Anchorage news

• Study shows rise in some prenatal exposure to opiates

  23-02-2017 23:48 via ktoo.org
  
  
  A new study from a Alaskan epidemiologist looks at infants who were exposed to opiates before birth.
  Unlike previous studies, it goes beyond the sharp rise in cases for a portion of the population to explore what happens next.http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20170222-03.mp3The rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome for Medicaid-eligible births increased nearly seven-fold from 2004 to 2015.
  Neonatal abstinence syndrome is when babies are in withdrawal from drugs after being born.
  In 2004, 2
  
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• Alaska high school students compete in the Academic Decathlon’s Super Quiz

  23-02-2017 23:05
  
  Students from all over Alaska will be in Anchorage this week for this year’s Alaska Academic Decathlon. The decathlon tests students’ abilities to work together to answer questions in categories like arts, science and social studies. It’s more than just studying a packet of information. Matthew Woodland, a student from Juneau-Douglas High School said it teaches self-motivation, too.
  “You gain a lot of skills that could be later used in life. So those are, I think, importa
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017

  23-02-2017 23:01 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/02/2017-02-23-newscast.mp3In this newscast:
  U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she’s encouraged by President Donald Trump’s resource policies,
  Alaska’s congressional delegation renews efforts to open up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to oil development, and
  the Coast Guard moves ahead with design study contracts for new heavy polar icebreakers.
  
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• Anchorage Dance Theatre puts on limited production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

  23-02-2017 21:31
  
  Anchorage Dance Theatre’s newest production, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare has a short run this weekend.
  Niki Maple, ADT’s artistic director, said her goal was to find a story that would showcase the talent of it’s students. Maple said, in addition to students, there are local dancers in the production.
  “It’s a classic. It’s a funny story to tell,” Maple added.
  “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will run
  
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• State cuts bring changes to Southeast commercial fisheries

  23-02-2017 21:23 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The dark areas are pink salmon between the falls in the Anan Creek south of Wrangell, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Troy Thynes)
  Commercial fisheries in Southeast Alaska have survived two years of state budget cuts but not without some changes.
  The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Commercial Fisheries has cut some positions, ended some monitoring programs, and found some new funding sources.
  http://kfsk-org.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/22fishcuts.mp3When the state
  
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• After uncertainty, Alaska national parks get green light to hire summer staff

  23-02-2017 20:49 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Cruise ship approaches Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park. (National Park Service)
  Alaska National Parks can hire the hundreds of seasonal employees they need to keep up with summer operations.
  http://khns.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/21ParksFolowINTRO.mp3Seasonal staffing was thrown into limbo when President Donald Trump ordered a federal hiring freeze in January. After about a month of questions and waiting,
  Alaska national parks can now get to business hiring summer staff.
  Mike T
  
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• State notes increase in newborns suffering from mothers’ opioid use during pregnancy

  23-02-2017 20:33
  
  A new report from the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) says the rate of newborns exposed to opiates during pregnancy is on the rise.
  Symptoms of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) typically begin manifesting within 24 hours of birth, according to the DHSS report, although it may take as long as a week.
  “NAS infants are vulnerable and may need additional support beyond what is provided by health care specialists during the neonatal period,” the report stated.
  In the maj
  
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• Chugiak High bans Confederate flag

  23-02-2017 20:07
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – An Anchorage-area school has banned the display of the Confederate flag after some students posed with a version of the flag for photos inside the school.
  The Alaska Star reports that Chugiak High School Principal David Legg sent an email to parents Tuesday banning the flag from the school. Legg says the flag may still be displayed for educational purposes.
  The announcement comes weeks after five students posed with a version of the Confederate battle flag that als
  
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• Lawmakers renew push for drilling in Alaska wildlife refuge

  23-02-2017 18:34
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Petroleum drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was not a consideration under President Barack Obama, but it’s getting renewed attention under the new administration.
  Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and other members of the state’s congressional delegation are pushing legislation to allow drilling in the coastal plain of the refuge.
  Congress in 1980 expanded the refuge but declared that 2,300 square miles of the coastal plain be studied
  
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• It’s official: This Aces season will be the last

  23-02-2017 18:02
  
  After nearly three decades as a hockey staple in the 49th state, the Alaska Aces will cease operations at the end of this season. The announcement was made Thursday.BREAKING: The Alaska Aces will cease operations at the end of the 2016/17 season. pic.twitter.com/aUjom3uMO6
  — Alaska Aces (@AlaskaAces) February 23, 2017Last Friday, through multiple sources, KTVA first reported the team’s ownership group was considering the move. When reached by phone Aces co-owner Jerry Mackie said no
  
