Anchorage news

• ‘Ninja’ burglarizes Spenard Bosco’s, steals katana

  12-11-2016 22:58
  
  ANCHORAGE — A person dressed as a ninja burglarized an Anchorage card shop Friday night. The break-in was captured on security cameras.
  The ninja suspect broke into the Spenard Bosco’s some time after closing, according to Erich Helmick, a staff member.
  The katana the “ninja” stole from Bosco’s. Credit: Bosco’s Facebook
  Helmick said he and others are checking the store’s inventory, but that so far it seems only a white katana sword was taken.
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• Sports, music fans remember victims of 2015 Paris attacks

  12-11-2016 22:35
  
  ANCHORAGE — Players linked arms as fans stood to observe a minute’s silence at Stade de France one year after the Paris attacks.
  Friday’s poignant silence before the World Cup qualifier between France and Sweden remembered victims of the attacks on Nov. 13 last year, which saw 130 people killed and hundreds more injured.
  The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks.
  The night of terror began when three suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the Stade de F
  
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• State Troopers plane crash-lands shortly after takeoff in Bethel

  12-11-2016 22:11 via ktoo.org
  
  An Alaska State Trooper plane made an emergency landing around the Kasayulie subdivision of Bethel.A pilot was the only one on board the plane and no injuries were reported, Troopers said.
  A witness says the crash landing happened at 5 p.m. Friday, shortly after the plane took off.No other information was available at the time this story was published.
  
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• 4 detained following Trump protest shooting in Portland

  12-11-2016 21:46
  
  Police in Portland, Oregon, say they have detained four people in connection with a shooting that left one wounded during a protest of President-elect Donald Trump.
  A news release says police believe the four are gang members.
  The man who was shot early Saturday while participating in a march is recovering and is expected to survive, police said in a statement. Police said a shooter was in a vehicle on a bridge that spans the Willamette River and that there was a confrontation with someone in th
  
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• QUIZ: Which character are you at Thanksgiving?

  12-11-2016 19:56
  
  Nearly every family has the same cast of characters — the person who shows up but disappears; the odd-ball aunt, whose eccentric flare is also her charm; the grumpy old man and the pseudo-intellectual whippersnapper eager to share all of their life’s wisdom and knowledge with you. Sure, the names of the characters and their spot at the table may change, but overall most of our families have similar makeup.
  But no matter how weird, grumpy, loud or embarrassing your family is, remember
  
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• Gathering of tribal leaders and representatives to be held in Fairbanks

  12-11-2016 19:31
  
  Tribal leaders, elders, representatives and others will gather in Fairbanks to discuss tribal governance, capacity building and self-governance among other topics in the modern political climate, according to a report published by KYUK Public Media.
  The first Tribal Government Symposium will be held next week starting on Nov. 15, hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Rural and Community Development, the University of Arizona Native Nations Institute, the Tanana Chiefs
  
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• Police: 1 dead, 1 police injured in ambush-style shooting

  12-11-2016 15:44
  
  Police on scene near 5th Ave. and Cordova St. Saturday morning.Andy Nitchman / KTVA Police on scene near 5th Ave. and Cordova St. Saturday morning.Andy Nitchman / KTVA
  Last updated at 8:53 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12One person was killed, and one police officer was taken to a local hospital with injuries following a shooting early Saturday morning, according to a release from the Anchorage Police Department. Police said the shooting was an ambush-style attack on the officer.
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• Police: 1 dead, 1 officer injured in ambush-style shooting

  12-11-2016 15:44
  
  Police on scene near 5th Ave. and Cordova St. Saturday morning.Andy Nitchman / KTVA Police on scene near 5th Ave. and Cordova St. Saturday morning.Andy Nitchman / KTVA The scene of the fatal officer-involved shootingRachel McPherron/KTVA
  Last updated at 8:53 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12One person was killed, and one police officer was taken to a local hospital with injuries following a shooting early Saturday morning, according to a release from the Anchorage Police Department.
  
