Anchorage news

• Nearly 2,000 acres in Selawik refuge ablaze; origins of fire unknown

  20-04-2017 23:54 via ktoo.org
  
  A fire has burned through almost 2,000 acres since Tuesday morning in the Selawik National Wildlife refuge, about 30 miles southeast of Shungnak.
  The fire was first spotted by a training crew who flew over the area about 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to Beth Ipsen, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Land Management’s Alaska Fire Service.
  The fire is running through an estimated 1,982 acres of tundra and grass but is expected to stop when it reaches a snowpack nearby, Ipsen said. The fire is con
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, April 20, 2017

  20-04-2017 23:46 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/04/042017noonnewscast.mp3In this newscast:
  Group sues to reinstate rule protecting Alaska bears and wolves,
  Congressman Don Young gets warm reception at public meeting, and
  Alaska Senate passes bill allowing for health benefits for survivors of state-employed first responders killed in line of duty.
   
  
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• Searches underway in attack on Paris police

  20-04-2017 23:44
  
  PARIS (AP) – The Latest on the shootings of two police officers in Paris (all times local):
  12:40 a.m.
  France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor says that searches are under way after an attack on police guarding the Champs-Elysees shopping district in Paris.
  Prosecutor Francois Molins said that investigators have verified the identity of the gunman in Thursday night’s attack and are trying to determine whether he had accomplices. The identity was not released.
  Three police officials
  
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• Suspect in shooting of Seattle officers is dead

  20-04-2017 23:27
  
  SEATTLE (AP) – The Latest on the shooting of two police officers in Seattle (all times local):
  4:20 p.m.
  Police say a suspect in the shooting of two Seattle officers after a downtown robbery is dead.
  Sgt. Sean Whitcomb, a department spokesman, confirmed that the suspect had died but did not immediately have further details.
  Whitcomb says another suspect, a woman, is in custody and being questioned.
  ___
  4:10 p.m.
  Seattle police say an at-large suspect they had been searching for in the shoo
  
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• Sockeye fire trial begins in Palmer

  20-04-2017 23:10
  
  The trial for the couple accused of starting the Sockeye fire began Thursday morning inside of a Palmer courtroom.
  Greg Imig and Amy Dewitt sat quietly during opening statements and as the prosecution’s first witness took the stand. Dewitt and Imig face 12 charges each for burning without a permit, property damage crimes and reckless endangerment.
  The Sockeye fire began on a Sunday afternoon, on June 14, 2015. Fifty-five homes were destroyed; more than 7000 acres of land burned; sever
  
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• AST: Woman in custody after man flees in Sterling

  20-04-2017 22:35
  
  A 36-year-old Anchorage woman is in custody after, Alaska State Troopers say, she concealed the identity of a man who fled from state law enforcement on the Kenai Peninsula Wednesday.
  In a trooper dispatch, the agency wrote that troopers stopped a teal 2000 Ford F150 for a moving violation in Sterling, near Glacier Avenue. When troopers contacted those inside the vehicle, a passenger fled into the woods. According to AST, they were unable to locate him. He was later identified as Casey M. D
  
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• White House pushes uncertain bid to revive health care bill

  20-04-2017 22:12
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House is expressing confidence that a breakthrough on the stalled Republican health care bill could emerge in the House next week.
  But House GOP leaders are dubious. And there are few signs that an emerging plan to get the bill on track is gaining enough votes to succeed.
  The White House optimism is driven largely by a deal brokered by leaders of the conservative Freedom Caucus and the more moderate Tuesday Group. It is aimed at giving states more flexibility to
  
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• Mat-Su Borough School District learns $11.2 million deficit is actually best case scenario

  20-04-2017 22:05
  
  Alaskans showed up to the Mat-Su Borough School District board meeting in Palmer Wednesday night to speak out against outsourcing roughly 120 custodian jobs, but board members unexpectedly tabled the vote because they’ve learned the district’s budget situation is more dire than previously thought.
  The $11.2 million deficit they’ve been struggling to fill has now become a best case scenario.
  “We spent time in Juneau, and we spent time yesterday at the assembly, and we stil
  
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• Biomass success stories shared from Galena, Ketchikan and Tanana

  20-04-2017 21:46 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Airport Manager Mike Carney stands next to the Ketchikan International Airport’s new biomass wood-pellet boiler last summer. (File photo by Leila Kheiry/KRBD)
  It’s great to talk about biomass as a renewable energy source, but how does it work in real-world situations?
  During last week’s Alaska Wood Energy Conference in Ketchikan, participants heard three “case studies” from communities in Alaska that have invested in biomass.
  https://krbd-org.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-con
  
