Anchorage news

• No missing people or property damage reported after avalanche scare over downtown Juneau

  29-12-2016 23:29 via ktoo.org
  
  This video posted to Facebook today shows an avalanche coming down Mount Juneau at about 1 p.m. Wednesday.While downtown homes are visible in the foreground, the path of the avalanche is toward the uninhabited Silverbow Basin.
  Juneau’s Emergency Programs Director Tom Mattice said there’ve been no reports of missing people, injuries or property damage.
  Tom Mattice. (Photo by Casey Kelly/KTOO)
  “Yeah we saw an impressive powder cloud, but no, that was not a catastrophic-
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016

  29-12-2016 23:26 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2016/12/2016-12-29-newscast.mp3In this newscast:
  An avalanche tumbles down Mount Juneau,
  King Cove residents and the Alaska congressional delegation plan to renew efforts to get a road built to an all-weather airport through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge,
  demolition has begun on an oil refinery in North Pole, and
  Juneau police announce a beefed up presence for New Year’s Eve.
  
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• Storm bringing heavy snow, high winds to much of Alaska

  29-12-2016 23:11
  
  A storm system is spreading east across Alaska. The most severe impacts are along the west coast and into the Interior, but parts of Southcentral will also see significant snowfall from this storm.Western Alaska
  Western Alaska saw high winds, heavy snow and a wintry mix Thursday morning. Wind gusts as high as 84 mph have already been recorded in Cape Newenham, 72 mph in Wales and 52 mph in Nome. The snow started falling around 10 p.m. near Nome and continues into Thursday afternoon. As temp
  
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• 10 election moments you won’t totally hate and might even like

  29-12-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Elections aren’t exactly cozy, even in the best of times. This one, though, felt worse for a lot of people.
  No matter where your allegiances lie, 2016 has been the emotional equivalent of a dumpster fire. But it wasn’t all unbearable. Here and there, lighter moments emerged to provide comic relief — or even a small burst of joy. Here are 10 of them, in no particular order.
  1. Bill Clinton at the DNC balloon drop
  When the balloons fell from the rafters on the final night of the
  
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• Obama announces sanctions against Russia in response to cyberattacks

  29-12-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The White House has announced new actions targeting Russia in response to cyberattacks intended to interfere with the U.S. election.
  In a statement Thursday, President Barack Obama said, “All Americans should be alarmed by Russia’s actions,” referring to hacks of the Democratic National Committee. Obama also cited an “unacceptable level of harassment” of American diplomats by Russian security services and police in Moscow.
  The immediate impact of the president&rsquo
  
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• National Weather Service forecasts snow for much of Alaska

  29-12-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — Southcentral Alaska including Anchorage is bracing for a predicted dump of snow.
  The National Weather Service says up to 8 inches of snow is predicted for Anchorage starting Thursday afternoon and continuing into Friday.
  North of the state’s largest city, the weather service says the largest snowfall in several years is possible for portions of the Matanuska Valley. Highest levels are expected along mountains.
  South of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula, snow is expected to
  
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• Forest plan has some changes for central Southeast Alaska

  29-12-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Timber production suitable lands are in green, dark green for old growth and light green for young growth, while conservation areas are shaded in blue. (Map courtesy of U.S. Forest Service)
  Streams and watersheds in the Petersburg area are among those placed off-limits to old growth logging in an amendment to the Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan released in December.
  However, some of those same streams may be sources for second-growth timber cutting. The plan amendment also makes some o
  
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• Tips only: Kaladi Brothers New Year’s tradition supports AWAIC

  29-12-2016 20:57
  
  Every New Year’s Day, Kaladi Brothers Coffee employees work for tips only and donate it all to charity. For the last 26 years on their New Year’s Day of Giving, the staff have chosen which charity receives the funds. This year, they chose the organization Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis, better known as AWAIC.
  New this year — more locations are taking part. According to Dale Tran, the company’s chief operating officer, Snow City Cafe downtown and So
  
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• Story Time w/ Aunt Phil: A tale of two Kates

  29-12-2016 20:51
  
  Anyone interested in the Klondike gold-rush era has heard of the infamous Klondike Kate, a dancehall gal who mesmerized miners with her moves. Kathleen Rockwell earned quite the reputation for her flirtatious dancing. But there was another girl named Kate who also traveled north and gained some notoriety as a cook, nurse and jailer.
  Ill-fated love led Canadian Katherine Ryan to set out for the Klondike and many historians say she was the authentic Klondike Kate. After the mother of Ryan’s
  
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• Alaska’s Don Young strikes Trump-like note reflecting on 2016

  29-12-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, speaks to the National Congress of American Indians in March 2014. (Photo courtesy Office of Rep. Don Young)
  U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, showed no enthusiasm for Donald Trump during the presidential campaign.
  But with President-elect Trump three weeks from his swearing-in, and a new Democratic minority leader in the Senate, Young is looking at the big picture and seeing the bright side.
  http://media.aprn.org/2016/ann-20161228-04.mp3Young struck a
  
