Anchorage news

• Missing: Anchorage police seek whereabouts of man last seen at Dimond Wal-Mart

  24-12-2016 22:54
  
  Gerald JosephCourtesy Anchorage Police Department
  The Anchorage Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing man described as a vulnerable adult.
  Police say 50-year-old Gerald Joseph was last seen during a shopping trip at the Dimond Boulevard Wal-Mart around 6 p.m. on Friday. He was last seen wearing a green zip-up hooded jacket and jeans.
  “Joseph has difficulty walking and a severe speech impediment rendering him unable to communicate verbally,” po
  
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• 54,000 Germans must evacuate while experts defuse WWII bomb

  24-12-2016 22:11
  
  The secured bomb site at Jakoberwall Occupation fire brigade city Augsburg via Stadt Augsburg The evacuation zone in AugsburgCourtesy Stadt Augsburg (augsburg.de)
  More than 54,000 people in the southern German city of Augsburg must leave their homes Christmas morning while authorities defuse a giant 1.8-ton aerial bomb from World War II.
  The bomb was discovered on Dec. 20 during construction on Jakoberwallstrasse, according to the city’s website.
  “With a total weight of 1.8 ton
  
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• City of Galena to receive 1,290 acres of land from National Defense Authorization Act

  24-12-2016 21:57
  
  Once President Barack Obama signs the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law, the City of Galena will acquire a hefty plot of public land. Roughly 1,290 acres where the Campion Air Force Radar Station used to be located will be conveyed to Galena for the purpose of preventing future flood damage to the city.
  Congressman Don Young added the provision for the Galena land transfer to this year’s version of the NDAA, which has already passed through the House and the Senate. M
  
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• Dramatic audio released of Carrie Fisher emergency call

  24-12-2016 21:26
  
  Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford speaking at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CaliforniaGage Skidmore/Creative Commons
  The pilot of the plane carrying actress Carrie Fisher as she suffered a medical emergency told air traffic control, “We have an unresponsive passenger,” according to audio from the flight.
  The audio, which was released on Saturday by LiveATC.net and obtai
  
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• New overtime fees considered for rural Alaska airlines

  24-12-2016 21:05
  
  State officials are looking to start charging airlines for landing their planes at rural Alaska airports outside regular operating hours.
  The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is working with airlines to create an overtime fee that could be implemented next year. Fairbanks International Airport and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport would not be affected by the change.
  DOT Deputy Commissioner John Binder said Thursday state budget
  
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• State to unveil newly renovated Capitol building

  24-12-2016 21:02
  
  More than three years of renovations at the Alaska State Capitol have wrapped up and the building’s expected to be fully open for business in January.
  The Juneau Empire reports that about $36 million has been spent to reinforce the structure against earthquakes, improve its heating system and freshen up the look of the 85-year-old building. Six new rooms have also been added to the Capitol.
  With all the work that’s been put in, project manager Jeff Goodell says it’s still hard
  
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• Police: Alley shooting leaves 1 dead, suspect in custody

  24-12-2016 19:56
  
  The scene of the Gaslight Bar alley shootingRick Rysso/KTVA
  The Anchorage Police Department says its officers are investigating a shooting that left one person dead early Saturday morning. A suspect is in custody.
  The shooting occurred at 3:10 a.m. in the alley behind the Gaslight Bar on Fourth Avenue, police said in a Nixle alert.
  A single victim has been confirmed dead, police wrote. Their next of kin has yet to be notified of their death, according to the Nixle.
  Police have taken the alleged
  
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• Police: Alley shooting leaves 1 dead, 2 suspects in custody

  24-12-2016 19:56
  
  The scene of the Gaslight Bar alley shootingRick Rysso/KTVA
  Last updated at 11:55 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24
  The Anchorage Police Department says officers on foot patrol helped capture a fleeing homicide suspect shortly after a fatal shooting in downtown Anchorage early Christmas Eve morning.
  The shooting occurred at 3:10 a.m. in the alley behind the Gaslight Bar on Fourth Avenue, police said in a Nixle alert. Later, police identified the victim as 41-year-old James Moren.
  Police said 36-year-ol
  
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• ‘Glitch’ in state law keeps disabled vet from obtaining commemorative license plate

  24-12-2016 08:49
  
  When lawmakers write bills, it’s hard for them to imagine every scenario that might come up under the scope of the law. Regardless of the rigorous legislative process, some words can have unintended consequences. That’s the case with a provision in one law that an Anchorage lawmaker is calling a “glitch,” because it’s keeping some disabled veterans from getting a license plate commemorating their service.
  Veterans like Bill Waltz. At his Alaska Cake Studio bake
  
