Anchorage news

• Workforce Wednesday: Becoming a pyrotechnician

  28-12-2016 23:22
  
  Becoming a pyrotechnician involves math and physics, according to Ashleigh Russell with Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium. It’s not just lighting fuses.
  “You need to know where to put your fireworks, primary fireworks as well as fallout zone where it’s safe for the crowd,” said Russell.
  Another aspect of the job includes many long days, according to Mike Bowen with Lantis Fireworks and Lasers Alaska.
  “We set up the equipment, wire the fireworks, load t
  
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• Trump tweets gives a glimpse into foreign policy approach

  28-12-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  President-elect Donald Trump has used Twitter — his preferred means of communication — to weigh in on a swath of foreign policy issues over the past few weeks.
  His comments give glimpse into how his incoming administration will deal with pressing foreign matters — but also highlight how reactionary comments on social media can immediately spur international concern and attention. And his staff have indicated that taking to Twitter to air his concerns or, often, grievances, won&
  
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• Nome-based non-profit hopes to revitalize Inupiaq with ‘language nest’

  28-12-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Marjorie Tahbone, the new vice chair of Inuusiq, Inc., teaching an Inupiaq class at the Nome high school in 2014. Inuusiq, a new non-profit, is creating a language nest in Shishmaref to revitalize Inupiaq culture and language. (File photo by KNOM)
  Coming to the region at the start of the new year is a “nest” project focused on Inupiaq language revitalization.
  A Nome-based non-profit organization called Inuusiq Inc., which started up this year, is spearheading the project.
  http://www.
  
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• Bethel hires new public works manager

  28-12-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  While the search for the new Bethel city manager presses on, a new public works director has been hired to replace Muzaffar Lakhani.
  Bill Arnold, formerly the city’s utilities maintenance foreman, has taken Lakhani’s place.
  Arnold is not new to the duties of the public works director, having filled in as acting director several times in his eight years with the city.
  Arnold has been creating a list of issues to address, such as infrastructure and clean water, since he took the j
  
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• New Alaska House Majority announces plan to streamline budget process

  28-12-2016 21:35
  
  Each year lawmakers grapple with how to structure the state’s annual operating budget, which often pushes them into working overtime in Juneau, but the new Alaska House Majority says it has a plan to keep legislators on track for a 90-day session this year.
  Lawmakers work through an extensive process to determine how much money will go to funding state services. It usually starts with budget subcommittees — groups under the auspices of the finance committee that spend weeks scru
  
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• Alaskan Book Review – “Yearning Wild: Exploring the Last Frontier and Landscape of the Heart”

  28-12-2016 21:22 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Commentator Dee Longenbaugh reviews “Yearning Wild: Exploring the Last Frontier and Landscape of the Heart” by Glendon Brunk and published by Invisible Cities Press.
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2016/12/BOOK16.mp3
  
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• Alaskan Book Review – “Captain Cook’s World: Maps of the Life and Voyages of James Cook, Royal Navy”

  28-12-2016 21:07 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Commentator Dee Longenbaugh reviews “Captain Cook’s World: Maps of the Life and Voyages of James Cook, Royal Navy” by John Robson and published by University of Washington Press.
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2016/12/BOOK28.mp3
  
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• Juneau police to increase enforcement of drunken driving laws on New Year’s Eve

  28-12-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  (Creative Commons photo by quite peculiar)
  If your New Year’s plans include impairing substances and going out, the Juneau Police Department wants you to plan for a designated driver.
  Juneau police will be doubling down on officer-patrolling efforts for New Year’s Eve.
  Sixteen officers will be on duty, including four who are assigned to investigate drunken driving, according to a department news release.
  Participating businesses
  Alaska Cache LiquorL
  
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• John Kerry defends two-state solution, rebukes Israel settlements

  28-12-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  With his tenure as Secretary of State rapidly pulling to a close, John Kerry made an impassioned defense for a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Wednesday.
  Kerry said he is concerned that some Israeli politicians are rejecting it.
  “If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it won’t ever really be at peace,” Kerry said.
  Speaking at the State Department, Kerry sharply criticized the Israeli government&rsq
  
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• Significant winter storm likely to affect travel across Alaska this week

  28-12-2016 20:53
  
  Snow showers taper off Wednesday afternoon in Southcentral, but another round is on the way as a storm moves in from the west on Thursday.
  This storm will bring blizzard-like conditions to the west coast, freezing rain to the southwest and significant snow through Western Alaska on Wednesday and Thursday before moving to the Interior and North Slope Thursday. Southcentral will see much less significant impacts, although several inches of snow are likely to fall near Anchorage by Friday afte
  
