Anchorage news

• Palmer man sentenced to two years in King Salmon heroin case

  26-10-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A Palmer man was sentenced Wednesday to two years in connection with a 2015 drug case.
  Police arrested Jorden Bishop, 29, in June 2015 after finding him in possession of 22 grams of heroin at the King Salmon Airport.
  In August 2016, Bishop pleaded guilty to fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance in return for the agreed upon sentence.
  Bishop has been on electronic monitoring since August 2015, and will likely serve the remainder of his sentence on monitoring rat
  
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• Oregon occupation trial draws crowds, but still no verdict

  26-10-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Updated at 2:30 p.m. ET
  The jury hearing the federal trial of seven people who occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon entered a fourth day of deliberations Wednesday — a day after jurors’ ability to reach a verdict came into question.
  On Tuesday, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports, jurors sent a note to U.S. District Court Judge Anna Brown asking whether they needed to agree on a decision concerning all seven defendants.
  “If we are able to agree on a verdict fo
  
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• Homer council debates centralized 911 dispatch service

  26-10-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Homer City Council debated the pros and cons of a centralized emergency dispatch service at their Oct. 24 meeting.
  The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly has proposed consolidating dispatch services with the communities of Homer, Kenai and Seward.
  The centralized dispatch facility would be housed in Soldotna.
  Homer City Council passed a resolution in a 4-2 vote, authorizing City Manager Katie Koester to either accept or reject the Borough’s proposal for centralized dispatch services.
  Council
  
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• Juneau driver arrested after blowing triple legal blood-alcohol limit

  26-10-2016 21:30 via ktoo.org
  
  After a one-vehicle incident in downtown Juneau, police say the driver blew a blood-alcohol content three times the legal limit early Monday and was arrested.
  Tautar Pearce, 37, was arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated.
  Pearce was driving a 2015 Chrysler in the 400 block of Egan Drive when he struck a sidewalk and caused $4,900 in damage, according to a Juneau Police Department bulletin.
  The vehicle was impounded.
  Pearce was taken to Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
  
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• Blind activist urges self-advocacy for Alaskans with disabilities

  26-10-2016 21:08
  
  Moving boxes are stacking up in Lynne Koral’s home in Airport Heights — a sign that she and her guide dog Noelle’s Alaska adventure is coming to an end.
  “It’s hard for her, too, because things are moving out, couches are gone,” Koral said of Noelle. “I think she’s not sure what’s happening.”
  Koral won’t be among the flock of Alaska voters heading to cast their ballots on Nov. 8. But she says one of the gre
  
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• Former nurse accused of murdering 8 nursing home patients in Canada

  26-10-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A Canadian woman who worked as a nurse has been charged with the murders of eight nursing home residents in Ontario over the course of seven years.
  If Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer is found guilty, The Globe and Mail reports, the 49-year-old woman would be “among the worst serial killers in Canadian history.”
  “Police say the victims were administered a drug, but they would not provide details about which drug, adding that it is part of evidence that is now before the courts,&
  
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• Fuel tank overturns into river along Richardson Highway

  26-10-2016 20:33
  
  A semi pulling two diesel fuel tank trailers crashed last week and one tank landed in a river bed north of Valdez.
  Alaska State Troopers on Monday said the tank trailer overturned and landed in an old channel of the Tsania River, spilling a small amount of fuel.
  The Department of Environmental Conservation says spilled oil was confined to a ditch adjacent to the highway in the old channel.
  The department says no fuel made it into the flowing channel of the river.
  The accident occurred Friday nea
  
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• Fuel spill cleanup continues after tank overturns along Richardson Highway

  26-10-2016 20:33
  
  Last updated at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26
  A semi pulling two diesel fuel tank trailers crashed last week and one tank landed in a river bed north of Valdez.
  Alaska State Troopers on Monday said the tank trailer — driven by 59-year-old Dale Cropp — overturned and landed in an old channel of the Tsaina River, spilling a small amount of fuel.
  “Cropp attempted to slow down to turn into a pullout to remove the chains from his truck tires but lost control of the vehicle, r
  