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• Multiple roads closed throughout Anchorage as police respond to crashes

  24-12-2016 07:44
  
  Friday was a busy night for the Anchorage Police Department, which has closed numerous roadways throughout the city for vehicle collisions.
  Multiple cars block the roadway near Northern Lights Boulevard and Muldoon Road. Police closed the eastbound lanes. ( Ken Kulovany / KTVA )
  Police notified the public about the first reported crash of the evening at 6:17 p.m. The collision closed the eastbound lanes of Northern Light Boulevard at the intersection of Muldoon Road.Eastbound Northern Light
  
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• Anchorage first responders help homeless families in annual holiday shopping spree

  24-12-2016 06:19
  
  It’s an event many first responders look forward to entire the holiday season. Dozens from the Anchorage Fire and Police Departments participated in the Shop with a Cop and the Shop with a Firefighter events Friday morning at the Midtown Fred Meyer.
  About 50 kids from local homeless shelters were given $125 each to spend however they pleased. Most of them used it to buy gifts for their family.
  Six-year-old Loma DiMassimo was shopping for her three brothers and parents. She w
  
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• 12 siblings ask for help to surprise parents with home repairs for Christmas

  24-12-2016 05:44
  
  Despite being surrounded by family, Anu Pole’o says it’s hard being home from school this Christmas.
  He and his brother, Alvin Pole’o, both play college football. When they arrived in Anchorage for the holidays, they found their family’s home in need of some serious improvements. Their parents, Maili and Falua Pole’o, have a dozen children and currently feed and support 15 people in their three bedroom, one bathroom house.
  Pole’o family portrait that hangs in
  
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• Anchorage retailers: More shoppers are buying local

  24-12-2016 05:06
  
  It’s the homestretch for holiday shoppers and some local retailers say things are going well.
  Jill Dean, owner of GrassRoots Fair Trade store in Midtown said sales this year are as strong as last year. She thinks the store may be benefiting from a move to buy local.
  “We’ve had a lot of people saying they are here because we are locally owned,” said Dean. “And when we had the local shopping Saturday, we had a lot of people come in and say they were here because they
  
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• King Cove optimistic ‘life-saving road’ will get built under Trump administration

  24-12-2016 04:25
  
  It’s been three years to the day since Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell denied a road from King Cove to the neighboring community of Cold Bay. Now, residents have a renewed hope to push the project through under a Trump administration.
  The people of King Cove have been fighting for an 11-mile, one-lane gravel road for years. The small village on the Alaska Peninsula is often socked in with severe weather — high winds and heavy fog that make it difficult for emergency aircraft to la
  
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• Governor to select new Court of Appeals judge soon

  24-12-2016 04:05 via ktoo.org
  
  The Alaska Judicial Council has nominated four attorneys as the most-qualified applicants to fill a vacancy on the Alaska Court of Appeals, the three-judge appellate panel that usually hears criminal cases.
  They include Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Bethany Harbison, public defender Douglas Owen Moody from Anchorage, public defender Jude Pate from Sitka, and appellate public defender Tracey Wollenberg from Anchorage.
  Juneau Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg was one of 13 attorneys who
  
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• Judge Kirsten Swanson gets warm welcome to Juneau bench

  24-12-2016 03:59 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Juneau District Court Judge Thomas Nave presents a gag gift to newly appointed Juneau District Court Judge Kirsten Swanson. The placards are meant for recalcitrant attorneys who fail to heed rulings from the bench regarding evidence. Other gifts pulled from Santa Nave’s bag included a bulk package of sticky notes used for remembering attorneys’ names in case files, a toy gavel and a large figurine of a pig with wings. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
  Juneau’s newest judge was on the
  
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• Meteorologist: It’s probably going to snow on Christmas

  24-12-2016 02:54 via ktoo.org
  
  The view from Pittman’s Ridge on Douglas Island looking southwest toward Admiralty Island on Dec. 23, 2016. (Photo by Mikko Wilson)
  A storm system is expected to reach Juneau on Christmas, with snow beginning that afternoon. Through Monday morning, Juneau could see up to 7 inches.
  “Probably the greatest snowfall totals will be Christmas evening,” National Weather Service meteorologist Wes Adkins said.
  Adkins said the storm system is over the eastern Aleutians moving east and it
  
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• UN Security Council votes 14-0 to condemn Israeli settlement construction

