Anchorage news

• Anchorage lawyer focuses her attention on growing commercial cannibis industry

  25-01-2017 23:19 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Anchorage lawyer Jana Weltzin talks in her midtown office. Weltzin specializes in marijuana law, at a time when the emerging legal niche is at the center of commercial cannabis in the state. (Photo by Zahariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
  Entrenched in a new industry facing an uncertain future in the Last Frontier, an Anchorage lawyer specializing in marijuana law is a bit of a pioneer, staking a claim that could be either a bonanza or a bust.
  It’s a tricky time for commercial cannabis
  
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• 30-year-old Anchorage lawyer focuses her attention on growing commercial cannibis industry

  25-01-2017 23:19 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Anchorage lawyer Jana Weltzin talks in her midtown office. Weltzin specializes in marijuana law, at a time when the emerging legal niche is at the center of commercial cannabis in the state. (Photo by Zahariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
  Entrenched in a new industry facing an uncertain future in the Last Frontier, an Anchorage lawyer specializing in marijuana law is a bit of a pioneer, staking a claim that could be either a bonanza or a bust.
  It’s a tricky time for commercial cannabis
  
  Read more

• Former Fish Board nominee charged again with PFD fraud

  25-01-2017 23:01 via ktoo.org
  
  A former applicant to lead the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and former nominee to the Board of Fisheries is again facing felony charges related to Permanent Fund Dividend fraud.
  Roland Maw waits to be called for an interview before a joint meeting of the Boards of Fisheries and Game on Jan. 14, 2015. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
  A Juneau grand jury has indicted Roland Maw, 73, with six counts of unsworn falsification and six counts of theft. The new indictment came on Jan. 18. He’s ac
  
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• Workforce Wednesday: Becoming a veterinarian

  25-01-2017 22:44
  
  From sled dogs and house cats to seals and bears, veterinarians in Alaska have a wide variety of animals to care for. The pay isn’t bad either. According to Martha Peck with Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium, veterinarians make roughly $7,800 a month. Vet technicians make roughly $3,500 and assistants pull in $2,400.
  Erin Earhart, a veterinarian with The Pet Stop, says the best way to get involved is to shadow at a clinic to see if it will be a good fit. One way to get involv
  
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• She turned the world on with her smile: Mary Tyler Moore dies at 80

  25-01-2017 21:51 via ktoo.org
  
  Mary Tyler Moore played the girl who could turn the world on with her smile. The actress is beloved for two TV roles: the single young professional Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and before that, the earnest homemaker Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
  Moore died Wednesday at the age of 80, her longtime representative told NPR.
  “Today, beloved icon, Mary Tyler Moore, passed away at the age of 80 in the company of friends and her loving husband of over 33 years, Dr. S. Rob
  
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• Dakota Access Pipeline foes: We aren’t done fighting yet

  25-01-2017 21:48 via ktoo.org
  
  Opponents who spent months resisting the Dakota Access Pipeline were disheartened by President Trump’s decision Tuesday to “expedite” construction on the controversial project.
  Dave Archambault, the chairman of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, called the move “reckless and politically motivated.”
  Jamil Dakwar of the American Civil Liberties Union said it was “a slap in the face to Native Americans.”
  Earthjustice, the law firm that represents the Sta
  
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• KTVA Weather Lab: Chester Valley Elementary School

  25-01-2017 21:37
  
  In this week’s KTVA Weather Lab, I visited Chester Valley Elementary School, where the third-graders are learning all about how our place in the solar system impacts our weather.
  I also answered the KTVA Weather Lab Question of the Week: What causes streets to flood?
  Next week I’ll answer a weather question from Chugiak Elementary School.
  Every Tuesday, Melissa Frey will take the KTVA Weather Lab to a classroom in our community. If you have a weather question for Melis
  
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• Assembly: Taxes, red light cameras, fluoride won’t go on April ballot

  25-01-2017 21:36
  
  Two different taxes, red light cameras and fluoride were topics of discussion at Tuesday night’s Anchorage Assembly meeting. All four ordinances would have posed a question to voters, but none of them will appear on the ballot in April.
  Assembly member Bill Evans submitted an ordinance to ask voters to adopt a 4 percent sales tax. The tax would fall under the tax cap, taking some of the burden off of property owners and diversifying the tax base. It needed the votes of eight
  
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• Trump threatens to ‘send in the feds’ over Chicago’s violent crime

