Anchorage news

• Story Time w/Aunt Phil: The rise and fall of Knik

  27-10-2016 23:54
  
  When the U.S. Post Office opened its branch in Knik on Oct. 27, 1904, it signaled that Knik was a bonafide community. It only remained open for 13 years because of the federal government’s decision to bypass it when it laid out its plans for a railroad to connect Seward to Fairbanks in 1915.
  Thousands of gold seekers streamed into Cook Inlet by the late 1800s. These people hacked out primitive trails connecting scattered camps and eventually unified the region between Cook Inlet on the sou
  
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• High school teacher attacked by grizzly while walking dogs near Seward airport

  27-10-2016 23:17
  
  Last updated at 2:20 p.m. on Thursday, October 27
  A man was attacked by a brown bear early Thursday morning while walking his dogs near the Seward airport.
  Ronn Hemstock was walking his dogs near the airport when he was attacked before daylight, according to authorities.
  He has been a teacher at Seward High School for 20 years, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District spokesperson Peggy Erkenoff confirmed. She said Hemstock, who is also the school’s wrestling coach, plan
  
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• The first 100 days: What Clinton and Trump want to get done

  27-10-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Imagine for a moment that it’s Jan. 21, 2017. After a chilly inauguration the day before, the parades and festivities have ended. And the new president of the United States is ready for his or her first day of work.
  “What follows is my 100-day action plan to make America great again,” Donald Trump told supporters in Gettysburg, Pa., last weekend. “First I will announce my intention to totally renegotiate NAFTA, one of the worst deals our country has ever made.”
  Trum
  
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• Kenai Borough Assembly overrides mayor’s veto of invocation policy resolution

  27-10-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly has voted to override Mayor Mike Navarre’s veto of the Assembly’s new invocation policy resolution.
  Alaska’s ACLU executive director Joshua Decker said he is disappointed in the Assembly’s action.
  “As we wrote in our letter to the Assembly last week, we think this resolution is unconstitutional,” Decker said. “We had hoped that they would do the right thing and go back to the way things used to be in te
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016

  27-10-2016 22:57 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2016/10/2016-10-27-newscast.mp3In this newscast:
  The Alaska Army National Guard starts a pilot program aimed at recruiting more Alaska Natives,
  hunting, fishing and trapping fees are going up, and
  an update on the Whittier Tunnel closure.
  
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• National Guard seeks skills of Alaska Natives

  27-10-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  BETHEL — The Army National Guard is turning its recruitment efforts to Alaska Natives as it seeks to find soldiers equipped with subsistence skills.
  The Guard is launching a three-year program that provides waivers for Alaska Natives looking to join, but who may face barriers to qualification, KYUK-AM reports.
  The pilot program relaxes requirements for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, a general knowledge test that the Guard acknowledges is geared more toward English speakers
  
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• How Is A 1,600-Year-Old Tree Weathering California’s Drought?

  27-10-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  It’s been a brutal forest fire season in California. But there’s actually a greater threat to California’s trees — the state’s record-setting drought. The lack of water has killed at least 60 million trees in the past four years.
  Scientists are struggling to understand which trees are most vulnerable to drought and how to keep the survivors alive. To that end, they’re sending human climbers and flying drones into the treetops, in a novel biological experiment.
  
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• Police use cellphone tracker to find robbery suspects

  27-10-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — Two men suspected of an Eagle River robbery were tracked down through a cellphone taken from the victim.
  Kyon Darell Watson, 27, and Carlton Antwan Tarkington Jr., 23, are charged with felony first-degree robbery with a deadly weapon, Anchorage police said.
  They’re being held at the Anchorage jail with bail set at $25,000.
  Online court documents do not list their attorneys.
  Police took a call Tuesday night from a resident who reported being robbed of money and a
  
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• Little fish tales: Micro fishers focus on the species, not size

