Anchorage news

• Police looking for suspect accused of robbing Anchorage Walgreens

  01-12-2016 23:08
  
  Jamal HallAnchorage Police Department
  The Anchorage Police Department (APD) sent out an alert Thursday asking for the public’s assistance in finding a young man charged with robbing a Walgreens store.
  Police have issued an arrest warrant for Jamal Hall, 21. He faces first-degree felony robbery charges for an incident that took place last Saturday at the Walgreens store on Northern Light Blvd. around 5 a.m.
  No further details of the robbery were given in the release.
  Ha
  
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• Millett to serve as House minority leader, Chenault as whip

  01-12-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  JUNEAU — Anchorage Republican Rep. Charisse Millett will serve as House minority leader during the upcoming Legislature. Nikiski Rep. Mike Chenault, the long-serving speaker of the House, will be minority whip.
  Millett served as majority leader during the 2015 and 2016 sessions. The National Conference of State Legislatures says key responsibilities for the whip generally include counting votes and ensuring member attendance.
  Eagle River Rep. Dan Saddler will be minority floor leader, help
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016

  01-12-2016 22:54 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2016/12/20161201-newscast.mp3In this newscast:
  Sen. Lisa Murkowski asks federal officials to stop asking and disqualifying gun buyers if they use marijuana,
  Researchers identify effects of climate change on subsistence lifestyles, and
  Barrow is officially renamed Utqiagvik.
  
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• Mic Check in the Morning: Watsky

  01-12-2016 22:52
  
  Nationally acclaimed poet, lyricist and wordsmith Watsky will be performing in Anchorage Thursday night.
  His work went viral online in 2011 and since then he’s been featured in the New York Times and Billboard Magazine. When asked about his style, Watsky replied that he typically reflects on his life and what he’s interested in.
  “There’s some politics in it. I write about universal human experiences,” he said.
  Watsky mentioned he doesn’t think his work is insp
  
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• Juneau Assembly makes $530,000 sale for affordable housing

  01-12-2016 20:26
  
  Juneau officials have taken steps to increase affordable housing in the city, but they have also decided to minimize the impact of a plan that would help bring down high housing costs.
  The Juneau Empire reports the Juneau Assembly approved the sale of a parking lot Monday to Eagle Rock Ventures. The Seattle-based development firm is purchasing the lot for $530,000 to build about 30 affordable housing units on the property.
  Assembly members voted in favor of the sale, despite pushback from busine
  
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• Researchers examine climate change impacts on Alaska hunters

  01-12-2016 19:39
  
  A University of Alaska Fairbanks study says climate change is having significant impacts on subsistence hunting and travel in communities across Alaska.
  KYUK-AM reports assistant professor Todd Brinkman led a team of researchers who collected data and gathered information from residents in four Alaska villages — Fort Yukon, Venetie, Wainwright and Kaktovik. Brinkman says the residents reported challenges in accessing subsistence resources brought on by changing weather patterns.
  Accor
  
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• Teen charged in July attack of woman jogging near school

  01-12-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — Anchorage police have made in arrest in an attack on a woman jogging in July near East High School.
  Police on Wednesday arrested a 16-year-old boy in the attempted sexual assault.
  The attack occurred early on the evening of July 27. The woman was running in a wooded area of the bike trail system south of Bragaw Street and Northern Lights Boulevard.
  The woman told police the suspect tried to overpower her but she fought him off and sought assistance from another person nearby.
  T
  
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• Princess Cruises hit with largest-ever criminal penalty for ‘deliberate pollution’

  01-12-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Princess Cruise Lines will pay a $40 million fine for “deliberate pollution of the seas and intentional acts to cover it up,” according to the Department of Justice, which calls it “the largest-ever criminal penalty involving deliberate vessel pollution.”
  The California-based cruise operator also agreed to plead guilty to seven felony charges over illegal practices on five ships dating back, in at least one case, to 2005.
  The Justice Department said in a statement that Pr
  
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• Snow falls in Anchorage with more on the way

  01-12-2016 18:35
  
  Snow moved into Southcentral on Wednesday afternoon, and began falling in the Anchorage bowl after 9 p.m. Wednesday. The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Sand Lake recorded 0.1 inch of snow before midnight, which brings the November snowfall total to 1.3 inches, making it Anchorage’s third least-snowiest November.
  Snowfall increased during the overnight hours, with more than 3 inches recorded at the NWS office since midnight Thursday.
  As of 8 a.m. Thursday, a release from the 
  
