Anchorage news

• Iditarod trail photos: Kaltag

  12-03-2017 21:46
  
  (David Poyzer / KTVA) (David Poyzer / KTVA) (David Poyzer / KTVA) (David Poyzer / KTVA) (David Poyzer / KTVA) KTVA crew organizes gear after landing in Kaltag. (David Poyzer / KTVA) (David Poyzer / KTVA) (David Poyzer / KTVA) KTVA photojournalist John Thain and sports director Dave Goldman in Kaltag.(David Poyzer / KTVA) KTVA crew in Kaltag. (David Poyzer / KTVA) (David Poyzer / KTVA)
  Kaltag, a small village of about 170 people, is the final checkpoint on the Yukon River. Mitch Seavey pulled in
  
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• When is it OK not to treat cancer?

  12-03-2017 21:03
  
  The Hippocratic Oath advises doctors to first do no harm … words many doctors today are taking to heart when it comes to decisions about cancer treatment. Here’s Barry Petersen: 
  Lisa Mann was readying for a double mastectomy when she consulted Dr. Laura Esserman and heard two critical words.
  “Well, she said, ‘First of all, it’s highly treatable,’” Mann recalled.
  “Sometimes doing less is just as important as doing more,” Dr. Esserman ad
  
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• Paul Ryan says he ‘can’t answer’ how many will lose coverage under GOP health care plan

  12-03-2017 20:43
  
  As Republicans work to pitch their health care plan, House Speaker Paul Ryan said he can’t say how many people would lose coverage under the new legislation — and that it will be “up to people” to decide whether they want to purchase coverage.
  Asked in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” approximately how many people will lose coverage if the American Health Care Act is passed, Ryan replied: “I can’t answer that question. It’s up t
  
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• Fairbanks to implement harsher air quality regulations

  12-03-2017 20:41
  
  The Fairbanks North Star Borough is preparing to enforce more burn bans as part of stricter rules aimed at cleaning up the city’s heavily polluted air.
  The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the Borough Assembly voted to adopt the new regulations Thursday.
  The goal is to address problems with fine particulate, which is a mix of solid particles and liquid droplets that can be inhaled deep in the lungs. It causes premature death in people suffering heart and lung diseases and causes nonfatal
  
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• Catch him if you can: Mitch Seavey motoring to the finish line

  12-03-2017 20:25
  
  Sporting his bright red coat, he steams along like the Big Red Machine. Although that nickname is already reserved for the great Cincinnati Reds teams of the 1970s, Mitch Seavey also has that championship look. 
  “I guess it’s the diplomatic thing to say that anything can happen, but I’m pretty excited because I think I’m on my way to winning and I’m not ashamed to say it,” he said. 
  Those are words you don’t hear from someone who isn’t su
  
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• ID card, smoking bills among under-the-radar proposals

  12-03-2017 20:16
  
  With much of the attention this session on addressing Alaska’s multibillion-dollar budget, several bills that could affect residents or their businesses have flown a bit under the radar.
  One of them involves identification cards. Alaska has a law, passed in 2008, barring state agencies from spending money to help implement national proof-of-identity standards, known as Real ID. Some lawmakers saw the federal law as overreaching.
  If the state is not in compliance when its extension expires
  
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• Troopers: Wasilla pedestrian killed in vehicle collision

  12-03-2017 19:48
  
  A 26-year-old Wasilla woman died Saturday night after a vehicle struck her on Bogard Road, according to Alaska State Troopers.
  The crash was reported around 9:13 p.m., troopers wrote in a dispatch.
  According to troopers, a 45-year-old man was driving eastbound on Bogard Road near Merciful Circle when Marissa Atoruk “walked into his lane of travel and was hit.” She was taken to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, where medical personnel declared her dead.
  Atoruk’s next of kin have b
  
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• Wade Marrs leads out of halfway point of Alaska’s Iditarod

  12-03-2017 07:44 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Wade Marrs leads out of the halfway point of Alaska’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
  The 26-year-old veteran musher left Huslia at 7:05 p.m. Friday with 14 dogs.
  Current champ Dallas Seavey was 34 minutes behind him to take second place, after dropping one of his 14 dogs.
  Joar Leifseth Ulsom of Norway trailed the lead by two hours, followed by former champion Mitch Seavey.
  Peter Kaiser left Huslia at 3:49 a.m. Saturday in fifth place.
  A 2-year-old male dog on
  
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• Officials say Sitka Assembly unlikely to raise smoking age

  12-03-2017 07:44 via ktoo.org
  
  SITKA, Alaska (AP) — The smoking age in Sitka is unlikely to change, as officials say convincing Sitka Assembly members has been a struggle.
  The Daily Sitka Sentinel reports that city Health Needs and Human Services Commission Assembly Liaison Tristan Guevin told the commission Wednesday that Assembly members have been reluctant to back the commission’s goals.
  A motion supporting the commission’s health priorities — to raise the tobacco sale age to 21 and to add a tax on
  
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• Report: Alaska’s top federal prosecutor asked to resign