  27-10-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Micro-fish caught by Ben Cantrell: (top row) bleeding shiner, knobfin sculpin, (bottom row) plateau darter and bantam sunfish. (Photo courtesy of Ben Cantrell)
  Catching the biggest fish usually comes with the biggest bragging rights, but now a new breed of anglers working to hook those at the other end of the spectrum. The catch might not be as big, the bragging rights are.
  As the owner of Tombstone Tackle bait shop in Columbia, Mo., Adam Wolf has a lot of ways to catch fish.“Night crawler
  
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• Video: Below ground in the Fairbanks permafrost tunnel

  27-10-2016 20:39 via ktoo.org
  
  Ancient microbes, unusual ice structures, mammoth bones – there’s a lot happening below the surface in the Fairbanks Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility. The underground laboratory, operated by the Army Corps of Engineers, is kept at a constant 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Environmental science researcher Dr. Andrew Balser leads a tour of the facility and discusses the research taking place there.
  
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• Trick-or-treating family fun at the Alaska Zoo

  27-10-2016 20:15
  
  Trick or treat with some cuddly and scary animals at the Alaska Zoo as part of their Zoo Boo event this Halloween.
  The zoo will have trick or treat stations and educational activities. Attendees are encouraged to dress up.
  The Zoo Boo event will two run times; at 4:30 p.m. and another, spookier version, at 6:30 p.m.
  According to Jeannette Menchinsky, development director for the Alaska Zoo, going at the later time will let you see some of their nocturnal animals, and you may even hear
  
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• In fight over N.D. pipeline, tribe leader calls for peace and prayers

  27-10-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline have been raging for months, but tensions have been escalating. Recently, tribal leaders — led by Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Dave Archambault II — called on the Department of Justice to look into what they describe as unnecessary use of force by state and local law enforcement.The tribe is going up against Energy Transfer Partners, an oil giant intending to build the $3.8 billion pipeline to carry more than a half-million barrels of
  
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• Bear mauls man walking dogs near Seward airport

  27-10-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — A man walking dogs Thursday morning near the Seward airport was mauled by a bear.
  The 46-year-old man was able to call for help on his cellphone about 6:45 a.m., Anchorage television station KTUU reports.
  The man was taken to Providence Seward Medical Center for treatment, Seward Police Chief Tom Clemons said.
  The brown bear may have been with cubs.
  Seward police after the mauling searched for the bear.
  Police warned people to stay away from the area.
  Seward is a
  
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• Fewer Alaskans gave to nonprofits through Pick.Click.Give

  27-10-2016 19:20
  
  The Alaska Community Foundation says fewer people have decided to give up portions of their annual oil wealth check to support nonprofit organizations this year.
  Alaska’s Energy Desk reports the foundation’s Pick.Click.Give. program allows Alaskans to donate some of the money they receive from the Alaska Permanent Fund each year to hundreds of nonprofits statewide.
  The Anchorage-based foundation reported its first drop in donations this year since 2009.
  People who donated a port
  
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• Twitter is laying off 9 percent of employees, or over 350 jobs

  27-10-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  There was some positive news in Twitter’s third-quarter earnings report, including revenue of $616 million — up 8 percent from last year — but for it to be profitable, the company says, it’ll have to shed several hundred jobs.
  While revenue surpassed expectations, The Wall Street Journal says it was the social media company’s “smallest gain and ninth straight period of slowing growth.”
  Twitter posted a loss of $103 million for the quarter.
  In a letter to
  
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• Hey, Indians fans – where was the love before the World Series?

