Anchorage news

• Powerful storms expected to impact much of Alaska

  13-12-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — Powerful storms are expected to impact much of Alaska this week, bringing strong winds, blowing snow and freezing rain.
  The National Weather Service says the first of three expected storms dissipated early Tuesday morning after moving over the Bering Strait.
  A stronger storm is expected to bring winds gusting to at least 50 mph and some blowing snow Wednesday, as well as freezing rain to the Yukon River Delta and Saint Lawrence Island.
  A third, more powerful storm with winds gu
  
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• Pair of strong winter storms headed to western Alaska communities this week

  13-12-2016 22:54
  
  An active weather week is underway for parts of western Alaska, with two strong storms on the way.
  The first area of low pressure is currently located over the Aleutians and is making its way to the west coast while continuing gather strength.
  The storm will move into the southern Bering Sea Tuesday night before heading north early Wednesday. It’s expected to bring strong southeast winds — up to 55 mph — snow, and areas of freezing rain to coastal communities by Wednesday
  
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• Newscast – Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016

  13-12-2016 22:45 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2016/12/2016-12-13-newscast.mp3In this newscast:
  A Juneau man falls into Mendenhall Lake, saves himself, then saves a grandmother standing on thin ice,
  Gov. Bill Walker’s prostate cancer surgery goes smoothly, and
  Alaska’s members of Congress react to President-elect Donald Trump’s Twitter slam of the F-35 fighter jet program.
  
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• ‘Pizzagate’ suspect faces federal charge

  13-12-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Federal prosecutors have charged the man who allegedly fired a rifle inside a D.C. pizzeria after fake news sites circulated a story of the restaurant harboring a politically-linked child sex ring.
  Edgar Welch faces one charge of interstate transportation of a firearm with intent to commit an offense in connection with his alleged firing of an AR-15 rifle inside the Comet Ping Pong restaurant earlier this month.
  A conviction would mean the 28-year-old could see up to 10 years in prison
  
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• Cost could hit $50 million to replace burned Bethel schools

  13-12-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  BETHEL — Reconstruction costs could reach $50 million for two Bethel schools that burned in a November 2015 fire.
  KYUK-AM reports the ECI Alaska Architecture firm estimated the cost at between $42 million and $50 million.
  School superintendent Dan Walker told the Lower Kuskokwim School Board at a December meeting that insurers estimate repairs will cost about $27 million.
  Walker said the higher estimate takes into account upgrade and code requirements for buildings that were still sta
  
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• Alaska governor recovering from prostate cancer surgery

  13-12-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  JUNEAU — Gov. Bill Walker has undergone surgery to treat prostate cancer, and his office says no further treatment is currently expected.
  A release from Walker’s office said Walker is recovering following a four-hour surgery Monday.
  Walker called the surgery a success, and said the outpouring of support he and his family have received since announcing his diagnosis last month has been humbling. He says he looks forward to returning to work soon.
  Walker’s office is expected
  
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• Attorneys enter not guilty pleas for defendants in David Grunwald murder case

  13-12-2016 21:54
  
  The accused teens in David Grunwald's murder appeared in court Tuesday (left to right): Dominic Johnson, Devin Peterson, Bradley Renfro, Austin Barrett, Erick Almandinger.John Thain / KTVA The accused teens in David Grunwald's murder appeared in court Tuesday (left to right): Dominic Johnson, Bradley Renfro, Devin Peterson, Austin Barrett, Erick Almandinger.
  All five suspects facing charges in connection to the kidnapping and murder of 16-year-old David Grunwald were arraigned in Palmer co
  
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• Recipe Box: Potica, a Slovenian nut bread

  13-12-2016 21:17
  
  The holidays wouldn’t be complete without a bit of sweet indulgence. From Christmas cookies to fruitcake, almost every family has a dessert that’s become a holiday staple.
  At the Zaletel household, Zach and his daughter, Zelda, make potica around this time every year. It’s a Slovenian nut bread, traditionally baked for celebratory occasions, Zaletel says.
  “Just like when I was growing up making this with family and extended family, it really reminds me of the holiday
  
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• What will Trump’s Twitter strategy be when he becomes president?

