Anchorage news

• Wind causes power outages in Mat-Su

  12-09-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  High winds in Southcentral Alaska Sunday night and in the early hours of Monday morning knocked out power to more 7,000 households in Matanuska Electric Association’s coverage area.
  Most of the damage was caused by fallen trees, MEA spokeswoman Julie Estey said.
  “These are pretty small, localized incidents,” she said. “They were widespread throughout our service areas, but they were primarily smaller outages impacting a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand membe
  
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• Some students are getting restless at the head of the class

  12-09-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  (Illustration by LA Johnson/NPR)
  They read a book quietly under their desks, pester the teacher for extra credit, or, perhaps, they simply check out and act up.
  Every classroom has a few overachievers who perform above their grade level and don’t feel challenged by the status quo. A new report suggests they are surprisingly common — in some cases, nearly half of all students in a given grade.
  “The start of this was a little embarrassing,” says Matthew Makel, who researche
  
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• Insurance data shows a surge in spending on opioid treatment and testing

  12-09-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Drug users in recovery listen to a counselor at a treatment center in Westborough, Mass., in March. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
  The nation’s opioid problem comes with staggering physical and emotional costs to patients and families. But the financial burden on the health system has been harder to peg.
  A report set to be released Tuesday shows a more than thirteenfold increase in spending by health insurers in a four-year period on patients with a diagnosis of opioid dependence or ab
  
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• Anchorage woman dies in rollover crash outside Seward

  12-09-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — A 30-year-old Anchorage woman died Sunday in a crash outside Seward.
  The woman’s name has not been made public.
  Alaska State Troopers took a 911 call just before 5 a.m. Sunday reporting that a pickup had left the roadway and rolled at Mile 23.5 Seward Highway.
  The truck had rolled multiple times, gone airborne and hit trees.
  The driver was ejected and found outside the truck.
  Troopers say alcohol and high speed are suspected as factors in the crash.
  
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• Police offer $10K for information on suspect in homicide case

  12-09-2016 20:12 via ktoo.org
  
  Police can’t identify the man sketched, described to them by witnesses involved in the death of 18-year-old Treyveonkindell Thompson in July. (Sketch from Anchorage Police Department)
  Police in Anchorage have hit a wall in an active homicide investigation.
  With help from the FBI, they’re hoping to find a person who may have been involved.
  The Anchorage Police Department took the rare step of holding a news briefing Sunday evening to share details about the death of Tre
  
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• Police investigate arson at mosque attended by Pulse Nightclub shooter

  12-09-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The mosque in Fort Pierce, Fla., where Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen had worshipped, is shown on June 14. A fire broke out at the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce early Monday. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
  Police say an overnight fire at the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, the Florida mosque that Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen attended, was an act of arson.
  Surveillance footage shows a person approaching the mosque “just moments before a flash is seen and the fire
  
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• Anchorage man shot after walking in on apparent burglary

  12-09-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — A man returning to his southeast Anchorage apartment early Sunday afternoon walked in on an apparent burglary and was shot.
  Anchorage police say the man was hit twice in the torso and is in serious condition.
  The man and a friend approached the front door and noticed it had been forced open.
  They walked inside and saw a man, who fired a handgun twice.
  The apartment resident and his friend fled. Police found him at the bottom of the apartment complex’s stairwell.
  Witnesses
  
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• Alaska prepares for vessel disasters

  12-09-2016 19:39 via ktoo.org
  
  A helicopter practices dropping an Emergency Towing System on the Coast Guard cutter Morgenthau. (Zoe Sobel/KUCB)
  On one of the nicest days of the summer, the Coast Guard cutter Morgenthau needs help. The boat is playing the role of distressed vessel. A local tug slowly approaches its bow while crew members ready the Emergency Tow System. Horns blare and bang. One end of the rope is on the tug and the other on the Morgenthau. On both sides, people scramble to secure the lines for towing.
  Lieuten
  
