Anchorage news

• Newscast – Friday, Dec. 2, 2016

  02-12-2016 23:20 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2016/12/20161202-newscast.mp3In this newscast:
  A Native corporation sues Utqiagvik over its name change from Barrow,
  the EPA announces it will stop ignoring a provision in a 1980 Superfund law requiring mining companies to show they’ve got the financial wherewithal to clean up their pollution,
  two Juneau women get arrested for DWI after a pedestrian is struck, and
  the Eaglecrest Ski Area announces it will open this weekend.
  
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• Mic Check in the Morning: UAA University Singers

  02-12-2016 23:19
  
  Getting ready for their winter concert, the University Singers from the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) stopped by Daybreak Friday Dec. 2 for a Mic Check in the Morning. The concert is Saturday, Dec. 3 at the UAA Recital Hall. Tickets can be purchased at UAAtix.com.
  The ensemble often collaborates with other music organizations, such as Anchorage Concert Chorus, as well as other UAA music groups, according to their website.
   
  The post Mic Check in the Morning: UAA University Singers ap
  
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• Tuluksak man pleads guilty to attempting to sexually assault family member

  02-12-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A southwest Alaska man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a female family member will serve three months and be required to register as a sex offender.
  Kenneth Napoka, 36, of Tuluksak pleaded guilty Wednesday to reduced charges of two class A misdemeanors.
  He will serve three months, and be on probation for three years with a 14-month suspended sentence. Napoka is required to register as a sex offender for 15 years.
  Napoka was arrested in September in an incident
  
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• Trump’s defense pick challenges rules around civilian control of the military

  02-12-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Retired General James Mattis’ nomination to be President-elect Trump’s Secretary of Defense may, well, march through the Senate, but there is one potential obstacle to maneuver around; the retired general part.
  The National Security Act of 1947, which established the national defense structure as we know it, had a key stipulation, requiring the secretary of defense be a civilian who’s well removed from military service. In fact the law is quite clear:
  “That a person who h
  
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• Anchorage sisters spreading holiday cheer with elf-grams

  02-12-2016 22:47
  
  Two Anchorage sisters have dubbed themselves Santa’s little helpers this season.
  Morgan and Mia Grace Stratton have been delivering joy to the masses through elf-grams — song-and-dance routines — the two are serving up as a fundraiser. The idea was the brainchild of their mother, Jennifer Stratton, inspired by the movie “Elf” with Will Ferrell.
  In candy cane tights and jingling velvet slippers, the Stratton sisters are dressed the part and doing their part to perfec
  
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• Man who stabbed Fred Meyer employee indicted on assault, robbery charges

  02-12-2016 22:20
  
  A 31-year-old Anchorage man who stabbed a security guard at the Midtown Fred Meyer was indicted by a grand jury on assault and robbery charges Thursday, according to a Friday release from the District Attorney’s Office.
  Steven Treadway appears in court Nov. 21, 2016.
  The criminal complaint states Steven Treadway was approached by a Fred Meyer loss prevention officer on Nov. 20 because the officer had seen him steal food and take it to the bathroom the previous day.
  As the of
  
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• Teen convicted of shooting former radio host over vape charger

  02-12-2016 22:18
  
  Peter Henry appears in court in 2014.An 18-year-old Anchorage man who told police he killed his foster father because he took away a vapor cigarette charger has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
  State prosecutors say Peter Henry pleaded guilty Friday to killing 64-year-old Marvell Johnson on Oct. 6, 2014.
  Henry was 16 when Johnson died. A plea agreement calls for a prison sentence of 80 years with 20 years suspended.
  Sentencing is scheduled for March 30.
  Johnson was host of “Soul to
  
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• Teen convicted of shooting foster father over vape charger

  02-12-2016 22:10 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — An 18-year-old Anchorage man who told police he killed his foster father because he took away a vapor cigarette charger has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
  State prosecutors say Peter Henry pleaded guilty Friday to killing Marvell Johnson, 64, on Oct. 6, 2014.
  Henry was 16 when Johnson died. A plea agreement calls for a prison sentence of 80 years with 20 years suspended.
  Sentencing is scheduled for March 30.
  Johnson was host of “Soul to Soul,” a music show o
  
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• Terrifying visages: Native armor inspired fear in foes

  02-12-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Four armed, armored figures display Tlingit war gear created by Sitka’s Tommy Joseph as part of the Alaska State Museum’s “Rainforest Warriors” exhibit April 29, 2013. Such helmets and armor were the topic of a Dec. 1, 2016, lecture by the Alaska State Museum’s Steve Hendrickson. (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News)
  Tlingit battle helmets were designed to inspire fear. The thick, wooden head armor carried imagery of strong warriors, fierce animals or rever
  