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• Petersburg’s Catholic Church burgled on Christmas Eve

  28-12-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church in Petersburg is missing a few items after a burglary on Christmas Eve.
  The burglar left with a star decoration from the church’s window, some paper products and a Luna, an important part of the Catholic Mass. It’s a small vessel used for holding the holy eucharist, what Catholics believe is the body of Christ.
  Father Steve Gallagher said that the Luna was kept locked up and the person who stole it knew where the key was stored. The church itse
  
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• Department of Natural Resources delays renewal of Pebble land use permit

  28-12-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The proposed Pebble Mine site looking northwest. (Photo by Jason Sear/KDLG)
  Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources has delayed renewing a two-year land use permit for the Pebble Limited Partnership to give state regulators more time to review an “extensive” number of public comments.
  The state issued miscellaneous land use permit will allow Pebble to continue exploration activities at its claims northwest of Iliamna.
  The company acknowledges little is planned for the upcoming
  
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• Minnesota becoming first state to ban common germ-killer triclosan in soap

  28-12-2016 19:35
  
  Minnesota’s first-in-the nation ban on soaps containing the once ubiquitous germ-killer triclosan takes effect Jan. 1, but the people who spearheaded the law say it’s already having its desired effect on a national level.
  The federal government also called for a ban in September of this year, which will take effect in September 2017. Major manufacturers have largely phased out the chemical already, with some products being marketed as triclosan-free. It’s an example, say s
  
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• German officials detain man for questioning about Berlin truck attack

  28-12-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Authorities in Germany have detained a man for questioning in connection to the deadly attack on a Christmas market in Berlin earlier this month.
  Last week, police in Milan, Italy, shot and killed Anis Amri, the Tunisian man suspected of driving a truck into the market on Dec. 19. Twelve people died in that attack.
  Now they are questioning a 40-year-old man whose phone number was found in Amri’s cellphone.
  “This new suspect is also from Tunisia and police say investigations indicate
  
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• Alaska union files grievance over Walker’s budget plan

  28-12-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — The union representing nearly 8,000 state employees has filed a complaint against Gov. Bill Walker and his administration for an alleged violation of contract.
  The Alaska State Employees Association filed the class-action grievance Tuesday in response to Walker’s recently announced budget plan for next fiscal year. The union takes issue with a part of the plan that calls for downsizing Department of Transportation staff and privatizing the majority of the agency’s d
  
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• Firefighters find 2 people dead in burned camping trailer

  28-12-2016 18:42
  
  The State Medical Examiner’s Office is working to positively identify two people found dead in a burned camper trailer on the Kenai Peninsula.
  The Peninsula Clarion reports the fire was discovered Sunday afternoon on Cardwell Road between Soldotna and Kasilof.
  Crews from the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s Central Emergency Services responded.
  The fire was extinguished and the bodies were found inside.
  Central Emergency Services Capt. Terry Bookey says the cause of the fire has not be
  
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• 2016 in memoriam: Remembering some of Alaska’s late leaders, innovators

  28-12-2016 18:00
  
  As 2016 draws to a close, KTVA would like to remember some Alaskans who died this year. While a great many Alaskans deserve recognition for contributions to the state and its people, the following Alaskans’ lives have made an impact lasting beyond their deaths.
  We’d like to extend our deepest condolences to the friends and family of these Alaskans and others who’ve passed away this year.
  Francis Hurley – Jan. 10
  Catholic spiritual leader Archbishop Francis Hurley pas
  
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• Police in Alaska’s capital city launch 2017 kindness campaign

  28-12-2016 08:39
  
  Police in Alaska’s capital city are responding to a year of deadly confrontations between police and citizens across the country with a local campaign to turn 2017 into a year of kindness.
  Juneau police will kick off the effort with public potlucks on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day to encourage locals to commit daily acts of kindness and to reach out weekly to individuals outside their usual circles.
  Groups, businesses, government agencies and others are choosing a different
  
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• State employees union files grievance over Governor Walker’s plan to privatize DOT jobs

  28-12-2016 08:35
  
  Gov. Bill Walker is facing more pushback over his proposed budget for next year, this time in the form of a grievance a state employees union has filed.
  Staff members of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities’ design department are responsible for designing construction projects like roads and intersections. Part of Walker’s fiscal plan is letting 76 of those employees go in 2018 and up to 300 more in the future, as well as outsourcing jobs.
  His fiscal year 201
  