  13-12-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Since winning this year’s presidential election, Donald Trump has given the American public no shortage of outbursts, public disputes and grandiose declarations on Twitter.
  Just this week, he questioned the veracity of CIA reports alleging Russian influence and hacking with the goal of helping Trump win the presidency. He has picked fights with The New York Times, CNN, Saturday Night Live, and Americans who would burn the American flag. Trump has called the Air Force One program too expens
  
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• Judges sentences man for attempted murder of police officer

  13-12-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — A man who shot at an Anchorage police officer has been sentenced to more than 39 years in prison.
  Aaron Sullivan, 28, was convicted in March of attempted murder, weapons misconduct and failure to stop for a police officer, state prosecutors said. He was sentenced Friday.
  Anchorage police officer Michael O’Connor in October 2014 tried to stop Sullivan, who had outstanding parole warrants, as he drove.
  A chase ensued in east Anchorage.
  Sullivan crashed into O
  
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• Feds tout health care law benefits amid calls for change

  13-12-2016 20:52
  
  Federal government figures released Tuesday indicate that an estimated 36,000 Alaskans gained health care coverage under President Barack Obama’s signature health care law between 2010 and 2015.
  The data was released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with just weeks left in Obama’s administration and with many Republicans in Congress interested in replacing the law.
  Aviva Aron-Dine, a senior counselor to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, says the
  
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• Man indicted for January Point Woronzof deaths still at large

  13-12-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://media.aprn.org/2016/ann-20161212-01.mp3Jamal Hall, 21, was indicted for the two murders at Point Woronzof on January 28, 2016. He is also wanted by Anchorage Police for a robbery at an Anchorage Walgreens. (Photo courtesy of Anchorage Police Department)
  A 21-year-old man indicted by an Anchorage grand jury in a January double homicide at Anchorage’s Point Woronzof is still at large, police say.
  The Anchorage District Attorney’s office announced four charges of murder in the f
  
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• Juneau man falls through thin ice, saves himself and then a babushka

  13-12-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2016/12/12ICE-NPR-One.mp3Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center officials warn people winter after winter about the perils of walking across the lake ice.
  On Sunday, that warning hit home when one Juneau man fell into the frigid water looking out for an adventurous grandmother standing on thin ice.
  Like many others over the weekend, Yana White was hiking across the apparently frozen Mendenhall Lake toward the face of the glacier. She was with her daughter and he
  
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• Video: What is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?

  13-12-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ranks as one of the most controversial chunks of land in Alaska. Since Congress set it aside for more study in 1980, environmental groups, politicians and industry have battled over whether to explore for oil there or to protect the wilderness forever.
  Video: Natalie Carrasco, Eric Keto, Elizabeth HarballMusic: Garrett BevinsAdditional Footage: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  
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• Firefighters extinguish blaze at Ketchikan home

  13-12-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  KETCHIKAN — Firefighters have extinguished a blaze that caused significant fire and smoke damage to a Ketchikan home.
  The Ketchikan Daily News that firefighters from the North Tongass Volunteer Fire Department, the City of Ketchikan and South Tongass knocked down the fire on Sunday.
  North Tongass Fire Chief Jerry Kiffer says no one was injured in the blaze and the top floor of the two-story building was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
  Downstairs renter David Schwehm says he and an
  
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• Alaska Gov. Walker recovering from prostate cancer surgery

  13-12-2016 18:39
  
  Gov. Bill Walker has undergone surgery to treat prostate cancer, and his office says no further treatment is currently expected.
  A release from Walker’s office says Walker is recovering following a four-hour surgery Monday.
  Walker called the surgery a success, and said the outpouring of support he and his family have received since announcing his diagnosis last month has been humbling. He says he looks forward to returning to work soon.
  Walker’s office is expected this week to releas
  
