Anchorage news

• Have you seen this seal? Unalaska responders search for stranded marine mammal

  28-02-2017 23:32 via ktoo.org
  
  Have You Seen This Seal? Unalaska Responders Search For Stranded Marine Mammal (Photo by Melissa Good)
  A search is underway for a young ring seal that came ashore Sunday in Unalaska.
  The stranded marine mammal was first spotted near the Kloosterboer facility at the Port of Dutch Harbor, but Melissa Good said it made its way to the Alyeska seafood plant before disappearing back into the water Monday night.
  “We’re not sure if it’s sick or injured, but it’s definitely not ac
  
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• State to hold meetings on evaluation process for controversial water protections

  28-02-2017 23:20 via ktoo.org
  
  Four Alaska communities from Haines to Bristol Bay have applied for high-level water body protections.
  The Outstanding National Resource Water, also known as Tier 3, nominations have been in limbo for a few years. That’s because the state is still figuring out what evaluation process to use.
  A series of public meetings in March aim to gather input on that question.
  Last year, Outstanding Resource protection was one of the most hotly debated topics in Haines.
  “Why classify something,
  
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• Newscast – Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017

  28-02-2017 22:54 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/02/2017-02-28-newscast.mp3In this newscast:
  A Jewish center in Anchorage and around the country are hit with bomb threats,
  street improvements are underway on South Franklin Street in Juneau, and
  the FCC approves 100 percent foreign ownership of KINY’s parent company.
  
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• Tribe’s Herring Committee drafts proposals to protect subsistence

  28-02-2017 22:47 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Herring caught during the 2014 Sitka Sound sac roe fishery. A recent study suggests that managers should take a longer view when managing fisheries like this one. (Photo by Rachel Waldholz/KCAW)
  The Sitka Tribe of Alaska wants to see more protection for subsistence harvesters when herring season begins next month.
  The Tribe’s Herring Committee is recommending a pair of proposals to reserve more areas for subsistence and to cut the commercial harvest by half.http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-2
  
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• Fairbanks police officer won’t be charged for fatal summer shooting

  28-02-2017 22:11 via ktoo.org
  
  
  A Fairbanks police officer will not be charged for fatally shooting a man last summer.
  Fairbanks Police Chief Eric Jewkes said Friday that, while the shooting was regrettable, the findings of an Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions investigation of the downtown shooting of James Robert Richards Jr. found that police Sgt. Gregory Foster took reasonable actions.
  http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20170227-02.mp3Jewkes punctuated his briefing by playing a pair of videos of officers resp
  
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• ‘I Am Inuit’ goes from Instagram to Anchorage Museum

  28-02-2017 21:53 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Photographer Brian Adams stands before a few of the 50 images featured in the Anchorage Museum’s exhibition for his “I Am Inuit” project. (Photo by Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media)
  Who lives in the Arctic? And what are their stories?
  Those are questions posed by a new photography exhibit more than a year in the making. The “I Am Inuit” show is a body of images from artist Brian Adams that premiered last week at the Anchorage Museum.
  The project has built an aud
  
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• House Resouces hears from United Tribes of Bristol Bay about Pebble

  28-02-2017 21:24 via ktoo.org
  
  The proposed Pebble Mine site looking northwest. (Photo by Jason Sear/ KDLG)
  The United Tribes of Bristol Bay was invited to testify Monday before the Alaska House Resources Committee in Juneau.
  At issue was United Tribes’ allegation that Pebble has left a mess from exploration work at their mining claims northwest of Iliamna.https://cpa.ds.npr.org/kdlg/audio/2017/02/utbb_at_house_resources_pkg.mp3Anchorage Democrat Andy Josephson invited UTBB to share findings of their 2016 report to the
  
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• Racist assault at a child’s birthday party yields long prison terms in Georgia

  28-02-2017 20:58 via ktoo.org
  
  A Georgia judge has sentenced Kayla Norton, 25, and Jose “Joe” Torres, 26, to spend a combined 19 years in prison for their role in a group’s racist rampage at an 8-year-old’s birthday party — an assault that included shouting racial slurs, making armed threats and waving Confederate battle flags.
  “I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Norton told the family that endured the assault, weeping in the courtroom at Monday’s sentencing. “I am
  
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• President Trump grades his first month in office

  28-02-2017 20:58
  
  MGN
  As President Donald Trump prepares to deliver an address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night on his goals for the year, the new president thinks he’s done pretty well so far.
  In an interview with Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” Tuesday morning, Mr. Trump said he would give himself an “A plus” for effort, an “A” for achievement — though he conceded that he would grade himself lower on messaging, giving himself a “C or
  