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• Whittier tunnel closes for rock stabilization work

  26-10-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — The state-run tunnel taking vehicle and train traffic to and from the port town of Whittier has been closed for rock-stabilization work after two boulders fell near the side of the roadway this week.
  Department of Transportation spokeswoman Shannon McCarthy says the 500-pound rocks were discovered Tuesday morning after falling overnight while the tunnel was closed for the night.
  McCarthy says a fissure was found in the rock wall near the loose rock. A contractor is working on r
  
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• Dog distracts Hummer driver after single-vehicle crash

  26-10-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Nobody was injured after a Hummer overturned at about 8 p.m. Tuesday near mile 8 North Tongass Highway.
  The 24-year-old driver was southbound on North Tongass Highway, going about 45 mph, when he was distracted by his dog inside the vehicle, according to the online Alaska State Troopers dispatch.
  The driver reportedly looked away from the road, and the vehicle crossed the center line, entered the ditch and rolled onto the passenger side.
  The driver told Troopers he was not injured, and
  
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• Zika virus may be in the U.S. to stay

  26-10-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Public health authorities and infectious disease specialists now say we may not be able to rid the U.S. of the Zika virus. Despite months of intense work — including house to house inspections and aggressive mosquito control — federal, state and local officials have not been able to stop the spread of Zika in Miami.
  In Miami Tuesday, the head of the CDC, Dr. Tom Frieden delivered what he called the “plain truth” about Zika and the mosquitoes that carry it. “Zika and
  
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• Kenai teacher unions vote to ratify contract

  26-10-2016 18:38
  
  Teachers and support staff in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District have voted to ratify a proposed tentative agreement on their contracts.
  The Peninsula Clarion reports that the Kenai Peninsula Educational Association and the Kenai Peninsula Educational Support Association reached the tentative deal with the school district in September. The agreement came after more than a year of collective bargaining and an arbitration process.
  Leaders of the two associations told district officials Mo
  
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• State officials consider rules for pot shop workers

  26-10-2016 17:35
  
  Alaska’s growing marijuana industry is attracting workers, but proposed regulations for employees that many have deemed too harsh may keep industry hopefuls from entering the field.
  The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports state Marijuana Control Board Chairman Peter Mlynarik says the rules are meant to ensure new hires have some sort of background check. But critics question why they’re inconsistent with those required for similar worker permits for Alaska’s alcohol businesses.
  
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• Former child soldier tells Juneau high schoolers to work for peace

  26-10-2016 10:41 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Emmanuel Jal talks about his transition from child soldier in Sudan to peace activist and hip-hop artist during an interview on Tuesday, Oct. 25, in Juneau. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
  Teenagers this week in Juneau are worried about Halloween costumes, grades and the other daily dramas of high school. But when Emmanuel Jal was even younger — he isn’t sure how old he is — he was starving and fighting in a civil war in Sudan as a child soldier.http://s3
  
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• Anchorage Assembly opens the floor for commentary on Berkowitz’ 2017 budget

  26-10-2016 09:06
  
  The Anchorage Assembly held the first public discussion on the municipality’s budget for 2017 on Tuesday night. The big question — how to fill the “$40 million hole” left by a large decrease in funding from the state, which is battling through its own budget deficit.
  In the mayor’s proposed budget, a number of cuts have been made, but new revenue sources were also highlighted, including a marijuana sales tax.
  Mayor Ethan Berkowitz is pushing for a $502,346,507 budge
  
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• Large fire damages trailer on A Street

  26-10-2016 08:34
  
  ANCHORAGE — A detached trailer in midtown Anchorage was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived at the scene Tuesday night.
  The fire, which was visible for several blocks, was reported at 9:09 p.m., according to a statement from the Anchorage Fire Department. A dozen units responded to the fire on the 2600 block of A Street, behind O’Reilly’s Auto Parts on Northern Lights Boulevard.
  “First AFD units arrived on location within four minutes and reported finding a deta
  
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• Large fire damages abandoned trailer on A Street