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• Lindemuth takes step to attorney general confirmation

  23-02-2017 10:38 via ktoo.org
  
  Jahna Lindemuth was named Alaska’s attorney general by Gov. Bill Walker in June. She took a step closer to confirmation on Wednesday. (Photo by Graelyn Brashear/Alaska Public Media)
  Alaska moved a step closer Wednesday to permanently filling the position of attorney general.
  The House Judiciary Committee forwarded Jahna Lindemuth to a joint session of the Legislature to be confirmed.
  She’s been the attorney general since Craig Richards resigned in June.
  Before Gov. Bill Walker named
  
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• After open-heart surgery, Alaska babies try to lead ‘normal’ lives

  23-02-2017 08:21
  
  Hearing their 3-year-old son splashing in the pool is a harmonious sound to Adriana Fischer and Damon Hampel.
  “The pool was really a lifesaver for him,” says Fischer.
  Malachi Hampel was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which simply means he’s missing the left side of his heart.
  “The left ventricle is the workhorse of the heart,” his mom explained. “That’s the one really pumping and working hard for the rest of us. For Malachi, he’s only g
  
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• Efforts to fill $15-million budget gap mean big cuts in the Anchorage School District

  23-02-2017 06:12
  
  “We have trimmed any of the fat that was in our budget, but now we are cutting into bone.”
  Like each of her fellow board members, Anchorage School Board president Tam Agosti-Gisler voted on Tuesday to approve next year’s money-saving budget, which eliminates 123 full time jobs, including 99 teaching positions.
  “Fortunately, many of those teachers we won’t be pink-slipping due to attrition, teachers retiring and moving,” Agosti-Gisler said. “We simply won
  
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• Alaskans work out to end veteran suicide

  23-02-2017 05:15
  
  A special workout took place on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Wednesday in an effort to raise awareness for suicide and depression. On average, 22 of our nation’s veterans take their own lives every day, according to Mission 22.
  This workout, organized by 907 Crossfit, aims to get people together and put the issue out in the open.“We’re all here today because we care about out battle buddies,” says head coach Mark Nieto. “Some of us have been touched by veteran su
  
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• Stunning space discovery: 7 Earth-size planets found orbiting dwarf star

  23-02-2017 05:00
  
  Astronomers have discovered seven roughly Earth-size planets very close to a cool dwarf star some 39 light-years from Earth, including three orbiting in the star’s habitable zone where liquid water, a key ingredient for life as it’s known on Earth, could be present, researchers announced Wednesday.
  The record-setting star system is the first to feature three Earth analogues in the so-called “Goldilocks” zone of their parent star and the first to include seven such worlds
  
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• Alaska Weather Forecast – Feb. 22, 2017

  23-02-2017 04:51
  
  A blizzard warning was issued for St. Lawrence Island, and a winter storm watch is in effect tonight for parts of western Alaska, according to meteorologist Carlos Faura.
  Follow KTVA 11’s Weather Team on Facebook and Twitter. Got a weather-related photo or story idea? Email the team at [email protected].
  The post Alaska Weather Forecast – Feb. 22, 2017 appeared first on KTVA 11.
  
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• Food stamps and sweets: Should they be kept apart?

  23-02-2017 04:32
  
  The food-stamp program is credited with helping 44 million people in America afford groceries, providing what supporters say is a needed benefit for some of the country’s most vulnerable.
  Yet critics of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) say the anti-hunger program is easily abused, and the latest questions about the program are stirring a hornet’s nest of debate. One hot-button issue: Should food-stamp recipients be banned from buying soda and candy?
  House lawmaker
  
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• Are more teeth decaying since fluoridation in Juneau ended? Dentists seem to think so.

  23-02-2017 03:07 via ktoo.org
  
  
  (Creative Commons photo by Allan Foster)http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/02/170222FLUORIDE-WEB.mp3Earlier this year the Anchorage Assembly nixed a ballot initiative to cease fluoridating its water supply.
  Despite setbacks, activists there vow to keep the effort alive.
  Juneau grappled with the question over fluoridation a decade ago and people’s views remain the same today as they were 10 years ago.
  “We’re now in the United States at over 70 years of community water f
  
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• Ask a Climatologist: We know it’s bad in the Arctic, what about the Antarctic?