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• Alaska’s Don Young changes course, striking Trump-like note, and reflects on 2016

  29-12-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, speaks to the National Congress of American Indians in March 2014. (Photo courtesy Office of Rep. Don Young)
  U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, showed no enthusiasm for Donald Trump during the presidential campaign.
  But with President-elect Trump three weeks from his swearing-in, and a new Democratic minority leader in the Senate, Young is looking at the big picture and seeing the bright side.http://media.aprn.org/2016/ann-20161228-04.mp3Young struck a T
  
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• Alaska village renews push for road through federal refuge

  29-12-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — A remote Alaska village is renewing efforts to build a road through a national wildlife refuge so residents with medical problems will have land access to an all-weather airport.
  The village of King Cove, with the backing of Alaska’s congressional delegation, wants a road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, an internationally recognized haven for migratory waterfowl.
  The village of 900 is near the tip of the Alaska Peninsula. Foul weather and mountains make flights
  
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• Demolition begins on shuttered North Pole refinery

  29-12-2016 19:30
  
  Demolition has begun on a shuttered interior Alaska refinery that once produced jet fuel, heating oil, gasoline and asphalt from North Slope oil carried in the trans-Alaska pipeline.
  The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports Flint Hills Resources has started tearing down the North Pole Refinery.
  Spokesman Jeff Cook in a prepared statement says no one was interested in buying and operating the refinery and the company decided the prudent step was to demolish it.
  The refinery opened in 1977. It stopp
  
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• Bogoslof volcano continues to experience seismic activity

  29-12-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Seismic unrest continues at Bogoslof volcano.The Alaska Volcano Observatory believes an ash-producing eruption began Wednesday night on the Eastern Aleutian island. Heavy clouds in the region are making it difficult to confirm.
  Without ground-based monitoring equipment on the island, the observatory is relying on satellite imagery and other data for indications of significant seismic activity.
  Bogslof volcano began erupting on December 20.
  
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• Astronomers seeking planet 9 hope to soon catch a glimpse

  29-12-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Astronomers searching for an undiscovered planet in the outer solar system hope to catch a glimpse of it Thursday through the Subaru telescope located on top of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea mountain. (Photo courtesy of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)
  On the top of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea mountain Thursday, astronomers will point the large Subaru Telescope toward a patch of sky near the constellation of Orion, looking for an extremely faint object moving slowly through space.
  If they
  
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• Bethel City Council hires city manager, offers Fairbanks man finance director job

  29-12-2016 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Bethel City Council hired Pete Williams, Bethel Port Director, as City Manager at a special council meeting on December 27, 2016. (Photo courtesy of City of Bethel)
  Pete Williams accepted the city manager position at a special city council meeting Tuesday and will begin working under the new title Jan. 2.
  Williams has been serving as acting city manager since September when former City Manager Ann Capela terminated her contract more than a year early.
  Mayor Rick Robb said in inter
  
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• Juneau police to set up DUI enforcement on New Year’s Eve

  29-12-2016 17:51
  
  Juneau police are cracking down on drunken driving on New Year’s Eve.
  KTOO-FM reports that the police department is encouraging those celebrating the new year with impairing substances to have plans for a designated driver. The department says it’s doubling patrols on Saturday and will have 16 officers on duty, including four assigned to investigate possible drunk drivers.
  The Cabaret, Hotel, Restaurant and Retailers Association is also sponsoring its Safe Ride Home Program at p
  
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• Water main break floods Russian Jack Park streets

  29-12-2016 09:20
  
  The Anchorage Fire Department responded to a water main break in the Russian Jack Park area Wednesday night.
  The break flooded several streets near the area of Seventh Avenue and Klevin Street shortly after 10:30 p.m.
  AFD dispatchers said fire crews were working to locate the break. They confirmed that the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility was notified and had dispatched personnel to the area to assist.
  As of 11 p.m., water flooded Klevin Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues and continu
  
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• UPDATE: Flooded Russian Jack streets likely caused by drain clogged with ice or trash

  29-12-2016 09:20
  
  Updated at 8:25 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29
  What was thought to be a water main break in the Russian Jack Park area, was actually a clogged storm drain, according to the Anchorage Police Department.
  According to police dispatch, the clog could have been caused by ice or trash. Street maintenance crews were out at the time of the flooding, APD said, and as of 4 a.m. Thursday the intersection is open.
  The Anchorage Fire Department responded to the flooding that filled several streets near the a
  
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• Debbie Reynolds dead, actress once known as ‘America’s Sweetheart’ was 84

