Anchorage news

• Ocean sustainability tops agenda of this week’s global conference

  14-09-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker, Healy, sits just offshore of Barrow, shortly before setting sail on Arctic Shield 2013. (Photo courtesy of NOAA Office of Response and Restoration)
  Over 450 representatives from 90 countries are expected to attend a two-day conference in Washington D.C. on the health and sustainability of the world’s oceans.
  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is hosting the Our Ocean 2016 conference on Thursday and Friday.
  President Barack Obama and Kathryn Sullivan, Under
  
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• Banished man sentenced to probation in negligent homicide case

  14-09-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Derek Adams
  After accepting a plea deal to charges of negligent homicide in a Bethel court on Monday, Derek Adams of Nunam Iqua has been sentenced to four years in prison and a decade of probation.
  Adams has already served his jail time while awaiting sentencing, and is now a free man.
  The sentencing comes after three villages banished Adams for a range of reasons which include starting a fire that killed three people.
  Adams’ case has highlighted a debate over the state’s obligation
  
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• 21-year-old Bethel man drowns in Connecticut River

  14-09-2016 22:30 via ktoo.org
  
  CORNISH, N.H. — A 21-year-old Bethel man drowned Tuesday evening in the Connecticut River in New Hampshire.
  Reed McWilliams was working at a historic site near the river as an AmeriCorps volunteer.
  Reed was working with the Student Conservation Association. He and about six other volunteers have been working at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, which is in Cornish, New Hampshire, which is near where the drowning occurred.
  He went swimming with a colleague after work, but when
  
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• Wells Fargo unit’s leader departs with $125M after bank incurs record fine

  14-09-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A Wells Fargo executive’s departure with large stock and options holdings has sparked questions, after the division she ran incurred $185 million in penalties. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
  A federal agency used her Wells Fargo unit as a cautionary tale, imposing the largest fine it’s ever levied. Her bank fired some 5,300 employees for acting “counter to our values.” But questions are now circulating about Carrie Tolstedt, the unit’s leader, who’s set to
  
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• Second suspect indicted in Campbell Airstrip Road murder

  14-09-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A grand jury has indicted a second suspect on murder charges in the death of man found on a rural Anchorage road in August.
  Anchorage police say a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Riek William Gat, 19, in connection with the death of Michael Mitchell, 22.
  Police are seeking the public’s help in finding Gat. The indictment charges Gat with first- and second-degree murder in the case.
  Mitchell’s body was found just before 8:30 a.m. Aug. 22 at mile 3 Campbell Airstrip Road. He
  
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• Transboundary mine developer shutting down

  14-09-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Acid drainage from the Tulsequah Chief Mine discolors a leaking containment pond next to the Tulsequah River in British Columbia in 2013. Developer Chieftain Metals is in receivership. (Photo courtesy Chris Miller/Trout Unlimited)
  The company trying to reopen the controversial Tulsequah Chief Mine, upstream from Juneau, is being taken over by an investor that’s owed millions of dollars.
  It means polluted water could continue to drain from mine tunnels into a Taku River tribu
  
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• Semi pulling trailers of beer crashes on Glenn Highway

  14-09-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — A semi hauling double trailers and a cargo of beer crashed Tuesday on the Glenn Highway.
  The semi driven by Dante Cuaresma, 43, wrecked at the bottom of the hill at Caribou Pass near mile 107, Alaska State Troopers said.
  Cuaresma suffered injuries described by troopers as non-life-threatening. Much of the beer didn’t fare as well.
  Troopers say the semi tractor detached from both trailers and rolled.
  One trailer was destroyed and the other trailer was damaged. Photogr
  
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• Passing research ship saves weather station staff from polar bear ‘siege’

  14-09-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A polar bear stands tall during the summer of 2009 in Svalbard, Norway. (Photo by Steven Kazlowski/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
  Five people. Ten bears. One desperate call for help.
  On a remote Arctic island, five researchers at a weather station found themselves “besieged” by polar bears over the weekend, Russia’s TASS news agency reports.
  Vadim Plotnikov, the head of the weather station on Troynoy Island, told the news agency on Monday that the staff there had seen 10 adul
  