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• Don Young files for 2018 re-election

  20-04-2017 20:58
  
  The longest serving Republican in the U.S. House, Alaska Congressman Don Young, is filing for 2018 re-election.
  Currently serving his 23rd term, Young’s office said in the Thursday announcement that he filed on Wednesday.=
  “I filed out the papers and paid the money,” Young said in video statement posted to YouTube, accompanied by his wife, Anne.
  The Division of Elections says no one else has filed against him.
  The post Don Young files for 2018 re-election appeared first on KTV
  
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• Fairbanks elementary school name voted out

  20-04-2017 20:56 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Badger Road Elementary School (Photo by Badger Road Elementary School Parent Teacher Association)
  The Badger Road Elementary school in North Pole will transition to a new name this summer.
  The Fairbanks North Star School District board voted Tuesday to rename the school Midnight Sun Elementary, but as KUAC’s Robert Hannon reports, the board nearly backed away from changing the Badger name, which links the school to a man convicted of sexually assaulting a young girl.http://media.aprn.org/2
  
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• Young: GOP expect to have new health care bill by July

  20-04-2017 20:46 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Congressman Don Young said Republicans “were unprepared” to move a health care bill. (Photo by Vik Patel/Alaska Public Media)
  Around the country, Republican Congress members are dogged by protesters hoping to stir up resistance to President Donald Trump’s agenda.
  At Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday, a friendly crowd greeted Alaska Congressman Don Young.
  http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20170419-02.mp3One constituent asked why Republicans didn’t hav
  
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• Airport considers plans for hotel connected to the terminal

  20-04-2017 20:34
  
  A new hotel may soon be within walking distance of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
  Tom Hubble, the airport’s leasing and concessions business manager, said the airport considered putting a hotel on its property in 2005. Plans were put on the back burner when the recession hit.
  Hubble said now seems to be the perfect time to invest in upgrades around the airport. There are two sites up for consideration: An empty lot between the north and south terminals, or space between the r
  
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• Supreme Court bans Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia

  20-04-2017 18:46
  
  MOSCOW (AP) – Russia’s Supreme Court has banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses from operating in the country, accepting a request from the justice ministry that the religious organization be considered an extremist group.
  The court ordered the closure of the group’s Russia headquarters and its 395 local chapters, as well as the seizure of its property.
  The Interfax news agency on Thursday quoted Justice Ministry attorney Svetlana Borisova in court as saying that the Jehovah&rsqu
  
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• Alaska fire season shaping up to have later start

  20-04-2017 17:59
  
  KENAI, Alaska (AP) – Alaska authorities are saying this year’s fire season won’t be as heavy as last year, but there’s still time for conditions to change.
  The Peninsula Clarion reported Wednesday that firefighters have responded to a few calls for service, but not as many as last year.
  A Division of Forestry fire management officer says staff will have a better idea of what kind of fire activity to expect on the peninsula once precipitation and weather data start filteri
  
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• Burgled Juneau: How to make it difficult for a burglar to enter your place and take your stuff

  20-04-2017 15:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Juneau resident David Noon resets the chain on the back door of his home. When his place was burglarized in October, the chain was not set and the burglar was able to kick in the door because the deadbolt lock did not fully extend into the doorjamb. The door, doorjamb, and the deadbolt have since been repaired. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
  As part of an ongoing series focusing on the recent spike in burglaries in Juneau over the last several years, we briefly look at some of the basic and most ef
  
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• Police suspect man faked his own kidnapping to extort mother

  20-04-2017 07:38
  
  SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) – California police say they’ve arrested a man they suspect of faking his own kidnapping to extort his mother.
  The Orange County Register reports  police arrested 31-year-old Robert Nunez on Tuesday. Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna says his mother called 911 Sunday after she received a text message saying Nunez was dead. The mother later received more text messages asking for a ransom in exchange for her son’s safe return.
  Police say they foun
  
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• Botox tested to help treat depression and social anxiety

  20-04-2017 07:37
  
  Army veteran Vivian Cooke has long struggled with debilitating depression. She has tried alternative therapies and medication to cope with her symptoms.
  “It wasn’t effective. Some side effects would be headaches or stomachache,” she told CBS News.
  Then three years ago, she decided to try something different after hearing about a study testing Botox to treat depression.
  While Botox is commonly used for cosmetic purposes, doctors say the reasoning behind the treatment for depress
  
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• Russia’s military buildup in Arctic puts U.S. on alert