  29-12-2016 08:32
  
  Debbie Reynolds, known in the 1950s as “America’s Sweetheart” and later as a show biz trooper and “triple threat” dancer, singer and actress, died Wednesday, one day after her own daughter’s death. She was 84.
  Her son, Todd Fisher, said Reynolds died Wednesday, a day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher, who was 60.
  “She’s now with Carrie and we’re all heartbroken,” Fisher said from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where his mother was taken b
  
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• Mother of murder victim speaks to accused killer in court

  29-12-2016 08:17
  
  The mother of a man slain on Christmas Eve addressed her son’s alleged killer when he made his first appearance in court Wednesday.
  Lamarkus Mann, 22, is accused of shooting and killing Christopher and Danielle Brooks at their Mountain View home. Police arrested Mann in an Anchorage motel Tuesday and charged him two counts of first- and second-degree murder, as well as first-degree burglary and first-degree robbery.
  Officers say Mann and two other men — Jaylyn Fra
  
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• Sullivan, other leaders react to Kerry’s farewell speech on Middle East peace

  29-12-2016 07:14
  
  Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a speech Wednesday that received mixed reactions from U.S. and world leaders, including an Alaska senator. In his speech, Kerry touched on the recent United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
  Kerry has outlined a series of principles he says could form the basis of a future peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians, with the likely participation of the United States. He sai
  
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• Why some women still get acne as adults

  29-12-2016 07:03
  
  kizzzbeth/Creative Commons
  Why does acne still plague some women into adulthood? A new study offers some hints.
  Researchers from Italy who looked at 500 women uncovered some factors related to the risk of acne after the age of 25 — including a low intake of fruits and vegetables, high stress levels and a family history of adult acne.
  The findings do not prove that those things cause acne in some women, but it’s plausible that they are involved, dermatologists said.
  “We see tha
  
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• The year in review: 2016, a new era in Alaska Politics

  29-12-2016 05:25
  
  This was a year of firsts and the start of a new era in Alaska politics. Low oil prices lead to discussions that will shape the path of our state moving forward.
  Alaska faced its biggest financial challenge since statehood, with a multi-billion dollar gap between the amount of money the state brought in from oil and the amount needed for state services.
  “We have reached a point in our state’s history that we need to be looking sort of beyond oil a bit,” Gov. Bill Walker to
  
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• Mission snow removal: How crews keep JBER runway free from snow, ice

  29-12-2016 05:23
  
  Snow removal on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) is serious business. The base has a fleet of more than 270 machines worth $55 million and a crew of 140 people to run them.
  Mike Nickles, the airfield clearing equipment operator supervisor, said it’s a lot of work. He’s in charge of keeping the 680-acre airfield clear of snow and ice and there are a lot of moving parts.
  “I’ve got three radios, a cell phone and usually someone standing in the window,” he said.
  W
  
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• Hatcher Pass avalanche danger expected to skyrocket with arrival of winter storm

  29-12-2016 04:27
  
  Forecasters say a winter storm is about to dump a lot of snow on Hatcher Pass, and avalanche specialists worry that once the snow stops falling, people will be left with a false sense of security.
  Before the bulk of the storm hits, Jed Workman and Allie Barker with the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Information Center geared up to check conditions. They said up until this point, Hatcher Pass was in the midst of an extremely low snow year with a thin, dry base layer.
  “We expected to see about
  
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• Southeast’s top 2016 stories: Ferries, elections, forests, rivers

  29-12-2016 03:16 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The new bipartisan House majority caucus holds a press conference after forming in November. Southeast members are Juneau’s Sam Kito III, far left, Juneau’s Justin Parish, third from left, Sitka’s Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, center, and Ketchikan’s Dan Ortiz, second from right. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/KTOO/APRN)
  The legislature, transboundary mining, timber harvest plans and a shrinking ferry system are among Southeast Alaska’s top stories of 2016.http://
  
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• Cuts to state jobs prompt union outcry

  29-12-2016 02:40 via ktoo.org
  
  The largest state employees union isn’t happy with some of the cuts in Gov. Bill Walker’s budget. In a class action grievance filed Tuesday, the Alaska State Employees Association says the governor overlooked a crucial detail in its contract agreement  — that could wind up costing the state more.
  Jim Duncan, the Executive Director of Alaska State Employees Association, says he’s received worried calls from union members — particularly those who work for the dep
  
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• Charleston shooter won’t call witnesses, offer evidence during penalty phase

  29-12-2016 02:11 via ktoo.org
  
  The man convicted of the deadly shooting rampage at a Charleston, South Carolina church says he won’t call witnesses or offer evidence that could spare his life in the penalty phase of his murder trial.
  Dylann Roof also reaffirmed his plan Wednesday to represent himself as he faces the death penalty in the final phase of his trial.
  U.S Judge Richard Gergel expressed misgivings over Roof’s decision, Reuters reports:
  “‘I think it’s a bad idea,’ Gergel warned, en
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 12-29-16