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• Alaska’s Congress members unruffled by Trump’s F-35 criticism

  13-12-2016 18:04
  
  Alaska’s three Republicans in Congress are largely unconcerned about President-elect Donald Trump’s criticism of the $400 billion F-35 fighter jet program.
  Trump called the program’s costs “out of control” in a Monday tweet and said billions in military expenses will be saved when he is president.
  The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Don Young issued statements expressing confidence that Trump will acknowledge the value of th
  
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• New network of tribes expands toxic shellfish testing

  13-12-2016 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Sitka Tribe of Alaska fisheries biologish Jen Hamblen empties blue mussel meat into a blender. (Photo by Emily Russell/KCAW)
  Shellfish is a staple in many homes throughout Southeast Alaska, but it also can be a hazard.
  A new lab in Sitka tests regularly for shellfish toxins and now is teaching more than a dozen tribes in the region to do the same.
  Global warming could increase the level of toxins, so tribes are working fast to take the mystery out of what’s blooming on their shores.
  http:/
  
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• Judge sentences man for attempted murder of police officer

  13-12-2016 17:52
  
  A man who shot at an Anchorage police officer has been sentenced to more than 39 years in prison.
  State prosecutors say 28-year-old Aaron Sullivan was convicted in March of attempted murder, weapons misconduct and failure to stop for a police officer. He was sentenced Friday.
  Related
  Suspect taken into custody in connection with Mountain View shooting
  Anchorage police officer Michael O’Connor in October 2014 tried to stop Sullivan, who had outstanding parole warrants, as he drove.
  A chase
  
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• Anchorage pushing for port, more flexible finances from Legislature

  13-12-2016 17:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Members of the Berkowitz administration meeting with the Assembly in September. (Photo: Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
  In a departure from big wish lists of the past, Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz’s legislative request has only one capital budget project.
  The administration is also pushing for a number of law changes designed to give local governments more financial flexibility.
  http://media.aprn.org/2016/ann-20161212-04.mp3Berkowitz submitted his legislative program to the city&r
  
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• Police: Drunk driver smashes IGA wall, causes $40,000-$50,000 damage

  13-12-2016 10:18 via ktoo.org
  
  A 39-year-old was arrested on a drunken driving charge after a Chevy Tahoe Sunday struck a brick wall at Foodland IGA on Sunday.
  The property manager estimated repairs would cost $40,000 to $50,000. Bricks were broken, and the wall was cracked and bowing.
  The alleged driver, Joshua J. Hunnel, was arrested for felony driving while intoxicated, refusal to submit to a breath test and failure to provide immediate notice of accident.
  According to a Juneau Police Department news release, at
  
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• Winter has a different meaning for Juneau’s homeless

  13-12-2016 08:16 via ktoo.org
  
  It’s cold in Juneau. Earlier this month, the city saw one its heaviest snowfalls in at least a couple of years and, according to the National Weather Service, temperatures ranged between the teens and the mid-20s.
  Karli Phillips was sleeping outside.
  “Oh my gosh, so that storm, we were actually sleeping way under a dock and it just got drenched,” Phillips said. “This is like 3, 4 o’clock in the morning. We’re soaking wet, shivering and everything (was) just g
  
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• Special Olympics Alaska athletes prepare for national training ahead of international competition

  13-12-2016 08:05
  
  Vermont, here we come. 
  Austria here we come. 
  Both statements are accurate for three Alaskans.
  From March 14 to March 25, Anchorage alpine skier Jennifer Troutman and Fairbanks snowboarder Madison Englund will compete in the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria. April Stone, also of Anchorage, will serve as the head snowboarding coach for Special Olympics USA and will travel to Europe as well.
  Before Europe though, there will be another long, pr
  
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• Recalled macaroni and cheese bowls sold in Alaska

