Anchorage news

• Ketchikan assembly will consider sales tax cap, marijuana tax

  29-07-2016 23:11 via ktoo.org
  Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly will consider two tax proposals on Monday.
  One proposal would raise the sales tax cap on single-purchase items from $1,000 to $1,500; the second would establish a boroughwide marijuana excise tax.
  Raising the sales tax cap was proposed during the Assembly’s last meeting, but the original idea was to raise it to $3,000. That would have meant single-purchase items of large value, such as vehicles and appliances, would be taxed up to $3,000, but not bey
  
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• For Sanders supporters, Clinton’s historic nomination brings mixed emotions

  29-07-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A delegate holds a campaign sign in support of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
  On Tuesday as Hillary Clinton’s was officially nominated as the first major party female presidential nominee, women (and yes, some men) all over the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia danced, cried, embraced and howled with joy.
  The Democratic National Convention erupted into a deafening celebration over a woman being t
  
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• State’s mosquitoes have transmitted Zika virus, Florida governor says

  29-07-2016 21:49 via ktoo.org
  
  Surgeon General Vivek Murthy looks at a sample of mosquitoes in Orlando, Fla., on Monday. With him is Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs.  (John Raoux/AP)
  Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday morning that health officials have ruled out travel and sexual transmission as possible routes of transmission for four Florida people infected with Zika virus.
  “This morning we learned that four people in our state likely ha
  
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• U.S. economy grew by just 1.2% during 2nd quarter

  29-07-2016 21:26 via ktoo.org
  
  Claudia Caballero, left, a district manager for Aldi, talks with applicant Manoushka Metellus at a job fair in Florida earlier this month. With a low unemployment rate, consumers are still spending but business inventories fell during the second quarter. (Lynne Sladky/AP)
  The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of just 1.2 percent during the second quarter of this year, well below expectations, and it came after an even weaker first quarter, the Commerce Department said.
  The report exacerbates f
  
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• Clinton And the DNC: A crisis not merely survived, but transcended

  29-07-2016 21:15 via ktoo.org
  
  When all was said and done, Team Hillary had to be pretty happy. Their four nights in Philadelphia turned out better than almost anyone expected.
  Thursday night featured an orchestrated symphony of praise for Hillary Clinton and a precision-bombing of her opponent, Donald Trump.
  Clinton’s own remarks at the conclusion will not enter the pantheon of great American prose or political rhetoric. But no one had been reserving a place there. More importantly, she provided a fitting conclusion to
  
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• U.S. economy grew b just 1.2% during 2nd quarter

  29-07-2016 20:27 via ktoo.org
  
  Claudia Caballero, a district manager for Aldi, talks with applicant Manoushka Metellus (right) at a job fair in Florida earlier this month. With a low unemployment rate, consumers are still spending but business inventories fell during the second quarter.
  Lynne Sladky/AP
  The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of just 1.2 percent during the second quarter of this year, well below expectations, and it came after an even weaker first quarter, the Commerce Department said.
  The report exacerbates f
  
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• Bill giving control to schools boards over sex education becomes law

  29-07-2016 20:16 via ktoo.org
  A bill that puts local school boards in charge sex education will become a law, after Gov. Bill Walker decided against vetoing it Thursday.  House Bill 156 requires that school boards approve any sex education curriculum, as well as any teachers who aren’t employed under a contract with schools.
  The bill also allows parents to opt their children out of any lesson. It also gives parents the right to review sex education curriculum and teachers’ credentials. And it bars the state
  
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• Man dead in apparent early-morning homicide in Anchorage

  29-07-2016 19:52 via ktoo.org
  A man was found dead in an apparent homicide early Friday morning on Anchorage’s east side.
  Anchorage police responded to a report of shots fired near Duben Avenue and Bolin Street just after 3 a.m. and found a deceased male in the street.
  According to an Anchorage Police Department release, police are investigating the death as a homicide and no suspects are in custody at this time.
  The victim has not been positively identified.
  News release: Police Investigating Homicide N
  
