on the November ballot would reduce the role political parties play in Alaska elections. It’s a state where most voters don’t affiliate with a party — and have a history of backing ind
  
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• Newscast — Wednesday, July 1, 2020

  02-07-2020 03:10 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2020/07/070120-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:State public health experts gathered Wednesday to discuss the latest science and the medical response to COVID-19.
  Neiman Marcus is one of the clothing retailers that’s seen a decline in sales because of the coronavirus.
  Federal wildlife officials are asking the public to be on the lookout for an entangled humpback whale reported near Sitka.
  June was the second-wettest June ever recorded with 7.3 inche
  
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• Alaska health officials answer questions from the public, while COVID-19 cases continue to rise

  02-07-2020 01:18 via ktoo.org
  
  State public health experts gathered Wednesday to discuss the latest science and the medical response to COVID-19.
  They talked about the mechanics of masks and how they help to prevent the spread of the virus.
  State epidemiologist Joe McLaughlin explained that virus particles are very small, but they hitch a ride with a person’s larger respiratory droplets in order to infect someone else.
  “So, what we know is that when I cough or I sneeze or even I’m talking or I’m singi
  
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• That was the second wettest June on record in Juneau

  02-07-2020 00:59 via ktoo.org
  
  A wet Welcome to Juneau sign, taken on June 3, 2020. (Photo by Jennifer Pemberton / KTOO)
  Last month was the second-wettest June ever in Juneau with 7.3 inches of rain. That’s just shy of the June 2014 record of 7.48 inches.
  “It is well above normal,” said Kimberly Vaughan with the National Weather Service in Juneau. “The normal for the month of June is 3.24 inches. So, we’re just slightly over four inches above normal for the month.”
  Vaughan said June is norm
  
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• COVID Q&A: We answer legal and medical questions about Anchorage’s new mask mandate

  02-07-2020 00:23 via ktoo.org
  
  Face masks for employees at Salon Ivy in Anchorage. April 23, 2020. (Photo by Hannah Lies/Alaska Public Media)
  Anchorage’s mask mandate went into effect Monday in the midst of some strong opposition by individuals who claim such an order infringes on civil liberties or is medically harmful. One area of confusion has been how customers need to prove a disability that might prevent them from wearing a mask to a store owner.
  Alaska Public Media’s Lex Treinen spoke to some experts about
  
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• Alaska Airlines could suspend passengers from future flights for violating new face mask policy

  01-07-2020 22:44 via ktoo.org
  
  An Alaska Airlines plane at Juneau International Airport. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)
  Alaska Airlines says it will issue formal warnings to any passengers that refuse to cover their faces on board a flight. The Seattle-based company says its new “yellow card” policy is in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  In a statement made June 30 the air carrier says that passengers who repeatedly refuse to wear a mask on a flight will be issued a warning in the form of a yellow card. That wil
  
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• Neiman Marcus filed for bankruptcy, but lawsuit is moving ahead over ‘Ravenstail knitted coat’

  01-07-2020 20:53 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Clarissa Rizal is an artist who specialized in the design and creation of Tlingit regalia and art, including Chilkat and Ravenstail robes and weavings. (Photo by Tripp J Crouse/KTOO)
  Neiman Marcus is one of the clothing retailers that’s seen a decline in sales because of the coronavirus. The company filed for bankruptcy in early May — just weeks after it was sued by Sealaska Heritage Institute.
  The company was selling a so-called “Ravenstail knitted coat” on its website,
  
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• Alaska’s economy is headed for an ‘income cliff’ at end of July, when pandemic unemployment checks stop

  01-07-2020 19:44 via ktoo.org
  
  The Spenard Roadhouse in Anchorage (Liz Ruskin / Alaska Public Media)
  The first two months of this pandemic were miserable for Laile Fairbairn, not to mention her employees. Fairbairn is an owner and manager of a group of four Anchorage restaurants – Snow City Café, Crush, the Spenard Roadhouse and South Restaurant + Coffeehouse. She had to lay off most of the staff. The restaurants closed for a month, she said, and then they had to figure out how to safely reopen.
  “The anxiet
  
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• Summer arts and dance kits keep kids creative at home

  01-07-2020 19:29 via ktoo.org
  Mandy Nguyen hosts on Thursday, July 2, 2020
  Thursday on Juneau Afternoon, we’ll hear how Juneau Fine Arts Camp is adapting its 30-year-old summer tradition to help keep kids creative with take-home kits for watercolor painting, comic books and zines, and contemporary dance. 49 Writers will be here to discuss their latest podcast episode, and the City Museum will highlight their plans for celebrating Tin Can Day.
  Make your own comics and zines graphic, courtesy of Juneau Fine Arts Camp
  Tha
  
