Anchorage news

• Newscast- April 11, 2017

  11-04-2017 23:12 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/04/KXLL-NEWS-41117.mp3In this newscast:
  The 86-lot Pederson Hill subdivision was approved by a key committee of the Juneau Assembly,
  Hilcorp Alaska, LLC says dive crews have located the leak in Cook Inlet,
  the Alaska House narrowly passed an overhaul of Alaska’s oil tax and credit system,
  and experts weigh in on why Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit to Governor Walker on Friday as he headed back from a meeting with President Donald T
  
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• U.S. lays out case for Assad’s culpability in chemical weapons attack

  11-04-2017 22:32 via ktoo.org
  
  White House officials say the U.S. intelligence community is confident that Syrian President Bashar Assad attacked his own people with chemical weapons on April 4 — and that an alternate explanation offered by Russia is an effort to deflect blame and “confuse the world community.”
  Senior administration officials “suggested that the attack may have been motivated by rebel gains in the surrounding area, as rebel forces approached a strategic Syrian air base,” NPR&rsqu
  
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• Museum asks fans of Kermit, Elmo to help pay for exhibit

  11-04-2017 22:22
  
  A New York City museum is asking fans of Jim Henson’s Muppets to help pay for an exhibition featuring original puppets of beloved characters like Elmo, Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog.
  The Museum of the Moving Image launched a Kickstarter campaign Tuesday seeking $40,000 to help preserve the puppets for posterity.
  The museum owns hundreds of Jim Henson puppets and other objects including costumes and props. Museum staff members are working to conserve them.
  Curator Barbara Miller says it ma
  
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• Get a discounted or free teeth cleaning at UAA and help students

  11-04-2017 22:17
  
  The University of Alaska Anchorage Dental Hygiene Program is offering Alaskans a discounted or free teeth cleaning done by students. They need more teeth to clean so they can reach their requirements to graduate.
  Alaskans interested need to be screened first. One of the students, Rose Hagerup, says it takes about five minutes. If a person qualifies, the cleaning will be either free or heavily discounted.
  The cleaning process can take two hours or more, depending on person. Hagerup said they give
  
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• Travel Tuesday: New travel trends

  11-04-2017 22:16
  
  Traveling Alaskans will notice some new travel trends, inspired by technology or catering to healthy lifestyles. Julie Saupe, the president and CEO of Visit Anchorage, said most of the new trends start with hospitality. For example, in the Ted Stevens International Anchorage Airport, travelers can get a haircut or spa services inside the terminal. She added other airports have rooms for yoga or meditation and even gyms, like at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
  A recent trend for c
  
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• CEO issuing new apology for United Airlines passenger dragging

  11-04-2017 21:46
  
  CHICAGO (AP) – The Latest on the passenger who was dragged off a full United Express flight at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport (all times local):
  2:30 p.m.
  The CEO of United Airlines has issued a stronger apology about a passenger who was dragged off a United Express flight, calling the confrontation “truly horrific.”
  Oscar Munoz said in a note to employees Tuesday that he continues to be disturbed by the events Sunday night in Chicago.
  He said, “No one should ever b
  
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• University of Alaska Regents schedule meeting to discuss Senate’s approved cuts

  11-04-2017 21:34 via ktoo.org
  
  The University Of Alaska Board Of Regents is holding a special meeting 1-3 p.m. Thursday at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Butrvich Building, to discuss contingency plans in light of State Senate approved budget cuts.
  Last week the Senate passed a budget that cuts $22 million from the $325 million in university funding supported by the House and Gov. Bill Walker.
  ”In the event that a number comes from the legislature that is less than that, the University needs to be prepared
  
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• Bethel Schools Archery team headed to nationals after taking first place in two divisions

  11-04-2017 21:23 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Bethel Schools Archery team earned first place in the state in both the elementary and middle school divisions.
  Students now have their sights set on the national competition this May in Louisville, Kentucky.https://cpa.ds.npr.org/kyuk/audio/2017/04/170407_archery_pkg_trudeau_mixdown.mp3Practice begins at Gladys Jung Elementary School, when two whistles sound, it’s time for the students to grab their bows. They line up at several different targets: the bull’s-eye shot, placed a
  
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• Explosions rock German soccer team’s bus

  11-04-2017 21:10
  
  DORTMUND, Germany (AP) – The Latest on the explosions near the bus carrying German soccer team Borussia Dortmund (all times local):
  11:20 p.m.
  The police chief for the German city of Dortmund says it’s not clear yet who was behind the explosions that rocked a bus carrying the Borussia Dortmund soccer team and left a player injured.
  Dortmund Police Chief Gregor Lange told reporters late Tuesday that police decided at an early stage that the soccer team was the target of the explosions
  
