Anchorage news

• Teacher of the Week: Wendy Barnes

  29-03-2017 23:31
  
  Wendy Barnes learned as a teenager that you should never take anything for granted. When she was 18 years old, she taught sick kids at a hospital in Chernobyl. She said the experience was an eye opener.
  Years later, as a kindergarten teacher at Tyson Elementary, that lesson still holds true.
  “You have no idea what last year was like for them. You know, we take for granted our food our daily living,” explained Barnes.
  Tyson Elementary is a Title 1 school, and includes students, some r
  
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• Quintillion set to deliver high-speed internet service to Alaska’s North Slope

  29-03-2017 23:29
  
  In a few weeks, a privately-funded Anchorage-based company called Quintillion will turn on its fiber optic service for the Prudhoe Bay and Deadhorse areas. But for the rest of its Alaska land sites, including Nome, service won’t be available until an undetermined date later this year, according to a report from KNOM Mission Radio.
  Updated map for three-phase Quintillion fiber optic cable project. (Photo courtesy of Kristina Woolston, VP of external relations for Quintillion.)
  Kristina Wool
  
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• Good Samaritans help driver following Glenn Hwy rollover

  29-03-2017 22:57
  
  Traffic moved slowly along the inbound Glenn Highway Wednesday morning following significant overnight snowfall.
  Many parts of the Anchorage area have received 5 to 8 inches of spring snow overnight into Wednesday morning. As of 12 p.m., snow was still coming down across much of the area.
  One driver, heading into Anchorage on the Glenn Highway Wednesday, veered off the road and overturned just before the D Street overpass near Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson shortly before 10 a.m.
  The drive
  
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• Kake resident remembers ’64 earthquake as state recognizes disaster saftety

  29-03-2017 22:40 via ktoo.org
  
  
  (Photo by Annie Ropeik/KUCB)
  It’s Tsunami Preparedness Week in Alaska this week. On Wednesday morning (March 29) a tsunami warning test message was broadcasted over radios and TVs in at-risk communities across the state. The drill takes place once a year, and one village in Southeast has not forgotten the importance of being ready when disaster strikes.http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20170328-07.mp3Marvin Kadake remembers Mar. 27, 1964 like it was yesterday.
  “I tell you, it was s
  
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• Workforce Wednesday: Becoming a power dispatcher

  29-03-2017 22:22
  
  Power dispatchers are the people who help keep the lights on for Alaskans from Anchorage to Cooper Landing. According to Mike Miller, a power dispatcher with Chugach Electric Association, they even forecast energy usage for customers during special events like the Super Bowl. A power dispatcher makes sure there is a stable power grid so those Alaskans can reliably get electricity. Miller said in the event of an outage, a dispatcher will coordinate with crews working in the field so power can be
  
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• The weird, wonderful world of Nome after Iditarod

  29-03-2017 22:22 via ktoo.org
  
  
  An MC at the Make Your Own Bikini contest at Nome’s Polar Bar, announcing the year’s winner and runner up (Photo – Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media)
  Nome turns into a bit of a carnival when the Iditarod winner mushes into town. For nearly a week, racers continue arriving before the banquet that officially concludes each year’s Iditarod. For some, that means days of free time. And plenty of fun, strange events to fill it.
  http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20170324-06.mp3
  
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• Calls Mount For Ban On ‘Cyanide Bombs’ After Death Of Family Pet

  29-03-2017 22:15 via ktoo.org
  
  Canyon Mansfield and his dog were walking the ridge line near his house in Pocatello, Idaho, when the 14-year-old spotted a curious device that looked like a sprinkler nestled in the ground.
  When he reached down to inspect it, the device detonated, erupting with a “loud popping noise that knocked Canyon off his feet” and dowsed his face and clothes with an “orange, powdery substance,” The Idaho State Journal reports.
  After cleaning himself off, Mansfield turned to his dog
  
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• Petersburg residents ask tough questions on Mental Health land exchange