  23-02-2017 03:02 via ktoo.org
  
  (Graphic courtesy of National Snow and Ice Data Center)
  This week, we’re responding to a listener who asked whether it’s true that sea ice in Antarctic waters has been generally increasing, while Arctic sea ice has seen dramatic declines.
  “The short answer to the question is ‘yes,'” said climatologist Brian Brettschneider. “There’s been a trend in the last decade or so of increasing sea ice surrounding Antarctica. But from a climate point of view, that&r
  
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• Murkowski looks at Trump, sees resource development

  23-02-2017 03:01 via ktoo.org
  
  U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski speaks to a Joint Session of the Alaska Legislature, Feb. 22, 2017. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  Sen. Lisa Murkowski said it’s too early to judge the Trump presidency.
  She’s been skeptical of some of his actions, but in her annual address to the Alaska Legislature this morning, Murkowski presented the Trump administration as an opportunity for resource development.
  “Here’s the plan in this new administration, this new Congress: We’re going
  
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• Workforce Wednesday: Engineering in Alaska

  23-02-2017 02:11
  
  Alaska is home to dozens of engineering specialties, ranging from civil to mechanical, aerospace to ship building. If there’s a big infrastructure project, chances are there was an engineer involved.
  Engineers also make a broad salary, averaging anywhere from $46 to $73 per hour, according to Cassie Ostrander, a spokesperson for the Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium (APICC). She and Kristina Storlie joined the Daybreak crew to discuss engineering jobs in Alaska.
  Storlie used to wo
  
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• Public asked to help count Anchorage moose

  23-02-2017 01:54
  
  Biologists at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game need your help to count moose around the Anchorage Bowl.
  They haven’t been able to do their annual aerial surveys for the past few years because of bad weather and low snow. For the first time, the department is asking for the public’s help to track moose from the ground.
  The last aerial survey was in 2011 when biologists counted 1,540 moose.
  “Those numbers are getting a little bit old and we’re not sure how many m
  
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• Trump administration reverses Obama-era policies on transgender bathrooms

  23-02-2017 01:41
  
  President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday reversed Obama-era policies requiring that public schools allow transgender students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. It will now be up to states and school districts to interpret whether federal sex discrimination law applies to gender identity.
  A letter sent to schools nationwide Wednesday by the Justice and Education departments says the earlier directive caused confusion and lawsuits over how it should
  
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• Coast Guard awards polar icebreaker design study contracts

  23-02-2017 01:41
  
  The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, one of two polar icebreakers in the fleet.Courtesy: USCG
  The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded five fixed-price contracts for design studies and analysis of new heavy polar icebreakers.
  Coast Guard and Navy personnel will use the studies to refine heavy polar icebreaker specifications.
  “These contracts will provide invaluable data and insight as we seek to meet schedule and affordability objectives,” Rear Adm. Michael Haycock, the Coast Guard’s di
  
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• Running with the reindeer at Fur Rondy

  23-02-2017 01:03
  
  The Fur Rendezvous tradition, the Running of the Reindeer is entering its 10th year.  According to the event page, it’s a mellower version of running with the bulls in Pamploma, Spain, and pits person against reindeer.
  There are four different groups, or “herds,” people can join — one each for women and men, couples and tourists, according to Fur Rondy spokesman John McCleary. Billed as a crowd favorite, the Running of the Reindeer is a fundraiser for the U.S. M
  
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• Murkowski vows ‘no’ vote on repealing Medicaid expansion, defunding Planned Parenthood

  23-02-2017 00:45
  
  Sen. Lisa Murkowski address the Alaska Legislature Wednesday. (Liz Raines / KTVA) Sen. Lisa Murkowski shakes hands with Rep. Justin Parish of Juneau. (Liz Raines / KTVA)
  Sen. Lisa Murkowski addressed the Alaska Legislature for the seventh time Wednesday morning. It’s an annual speech that she and the rest of Alaska’s congressional delegation deliver to update members of the Legislature on work in Washington, D.C.Beyond laying out her priorities on energy and land management, Mu
  
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• Protesters leave Dakota Access Pipeline area; some stay and are arrested

  23-02-2017 00:44 via ktoo.org
  
  Snow falls on the Oceti Sakowin camp on Monday as structures smolder. (Photo by Angus Mordant for NPR)
  Local law enforcement officers are arresting people who chose not to evacuate federal land near part of the Dakota Access Pipeline north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
  The governor of North Dakota had set Wednesday as the evacuation deadline for the largest protest camp, which is on a flat area north of the Cannonball River. He cited flooding concerns.
  Protesters supporting members of
  
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