  26-10-2016 08:34
  
  ANCHORAGE — An abandoned trailer in midtown Anchorage was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived at the scene Tuesday night.
  The fire, which was visible for several blocks, was reported at 9:09 p.m., according to a statement from the Anchorage Fire Department. A dozen units responded to the fire on the 2600 block of A Street, behind O’Reilly’s Auto Parts on Northern Lights Boulevard.
  “First AFD units arrived on location within four minutes and reported finding a de
  
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• 24 years to an overnight success: Trotter claims first title

  26-10-2016 06:54
  
  If winning a high school state football championship in Alaska were easy, everybody would do it.
  But it’s not. And they don’t.
  Jeff Trotter finally did. He’d been part of the football staff as an assistant for 18 years in the Anchorage area, but Friday night marked his first as the head coach of a program. In his sixth season with East Anchorage High School, the veteran coach and father figure beloved by his players helped the Thunderbirds claim the crown with a
  
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• Putting bees to bed: Overwintering honeybee hives in Alaska

  26-10-2016 06:37
  
  The fields at Dee Barker’s Earthworks Farm in Palmer are frozen, the last of her vegetables are covered in a few inches of fresh snow.
  That first sign of winter means it’s time to put her honeybees to bed.
  “When they go into hibernation, they go into a cluster around the queen to keep her warm,” Barker explained. “The ones on the outside get kind of comatose.”
  In their seven years running their Palmer farm, she and her husband, Bruce Hougan, have become expert
  
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• UN agency to hear from Arctic indigenous leaders

  26-10-2016 05:59
  
  A map of the Arctic shipping routes, including the Northern Sea Route over RussiaWikipedia
  A panel of representatives from Arctic indigenous communities will address the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London on Wednesday afternoon. The IMO is a United Nations specialized agency that regulates shipping worldwide. This may be the first time that Arctic indigenous leaders have appeared in front of the IMO.
  One of the organizers of this session is Kevin Harun, the Arctic pro
  
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• Mears Middle School students ‘mix it up at lunch’ in effort to end bullying

  26-10-2016 05:57
  
  Sometimes it’s tough to talk to people you don’t know, but if you push yourself to do it, you might be surprised. Some students at Mears Middle School learned that lesson on Tuesday when they took part in a national event called Mix it up at Lunch Day.
  School counselor Michelle Keller said it’s a day dedicated to getting to know new people by sitting with them at the lunch table. She said the conversation could start a connection that could help cut down on bullying.
  &ldqu
  
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• Behind the Ballot: Steve Lindbeck for US House of Representatives

  26-10-2016 05:41
  
  Steve Lindbeck is now the 24th person to try to unseat Alaska’s longest-serving congressman, Rep. Don Young. He doesn’t have the same name recognition as past contenders, but he’s hopeful his personal outreach can make up the difference.
  Phone call after phone call, Lindbeck has managed to mount a competitive campaign against Young. He’s raised even more than the congressman in recent months, a seemingly David-and-Goliath task given Young’s 43 years i
  
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• Former Skagway Assemblyman claims he misunderstood public office disclosure forms

  26-10-2016 04:45 via ktoo.org
  
  Alaska’s campaign finance watchdog group held a hearing Tuesday morning on a complaint against former Skagway Assemblyman Dan Henry. The complaint against Henry involves incomplete public office financial disclosure forms. During the hearing, Henry said he misunderstood what information is required on those filings.
  Candidates for elected office and public officials in Alaska are required to file financial disclosure statements with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. The statements
  
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• Investment mogul with Alaska ties launches prime-time TV talk show

  26-10-2016 04:41 via ktoo.org
  
  David Rubenstein speaks at an event on July 11, 2010. (Creative Commons photo courtesy The Aspen Institute)
  If you like to watch billionaires on TV, you don’t have to wait for Donald Trump to launch his own media network. The husband of Alaska Dispatch News owner Alice Rogoff now has his own prime-time television talk show.
  “I began to take on the life of an interviewer, even though I have a day job of running a private equity firm,” Rubenstein explained.
  “The David Ruben
  
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• Fairbanks police chief put back on administrative leave by new mayor

  26-10-2016 03:45
  
  In one of his first official acts as the new mayor of Fairbanks, Mayor Jim Matherly placed Police Chief Randall Aragon back on paid administrative leave, effective immediately.
  The Fairbanks Police Department issued a statement Tuesday announcing the move. Aragon was originally placed on administrative leave in September while the city investigated claims of conflict of interest. A local business owner accused Aragon of trying to promote his private business while acting as the chief of police.
  
