Anchorage news

• Young adults living with their parents hits a 75-year high

  21-12-2016 23:14
  
  Pity both parents and the American housing market: Millennials are moving back home with their folks — and they aren’t moving out.
  Almost 40 percent of young adults lived with their parents, step-parents, grandparents and other relatives last year, or the highest point in 75 years, according to data from real estate analytics company Trulia. The only time in U.S. history when the share has been higher was in 1940, when the U.S. economy was regaining its footing from the Great Depress
  
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• Halibut catch for Southeast Alaska could drop for 2017

  21-12-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Halibut come in at Juneau’s Taku Fisheries. (Photo courtesy NOAA Fisheries)
  Managers of halibut in the Pacific will be setting catch limits in January and could be considering a small decrease for commercial and guided sport fishing fleets in Southeast Alaska.
  The International Pacific Halibut Commission held its interim meeting at the end of November and scientists presented the latest information on catches and stock estimates for the valuable bottom fish. The IPHC oversees commercial, s
  
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• Pentagon shelves blast gauges meant to detect battlefield brain injuries

  21-12-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A soldier fires a Carl Gustav recoilless rifle system during weapons practice in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Heavy weapons like these generate a shock wave that may cause brain injuries. (Photo by Sgt. Benjamin Tuck/Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force — Afghanistan/Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System)
  The Pentagon has quietly sidelined a program that placed blast gauges on thousands of combat troops in Afghanistan.
  NPR has learned the monitoring was discontinue
  
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• Fairbanks TSA equipment failure expected to cause delays

  21-12-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  FAIRBANKS — Fairbanks International Airport officials say travelers should expect delays after TSA screening equipment at the airport unexpectedly failed.
  The announcement Wednesday comes ahead of the busy holiday weekend.Officials are urging travelers to arrive at the airport two- to- three hours before their departure times.
  Officials say the delays are anticipated until repairs have been completed.
  
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• Easier reporting could reduce violence against sex workers

  21-12-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Names of victims adorned the walls at a commemoration of the Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers on Dec. 17, 2016 in Anchorage. (Photo by Anne Hillman/Alaska Public Media)
  To honor the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers last weekend, a group of advocates gathered in Anchorage.
  They said one way to reduce violence is to make information sharing safer, especially with law enforcement.http://media.aprn.org/2016/ann-20161220-02.mp3Dec. 17 marked the 15th anniversary of th
  
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• Dimond High School hockey team enriching lives off the ice

  21-12-2016 21:33
  
  It’s not all about goals and saves for the Dimond High School hockey team. They’re in high school and already understand what it means to elicit change for the better.
  “Just to feel that support from the community and know that your neighbors are out there and support you and believe in you, that can really change a person’s life and turn it around,” said head coach Dennis Sorenson.
  He’s not talking about fans supporting his team. It’s about his Lyn
  
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• Man charged in fatal shooting of son-in-law in Anchorage

  21-12-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — A 55-year-old man is accused of fatally shooting his son-in-law during a family dispute in Anchorage.
  Valu Valu Jr. is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, tampering with evidence and weapons misconduct in connection with the late-night shooting.
  Police say Tino Faualo, 31, was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
  Police say officers responded to a domestic disturbance call shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday at an East Anchorage home.
  According to police,
  
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• Legal haze clouds cannabis for pets

  21-12-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Dr. Cornelia Wagner shows several hemp-based supplements for pets stocked by the Hawthorne Veterinary Clinic. (Tom Banse/ Northwest News Network)
  After the results of the November election, more than half of U.S. states have now authorized medical marijuana. And eight of those states also allow recreational marijuana.
  So if pot helps some humans feel better, then how about people’s best friends?https://cpa.ds.npr.org/northwestnews/audio/2016/12/122016TB_PetsonPot_web.mp3Northwest veterinar
  
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• Kenai conference to recognize U.S. purchase of Alaska in 1867

  21-12-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  KENAI — Organizers on the Kenai Peninsula are putting together a conference marking the 150th anniversary of America’s purchase of Alaska from Russia.
  The Peninsula Clarion reports that with just over four months until the event, lead organizer Shana Loshbaugh says they are still gathering presenters and planning activities.
  The conference celebrating the 1867 purchase of Alaska will feature presentations that focus on Alaska Native history, Russian culture and U.S. presence in Alask
  
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• Interviews about Alaska Native education recorded