  29-03-2017 22:02 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The Alaska Mental Health Trust owns land on the hillside south of Petersburg, near the top right of this photo. (KFSK file photo)
  Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office representatives faced some tough questions about a proposed land exchange between the Trust and the U.S. Forest Service in Petersburg last week. The Mental Health Trust Authority owns lands in Petersburg it wants to swap for Tongass National Forest acreage elsewhere in the region. Resulting timber sales would raise money for the
  
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• Alaskan authors take on science fiction in “Shadow Run”

  29-03-2017 22:02
  
  Palmer, Alaska authors AdriAnne Strickland and Michael Miller’s first book, “Shadow Run,” has been well received since it released March 21. On the book’s Amazon page Lindsay Cummings, who co-wrote“Zenith,” called it an “explosive debut.”
  According to Strickland, “Shadow Run” is a science fiction novel that follows the adventure of Qole and Nev. Qole is a young starship captain of the Kaitan Heritage who can harvest
  
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• Popular program puts STEM in kids’ hands

  29-03-2017 21:54 via ktoo.org
  
  ANSEP Academy students have to wear masks and gloves when operating the heat lamps and using the various materials. (Photo by Wesley Early, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage)
  Dozens of middle school students are in Anchorage from the  Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District for hands-on learning at the Alaska Native Science and Engineering program (ANSEP). The program is designed to spark an early interest in science, technology, engineering and math, subjects that ANSEP staff say are
  
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• Ask a Climatologist: Arctic sea ice drives climate around the globe

  29-03-2017 21:08 via ktoo.org
  
  Ice floes float in Baffin Bay between Canada and Greenland above the Arctic circle on July 10, 2008. (Photo by Jonathan Hayward, Canadian Press.)
  Arctic sea ice extent hit a new record low in March for the third year in a row. That sea ice, or lack of it, drives climate patterns around the globe.
  But how?
  We put that question to Brian Brettschneider for the segment, Ask a Climatologist.
  He says it’s all about energy. Sea ice reflects most of the sun’s energy back into space. Less sea
  
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• Gov. Walker supports credit score insurance bill he vetoed last year

  29-03-2017 21:03 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Alaska governor Bill Walker is supporting legislation allowing the use of credit scores to determine personal insurance rates, except in the case of health insurance. Walker vetoed this legislation last year, saying it did not adequately protect consumers.
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/03/28CREDITSCORE.mp3Lori Wing-Heier, director of Alaska’s Division of Insurance, explained how incorporating credit information could affect consumers in the bill’s first hearin
  
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• Gang graffiti grows in east Anchorage, former APD officer weighs in on solutions

  29-03-2017 19:23
  
  An east Anchorage neighborhood near Russian Jack Springs Park is plagued with gang-related graffiti. Spray-painted symbols and words related to the Crips, Bloods and other gangs line a number of fences near the intersection of Reka Drive and Bragaw Street.
  “Graffiti is the first sign that you’ve got an issue in your neighborhood,” said Scott Lofthouse, a retired Anchorage police officer who worked closely with the special assignments unit, which is now defunct but was partially
  
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• Spring snow falls in Southcentral Alaska

  29-03-2017 19:15
  
  A late season snowstorm has brought accumulating snow to Southcentral. Anchorage picked up 1.3 inches of snow on Tuesday — the first measurable precipitation since late-February. An additional 4.7 inches fell from midnight through 7 a.m., Wednesday at the National Weather Service office in Sand Lake. This brings the season total up to more than 78 inches, with that number expected to grow by the end of the day.
  Other areas of the bowl received more, with unofficial reports of up to 7 inche
  
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• First lady helps present courage awards to 13 women

  29-03-2017 18:46
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) – Melania Trump is helping present courage awards to 13 women from around the world.
  The first lady and top State Department official Thomas Shannon are presenting the awards in Washington.
  Mrs. Trump says the women are “true heroes” and “extraordinary examples” of finding the courage needed to help change the world.
  The Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award recognizes women who have shown courage and leadership while advoca
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 3-29-17