  27-10-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  To say the mood at Progressive Field in Cleveland was electric the last two nights is the understatement of the baseball season.
  The first two games of the World Series brought sellout crowds, mostly made up of Indians fans, totaling more than 38,000 both nights. Everywhere you turned, there were happy Clevelanders sporting Indians jerseys, jackets, hats and t-shirts.
  The Cleveland Indians are hot stuff.
  Which is why it’s confusing to check the year’s attendance figures. Cleveland ra
  
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• A week after return to duty, Fairbanks police chief back on leave

  27-10-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Fairbanks city police Chief Randall Aragon is on administrative leave again.
  A week after outgoing Mayor John Eberhart returned Aragon to duty, newly sworn in Mayor Jim Matherly reversed the order Tuesday and put the chief back on paid leave.
  The decision is because an independent investigation into whether or not a private security business operated by the chief constitutes a conflict of interest, is still pending, Matherly said.http://media.aprn.org/2016/ann-20161026-04.mp3“It’s my
  
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• National Guard aims to recruit more Alaska Natives

  27-10-2016 17:39
  
  The Army National Guard is turning its recruitment efforts to Alaska Natives as it seeks to find soldiers equipped with subsistence skills.
  KYUK-AM reports that the Guard is launching a three-year program that provides waivers for Alaska Natives looking to join, but who may face barriers to qualification. The pilot program relaxes requirements for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, a general knowledge test that the Guard acknowledges is geared more toward English speakers.
  Bob Doehl
  
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• Is trick-or-treating a danger to pets? Tips to keep animals safe on Halloween

  27-10-2016 17:07
  
  Halloween is a fun holiday for many families — dressing up, trick-or-treating, scary thrills. For some of our furry family members, however, the holiday can provide a number of opportunities for danger.
  “From decorations to holiday treats, many of the things that make Halloween fun for people can be scary and even deadly to pets,” Laura Atwood, a spokeswoman for Anchorage Animal Care and Control (AACC), said in a statement. “[We] want to remind the community there are man
  
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• Still 2 months away, Copper Basin 300 is off to a good start

  27-10-2016 08:47
  
  It’s beginning to look a lot like sled dog racing season.
  The recent winter weather has put a spring in the step of those who organize the Copper Basin 300 sled dog race. Up to eight inches of snow fell last week in the Glennallen area, the Valley and the Copper River Basin. It was followed by frigid temperatures, ensuring the snow will be around awhile.
  It’s a far cry from a year ago when the race, like so many others, needed alterations simply to happe
  
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• ‘Somebody saw something’: Family of Government Hill homicide victim seeks answers

  27-10-2016 07:49
  
  Maureen Costello, Ian Bobich's mother
  As Anchorage police investigate the 28th homicide of the year, the family of 29-year-old victim Ian Alexander Bobich is making a desperate plea for help.
  Just before 11 p.m. on Monday, police dispatch received several calls from people in the area reporting gunshots near Elm Street and East Bluff Drive. When officers arrived, they found Bobich dead outside of a residence on the 800 block of Elm Street.
  “I don’t know the exact number of guns
  
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• Historic US Senate debate in Barrow focuses on the Arctic

  27-10-2016 07:32
  
  Organizers billed it as the first ever U.S. Senate debate held above the Arctic Circle. Sen. Lisa Murkowski faced three challengers on the stage at the Barrow High School auditorium on Wednesday.
  But even before the candidates had a chance to engage, there was a distinctly different flavor to this debate, which began with a prayer in the Iñupiat language, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, also recited in Inupiaq.
  The candidates sparred on a wide range of issues that have been mos
  
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• Neighborhood app highlights trick-or-treating hot spots

  27-10-2016 07:14
  
  Nextdoor.com
  Alaskans can find the best spots to trick or treat this Halloween, thanks to the online “neighborhood” Nextdoor.
  Nextdoor is a social media site and app that connects neighbors for things like events, yard sales, missing pets and even local crime. For Halloween, it’s promoting a treat map showing other Nextdoor users who have indicated they have goodies for trick-or-treaters.
  Each home participating is highlighted with a candy corn icon. While Nextdoor hasn&r
  
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• Legislators fighting PFD cut explain their ideas to close budget gap