  20-04-2017 07:23
  
  Russian President Vladimir Putin has never been one to pass up a photo-up, and his latest candids comes from the icy Arctic. He was photographed in March pensively walking among glaciers, reports CBS News’ Jonathan Vigliotti.
  The Kremlin has also previously released video of reindeer-riding Russian soldiers. It’s all part of the unveiling of the country’s crown jewel: Russia’s sprawling Trefoil military base, located just outside the Arctic Circle. It can house 150 troops
  
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• Survey seeks to improve services for senior citizens

  20-04-2017 06:22
  
  The Municipality of Anchorage wants to know how it can better serve senior citizens.
  For the first time, the Anchorage Senior Citizens Advisory Commission put out a survey to see what services could be improved to help seniors in Anchorage and the surrounding areas.
  At the Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center, folks said they were happy with the facility’s activities and transportation.
  Alwin Krause, 75, lives at the center and still drives his own car. He said the muni should focus on public
  
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• Senate passes bill to extend medical coverage to families of fallen officers

  20-04-2017 06:14
  
  The Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday aimed at extending health insurance coverage to families of peace officers killed in the line of duty.
  The measure was first introduced in 2015 after state troopers Scott Johnson and Gabriel Rich were killed while responding to a call in Tanana in 2014.
  Johnson’s widow, Brandy, has spent the following years lobbying to keep healthcare benefits for her family. She says that coverage was the only reason her husban
  
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• Animal shelter sees uptick in loose pets

  20-04-2017 04:12
  
  People enjoy getting out in the spring, but apparently, animals do, too. Laura Atwood, Information Officer for Anchorage Animal Care and Control said the shelter took in 84 stray dogs in March and even more cats, a figure that is likely to go higher throughout the summer.
  Laura Atwood, information officer for Anchorage Animal Care and Control said the shelter took in 84 stray dogs in March and even more cats, a figure that is likely to go higher throughout the summer.
  Atwood said there are
  
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• Proposed cut to aviation program may hurt rural Alaskans

  20-04-2017 03:58
  
  Like several presidents before him, President Donald Trump would like to cut the Essential Air Service, according to his recently proposed budget, which eliminates the $175 million program. It’s raising concern in Alaska, where 62 communities rely on the EAS for affordable flights.
  Grant Aviation CFO Rob Kelley says aviation is the only way to move people and goods in and out of many Alaska villages. Grant has 18 EAS contracts to communities in Southwest and the Aleutian Islands. He hears
  
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• Senate passes survivors’ benefits bill, allowing municipalities to opt out

  20-04-2017 02:58 via ktoo.org
  
  Sen. John Coghill, R- North Pole, testifies April 5 before the Senate Finance Committee in favor of Senate Bill 48, a bill he sponsored that would give medical insurance premiums for surviving dependents of certain peace officers or firefighters who die in the line of duty. The Senate passed House Bill 23, after amending it to include elements of the Senate bill. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  The survivors of state employed police and firefighters who die in the line of duty would receive
  
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• Emperor goose hunting open for first time in 30 years

  20-04-2017 02:42
  
  BETHEL, Alaska (AP) – Shooting Emperor geese in Alaska is legal for the first time in 30 years, but officials are hoping hunters take it easy.
  KYUK-AM reported Monday that federal managers have opened a subsistence hunt for the birds.
  According to the report, about 80 percent of the world’s Emperor goose population breeds along the west coast of Yukon Delta in southern Alaska. Officials hope the large number of geese doesn’t get to hunters’ heads, though.
  Information mana
  
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• Mom who threw baby in trash could regain custody after jail

  20-04-2017 02:38
  
  Samantha Houston. (Credit: KIRO7)
  EVERETT, Wash. (AP) – A woman who abandoned her newborn in a trash compactor last year has been sentenced to six months in jail, but she might be able to regain custody of her child once she gets out.
  The Daily Herald reports that 19-year-old Samantha Houston was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to felony abandonment in March.
  Officials say Houston left her baby boy in a trash compactor last year shortly after birthing him in a shower. An apartment
  
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• State DOC offers new way to treat opioid addictions

  20-04-2017 02:34 via ktoo.org
  
  Sadie Douglas is an inmate at Hiland Correctional Center and is participating in the new Vivitrol treatment program. (Photo by Anne Hillman/Alaska Public Media)
  The state’s Department of Corrections is trying a new tactic to stop the opioid epidemic: offering Vivitrol shots, a monthly injection that curbs cravings for heroin and other drugs and stops people from getting high.
  The pilot program launched recently at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, where Sadie Douglas has been servi
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 7-20-17