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• Explosion rocks German soccer team’s bus

  11-04-2017 21:10
  
  DORTMUND, Germany (AP) – The Latest on the explosions near the bus carrying German soccer team Borussia Dortmund (all times local):
  9:20 p.m.
  The chief executive of German soccer team Borussia Dortmund says police informed him that the explosives that went off near the team bus were hidden by the exit of a hotel and detonated as the bus passed.
  Dortmund Chief Executive Officer Hans-Joachim Watzke said in a video on the team’s website that the team “is totally shocked” by
  
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• Recipe Box: Salmon Jalapeño Poppers

  11-04-2017 21:05
  
  This week, Daybreak’s Recipe Box teams up with another KTVA series “Harvesting Alaska,” which dives into the Last Frontier’s unique state of food security.
  From hobby farms to homesteads and everything in-between, Harvesting Alaska is about living off the land, something Megan Edge has a lot of experience in.
  Edge, KTVA web editor/reporter, plans to share a column preparing Alaskans for the harvest season ahead. For those unsure of where to start, Edge says 
  
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• Three commercial fishermen cited for violations in Aleutians

  11-04-2017 20:52 via ktoo.org
  
  The Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited three fishermen late last month for violating commercial fishing rules in the Aleutian Islands.
  In Adak, troopers fined Tran Lucky of Puyallup, Washington, $260 for working aboard the F/V Alaska Victory without a valid license.
  Vessel captain David Bishop of Milton, Washington, received the same fine for employing an unlicensed crew member.
  Meanwhile, Dean Pedersen of Wasilla was cited for configuring his cod pots illegally near Sand Point.
  Pedersen operat
  
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• Senate passes Petersburg land grant bill

  11-04-2017 20:36 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Legislation to increase the Petersburg borough’s land grant from the state passed the Alaska Senate on Monday, April 10.
  The bill would transfer more than 14,000 acres to the new borough, which hopes to develop or sell off some of the property.
  https://kfsk-org.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/10SB28web.mp3Senate Bill 28 was heard in the Senate Resources committee.
  It and a companion bill in the House would grant 14,666 acres of state land to the borough government.
  As part of t
  
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• Oil tax credit bill on its way to the Senate, with ultimatum from the House

  11-04-2017 20:30 via ktoo.org
  
  Rep. Geran Tarr, D-Anchorage, during a debate on the state House floor over an oil tax credit overhaul bill on Monday in Juneau. Tarr spoke in favor of the bill. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
  After hours of debate on the state House floor, an oil tax credit bill is on its way to the Senate.House Bill 111 passed, primarily along caucus lines. Proponents said that it will stabilize the state’s tax regime and get Alaska a larger share of the profits from its oil.Oppon
  
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• HS student killed in shooting was ‘innocent bystander’

  11-04-2017 20:24
  
  Leroy Lawrence. (Credit: Screengrab via Facebook)
  A high school student who was shot and killed last week was an innocent bystander, according to the latest information from Anchorage Police.
  Last Friday afternoon, 17-year-old Leroy Lawrence, an East High School student, was shot in the head in the 400 block of Irwin Street; he was taken to the hospital where he later died as a result of his injuries sustained in the shooting.
  Anchorage Police are now investigating Leroy’s death as a
  
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• North Korea threatens ‘toughest counteraction’ after U.S. moves Navy ships

  11-04-2017 19:57 via ktoo.org
  
  North Korea is threatening “tough counteraction” after a U.S. Navy strike group was routed toward the Korean Peninsula following the rogue nation’s continued ballistic missile and nuclear testing.
  “We never beg for peace but we will take the toughest counteraction against the provocateurs in order to defend ourselves by powerful force of arms and keep to the road chosen by ourselves,” the official Korean Central News Agency reported in English, quoting a Foreign Min
  
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• Rescued California sea lions showed signs of poisoning

  11-04-2017 19:23
  
  LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. (AP) – Twelve pregnant female sea lions were rescued last week in southern California waters that exhibited symptoms of domoic acid poisoning.
  An ocean algae bloom creates the neurological toxin.
  The Orange County Register reports the sick sea lions were found in waters from Seal Beach to San Onofre State Beach.
  Officials say the sea lions’ plight could signal that the marine environment continues to remain out of balance.
  The newspaper reports a lack of food sou
  
