Anchorage news

• Strip club owner says he was unfairly targeted

  20-01-2017 23:10
  
  An Alaska man convicted of illegally dumping human waste into a harbor while operating a floating strip club says he plans to appeal whatever sentence is imposed Friday afternoon.
  Hours before his sentencing, Darren Byler says in a phone interview with The Associated Press that he was targeted because of disapproval over his “entertainment charter.”
  Federal prosecutors are recommending that Byler receive an 18-month prison sentence.
  Byler was convicted in 2015 of dumping sewage in vi
  
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• Trailer destroyed in Friday morning fire, 3 people displaced

  20-01-2017 22:33
  
  Nick Swann / KTVA Nick Swann / KTVA
  The Anchorage Fire Department said there were no injuries as a result of a fire that decimated a trailer in Midtown Friday morning.
  A text message alert sent at 8:43 a.m. Friday stated AFD was responding to the blaze at 3007 Arctic Boulevard, advising people to be aware of first responders in the area.
  AFD Capt. McDonald said the residents of the trailer were trying to thaw frozen pipes on the outside of the home with a commercial heater. The three adult
  
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• Notorious drug lord ‘El Chapo’ pleads not guilty to federal charges

  20-01-2017 22:31 via ktoo.org
  
  For decades, U.S. authorities have been preparing to prosecute one of the world’s most feared drug traffickers, known as El Chapo.
  Today, the Justice Department announced charges against Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera following his extradition from Mexico to the United States. He landed Thursday evening on Long Island, N.Y., and this afternoon entered a plea of not guilty at a federal court in Brooklyn.
  “Today marks a milestone in our pursuit of Chapo Guzman,” said
  
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• In inauguration speech, Trump vows to give power back to the people

  20-01-2017 21:31
  
  After taking the oath of office, President Donald J. Trump promised to take the power from the Washington elite and return it to the people, and he stressed that his priority will be to put the U.S. ahead of other nations.
  WATCH: Donald Trump’s inaugural speech
  Live coverage of Donald Trump’s inauguration
  Speaking from the the West Front of the Capitol, Mr. Trump said in his inaugural address that Americans were not merely transferring power from one administration to another and one
  
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• Donald Trump sworn in as 45th president of the United States

  20-01-2017 19:31 via ktoo.org
  
  A newly inaugurated Donald J. Trump delivered a fiercely populist and often dark address, promising to transfer power in Washington from political elites to the people and vowing to put “America first.”
  Surrounded by members of Congress and the Supreme Court, the nation’s 45th president repeated themes from his historic and divisive campaign message, describing children in poverty; schools in crisis; and streets pocked with crime and “carnage.”
  “For too long,
  
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• Cold temps? Alaskans are hearty, but not foolhardy

  20-01-2017 19:08
  
  When it comes to weathering the elements, even Alaskans have their limits. Ten below zero is the temperature cutoff to keep elementary-schoolers inside for recess. And this week’s subzero readings necessitated the postponement of several activities for the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage (NSAA).
  “We are concerned with keeping hands and toes warm, as well as cheeks,” said Tamra Cornfield on behalf of the group. “You always want to make sure no part of you is exposed
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 1-20-17

  20-01-2017 18:51 via ktoo.org
  
  Friday, January 20, 20178 am Crosscurrents with DJ TC
  10 am Soundings – Jazz with Ricky D
  Noon Cool Jazz Countdown
  1 pm Performance Today – Classical Music
  3 pm Millennium of Music – Classical Music
  4:00 A Juneau Afternoon
  5 pm Tidelines with Brian Nichols
  7 pmSouthern Exposure with Red Stuart
  9 pm Far True – New Soul with NautFriday on A Juneau Afternoon,We’ll get a rundown of the Telluride Mountain Film Festival with Collette Costa;
  We’ll get a preview of th
  
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• Feds declare salmon disaster for Gulf of Alaska fisheries

  20-01-2017 18:13
  
  The federal government has issued a disaster declaration for Alaska’s pink salmon fishery and several other salmon and crab fisheries along the West Coast.
  The Alaska Journal of Commerce reported Wednesday that Gov. Bill Walker requested the declaration after last year’s pink salmon harvests in Kodiak, Prince William Sound, Chignik and lower Cook Inlet came in far below forecast.
  The estimated value of Kodiak’s catch in 2016 was about $2 million, compared to a five-year average
  
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• Watch Live: Donald Trump sworn in as 45th president of the United States

  20-01-2017 14:00
  
   
  On Jan. 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. The swearing-in ceremony will begin Friday at 7:30 a.m. Alaska Standard Time.
  The official oath of office and inaugural address will happen at 8 a.m. Chief Justice John Roberts will once again administer the oath of office, as he did during both of Barack Obama’s ceremonies.
  The Obama family will leave the White House once Trump is officially sworn in. The inaugural parade will commence do
  