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• Daybreak Adopt-a-Pet for Dec. 2, 2016

  02-12-2016 22:00
  
  From Anchorage Animal Care and Control:
  Louie, Huey and Dewey:These young brothers are a little shy of people, but with gentle and patient handling, they’ll grow into fun little companions.
  Bun Bun and Bane:Two charming rabbits are looking for homes. Bun Bun has lived with a rabbit-friendly dog and cat before and enjoyed their company. Bane was a stray rabbit, but is quite friendly and curious.
  Check with the municipality’s website for updates on which pets are still available.
  The p
  
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• Young doesn’t see GOP as rubber stamp of Trump’s ideas

  02-12-2016 21:14
  
  U.S. Rep. Don Young says there are similarities between the election of Donald Trump and the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan, which he says came during a period of “malaise” when people lacked hope and wanted change.
  Young is the longest-serving Republican in the House and Trump’s administration will be the ninth he’s served alongside.
  Young distanced himself from Trump during the campaign and acknowledged he was surprised by Trump’s victory, as he was with Reagan&rs
  
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• Young doesn’t see GOP as a rubber stamp of Trump’s ideas

  02-12-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  JUNEAU — U.S. Rep. Don Young says there are similarities between the election of Donald Trump and the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan, which he says came during a period of “malaise” when people lacked hope and wanted change.
  Young is the longest-serving Republican in the House and Trump’s administration will be the ninth he’s served alongside.
  Young distanced himself from Trump during the campaign and acknowledged he was surprised by Trump’s victory, as he was
  
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• Only 26% of Americans support full repeal of Obamacare, poll finds

  02-12-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Americans continue to be divided along partisan lines over Obamacare, with an overwhelming percentage of Democrats favoring it and an equal share of Republicans having unfavorable views, according to a newly released Kaiser Family Foundation poll.
  But when it comes to an actual gutting of Obamacare, there’s doesn’t appear to be a lot of support.
  One-fourth, or 26 percent, of Americans favor a full repeal of the health care law, while 17 percent say scale it back, according to the Kai
  
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• BlueCrest gets a break from the state on $30 million loan

  02-12-2016 20:24 via ktoo.org
  
  
  A state corporation agreed to modify the terms of a $30 million loan to BlueCrest Energy Inc.’s operation, shown here in southern Cook Inlet, on Dec. 1. The company blamed construction delays and a delay in tax credit payments from the state for its request to modify the loan. (Photo Courtesy/Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority)
  A state corporation has agreed to change the terms of a multimillion dollar loan to a Cook Inlet oil company. Texas-based BlueCrest asked for the lo
  
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• Two Juneau women charged with DWI after striking pedestrian with station wagon

  02-12-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Two Juneau women were arrested and charged Wednesday after the station wagon they were driving struck a pedestrian, according a Juneau Police Department news release.
  Police say the driver, Sharon Harris, 25, struck a pedestrian about 8:43 p.m. Wednesday on Foster Avenue in Douglas.
  Harris is charged with driving while intoxicated, fourth-degree misconduct involving a weapon, fifth-degree misconduct involving a weapon, and driving without a valid license.
  The pedestrian calle
  
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• Unemployment rate drops to 4.6%, lowest level since 2007

  02-12-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Unemployment dropped by 0.3 percentage points, to 4.6 percent, last month — the lowest rate since 2007 — according to the monthly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  As NPR’s Marilyn Geewax notes, 4.6 percent unemployment is what most economists consider “full employment” (although employment varies by region and demographic, so the fruits of full employment aren’t shared by all).
  The report wasn’t all good news: Wages dropped slightly in No
  
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• Ferry riders on Southeast route to see new ticket policy

  02-12-2016 18:58
  
  The Alaska Marine Highway System is changing the way passengers pay for ferry sailings on a Southeast Alaska route starting next year.
  CoastAlaska News reports that ferry spokesman Jeremy Woodrow says those riding the small Lituya will pay for a round trip to go one direction and get a free trip on the way back. The Lituya, which is the ferry system’s only one-route ship, takes passengers between Metlakatla and Ketchikan.
  Travelers are unable to buy tickets in Metlakatla because the A
  
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• Rescuers carry down skier after injury at Turnagain Pass