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• Teacher of the Week: Travis Harrington

  11-04-2017 19:10
  
  Travis Harrington is giving back to his community. He was a Chugiak Mustang and grew up playing the trumpet.
  “It was always my goal to come back to the community,” he said. “Being raised in such an awesome place and give back to it.”
  This is Harrington’s 20th year teaching band at Mirror Lake Middle School. He also coaches soccer, wrestling and mountain biking.
  “Music, most people would think it would be my main focus,” Harrington said. “But I
  
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• Senate approves measure to legalize industrial hemp in Alaska

  11-04-2017 16:35
  
  The Alaska Senate unanimously approved a bill Monday that would legalize the growth and sale of hemp.
  Senate Bill 6’s sponsor, Sen. Shelley Hughes, explained that her bill would change how the law defines hemp — as a separate agricultural product from marijuana, removing it from the state’s list of controlled substances.
  “The commercial possibilities of hemp are numerous and versatile,” Hughes said in a statement. “Hemp can be used for fiber products, such as
  
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• Pederson Hill housing initiative gets Juneau Assembly approval

  11-04-2017 08:42 via ktoo.org
  
  The Pederson Hill subdivision will be between the Mendenhall River and Auke Lake. (Photo by Casey Kelly/KTOO)
  The 86-lot Pederson Hill subdivision has been greenlighted by a key committee of the Juneau Assembly. The city-planned project is designed to create more entry-level housing and received unanimous support Monday evening.
  The City and Borough of Juneau’s Lands Manager Greg Chaney said the next step is contracting design work for the $8.8 million project less than a mile west of the
  
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• Alaska House unanimously passes ‘right to try’ bill

  11-04-2017 07:41
  
  The Alaska House of Representatives unanimously passed a measure known as the “Right to Try” bill on Monday.
  According to its sponsor, Anchorage Rep. Jason Grenn, House Bill 43 would allow terminally ill patients who have exhausted other treatments and do not qualify for clinical trials to try experimental drugs “in an effort to save their own lives,” even if they have not received final approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
  “By providing certain immu
  
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• Hilcorp unsure of leaked oil’s origin after successful test, inspection of pipeline

  11-04-2017 07:37
  
  Hilcorp Alaska says it’s not sure where oil spotted in the waters near one of its Cook Inlet platforms came from.
  The oil was first spotted after crews on the Anna platform reported feeling an impact, but the sheens quickly disappeared and were not seen at all during flyovers the next day.
  An eight hour-long pressure test of the pipeline that runs between the Anna and Bruce platforms — the suspected source of the oil — revealed no leaks, the company said in a statement Monday.
  
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• Voice of the Alaska Aces calls team’s end ’emotional’

  11-04-2017 07:34
  
  Over the weekend, the Alaska Aces played their last game. It ended nearly three decades of the team’s history in Anchorage.
  It was an emotional night on Saturday during that final game, and on Monday, KTVA Sports Director Dave Goldman sat down with Kurt Haider, the voice of the Aces for two years.
  That wasn’t his first role in the Alaska hockey community. Before that, Haider was the voice of the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves hockey team for 19 years.
  Follow KTVA 11 Sports
  
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• Typically harmless virus may trigger celiac disease

  11-04-2017 06:50
  
  VeganBaking.net/Creative Commons
  A usually harmless virus may play a role in triggering celiac disease, a new study in mice suggests.
  The researchers found that, among mice that were genetically engineered predisposed to celiac disease, those that were infected with a virus called reovirus were more likely to have an immune response against gluten than mice not infected with a reovirus. This immune response is similar to what’s seen in people with the condition.
  Although human infect
  
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• What happened to Russia’s agreement to eradicate Syria’s chemical weapons?

  11-04-2017 06:06
  
  Long before last week’s deadly chemical attack in Syria, the U.S. and Russia brokered a deal — in 2013 — requiring Syria to destroy its chemical weapons stockpiles. Last year, the organization overseeing the elimination process declared the job complete.
  Former Secretary of State John Kerry said in a TV interview in 2014 that “we got 100 percent of the chemical weapons out” of Syria. As recently as January, former national security adviser Susan Rice told NPR, &ldqu
  
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• Neil Gorsuch sworn in as Supreme Court justice

  11-04-2017 05:55
  
  Donald Trump welcomed all of the sitting justices on the Supreme Court to the White House Rose Garden for the swearing in of Neil Gorsuch to be his first Supreme Court justice.
  In remarks before Justice Anthony Kennedy administered the judicial oath to Gorsuch, Mr. Trump nodded to the idea some hold that “the most important thing a president does is appoint great people to the Supreme Court,” adding, “And I got it done in the first 100 days.”
  After he took the oath, Gorsu
  