  21-12-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The Quinto family is among the participants in the StoryCorps project at the Juneau Public Library. (Photo courtesy Juneau Public Library)
  The Juneau Public Library recently celebrated the addition of 30 audio interviews to their collection. The recordings were done in Juneau, Haines and Klukwan. Many focus on Alaska Native education.
  The initial inspiration for the project stems from StoryCorps, a national oral history organization that’s received support from many local entities.
  Among t
  
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• Texas moves to block Planned Parenthood from Medicaid funds

  21-12-2016 19:55 via ktoo.org
  
  After more than a year of delays, Texas health officials are moving to block the women’s health provider Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds beginning next month.
  In October 2015, Texas officials told Planned Parenthood that the state intended to bar the organization from the public insurance program. Planned Parenthood responded with a lawsuit seeking an injunction against the state.
  For more than a year, nothing seemed to be happening. Texas didn’t follow through on it
  
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• Alaskans rejoice! Today is the final day we lose daylight.

  21-12-2016 19:44
  
  Today is the winter solstice — the shortest day of the year.
  Day length varies by latitude on this day. In Anchorage, the sun rises at 10:14 a.m. and sets about 5 1/2 hours later at 3:42 p.m. The winter solstice marks the official start of astronomical winter in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, today is the longest day of the year — the summer solstice.The winter solstice is an exciting day for many in Alaska as it marks the last day of losing daylight. Thursday,
  
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• Ask a Climatologist: Tallying daylight on the darkest day of the year

  21-12-2016 19:30 via ktoo.org
  
  Above the Arctic circle, there’s no daylight on the solstice. Fairbanks has about 3.5 hours. Anchorage, 5.5 hours and Juneau a bit more than six hours. (Graphic courtesy of Brian Brettschneider)
  Alaska marked the solstice early Wednesday morning at 1:44. So what does that mean for the amount of daylight across the state?
  To answer that question, we checked in with Brian Brettschneider , a climatologist in Anchorage who closely tracks Alaska climate data and trends.
  He regularly talks with
  
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• Anchorage man charged with murder, manslaughter of son-in-law

  21-12-2016 19:09
  
  Updated at 9:20 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 21
  One man is dead and another has been charged with murder and manslaughter after a family fight turned deadly.
  According to a Wednesday morning release from the Anchorage Police Department, law enforcement was alerted just before 10 p.m. Tuesday to a domestic disturbance on the 5400 block of Camelot Drive, near Lionheart Drive and Boniface Parkway.
  The woman who called police said her husband had “just threatened her with a gun” and that a fi
  
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• Alaska Pacific University to become tribal college

  21-12-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The Alaska Pacific University board of trustees voted Dec. 19 to partner with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium to transform the small Anchorage-based university into a tribal college.
  http://media.aprn.org/2016/ann-20161220-05.mp3The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is part of a statewide network of tribal health organizations. It trains mid-level dental health aides, community health aides and water and sewer plant operators, among others.
  Alaska Pacific University Trustee John
  
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• Volcano in the eastern Aleutians erupted suddenly Tuesday

  21-12-2016 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A volcano in the eastern Aleutians erupted suddenly Tuesday afternoon.
  The Alaska Volcano Observatory says several pilots reported seeing an ash cloud about 34,000 feet above Bogoslof volcano.
  Bogoslof volcano is on an uninhabited island 60 miles northwest of Unalaska.
  The observatory says a short-lived explosion occurred at 4 p.m. Tuesday, but the activity has died down.
  For now, the observatory and U.S. Geological Survey has raised the aviation code to “red” and the
  
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• Fate of North Carolina’s HB2 law unclear; vote expected later today

  21-12-2016 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The North Carolina Legislature began a special session on Wednesday morning to vote on the repeal of a controversial state law — but it’s unclear which way the vote will go.
  The vote was part of a deal between state lawmakers and Charlotte officials. But some Republican state leaders are furious about the way they say Charlotte handled its side of the agreement. Charlotte officials, meanwhile, are denying allegations that they misrepresented their actions.
  The state law in question i
  
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• Alaska Volcano Observatory lowers Bogoslof volcano aviation alert