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• Some towns treat bikes as trendy, but in Reading, Pa., they’re tools

  12-09-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Harrison Walker, 54, lives in Reading and doesn’t own a car, so he bikes everywhere.
  (Photo by Marielle Segarra/WHYY)
  Harrison Walker of Reading, Pa., bikes everywhere he goes.
  He can’t afford a car — he just got out of prison. He’s living in a halfway house and finding temporary automotive work around the city.
  “I do my errands about town,” he says. “Sometimes I’ll ride as far as Walmart. It’s a nice ride, it’s about a 40-minute ride,
  
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• Hillary Clinton cancels campaign events following pneumonia diagnosis

  12-09-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during a memorial service at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. (Photo by Bremdam Smialowski /AFP/Getty Images)
  Updated 2 a.m. ET, Sept. 12
  Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday, according to a statement issued late Sunday afternoon by her physician, Lisa R. Bardack.
  The Clinton campaign provided the statement after Clinton was examined at he
  
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• Board to vote on takeover of Juneau health clinic

  12-09-2016 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A Juneau health center that serves the city’s homeless residents could get taken over by the nonprofit organization that has been managing the facility for the past year.
  The Juneau Empire reports Wrangell-based Alaska Island Community Services began managing Front Street Community Health Center in May 2015 at the request of the center’s board.
  Board member Mariya Lovishchuk says a final vote on the transfer will take place this week.
  Front Street has gone through several leadership
  
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• A good dentist is hard to find in rural America

  12-09-2016 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  For the rural poor, finding dental care can be difficult to impossible. (Illustration by Michelle Kondrich for NPR)
  Jessica Stefonik is grinning. She’s got a bounce in her step. Her cheeks are a little puffy and her speech is a bit thick.
  “It feels weird right now, but I’ll get used to it,” she says.
  What she’s trying to get used to is the feeling of having teeth.
  On the day we met, Stefonik, a mom of three from Mosinee, Wis., got a set of dentures to replace all of
  
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• Museum of the Aleutians reopens after yearlong closure

  12-09-2016 13:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The Museum of the Aleutians has officially reopened after a scandal closed the space for nearly a year.
  Last week, new Executive Director Neal Hitch announced the museum has set regular hours for the first time since last fall, when the former director resigned after items from the collection were found in her home.
  In his first month on the job, Hitch has reopened the museum gradually — allowing visitors during cruise ship and ferry stops, even though the building’s technically been
  
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• School fined for football game forfeited after injuries

  12-09-2016 04:39 via ktoo.org
  
  A school is facing a fine after its football team forfeited a game that left two players injured.
  The Ketchikan Daily News reports the Alaska School Activities Association has put Ketchikan High School on probation and issued a $500 fine.
  Two players went to the hospital with injuries sustained in a game against Juneau’s Thunder Mountain High School.
  They were later released.
  Association Executive Director Billy Strickland said the fine and probation were based on bylaws, and that he has n
  
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• Police perceive threat on banner at site of officers’ deaths

  12-09-2016 04:39 via ktoo.org
  
  A banner that a police chief said appeared to threaten law enforcement has been taken down.
  KTUU-TV reports 68-year-old Wanda Culp hung the sign outside what had been the residence of John Marvin, who was convicted in the 2010 deaths of Sgt. Anthony Wallace and Officer Matthew Tokuoka.
  A memorial for the victims was recently dedicated nearby.
  Culp said the memorial would be better placed at the Hoonah Police Department where the problem started.
  The sign said in part that department’s hara
  
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• Gov. supports growing more food inside Alaska

  12-09-2016 04:39 via ktoo.org
  
  Alaska imports 96 percent of its food, and the governor says that should change.
  The Juneau Empire reports Gov. Bill Walker spoke during a conference for the National Association of Farmer’s Market Nutrition Programs.
  He said population growth since statehood helped reduce the percentage of locally-grown food that residents consumed from half to 4 percent.
  He said he would like to see significant growth in the percentage of Alaska-grown food.
  Walker noted there are now 42 farmers markets s
  