  02-12-2016 18:07
  
  A 36-year-old Anchorage skier was carried to safety after an injury at Turnagain Pass.
  Alaska State Troopers say emergency responders in Soldotna on Wednesday received a call that Brett Harvey had been injured on Seattle Ridge and could not hike down. The nature of the injury was not disclosed.
  The Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, Anchorage Nordic Ski Patrol, the Girdwood Fire Department, and Cooper Landing emergency medical responders met troopers at the pass.
  Rescuers reached Harvey just after 5
  
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• Alaska prepares public housing smoking ban

  02-12-2016 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  A new federal rule will ban smoking in public housing nationwide. The notice was released Wednesday by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and will take effect in 18 months. But Alaska is looking to do that a lot sooner.
  Cathy Stone is the Director of the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, which runs public housing throughout the state.http://media.aprn.org/2016/ann-20161201-08.mp3“(In) April or May, when it’s a little warmer and people can adjust to the requirement that
  
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• Alaska aims to ban smoking in public housing by spring

  02-12-2016 17:45
  
  The federal government is giving public housing agencies nationwide 18 months to implement a ban on smoking, but the state of Alaska is looking to crack down on tobacco much sooner.
  KYUK-AM reports the director of the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, Cathy Stone, says the state’s ban on smoking in public housing developments could take effect as soon as April or May. She says Alaska already had its own smoke-free policy in the works when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Dev
  
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• Alaska officials look to increase recognition of hate crimes

  02-12-2016 17:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  FBI statistics show the number of hate crimes is on the rise nationally, but very few are reported in Alaska.
  Local officials say that’s not necessarily because they aren’t happening, they just don’t know about them. A recent class taught community members how to recognize and report a hate crime.
  http://media.aprn.org/2016/ann-20161201-10.mp3When someone commits a crime like vandalism or assault because of a bias against a certain group, that’s a hate crime.
  That in
  
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• Are there head lice in Juneau schools? Yes, but …

  02-12-2016 08:52 via ktoo.org
  
  Luann Powers tries to check a student’s blood sugar in a classroom at Auke Bay Elementary School on Thursday. (Photo by Quinton Chandler/KTOO)
  Luann Powers is the school nurse at Auke Bay Elementary School. She’s in a class checking on a student whose blood sugar is too low – which can be dangerous, unlike head lice.
  Luann Powers is a nurse at Auke Bay Elementary School. (Photo by Quinton Chandler/KTOO)
  “Well, I guess when you think about bugs in your head, it’
  
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• Streaming sports gets easier as NFL comes to CBS All Access

  02-12-2016 07:44
  
  NEW YORK (AP) – CBS says NFL games are coming to its CBS All Access subscription service, making it a little easier for “cord cutters” to watch football without a pricey cable subscription.
  Games aired on CBS will be available for streaming on tablets, to TVs and on cbs.com starting Sunday, if customers live in one of the 150 markets where the app comes with a live CBS feed. The games aren’t available on CBS’ phone app, as they’re exclusive to Verizon.
  The mul
  
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• State sponsors de-escalation training for officers

  02-12-2016 07:14
  
  Being able to keep people calm is an important skill, especially if you work in a prison. It’s one reason why the Alaska Department of Corrections is sponsoring a four-day training in Palmer, where corrections officials and other law enforcement officers are learning to use their words instead of their weapons.
  The state is paying a Milwaukee company called Vistelar $40,000 to conduct the training. The company specializes in teaching people communication skills to de-escalate vio
  
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• Alaska observes World AIDS Day

  02-12-2016 06:31
  
  Thursday is World AIDS Day, a time to remember those lost and support those living with the disease and commit to preventing its spread.
  The Four A’s, Alaska’s AIDS support group, says it currently serves around 260 people in Alaska who live with HIV or AIDS. The group also works to educate people about prevention and the importance of getting tested.
  Laura Herman, director of development for Four A’s, says there’s still a lot of misinformation about how th
  
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• Small oil company delays loan repayment after Walker cut tax credits

  02-12-2016 06:22
  
  Last summer, Gov. Bill Walker postponed hundreds of millions of dollars in oil tax credit payments for the second year in a row.
  “We just didn’t have the cash flow to fund those at this point,” Walker explained after announcing the budget veto in July.
  Now, companies that were counting on those credits say they’re feeling the ripple effect — companies like BlueCrest Energy. It planned to use the tax credit money to pay off a loan it received from the state&rsqu
  
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• Demolition begins on old Iditarod Elementary

