Anchorage news

• Eklutna reaches deal with Anchorage over trash gas and new housing

  05-01-2017 23:51 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Eklutna Inc. chair and President Michael Curry, left, and Treasurer Maria Coleman stand next to Eklutna CEO Curtis McQueen and Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz at a news conference in Eagle River on Jan. 4, 2017. (Photo by Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media)
  The Municipality of Anchorage has reached an agreement with a local Native corporation in a deal that will avoid years of costly litigation for both sides.
  During a news conference Jan. 4, leaders from both the city and Eklutna I
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, Jan. 5, 2016

  05-01-2017 22:47 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/01/2017-01-05-newscast.mp3In this newscast:
  NOAA puts out its final plan for getting Cook Inlet beluga whales off the endangered species list,
  the Juneau Empire’s publisher departs abruptly, and
  despite backlash, Alaska Congressman Don Young supports reining in the Office of Congressional Ethics.
  
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• Fishing rule aims to do for all marine mammals what it did for the dolphin

  05-01-2017 22:44 via ktoo.org
  
  The vaquita is a small porpoise found only in the northern Gulf of California, in Mexico. Today, the species is critically endangered, with less than 60 animals left in the wild, thanks to fishing nets to catch fish and shrimp for sale in Mexico and America. The animal is an accidental victim of the fishing industry, as are many other marine mammals.
  But a new rule that takes effect this week seeks to protect marine mammals from becoming bycatch. The rule requires foreign fisheries exporting sea
  
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• Next stop, Havana. Alaska Airlines begins flights to Cuba.

  05-01-2017 22:03
  
  Cojimar, Cuba. Courtesy of Alaska Airlines
  While the borders to the small island nation near Florida have been open for commercial flights since February 2016, the inaugural Alaska Airlines flight took off from Los Angeles to Cuba Thursday morning.Flags for @AlaskaAir 1st flight to #Havana from @flyLAXairport pic.twitter.com/tO1XjUU3A3
  — Harriet Baskas (@StuckatAirport) January 5, 2017Passengers on the Boeing 737 included 50 political, business and cultural leaders from California and Was
  
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• Obama to the American people: ‘Our best days are still ahead’

  05-01-2017 21:59 via ktoo.org
  
  As President Barack Obama’s tenure in the White House draws to a close, he’s looking back on eight years of work — and ahead toward what he sees as a brighter future for the U.S.
  In a letter to the American public, Obama says he’s proud that the country is “stronger and more prosperous” than it was eight years ago — and hopeful that the country will build on the progress he sees.
  The letter is paired with a set of “Cabinet Exit Memos” —
  
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• Trump relatives’ potential White House roles could test anti-nepotism law

  05-01-2017 21:50 via ktoo.org
  
  President-elect Donald Trump has suggested he may give his daughter and son-in-law some roles in his new administration, but a 1967 anti-nepotism law makes doing so a lot more complicated.
  The law bars presidents from hiring relatives to Cabinet or agency jobs, although a federal judge has ruled that it doesn’t apply to White House staff jobs.
  Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, have played key roles in Trump’s campaign and his transition team and reportedly are preparing to
  
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• High winds in the forecast for southcentral, southeast Alaska

  05-01-2017 21:47
  
  Strong winds are in the forecast for southcentral and southeast Alaska over the next couple of days.
  In Southcentral, northerly winds will begin increasing Thursday evening, peaking sometime Friday. A high wind warning goes into effect Thursday evening for Thompson Pass, Valdez and the Copper River Basin.
  North winds in these areas are expected to reach speeds of 50 to 70 mph, with gusts as high as 95 mph. Areas of blowing snow may reduce visibilities in these spots, making travel difficult at t
  
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• UPDATE: Anchorage man reported missing located

  05-01-2017 21:41
  
  Daniel Manwarren / Anchorage Police Department
  Last updated at 4:55 p.m. on Thursday, Jan 5
  Police have cancelled the locate alert for 26-year-old Daniel Manwarren. He showed up for work Thursday and is alive and well, according to an update from Anchorage police.
   