  24-12-2016 02:35
  
  Last Updated Dec 23, 2016 8:08 PM EST
  The UN Security Council passed a resolution 14-0 condemning the construction of Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. The resolution called continuing construction in the Palestinian territory a “flagrant violation” of international law, and it called on Israel to halt all settlement activities in order to salvage a two-state solution.
  The U.S. abstained from the vote, in a departure from past U.S. diplomatic practice of vetoin
  
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• Former tax division director weighs in on Prudhoe Bay oil tax case

  24-12-2016 02:07 via ktoo.org
  
  Prudhoe Bay at night on Jan. 28, 2013. (Creative Commons photo by jweston_40)
  Last week, Alaska’s Supreme Court issued an opinion on a Prudhoe Bay tax law case that has been open for 10 years.
  Alaska’s Energy Desk reporter Rashah McChesney sat down with the former Department of Revenue tax division head Dan Dickinson.
  Dickinson’s decision to change the way the oil and gas division interpreted its production tax calculations led to a challenge and ultimately a lawsuit between st
  
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• Mad Max, a 52-year-old Southwest plow truck, breaks down; could prevent holiday travel

  24-12-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Mad Max, the 52-year-old plow truck, scrapes a 25-mile trail from Kalskag to just above Tuluksak. (Photo by Mark Leary)
  Ice crews have plowed a 25-mile stretch of the Middle Kuskokwim from Kalskag downstream towards Tuluksak.
  The remaining stretch to Tuluksak will most likely be completed after Christmas.
  Mad Max, the crew’s 52-year-old plow truck, broke down Wednesday one mile above Edward Wise’s fish camp, after plowing just a few hundred feet that morning.
  The harmonic balancer to
  
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• More charges for teens in custody for Grunwald murder

  24-12-2016 01:16
  
  Four teens already in custody for crimes related to David Grunwald’s murder now face additional charges and are expected to be back in court at the end of December for their subsequent arraignments, according to online court records.
  Erick Almandinger, Dominic Johnson and Bradley Renfro all face first-degree assault and vehicle theft charges, as well as third-degree arson charges. Austin Barrett faces the same assault and theft charges, but is not facing an arson charge.
  The four of them a
  
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• Chilkat sees lowest Chinook escapement since 1991 in 10-year trend

  24-12-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Wild roses on the Chilkat River, June 12, 2009. (Creative Commons photo by Dave Bezaire)
  This year saw a poor run of king salmon in the Chilkat River — the lowest escapement estimate in about 25 years.
  The trend has persisted in the area for the last 10 years and it’s not expected to let up soon.http://khns.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/23ChinookwINTRO.mp3“Our escapement estimates — that’s large Chinook returning to the Chilkat River drainage – from
  
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• Actress Carrie Fisher hospitalized after entering cardiac arrest, reports say

  24-12-2016 00:48 via ktoo.org
  
  “Stars Wars” actress Carrie Fisher was hospitalized Friday after going into cardiac arrest aboard a flight from London, media reports say.
  The Los Angeles Times and TMZ both reported Friday, that the 60-year-old actress was on a United Airlines fligh and suffered the “cardiac episode” shortly before landing at Los Angeles International Airport.
  In a statement, United Airlines confirmed a female passenger was described by crew as ‘unresponsive.’ The Los Angeles
  
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• Alaska volcano erupts again

  24-12-2016 00:28
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A volcano is erupting again in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.
  The Alaska Volcano Observatory says a Coast Guard vessel crew was in the area of the Bogoslof volcano Friday morning and witnessed an ash plume from the eruption that lasted about one hour.
  Volcanologist Robert McGimsey says the plume was estimated at below 30,000 feet. He said Unalaska Island is the nearest populated area, located 61 miles from the volcano, but winds were blowing any ash away from inh
  
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• APD: 19-year-old charged in Anchorage shooting death

  24-12-2016 00:07
  
  The shooting death of a 24-year-old man in early-December has been ruled a homicide by Anchorage police.
  On Dec. 13, Travonne Tyki Ward was dropped off at a local emergency room with a gunshot wound. A short time later, he was declared deceased, the Anchorage Police Department wrote in a release.
  “After police arrived at the hospital, an officer saw a Volkswagen in the hospital’s parking lot which matched the description of the vehicle that had dropped off the victim,” APD said
  
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• DOJ’s big bank settlements remove potential conflict of interest for Trump

  24-12-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  In the last days of the Obama administration, the federal government has reached multibillion-dollar settlements with Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse over their sale of toxic mortgage securities.
  President-elect Donald Trump owes Deutsche Bank hundreds of millions of dollars in loans. So that deal removes a potential conflict of interest — where a Trump Justice Department would have been negotiating the settlement.
  Deutsche Bank settled for $7.2 billion, while Credit Suisse agreed to pay $
  
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