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• Ketchikan Senior Services to relocate to Saxman Senior Center

  01-12-2016 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Ketchikan Senior Services is moving to a new location.
  A lease agreement was signed with the Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority on Nov. 18. Programs will move from the Water Street building to the Saxman Senior Center in mid-December.
  “We had an opportunity to move to a brand-new, accessible facility with ample parking, and also to join in a partnership with the Organized Village of Saxman to provide additional funding for senior services,” said Marianne Mills, p
  
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• Before deadly crash in Colombia, pilot said he was out of fuel

  01-12-2016 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Shortly before a charter jet carrying a Brazilian soccer team crashed in the mountains of Colombia, the pilot told air traffic control he was “out of fuel” and experiencing “total electrical failure,” according to leaked audio and accounts from a survivor and another pilot.
  The plane was supposed to stop for fuel partway through its flight, but it didn’t. It requested priority landing in Medellín, Colombia, but didn’t declare an emergency, and another p
  
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• Buzz Aldrin medically evacuated from Antarctica

  01-12-2016 17:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Buzz Aldrin, who walked on the surface of the moon with Neil Armstrong in 1969, is being medically evacuated from the South Pole, the National Science Foundation says.
  Aldrin, 86, was visiting Antarctica as part of a tourist group. In a Tweet about the trip on Monday, Aldrin wrote, “We’re ready to go to Antarctica! May be our last opportunity to tweet for a few days! We’re go for departure to the launchpad!” and tagged his manager, Christina Korp, and another apparent tra
  
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• Pro-choice groups challenge Alaska’s 40-year-old abortion laws

  01-12-2016 08:13
  
  Reproductive rights groups are suing the state because they think Alaska law unconstitutionally prevents women from having an abortion after the first trimester. It’s a challenge to rules that have been on the books for 40 years.
  The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights laid out their challenge in a press conference Wednesday morning. They say laws written in the 1970s set different rules for abortions performed after the first tr
  
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• Library provides free online resources to NICU parents

  01-12-2016 08:09
  
  Any parent whose baby was born premature knows what it’s like to spend weeks or even months in the hospital. The Anchorage Public Library found a way to make sure those parents have a way to fill their downtime by providing free, online resources through its Library in the NICU program.
  Tonya Parker’s hospital room has been her home for the past 57 days.
  “He was one pound, 14 ounces. And he’s four pounds, 14 ounces now,” she said about her son, Ethan.
  Etha
  
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• As market cools, governor still warm on Alaska gas project after sales pitch in Japan

  01-12-2016 07:22
  
  He didn’t come back with any contracts, but Gov. Bill Walker says his trip to Japan last week to pitch Alaska’s liquefied natural gas pipeline project — known as AKLNG — went well.
  It’s the most expensive project of its kind in North America, with a total cost between $55 and $65 billion. The state is taking on the project alone after its three current oil company partners announced plans to pull out. That’s why Walker says meetings like the ones he held at Ja
  
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• City offers plan to bring more homeless in from the cold

  01-12-2016 06:23
  
  City homeless coordinator Nancy Burke is calling it an emergency — every night as many as 70 people are turned away from Anchorage homeless shelters and are sleeping in the cold. The reason? All the shelters are full.
  Burke said the Brother Francis Shelter, which has a capacity of 240 people, has been full every night since September. The Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission, which can hold 92 people, is also full, as is an overflow shelter for men that opened in October and an overflow shelter
  
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• Republican-led House minority announces leadership

  01-12-2016 06:10
  
  For the first time since 1992, Republicans are in the minority in the Alaska House of Representatives after a Democrat-led coalition emerged from the November election.
  The 18-member caucus announced its new organization Wednesday evening. Former majority leader Rep. Charisse Millet has been designated minority leader. Former House Speaker Mike Chenault will fill the role of minority whip, while Rep. Dan Saddler will occupy a newly created role as floor minority leader.
  “The Floor Leader w
  
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• Palin for VA? She seems eager

  01-12-2016 04:58 via ktoo.org
  
  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks at the 2016 Politicon at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California, June 26, 2016. (Creative Commons photo by Gage Skidmore)
  The Donald Trump transition team hasn’t named a secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs yet, but news broke Wednesday that ex-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is vying for the job.
  Several news outlets, including ABC, NBC and the New York Times, report Palin is interested in running the Department of Veterans Affairs
  