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• City Council approves zoning changes for five Nome blocks

  14-09-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
   
  The Nome Planning Commission passed an ordinance Aug. 30 to rezone portions of blocks 109, 110, 125, 126, and 127 from general use to commercial use.
  The ordinance then passed to the city council, who allowed for a public hearing on this piece of business during their regular meeting.
  All of the public comments came from the Council and City Manager Tom Moran, who explained that spot rezoning is illegal, so the Planning Commission had to include additional blocks other than Sen. Donny Ols
  
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• Chemical giant Bayer agrees to buy Monsanto for $66 Billion

  14-09-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The Monsanto logo on a building at the firm Manufacturing Site and Operations Center near Antwerp, Belgium, on May 24. (Photo by John Thys/AFP/Getty Images)
  The German pharmaceutical and chemical giant Bayer says it will buy U.S. seed seller Monsanto for $66 billion in an all-cash deal that will create the world’s largest supplier of seeds and agricultural chemicals.
  The takeover offer, which Monsanto has accepted, is $4 billion more than Bayer had initially offered and a 44 percent premiu
  
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• CBJ working to repair water main break on Glacier Highway

  14-09-2016 19:07 via ktoo.org
  
  City and Borough of Juneau Utilities crews are repairing a water main break near mile 19 on Glacier Highway.
  CJB began work on break at about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
  Customers north of Randall Road may be without water while work continues.
  For more information, contact the CBJ Utilities Division at 586-0393.
  
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• Haines water line problems resurface

  14-09-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Haines is once again experiencing problems with the transmission line that connects the municipal water system with its main source.
  The pipe that routes Lily Lake water to a treatment plant appears to have another air lock, Public Facilities Director Brad Ryan said.
  In July, a similar problem triggered a water shortage and boil notice over a few hot summer days.
  As of Tuesday evening, workers had partially cleared the blockage, restoring some water pressure to the treatment plant.
  Crews will co
  
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• Haines water line blockage resolved

  14-09-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Updated 11: 15 a.m. Sept. 14: Haines’ municipal water system is running normally again after an apparent air lock jammed the connection to the town’s main water source early this week.
  The air lock blocked water flow in the pipeline from Lily Lake to the water treatment plant.
  Public Facilities Director Brad Ryan said Wednesday morning that workers were able to clear the blockage and restore normal flow levels.
  The water line from Lily Lake experienced a similar problem in July. That
  
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• Chelsea Manning ends hunger strike after Army agrees to gender-affirming surgery

  14-09-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Chelsea Manning, a transgender soldier imprisoned for leaking classified information to WikiLeaks, says she is ending a hunger strike after the U.S. Army agreed to allow her to get medical treatment for her gender dysphoria.
  She began the hunger strike last week to protest her treatment at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., vowing to persist until she was treated better.
  The medical treatment will begin with the surgery that was recommended by her psychologist in April, th
  
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• A Skagway Assembly seat may be vacant soon, but it won’t be on the election ballot

  14-09-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Dan Henry (Photo courtesy The Skagway News)
  In less than a month, Skagway voters will cast ballots for two open borough assembly seats, but one more seat may be vacant soon.
  Some residents have spoken up at recent meetings about their hopes for the future of that spot on the assembly.
  Earlier this year, longtime Assemblyman and restaurant owner Dan Henry was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for failing to file his income taxes.
  He must report to a federal prison facility by Nov. 1.
  S
  
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• Police investigate man found dead with ‘significant head injuries’ in Unalaska

  14-09-2016 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Police are investigating a death after a dead body was discovered Monday in Unalaska’s Ruth Rock Creek at the end of Captains Bay.
  The Department of Public Safety has identified the man as Gregg T. Kortesma, 46, who was found with “significant head injuries” by a pair of local hikers.
  Kortesma worked sporadically in Unalaska over the last 20 years, most recently on the fishing vessel Alaska Trojan, police said.
  They know Kortesma visited the Norwegian Rat Saloon on Sept. 2, but
  