  13-12-2016 07:42
  
  Big Win Original Macaroni & Cheese DinnerCourtesy Food and Drug Administration Cheese Club Express Mac Macaroni & Cheese
  DinnerCourtesy Food and Drug Administration Great Value Macaroni & Cheese Original CupsCourtesy Food and Drug Administration
  A voluntary recall has been issued for some instant macaroni and cheese products, which the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has confirmed were sold in Alaska.
  TreeHouse Foods, Inc. announced the recall Sunday for Cheese Club
  
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• Wasilla teen says she helped troopers find Grunwald murder suspects

  13-12-2016 06:29
  
  Gin Berry, 16, has known Erick Almandinger since the third grade, long before he was charged with murder. She became better friends with him in high school, along with the four other teenagers recently charged in connection to 16-year-old David Grunwald’s murder.
  “They were actually really sweet,” she said of the five teen boys. “They were always there for you. You would have never expected them to be the ones to do anything like this.”
  Her mother said at first, Ber
  
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• The most common holiday fire hazards and how to prevent them

  13-12-2016 06:24
  
  Over the weekend, the Anchorage Fire Department battled several devastating house fires. Crews say the holidays are their busiest time of the year.
  On Sunday night, AFD arrived at Amber Bay Loop in South Anchorage to find a three-story house already engulfed in flames. One person was injured by the fire, the cause of which is still under investigation.
  But officials said one thing is certain: the colder the weather, the hotter house fire danger becomes.
  “When it’s colder out, fo
  
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• How to prevent the most common holiday fire hazards

  13-12-2016 06:24
  
  Over the weekend, the Anchorage Fire Department battled several devastating house fires. Crews say the holidays are their busiest time of the year.
  On Sunday night, AFD arrived at Amber Bay Loop in South Anchorage to find a three-story house already engulfed in flames. One person was injured by the fire, the cause of which is still under investigation.
  But officials said one thing is certain: the colder the weather, the hotter house fire danger becomes.
  “When it’s colder out, fo
  
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• Burglaries plague midtown Anchorage business

  13-12-2016 06:17
  
  The Anchorage Police Department says it’s seeing an uptick in burglaries in midtown Anchorage. Spokeswoman Jennifer Castro said the break-ins have mostly occurred at businesses, but also some residences.She said the area that is being hit extends about a mile outward from the intersection of Northern Lights Boulevard and Arctic Boulevard.One midtown salon has been broken into five times in the last six weeks. Stylist Michelle Koch said it’s been particularly frustrating because they
  
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• Officials must resolve $16M difference between assessments to rebuild burned-down Bethel school

  13-12-2016 04:02
  
  The Kilbuck site on Nov. 7, 2016, one year after the Kilbuck fireDean Swope / KYUK Workers rig electrical outlets while the school board tours in the backgroundDean Swope / KYUK Low walls form Ayaprun’s new classrooms inside the vacant grocery storeDean Swope / KYUK Empty freezers line the new AyaprunDean Swope / KYUK The Lower Kuskokwim School District received $1.5 million in funding to benefit any school with a Yup'ik or Cup'ik language program, including Ayaprun Elitnaurvik in Bethel,
  
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• Beth Kerttula returns to Juneau with a message: It’s time to plan for ocean’s future

  13-12-2016 02:43 via ktoo.org
  
  Former state Rep. Beth Kerttula served as the National Ocean Council director for two years. She said marine planning is important. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/KTOO)
  Former Juneau state Rep. Beth Kerttula returned to Alaska this summer after two years serving the White House as director of the National Ocean Council.
  In this position, she helped two regions write the country’s first marine plans, and worked on some issues particularly important to Alaskans.
  Kerttula said it’s im
  
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• Suspect indicted in Point Woronzof double homicide still at large

  13-12-2016 02:17
  
  Jamal HallAnchorage Police Department
  Last updated at 4:35 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12
  Jamal Hall, a burglary suspect wanted by the Anchorage Police Department, was indicted Monday for the double homicide at Point Woronzof in January.
  Anchorage police issued a statement on Dec. 1 asking the public for helping locating him in connection to a robbery at a Walgreens store on Northern Lights Boulevard.
  Along with first-degree robbery and third-degree assault, Hall now faces charges of two counts e
  
