Anchorage news

• One U.S. Service Member Killed, Several Others Injured During Raid In Yemen

  29-01-2017 23:41 via ktoo.org
  
  Updated at 1:38 p.m. ET
  A raid in Yemen ended in the death of an American service member and left three others wounded on Saturday. U.S. Central Command announced Sunday that the casualties were sustained in an operation against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
  “We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our elite servicemembers,” Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Joseph Votel said in a statement. “The sacrifices are very profound in our fight against terrorists who th
  
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• W.H. chief of staff defends President Trump’s controversial travel ban

  29-01-2017 22:07
  
  White House chief of staff Reince Priebus defended President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order banning immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, saying it’s intended to protect the country — and even suggested more countries could be added to the list going forward.
  “This is not a Muslim ban,” Priebus told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “All this is is identifying the seven countries — and the reason we chose those seven cou
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 1-30-17

  29-01-2017 22:07 via ktoo.org
  
  Monday at 3 on a Juneau Afternoon,
  We’ll find out about the city’s plans for Peterson Hill;
  Nora Laughlin will be here to highlight free tax preparation assistance;
  That, Writer’s Almanac, Bird Note, music and more, on Monday’s edition of A Juneau Afternoon, live at 3 on KTOO, repeated at 4 on KRNN-FM, and on demand via ktoo.org.
  At 4, tune in to KTOO for All Things Considered, followed at 6 by Alaska News Nightly. At 6:30, it’s Marketplace. At 7, a profile of Ernes
  
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• Alaska lawmakers mull spending cap amid deficit

  29-01-2017 21:28
  
  Many Republican legislators are pushing for a tighter cap on state spending than the limit enshrined in Alaska’s constitution more than 30 years ago.
  It’s being billed as a way to restore public confidence in lawmakers’ ability to responsibly manage state dollars. But not everyone thinks it’s a good idea.
  Under the existing cap, which excludes certain types of spending, this year’s budget could not exceed $10.1 billion. Current spending falls well below that.
  So far
  
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• Report shows rise in suicides, state says it has boosted prevention resources

  29-01-2017 09:45
  
  A new report reveals the number of suicides in Alaska is on the rise. There were 200 suicides in 2015, compared to 132 in 2006, according to the Alaska Vital Statistics 2015 Annual Report. Suicide was also the fifth-leading cause of death in the state.
  There are a number of reasons for the rise, according to Kate Burkhart, the executive director of the Statewide Suicide Prevention Council. She said the entire country saw a growing trend in suicides during the Great Recession. Since Ala
  
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• PHOTOS: Alaskans protest executive order against refugees

  29-01-2017 07:12
  
  Ken Kulovany/KTVA Ken Kulovany/KTVA Ken Kulovany/KTVA Ken Kulovany/KTVA Ken Kulovany/KTVA Ken Kulovany/KTVA Ken Kulovany/KTVA
  A national wave of protest has once more landed in Alaska. More than a dozen Alaskans demonstrated at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Saturday night against an executive order temporarily banning some refugees.
  President Donald Trump signed the executive order on Friday, suspending the U.S. refugee program for 120 days and indefinitely banning Syrian refugees
  
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• Judge bars US from deporting travelers with valid visas covered by Trump order

  29-01-2017 06:51
  
  NEW YORK — A federal judge in New York has barred the U.S. from deporting travelers with valid visas covered by President Trump’s travel ban.
  Cheers broke out in a crowd of demonstrators outside a Brooklyn courthouse as the decision, effective nationwide, was announced. The order barred U.S. border agents from removing anyone who arrived in the U.S. with a valid visa from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. It also covered anyone with an approved refugee application.
  
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• Armed robbery suspects target lone Anchorage women

  29-01-2017 05:32 via ktoo.org
  
  Anchorage police are warning women to be cautious when walking or in a car alone after three evening armed robberies.
  Police say in each case two or three young, black men with guns approached a lone woman and demanded her purse or cellphone.
  The suspects then fled on foot to a vehicle.
  The armed robberies occurred between 8 p.m. and midnight Thursday. A police announcement originally said they occurred Wednesday.
  Police say all people should be cautions and aware of their surroundings, especial
  
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• Alaska volcano erupts for 2nd day in a row; planes warned

  29-01-2017 05:32 via ktoo.org
  
  The Alaska Volcano Observatory has raised the aviation warning level after a volcano in the Aleutian Islands erupted again.
  Bogoslof Volcano erupted Friday morning, and the observatory says it generated an ash cloud that may be as high as 25,000 feet.
  Volcanic ash above 20,000 feet is a threat to airliners flying between Asia and North America.
  The volcano 850 miles southwest of Anchorage has erupted more than 25 times since mid-December and could continue periodic eruptions for months. It
  
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• “Polar Code” a Step In The Right Direction?