  29-03-2017 17:47 via ktoo.org
  
  Wednesday at 3 on A Juneau Afternoon,We’ll learn about Integrated Pre-School opportunities;Collette Costa will be here to highlight a selection of films by the late Lisle Hebert;
  Chris Giannoti will be here to talk about a Boy Scout Food Drive;
  And we’ll get an update from our friends at Eaglecrest.
  That, Writer’s Almanac, Bird Note, music and more, today on A Juneau Afternoon, live at 3 on KTOO-News, repeated at 4 on KRNN, and available on demand on-line at ktoo.org
  
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• Spring snow storm closes Anchorage schools

  29-03-2017 16:45
  
  Last updated at 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday, March 29
  The Anchorage School District closed schools Wednesday because of poor road conditions, following an overnight snow storm. District spokesperson Heidi Embley said after school events were cancelled, as well.
  This is the first snow day of the current school year, she noted.
  “And probably (the) first actual ‘snow’ day in years,” Embley wrote in an email. “Usually it’s ice days.”
  In a winter weather advisory
  
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• “Groundbreaking” technology restores movement in paralyzed man

  29-03-2017 06:42
  
  For the first time, a paralyzed man has regained functional arm movement and is able to feed himself using his own hand as a result of new technology that reconnects his brain with his muscles.
  Bill Kochevar, now 53, suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a bicycle accident eight years ago that left him completely paralyzed from the shoulders down.Scientists at Case Western Reserve University used an implanted neuro-prosthesis that decodes brain signals and transmits them to sensors in the
  
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• Dimond Lynx cap off magical season

  29-03-2017 06:37
  
  The Dimond High School Lynx had one of those years: nine seniors will ride off with a 4A state title.
  Head coach Brad Lauwers and three of those seniors stopped by KTVA on Tuesday to sit down with Dave Goldman to discuss the championship run.
  Follow KTVA 11 Sports on Facebook and Twitter. Did you catch a local game or have a sports-related story? Share scores, photos and more here.
  The post Dimond Lynx cap off magical season appeared first on KTVA 11.
  
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• House votes to block Obama-era online privacy rules

  29-03-2017 06:25
  
  The House has voted to block online privacy regulations issued during the final months of the Obama administration.
  It’s the first step toward allowing internet providers such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon to sell the browsing habits of their customers.
  The Federal Communications Commission rule was designed to give consumers greater control over how internet service providers share information. But critics say the rule adds costs, stifles innovation and picks winners and losers among i
  
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• Alaska Department of Corrections denies reports of Douglas expansion

  29-03-2017 06:21 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Alaska Department of Corrections houses administrative staff in the state’s Douglas Island Building, which recently underwent extensive renovation. (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News)
  Alaska Department of Corrections officials say Senate Bill 91 mandates expanded supervision of parolees who would otherwise be incarcerated. Rumors that a downtown Douglas office building could be the future processing facility has a neighborhood association alarmed and a state lawmaker demanding a
  
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• Some Juneau property values will increase, city officials say

  29-03-2017 05:24
  
  About 60 percent of homeowners in Juneau will see the value of their homes increase, according to city officials.
  The City and Borough of Juneau’s assessor office mailed out property value notices Tuesday, an annual requirement under state law. The city has more than 12,600 taxable properties across more than 20 geographic neighborhoods.
  Many residential neighborhoods have homes whose values increased between 1 to 10 percent, while some neighborhoods received no increase. Tw
  
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• State and local lawmakers call for more transparency on health care costs

  29-03-2017 04:57
  
  The price of health care in Alaska is higher than anywhere else in the nation. With national reform on the back burner, state lawmakers in Juneau are joining with the Anchorage Assembly in demanding more transparency from health care providers.
  Both local and state officials want to put a price tag on procedures. Last month, the Assembly passed an ordinance that requires health care providers to give patients an estimate on the cost of services. House Bill 123 takes that effort a step
  
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• Anchorage School District wants voters to say yes to bond package