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• Summer art and dance kits keep kids creative at home

  01-07-2020 19:29 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Mandy Nguyen hosts on Thursday, July 2, 2020
  Thursday on Juneau Afternoon, we’ll hear how Juneau Fine Arts Camp is adapting its 30-year-old summer tradition to help keep kids creative with take-home kits for watercolor painting, comic books and zines, and contemporary dance.Make your own comics and zines graphic, courtesy of Juneau Fine Arts Camp
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2020/07/jpm6-02-2020-4.mp3
  49 Writers will be here to discuss their latest podcast episode,https://s3-us-
  
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• Effort to have term limits for Sealaska board fails, and other news from the 2020 annual meeting

  01-07-2020 19:25 via ktoo.org
  
  A Sealaska corporate logo adorns the roof of the Southeast Alaska Native corportation’s headquarters in Juenau on May 2, 2018. The logo has representations of the Eagle and Raven moieties of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
  An effort to institute term limits for Sealaska’s 13-member board of directors has failed despite receiving a majority of ‘yes’ votes from shareholders.
  Similar term-limit measures also failed to advance in 2016 a
  
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• Protections for Alaskans facing foreclosures, evictions and repossession end on July 1

  01-07-2020 06:18 via ktoo.org
  
  (KTOO file photo)
  State protections for Alaskans facing foreclosures and evictions due to the pandemic are ending on Wednesday. A moratorium on repossessing vehicles like cars, aircrafts and boats will also end. 
  These protections were put into place in Senate Bill 241, which the Legislature passed in March. It benefits Alaskans who lost income as a result of the pandemic. 
  Gov. Mike Dunleavy said other protections will remain until Nov. 15, including a moratorium on the disconnec
  
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• Newscast — Tuesday, June 30, 2020

  01-07-2020 03:12 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2020/06/063020-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:Alaska has 400 active COVID-19 cases, another record high as numbers continue to climb.
  Juneau will not see a downtown fireworks show this Independence Day weekend after all.
  The city of Kotzebue recently lifted its mandatory COVID-19 closure order for churches.
  Nearly half of Thorne Bay’s city council is facing a recall election today.
  A company wants to use an advanced balloon to fly customers for Ea
  
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• Watch: Dunleavy administration to discuss its COVID-19 response

  01-07-2020 02:50 via ktoo.org
  
  Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s latest COVID-19 press conference is scheduled for 5 p.m. today.
  Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks about the state’s COVID-19 response from the Atwood Building in Anchorage on March 20, 2020. Also pictured: Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink, and an unidentified sign language interpreter. (Creative Commons photo courtesy Alaska Governor’s Office)
  The governor, will be joined by Alaska’s P
  
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• State’s top doctor says bars have been linked to seven outbreaks of COVID-19

  01-07-2020 02:50 via ktoo.org
  
  Update – This update was written by KTOO’s Andrew Kitchenman
  Gov. Mike Dunleavy said during a news conference on Tuesday that he would use things like coronavirus case counts and hospital capacity to consider whether to change state health policies.
  When asked if he would impose restrictions on bars, Dunleavy said he’ll evaluate state data over the next week or two. 
  “Looking at our bed counts, looking at all of the metrics that we have– based upon that, w
  
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• Hilcorp to quietly take over BP’s stakes in Prudhoe Bay and other oil field assets

  01-07-2020 01:37 via ktoo.org
  
  Point Thomson is approximately 60 miles east of Prudhoe Bay. (Photo courtesy Exxon)
  A big piece of one of Alaska’s largest oil industry deals is set to quietly close by the end of the day Tuesday.
  Hilcorp Energy Company will take over BP Alaska’s oil and gas leases within Point Thomson, Milne Point and the massive Prudhoe Bay oil field. The transfer is expected to happen around midnight, and marks the close of a major part of the $5.6 billion deal first announced by the oil companies
  
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• Alaska has 400 active COVID-19 cases, another record high as numbers continue to climb

  30-06-2020 22:40 via ktoo.org
  
  State health officials are reporting that the number of people hospitalized who are either COVID-19 positive or under investigation more than doubled in one day, from 16 on Sunday to 35 on Monday.
  There is now a record high of 400 active cases, of 940 Alaskans who have tested positive. The increase in active cases was a new daily high for the state. There were no new deaths reported.
  State health officials reported 48 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday. That’s also a new record daily high
  
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• Here’s Juneau’s plan for getting students back to school this year