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• What 4 voters want to hear from President Trump in his address

  28-02-2017 20:39 via ktoo.org
  
  Brian and Jennifer Barfield met while searching for work. They voted for President Trump, though don’t entirely agree on how well his first month in office has gone. (Photo by Tamara Keith/NPR)
  When 2011 began, the worst recession in two generations was technically over, but Annica Trotter, Ray Meyer, and Jennifer and Brian Barfield were unemployed and searching for work. Six years later, their experience demonstrates life doesn’t just snap back to normal after a job loss. Their econ
  
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• Mushing Mortician pulls out of Iditarod, cites health problems

  28-02-2017 20:38
  
  A second well-known Alaska musher has pulled out of the Iditarod in the final days before the historic race is scheduled to begin. In a post on Scott Janssen’s professional Facebook page, the Mushing Mortician said he had unforeseen medical issues, and was advised by a doctor to sit this year’s race out.
  “I’ve had a series of tests but without time to get results and meds or procedures done prior to the start I would be a fool to not take my doctors advice! Iditarod is ev
  
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• Trump’s budget entails steep cuts for diplomacy, foreign aid

  28-02-2017 18:45
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. officials say the Trump administration is proposing deep cuts in spending for diplomacy and foreign aid programs to help pay for increased military spending.
  Officials familiar with the proposal say it calls for slashing 37 percent of the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development budgets. Development assistance would take the biggest hit. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the spendi
  
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• Watch President Trump address Congress live at 5 p.m. Tuesday

  28-02-2017 09:59 via ktoo.org
  
  President Donald Trump delivers remarks to employees of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 25, 2017. (Public domain photo by Jetta Disco/Department of Homeland Security)
  President Donald Trump will address a joint session of U.S. Congress at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Trump will address the House and Senate, members his Cabinet and the Supreme Court.
  You can listen to coverage here on KTOO and over the air.
  The address comes a day after Trump gave an ou
  
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• Watch President Trump address Congress live at 5 p.m. today

  28-02-2017 09:59 via ktoo.org
  
  President Donald Trump delivers remarks to employees of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 25, 2017. (Public domain photo by Jetta Disco/Department of Homeland Security)
  President Donald Trump will address a joint session of U.S. Congress at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Trump will address the House and Senate, members his Cabinet and the Supreme Court.
  You can listen to coverage here on KTOO and over the air.
  The address comes a day after Trump gave an ou
  
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• Watch President Trump address Congress live

  28-02-2017 09:59 via ktoo.org
  
  President Donald Trump delivers remarks to employees of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 25, 2017. (Public domain photo by Jetta Disco/Department of Homeland Security)
  President Donald Trump will address a joint session of U.S. Congress at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Trump will address the House and Senate, members his Cabinet and the Supreme Court.
  You can listen to coverage here on KTOO and over the air.
  The address comes a day after Trump gave an o
  
  Read more

• Watch President Trump address Congress

  28-02-2017 09:59 via ktoo.org
  
  President Donald Trump delivers remarks to employees of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 25, 2017. (Public domain photo by Jetta Disco/Department of Homeland Security)
  President Donald Trump will address a joint session of U.S. Congress at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Trump will address the House and Senate, members his Cabinet and the Supreme Court.
  You can listen to coverage here on KTOO and over the air.
  The address comes a day after Trump gave an o
  
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• Local coach laments the pending loss of the Alaska Aces

  28-02-2017 08:42
  
  It’s been difficult for a lot of folks in Alaska to take—the Alaska Aces will be no more after ownership said last week the team is no longer economically viable. But no one has a connection to the team like current Dimond High School head coach Dennis Sorenson. How could they? He started the team, though not in its current form. 
  In 1989, following an All-American career at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Sorenson, Bryan Craft and Cory Wright found
  
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• Alaska House pulls per diem cuts off the table days after proposal made

  28-02-2017 08:00
  
  Lawmakers last week proposed a 75-percent cut to their own per diem, but by Monday afternoon, the proposal was taken off the table in a House Finance Committee meeting.
  Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, committee co-chair, pulled the proposed amendment from consideration. Not one committee member, Republican or Democrat, objected.
  Seaton cited Alaska law, which states that the Legislative Council, the Legislature’s own governing body, should set per diem policy.
  “There was nothing that came
  
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• Looking back: The unforgettable moments of Iditarod 2016

  28-02-2017 07:53
  
  As we get set for the 45th running of the Last Great Race, let’s rewind to last year. It had everything: drama, great competition and sadly, tragedy. 
  The post Looking back: The unforgettable moments of Iditarod 2016 appeared first on KTVA 11.
  