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• Sister describes suspect in Beluga Point standoff believed to be dead

  11-04-2017 05:43
  
  Before the Anchorage Police Department was called to Beluga Point to assist with a standoff involving 36-year-old Kevin Thibodeau, detectives had already spoken to him earlier that day about another case, according to court documents.
  A criminal complaint related to the standoff revealed APD spoke to Thibodeau on Wednesday about allegedly videotaping a naked child. He then texted his wife to say he planned to kill himself at Beluga Point.
  Police said a man named Hayden Porter told officers
  
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• New outhouse vent covers aim to prevent foul fowl

  11-04-2017 05:10
  
  Even in the off-season, Potter Marsh is a popular place to look for birds. Before thousands flock to the wildlife refuge this summer, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game wants to make sure the birds don’t end up in a tight spot.
  “We’re doing some preventative measures to keep our fine-feathered friends from entering the vents of these outhouses out here,” technician Ivan Caric said as he installed a metal screen on the latrines at the Potter Marsh pullout.
  The covers g
  
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• New lab lets students try STEM-style learning

  11-04-2017 05:04
  
  If playing with robots or donning virtual reality glasses in class sounds like a fun way to learn math and science, it is, according to students at Ravenwood Elementary School in Eagle River. Ravenwood may be the only school in the state to open a STEM lab.
  STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math, all subjects the Anchorage School District would like more students to excel in.
  Tech team teacher Caela Nielsen said students at Ravenwood were way behind the technology curve with a
  
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• North Anchorage parents push for stricter curfew enforcement

  11-04-2017 04:25
  
  A group of Anchorage parents says too many young people are dying in the streets. On Monday, they asked the Mountain View Community Council to help them do something about it, starting with better enforcement of the municipality’s curfew for minors.
  There’s nothing new about the Anchorage law. It’s been in place since 1996, but the problem, according to the group North Anchorage Supreme Parenting (NASP), is that that they feel the citywide curfew isn’t bein
  
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• New version of Permanent Fund bill would require income tax, oil tax hike

  11-04-2017 03:57 via ktoo.org
  Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, works at his desk in the House Chambers on Monday. Seaton is the co-chairman of the House Finance Committee, which is amending Senate Bill 26 to require an income tax and oil and gas tax increases for the bill to go into effect. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  The House Finance Committee is taking a new approach and will combine its proposals to institute an income tax and raise oil and gas taxes with a proposal to draw money from Permanent Fund earnings to pay for the
  
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• President Xi’s Alaska visit: salmon, scenery and a chance to deepen Arctic ties

  11-04-2017 03:42 via ktoo.org
  
  Chinese president Xi Jinping met with Alaska Gov. Bill Walker during a short visit to Anchorage on April 7, 2017. Xi stopped in Alaska on his way home from a summit with President Donald Trump in Florida. (Photo by Elizabeth Harball/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
  Gov. Bill Walker hosted an unexpected guest on Friday — the President of China. Xi Jinping was headed back from a meeting with President Donald Trump in Florida.
  It’s not unusual for foreign leaders to re-fuel in Anchorage, but
  
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• Photos: Snow, smiles and splashes at Eaglecrest Slush Cup 2017

  11-04-2017 03:37 via ktoo.org
  
  After two short seasons due to low snow, Eaglecrest Ski Area closed out a full winter this past weekend with the traditional crowd favorite Slush Cup.
  Participants are encouraged to dress up in wacky costumes as they ski or snowboard through a handful of gates, culminating in attempt to hydroplane across a waist deep artificial pond. Everyone gets one shot, and points are awarded for best costume, best accuracy, and of course to the biggest show-off.
  Equipment, speed, skill and luck play a part
  
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• Repairs begin on Hilcorp’s leaking Cook Inlet gas line

  11-04-2017 03:01 via ktoo.org
  
  Still from footage taken by a helicopter of a gas leak in Cook Inlet in early February 2017, obtained by the environmental group Cook Inletkeeper.(Image courtesy Cook Inletkeeper)
  Dive teams are finally working to repair Hilcorp’s leaking natural gas pipeline in Cook Inlet.
  The leak was discovered in early February, though regulators say it actually began in December. But repairs were delayed by winter ice conditions in the Inlet, which made it too dangerous for divers to work.
  In a press
  