  02-12-2016 05:36
  
  It’s the end of an era for some in the Mat-Su Borough School District. The old Iditarod Elementary School is being torn down.
  For years, there has been talk about what to do with the building, once students moved into a brand new building down the road.
  For a while, the Wasilla Police Department was looking to move in. But in the end the Mat-Su Borough decided it would make more financial sense to tear the building down — rather than fix all the problems inside.
  Demolition of the 57,
  
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• Snow blankets Hawaii summits amid winter storm warning

  02-12-2016 03:45
  
  HONOLULU (AP) – It’s wintertime in Hawaii.
  The National Weather Service in Honolulu has issued a winter storm warning for the summits of Hawaii’s Big Island as wind and snow engulf the high peaks.
  Up to a foot of snow is possible on the summits of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa volcanoes above 12,000 feet. Workers at the summit of Mauna Kea, where several of the world’s most advanced telescopes are located, have been removing wind swept snow drifts along the acces
  
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• Reality Check w/ John Tracy: What is the ‘alt-right’ movement?

  02-12-2016 03:25
  
  I don’t know about you, but I had never heard of the “so-called alt-right” movement until the last election. But it’s getting a lot of attention these days, so I’ll share what I’ve learned with you.
  “Alt-right” is shorthand for “alternative right.”
  The president of the National Policy Institute, 38-year-old Richard Spencer, describes it as a radical conservative movement defined by white nationalism and a fervent resistance to multicult
  
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• Gallery: Alaska soldiers welcomed home from Kuwait

  02-12-2016 03:19
  
  More than 100 soldiers with the U.S. Army’s 109th Transportation Company, known as the Muleskinners, returned to Anchorage early-Thursday morning, after spending nine months deployed to Kuwait. 
  The soldiers were greeted by hugs from friends and family at the Buckner Physical Fitness Center on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, according to a release from the Army.
  This was the first deployment to Kuwait for the 109th Transportation Company, but the sixth overseas since 2003. Accor
  
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• APD: Pedestrians struck by taxi downtown expected to survive, no citations issued

  02-12-2016 02:51
  
  The taxicab's window was damaged during the collisionKen Kulovany/KTVA Paramedics work to help one of the victimsKen Kulovany/KTVA Ken Kulovany/KTVA A fourth person was injured in the parking lot Ken Kulovany/KTVA
  Three pedestrians struck by a taxi cab near Bean’s Cafe remained in critical condition Thursday afternoon, but were expected to survive, according to the Anchorage Police Department (APD).
  In an updated release issued Thursday, APD said two males and one female began to move acr
  
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• Telling Tales 11-22-16

  02-12-2016 02:37 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Marmalade by Sonja Cheal
  The Dragon Rock — Ellena Ashley
  –“Progress isn’t made by early risers. It’s made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.”― Robert A. Heinlein
  POEMJazz Fan Looks Back — Jayne Cortezhttp://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2016/12/TT112216.mp3
  
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• Alaska’s leaders don’t want a fight over oil taxes this year, but they might get one anyway

  02-12-2016 02:07 via ktoo.org
  
  Tax Director Ken Alper with the Department of Revenue speaking on oil tax credits to state lawmakers this February. Alper would like to spend less time talking about oil taxes this legislative session. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  Alaska’s leaders are getting ready for tough negotiations over how the state will deal with its multi-billion-dollar budget hole. How much the oil and gas industry should help fill that hole will be an especially controversial question for the legislature this
  
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• Tornado outbreaks are on the rise, and scientists don’t know why

  02-12-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A single tornado can cause a lot of damage. But even worse are tornado outbreaks. Just this week, a cluster of at least 18 tornadoes struck the Southeast over two days.
  Scientists are seeing bigger clusters in recent years, and they’re struggling to figure out what’s happening.
  When weather conditions are just right — lots of rising heat and moisture, and vertical wind shear — sometimes you get more than just a tornado. Mathematician Michael Tippett at Columbia University
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 12-2-16

  02-12-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Friday on A Juneau Afternoon,We’ll profile artists Katie Craney and Margo Connolly-Mason, who are showcasing their work during First Friday at the JACC;
  We’ll find out about Downtown activities during First Friday;
  Bruce Simonson will offer a preview of this weekend’s concerts by the Juneau Bach Society;
  Sara Hasse will be here to highlight her new massage bar, opening Monday;
  That, Writers’ Almanac, Bird Note, music and more, Friday on A Juneau Afternoon, live on KTOO-Ne
  
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• More than 100 films set to screen at the Anchorage film festival