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• With a lasso and tourists, boat saves drowning deer

  29-07-2016 19:41 via ktoo.org
  
   
  (L to R) Orlando, Fla.-based tourist Zoran Kojic helps Gastineau Guiding Company Naturalist Audrey Benson hold down a deer Wednesday, after they saved the animal from drowning. (Photo courtesy of Zoran Kojic)
  While passing the west side of Juneau’s Shelter Island on Wednesday, an 18-passenger tour vessel saw more than whales.
  Audrey Benson, a naturalist with Gastineau Guiding Co., was on the tour when the crew got some news over the radio.
  “We heard that there were t
  
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• 2 police officers shot, 1 fatally, in San Diego

  29-07-2016 18:23 via ktoo.org
  One police officer has died and another was injured after being shot in a San Diego neighborhood, authorities said early Friday.
  San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman tweeted Friday morning that she had just left the hospital where the second officer had just come out of surgery. The officer is expected to survive.
  “We are grateful Officer Wade Irwin is expected to survive the attempt on his life,” Zimmerman said during a news conference.
  The shooting occurred late Thursday night.
  
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• Convention speeches soar, raise a question: can Hillary connect with ordinary people?

  29-07-2016 18:20 via ktoo.org
  
  President Obama and Hillary Clinton stand together on stage on the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia
  The third night of the 2016 Democratic National Convention scaled several major peaks: President Barack Obama gave, perhaps, the best-written oration of his career.
  Vice President Joe Biden gave, perhaps, his last national convention address, and his prospective successor, Tim Kaine, gave his first.
  But when it was all over, and Obama was joined on stage b
  
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• Popularity growing for diabetes alert dogs that help sniff out low blood sugar

  29-07-2016 15:00 via ktoo.org
  
  For people with diabetes who take insulin, the risk of losing consciousness from low blood sugar is a constant fear. Devices called continuous glucose monitors, CGMs, can alert wearers to dropping levels, but not everyone has access to them. And even among those who do, some prefer a furrier and friendlier alert option: a service dog with special training to alert owners when their blood sugar reaches dangerously low levels.
  These dogs are trained in a variety of ways, and although they rec
  
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• Murkowski on primary campaign tour of Alaska

  29-07-2016 05:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Sen. Lisa Murkowski is making a campaign trip around Alaska during the Senate recess. (KRBD file photo)
  Alaska’s Sen. Lisa Murkowski is on a campaign trip around the state during a month-long Senate recess.
  During a brief layover Wednesday in Ketchikan on her way to Sitka, she talked about the state’s Republican primary campaign, and about the presidential election.
  Alaska’s primary election is less than a month away.
  On Aug. 16, registered voters will go to the polls and choos
  
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• New atlas maps Alaska’s surface

  29-07-2016 03:38 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The colorful Polychrome Mountains emerge from the clouds on July 22, 2016, in Denali National Park. The mountains get their color from volcanic rock. The U.S. Geological Survey released the first updated geochemical atlas of Alaska in nearly 40 years. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/KTOO)
  What’s in the dirt in Alaska?
  Federal and state researchers teamed up to make it easier for everyone to find out. For the first time in nearly 40 years, Alaska has an updated atlas of the chemical composition
  
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• Federal, state researchers map Alaska’s geochemical atlas of rocks and minerals

  29-07-2016 03:38 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The colorful Polychrome Mountains emerge from the clouds on July 22, 2016, in Denali National Park. The mountains get their color from volcanic rock. The U.S. Geological Survey released the first updated geochemical atlas of Alaska in nearly 40 years. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/KTOO)
   
  What’s in the dirt in Alaska?
  Federal and state researchers teamed up to make it easier for everyone to find out. For the first time in nearly 40 years, Alaska has an updated atlas of the chemical compo
  
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• Alaska Democratic chair: Female leaders held to higher standards