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• UPDATE: Police say 3 people struck by cab near Bean’s Cafe, 4th injured in parking lot

  01-12-2016 04:53
  
  The scene of the collision near Bean's CafeLauren Maxwell/KTVA The scene of the collision near Bean's CafeLauren Maxwell/KTVA
  Last updated at 7:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30
  Four pedestrians were taken to a nearby hospital after separate collision with two vehicles near Bean’s Cafe Wednesday night, police said.
  Police initially said in a Nixle that it appears two vehicles were headed west on Third Avenue, and one vehicle struck three of the pedestrians and the second vehicle hit the fourth
  
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• ACLU sues Alaska over abortion restrictions

  01-12-2016 04:28 via ktoo.org
  
  (Creative Commons photo by Marc Treble)
  The ACLU of Alaska Wednesday filed suit against the state challenging restrictions on second trimester abortions. Planned Parenthood Votes of the Great Northwest and Hawaii and the Center for Reproductive Rights joined ACLU as plaintiffs.
  Joshua Decker, ACLU Alaska executive director, said three ’70s-era restrictions are obstacles to women’s reproductive health, because they ban second trimester abortions in out-patient clinics and force some w
  
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• Murkowski to feds: Let marijuana users buy guns

  01-12-2016 04:20 via ktoo.org
  
  John Weedman, general manager of Western Auto Marine in Juneau, said the federal form asking potential gun buyers if they use marijuana is outdated. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/KTOO)
  When Americans buy guns, they’re asked whether they use marijuana. If they say yes, they can’t buy the gun. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski wants to change that, and some Alaskan gun sellers, marijuana industry advocates and local officials applaud the move.
  Juneau Assembly member Jesse Kiehl owns several
  
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• ‘We’ve suffered a great loss’: Tacoma officer shot multiple times dies

  01-12-2016 03:50
  
  Last updated at 10:52 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30
  Authorities say a Tacoma police officer was shot multiple times while responding to a domestic violence call. The officer later died.
  Tacoma police spokeswoman Loretta Cool says the officer was pronounced dead at the hospital Wednesday evening.
  “We’ve suffered a great loss and I think the community has suffered a great loss. I don’t know how to put that into words,” Cool said.
  On Wednesday night, a procession of law enforce
  
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• Officer shot multiple times in Tacoma

  01-12-2016 03:50
  
  Authorities say a Tacoma police officer was shot multiple times while responding to a domestic violence call.
  Multiple news outlets said the suspect was barricaded in a home with a rifle Wednesday evening after the shooting took place around 5:30 p.m. Authorities say police entered the home after the incident, got the officer out and to a Tacoma hospital.
  Tacoma police said on Twitter at about 6 p.m. that officers were working an active call involving many agencies in the 400 block of East
  
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• Teen arrested in connection with July assault on East Anchorage bike trail

  01-12-2016 03:01
  
  The Anchorage Police Department has arrested a teenager in connection with an assault that took place on a bike trail in July, according to a release issued Wednesday.
  On July 27, a woman told police a random male tried to sexually assault her while she was jogging on a trail near East High School. The man attempted to physically overpower her, but she was able to fight him off and get help from someone in the area, according to police.
  On Wednesday, APD’s Special Victims Unit charged
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 11-30-16

  01-12-2016 02:40 via ktoo.org
  
  
  We’ll talk with UAS Ceramics Instructor, Jeremy Kane about student & faculty collaborative work;
  Anne Fuller will be here to highlight City Museum shows;
  We’ll get details about this Thursday’s meeting & Potluck for the Nordic Ski Club;
  And we’ll find out about the Eaglecrest opening day celebrations this weekend.
  That, Writer’s Almanac, Bird Note, music and more, today on A Juneau Afternoon, live at 3 on KTOO-News, repeated at 4 on KRNN, and available on de
  
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• Ferry changing payment system for Southeast route

  01-12-2016 02:24 via ktoo.org
  
  The ferry Lituya loads vehicles onto its car deck at the Ketchikan Ferry Terminal before sailing to Metlakatla. (Photo by Linda Hall/Alaska DOT&PF)
  The Alaska Marine Highway System is changing the way passengers pay for sailings on one southern Southeast route.
  Spokesman Jeremy Woodrow said the change impacts those riding the small ferry Lituya, which sails between Metlakatla and Ketchikan.
  “You pay round trip when you’re going one direction and then it’s a free t
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 12-1-16