  27-10-2016 06:27 via ktoo.org
  
  Alaskans file their Permanent Fund dividend applications in downtown Anchorage in March 2016. Sen. Bill Wielechowski would offset reversing the PFD cut by raising oil and gas taxes, while Sen. Mike Dunleavy wants to start with targeting spending cuts. (Photo by Rachel Waldholz/Alaska Public Media)
  When Gov. Bill Walker vetoed half the funding for Permanent Fund dividends, he said it was necessary as part of a comprehensive fiscal plan he’d like the legislature to adopt. Two senators w
  
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• Teal pumpkins raise awareness about trick-or-treaters with food allergies

  27-10-2016 06:10
  
  Halloween is right around the corner and doctors are urging parents to stock up on toys—in addition to candy—to give out to trick-or-treaters. The Teal Pumpkin Project is a growing effort to raise awareness about kids with food allergies.
  The Alaska branch of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America hosted a painting party for children to put their own creative touch on a teal pumpkin.
  Theresa Castellanos helped her son, 2-year-old Nicolas, add glitter glue to his gourd. Nic
  
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• Update: Long-time CEO of Mental Health Trust Authority steps down

  27-10-2016 06:08 via ktoo.org
  
  Jeff Jessee tells reporters why he supports Gov. Bill Walker’s efforts to expand Medicaid at a press conference in the Capitol, March 17, 2015. He was CEO of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority at the time, but left the position on Wednesday. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  The CEO of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority resigned on Wednesday and will take on a different role in the organization. Jeff Jessee served in the position for 21 years. He will be transitioning to a ne
  
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• Long-time CEO of Mental Health Trust Authority steps down

  27-10-2016 06:08 via ktoo.org
  
  Jeff Jessee tells reporters why he supports Gov. Bill Walker’s efforts to expand Medicaid at a press conference in the Capitol, March 17, 2015. He was CEO of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority at the time, but left the position on Monday. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  The CEO of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority stepped down on Monday.
  Jeff Jessee, who served as CEO for 21 years, is transitioning to a new role ahead of his planned retirement in three years, accordin
  
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• Behind the Ballot: Margaret Stock for U.S. Senate

  27-10-2016 06:01
  
  She’s never held political office before, but she has held some high level positions in the U.S. Army, including work in the Pentagon. Now, Margaret Stock is challenging Sen. Lisa Murkowski for a ticket back to Washington D.C.
  Stock is a self-proclaimed “party crasher.” The former Republican, now turned Independent, promises to cut through the U.S. Senate gridlock — she wants to take down Murkowski’s 14-year tenure in Congress. But for most Alaskans, she’s not
  
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• Pakistan arrests National Geographic’s famed ‘Afghan girl’

  27-10-2016 04:40
  
  PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A Pakistani investigator says the police have arrested National Geographic’s famed green-eyed ‘Afghan Girl’ for having a fake Pakistani identity card.
  Shahid Ilyas from the Federal Investigation Agency, says the police arrested Sharbat Gula during a raid on Wednesday at a home in Peshawar.
  Gula was an Afghan refugee girl when she gained international fame in 1984 after war photographer Steve McCurry’s photograph of her, with piercing green eyes
  
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• Amid an audit and a case backlog, state Human Rights Commission tries to move forward

  27-10-2016 04:01 via ktoo.org
  
  John Suter had an extraordinary discrimination case with the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights. It took the agency five years to investigate his case.
  ASCHR is the state’s anti-discrimination agency. In 2011, a legislative audit found that the agency wasn’t doing its job.
  But amid complaints to the governor’s office and a new director with no legal experience, the commission is trying to move forward.For the first time in nearly 30 years, the commission is under a new di
  
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• Living Alaska: Activities to help you survive — and enjoy — a long winter