  21-12-2016 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Update | 3:24 p.m. Wednesday
  A volcano in the eastern Aleutians erupted suddenly Tuesday afternoon prompting the Alaska Volcano Observatory to issue its highest alert level for aviation.
  The alert has since been downgraded.
  Bogoslof volcano is on an uninhabited island 60 miles northwest of Unalaska.
  Observatory scientist Michelle Coombs said several pilots reported seeing an ash cloud about 34,000 feet.
  She said satellite data show a short-lived explosion occurred about 4 p.m
  
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• Alaska predicts rise in oil prices, drop in production

  21-12-2016 17:09
  
  The state Department of Revenue predicts an increase in oil prices next year will provide Alaska with hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue.
  Alaska’s Energy Desk reports that the department’s tax division released its semi-annual report on the state’s fiscal climate this week. Tax officials expect oil prices to rise over the next few years, but the state will still have to find other ways to close its multibillion-dollar budget deficit.
  The revenue department fo
  
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• Anchorage Assembly approves long-term contract between Whittier police, Girdwood

  21-12-2016 08:18
  
  At Tuesday’s meeting, the Anchorage Assembly approved a long-term contract for the Whittier Police Department’s coverage of Girdwood.
  The contract outlines a plan of police service in the Girdwood Valley Service Area (GVSA) from Jan. 1, 2017 through Dec. 31, 2019.
  Whittier police are currently patrolling the area through the end of the year, pending the longer contract, after Alaska State Troopers announced they could no longer provide regular patrols in GVSA and closed their po
  
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• KTVA Weather Lab: Huffman Elementary School

  21-12-2016 07:22
  
  In this week’s KTVA Weather Lab, I visited Huffman Elementary School, where the third-graders are eager to understand how weather is formed in our atmosphere.
  I also answered the KTVA Weather Lab Question of the Week: How do clouds disappear?
  For the next two weeks, the KTVA Weather Lab will be on winter break, but I’ll answer a weather question from Russian Jack Elementary after the New Year.
  Every Tuesday, Melissa Frey will take the KTVA Weather Lab to a classroom in our commu
  
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• Colder temperatures, more snow this year mean more opportunities for skiing near Anchorage

  21-12-2016 05:18
  
  This time last December, Anchorage had only seen two and half inches of snow. This year — more than 12 inches. We also were an average of about 5 degrees warmer last December. The extra snow and cold temperatures have meant much better skiing conditions at both Alyeska Resort and Hilltop Ski Area.
  A combination of man-made and natural snow made for a busy day on the slopes at Alyeska Tuesday, for both the resort and those just getting into the sport.
  Two young skiers soared down the hill &
  
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• Juneau schools make the honor roll for AP testing

  21-12-2016 05:13 via ktoo.org
  
  A multiple choice exam. (Creative Commons photo byAlberto G. )
  The Juneau School District is one of the first in Alaska to make the AP District Honor Roll, a prestigious recognition for districts that increased the percentage of students who took and passed Advanced Placement tests.
  Juneau School District Superintendent Mark Miller explained how the tests work.
  “(A) student takes a college level course that we give at high school and at the end they take a test,” Miller said. “
  
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• Anchorage police deliver holiday gifts to children in need

  21-12-2016 05:11
  
  They may not look like elves, but Anchorage police are most certainly Santa’s helpers. On Tuesday, they loaded their patrol cars with hundreds of gifts for children in need.
  The presents were donated through the department’s Angel Tree Project, a partnership with the Anchorage School District to help homeless students in their Children in Transition program.
  Officers hand-delivered the goodies to more than 60 families that could use some extra holiday cheer.
  “The ones
  
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• City says new partnership can help the homeless

  21-12-2016 04:54
  
  City officials say a new partnership will help connect homeless people in Anchorage to the services they need.
  According to a press release from Mayor Ethan Berkowitz’s office, the partnership is between the Anchorage Police Department, the Anchorage Department of Health and Human Services and the nonprofit Anchorage Community Mental Health Services to provide a liaison for APD’s community action policing team, known as CAP.
  The position will place an outreach social worker with
  
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• UPDATE: AVO lowers Bogoslof volcano alert from red to orange

  21-12-2016 04:13
  
  Bogoslof Island in 2005US Geological Survey
  Last updated at 9:35 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20
  Several pilots reported a “short-lived explosive eruption” at the Bogoslof volcano Tuesday, leading to a warning and aviation red alert from the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO).
  The volcano inhabits the tiny island of Bogoslof west of Unalaska, along the Aleutian Islands chain. Pilots in the area first reported the eruption around 4 p.m., according to an AVO report.
  “They reported a
  