  29-01-2017 05:09 via ktoo.org
  
  Drift ice camp in the middle of the Arctic Ocean as seen from the deck of icebreaker Xue Long, July 2010. (Photo byTimo Palo via Wikimedia Commons)
  At the beginning of 2017, the International Maritime Organization, or IMO, instituted a new set of regulations for ships traveling throughout Arctic waters. It’s called the Polar Code, and it builds upon 2009 guidelines to help ships operate safely in polar waters.
  Kawerak’s marine advocate, Austin Ahmasuk, says the Polar Code is an
  
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• Sitka to lose Coast Guard Cutter Maple this summer

  29-01-2017 04:10 via ktoo.org
  
  The Coast Guard Cutter Maple and the Canadian coast guard vessel Bartlett sit side-by-side at Coast Guard Station Juneau July 16, 2012. (Photo by Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Grant DeVuyst)
  Sitka’s docks will look a bit different this summer. The US Coast Guard Cutter Maple will sail south for maintenance and then be reassigned a new homeport in the spring, leaving Sitka without a large Coast Guard vessel for at least six months.
  Lt. Commander Patrick Armstrong is the officer i
  
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• New Bethel lawmaker co-sponsors statewide pre-K bill

  29-01-2017 04:10 via ktoo.org
  
  Zach Fansler and Bob Herron meet outside of KYUK for an Aug. 2, 2016, campaign debate in Bethel.
  (Photo by Geraldine Brink/KYUK)
  Last week, Representatives Scott Kawasaki, Zach Fansler, and Chris Tuck introduced a bill to create a statewide, voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program. The bill was referred to the education committee.
  Zach Fansler is the representative from Bethel. This is his first term in the Alaska legislature. Fansler emphasizes the importance of early childhood education and notes t
  
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• Protesters gather at airports across the country over immigration action

  29-01-2017 04:02
  
  Last Updated Jan 28, 2017 8:49 PM EST
  NEW YORK — Protesters gathered outside John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Saturday demanding the release of refugees blocked from entering the United States.
  “We Are All Immigrants,” read one sign held by a protester.
  “Let Them In,” read another.
  Others read: “Refugees Welcome,” “Disobey” and “Resist.”
  The protest at JFK was organized within hours of reports that people were
  
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• Man accused of Muldoon shooting pleads not guilty, court docs detail fight over marijuana

  29-01-2017 03:41
  
  An Anchorage man appeared in court Saturday on charges of second-degree murder and second-degree assault for a shooting near Muldoon Road early Tuesday.
  However, he says the men beat him and left him for dead.
  Charging documents allege 23-year-old Christopher Birotte fired the shots that caused the death of 19-year-old Tiwan Johnson, Jr. and injured another man, and detail accounts from both sides of the fight.
  The criminal complaint states at 1:10 a.m. Tuesday, the Anchorage Police Department r
  
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• Trump speaks with Putin in busy day of calls with foreign leaders

  29-01-2017 01:15 via ktoo.org
  
  President Donald Trump speaks during a White House senior staff swearing in ceremony at the White House on Sunday
  Andrew Harnik/AP
  Updated at 5:00 p.m. ET
  It has been a day thick with phone calls for President Trump. By the end of the day, the president will have spoken over the phone with the leaders of five countries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
  Administration officials have not yet announced the content of the 50-minute phone call with Putin, which Vice President Mike Pence al
  
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• As Trump Reboots Pipeline Expansion, An Unexpected Delay Emerges

  29-01-2017 01:15 via ktoo.org
  
  The seal of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (Public domain image)
  Just as President Trump takes power promising to ramp up oil and gas production, a sudden resignation in a key agency threatens to put such projects on hold across the United States.
  On Thursday, Norman Bay, one of just three current members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), said he would resign effective Feb. 3, even though his term isn’t up until next year. His announcement came shortly after Tr
  
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• Arrivals To U.S. Blocked And Detained As Trump’s Immigration Freeze Sets In

  29-01-2017 01:15 via ktoo.org
  
  Donald Trump, August 2016. (Evan Vucci, Associated Press)
  Updated at 4:17 p.m. ET
  One day after President Trump signed an executive order halting the admittance of all refugees to the United States, and temporarily freezing immigration from seven mostly Muslim countries, the effects of that freeze are already beginning to be seen at airports both in the U.S. and abroad.
  Confusion and chaos are roiling international airports, where refugees from those countries are being barred from boarding U.S.
  
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• Volkswagen’s Audi brand to recall 576,921 vehicles in US

  29-01-2017 00:31
  
  Volkswagen’s luxury Audi brand is recalling more than 576,000 vehicles in the U.S. for two separate defects.
  Audi says 2013-2017 model year A5, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 SUVs with 2.0-liter turbocharged engines may have an electric coolant pump that can get blocked with debris. If that happens, the pump can overheat and cause a fire. The recall affects 342,867 vehicles.
  Audi also is recalling 2011-2017 Q5 SUVs because the sunroof drainage system can allow water to soak into the foam surrounding
  
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