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• Holiday tournament takes the court in Anchorage

  28-12-2016 08:04
  
  Hoops don’t take a break during the holiday week. In fact, it’s one of the most active times for high school basketball in the state of Alaska. 
  This week, the second annual Rally the Regions Hardwood Classic is playing at Begich Middle School. It features 16 boys and girls teams from around the state. 
  The first three days of the four-day event is round-robin style. On day four, the committee assigns the matchups. The hope
  
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• WIIN Act brings funding to water infrastructure in Western Alaska

  28-12-2016 07:33
  
  Introduced in February of last year, the Water Resources Development Act — now called the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act — has officially been signed into law. After passing under the president’s pen on Dec. 16, the bill brings money to improve Alaska water and sewer conditions all over the state.
  Sen. Dan Sullivan said it provides a brand new program.
  “I think it’s going to disproportionately benefit Alaska, because we have the mos
  
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• Capital City Fire/Rescue got hit with hundreds more calls in 2016

  28-12-2016 07:31 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Capital City Fire/Rescue Assistant Chief Tod Chambers in the apparatus bay of the Juneau Fire Station in downtown on Saturday. (Photo by Quinton Chandler/KTOO)http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2016/12/27CCFR.mp3At the Juneau Fire Station downtown on Saturday, Assistant Chief Tod Chambers politely agreed to show and tell. Chambers said the station was minimally staffed; two people for the fire engine, two for an ambulance.
  “So if we were staffed to meet the national standards, we
  
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• 2 Colony High musicians to perform in Rose Parade

  28-12-2016 06:32
  
  Two members of the Colony High School marching band are heading south to perform in the Tournament of Roses’ Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.
  Tuba and sousaphone player Catrina Carte says she been practicing songs the parade for nearly a year. She’s one of nearly 300 students from around the country selected to play with the American Honor Band.
  Carte says she loves marching band and is excited to meet other passionate musicians.
  This will be Carte’s second time perfor
  
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• In letter to state, Alaskans say they want more of a say on future fracking

  28-12-2016 06:25
  
  Cook Inletkeeper executive director Bob Shavelson and hundreds of Alaskans are asking for more of a voice when it comes to fracking operations in the state.
  Tuesday, Shavelson sent a letter to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (AOGCC), accompanied by the supporting names of 448 Alaskans, who live anywhere from Southeast Alaska to the Kenai Peninsula and beyond.
  They’re asking to be part of the permit process for fracking operations in the state. The letter requests t
  
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• Grunwald parents watch as teen murder suspects appear in court on new charges

  28-12-2016 03:56
  
  Four of the five teenagers charged in connection to the death of 16-year-old David Grunwald in November were arraigned in Palmer court Tuesday on additional charges.
  Three of the four teens — Erick Almandinger, Dominic Johnson and Bradley Renfro — entered not guilty pleas on new charges of arson, vehicle theft and assault.
  Austin Barrett entered a not guilty plea on additional theft and assault charges. These new charges are in addition to multiple counts of murder and kidnappin
  
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• WATCH: APD K-9 nabs suspected car thief at East Anchorage intersection

  28-12-2016 02:35
  
  A number of drivers witnessed a biting arrest made by an Anchorage police dog at a stoplight in East Anchorage Monday night.
  Just before 8 p.m., the Anchorage Police Department, with the help of OnStar, located a stolen vehicle at the Wal-Mart on Debarr Road. As the stolen car approached the stoplight at the intersection of Debarr Road and Boniface Parkway, officers surrounded the car and blocked it in.
  Instead of surrendering to police immediately, the suspected car thief “ignor
  
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• Red Cross of Alaska offers free smoke alarms, installation to those in need

  28-12-2016 02:11
  
  The American Red Cross of Alaska is offering free smoke alarms to Alaskans who cannot afford to purchase one or are physically unable to install them in their homes.
  “More lives are lost to home fires than to all major disasters,” the Anchorage Office of Emergency Management (OEM) said in a statement about the event.
  The Red Cross of Alaska says many families can help keep their loved ones safe with two simple steps:
  Practice your escape plan at least once a year
  Test smoke and carbo
  
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• Juneau’s cruise ship head tax spending pitches due next week