  29-07-2016 03:05 via ktoo.org
  
  Emails released by the State Department from Hillary Clinton’s time as secretary include 84 new classified documents. (Jim Cole/AP)
  JUNEAU, Alaska — The chairwoman of the Alaska Democratic party says the party’s presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, and all woman leaders are held to a higher standard than men.
  Casey Steinau says the perception is that Clinton has to come across as “warm,” but no one is saying Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump isn’t
  
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• Wellness center hires Ketchikan teens to help promote drug-free lifestyle

  29-07-2016 03:04 via ktoo.org
  
  Ketchikan Wellness Coalition will hire high school students to promote drug-free activities and serve as peer counselors. (Photo from KRBD)
  A new substance-abuse program will be implemented at Ketchikan High School this year.
  The Ketchikan Wellness Coalition, or KWC, received funding through the federal Drug-Free Communities grant program to hire high school students as peer counselors and leaders. The students work with staff to develop programs and activities promoting a drug-free life and sup
  
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• Flooding forces temporary closure for Anchorage public assistance office

  29-07-2016 03:03 via ktoo.org
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Flood damage has forced the temporary closure of a state public assistance office in Anchorage.
  The department of health says its public assistance office on Muldoon Road will be closed until Aug. 8. Department spokesman Clay Butcher said the closure could last longer if carpeting needs to be replaced or something else unforeseen happens.
  He says the flooding followed a rainy period and involved a malfunctioning drain.
  The department says staff from the Muldoon office h
  
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• Enthusiasts, policymakers weigh how to juice electric car sales

  29-07-2016 03:01 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Major automakers gave a pre-release look at upcoming plug-in models at the EV Roadmap 9 conference in Portland July 20-21. (Photo by Tom Banse/Northwest News Network
  More Alaskans are driving electric cars. The same is true for California, Oregon and Washington state. But many people continue to consider the vehicles as too small, difficult to use and no more than a novelty.
  Northwest News Network Correspondent Tom Banse takes us to a recent gathering of electric car enthusiasts and policymakers
  
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• State partially lifts ban on drug felons applying for food stamps

  29-07-2016 03:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Ivory Mack at her desk at Bean’s Cafe. (Hillman/KSKA)
  People with drug felonies can now apply for food stamps in Alaska.
  With the signing of Senate Bill 91, the state’s criminal justice reform bill, the state partially opted-out of the 1996 federally-imposed lifetime ban.
  Individuals can now apply, but they have to prove that they are complying with parole and substance abuse treatment requirements.
  Ivory Mack, 61, committed a drug felony nearly 20 years ago. These days, she works&nb
  
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• Gardentalk – Raingear gardening

  29-07-2016 03:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  A pair of slugs attack a squash blossom during a break in the summer rains. The devastated flower was removed and both slugs died a horrible death moments after this picture was taken. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
  We can’t make the rain go away, but there are a few things that we can do to make sure that months of effort and patience are not washed away by this week’s showers.
  Master Gardener Ed Buyarski reminds us to harvest our garlic and raspberries before they go bad, and clip off
  
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• AT&T says network upgrades stalled as Skagway phone issues continue

  29-07-2016 02:55 via ktoo.org
  
  Cruise ships loom over Skagway’s Broadway Street. (Courtesy Skagway CVB)
  Unreliable cell phone service frustrated Skagway residents last summer.
  Some hope emerged in October, when AT&T announced plans to upgrade its network by summer of 2016. But a spokesman says those plans have stalled. And people in Skagway have noticed, as they slog through another summer of cell phone problems.
  Skagway resident Andrew Cremata took to Facebook recently in an effort to hold AT&T accountable for
  
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• Bethel granted extension of site reviews for wetland building