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• Watch: Donald Trump sworn in as 45th president of the United States

  20-01-2017 14:00
  
   
  On Jan. 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. The swearing-in ceremony will begin Friday at 7:30 a.m. Alaska Standard Time.
  The official oath of office and inaugural address will happen at 8 a.m. Chief Justice John Roberts will once again administer the oath of office, as he did during both of Barack Obama’s ceremonies.
  The Obama family will leave the White House once Trump is officially sworn in. The inaugural parade will commence d
  
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• Governor, lawmakers find common ground on one issue: Alaska’s heroin epidemic

  20-01-2017 06:56
  
  It’s only the third day of the 2017 legislative session, but already the dialogue in Juneau has been dominated by the state’s budget problem — a $3 billion shortfall, according to Gov. Bill Walker.
  Lawmakers and the governor may not agree on how to fix the state’s finances, but there is one issue they say they’re coming together on this year — figuring out how to curb the growing trend of heroin and prescription drug abuse in Alaska.
  According to the Departmen
  
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• Could ticketing the homeless help downtown Juneau?

  20-01-2017 06:30 via ktoo.org
  
  
  A car and pedestrians make their way past Front Street storefronts in downtown Juneau on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. Moving objects appear blurred because of an extended exposure. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
  Local policymakers are considering giving police the power to ticket homeless people that sleep outside in downtown Juneau.  A statewide count conducted a year ago found 50 people living without shelter in the community, and another 160 in shelters and transitional housing.
  I rode along w
  
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• Four Native institutions urge Juneau Assembly to abandon ‘camping’ ordinance

  20-01-2017 06:26 via ktoo.org
  
  The heads of four Juneau-based Alaska Native institutions are urging the Juneau Assembly to abandon its proposal to make camping downtown a ticketable offense.
  The proposed ordinance targets the some of the homeless people who sleep in storefront nooks. It has the support of the Juneau Police Chief Bryce Johnson and some store owners. Mayor Ken Koelsch had the ordinance drafted.
  In a letter to the Juneau Assembly, the leaders say removing campers from downtown district can be done in &ldqu
  
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• Crashes involving school busses on the rise in Anchorage

  20-01-2017 06:22
  
  The Anchorage School District is reporting an unusually high number of crashes involving school buses over the past few weeks. Chuck Moore, head of pupil transportation for the ASD, said there have been eight crashes since mid December. In every case, said Moore, a driver hit a school bus, almost all with students on board. No serious injuries have been reported from the crashes.
  “I don’t want to use the word epidemic but its almost becoming an epidemic,” Moore said.
  Moore
  
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• Where’s the weed? Anchorage pot shops cope with cannabis shortage

  20-01-2017 05:30
  
  If you’re hoping to pick up some legal marijuana in Anchorage, you may be out of luck.
  Currently, there are three stores open locally. Budtenders at Alaska Fireweed say they still have some flower on their shelves, but Dankorage and Artic Herbery say they’re sold out.
  It didn’t take long for Anchorage’s first pot shop to run out of product.
  Arctic Herbery owner Bryant Thorp says he went through 13 pounds of marijuana within the first five days of business.
  “The
  
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• Court docs: APD officer shook hands with suspect wanted for stealing car with toddler inside

  20-01-2017 04:21
  
  Anchorage police are still looking for the man they believe stole a running car with a toddler inside on New Year’s Day and has allegedly stolen two more vehicles since.
  Court documents explain the series of events that led the Anchorage Police Department to their search for 37-year-old Bruce Allen King.In a criminal complaint filed Jan. 11, Anchorage Police Department officer Charles Baker writes that an Anchorage father contacted APD on Jan. 1 to report his car stolen. The man left
  
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• Follow Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony live at 8 a.m. today

  20-01-2017 04:00 via ktoo.org
  
  KTOO is carrying live NPR coverage of Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th president of the United States beginning at 8 a.m. Friday.
  The event’s being held at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
  The address will be followed by NPR analysis. You can live stream it here on KTOO, or tune in over the air.
  Related articles: 
  Alaska delegation plans to attend Trump inauguration
  Interior pick firmly against fed land transfer, with wiggle room for Alaska
  Trump
  
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• Follow Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony live at 8 a.m. Friday

  20-01-2017 04:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, Arizona. (Creative Commons photo by Gage Skidmore)
  KTOO is carrying live NPR coverage of Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th president of the United States beginning at 8 a.m. Friday.
  The event’s being held at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
  The address will be followed by NPR analysis. You can live stream it here on KTOO, o
  
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• Follow Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony

  20-01-2017 04:00 via ktoo.org
  
  KTOO is carrying live NPR coverage of Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th president of the United States beginning at 8 a.m. Friday.
  The event’s being held at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
  The address will be followed by NPR analysis. You can live stream it here on KTOO, or tune in over the air.
  Related articles: 
  Alaska delegation plans to attend Trump inauguration
  Interior pick firmly against fed land transfer, with wiggle room for Alaska
  Trump
  