  28-12-2016 01:56 via ktoo.org
  
  Three cruise ships dock in downtown Juneau on July 14, at the height of the tourist season. (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News)
  Proposals to spend Juneau’s cruise ship passenger fees are due next Monday, and so far, the city hasn’t received many pitches.
  The city charges a $5 per passenger tax on large vessels that stop in Juneau. With about a million cruise ship passengers a year, it generates about $5 million. Under federal law, that money can only be spent on projects and pr
  
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• Japan’s Abe offers condolences at Pearl Harbor

  28-12-2016 01:38
  
  The President and Prime Minister participate in the ceremonyOfficial White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon President Obama listens to Prime Minister Abe's remarksOfficial White House Photo by Pete Souza Mrs. Abe, Mrs. Obama, Prime Minister Abe and President Obama wave from the Blue Room BalconyOfficial White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson
  Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is offering “sincere and everlasting condolences” to the U.S. service members who died when his country attacked
  
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• Seven charged in ongoing meth investigation in Unalaska

  28-12-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Seven people have been charged in a crackdown on methamphetamine distribution in Unalaska.
  A news release from the Unalaska Department of Public Safety said officers have used confidential informants and undercover officers to identify local distribution networks for three months.
  During the operation, officers obtained methamphetamine from eight individuals.
  Six people were charged Friday including Sean Driscoll, 39; Geoffrey Edwards, 41; Ioane Faasavalu, 28; Nicholas Hough, 31;
  
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• For Homer resident, Bogoslof eruptions mean more habitat for wildlife

  28-12-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Recent eruptions have changed Bogoslof Island. (Photo by Bill Burton and Dave Schneider/Alaska Volcano Observatory/U.S. Geological Survey)
  A volcano in the eastern Aleutians has been erupting for the past week.
  Bogoslof volcano is an uninhabited island 60 miles northwest of Unalaska.
  It’s part of the Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuge, which is based hundreds of miles away in Homer.
  Steve Delehanty, the refuge’s manager, also lives in Homer. His reaction to hearing about the erupti
  
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• Weak snowpack heightens avalanche danger in Southcentral Alaska

  28-12-2016 00:30 via ktoo.org
  
  (Graphic by the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center)
  Heavy snow over the weekend in parts of Southcentral Alaska has forecasters urging caution in the backcountry because of heightened avalanche danger.
  Wendy Wagner, with the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center, said the avalanche danger in the area is still high.
  “Statistically speaking, the considerable danger happens after a storm,” Wagner said. “This is when the most fatal avalanche ac
  
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• Search teams find data recorder from Russian military crash, officials say

  28-12-2016 00:30 via ktoo.org
  
  Early Tuesday morning, search crews located one of the flight recorders from the Russian military plane that crashed into the Black Sea on Sunday, according to Russian officials.
  The flight data recorder, sometimes called a “black box,” has been flown to Moscow for analysis, NPR’s Lucian Kim reports. Officials do not currently consider terrorism to be a likely cause of the disaster.
  Russia’s defense ministry says that the flight recorder doesn’t appear to have been
  
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• Anchorage police arrest suspect in weekend double homicide

  28-12-2016 00:30 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — Anchorage police have arrested a man sought in a weekend double homicide.
  Police arrested Lamarkus Mann, 22, on Tuesday at a motel on the city’s west side.
  Mann had been sought on a murder warrant in the deaths Saturday of Danielle Brooks, 32, and Christopher Brooks, 38. Police say they were shot at their home during a robbery.
  In an announcement, police say they received several anonymous tips and tracked Mann to the Lakeshore Motel in the Spenard nei
  
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• Northwest timber industry hit hard by heavy fall rains

  28-12-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A giant port crane moves tree-sized timber at one of two mills owned by Vaagen Brothers Lumber Inc. in Pend Oreille County, Washington. (Photo by Emily Schwing/Northwest News Network)
  The rainiest fall on record in parts of eastern Oregon and Washington was good for keeping late-season wildfires at bay, but torrential rains wreaked havoc on some timber harvesters in the Northwest.
  Still, employees at Vaagen Brothers Lumber in Colville, Washington, got lucky.
  “We didn’t miss a da
  
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• Hydaburg man charged with domestic assault

  28-12-2016 00:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A 31-year-old Hydaburg man was arrested last week for allegedly threatening a family member with a knife.
  Alaska State Troopers responded about 6:30 p.m. Friday to a home in Hydaburg for a reported domestic disturbance, according to an online dispatch.The man was not there when troopers arrived, but was located about two hours later in another home.
  The man was arrested and charged with third-degree domestic assault and was taken to the Craig Jail pending arraignment.
  
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