  12-03-2017 07:43 via ktoo.org
  
  FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that the U.S. attorney for the District of Alaska is among the 46 Obama-era federal prosecutors asked to resign by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
  Chloe Martin, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Alaska, told the News-Miner in an email Friday night that Karen Loeffler was asked to submit her resignation.
  Martin wrote: “Karen Loeffler, our U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska, was one of the rema
  
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• Walker asks lawmakers to extend opioid disaster declaration

  12-03-2017 07:42 via ktoo.org
  
  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Gov. Bill Walker has introduced legislation to keep in place the public health disaster declaration he issued in response to rampant opioid abuse in Alaska.
  The bill cites a state law limiting disaster emergency proclamations to 30 days unless extended by the Legislature. Walker signed his declaration Feb. 14. He is seeking a one-year extension.
  Walker has said the declaration would allow the state to provide standing medical orders allowing for broader distribution o
  
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• Italian band Soviet Soviet denied entry to the U.S., jailed and then deported

  12-03-2017 07:37 via ktoo.org
  
  The band Soviet Soviet. (Photo courtesy of the artist)
  Friday afternoon, the Italian trio Soviet Soviet posted a lengthy statement on Facebook explaining why it would not be keeping its U.S. tour dates this week and next: It had been deported.The band, which is based in the city of Pesaro, landed in Seattle on Wednesday afternoon. It was traveling under ESTA (also known as the Visa Waiver Program), which allows citizens of nearly 40 countries to travel to the United States without having to obta
  
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• Illinois congressman on why he supports the Republican health care plan

  12-03-2017 07:37 via ktoo.org
  
  Congressman Rodney Davis of Illinois supports the Republican Health Care Plan that’s making its way through the House. But he says that there will likely be hurdles before the bill becomes a law.
  LAKSHMI SINGH, HOST:
  We want to turn now to Congressman Rodney Davis. He is a Republican speaking to us from Decatur, Ill., and he is in favor of the bill being advanced by House Republicans. Congressman Davis, thanks so much for joining us.
  RODNEY DAVIS: Thanks for having me on.
  SINGH: So please
  
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• Eating more — or less — of 10 foods may cut risk of early death

  12-03-2017 07:37 via ktoo.org
  
  (Flickr photo byKjetil Ree )
  About half of all U.S. deaths from heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes are linked to poor diets, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
  And eating more — or less — of just 10 types of food can help raise or lower the risk of death from these causes.
  Scientists at Tufts University identified the foods that seem to contribute the most to the risk. At the top of the list? Salt. Consuming too much salt was
  
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• American Medical Association calls Republican health care plan ‘critically flawed’

  12-03-2017 07:37 via ktoo.org
  
  Dr. Andrew Gurman, president of the American Medical Association, explains the group’s opposition to the Republican Health Care Plan and the bill moving through the House of Representatives.
  LAKSHMI SINGH, HOST:
  Turning now to Congress. The Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare, has cleared two committees in the House of Representatives. But there’s plenty of opposition. The American Medical Association calls the health care proposal criticall
  
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• Iditarod 45 Race Blog: Mitch Seavey reaches Kaltag, Marrs close behind

  12-03-2017 05:00
  
  View the 2017 Iditarod Trail Map
   The post Iditarod 45 Race Blog: Mitch Seavey reaches Kaltag, Marrs close behind appeared first on KTVA 11.
  
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• Iditarod 45 Race Blog: Front of the pack races for the coast

  12-03-2017 05:00
  
  View the 2017 Iditarod Trail Map
   The post Iditarod 45 Race Blog: Front of the pack races for the coast appeared first on KTVA 11.
  
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• Alaska Weather Forecast – March 11, 2017

  12-03-2017 04:54
  
  Follow KTVA 11’s Weather Team on Facebook and Twitter. Got a weather-related photo or story idea? Email the team at [email protected] post Alaska Weather Forecast – March 11, 2017 appeared first on KTVA 11.
  
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• Huslia hospitality: Village aims to reclaim best checkpoint award

  12-03-2017 04:50
  
  It’s not just a tight race to Nome this year, but also a close competition for the Golden Clipboard Award.
  The village of Nulato won it for best checkpoint last year and Huslia the year before, when it was the village’s first time hosting. People in Huslia are doing everything they can to try to reclaim the prize.
  That’s why Ross Sam didn’t stray too far from his fires in front of the elders center.
  “I just keep it going, putting wood in there,” Sam said.
  
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• School waits for building updates 2 years after state cut purse strings

  12-03-2017 04:35 via ktoo.org
  
  A hallway in Mendenhall River Community School on Thursday, March 2, 2017. (Photo by Quinton Chandler/KTOO)
  Juneau School District is on a tight budget but still needs to keep up with everyday building needs at its individual schools.
  The district has to hold off on expensive updates because two years ago, the state stopped helping with school construction costs.
  Mendenhall River Community School is only one of the schools asking to get a remodel.
  The district replaced t
  
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• Musher suffers dog loss at Galena checkpoint

  12-03-2017 04:33 via ktoo.org
  
  The trail between Ruby and Galena (Photo by Ben Matheson/KNOM)
  A dog has died in this year’s Iditarod. It happened shortly before midnight at the Galena checkpoint.
  The dog was part of race veteran Seth Barnes’s team. Upon arriving at the checkpoint vets tried resuscitating the animal but to no avail.
  There is no official cause of death yet or official statement from the Iditarod Trail Committee. Typically a necropsy is performed on dogs that pass away during the
  