  02-12-2016 01:48
  
  More than 100 films from 25 countries “worth freezing for” are coming to Anchorage this weekend for the Anchorage International Film Festival (AIFF).
  Friday’s opening night will be the U.S. premiere of the Alaska-filmed “Sugar Mountain,” starring Cary Elwes, known from roles in “Saw” and “The Princess Bride,” as well as Jason Momoa from the show “Game of Thrones.” The story follows the exploits of two brothers who are down on
  
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• Suspected shooter in apparent murder-suicide son of ex-cop

  02-12-2016 01:04
  
  FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – Police in Alaska say the suspected gunman in an apparent murder-suicide that left four dead at a Fairbanks hotel was the son of a former local police officer.
  Fairbanks police say the former officer, Al Hutton, was found crying in a second-floor hallway of the Hampton Inn Nov. 25.
  Police say Hutton directed responding officers to a nearby room, where they found the bodies of 22-year-old McKay Hutton, his 54-year-old mother Linda Hutton, 22-year-old wife Emily McDon
  
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• State picks Data Recognition Corporation for new student assessments

  02-12-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The state of Alaska selected Data Recognition Corporation as its new vendor for the statewide student assessments. (Photo by Josh Edge/APRN)
  Updated 9:37 a.m. Dec. 2: The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development announced Thursday the new vendor for statewide student assessments, to replace the problem-plagued Alaska Measures of Progress test.
  http://media.aprn.org/2016/ann-20161201-07.mp3After consulting stakeholders from around the state, including school district leadership, offic
  
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• Alaska announces new vendor for statewide student tests

  02-12-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  JUNEAU — The Alaska education department has chosen a new vendor for its statewide student tests after glitches earlier this year prompted cancellation of the tests.
  The department announced Thursday that tests from Minnesota-based Data Recognition Corp. will be given to students in 2017.
  In April, the department cited technical disruptions and concerns with the validity of tests results in cancelling computer-based testing administered by the Kansas-based Achievement and Assessment Instit
  
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• 5 questions about Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks and his economic plan

  02-12-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Donald Trump won the presidential election after a campaign filled with populist and anti-Wall Street rhetoric. In the past couple of days, the president-elect has chosen his top economic policy team.
  NPR’s John Ydstie talks with All Things Considered host Audie Cornish about whether Trump’s choices match up with his rhetoric.
  So, two Wall Street veterans in top economic posts — Steve Mnuchin for Treasury secretary and Wilbur Ross for commerce secretary. That doesn’t soun
  
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• Local corporation sues City of Utqiagvik to halt name-change

  02-12-2016 00:45 via ktoo.org
  
  A local native corporation is suing the city formerly known as Barrow, demanding it halts the official name-change to Utqiagvik. At least for now.
  The official switch from Barrow to Utqiagvik is scheduled to go into affect today.
  But a temporary restraining order was filed Wednesday by lawyers representing Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation, or UIC. In materials submitted to the state court, UIC alleges the City Council voted to put the name-change on the October 4th municipal ballot “without p
  
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• Story Time w/ Aunt Phil: The Miners’ Code

  02-12-2016 00:26
  
  Prior to the arrival of sheriffs and judges to much of Alaska, a practical application of frontier democracy called the “miners’ code” was the only law that ruled. Each camp decided matters of common concern by majority vote and meted out justice to fit the crime.
  When a situation came along that necessitated a meeting, the miners came together and elected a judge and a sheriff. Defendants and plaintiffs then gave their sides of the story, and after all the evidence was weighed
  
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• What should parents tell kids about Santa?

  02-12-2016 00:19
  
  Each year, parents around the world convince their children that if they behave, a jolly man in a red suit will come down their chimney and bring them presents to be opened on Christmas morning.
  But could the age-old tale of Father Christmas be damaging to kids? That’s the question researchers pose in an essay recently published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry.
  The paper, entitled “A wonderful lie,” suggests that children’s trust in their parents may be undermined by the
  
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• Orca ‘swims again’ thanks to Homer skeleton builders

  02-12-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Instructor Lee Post and student Jamie Knaub slide a baby orca skull into place as the undergo the arduous task of reassembling the skeleton. (Photo by Shahla Farzan/KBBI)
  Knowing how to assemble a whale skeleton is a rare skill.
  For a small group of students at Kachemak Bay Campus of Kenai Peninsula College in Homer, rebuilding skeletons is all in a day’s work.
  This fall, they assembled a baby orca skeleton as part of an eight-week class.
  http://cpa.ds.npr.org/kbbi/audio/2016/12/161201_orc
  
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