  27-10-2016 03:38
  
  If you’re one of those people who says “I love Alaska; I just hate the winters,” stop. Please. That’s like saying you love apple pie, you just hate apples.
  Winter is more than half of the year here; you have to find a way to appreciate it. And isn’t true love in any form supposed to be unconditional?
  I get it, though. The winters are long. Each day of the frigid darkness seems to drag on. Physically and mentally it tests us — year after year. But luckily, we&r
  
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• ‘ALWays: A Tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber’ in Anchorage one night only

  27-10-2016 03:22
  
  For one night only, the Atwood Concert Hall will be playing “ALWays: A Tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber.”
  “He will be the Beethoven 200 years from now,” said Steven Alvarez with Anchorage Concert Chorus, who is collaborating with Alaska Dance Theatre and Theatre Artists United for the production.
  If you didn’t know, Andrew Lloyd Webber is the composer of “Cats,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” and “Jesus Christ Superstar,” to name
  
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• Medical Myth: Are all pain clinics the same?

  27-10-2016 03:16
  
  Today’s Medical Myth tackles the question, are all pain clinics the same? And if not, how can patients find one that’s right for them?
  Dr. Matthew Peterson with Algone Interventional Pain Clinic joined Daybreak with his take.
  Peterson said that pain clinics and how they offer treatment vary greatly. Some pain clinics offer medications or physical rehabilitation. Others, including interventional pain clinics, treat chronic pain, and use minimally invasive procedures to treat
  
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• Ask a Climatologist: In Anchorage, first snow is right on schedule

  27-10-2016 02:58 via ktoo.org
  
  Anchorage was blanketed in snow on Oct. 21st, 2016. (Photo by Elizabeth Harball/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
  The first snowfall in Anchorage came nearly right on schedule. On average, the city has at least a trace of the white stuff on October 16th, four days earlier than the date of this year’s first snow.
  Anchorage climatologist Brian Brettschneider keeps track of first snowfalls around the state, along with lots of other climate data. Alaska’s Energy Desk is checking in with him re
  
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• Marine Corps blames pilot error for deadly Hawaii crash

  27-10-2016 02:28
  
  The Marine Corps is blaming pilot error and other factors for the nighttime collision of two helicopters that killed 12 Marines off the coast of Hawaii.
  Marine Corps Forces Pacific spokesman Lt. Col. Curtis Hill said in a statement Tuesday that an investigation determined the reasons for the January crash.
  Hill says contributing factors were low aircraft readiness leading to inadequate pilot proficiency and the squadron’s lack of focus on basic aviation practices.
  Hill says investigators b
  
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• Dutch Harbor remains nation’s top fishing port

  27-10-2016 02:17 via ktoo.org
  
  Workers inspect fish unloaded at Unalaska’s UniSea processing plant. (Sarah Hansen/KUCB)
  On dinner tables across the country, Americans are eating more fish. The United States is responsible for more fish consumption than all other countries, except for China.
  An annual National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report shows Americans added almost one pound of fish to their diets in 2015.
  For the 19th consecutive year, the port of Dutch Harbor is America’s largest fishing port,
  
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• Marijuana Control Board meeting in Nome canceled, rescheduled for Friday at UAA

  27-10-2016 02:16
  
  Thursday’s Marijuana Control Board meeting in Nome has been canceled because of bad weather. Members will instead meet Friday at the University of Alaska Anchorage, the board announced Wednesday.
  Two hot-topic issues expected to be discussed are on-site consumption and requirements for so-called “bud tenders,” those who will handle marijuana in retail stores.
  Some argue the regulations are too tight.
  Alaskans can’t obtain a marijuana handler’s permit if they ha
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 10-27-16

  27-10-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Thursday on A Juneau Afternoon, Joan Pardes will host.
   
  We’ll get a preview of this week’s Evening at Egan presentation by Dr. Theresa John on Indigenous Ways of Knowing;
   
  Ruth Johnson will be here with an update of Saturday’s Cancer Connection Health Forum;
   
  Juneau Symphony Conductor Troy Quinn will be here to highlight this weekend’s performances;
   
  And Nancy DeCherney will be here with Arts Up!
   