  29-12-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Thursday on A Juneau Afternoon, Joan Pardes will host.
  Find out about Juneau Nordic Ski Club races;
  We’ll get an update on Bartlett Regional Hospital;
  And Nancy DeCherney will be here with Arts Up, featuring musical highlights from 2016;
  That, Writers Almanac, Bird Note, music and more, Thursday on A Juneau Afternoon, live at 3 on KTOO, repeated at 4 on KRNN, and available on demand via ktoo.org
  
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• Homeless Dillingham man lives tough life — on his own terms

  29-12-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Matfie McCarr has been homeless since 2002, one of just a few in town who call the streets home. It’s been his choice to live this way, he says, though he’s not always proud of how he got here. (Photo by Avery Lill/KDLG)
  Christmas lights are up and a chilly wind is blowing on a snowy December day in downtown Dillingham.
  A gentle, smiling 61-year-old man hanging out near the grocery store finishes off a cigarette butt he rescued from the trash.
  Then Matfie McCarr pulls out a harmonica
  
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• Your brain on alcohol, and more science fodder for New Year’s revelers

  29-12-2016 01:30
  
  Ever wonder what happens inside your brain when you’re toasting in the New Year? Or perhaps it’s a question you’re more likely to  ponder the day after, as you nurse a headache and try to keep your cookies down.
  A new video from Reaction, the YouTube channel of the American Chemical Society, helps explain what’s happening when you drink, why you get drunk, even why you take more frequent bathroom breaks.
  “No matter what your poison is, booze all contains the sa
  
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• Alaska’s Energy Desk celebrates Coming into the Country

  29-12-2016 01:27 via ktoo.org
  
  A trapper stands in front of his cabin in the Brooks Range, c. 1980. (Creative commons photo by Karl Friedrich Herhold)
  Coming into the Country: Alaska’s Energy Desk celebrates the 40th anniversary of the book that shared Alaska with the world
  When it was first published 40 years ago, John McPhee’s bestselling book Coming into the Country described a state so distant and remote from most readers that McPhee called it “a foreign country significantly populated by Americans.&rdqu
  
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• Struggle for gun preceded fatal shooting at botched robbery

  29-12-2016 01:25 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE — Anchorage police say a woman may have been shot and killed during a botched robbery because she witnessed the shooting of her husband after a struggle over a suspect’s gun.
  Police continue to investigate the deaths of Danielle Brooks, 32, and Christopher Brooks, 38, who were killed Christmas Eve at their apartment.
  Lamarkus Mann, 22, Jaylyn Franklin, 20, and Deanthony Harris, 19, are charged with armed robbery and second-degree murder in the case.
  Franklin told investigat
  
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• For many, fewer Obamacare choices doesn’t mean higher prices

  29-12-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Ron Ellis of Augusta, Ga., hugs Monica Baldwin, a navigator with Christ Community Health, after she helped him sign up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act. (Photo by Phil Galewitz/Kaiser Health News)
  People in Columbia, S.C., had their pick of four health insurers last year when they shopped for policies during the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment.
  This time they have just one: Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, which had the most Obamacare enrollees in Richland Count
  
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• Alaska Board of Fisheries to meet in Kodiak

  29-12-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The Alaska Board of Fisheries gives anyone the chance to submit proposals and influence regulation.
  The board of seven members meets four to six times every year, and in January it will review and accept — or reject — those proposals in Kodiak.
  Fish and Game assistant area management biologist Todd Anderson will present to the board on proposals connected with Cape Igvak.
  He said those six proposals deal with allocation and either come from people who want to fish more
  
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• With ‘language nest,’ a new campaign to revitalize Inupiaq

  29-12-2016 00:33
  
  Coming to the region at the start of the new year is a “nest” project focused on Inupiaq language revitalization. As KNOM’s Davis Hovey reports, a Nome-based nonprofit organization called Inuusiq, Inc., which started up this year, is spearheading the project.
  “So, Inuusiq, Inc., was created by four young Inuit women. Myself, Iviilik, Hattie Keller, I’m the chair. Kunaq, Marjorie Tahbone is the vice chair, Rachael Bauman is the board treasurer, and Kiminaq,
  
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• Homeless in Dillingham: One man’s tough life, lived on his terms

  29-12-2016 00:13
  
  Christmas lights are up and a chilly wind is blowing on a snowy December day in downtown Dillingham.
  A gentle, smiling 61-year-old man hanging near the grocery store finishes off a cigarette butt he rescued from the trash. Then Matfie McCarr pulls out a harmonica with crushed metal sides that changes its tone and blows a few notes.
  He’s thankful for the company his music keeps during lonely hours at his camp.
  “That’s really helped my thoughts,” he says.
  Matfie McCarr stan
  
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