  20-04-2017 02:33 via ktoo.org
  
  Thursday Afternoon, Joan Pardes will host.
  We’ll learn about the observations surrounding the 100th Anniversary of the Treadwell Mine cave-in;
  Matt Musselwhite and Kerry Howard, from the Gastineau Humane Society’s Run Fur Fun!
  That, Writers Almanac, Bird Note, music & more, live at 3 on KTOO, repeated at 4 on KRNN, and by demand via ktoo.org
  
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• Inside a pot club – a rare and endangered species

  20-04-2017 02:32
  
  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) – Marijuana is becoming more accepted, but pot smokers have few places to legally smoke outside their homes.
  Weed pioneer Colorado has a patchwork of local ordinances that in some cases allow pot clubs, but it has no statewide rules. Marijuana activists say “social use” marijuana clubs are the next wave of drug liberalization, but for now, pot use remains largely behind closed doors.
  The few clubs operating in Colorado face frequent police raids and
  
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• Ivanka Trump involved in possible conflict of interest

  20-04-2017 02:24
  
  (Credit: CBS News)
  WASHINGTON — The Trump family has vowed to keep its vast financial interests separate from the government. But on Tuesday, a possible conflict of interest came to light involving the president’s daughter and top adviser, Ivanka Trump.
  China gave her business potentially lucrative provisional trademark approvals the day she and President Trump were having dinner with the Chinese president at the Trump estate in South Florida.
  When Mr. Trump hosted Chinese President
  
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• Slow Fairbanks snowmelt slows Canada geese migration

  20-04-2017 02:17 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Canada goose on the Colville River Delta. (Photo by Ryan Askren, USGS.)
  Sunshine is abundant this time of year, but cooler temperatures this week have slowed the melting of a well above normal snowpack in Fairbanks, which is affecting migratory bird’s arrival at a local refuge.
  http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20170418-07.mp3
  The first few Canada geese were spotted at Creamers Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in Fairbanks back on April 4. That’s among the earlier first arrival dates on
  
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• Employment Opportunities

  20-04-2017 01:55
  
  CURRENT JOB OPENINGS:News DirectorPurpose of Position: Overall responsibility of the News Director is to lead the News organization and the development of local content across all media platforms. Provides leadership and drives strategy for news coverage, driving culture of creativity and excellence. Works closely with Sales, Engineering, Production and other departments to further multi-platform opportunities and support Denali Media’s branding and programming initiatives.Associate Web Ed
  
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• KTVA Weather Lab: Inlet View Elementary School

  20-04-2017 01:24
  
  In this week’s KTVA Weather Lab, I visited Inlet View Elementary School in Anchorage, where the second and third graders are in Ms. Thatch’s class are learning about earth science this year. I stopped by to show them how earth science and meteorology are connected.
  I also answered the question of the week about the difference between knots and miles per hour.
  Every Tuesday, Melissa Frey will take the KTVA Weather Lab to a classroom in our community. If you have a weath
  
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• F-22s intercept Russian bombers outside Alaska for first time since 2015

  20-04-2017 01:08 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Lt. Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach prepares to depart in an F-22 for a training mission in November 2016. (File photo by Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media)
  Military officials say they launched fighter jets on Monday afternoon to intercept two Russian long-range bombers flying toward Alaska.
  http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20170418-01.mp3“What happened is exactly what’s supposed to happen,” Lt. Gen. Ken Wilsbach said. He’s the state’s ranking officer overseeing a
  
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• Teacher of the Week: Jessica Mallory

  20-04-2017 00:55
  
  As Tudor Elementary School transitions to the Montessori Model this year, first-year teacher Jessica Mallory is helping to lead the charge.
  “These students really take ownership in their learning,” said Mallory.
  The school is easing into the transition. It started by combining kindergarten and first-grade students into the same classroom, one of which is headed by Mrs. Mallory.
  “Just watching them grow and learn and be able to become independent themselves and seeing that succe
  
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• Russian bombers fly near Alaska again

  20-04-2017 00:41
  
  Russian TU-95 “Bear” bombers buzzed by Alaska for the second time in two days on Tuesday, flying even closer to the Alaska mainland than during the first flyby, CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin reports.
  The Bear bombers flew about 40 miles off the coast, north of the Aleutian Islands, Tuesday. The bombers were spotted on radar by U.S. military personnel late afternoon Tuesday.
  On Monday, they flew about 100 miles off the Alaskan mainland. In response, two U.S. F-
  
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