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• Eaglecrest Ski Area proposes beer and wine sales

  28-02-2017 07:38 via ktoo.org
  
  An après-ski drink and a filet of salmon prepped for barbecue sit on a truck tailgate in the ski area’s parking lot on Dec. 13, 2015. The Eaglecrest board wants to license alcohol sales and earn a share of the revenue. (Photo courtesy Sarah Cannard)
  The Eaglecrest Ski Area’s outgoing manager made a pitch to the Juneau Assembly to allow alcohol sales at the public ski area.
  “It adds to the community feel of the ski area,” Matt Lillard said in an interview after
  
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• Coping with crisis: Training aims to help first responders provide emotional support during trauma

  28-02-2017 07:38
  
  Police officers and firefighters are usually the first to respond to a traumatic event, but chaplains aren’t far behind to lend emotional support to the people involved.
  Chaplains say the deadly fire at the Royal Suite Lodge shows how important it is for people to have an outlet to share their stories. The morning of the fire, people who lived in the complex told harrowing accounts of neighbors jumping from the second and third stories trying to escape the flames.
  “Particularly
  
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• Anchorage Jewish center evacuated following bomb threat

  28-02-2017 07:15
  
  A Jewish community center in Anchorage was evacuated Monday afternoon after receiving a bomb threat.
  Rabbi Yosef Greenberg with the Lubavitch Jewish Center of Alaska, which is located on the Alaska Jewish Campus on East 35th Avenue, said the evacuation occurred around 4 p.m. Greenberg explained that when the call came in, the caller ID showed a number that appeared to be coming from inside the building. He said a recorded message played, saying there was a bomb in the building and everyone
  
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• Jewish centers cope with bomb threats, officials plan headstone repairs

  28-02-2017 06:59
  
  Jewish centers and schools across the nation coped with another wave of bomb threats Monday as officials in Philadelphia made plans to repair and restore hundreds of vandalized headstones at a Jewish cemetery.
  Jewish Community Centers and day schools in at least a dozen states received threats, according to the JCC Association of North America. No bombs were found. All 21 buildings — 13 community centers and eight schools — were cleared by Monday afternoon and had resumed normal oper
  
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• Seattle hospital confirms 3rd death in Royal Suite Lodge fire

  28-02-2017 06:33
  
  Another victim of the Royal Suite Lodge fire has died, according to a Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman.
  Susan Gregg, the director of media relations for the Seattle hospital, confirmed Laura Kramer died Friday night. Gregg said Kramer was being treated in the hospital’s burn unit after she was flown there following the fatal fire on Feb. 15.
  Kramer is now one of three victims to die as a result of the fire, which is being investigated as an arson, according to fire officials. The fire
  
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• Alaska Weather Forecast – Feb. 27, 2017

  28-02-2017 04:48
  
  After several days of high temperatures in the 20s and 30s, much colder air will move from north to south across the state. Clouds are clearing over Southcentral and temperatures will drop to the single digits in the Valley and western Kenai Peninsula, and teens in the Anchorage Bowl tonight. We’ll also see strong north winds developing overnight.
  Anchorage should be prepared for wind gusts of up to 30 mph tonight and tomorrow. That will drop wind chill values to around 25 below zero in th
  
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• Title IX investigation brings many University of Alaska failings to light

  28-02-2017 04:42 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The University of Alaska Southeast on Aug. 19, 2013. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/02/24OCR.mp3The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said in a letter that the University of Alaska System badly failed students and staff who were sexually harassed and assaulted.
  OCR began a Title IX investigation of the university system three years ago. The investigation focused on cases from 2011 to 2015. Title IX is the federal law that outl
  
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• New early head start facility opening in East Anchorage

  28-02-2017 04:28
  
  There’s a new early head start center opening on the east side on Anchorage. You’ll find it in the former Kogi restaurant on Northway Drive.
  The building used to serve hungry diners, but starting on March 6 it will start serving the hungry minds of local preschoolers.
  MaryEllen Fritz, the director of the new Clare Swan Early Head Start Center, says the facility is designed to support income-eligible Alaska Native and Native American families.
  “Our tuition is $895 a mo
  
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• Assembly member pushes for Turnagain Arm police service area through special election

  28-02-2017 04:26
  
  Alaska State Troopers will stop regularly working in Turnagain Arm communities on May 1. While some people in the area do not view that as a problem, others are scrambling to find a solution.
  Anchorage Assembly member John Weddleton is hoping people who live in communities between McHugh Creek and Portage will be able to vote on whether to have a new police service area. Weddleton is proposing a special election on April 4 — the same day as the regular municipal election — to allow p
  
