Anchorage news

• Prognosis for Rx in 2017: more painful drug-price hikes

  30-12-2016 23:09
  
  If there’s a remedy for rising drug costs, it’s not likely to be available to many Americans in 2017.
  Prescription drug costs for Americans under 65 years old are projected to jump 11.6 percent in 2017, or at a quicker pace than the 11.3 percent price increase in 2016, according to consulting firm Segal Consulting. Older Americans won’t get much of a break: Their drug costs are projected to rise 9.9 percent next year, compared with 10.9 percent in 2016. By comparison, wages are
  
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• Number of police officers killed by firearms rose in 2016, study finds

  30-12-2016 23:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The number of law enforcement officers shot and killed in the line of duty increased sharply in 2016 relative to 2015, according to a preliminary report from The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
  The overall number of officer fatalities rose by 10 percent, remaining lower than the average for the previous ten years.
  But the NLEOMF found that 64 officers were killed in firearm-related incidents in 2016 — a 56 percent increase over 2015, when 41 officers were killed. It’
  
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• 907Life’s top 4 New Year’s Eve gatherings

  30-12-2016 22:44
  
  Looking for some great New Year’s Eve parties to ring in 2017, or see off 2016? 907Life’s Phil Crawford has selected four of what he says will be the best way to spend the final hours of the year.
  First on his list are the bars owned by the Humpy’s group — Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse, Flattop Pizza and Pool and Bootleggers  — which are hosting a black tie, lingerie and toga party. DJs there will be spinning music from the 80s, 90s and current
  
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• U.S. Ethics chief was behind those tweets about Trump, records show

  30-12-2016 22:00 via ktoo.org
  
  In November, the typically straitlaced Office of Government Ethics surprised observers with a series of tweets mimicking Donald Trump’s bombastic style, exclamation points and all: “Brilliant! Divestiture is good for you, good for America!”
  Walter Schaub Jr. is the director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, which tweeted last month about President-elect Donald Trump’s conflicts of interest. (Photo by U.S. Office of Government Ethics)
  The controversy was two-fold: (
  
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• Daybreak Adopt-a-Pet for Dec. 30, 2016

  30-12-2016 22:00
  
  From Anchorage Animal Care and Control:
  As 2016 wraps-up Anchorage Animal Care and Control is remembering the animals who passed through their doors and touched their hearts with trusting eyes, friendly tail wags, and smiling faces.This year 1,858 animals found new homes and 1,067 were reunited with their families.They want to say thanks to KTVA Daybreak for helping these animals find homes, to the families who opened their hearts and homes to new animal companions, and to the Good Samaritans wh
  
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• The year in review: 2016 was a nail-biter of a year in sports

  30-12-2016 21:21
  
  Even in our small world of sports, 12 months means a lot of stories; while some brought joy and victory, others were not so fortunate.
  At KTVA, the highs and lows of Alaska athletics, and the spirit of competition, continues to be the lifeblood of our storytelling. From UAA basketball and volleyball coming this close to national championships, to a season of sled dog races dogged by warm weather — Alaskans watched, cheered and in some cases shared the anguish of defeat.
  Chug
  
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• Mic Check in the Morning: Slow Magic

  30-12-2016 21:08
  
  Touring all over the world with a cosmic electronic sound, Slow Magic made a stop on Daybreak’s Mic Check in the Morning. The masked DJ describes his performances as “music from an imaginary friend” and uses a mix of electronic beats and organic drumming. It should be noted that his mask itself is a light show.
  This weekend, Slow Magic is set to play partygoers into the new year at the Razzle Dazzle Ball at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center. This is th
  
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• Ketchikan Assembly to consider more conflicts of interest

  30-12-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly has rescheduled its regular meeting from Monday to Tuesday, in observance of the New Year’s holiday.
  The agenda for Tuesday is a light one. Among the few action items is a public hearing and second vote on changes to the borough’s ethics code.
  The proposed changes come from the borough’s Board of Ethics, which had a discussion about conflicts of interest not currently covered in borough code.
  Right now, elected officials must declare a con
  
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• 34 homicides and no clear solution in Anchorage

  30-12-2016 21:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Anchorage Police Chief Chris Tolley addresses reporters during a brief press conference in July 2016. (Photo by Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
  It’s been a deadly year in Alaska’s largest city, with 34 homicide victims so far — more than in any previous year on record.
  It comes on the heels of 2015, which also saw an exceptionally high number of violent deaths. But without any single factor responsible for the surge in homicides, there’s no clear solution to the pro
  
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• Ask Alaska: How do you feel about the ’90s trends comeback?