  25-01-2017 21:25 via ktoo.org
  
  On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump threatened to intervene in Chicago’s law enforcement, citing the number of shootings and murders there in 2016 and 2017.
  It wasn’t clear what type of intervention the president was referring to in a tweet he sent out Tuesday evening saying he “will send in the Feds!” if Chicago “doesn’t fix the horrible ‘carnage’ going on.”
  As in many major American cities, the federal government is already deeply invo
  
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• Actress Mary Tyler Moore is dead at age 80, publicist says

  25-01-2017 21:06
  
  Mary Tyler Moore, the star of two of TV’s best-loved sitcoms, has died.
  Her publicist, Mara Buxbaum, says Moore died with her husband and friends nearby. She was 80.
  Moore gained fame in the 1960s as the frazzled wife Laura Petrie on “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” In the 1970s, she created one of TV’s first career-woman sitcom heroines in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
  She won seven Emmy awards over the years. She also was nominated for an Oscar for her 1980 portraya
  
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• Dow tops 20,000 mark after month-long tease

  25-01-2017 20:31
  
  The Dow Jones industrial average crossed the 20,000 mark for the first time, with the blue-chip index reaching that threshold after hovering just south of it for more than a month.
  The index crossed the line at the opening bell, following new record highs Tuesday for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite index. Before trading opened Wednesday, Dow futures contracts indicated that it was likely to hit the mark at the outset.
  It remains to be seen whether the Dow will stay above 20,000 at the c
  
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• Egegik man sentenced in Southeast meth case

  25-01-2017 20:14 via ktoo.org
  
  A man from Egegik was sentenced to 20 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 3 pounds of methamphetamine.
  Jason Corey Vincent Alto, 21, was caught May 30 last year while he was traveling on the ferry vessel MV Kennicott from Washington State toward Whittier.
  The U.S. Coast Guard and state trooper drug enforcement cooperated on the bust, which happened in Ketchikan.
  Jack Schmidt, assistant U.S. attorney in the Juneau office, prosecu
  
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• Criminals use high-tech tactics to steal cars

  25-01-2017 09:21
  
  While the number of cars stolen in the U.S. has been slashed in half over the past 20 years, authorities are now seeing more break-ins using some sneaky high-tech tactics.
  Two years ago, Michael Shin of Los Angeles captured of footage of a man opening his car holding just a backpack. Shin — who always locks his car — said the man had no break-in tools in hand.
  “It’s just a little unnerving that they could so easily just walk into my car and pretty much without any recours
  
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• Anchorage senator who supported PFD reduction now supports restore bill

  25-01-2017 08:55
  
  A bill to bring back the part of Permanent Fund Dividend checks Gov. Bill Walker vetoed from the budget in 2016 got a first hearing in Juneau Tuesday. If it gets to the Senate floor, it will need the support of at least 11 senators to pass, which could prove challenging.
  Last year, 14 Alaska senators approved a measure authored by Walker that capped dividends at $1,000. It later died in the House, so Walker used his veto authority to reduce checks to $1,022, from an original $2,052.
  No
  
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• UAA skiing back in business, back on the mountain

  25-01-2017 08:20
  
  Every team likes to be at home. While there may be varying degrees of home field advantage, the University of Alaska Anchorage ski team feels it will have one for the next three weeks.
  With the Seawolf and UAA Invitationals to get going at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood and Anchorage’s Kincaid Park, UAA will be able to keep the suitcases empty for a while.
  “We only get to be home once every other year,” said head Alpine skiing coach Sparky Anderson, who noted his team is plenty hap
  
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• Seward declares emergency after ‘massive’ snowfall, requests help from borough

  25-01-2017 07:40
  
  The Seward City Council ratified an emergency declaration Monday evening. The city received 30 inches of snow in a 24-hour period last weekend. The city called the amount “massive” in a press release and indicated concern given forecasts for more precipitation throughout the week.
  The Kenai Peninsula Borough is handling the city’s request for emergency assistance. Borough Mayor Mike Navarre said his team was evaluating whether Seward could afford the cleanup costs in its long-t
  
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• City says some homeowners will see drop in property value

  25-01-2017 04:48
  
  It’s a familiar sight for Anchorage property owners — those little green assessment cards have started appearing in mailboxes. But this year some homeowners may get a surprise. For the first time in recent memory, some property values have declined.
  Municipal assessor Bryant Robbins said it’s happening mostly on the Anchorage Hillside, where homes lost an average of 2.1 percent in value. Even so, he cautioned, it isn’t all homes, and the city still considers the real esta
  