  Original Story:
  Police are asking for the public’s help to find a 26-year-old Anchorage man.
  Daniel Manwarren was reported as missing Tuesday, according to a release from the Anchorage Police Department.
  He was last s
  
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• Police looking for Anchorage man last seen in December

  05-01-2017 21:41
  
  Daniel Manwarren / Anchorage Police Department
  Police are asking for the public’s help to find a 26-year-old Anchorage man.
  Daniel Manwarren was reported as missing Tuesday, according to a release from the Anchorage Police Department.
  He was last seen at the Costco on Dimond Boulevard, where he works, on Dec. 19. His family told police that they have not had contact with him and it’s not normal for him to be out of touch for so long.
  Police have been unable to reach him by phone
  
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• Scientists install new sensors to monitor shaking during upcoming Seahawks game

  05-01-2017 21:08
  
  Scientists with the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network are installing new sensors to measure the earth shaking during Saturday’s Seahawks football game against the Detroit Lions.
  The Seahawks say seismologists will install the new equipment at CenturyLink Field Thursday to provide real-time monitoring of the ground vibrations. The equipment will help scientists test their instruments, telemetry and analysis.
  Scientists first noticed the ground shaking around the Seahawks’ stadium duri
  
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• Feds release plan to stem decline of Cook Inlet belugas

  05-01-2017 19:47 via ktoo.org
  
  A beluga whale fluke in Cook Inlet. NOAA Fisheries has included belugas on their list of the eight most threatened species the agency monitors. (Photo courtesy of LGL Alaska Research Associates)
  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released its final plan to increase the population of Cook Inlet’s beluga whales and get them off the endangered species list.
  Biologists estimate there are now about 340 belugas in Cook Inlet, down from more than a thousand in the 1980s. Rese
  
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• British Columbia to clean up mine near Juneau

  05-01-2017 19:45
  
  Canadian officials say they will take action to prevent polluted water from a decades-old mine from entering the Taku River, a major source of salmon caught in southeast Alaska.
  British Columbia Ministry of Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett tells CoastAlaska News experts will explore different options, including plugging leaking tunnels from the defunct Tulsequah Chief Mine. The acidic water has been carrying pollutants into the Tulsequah River, which is a tributary of the Taku near Ju
  
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• Charleston church shooter to jurors: ‘Nothing wrong with me psychologically’

  05-01-2017 08:27
  
  Convicted Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof spoke to the jury for the first time at his death penalty trial Wednesday, telling them there’s nothing wrong with him psychologically and that he is not trying to keep any secrets from them.
  But perhaps most important is what he didn’t say: He didn’t ask jurors to spare him from the death penalty. The jury last month unanimously found Roof guilty of hate crimes and other charges in the shooting deaths of nine black church members
  
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• New plan details recovery for Cook Inlet belugas

  05-01-2017 08:09
  
  On Wednesday, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released what they are calling a “final recovery plan” for Cook Inlet’s declining beluga whale population. The plan also details what it will take for the whales to be removed from the endangered species list.
  Cook Inlet belugas were listed as endangered in 2008. Mandy Migura, a biologist with NMFS, said the population decline was fairly epic: from 1,300 whales in the late 1970s down to 340 belugas by 2014.
  “Our c
  
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• Put it to a vote? Group seeks changes to Anchorage anti-discrimination law.

  05-01-2017 06:57
  
  A group of Anchorage residents wants to charge parts of the municipality’s anti-discrimination law. They’ve filed a petition with City Hall and say people could be asked to vote on the issue in just a matter of months.
  The petition’s sponsors call their effort the Protect Our Privacy Initiative. It’s aimed at adding religious and other exemptions to the municipality’s anti-discrimination laws, which were passed by the Anchorage Assembly in 2015.
  The initia
  
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• Juneau Empire publisher departs abruptly

  05-01-2017 05:57 via ktoo.org
  
  The Juneau Empire on Channel Drive. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)
  There’s been more turnover at the top of Juneau’s daily newspaper. Publisher Rustan Burton has left the Juneau Empire after nearly four years at the helm, according to a brief article posted Wednesday afternoon on the newspaper’s website.
  His departure follows the managing editor and two reporters in recent weeks. Top editor Charles Westmoreland left at the end of December after five years at the paper. And repo
  
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• Merrill Field flights cleared for takeoff as fog lifts