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• Anchorage man indicted on attempted murder, assault charges

  11-04-2017 02:51
  
  An Anchorage grand jury approved an indictment for attempted murder and assault against 24-year-old Kevin Dyer, who is accused of stabbing someone staying at his home in early February.
  The case stems from two reported stabbings during the early morning hours of Feb. 6. During the course of their investigation, police discovered the two cases were related, and both men — Dyer and Michael Kaznick — had been injured at Dyer’s apartment on Tarwater Avenue.
  Kaznick told police he&r
  
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• Body found near shore at Beluga Point tentatively identified

  11-04-2017 02:43
  
  Courtesy Siiri Mandery Courtesy Siiri Mandery Alaska State Troopers confirm a body was found at Beluga Point Eric Ruble/KTVA Courtesy Siiri Mandery Courtesy Siiri Mandery Courtesy Siiri Mandery
  Last updated at 7:31 p.m. on Monday, April 10
  Alaska State Troopers say a man’s body was found near the shore at Beluga Point Monday afternoon. They later announced it had been tentatively identified as 36-year-old Kevin Thibodeau, a suspect in a two recent cases.
  The Anchorage Fire Department
  
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• Divers find natural gas pipeline leak in Cook Inlet

  11-04-2017 02:30
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The owner of a pipeline spewing natural gas in Alaska’s Cook Inlet says dive crews have located the leak.
  The Hilcorp Alaska LLC pipeline has leaked hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of processed natural gas since mid-December. The leak was spotted from the air Feb. 7.
  The 8-inch (20-centimeter) diameter pipeline supplies gas for power to four production platforms.
  Hilcorp spokeswoman Lori Nelson in an announcement says divers discovered a 2-inch (5-centime
  
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• State economists publish a “Where are they now?” for Alaska high school grads

  11-04-2017 01:19 via ktoo.org
  
  Bethel Regional High School students dance at their graduation ceremony in May 2016. (Photo by Dean Swope/KYUK)
  According to federal data, about one in four high schoolers in Alaska doesn’t graduate, giving Alaska the sixth lowest graduation rate in the country.
  But what about students who do graduate? What happens to them?
  State economists in the Alaska Department of Labor tracked thousands of Alaska grads and published a “Where are they now?” in this month’s Alaska Econ
  
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• One harvester hopes for herring eggs

  11-04-2017 01:16 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Leonty Williams grew up harvesting herring eggs. He says subsistence is in his blood. (Photo by Emily Russell/KCAW)
  Every spring millions of herring return to spawn in Sitka Sound.
  The small, silvery fish are prized by commercial fishermen, who sell them for  their eggs, known as herring roe.
  Those eggs also are coveted by the Tlingit people, who harvest them by anchoring hemlock branches in shallow waters where herring spawn.
  Many are saying the herring is being threatened: by environ
  
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• State schedules prescribed burns in Delta bison range to improve forage, habitat

  11-04-2017 00:52 via ktoo.org
  
  
  (Creative Commons Photo by James Brooks)
  Alaska Division of Forestry personnel will burn off dry vegetation in two areas around the Delta Junction State Bison Range over the next few weeks.
  The prescribed burns are intended to improve habitat for bison and other species that live on the range.
  https://cpa.ds.npr.org/kuac/audio/2017/04/041017-bisonrangeburn.mp3Alaska Fish and Game Program Coordinator Sue Rodman said the department wants to conduct the prescribed burns early in the season, af
  
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• New House plan aims to force Senate support on broad-based tax, oil tax changes

  11-04-2017 00:40
  
  Leadership in the Alaska House is taking a new approach on a fiscal plan, one that is designed to force the Senate to approve a broad-based tax and oil tax changes.
  The Democrat-led majority has been calling for a comprehensive proposal that includes use of permanent fund earnings, a broad-based tax and an overhaul of the state’s oil tax system. While the House struggles to get the votes needed to pass an income tax, the Senate majority has clearly stated its opposition to one.
  Last month,
  
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• East High student ID’d as victim in Friday’s Mountain View shooting

  11-04-2017 00:01
  
  Last updated at 2:40 p.m. on Monday, Apr. 10
  One of two people injured in a shooting Friday afternoon in Mountain View remains hospitalized, according to Anchorage police.
  The victim has been identified as Leroy Lawrence, a 17-year-old student at Anchorage’s East High School.
  “He is still in the hospital,” Anchorage police spokesperson Renee Oistad said Monday.
  A video posted to the East Anchorage High School Facebook page Monday showed students gathered around a makeshift
  
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