  That, Writers Almanac, Bird Note, music and
  
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• Troopers: Wasilla man set bedroom on fire, assaulted family members

  27-10-2016 01:42
  
  Alaska State Troopers say a man set a bedroom on fire in a Wasilla home Tuesday night.
  Troopers arrested the man, 20-year-old Mose Falaniko, at the home on W. Hoot Hollow Circle. They first responded to the home when someone reported a disturbance at 10:19 p.m., according to an online dispatch.
  Falaniko allegedly assaulted family members and then started a fire in a bedroom, troopers wrote.
  Falaniko already had a warrant for his arrest for violating his probation in an unrelated burglary case,
  
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• WikiLeaks reveals Clinton aides knew they had an email problem on their hands

  27-10-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Hillary Clinton’s campaign has been dealing with the fallout from her choice to use a private email server while secretary of state since before there was even officially a campaign. Now, WikiLeaks has released private emails from March 2015 between Clinton advisers talking about how to handle the email mess.
  Clinton’s campaign says the email release is part of a Russian effort to interfere with the U.S. election. The campaign has chosen not to verify the authenticity of the emails h
  
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• Telling Tales – 10-25-16

  27-10-2016 00:52 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Show for Tuesday, October 25, 2016http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2016/10/TT101816.mp3
  
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• Glacial fjords home to surprise coral — but maybe not for long

  27-10-2016 00:43 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Bob Stone holds a 50 year old red tree coral. (Photo by Elizabeth Jenkins/KTOO)
  You might not expect coral to thrive in Southeast Alaska. But it exists in the silty waters of glacial fjords. Now scientists are wondering if the coral, which serves as important fish habitat, could be in danger from an invisible threat — ocean acidification. 
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2016/10/26REDCORAL_01.mp3Inside a lab at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Juneau
  
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• Police: Eagle River resident robbed at gunpoint helps find thieves using ‘Find My iPhone’ feature

  27-10-2016 00:39
  
  ANCHORAGE — Two people were found and arrested by Anchorage police Tuesday evening after a robbery victim tracked his stolen smartphone to their location.
  In a release Wednesday, police said they received a call around 8 p.m. from an Eagle River resident who had been robbed at gunpoint after taking money from a gas station ATM.
  After withdrawing the money, the victim reported to police that he had been followed to his home by two sport utility vehicles. The suspects took th
  
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• Workforce Wednesday: Project Manager

  27-10-2016 00:23
  
  Looking to put your organizational and communication skills to work? Then a career in project management might be in your wheelhouse.
  Josiane Ballin, the president of the Project Management Institute of Alaska, and Martha Peck with the Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium stopped by Daybreak to discuss the industry’s pay and how to get started.
  In fact, Ballin said, you could start as early as high school and finish up at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
  According to Ballin, start
  
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• Late night fire guts Petersburg mobile home

  27-10-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The mobile home at 16 South Fifth Street was gutted in Saturday night’s fire. (Photo by KFSK)
  No injuries were reported in a fire that destroyed a mobile home Saturday night on south Fifth Street in Petersburg.
  The police department received the call about midnight Saturday, October 22.
  “Upon arrival we found the trailer fully engulfed in flames and also flames impinging on a neighboring residence and had also threatened that structure and set the outside of it on fire,” s
  
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• 722 days after vote, Alaska’s first pot shop opens Saturday

  27-10-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Alaska’s first marijuana retailer will opening Saturday.
  At least, that’s the plan.
  Leif Abel owns Greatland Ganja in Kasilof, and said by phone Wednesday that after dropping off his first batch of cannabis at a testing facility in Anchorage this week, the results are in.
  “They confirmed that our product samples were all very clean, some of the cleanest product that they’ve seen,” Abel said.
  “Of course, they’ve only looked through two or three
  
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