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• Anchorage Assembly member proposes ordinance banning active duty military pot discounts

  25-01-2017 04:47
  
  Military members are not allowed to smoke pot, and now an Anchorage Assemblyman wants to make sure they won’t be offered potentially misleading discounts.
  Forrest Dunbar proposed the ordinance, which would ban pot shops from offering discounts to active duty military members. Assembly member Dick Traini co-sponsered the bill.
  Dunbar said he’s seen cases of this happening in other states, where offered discounts led to military members thinking it was OK for them to use marijuana. It&
  
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• Health care signup deadline coming fast

  25-01-2017 04:40
  
  If you still need to enroll for health care coverage, the deadline is fast approaching — Jan. 31 is just one week away. Local enrollment navigators say there’s a lot of confusion about whether or not people are still required to sign up for a policy.
  President Donald Trump signed an executive order stating his intention to repeal the Affordable Care Act, with the support of a Republican-controlled Congress. That’s caused some people to think they either couldn’t, or didn&
  
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• Snowstorms, state budget cuts hinder DOT’s sidewalk snow removal

  25-01-2017 04:22
  
  With snowstorm after snowstorm—and state budget cuts—the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT) is struggling to keep up with sidewalk snow removal.
  Spokesperson Shannon McCarthy said DOT has half the staff devoted to sidewalks it did two years ago. There are now only four employees working around the clock to plow hundreds of miles of sidewalks around Anchorage.
  “What happens, often times, is when you clear sidewalks in an ongoing storm is you have to
  
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• UAA students, experts debate Alaska’s future under Trump presidency

  25-01-2017 03:02
  
  What does a Trump presidency mean for Alaskans? That was the topic of a debate hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Alaska Dispatch News at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub Monday evening.
  Debating on the pro side were Jim Crawford, chair of President Trump’s campaign in Alaska, and Sam Erickson, student body president at UAA. On the other side of the aisle, John Havelock, former Alaska attorney general, and Jacob Shercliffe, a political science and economics major at UAA, wh
  
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• Bill aims to allow private employers to give veterans a hiring preference

  25-01-2017 03:02 via ktoo.org
  
  Rep. Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, introduced a bill that would allow private employers to have a hiring preference for veterans. This photograph was from May 2016. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/KTOO)
  When business owners seek to advertise that they want to hire military veterans, they face an obstacle. People who aren’t veterans can sue them for discrimination. People who aren’t veterans can sue them for discrimination.
  State Rep. Chris Tuck wants to change that.
  The Anchorage Democrat
  
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• Bill aims to allow private employers give veterans a hiring preference

  25-01-2017 03:02 via ktoo.org
  
  Rep. Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, introduced a bill that would allow private employers to have a hiring preference for veterans. This photograph was from May 2016. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/KTOO)
  When business owners seek to advertise that they want to hire military veterans, they face an obstacle. People who aren’t veterans can sue them for discrimination. People who aren’t veterans can sue them for discrimination.
  State Rep. Chris Tuck wants to change that.
  The Anchorage Democrat
  
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• 1 person found dead following fire at Anchorage fourplex

  25-01-2017 02:58
  
  Anchorage fire officials and police are investigating an early morning fire that led to the discovery of a body.
  Fire officials stated in a Nixle alert that they responded to a fire at a fourplex home on West 23rd Street at 1:39 a.m. The victim was found at the scene after the fire was under control.
  While Anchorage Fire Chief Denis Leblanc says there has been no confirmation of the victim’s cause of death, the Nixle from the fire department described them as a fire victim.
  Ancho
  
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• Trump admin orders EPA media blackout and contract freeze

  25-01-2017 02:25
  
  The Trump administration has instituted what it described as a temporary media blackout at the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding any new contracts or grants.
  Emails sent to EPA staff since President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday and reviewed by The Associated Press detailed specific prohibitions banning press releases, blog updates or posts to the agency’s social media accounts.
  The Trump administration has also ordered what it called a temporary
  
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• Alaska lawmaker proposes gun violence bill

  25-01-2017 02:02
  
  The deadly airport shooting in Florida has helped spur a bill in Alaska that would allow authorities to temporarily take away guns from people deemed to be a danger.
  Rep. Geran Tarr (Photo: Facebook)
  The proposal from Rep. Geran Tarr, an Anchorage Democrat, was introduced after the recent attack at a Florida airport that killed five people and wounded many others. Esteban Santiago Ruiz, the accused shooter, is from Anchorage.
  Under House Bill 75, those deemed by a court to be a danger to th
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 1-25-17