  30-06-2020 22:08 via ktoo.org
  
  The Juneau School District offices in 2014. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)
   
  The Juneau School District released its plan for the start of the 2020 / 2021 school year.
  Superintendent Bridget Weiss says the plan follows state guidelines for what will be the largest sanctioned public gatherings in Juneau since the pandemic began.
  “We have built-in many mitigation factors in order to put us in the best position to be successful and be able to maintain some face-to-face instruction, as we
  
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• Family of Juneau man killed by police say they’re filing a wrongful death lawsuit

  30-06-2020 21:46 via ktoo.org
  
  Residents and visitors at the Chinook apartment complex in the Mendenhall Valley show tattoos they were given by Kelly “Rabbit” Stephens on, Dec. 29, 2019 in Juneau. Many said they didn’t want their identities known for fear of reprisal. Stephens was killed during an early-morning altercation with Juneau police officer James Esbenshade. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/KTOO)
  The family of a man killed by police in late December, has announced their intention to sue the Juneau Police
  
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• Zoom in to jury duty: a pilot project in rural Alaska starts in August

  30-06-2020 18:42 via ktoo.org
  
  A jury box in Juneau. Alaska’s courts will test the use of videoconferencing in grand jury proceedings in August 2020 in the northwest region of the state. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
  Alaska’s courts will test the use of videoconferencing in grand jury proceedings later this summer in the northwest region of the state. The goal is for residents to hear cases and complete jury service while staying home, to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
  The pilot project in the Second Ju
  
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• Juneau’s fireworks show canceled after assembly fails to pass mask mandate

  30-06-2020 08:06 via ktoo.org
  
  People watch the fireworks launched from Gastineau Channel for the 2017 Fourth of July celebration. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
  Juneau will not see a downtown fireworks show this Independence Day weekend, after all.
  At its meeting Monday night, the Juneau Assembly reversed an earlier decision to hold the July 3 show by failing to approve a mandate requiring face masks at the event to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
  When assembly members voted 5 to 4 last week to hold the fireworks, they did it w
  
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• Newscast — Thursday, June 29, 2020

  30-06-2020 03:13 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2020/06/062920-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:The pandemic has put a damper on most of Juneau’s usual July Fourth festivities, but one resident is still hoping for a parade.
  A former big box store in Juneau that’s been vacant since 2016 is now for sale — about $2.3 million below what the city assessor’s office says it’s worth.
  Trump administration officials with the National Marine Fisheries Service are telling staff not to
  
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• Newscast — Monday, June 29, 2020

  30-06-2020 03:13 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2020/06/062920-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:The pandemic has put a damper on most of Juneau’s usual July Fourth festivities, but one resident is still hoping for a parade.
  A former big box store in Juneau that’s been vacant since 2016 is now for sale — about $2.3 million below what the city assessor’s office says it’s worth.
  Trump administration officials with the National Marine Fisheries Service are telling staff not to
  
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• Watch: Juneau Assembly holds meeting to discuss fireworks, October election

  30-06-2020 02:45 via ktoo.org
  
  A woman crosses Marine Way in front of Juneau City Hall on Sept. 25, 2017. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
  The Juneau Assembly will hold a regular meeting tonight at 7 p.m.
  The meeting agenda includes several public hearings, including an emergency ordinance that would mandate masks for anyone attending Friday’s fireworks display outside their cars. Even though the Assembly previously voted in favor of holding a fireworks show, they did so contingent upon making masks mandatory at the event.
  
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• Juneau’s former Walmart is for sale — and the asking price seems low

  30-06-2020 02:37 via ktoo.org
  
  Weeds poke up in the parking lot of a former Walmart at 6525 Glacier Highway in Juneau, pictured here on June 26, 2020. The property has been vacant since the big box retailer left in 2016. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
  A former big box store in Juneau that’s been vacant since 2016 is now for sale — about $2.3 million below what the city assessor’s office says it’s worth. 
  The asking price for the former Walmart in the Lemon Creek area is $6 million, though the a
  
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• Fourth of July parade planner forges ahead with or without permit

  30-06-2020 02:27 via ktoo.org
  
  The color guard marches past City Hall during the downtown Juneau Fourth of July parade in 2013. (Photo by Greg Culley)
  The pandemic has put a damper on most of Juneau’s usual July Fourth festivities, but one resident is still hoping for a parade. 
  Ray Rusaw got the idea to organize a short parade in the Mendenhall Valley after the city’s downtown event was canceled in response to COVID-19. 
  His son is an Iraq War veteran, and Rusaw has always participated in past parades w
  
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