Anchorage news

• Records fall as snow accumulates across Southcentral

  22-01-2017 23:40
  
  The latest round of snow across southcentral Alaska is setting new records.
  The snow started falling in Anchorage around 6 p.m. Friday and continued to fall through Saturday night. As of 9 p.m., 12 inches of snow had fallen at the National Weather Service office in west Anchorage, with more on the way.
  Most of the Anchorage Bowl picked up between 11 and 13 inches. This set a new record for the most snow ever recorded on Jan. 21 since records began in the early 1950s. The previous record was
  
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• Consultant raises concerns about Alaska gas project

  22-01-2017 22:34
  
  A legislative consultant is raising red flags about Alaska taking the lead on a major proposed liquefied natural gas project, even as Gov. Bill Walker has said he’s comfortable with it.
  Legislators are scheduled to hear a project update Monday.
  In a recent report to lawmakers, consultant Nikos Tsafos outlined challenges threatening the project’s potential for success.
  He says they include a competitive market and a laundry list of tasks the state will need to achieve, such as finding
  
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• Pete Kaiser wins third consecutive Kuskokwim 300

  22-01-2017 22:24
  
  Pete Kaiser won his third consecutive Kuskokwim 300 Sunday morningCredit Katie Basile / KYUK
  Pete Kaiser made it three in a row Sunday morning, winning the 2017 Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race. Kaiser crossed the finish line in Bethel at 10:37 a.m. to loud cheers from his hometown crowd, according to a story published by KYUK Public Media. His leader, Palmer, brought home the nine-dog team.
  Brent Sass, who came in second last year, followed 46 minutes later at 11:23 a.m. finishing as the race&rsquo
  
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• Soldotna hockey captain suspended for racist Twitter posts

  22-01-2017 22:21
  
  Racist comments posted on Twitter recently by the captain of the Soldotna Stars hockey team created a firestorm on social media and have cost the player his spot on the team.
  Soldotna High School student Ethan Brown used his personal Twitter account to denigrate Alaska Natives and homosexuals while also making a racist remark about former first family, head coach Derek Urban confirmed Saturday.
  “3 things I hate. Liberals, faggots, and Alaska natives,” one tweet read, d
  
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• 4 more survivors pulled out of Italy’s avalanche-hit hotel

  22-01-2017 21:57
  
  Emergency crews pulled out four more survivors from the rubble of a hotel crushed by an avalanche and were searching Saturday for more who may still be alive as family members awaited word if their relatives were among the lucky ones.
  The overnight operations raised to at least nine the number of people found alive in the rubble of Wednesday’s avalanche that demolished the Hotel Rigopiano in the Gran Sasso mountain area when tons of snow rushed down the mountainside, slamming into the reso
  
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• Alaska National Guardsmen take part in presidential inauguration

  22-01-2017 21:30
  
  Federal employees and military service members pose for a photo together National Guard Photo by Sgt. Cory Grogan, JTF D.C. Alaska Guardsmen tasked with supporting the 58th Presidential Inauguration receive a briefing U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Balinda O’Neal Dresel Alaska Guardsmen tasked with supporting the 58th Presidential Inauguration receive a briefing from Maj. Gen. Laurie HummelU.S. Army National Guard photo illustration by Staff Sgt. Balinda O’Neal Dresel
  
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• Dangerous avalanche conditions for southern, western Kenai Mountains

  22-01-2017 20:30
  
  Dangerous avalanche conditions are expected Saturday evening through Monday in the southern and western portions of the Kenai Mountains. That includes areas like Summit Lake, Carter Lake, Lost Lake Snug Harbor and Bear Creek.
  The Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center in Girdwood says the two to five feet of snow that fell on mountain slopes Friday and Saturday means human-triggered large avalanches are likely on slopes steeper than 30 degrees.
  In their special avalanche bulletin r
  
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• Two days, two Capitol protests and two very different turnouts

  22-01-2017 09:34 via ktoo.org
  
  An anti-abortion crowd listened to a series of speeches against abortion on Friday. (Photo by Quinton Chandler/KTOO)
  Two protests were held on the steps of the state capitol this weekend. The first on Friday, called for an end to abortion. Then Saturday, hundreds came out for the “March on Juneau” to show support for women’s rights.
  The two protests were different in tone, message and especially in size.
  On Friday, a little more than a few dozen anti-abortion supporters –
  
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• The Latest: Sentencing reset for Alaska strip club owner