  30-12-2016 20:50
  
  With a new year approaching, it’s time to say good-bye to some of the fashion trends of 2016.
  But before you start that end-of-year closet purge, Kari Skinner with Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall says there is one sure style set you’ll see again in 2017.
  “We’re seeing a revival of the [19]90s still carry through to the new year,” said Skinner. “So lots of dresses over T-shirts, velvet, crush velvet, bomber jackets with the detail — we’re seeing it e
  
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• Clamming halted on East Cook Inlet beaches due to low razor clam numbers

  30-12-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  A decline in the number of mature razor clams the past several years has prompted Alaska Fish and Game department to curtail clamming on East Cook Inlet beaches for the foreseeable future.
  http://media.aprn.org/2016/ann-20161229-12.mp3Cook Inlet Razor Clams (Photo courtesy of Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
  In an emergency order released Dec. 28, state biologists closed beaches from the tip of the Homer Spit to the mouth of the Kenai River to razor clam harvests throughout the entire ye
  
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• Analysis unearths earlier Bogoslof eruptions

  30-12-2016 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Eruptions at a volcano in the Eastern Aleutian Islands are thought to have begun earlier than previously thought.
  According to a retrospective analysis, the Alaska Volcano Observatory now thinks Bogoslof volcano first erupted on Dec. 16.
  So far, the observatory believes there have been eight eruptions this month and there could be more. Previous eruptions have lasted weeks.The eruptions have lasted as long as an hour, thrown ash up to 35,000 feet into the air, and dramatically changed the island
  
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• Fire burns down Fairbanks business

  30-12-2016 19:07
  
  A Fairbanks business has been destroyed by a fast-burning fire.
  The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that the building, which was leased by the Alaska RV Center for use as a shop, erupted into flames Wednesday night. No injuries were reported.
  University Fire Battalion Chief Greg Coon says crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the structure. They worked all night to extinguish the blaze.
  The incident comes less than two weeks after another building caught fire only a ha
  
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• State arts council urges protections for Native use of ivory

  30-12-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A student uses a a Dremel tool to shape her fish carving. Master ivory carver Jerome Saclamana taught students in Nome the tradition in August 2015. (Photo by Mitch Borden, KNOM)
  The Alaska State Council on the Arts is urging Alaska’s congressional delegation to protect Native use of ivory after recent domestic ivory bans.
  The council, which is a part of the state Department of Education and Early Development, submitted a resolution to the delegation last month, emphasizing the rights
  
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• Soldotna convicted felon arrested on weapon, drug charges

  30-12-2016 19:00 via ktoo.org
  
  SOLDOTNA — A Soldotna man with a felony record has been arrested on weapons and drug charges.
  Scott Hashemian, 32, is charged with six counts of weapons misconduct, including firing a gun at a building, and 13 counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance, Alaska State Troopers said.
  Hashemian was a suspect in an incident just before midnight Nov. 22 when two parties exchanged gunshots at a home in Soldotna’s Big Eddy Subdivision, troopers said. The home was st
  
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• Volcano in Alaska Aleutian islands settles down following overnight eruption

  30-12-2016 18:48
  
  Last Updated at 1:40 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 30
  A volcano on a remote island in Alaska’s Aleutian chain has simmered down after erupting and prompting an aviation alert.
  The Alaska Volcano Observatory said Friday the Bogoslof volcano sent an ash plume about 20,000 feet in the air in its eighth explosion detected since Dec. 16.
  The latest eruption caused the observatory to issue its highest alert for aircraft, but the Federal Aviation Administration says the eruption has had no effect on fligh
  
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• Volcano in Alaska Aleutian islands erupts again

  30-12-2016 18:48
  
  A volcano on a remote island in Alaska’s Aleutian chain has erupted again, prompting an aviation alert.
  The Alaska Volcano Observatory says the Bogoslof volcano sent an ash plume about 20,000 feet in the air by early Friday morning.
  The eruption caused the observatory to issue its highest alert level for aircraft.
  During an eruption of the volcano last week, the Federal Aviation Administration said flights were rerouted around the plume.
  The center says the volcano began erupting shortly b
  
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• Snow removal in Anchorage hindered by state budget cuts

  30-12-2016 18:24
  
  A winter weather advisory is in effect throughout most of the state through 9 a.m. Friday, with some areas expecting up to 6 inches of snow. Anchorage is expecting 2-8 inches of snowfall, but removal may be delayed in some areas because of state budget cuts.
  “We’re pretty well down to bare bottom on what we can handle and what we can provide as far as timely service  goes,” said Jill Reese, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.
  Roa
  