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• Man accused of murder extradited to Alaska to face trial

  26-10-2016 03:34
  
  Kutay Bangout in court (left) and Reik Gat (right)
  Riek Gat made his first appearance in Alaska court on Tuesday for his alleged role in an August murder. Gat was extradited from West Virginia, where he fled soon after Mitchell’s murder.
  Mitchell was shot multiple times in the head and chest and left to die on Campbell Airstrip Road. He was found the morning of Aug. 22 by neighbors heading to work.
  Police arrested 18-year-old Kutay Bangout and named him the primary suspect in the case. He
  
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• Walker pauses bond sale to pay for public worker pensions

  26-10-2016 03:31 via ktoo.org
  
  Gov. Bill Walker talks to reporters in June at his temporary offices in Juneau. On Tuesday, he decided to halt state plans to sell pension obligation bonds. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
  The state of Alaska won’t issue bonds to pay for public worker pensions – for now.
  Gov. Bill Walker pressed pause Tuesday on the sale of up to $3.3 billion dollars of pension obligation bonds after meeting with members of the Senate Finance Committee.
  While Walker’s administration has the author
  
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• DOT: Whittier tunnel closed due to rockfall

  26-10-2016 03:19
  
  View of the damage inside the tunnelCourtesy Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
  A rockfall inside the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which provides access to Whittier, has forced the tunnel’s closure until further notice, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.
  DOT spokesman Jeremy Woodrow said at least one large rock fell overnight and was discovered in the tunnel Tuesday morning. He said no one was inside the tunnel overni
  
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• More than a decade later, one man’s discrimination case is still in limbo

  26-10-2016 02:57 via ktoo.org
  
  On average, an investigation into a discrimination case in Alaska may take a year or two, according to the agencies that handle them.
  But for one Chugiak man it’s taken more than a decade. On a recent afternoon in September, just off a wooded road in Chugiak, John Suter, 67, is outside his home with his grandson, who’s running around. Suter’s wearing an Army airborne veteran’s hat and a light blue shirt that says “The NSA, the only part of government that actua
  
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• For the first time, Pick.Click.Give. donations take a dip

  26-10-2016 02:54 via ktoo.org
  
  
   
  The Permanent Fund Dividend website prominently features the Pick. Click. Give. program. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
  It has been a difficult year for nonprofits. The state’s budget is shrinking. Alaskans’ wallets are emptying.And, for the first time since Alaskans began donating in 2009, the Alaska Community Foundation’s Pick.Click.Give. program saw a drop in donations.The program allows Alaskans to donate a portion of their annual oil-wealth payments to hundreds o
  
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• Local attorney Kirsten Swanson appointed Juneau District Court judge

  26-10-2016 02:48 via ktoo.org
  
  Gov. Bill Walker announced Tuesday that Juneau private attorney Kirsten Swanson will be the new Juneau District Court judge.
  Ten people had applied to replace Judge Keith
  Kirsten Swanson (Courtesy of Alaska Judicial Council)
  Levy, who’s retiring at the end of October.
  The district court’s jurisdiction includes municipal ordinances, misdemeanor crimes, underage alcohol and tobacco violations, and civil cases when less than $100,000 is at stake.
  According to Swanson’s application
  
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• Two weeks out: Democrats have the edge in the fight for the Senate

  26-10-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Two weeks from Election Day, it looks more likely than ever that Democrats will win control of the Senate.
  States that many thought would be the crux of their battle ground map, like Ohio and Florida, have moved down or completely off the list. But Democrats have successfully expanded the map enough so that they have multiple paths to the five seats they need for an outright majority — or four if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency, which also looks increasingly likely. Republicans, howeve
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 10-26-16