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• Pilots report eruption at Bogoslof Island volcano, AVO issues warning

  21-12-2016 04:13
  
  Bogoslof Island in 2005US Geological Survey
  Last updated at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20
  Several pilots reported a “short-lived explosive eruption” at the Bogoslof volcano Tuesday, leading to a warning and aviation red alert from the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO).
  The volcano inhabits the tiny island of Bogoslof west of Unalaska, along the Aleutian Islands chain. Pilots in the area first reported the eruption around 4 p.m., according to an AVO report.
  “They reported a volc
  
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• Prosecutor ups death toll to 26 in Mexico blast

  21-12-2016 03:09
  
  The chief prosecutor of Mexico State says 26 people have been killed in an explosion that tore through a fireworks market near Mexico City.
  Alejandro Gomez is raising the toll from Tuesday’s blast from the previous nine dead, in comments broadcast on local television.Este es uno de los videos que circulan en redes sociales sobre la explosión en el mercado de pirotecnia de Tultepec / @Siempre889 pic.twitter.com/jkwuTEXbkZ
  — Lalo González (@LaloGonzalezM) December 20, 201
  
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• Mexico governor: Fireworks blast kills 29, wounds dozens more

  21-12-2016 03:09
  
  Last updated at 10:54 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20
  The governor of the State of Mexico says three more people have died from a massive chain-reaction at a fireworks market near the capital, raising the death toll to 29.
  The chief prosecutor of Mexico State, Alejandro Gomez, said earlier that 26 people had been killed in the explosion, raising the toll from Tuesday’s blast from the previous nine dead, in comments broadcast on local television. Three more died after being hospitalized, according
  
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• ML&P’s proposed rate increase up for public discussion at Anchorage Assembly meeting

  21-12-2016 02:48
  
  The public will have a chance to weigh in on proposed rate increases by Municipal Light and Power (ML&P) Tuesday night at the Anchorage Assembly meeting.
  In its proposal to the Assembly, ML&P states the rate increases are necessary to pay for costs associated a $275 million new power plant, Plant 2A, which the Assembly approved in 2011 prior to the project’s groundbreaking in April 2014.
  ML&P says in the long run, customers should expect lower rates due to the stated efficiency
  
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• ML&P’s proposed rate increase approved by Anchorage Assembly

  21-12-2016 02:48
  
  Last updated at 10:10 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20
  The Anchorage Assembly unanimously approved proposed rate increases by Municipal Light and Power (ML&P) Tuesday night.
  In its proposal to the Assembly, ML&P states the rate increases are necessary to pay for costs associated a $275 million new power plant, Plant 2A, which the Assembly approved in 2011 prior to the project’s groundbreaking in April 2014.
  ML&P says in the long run, customers should expect lower rates due to the state
  
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• The feds are finally paying to move a village, but it’s not in Alaska

  21-12-2016 02:43 via ktoo.org
  
  The village of Newtok, August 2016. (Photo by Eric Keto/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
  Alaska villages facing rapid erosion have been trying to move for decades. But they’ve always run up against one major problem: money.
  Then this year, for the first time, the federal government made tens of millions of dollars available to relocate a small Native village threatened by climate change.
  The problem? That village is in Louisiana, not Alaska.
  One day this past January, Washington D.C. reporter C
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 12-21-16

  21-12-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Today on A Juneau Afternoon,We’ll talk Travel Tuesday with guest Liz Perry from the Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau;We’ll get the details about AWARE’s Life Skills workshopWe’ll talk with Justin Rasmussen about his new product for hunters;That, Writers Almanac, Bird Note, music and more, live at 3 on KTOO, repeated at 4 on KRNN, and on demand via ktoo.org
  
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• What love looks like: Family members of Aniak couple grieve after tragic plane crash

  21-12-2016 00:58
  
  Mark Matter, his fish and his plane Mark Matter and his planeDave Cannon via KYUK Courtesy of Alaska State Troopers Courtesy of Alaska State Troopers Courtesy of Alaska State Troopers
  A couple in their 60s died in a plane crash last week at Marvel Dome, an area northeast of Bethel. Law enforcement officials identified the bodies of Mark Matter, 62, and his wife Cecilia Matter, 63, of Aniak. The two were longtime residents of the small Alaskan village, and leave behind an impossible-to-fill void
  
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