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• Identity verified, Santa Claus is back on Facebook

  30-12-2016 17:52
  
  Santa Claus’ Facebook account has been reinstated after the social media company suspended his access and demanded proof of identity on Christmas Day.
  The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that Claus, a North Pole city councilman, says he was never given a reason why his page was blocked. He says he thought Facebook didn’t believe his name was Santa Claus or that he lived in North Pole.
  A Facebook spokeswoman apologized in an email Tuesday for suspending Claus’ account an
  
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• Heavy snow, wind and thunderclaps slam New England

  30-12-2016 06:04
  
  BOSTON — A powerful nor’easter rumbled across northern New England Thursday bringing a possible 20 inches of snow and all manner of nasty weather including heavy snow, sheets of rain, damaging winds and possibly thunderclaps.
  The storm is projected to be the most powerful in the region in nearly two years. It’s slated to last through Friday, with much of the harshest weather coming in the evening and overnight.
  Officials in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont warned residents to s
  
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• Boxes, bottles and bulbs: What can be recycled after the holidays

  30-12-2016 05:37
  
  The first few days after Christmas, cars stuffed with recyclables made their way to the Anchorage Recycling Center in midtown.
  The sound of glass bottles and tin cans going into recycling bins — instead of the landfill— was music to Mary Gilbert’s ears.
  “It’s just what you do. It’s the responsible thing to do for our planet and the environment,” she said.
  Gilbert makes weekly trips to the center on 6161 Rosewood Street; she even has her own mini recyclin
  
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• Reality Check w/ John Tracy: That was so 2016

  30-12-2016 03:35
  
  I thought hard about what to talk about this week.
  A look back at the top stories of 2016 would be a little depressing in my opinion.
  We lost icons like Muhammad Ali, Arnold Palmer and John Glenn. We witnessed the worst mass shooting in the history of America, in the name of Islamic terrorism. Politically, we endured a painful presidential election calculated to divide the country, which succeeded so well, the divisions remains deep and potentially indelible.
  In Anchorage, it was the m
  
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• State monitoring spill at Tesoro pipeline facility near Cook Inlet

  30-12-2016 02:33 via ktoo.org
  
  The spill location and photo of the leak on Dec. 18, 2016 in Nikiski, Alaska. (Graphic courtesy Tesoro)
  Workers at a Tesoro facility on the Kenai Peninsula are cleaning up contaminated soil and snow after more than 120 gallons of oily water spilled out of a pipeline near Cook Inlet. The company notified the state of the spill at its Kenai Pipeline Facility on Dec. 18.
  Jade Gamble, who works in spill response with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, has been doing site visits eve
  
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• Juneau avalanche caught on camera

  30-12-2016 02:21
  
  An avalanche near downtown Juneau was caught on camera Wednesday.
  Jerry Duncan said he was at home on his lunch break when he saw the slide coming down.
  The city’s urban avalanche forecaster, Tom Mattice, said he wasn’t expecting the natural activity on Mt. Juneau’s Chop Gully, but it is an area that is prone to slides.
  “Yesterday, it warmed up a little bit during one brief, really heavy snow shower and I think that was just enough to trigger the small slide,” Matti
  
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• 12 members of Anchorage gang with Lower 48 ties sentenced for crimes

  30-12-2016 02:07
  
  Twelve members of a Fairview gang, with ties to a larger California street gang, have been sentenced in federal court for drugs, weapons and money laundering charges, which were filed against them more than a year ago.
  On Wednesday, Isaiah Holloway, 27, was the last of the group to be sentenced. Chief Judge Timothy Burgess of the U.S. District Court in Alaska sentenced him to 12 years in prison for his crimes. He will serve longer than any other member of the organization charged in t
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 12-30-16

  30-12-2016 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Today at 3 on A Juneau Afternoon:The Capital Steps New Year’s Special.
  
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• Advocacy groups push for better tracking of hate crimes

  30-12-2016 01:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Since Donald Trump was elected president some police and advocacy groups have seen an increase in reports of attacks based on race, religion, gender and sexual orientation. But if you’re looking for the total number of hate crimes that took place in the U.S. this year — that’s one number that even the FBI can’t provide with certainty.
  Every year, the FBI releases a national count of hate crimes from the previous year. Its latest report, released in November, says there we
  
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