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• 1 dead, 1 police officer injured in downtown shooting

  12-11-2016 15:44
  
  One person was killed, and one police officer was taken to a local hospital with injuries following a shooting early Saturday morning, according to a release from the Anchorage Police Department.
  “Just before 4:40 a.m. an officer reported shots were fired near 5th Avenue and Cordova Street,” wrote police.
  Multiple units responded to the scene. No additional information regarding the status of the officer or the identity of the victim is known at this time.
  As
  
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• Wallet ready? You’ll soon be able to shop directly on Instagram

  12-11-2016 07:14
  
  Next time you’re lost in a sea of engagement pictures, election memes, and carefully curated food porn on Instagram, you may find yourself reaching for your wallet.
  Instagram is going to start testing a way for users to shop directly from the app, the company announced in a blog post Tuesday.
  The trial, which begins next week, includes 20 U.S. brands, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Target, Warby Parker and J.Crew. The new feature overlaps a “Tap here to view products” butto
  
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• NATO: Blast inside US base in Afghanistan caused casualties

  12-11-2016 07:07
  
  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – NATO says an explosion inside Bagram Airfield, a large U.S. base north of Kabul, has caused casualties.
  The statement issued by Operation Resolute Support says the blast happened early Saturday and that “force protection and medical teams are responding to the situation,” without providing further details.
  The Taliban have fired rockets at Bagram in the past. Afghan officials confirm reports of the explosion but could not provide further details becaus
  
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• Flu season in Alaska has arrived, free flu shots offered Saturday

  12-11-2016 06:57
  
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says thousands of Americans die every year from flu complications, but according to doctors, it’s an illness that is almost completely preventable.
  According to the Alaska Section of Epidemiology, the state has begun to see flu cases. Between the first week of October and the first week of November, there were 53 confirmed flu cases in the state, 26 of those were in Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna area.
  Dr. Anne Musser, wit
  
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• Inuit education conference showcases Toksook Bay students

  12-11-2016 06:24
  
  “Indigenize! Indigenize! Indigenize!”
  That was the mantra of a gathering in Anchorage this week of Alaska Native teachers and school administrators.
  Their mission? To give their students an education that incorporates their language and culture.
  It’s been a decades long battle to bring more programs designed to meet the needs of indigenous students, as well as recruit more Native teachers. But this week there were some positive signs that seeds planted years ago have taken root
  
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• Taking a personal problem to D.C: A state lawmaker’s solution to Alaska’s internet woes

  12-11-2016 06:00
  
  After taking over the Alaska House of Representatives, one Fairbanks Democrat is taking on a new mission — increasing broadband internet access across Alaska. Rep. David Guttenberg will meet with members of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) next week with his proposal for Alaska’s internet dilemma.
  Guttenberg says it’s a personal problem.
  “For years, the buffering on doing anything at home was like, I had to wait 10 minutes to see anything,” Guttenberg sai
  
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• Amid UAA budget woes, diesel tech program looks to industry partnerships to keep costs down

  12-11-2016 05:43
  
  Tractors, engines and parts galore have all found a space in the garage that houses the diesel power technology program at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
  In the middle of the space sits a driver’s cab, emblazoned with the Seawolf logo, looking like it could morph into something from the Transformers franchise at any moment. But even though it’s not science fiction, program director Jeff Libby says what the students are learning is certainly state-of-the-art.
  “We’re t
  
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• Vietnam veteran turned to carving to help with PTSD

  12-11-2016 05:33
  
  There’s a story behind every totem pole and the person who carved it.
  George Bennett Sr. wanted the pole outside the National Guard Armory to represent all of Alaska. He said that was a tall order for such a diverse state but found a way to incorporate the Inupiaq people in the bowhead whale, and the clans of southeast in the raven and eagle.
  “You’ve got a mask representing the Yupik people,” Bennett pointed out. “Caribou represents the interior, Athabascan nation.&
  
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• In rural Alaska, loss of heating assistance hits hard