  29-07-2016 02:54 via ktoo.org
  
  The city of Bethel received an extension on a regional general permit to allow city to review citizens building permits in wetlands. (Adrian Wagner/KYUK)
  The city of Bethel has gotten an extension on its regional general permit from the Army Corps of Engineers that will allow the city to review permits for citizens building in a wetland, a designation which encompasses much of Bethel.
  Mayor Rick Robb addressed corps representatives at a city council meeting Tuesday with a clear message.
  “I
  
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• Team of scientists discover new evidence of Denali dinosaurs

  29-07-2016 02:46 via ktoo.org
  Dinosaur bone fragments were discovered this summer in Denali National Park by a team of University of Alaska Fairbanks and National Park Service scientists.
  The researchers found the bones on a mountain slope in the Cantwell rock formation, north of the Park Road.
  Dinosaur tracks have previously been found in similar rock in the park, and UA Museum of the North earth sciences curator Pat Druckenmiller said the bones are an exciting development.
  “Because tracks can give you a certain
  
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• Warm water Blob survives as El Niño dies

  29-07-2016 02:39 via ktoo.org
  
  Sea surface temperature observations in late July 2016 show higher-than-normal temperatures lingering in the North Pacific and Bering Sea. (Courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction)
  It’s being called a marine heat wave. The combination of the strongest El Niño in recent history and the warm water anomaly known as the Blob generated the greatest amount of warm ocean water that has ever been recorded, possibly af
  
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• Regulators Draw Up Rules To Stop Abusive Practices By Debt Collectors

  29-07-2016 02:23 via ktoo.org
  
  Richard Cordray, shown here at a March 2015 hearing, directs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has proposed new rules to overhaul the multi-billion dollar debt collection industry. (Photo by Steve Helber/AP)
  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is drawing up new rules that would curb abusive debt collection practices, which it says generated some 85,000 consumer complaints last year alone.
  The rules would limit the number of times debt collectors can contact borrowers to collec
  
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• Road to Haines: The Bad Tenants Interview

  29-07-2016 02:01 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Gabe, Matt and Casey of The Bad Tenants in the KXLL Studio. (Photo by Annie Bartholomew/KTOO)
   
  Northwest hip-hop blues hybrid The Bad Tenants, is doing a mini tour of Southeast Alaska. Their first stop is Juneau, and tonight they’ll play at the Rendezvous in support of Porkfest, a fundraiser to benefit the Uganda Rural Community Support Foundation. The Bad Tenants joined KXLL Host Annie B. to discuss their upcoming shows and the band’s history of playin
  
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• Search continues for Tuluksak man missing for more than 2 weeks

  29-07-2016 01:49 via ktoo.org
  The search continues for a man who walked away from the village of Tuluksak 15 days ago.
  On Monday, Tuluksak Search and Rescue spotted Walter Hawk, 43, who troopers describe as a “vulnerable adult.” A group had boated 9 miles up the Tuluksak River when they spied Hawk a couple miles offshore through binoculars. Night was approaching, and the missing man was too far away for the group to reach before dark.
  Search and Rescue Member Jacob Napoka says the group decided to camp out f
  
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• Haines Borough seeking members for new Code Review Commission

  29-07-2016 00:45 via ktoo.org
  Haines Borough residents who want to sit on the new Code Review Commission shouldn’t expect a short-term project.
  The commission will meticulously comb through borough code, and make recommendations to the assembly for changes or modifications.
  The task will be ongoing throughout the winter and beyond, but the goal of the group is to get rid of redundant or defective sections of code to make the document more palatable and relevant.
  The code commission idea was a byproduct of the controver
  
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• Chelsea Clinton Looks To Help Her Family Return To The White House

  29-07-2016 00:02 via ktoo.org
  
  Chelsea Clinton stands behind her mother after Hillary Clinton won the New York Democratic primary in April.
  Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
  America’s first image of Chelsea Clinton was as a curly-haired preteen girl with braces who shied away from the public stage while her father was president in the 1990s.
  More than two decades later, the now 36-year-old mother of two will voluntarily step into the spotlight to introduce her own mother as her family seeks a return to the White House.
  The o
  
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