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• Facing harsh conditions Iditasport racers scratch, competition ends early

  12-03-2017 04:33 via ktoo.org
  
  An aerial view near the Alaska Range. (Photo by David Dodman/KNOM)
  While mushers along the Iditarod are enjoying good trail conditions, the same isn’t true for the Iditasport. The event bills itself as a “human powered ultramarathon,” where participants bicycle and walk the traditional Iditarod route. It ended prematurely when all the competitors scratched.
  The first Iditasport was in 1997, but it went defunct in the 2000s. This year, to commemorate the 20th anniversary, i
  
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• Iditarod snapshots: Welcome to Nulato

  12-03-2017 04:08
  
  Locals and volunteers in Nulato await the first mushersMegan Edge/KTVA Mitch Seavey coming into Nulato Megan Edge/KTVA Mitch Seavey arrives in NulatoMegan Edge/KTVA Mitch Seavey taking off from NulatoMegan Edge/ KTVA One of Mitch Seavey's dogs waiting to take off from NulatoMegan Edge/KTVA Megan Edge/ KTVA Megan Edge/KTVA Megan Edge/KTVA Megan Edge/KTVA Megan Edge/KTVA Megan Edge/KTVA
  Nulato welcomed every person like they were family. A seemingly endless supply of home cooked food — whic
  
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• Thousands of Alaskans unite against hunger at Empty Bowl Project

  12-03-2017 03:51
  
  An annual tradition of charity continued at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center Saturday. Thousands of people participated in the Empty Bowl Project, Bean’s Café’s biggest event of the year.
  Its executive director said the fundraiser is particularly important this year, as Alaska’s economic crisis is taxing local non-profit organizations.
  “It’s a great opportunity for the community to come together, raise awareness about how many hungry people we h
  
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• Animal control: Humans, stay out of drop-off kennels

  12-03-2017 03:36
  
  A recent incident at the Anchorage Animal Care and Control (AACC) facility has officials concerned the wrong kind of creature is going into the after-hours drop-off kennels: humans.
  A young man and his mother were recently looking for their lost dog and stopped by AACC, which had already closed for the day.
  “In their concern for their dog, the young man went inside one of our kennels, hoping to be able to see if his dog was in there and the door shut behind him,” explained Laura Atwo
  
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• Tribal members offer ways to address Bethel’s alcohol impact in other communities

  12-03-2017 03:26
  
  After more than a day talking about the impact Bethel alcohol sales were having on their villages, tribal members decided to write a letter to the City of Bethel, asking Bethel City Council members to pass a municipal law requiring Bethel liquor stores to only sell alcohol to customers with Bethel IDs.
  The Bethel AC Quickstop is one store selling alcohol in the area. Photo by Dean Swope / KYUK
  The tribal group also encouraged each Yukon Kuskokwim Delta village to create a safety plan to deal wit
  
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• An education like no other: An Iditarod rookie’s journey from a classroom to the trail

  12-03-2017 02:21
  
  How do you get from the classroom to the Iditarod trail? Laura Neese knows the way.
  She got her first taste of this way of life when she was 9. In Ohio, she followed the race for a grade school project. Eleven years later, she’s working with Ed Stielstra’s family and kennel and has found her calling. 
  “It has been delightful,” she said of the experience.
  At 20, she’s not only a rookie, but is also the youngest musher of the 71 entrants. And having completed the
  
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• Impromptu ‘flea market’ comes to the Iditarod

  12-03-2017 02:03
  
  There are credit cards, cash, checks and even IOUs. But out on the Iditarod trail, sometimes a little throwback commerce works. While on a rest in Ruby, mushers Dave Branholm and Melissa Stewart looked more like contestants on “Let’s Make a Deal” than mushers. 
  Branholm was offering up dog booties to Stewart for some extra dog food. 
  “They’re eating like alligators,” he said.
  All Stewart wants to know is which booties she’s getting.
  &ldquo
  
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• New year, new opportunity for Nulato in Iditarod

  12-03-2017 01:48
  
  Last year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race still casts a dark shadow, but Nulato is getting out from under it.
  Larry Esmailka says it’s about time.   
  “There’s a new year and we’ll deal with it,” he said. 
  Now in his 28th year ensuring the Last Great Race has an easy transition on the way to Nome, Esmailka handles the check-in duties for arriving mushers. But he does more than sign in teams. He makes the operation run and keeps everyone well
  
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• Jeff King guided by the sun

  12-03-2017 00:00
  
  Jeff King during his stop in HusliaMegan Edge/ KTVA
  Jeff King says he’s “famous” for losing his stuff. This year, he’s already lost his watch.
  “I need one surgically implanted,” King said as he prepared his team to depart Huslia Saturday morning.
  Trail time, Iditarod time and village time seem to run off of different clocks than those used in the rest of the world. For mushers being pulled through Alaska’s frozen terrain, facing the effects of sleep dep
  
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