  01-12-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Thursday on A Juneau Afternoon,Dawn Jouppi will be here to highlight the Juneau Wearable Arts Association;
  Chef Stef will be here with details about First Friday at the Juneau Artists Gallery;
  And Nancy DeCherny will be here with news about art happenings in town.
  That’s Thursday on A Juneau Afternoon, live at 3 on KTOO-NEWS;Repeated at 4 on KRNN, and by demand via ktoo.org
  
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• Blocking supplies to pipeline protesters would be ‘huge mistake,’ N.D. governor says

  01-12-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The governor of North Dakota says he has not authorized roadblocks or forcible removal of protesters from the area near the route of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
  Gov. Jack Dalrymple spoke to reporters in an effort to clarify the implications of an evacuation order he issued earlier this week, which he said had led to “some miscommunication” with local law enforcement.
  “An emergency evacuation order means we believe there is a threat to your health and safety, and we are advising
  
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• Alaska fire crews battling blazes in Southeast U.S.

  01-12-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A burned-out car sits on the side of a road near Gatlinburg, Tenn. (Video screenshot from the Tennessee Department of Transportation)
  Dozens of Alaska firefighters are battling blazes in the Lower 48, including deadly Tennessee fires that have destroyed or damaged hundreds of buildings.
  Fire crews from around the United States are working to extinguish more than a dozen blazes around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which have left seven people dead, as of noon Wednesday.
  Alaska Division
  
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• Netflix announces download feature on app for shows, movies

  01-12-2016 01:46
  
  No internet? No problem.
  That was Netflix’s big news for its fans on Wednesday when the company announced its latest feature: downloading movies and shows.Airplane mode. Road trip mode. Stuck-in-the-subway-for-20-minutes mode. Your favorite stories are now available for download any time. pic.twitter.com/g7QZA3TyE8
  — Netflix US (@netflix) November 30, 2016The latest update of the app on the iPhone and Android markets allows subscribers to download some of their favorites for when the
  
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• Police search for vehicle that allegedly fled Post Road crash

  01-12-2016 01:27
  
  The Anchorage Police Department is looking for a vehicle that allegedly fled the scene of a crash on Post Road Wednesday afternoon.
  The crash involved at least two vehicles, but police at the scene said witnesses reported a third vehicle caused the crash and then drove away. The third vehicle was described as a silver sedan.
  Police spokeswoman Jennifer Castro said the crash was report at 1:51 p.m., with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. At least one person was taken from the sc
  
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• OPEC announces 1.2M barrel cutback for ‘stable and balanced’ market

  01-12-2016 01:16
  
  OPEC has agreed to reduce its daily oil output by 1.2 million barrels a day. The move was announced Wednesday and will take effect on Jan. 1.
  The cutback will limit OPEC member countries to 32.5 million barrels a day, according to OPEC president Secretary General Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, of Qatar. It is the first OPEC cutback in eight years, according to CBS News.
  “Member Countries, in agreeing to this decision, confirmed their commitment to a stable and balanced oil market, with p
  
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• How to be smart about charitable giving over the holidays

  01-12-2016 00:18
  
  Charitable donations have reached new records for two years running, according to a Giving USA report published in June 2016, but with more than one million charities across America, knowing which cause to donate to can get tricky.
  Many charities get up to half of all the donations they receive throughout the year in the five weeks between “Giving Tuesday” (also known as the Tuesday after Thanksgiving) and New Year’s Eve. One reason for the crush: the Dec. 31 IRS deadline for d
  
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• Mocktails and Cheer: How to celebrate sober this year

  01-12-2016 00:16
  
  Alcohol addiction can be tricky to navigate — especially during the holiday season filled with parties. Add on the stress of gift-buying or that it can sometimes be a lonely time of year, and it can spell bad news for those dealing with alcohol abuse.
  Recover Alaska, an organization working to reducing excessive alcohol use and harm, has some tips for people in recovery.
  The organization’s executive director, Tiffany Hall, suggests hosts provide some festive
  
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• Study says climate change hinders some subsistence efforts in Alaska

  01-12-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The Kuskokwim river from the seawall in Bethel. There was no snow and ice was barely visible in the warm November of 2014. (Photo by Dean Swope/KYUK)
  Climate change has been the subject of many discussions, and scientists say that the Arctic is feeling the effects more significantly than the rest of the globe.
  The results of a study gathered from University of Alaska Fairbanks-led interviews says climate change is having a significant effect on subsistence and travel activities in Alaska.
  A
  
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