  22-01-2017 05:32 via ktoo.org
  
  A sentencing hearing has been canceled for the second day in a row in the case of an Alaska man who was convicted of illegally dumping human waste into a harbor while operating a floating strip club.
  Darren Byler is now set for sentencing Monday afternoon. He was set to be sentenced in Anchorage this week but twice was unable to make it after his flights, including one on Friday, from Kodiak Island were canceled.
  U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason rescheduled the sentencing after telling Byler b
  
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• Alaska governor proposes pay freeze bill amid state deficit

  22-01-2017 05:32 via ktoo.org
  
  Alaska Gov. Bill Walker has proposed freezing his own salary, along with the salaries of the lieutenant governor, legislators and state department heads.
  It’s part of a broader bill that would freeze non-union state-worker pay for two years, beginning in July. The bill also would allow the governor to waive any portion of the governor’s salary during that time.
  Walker’s term ends in 2018. He has said he’ll probably seek re-election.
  In a release, Walker says he has propos
  
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• Alaska ends 2016 with 6.7 percent unemployment rate

  22-01-2017 05:31 via ktoo.org
  
  The state labor department says Alaska’s unemployment rate ended 2016 at 6.7 percent.
  That preliminary, seasonally adjusted rate for December compares to 6.8 percent in November. The rate stood at 6.6 percent in December 2015.
  Nationally, the unemployment rate last month was 4.7 percent.
  
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• Aleutians volcano sends up ash cloud; aircraft warned

  22-01-2017 05:28 via ktoo.org
  
  An Alaska volcano that has been erupting periodically since mid-December has sent up another ash cloud.
  The Alaska Volcano Observatory says Bogoslof Volcano in the Aleutian lslands erupted at 1:17 p.m. Friday.
  Pilots report an ash cloud reached 36,000 feet. Ash clouds higher than 20,000 feet are a threat to intercontinental jet aircraft because ash can damage engines.
  The aviation color code remains at red, the highest threat warning.
  The observatory says prevailing winds pushed the cloud southe
  
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• Can breakfast help keep us thin? Nutrition science is tricky.

  22-01-2017 04:45
  
  Cereal makers have happily encouraged the belief that eating breakfast can help keep us thin and bring other benefits, partly by paying for studies that seem to support the idea.
  So, does that mean breakfast is bad for you? Not that either. What it does show is how difficult it can be to sort the hype from reliable dietary advice when studies are funded by the makers of Froot Loops, nutrition science is often inconclusive, and gray areas can be spun for marketing.
  Take Special K. In the 1990s,&n
  
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• Funding for opioid overdose kits offers ‘hope’ for Alaska’s drug epidemic

  22-01-2017 04:30
  
  The Yukon Kuskokwim Ayagnirvik Healing Center in Bethel offers alcohol and opioid addiction treatment. Photo: Dean Swope/KYUK
  The state government is gearing up for a major battle against the opioid epidemic sweeping through Alaska, according to a report published by KYUK Public Media.
  Andy Jones, the section chief for the state Department of Health and Social Services, is heading up a new, statewide program to get the drug Naloxone, also known by its commercial name Narcan, into the hands of he
  
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• Women’s March on Washington draws hundreds of thousands to nation’s capital

  22-01-2017 04:22
  
  Wearing pink, pointy-eared “pussyhats” to mock the new president, hundreds of thousands of women massed in the nation’s capital and cities around the globe Saturday to send Donald Trump an emphatic message that they won’t let his agenda go unchallenged over the next four years.
  As night fell on the East Coast, thousands of protesters from the Women’s March on Washington were still marching through the city’s streets in opposition to President Donald Trump.
  Pol
  
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• Turkey fryer blamed for Colony Loop house fire

  22-01-2017 04:13
  
  Slick, snowy roads made it difficult for emergency personnel to respond to a house fire Saturday.
  Shortly before 2 p.m., the Anchorage Fire Department issued a statement that 15 units had been dispatched to a home on the 2400 block of Colony Loop, where the fire was reported.
  According to firefighters at the scene, the fire’s origin was likely a turkey fryer that was left unattended. It was outside the house, but underneath an overhang, sending fire up the outside wall.
  Firefighters s
  
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• Southeast lawmakers wary of education budget cuts

  22-01-2017 03:28 via ktoo.org
  
  Rep. Sam Kito lll addresses the Alaska House of Representatives in 2014. He and other Southeast lawmakers oppose cutting school funding. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  Southeast Alaska lawmakers express skepticism that the Legislature should look to school funding to cut the state’s budget. In fact, some legislators would like to see spending increase in some education areas.
  School funding makes up one of the largest pieces of the state budget. But as the Legislature looks to close a
  
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• First Juneau officers to wear body cameras this spring