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• Lawmakers split on Health and Social Services budget changes

  28-02-2017 04:05 via ktoo.org
  
  Rep. Les Gara addresses the Alaska House of Representatives in 2015. He supported transferring funds on Monday to pay for more social workers in the Office of Children’s Services. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  Differences between lawmakers are emerging on how deeply to cut the state budget.
  For example, the House Finance Committee discussed the $1.06 billion the state spends on the Department of Health and Social Services, recommending $21 million in cuts from last year’s
  
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• Troopers: Fairbanks man killed in Parks Highway crash, 2 others injured

  28-02-2017 02:40
  
  A two-vehicle collision killed a Fairbanks man and seriously injured two other people Sunday night, Alaska State Troopers report.
  In an online dispatch, trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters stated the Palmer Police Department contacted AST about a collision at mile 150 of the Parks Highway around 9:25 p.m.
  “The original call stated that there were injuries and one individual was unconscious,” Peters wrote.
  Emergency personnel responded from Talkeetna, Trapper Creek and Meadow L
  
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• Snow advisory stalls downtown Juneau street work

  28-02-2017 02:25 via ktoo.org
  
  The first phase of downtown street improvements will be along South Franklin Street. (Courtesy City & Borough of Juneau)
  Street improvements to South Franklin Street in downtown Juneau began Monday morning, though a winter weather advisory has led the city to temporarily suspend work.
  The National Weather Service is forecasting 3 to 6 inches of snow overnight into Tuesday.
  The city’s project manager Lori Sowa said planners knew weather would be a factor.
  “February is not the idea
  
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• Homer City Council considers resolution to be ‘safety net’ in changing political climate

  28-02-2017 02:25
  
  The small city of Homer may soon join the ranks of cities throughout the U.S. making a formal stand against recent changes to refugee and immigration policies and the changing political climate.
  At its regular meeting on Monday, Feb. 27, the Homer City Council will introduce a resolution stating its opposition to actions targeting specific minority groups based on their religion, cultural or racial heritage and sexual identity or orientation, aiming instead to be “a safety net for the most
  
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• New taxi business would provide wheelchair cabs in Ketchikan

  28-02-2017 02:23 via ktoo.org
  
  A proposed new taxi company has applied for a certificate from the City of Ketchikan to operate up to six cabs, with at least half the fleet wheelchair accessible.
  According to its application, filed Feb. 22 with the City Clerk’s office, Spirit Cab’s primary business goal is to provide accessible transportation to people with disabilities. The company also would accept Medicaid vouchers from people who need transportation for medical services.
  The application letter states that all S
  
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• Condemned mobile home burns near downtown Petersburg

  28-02-2017 02:18 via ktoo.org
  
  A condemned trailer home on Lumber Street near downtown Petersburg caught fire Monday morning.
  The blaze was not part of the planned demolition of the structure.
  Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department spokesman Dave Berg said the call came in just after 6 a.m. Monday for a trailer at 11 Lumber Street.
  “When we got on scene we found that the trailer had vented,” Berg said. “There was fire coming out the roof and out one side. We got a couple of hose lines on it. It was pretty
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 2-28-17

  28-02-2017 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Tuesday at 3 on A Juneau Afternoon,We’ll talk with William Todd Hunt about the Orpheus Project’s production of West Side Story;Lori Sowa will be here to talk about the upcoming construction downtown;We’ll get details about CBJ plans with Pederson Hill with Greg Chaney;Cherry Ecklund will be here to talk about Read Across AmericaAt 4, tune in to KTOO for All Things Considered, followed at 5 by President Trump’s address before Congress, At 7, it’s Alaska News Nightly,
  
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• Juneau to review new affordable housing project

  28-02-2017 00:55
  
  Juneau officials are considering a plan to construct dozens of affordable homes to help meet the demand for single-family housing in the city.
  The Juneau Empire reports that the city’s Planning Commission is set to review the proposed Pederson Hill Subdivision on Tuesday.
  Officials say the project would contain 86 residential lots designed to attract young families and retirees.
  Chief Housing Officer Scott Ciambor says in a news release the demand for single-family housing in Juneau is ver
  
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• Alaska Senate leader: Passing a permanent fund bill critical

  28-02-2017 00:43
  
  The majority leader of the Alaska Senate says he will consider this session a success if lawmakers pass the state operating and infrastructure budgets and a bill that allows for structured draws from Alaska’s oil-wealth fund.
  Republican Sen. Peter Micciche told reporters Monday that when you add “extreme cuts” or broad-based taxes to the mix, you begin to “politically complicate” matters.
  He says the one measure to address the deficit that must pass this year involv
  
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