  05-01-2017 04:54
  
  Clear skies on Wednesday morning meant runways at Merrill Field were once again filled with the familiar hum of small planes taking off after many were grounded for days due to heavy fog.
  At Lake Clark Air, chief pilot Glen Alsworth said he found a way around the low visibility by flying out of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and landing at any airport that was open.
  “Whatever it takes,” he said. “We’ve driven into Palmer this last week, driven to Birchwoo
  
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• Berkowitz, Eklutna Inc. agree on $5.75 million settlement in landfill dispute

  05-01-2017 04:28
  
  For years, the Anchorage Regional Landfill, located in Eagle River, has been a legal sticking point in relations between Eklutna’s Native corporation, Eklutna Inc., and the Municipality of Anchorage.
  But Wednesday, Mayor Berkowitz and the corporation’s CEO, Curtis McQueen, announced they’ve found a $5.75 million compromise.
  “The Municipality of Anchorage and Eklutna, we shouldn’t be just plaintiff and defendant, we should be neighbors and partners,” Berkowitz
  
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• Alaska Airlines launches service to Havana amid uncertainty about Cuba policy

  05-01-2017 02:38 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Alaska Airlines launches a daily flight Thursday morning from Los Angeles to Havana. (Photo by Tom Banse/Northwest News Network)https://cpa.ds.npr.org/northwestnews/audio/2017/01/010416TB_Cuba_web.mp3Alaska Airlines launches a daily flight Thursday morning from the West Coast to Havana.
  The new service comes as the Obama administration’s opening to Cuba gives way to an uncertain future.
  U.S. airlines competed aggressively last year for a limited number of slots to begin regular scheduled s
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 1-5-17

  05-01-2017 02:20 via ktoo.org
  
  Thursday on A Juneau Afternoon,Katy Jordan will be here to highlight the UAS School of Management;
  We’ll find out what’s new at the Juneau Douglas City Museum;
  Pat Harris will be here to highlight the upcoming Garden Club Seed Exchange;
  And Nancy DeCherney will be here with art news during Arts Up.
  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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• Haines Assembly considers candidates for interim, permanent manager positions

  05-01-2017 02:19 via ktoo.org
  
  Borough Manager Bill Seward and Mayor Jan Hill. In December, Haines Borough Assembly fired Seward in a 4-2 vote during his six-month evaluation by the Assembly. (Photo Emily Files/KHNS)
  This time last year, Haines Public Facilities Director Brad Ryan took on the role of interim manager after the previous manager resigned. But he declined to be considered for the full-time position.
  Now, the job is open again and this time Ryan is interested in taking it on permanently. But, he’s not the on
  
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• Mayor of Savoonga requests state assistance after storm damages homes, buildings

  05-01-2017 02:10
  
  Courtesy City of Savoonga Courtesy City of Savoonga Courtesy City of Savoonga
  State emergency mangers and the American Red Cross of Alaska are planning a trip to St. Lawrence Island to asses the damage from severe winter weather last week.
  While bangs from New Year’s Eve fireworks were heard across the world Saturday night, western Alaska residents heard the bangs of windows breaking and roofs being torn off.
  A blizzard warning was in effect for the Bering Straight coast and St. Lawrence
  
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• Working group supports Fish and Game proposal for caribou hunt changes

  05-01-2017 01:58 via ktoo.org
  
  The working group voted to support a proposed change to a registration permit hunt in units 21, 23, 24, and 26. (Map by Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
  In a meeting last month, the Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group voted to give its official support of the Department of Fish and Game’s proposal to modify the caribou hunt structure in five northern hunting units.
  The working group’s Dec. 19 votes support changes to four different proposals that outline current hunting regu
  
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• Ketchikan Council to consider DOT plans for downtown

  05-01-2017 00:33 via ktoo.org
  
  The Ketchikan City Council will talk Thursday about the Alaska Department of Transportation’s proposed redesign of Front, Mill and Stedman streets, which make up the primary corridor running through Ketchikan’s downtown.
  According to a memo from Assistant City Manager David Martin, two DOT representatives will attend Thursday’s regular Council meeting to answer questions and hear comments about the plan, which would reduce the overall road width along Front Street by 7 fee
  
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