  22-01-2017 03:28 via ktoo.org
  
  Juneau Police Chief Bryce Johnson describes the events leading up to an officer-involved during press conference. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
  Juneau police officers may be wearing body cameras within four months. That’s according to Chief Bryce Johnson who said he looks forward to equipping officers with the first few cameras when they arrive.
  In the investigation of December’s officer-involved shooting, Johnson said he didn’t think body camera footage would’ve added
  
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• Trump Signs Executive Order To ‘Ease The Burdens Of Obamacare’

  22-01-2017 03:09 via ktoo.org
  
  President Trump signs a confirmation for James Mattis to be defense secretary, Friday in the Oval Office.
  Evan Vucci/AP
  As promised, President Trump got to work on Day One, spending some time in the Oval Office in between the inaugural parade and a trio of formal balls.
  Trump signed an executive order Friday night directing government agencies to “ease the burdens” of Obamacare while the new administration and Congress work toward repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
  Whit
  
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• In D.C., Group Of Protesters Breaks Windows; Police Use Pepper Spray

  22-01-2017 03:09 via ktoo.org
  
  Police officers push a group of demonstrators back in Northwest Washington, D.C., on Friday. Violence broke out in the area among a crowd of several hundred, but the city’s interim police chief says protests across the city have been largely peaceful.
  Zach Gibson/AFP/Getty Images
  Updated at 7:30 p.m. ET
  An inauguration protest in Washington, D.C., turned confrontational on Friday, as several hundred black-clad protesters broke windows and police responded with pepper spray and a concussive
  
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• Heavy snowfall causes Dome roof to bow

  22-01-2017 03:02
  
  The interior of The DomeRick Rysso/KTVA The DomeRick Rysso/KTVA
  Events at The Dome were canceled Saturday afternoon when heavy snowfall caused the roof to bow.
  “The snow load is causing some slight depression in the roof, and we’re working to remove the snow from the top of the facility,” explained Mike Martin, chairman of the facility’s board.
  The Dome, located at 6501 Changepoint Drive, is a multi-use sports complex. The turf area was closed as of noon, according to a p
  
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• Events postponed indefinitely after Dome roof collapses

  22-01-2017 03:02
  
  The interior of The DomeRick Rysso/KTVA The DomeRick Rysso/KTVA
  Last updated at 9:50 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22.
  Events at The Dome have been postponed indefinitely after heavy snowfall caused the roof to collapse Saturday evening. The popular indoor sports facility was evacuated after the roof began to sag under the weight of the snow.
  A post on the official Facebook page said nobody was injured. No timeline was given for repair.
  A press conference will be held at The Dome at 11 a.m
  
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• Thousands participate in Women’s March on Alaska

  22-01-2017 02:01
  
  Supporters at the Women's March on NomeCourtesy Lily Fawn White Jessica Stugelmayer/KTVA Jessica Stugelmayer/KTVA Jessica Stugelmayer/KTVA
  While thousands of men and women attended the Women’s March on Washington, thousands more took to the streets in sister marches across Alaska.
  With a new president in the White House, many have wondered what new laws will be enacted and what laws would be repealed, such as the Affordable Care Act. The marches were a way to speak up about right
  
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• PHOTOS: Women’s March on Alaska

  22-01-2017 02:01
  
  Supporters at the Women's March on NomeCourtesy Lily Fawn White Jessica Stugelmayer/KTVA Jessica Stugelmayer/KTVA Jessica Stugelmayer/KTVA
  While thousands of men and women attended the Women’s March on Washington, thousands more took to the streets in sister marches across Alaska.
  With a new president in the White House, many have wondered what new laws will be enacted and what laws would be repealed, such as the Affordable Care Act. The marches were a way to speak up about righ
  
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• APD investigates homicide of 17-year-old boy shot in the back

  22-01-2017 02:01
  
  A 17-year-old boy died Saturday after he was shot in the back in Government Hill, Anchorage police said.
  The boy was found in the roadway on the 700 block of Birch Street just after midnight, police said in a statement.
  The boy was taken to a nearby hospital alive, but he later died there from his wounds, according to police.
  “The victim’s family has been notified, but because he is a juvenile, his name is not being released,” police wrote. “Homicide Detectives are active
  
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• APD urges public to be aware of winter conditions following 2 possible cold exposure cases

  22-01-2017 01:13
  
  Last updated at 4:16 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21
  The Anchorage Police Department says one person’s death Saturday may likely be the result of exposure. A second person was later found with similar symptoms, but has not died as initially reported, an officer confirmed. 
  The first victim’s death was reported Saturday morning after a male’s body was found outside near the intersection of 12th Avenue and Fairbanks Street, police said in a Nixle alert.
  “Cold weather ma
  
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