  26-10-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Wednesday at 3 on A Juneau Afternoon,
  We’ll get an update on activities at the Gastineau Humane Society, with Matt Musselwhite, Holly Johnson, Liz Clark, and Bree Willie;
  Mariya Lovischuck and Leandra Lewis will be here to discuss the Giving Thanks event.
  We’ll learn how you can help the hungry and get a good deal on used ski equipment, at this year’s Juneau Ski Sale Food Drive;
  And you can learn more about the Juneau Nordic Ski Club;
  That, Writer’s Almanac, Bird Note, mu
  
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• Olympian Alev Kelter to speak at Alaska Women’s Summit

  26-10-2016 01:31
  
  Olympian Alev Kelter is back home in Alaska. She competed in the 2016 summer Olympic Games in Brazil on the women’s rugby team.
  Emily Carlson sat down with her to discuss her experience in Rio de Janeiro and what’s next for the Alaska athlete.
  Both Carlson and Kelter will be speaking at the 2016 Alaska Women’s Summit on Friday, Oct. 28. The conference kicks off at 7:30 a.m. at the Hotel Captain Cook in downtown Anchorage.
  Click here for more information and to register for the
  
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• APD investigating early morning robberies of Holiday gas stations

  26-10-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Anchorage police are investigating robberies at two Holiday gas stations.
  Officers responded to calls early Tuesday morning calls that two males entered the gas stations brandishing guns, demanding cigarettes and money, according to an Anchorage Police Department news release.
  No injuries were reported from either incident.
  APD believes the two robberies are related.
  No arrests have been made and no charges have been filed.
  The investigations are ongoing.
  
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• Antarctica’s ice sheets are melting faster — and from beneath

  26-10-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  This image taken in 2012 shows part of the Crosson Ice Shelf (center left) and Mount Murphy (foreground) on the western edge of Antarctica. Thwaites Ice Shelf lies beyond the highly fractured expanse of ice (center). (Photo by John Sonntag/Nature)
  Antarctica’s ice has been melting, most likely because of a warming climate. Now, newly published research shows the rate of melting appears to be accelerating.
  Antarctica is bigger than the U.S. and Mexico combined, and it’s covered in dee
  
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• National Guard seeks Alaska Natives with subsistence skills

  26-10-2016 00:49
  
  David Smart is a third-generation serviceman from Hooper BayKYUK
  This story originated from KYUK Public Media and was republished with permission.
  BETHEL — The Army National Guard has announced the start of a three-year pilot program that gives waivers to Alaska Natives who might be trying to join the Guard, but face barriers to qualification. Some of these potential recruits have the very skills the military is looking for.
  Not only is the National Guard making it easier for Al
  
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• Alaska governor puts pension bond plan on hold

  26-10-2016 00:35
  
  Gov. Bill Walker says the state will not proceed with plans to sell bonds to help pay for Alaska’s pension obligations at this time, citing lack of support from Senate lawmakers.
  In a statement Tuesday, Walker said administration officials discussed the proposal with the Senate Finance Committee but did not get buy-in for the idea.
  While we believe the financial benefits of issuing state pension obligation bonds significantly outweigh the financial risks, we recognize the need for legislat
  
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• Many ‘worn out’ by campaign, survey of social media users shows

  26-10-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  In case you needed more evidence of the toll this divisive campaign is taking on America, a new survey says more than a third of social media users are “worn out” by the amount of political content they encounter. That’s nearly twice as many who say they welcome the political content they find on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
  The survey of more than 4500 adults was done by the Pew Research Center. It found that 37% of social media users report being worn out, compared to
  
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• Man sentenced for 2014 sexual assault of partially-disabled woman

  26-10-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A Kotzebue man has been sentenced to 36 years in prison for sexually assaulting a partially disabled woman.
  John Douglas, 30, was arrested in May 2014 after grabbing the victim, attempting to pull down her pants, and trying to force her into the stairwell of a downtown Anchorage office building, according to a Department of Law news release.
  The assault was thwarted by nearby office workers, who heard the victim scream and chased Douglas as he attempted to flee the scene.
  At the s
  
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