  12-11-2016 03:51 via ktoo.org
  
  For some, with winter snow comes financial stress over heating bills. (Photo by Clark Fair)
  As winter approaches, thousands of Alaskans grapple with rising heating bills.This year, for the first time in nearly a decade, the state won’t step in to help.More than 9,000 households will see their heating assistance benefits reduced. Another 1,300 will likely be booted entirely from a now-defunct state program designed to keep low-income Alaskans out of the cold.
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• Remembering Ronnie: “The Estate of a Beautiful Lady”

  12-11-2016 03:33
  
  Handmade signs and flyers were the first clue that the sale at Valley View Baptist Church was about much more than money. It was about the generosity of a woman named Veronica Wurtz, better known as Ronnie.
  She spent 59 years with her husband Ron. Together they were known as Ron and Ronnie.
  “My wife had big beautiful Italian eyes — that’s what attracted me,” Ron said. “We met in high school 64 years ago. I must have made some fresh remark and she slam
  
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• Alaskans set up camp at Standing Rock in support of protestors

  12-11-2016 02:47 via ktoo.org
  
  The delegation of indigenous women from Alaska presented a flag from the Chickaloon Tribe and a banner to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. (Photo by Amanda Frank)
  A delegation of indigenous women from across Alaska traveled to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota this week. The group brought gifts and resolutions from their communities to support the ongoing protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline project.
  The Obama administration is set to issue a decision on whether to approve the p
  
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• Other states look to Alaska as model for insurance relief

  12-11-2016 02:23 via ktoo.org
  
  Lori Wing-Heier, the director of the Alaska Division of Insurance, discussed the circumstances of Moda Health’s departure from Alaska’s individual health insurance market in January. She said it’s unusual for Alaska to be a national model for insurance policy reforms. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  Donald Trump’s election as president is expected to lead to major changes in the individual health insurance market.
  While states don’t know what those changes will
  
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• 4 charged in kidnapping, robbery of Anchorage teenager

  12-11-2016 00:47 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — Anchorage police have arrested four people suspected of kidnapping and robbing a 19-year-old Eagle River man and are seeking a fifth.
  Police recovered more than 500 items stolen in unrelated thefts at the home of one suspect.
  Anchorage police say Dela White, 18, coordinated the abduction and is charged with kidnapping.
  Christopher Goenett, 28, is charged with kidnapping, assault and robbery.
  Tyrun Reynolds, 28, and Danerin Curtindale, 34,face the same c
  
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• Teen dies in highway crash when car strikes parked pickup

  12-11-2016 00:46
  
  A North Pole teenager died Thursday night when his car slammed into a pickup parked along the Richardson Highway.
  The crash killed 18-year-old Conner Wilhelm.
  Fairbanks police shortly after 8:30 p.m. responded to a three-car crash on the highway just north of an entrance to Fort Wainwright, where a southbound vehicle struck two parked vehicles.
  Family members of the driver showed up and parked a pickup off the northbound lane.
  Police say Wilhelm, driving north, spun out of control and struck the
  
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• Grand jury indicts 3 in Hatcher Pass kidnapping, assault

  12-11-2016 00:40 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — An Anchorage grand jury has indicted three men suspected of a kidnapping and assault that left two brothers shot and abandoned at Hatcher Pass.
  The grand jury Thursday indicted Matthew Scharber, 34, Corey Sylva, 26, and Michael Elder, 23.
  Scharber also is charged with attempted murder, felony car theft and drug misconduct.
  Elder is not in custody. A no-bail warrant has been issued for his arrest.
  State prosecutors say the three suspects on Oct. 27 bound and
  
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• North Pole man dies in highway crash when car strikes parked pickup

  12-11-2016 00:36 via ktoo.org
  
  FAIRBANKS — A North Pole man died Thursday night when his car slammed into a pickup parked along the Richardson Highway.
  The crash killed Conner Wilhelm, 18.
  Fairbanks police shortly after 8:30 p.m. responded to a three-car crash on the highway just north of an entrance to Fort Wainwright, where a southbound vehicle struck two parked vehicles.
  Family members of the driver showed up and parked a pickup off the northbound lane.
  Driving north, Wilhelm spun out of control and struck the p
  
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