  29-03-2017 04:50
  
  The Anchorage School District is hoping the second time’s a charm when it comes to approving school bonds in the upcoming April election. Voters narrowly defeated the district’s bond package last year.Mike Nero, the director of capital planning and construction for the district, said the $58.5 million bond proposal will pay for roof replacements at eight schools and new ventilation systems at three schools. Nero said the district has tried to put Band-Aids on serious maintenance proj
  
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• Juneau Afternoon–3-28-2017

  29-03-2017 03:38 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Tuesday on A Juneau Afternoon, Scott Burton hosts:
  We’ll get an update on the Juneau Community Band;
  We’ll hear about this Friday’s ACLU Citizen Activist workshop;
  Michelle Ridgeway, Beth Weigel, and Collette Costa will preview the Science on Screen event;
  And we’ll check in with the Juneau School District.
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/03/Juneau-PM-3-28-17.mp3
  
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• Lawmakers eye lower health care cost as way of lowering budget

  29-03-2017 03:33 via ktoo.org
  
  Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, during Senate debate. Micciche expects the state will be able to save money on health care costs. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  The amount Alaska’s state government spends on health care is one of the biggest drivers of state spending. That’s why the legislature is looking at ways to reduce health care costs.
  Alaska provides health care for a lot of different groups. There’s Medicaid, but there’s also state workers, retired state workers
  
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• Newscast- March 28, 2017

  29-03-2017 03:13 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/03/KXLL-NEWS-032817.mp3In this newscast:
  There was a power outage over the weekend at Eaglecrest Ski Area.
  Hilcorp has reduced the amount of natural gas flowing into Cook Inlet.
  President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at reversing his predecessor’s plan to reduce carbon emissions and creating jobs.
  A Russian billionaire said he’s willing to take part in U.S. Congressional hearings regarding President Trump’s campaign ti
  
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• Hello spring? Anchorage may get 5 to 9 inches of snow overnight

  29-03-2017 02:41
  
  The National Weather Service says Anchorage residents should expect between 5 and 9 inches of wet snow through Wednesday morning.
  The NWS issued a winter weather advisory that will be in effect from 10 p.m. Tuesday to 10 a.m. Wednesday.
  Watch the entire KTVA Weather forecast at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
  “Periods of snow will continue through this evening before becoming steadier and increasing in intensity by late evening,” the alert stated. “The most intense snowfall in expected to occ
  
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• KTVA Weather Lab: Aquarian Charter School

  29-03-2017 01:56
  
  In this week’s KTVA Weather Lab, I visited Aquarian Charter School in Anchorage, where the second and third graders in Ms. Sarah and Ms. Stacy’s classes have been tracking the weather all year.
  I also answered the question of the week: What do meteorologists do on an average day?
  Every Tuesday, Melissa Frey will take the KTVA Weather Lab to a classroom in our community. If you have a weather question for Melissa or would like her to visit your classroom, she can be reached
  
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• Multiple agencies searching for missing seal hunter in Western Alaska

  29-03-2017 01:38
  
  Multiple agencies and search and rescue groups are working together to find a Newtok seal hunter who was reported overdue Monday morning.
  Alaska State Troopers received word that 59-year-old Tom John was overdue around 11:45 a.m., more than 24 hours after he left the village of Newtok to hunt for seals, according to an online dispatch. At some point Monday, troopers reached out to the Rescue Coordination Center, the Civil Air Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance.
  An initial search led
  
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• Meet the candidates: District 5 – Seat I – East Anchorage

  29-03-2017 01:21
  
  KTVA invited every registered candidate running in the upcoming Anchorage municipal election to an on-camera interview at our studios to discuss the following topics:
  Balancing the budget
  Public safety
  Introducing new taxes
  Addressing homelessness in Anchorage
  Plans for the future
  We also asked each candidate to submit a 300-word biography, each of which has been left unaltered. The candidates’ full interviews and responses are listed below, ordered alphabetically.
  Don JonesBiography
  I was
  
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