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• How do you say that? Nageak

  14-09-2016 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Pronunciation is everything in radio.
  We work very hard to find out how various words and names, particularly Alaskan Native terms, are properly spoken so that we can pronounce them in our radio and web broadcasts.
  Rep. Benjamin Nageak is a Democratic member of the Alaska House of Representatives since 2013. We have heard his last name pronounced several different ways.
  KTOO and Alaska Public government reporter Andrew Kitchenman asked Nageak to pronounce his name during a taped phone conve
  
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• What do Juneau and the Golden State have in common? Electric vehicles

  14-09-2016 03:49 via ktoo.org
  
  A drone shot of Juneau’s electric vehicle get together. (Photo by Gabe Strong)
  If the capital city were a state, then it ranks with places like California when it comes to the number of electric vehicles per capita on the road.And Juneau’s EVs owners love to show off.This past weekend, the quiet cars rolled into a local park so the public could take a glimpse.In total, there are about 80 fully electric vehicles on the roads of Juneau — running off hydropower rather than gasolin
  
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• Hillary Clinton will resume campaigning on Thursday

  14-09-2016 03:10 via ktoo.org
  
  Hillary Clinton exits her daughter Chelsea Clinton’s apartment on Sunday after she became sick at a Sept. 11 memorial service. Diagnosed with pneumonia, she had taken several days off the campaign trail to recover.
  (Photo by Yana Paskova/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
  Hillary Clinton is set to return to the campaign trail on Thursday after taking a three-day hiatus to recover from pneumonia.
  “Thanks very much for your continued patience today as [Clinton] remains home. She has spe
  
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• With Saildrones, researchers learn more about St. Paul’s fur seals

  14-09-2016 02:56 via ktoo.org
  
  Tracking instruments are temporarily glued to female northern fur seals. (Carey Kuhn/NOAA Fisheries)
  The northern fur seals on St. Paul Island are one of the most-studied marine mammals on the planet, but there’s still a lot scientists don’t know.
  For the first time this year, scientists are using a device called a Saildrone to track down more information about the seals. The tool could help solve the mystery of why fur seals on the island have been declining since the 1970
  
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• Alaska Republican officers ditch party roles to back Libertarian candidate

  14-09-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The Central Committee of the Alaska Republican Party voted to remove one of its members over the weekend, and several other party officers resigned, all so they can publicly support Joe Miller.
  Miller is trying again to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
  He jumped into the U.S. Senate race last week, as the Libertarian nominee.
  Six years ago, the Miller-Murkowski race divided the party. This time Republicans describe their differences as a friendly separation.
  Shannon Connelly of Palmer
  
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• VIDEO: Why is Alaska’s ice melting so fast?

  14-09-2016 01:24 via ktoo.org
  
  Alaska’s glaciers are having an outsized impact on global sea level rise. Dr. Michael Loso, physical scientist at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, explains what’s happening to ice in the Last Frontier.
  
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• Unalaska joins emergency petition on tanner crab

  14-09-2016 00:30 via ktoo.org
  
  An Unalaska fisherman prepares for tanner crab season. (Photo by KUCB)
  This season, the unpredictable tanner crab population isn’t looking so good for Aleutian fishermen.
  That’s what the state’s trawl survey indicated this summer.
  But the City of Unalaska has joined an emergency petition urging the Alaska Board of Fisheries to take another look.
  At a City Council meeting last week, Frank Kelty explained the survey showed low numbers for female tanners.
  That’s led the Alas
  
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• Homer resident dies in single-vehicle crash

  14-09-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A Homer resident died in a car crash just before midnight Sept. 9, according to a dispatch from the Alaska State Troopers.
  Jonathan Osteen, 32, crashed his truck near mile 13 of East End Road.
  He was thrown from the vehicle and is believed to have died before troopers arrived on the scene.
  The crash occurred after a related incident was reported to Alaska State Troopers.
  According to a dispatch report, an unidentified woman called 911 to report a physical disturbance with Jonathan Oste
  
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