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• Lawsuit challenges fetal burial rule in Texas

  13-12-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Abortion rights groups filed suit Monday to stop the state of Texas from enacting a rule on Dec. 19 that requires fetal remains to be buried or cremated after miscarriages or abortions.
  The lawsuit calls the rule “politically motivated” and says it aims to shame women.
  The Texas Department of Health went ahead with the measure despite objections from medical groups. Supporters, however, say its purpose is to provide dignity for “unborn infants.”
  “What we’re sa
  
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• Neighborhood Gift event offers holiday food, presents for Southcentral Alaskans

  13-12-2016 01:29
  
  A number of nonprofit groups have come together to provide holiday foods and presents for Southcentral Alaskans. Known as the Neighborhood Gift, the event is similar to the annual Thanksgiving Blessing.
  The event for Anchorage residents will be held at the Sullivan Arena. St. Andrew Catholic Church, located at 16300 Domain Lane in Eagle River, is hosting the event for Eagle River and Chugiak residents.
  All that is required is proof of address for food and documentation of all children in yo
  
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• State Republican organization pulls support from dissidents

  13-12-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The Alaska Republican Party pulled support over the weekend for three of its members who have joined with Democrats and independents to form a state house majority coalition.
  They are Kodiak Representative Louise Stutes, Homer Rep. Paul Seaton and Anchorage Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, who was once Kodiak’s representative.
  And while the three were not formally censured, the 56-4 vote did promise to remove all financial and re-election support.
  Stutes said she informed the party bosses from the g
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 12-13-16

  13-12-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Today on A Juneau Afternoon,We’ll talk to Dan Branch about his Tuesday evening presentation on the Innoko Wilderness Area;Lt. Kris Sell and Larri Spengler will be here to highlight the Year of Kindness;We’ll talk with Midgee from Juneau Food Tours about upcoming wine education classes;We’ll have Choir and Orchestra students from JDHS to talk about the Winter Concert Series happening next Tuesday and Wednesday.Caroline Bresler’s September Mudrooms presentation will be feat
  
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• 5 treated after gas leak at downtown Anchorage cleaners

  13-12-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — At least five people were taken to hospitals, several in serious condition Monday, for suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
  The Anchorage Fire Department were called to Alaska Cleaners in downtown Anchorage for a gas leak in the boiler room, according to a news release.
  Employees were evacuating the building as firefighters arrived.
  The fire department says at least one person was taken in a civilian vehicle to a hospital. Four others were transported in ambulances.
  The fire de
  
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• Lake Clark search-and-recovery for missing plane stalled by ice fog

  13-12-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Husband Scott Blom and the two youngest Blom children, Zach and Katilyn, were lost last week when their plane went down, apparently in Lake Clark.
  (Photo courtesy the Blom family)
  Boat operations have been suspended and aircraft grounded by bad weather with no more signs of a single-engine plane presumed to have crashed in southwest Alaska.
  Efforts have stalled in Lake Clark as poor weather is preventing aircraft from continuing the search for the Piper PA-28 Cherokee.
  “We are de
  
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• Is Hillary Clinton trying to question the legitimacy of Donald Trump winning?

  13-12-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and John Podesta arrive for a portrait unveiling ceremony for retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., last week. (Photo by Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc.)
  Amid news of possible Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election, a top Hillary Clinton adviser is publicly casting support for a push by some members of the Electoral College to receive an intelligence briefing ahead of their formal vote next week.
  “The bipartisan elector
  
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• Aleutians museum director resigns after four months, cites ‘personal family’ issues

  13-12-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The director of the Museum of the Aleutians has resigned after just four months on the job.
  Neal Hitch signed a three-year contract with Unalaska’s cultural history museum in August. But last week, he said unforeseen circumstances have forced him to leave the island.
  “I’ve just had some personal family matters come up, and I have to return to California to take care of that stuff,” Hitch said. “It’s kind of unfortunate, but some personal things in my own life
  
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