  Read more

• Reality Check w/ John Tracy: The legitimacy of Donald Trump

  20-01-2017 02:38
  
  America will swear in a new commander in chief Friday.
  The ceremony in Washington, D.C. is intended to demonstrate, once again, that a peaceful transition of power is central to our democracy.
  However, many members of Congress now say they will boycott the inauguration.
  When Georgia Rep., and civil rights icon, John Lewis said he did not consider Donald Trump’s presidency to be legitimate because of Russian interference in the election, it set off the predictable backlash from Mr. Trump, w
  
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• Alaska gasline corporation opens office in Japan

  20-01-2017 02:28
  
  The Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) is opening an office in Tokyo, according to a Jan. 12 notice from the agency and Gov. Bill Walker. The notice specifies Masatoshi Nick Shiratori as director of the office.
  Aside from the notice, the decision has not been publicly announced.
  Grace Jang, a spokesperson for Walker, called use of the term “new” misleading. Jang says Shiratori was hired to replace Kojiro Abe, who retired in December from a position as a contractor for the
  
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• Reported thefts of heating fuel, firewood in Skagway

  20-01-2017 02:25 via ktoo.org
  
  The Skagway Police Department is investigating several instances of reported thefts related to home heating.
  According to Police Chief Ray Leggett, the department has recently received four or five reports alleging thefts of stolen heating fuel from home tanks, gasoline from vehicles, wood pellets and firewood.
  Leggett said this is an unusual situation for Skagway.He encourages residents to put locks on their property, and to alert the department of suspicious activity.
  The department is offerin
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017

  20-01-2017 01:40 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/01/2017-01-19-newscast.mp3In this newscast:
  Highlights from Gov. Bill Walker’s third State of the State Address,
  Gov. Walker says he’s traveling to Washington for Donald Trump’s inauguration, and
  the City & Borough of Juneau attempts to recoup costs for demolishing the derelict Gastineau Apartments from the owners in court
  
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• Officials catch heroin in both Anchorage and Nome

  20-01-2017 01:28 via ktoo.org
  
  Heroin has been at the center of two anti-drug enforcement efforts in different Alaska towns.
  Alaska State Troopers seized heroin and meth in Anchorage that troopers say was intended to be sent to Nome.
  Troopers seized 8 ounces of heroin and 1 ounce of crystal methamphetamine last week.
  In Nome, Alaska State Troopers’ Western Alcohol and Narcotics Team troopers and the Nome Police Department teamed up to conduct search warrants at several locations in Nome thought to be a part of
  
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• New Anchorage nonprofit promotes positive police interactions

  20-01-2017 01:22
  
  Newly formed nonprofit Anchorage Cops for Community is looking to help foster positive relations between police and the community they serve.
  It’s an outreach program sponsored through Anchorage Police Department Employee Association (APDEA), but chair Angelina Fraize says they hope to do more, like their popular monthly Coffee with a Cop events.
  The APDEA felt that they could do more, so the group set up the nonprofit to accept donations to do more outreach projects. For ex
  
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• Bartlett hospital reaches agreement with union

  20-01-2017 00:41 via ktoo.org
  
  Bartlett Regional Hospital is a major employer in the Juneau community. (Photo by Jennifer Canfield/KTOO)
  The Juneau Assembly will be asked next week to approve $3.06 million in pay increases for employees at Bartlett Regional Hospital.
  That’s after the city-owned hospital’s board of directors approved a tentative agreement with its unionized workforce after more than a year of negotiations that ended with the help of federal mediators.
  Hospital employees have been wit
  
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• Bogoslof Volcano erupts again

  20-01-2017 00:34 via ktoo.org
  
  Bogoslof Volcano erupted again Wednesday, spewing a cloud of ash that was visible from Unalaska.
  The volcano blew about 1:20 p.m., sending ash at least 31,000 feet into the air and prompting the Alaska Volcano Observatory to raise its alert level to red.
  That’s the highest status, indicating a hazardous eruption is underway or imminent.
  Bogoslof Volcano is on an uninhabited island 60 miles northwest of Unalaska. It has erupted more than a dozen times since mid-December.
  
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• EPA proposes OK of Fairbanks air plan, but more steps needed

  20-01-2017 00:04
  
  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to accept a state of Alaska plan for cleaning up the air in Fairbanks.
  EPA region 10 air office director Tim Hamlin says the agency is recommending approval of the plan even as it works to reclassify pollution violations in Fairbanks as serious rather than moderate.
  Reclassification would require a new plan with stronger cleanup provisions.
  Hamlin says federal law requires a decision on the current plan but more needs to be done for Fairbanks
  
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