  25-01-2017 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Wednesday at 3 on A Juneau Afternoon,We’ll talk with Heather Mitchell about Juneau Cabaret activities;
  Kameron Perez‐Verdia President/CEO of the Alaska Humanities Forum, will be here to highlight this year’s Awards recipients;Linda Buckley will be here with a preview of this Friday’s book signing/performance
  We’ll talk with Greg Fitch about the Mental Health Consumer Action Network;
  Marian Call will offer a preview of Friday’s Canadian Tuxedo Party Fundraiser
  
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• Juneau Assembly names new hospital board members

  25-01-2017 01:45 via ktoo.org
  
  The 45-bed Bartlett Regional Hospital is owned by the City and Borough of Juneau. (Photo by Jennifer Canfield/KTOO)
  The Juneau Assembly has appointed two new members to the nine-member governing board of Bartlett Regional Hospital, Dr. Bob Urata and Lance Stevens. Urata is a physician with a long-standing private practice in Juneau. Stevens is a former Juneau Chamber of Commerce president who works for Alaska USA Federal Credit Union.
  The Assembly’s Human Resources Committee also reappoint
  
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• Free trail safety training aims to keep Anchorage safe

  25-01-2017 01:41
  
  See something, say something — that’s the mindset that Green Dot, a national collaboration of businesses and nonprofits, wants to spread by promoting a culture that does not tolerate violence. Green Dot plans to shift the culture of violence by having people intervene in situations that could escalate in to abuse or assault, according to its website.
  The green dot, the organization’s namesake, is also a visual reminder. The website has a map with green dots and red do
  
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• Persons of interest sought in 17-year-old’s shooting death

  25-01-2017 01:40
  
  Courtesy Anchorage Police Department
  The Anchorage Police Department is looking for two persons of interest in the shooting death of 17-year-old Jesus Oropeza.
  Oropeza was found lying unresponsive in the roadway of Birch Street just after midnight on Jan. 21. He had been shot in the back, police say. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later declared deceased as a result of his injuries.
  On Tuesday, police identified 18-year-old Sean Robert Samuel Simeonoff and 18-year-old
  
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• Person of interest sought in 17-year-old’s shooting death

  25-01-2017 01:40
  
  Courtesy Anchorage Police Department
  Last updated at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24
  The Anchorage Police Department is looking for a person of interest in the shooting death of 17-year-old Jesus Oropeza.
  Oropeza was found lying unresponsive in the roadway of Birch Street just after midnight on Jan. 21. He had been shot in the back, police say. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was later declared deceased as a result of his injuries.
  On Tuesday, police identified 18-year-old S
  
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• More snow means moose move to roads

  25-01-2017 01:36 via ktoo.org
  
  (Photo via U.S. Fish and Wildlife)
  Recent heavy snow accumulation is pushing moose onto Alaska roads increasing collision danger.
  When snow piles up, you’re more likely to encounter moose on roads.
  Alaska Moose Federation Director Don Dyer said “along the Parks Highway from Big Lake to Talkeetna I counted 40 moose.”
  He saw the animals while driving the 50-mile stretch of highway last week.
  He said deep snow has moose moving to where the going is easier.
  ”It’s t
  
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• Recipe Box: Lasagna with low-fat cottage cheese

  25-01-2017 01:11
  
  In this week’s Recipe Box, we’re cozying up to some comfort food to get us through the winter months.
  YouTube vlogger Kristen Williams whips up a dish loaded with the best kinds of calories — homemade lasagna.
  Williams says this is her go-to lasagna recipe from The Pioneer Woman, where it’s dubbed “The Best Lasagna Ever.” It has layers of the goodness lasagna is known for — pasta, meat, sauce and cheese. But Williams notes calorie counters
  
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• Juneau Assembly votes 6-3 to support the road

  25-01-2017 00:22 via ktoo.org
  
  A map of the proposed route to a ferry terminal on the Katzehin River. (Map courtesy Alaska DOT)
  The Juneau Assembly reopened the debate over the stalled Juneau Access Project that envisions 50 more miles of road up Lynn Canal to a ferry terminal closer to the road system.
  The road debate has divided the community for decades and faces significant opposition from other Southeast cities, including Haines and Skagway.
  Citing the state fiscal crisis, Gov. Bill Walker pulled the plug on the $574 mil
  
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