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• Authorities identify man who died in float plane crash

  12-09-2016 04:39 via ktoo.org
  
  Authorities have identified the pilot of a float plane who died after a fiery crash in an Anchorage neighborhood.
  The Anchorage Police Department says Sunday that 75-year-old James Hefty was aboard the plane when it crashed late Saturday afternoon. Dispatchers began receiving calls at 4:30 p.m. that the plane had crashed in flames.
  The police say in a statement that the crash is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. Investigators from the NTSB spoke with several people
  
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• ‘We Will Never Forget’: Nationwide Ceremonies Mark 15 Years Since Sept. 11

  12-09-2016 04:33 via ktoo.org
  
  A commemoration ceremony is held for the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on Sunday at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City.
  Spencer Platt /Getty Images
  The names of each of the nearly 3,000 victims of the Sept. 11 attacks were read at a ceremony at the Sept. 11 memorial plaza, at the World Trade Center site in New York City. This marks the 15th anniversary of the attacks.
  Family members came forward to name and honor their relatives who died at the World Trade
  
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• Sept. 11 Families Face ‘Strange, Empty Void’ Without Victims’ Remains

  12-09-2016 04:27 via ktoo.org
  
  Russell Mercer replaces old U.S. flags with new ones at the Flushing World Trade Center Memorial at Flushing Cemetery in New York City. His stepson, Scott Kopytko, was killed on Sept. 11.
  Alex Welsh for NPR
  Before Scott Kopytko joined the New York City Fire Department, he worked as a commodities broker in the South Tower at the World Trade Center. On Sept. 11, he rushed up the stairs of his old office building, trying to save lives with his fellow firefighters before the towers fell.
  Scott Kopyt
  
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• Hillary Clinton’s ‘Basket Of Deplorables,’ In Full Context Of This Ugly Campaign

  12-09-2016 04:27 via ktoo.org
  
  Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks to journalists at the New York Historical Society Library in New York City on September 9.
  Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty Images
  Memo to candidates: Stop generalizing and psychoanalyzing your opponents’ supporters. It never works out well for you.
  The latest to fall into that trap is Hillary Clinton. The Democratic nominee, at a New York fundraiser Friday night with liberal donors and Barbra Streisand, said “half” of
  
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• State approves first licenses for marijuana businesses

  12-09-2016 04:11 via ktoo.org
  
  The Alaska Marijuana Control Board approved the first commercial license Thursday. (Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
  The state approved its first licenses for commercial cannabis businesses Thursday, a major step for prospective retailers hoping to open shop before year’s end.
  Officially, the state’s first shop to be approved was Fairbanks’ Frozen Budz. The first for Anchorage is called Enlighten Alaska, located in Spenard.
  Jane Stinson is one of the co-owners of the
  
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• European green crab found in Puget Sound

  12-09-2016 04:11 via ktoo.org
  
  European Green Crab. (Public Domain photo courtesy of Washington Sea Grant)
  Last week, an invasive species known as the European green crab was found in Puget Sound. The marine-focused environmental group that found the crab, Washington Sea Grant, is still trying to find out if it was just a lone crab, or if a population has been established.
  While the alarms are sounding in Washington State, green crab populations are already establishing themselves off British Columbia’s coast and are mo
  
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• Juneau rotary club holds annual 9/11 memorial service

  12-09-2016 02:30 via ktoo.org
  
  The Juneau Police Department’s honor guard raised the flag to half-staff at the memorial on Sunday. (Photo by Quinton Chandler/KTOO)
  Hands covered hearts and veterans saluted as a Juneau Police Department Honor Guard raised the flag to half-staff in concert with a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
  The Juneau Glacier Valley Rotary Club’s annual service, held at the September 11 Memorial in Riverside Rotary Park, followed a pattern similar to past services held since 2002.
  The hig
  
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