Anchorage news

• Newscast – Thursday, April 27, 2017

  27-04-2017 23:04 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/04/20170427-newscast.mp3In this newscast:
  The Legislature defies Gov. Bill Walker’s request for confirmation of his cabinet and board appointees,
  Juneau Schools are promised full local funding,
  the Juneau Assembly spares the Juneau-Douglas City Museum from the budget chopping block, and
  Ishmael Hope reads part of his new book of poetry, “Rock Piles Along the Eddy.”
  
  Read more

• California says oceans expected to rise higher than thought

  27-04-2017 22:53
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – California says new climate change findings mean the ocean off the state’s coast is expected to rise higher than previously thought.
  The state’s Ocean Protection Council on Wednesday revised projections it provides to agencies to help them plan for climate change from fossil-fuel emissions.
  The rise threatens to flood low-lying airports, highways and communities, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  The update comes because of discoveries that ice shee
  
  Read more

• National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day: Safely dispose of old medication

  27-04-2017 22:27
  
  Alaskans with old or expired prescription drugs can get rid of them safely at various locations across the state on National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which falls on Saturday, April 27.
  JoEllen Walters, a member of Healthy Voices, Healthy Choices said a lot of people don’t realize flushing old medication down the toilet is not good for the environment.
  Mike Root with the Drug Enforcement Administration said a total of 6,000 pounds of expired drugs were collected just in Alaska in 20
  
  Read more

• Adopt-a-Sailor: Juneau encourages locals to host crew members arriving on Navy ship

  27-04-2017 22:12
  
  The U.S. Navy’s USS O’Kane and its 330 crew members will be arriving in Alaska’s capital May 13 and will stick around until May 18. On Thursday, the city and borough encouraged some of its 32,739 residents to host a visiting sailor.
  The O’Kane’s homeport is in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is described as a 505-foot Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
  “The program doesn’t have strict guidelines for what is expected from volunteers,” the city
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Schnabel selected as Haines manager in emotional meeting; Case resigns from assembly

  27-04-2017 21:55 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Debra Schnabel interviews with the Haines Borough Assembly. (Photo by Emily Files/KHNS)
  The Haines Borough Assembly sought a new direction Tuesday night over stability in its choice for the borough’s top municipal job.
  One of two finalists, Debra Schnabel was selected as Haines’ new borough manager, pending contract negotiations. Both candidates were local.
  The familiarity of the candidates made the decision particularly personal for Haines residents. Th
  
  Read more

• Alaska Legislature defies Walker’s call to weigh nominees

  27-04-2017 21:53 via ktoo.org
  
  Efforts by Alaska Gov. Bill Walker to try and force legislators to consider his appointments to boards, commissions and key administration posts were rebuffed Thursday in a joint session.My statement on the Senate’s failure to hold a vote on my Cabinet nominees and appointees for state boards and commissions today. #akleg pic.twitter.com/LLvES3nXEj
  — Governor Bill Walker (@AkGovBillWalker) April 27, 2017In a tweet, KTUU political reporter Austin Baird pinned it on Republica
  
  Read more

• Michael Flynn is the subject of a Pentagon investigation

  27-04-2017 21:17 via ktoo.org
  
  The Pentagon is investigating whether Michael Flynn broke the law by receiving money from a foreign source after retiring from the service, according to a letter written by the Department of Defense’s acting inspector general to House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz.
  News of the letter, which was released by House Oversight ranking member Elijah Cummings Thursday, comes as Chaffetz is asking the Pentagon to consider making Flynn forfeit hundreds of thousands of dollars to make up for pay
  
  Read more

• Mariculture poised to come of age in Alaska

  27-04-2017 20:38 via ktoo.org
  
  
  NOAA Researcher Mike Murphy holding Laminaria saccharina sugar kelp algae. Kelp grows over the winter months in Southeast Alaska, and is not difficult to farm. According to Markos Scheer, it’s a $20 billion industry worldwide. (NOAA photo/David Csepp)
  Alaska’s mariculture industry is in its infancy, compared with other regions of the world, but it has the potential to be much larger — maybe worth as much as $1 billion within three decades.
  http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• State’s biggest military training exercise takes off next week

  27-04-2017 20:17 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Northern Edge military training exercise in the Gulf of Alaska. (File photo courtesy U.S. Navy)
  The skies above the Interior and Southcentral Alaska will get a lot busier starting next week, when Northern Edge 2017 gets under way.
  It’ll be the biggest military-training exercise to be held this year in Alaska.
  http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20170426-04.mp3The tempo of operations around Eielson Air Force, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and the state’s training ranges, will pick up beg
  
  Read more

• Anchorage police determine one man responsible for 5 deaths last summer

  27-04-2017 20:06 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Police in Anchorage have determined that a single person was responsible for a wave of killings over the summer: James Dale Ritchie.
  http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20170426-01.mp3James Dale Ritchie, 40, was posthumously determined by police to be responsible for five killings over the course of last summer.  (Photo courtesy of Anchorage Police Department). (Photo courtesy of Anchorage Police Department)
  In a statement today, the department said homicide detectives have &ldquo
  
  Read more

• Labor issues loom for Alaska Airlines-Virgin America merger

  27-04-2017 19:59 via ktoo.org
  
  
  (Photo by Alaska Airlines/Virgin America)
  https://cpa.ds.npr.org/northwestnews/audio/2017/04/042617TB_Tilden_web.mp3Unionized pilots at Alaska Airlines and recently acquired Virgin America pulled off a virtual barrel roll Wednesday to get management’s attention.
  The union complains that talks to combine both pilot groups under what they hope will be a more generous joint contract aren’t moving fast enough.
  The Air Line Pilots Association blasted out a statement during the middle of a
  
  Read more

• Southeast Alaska tribal government moves into defense contracts

  27-04-2017 19:45 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska President Richard Peterson, right, poses with delegates during this month’s Tribal Assembly in Juneau. (Photo courtesy Tlingit-Haida Central Council)
  Southeast Alaska’s regional tribal government is developing its business side.
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/04/26Council.mp3Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska President Richard Peterson said funding cuts threaten its programs.
  He said a
  
  Read more

• US Postal Service blocks pot farm from shipping tax money

  27-04-2017 19:19
  
  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska marijuana retailer’s tax payment has been sent back to the business after the U.S. Postal Service refused to ship the money.
  The Juneau Empire reported Wednesday that Rainforest Farms had tried to send a box full of cash to pay its taxes, but the post office says “any proceeds from the selling of (marijuana) is considered drug proceeds under federal law.”
  The farm had been trying to send its money to Anchorage.
  Alaska’s tax director s
  
  Read more

• ESPN cuts 100 on-air personalities, writers as viewers dwindle

  27-04-2017 19:02
  
  NEW YORK — ESPN is laying off about 100 employees, including former athletes-turned-broadcasters Trent Dilfer, Len Elmore and Danny Kanell, in a purge designed to focus the sports network on a more digital future.
  The cuts will trim ESPN’s stable of on-air talent and writers by about 10 percent.
  The 37-year-old network has been squeezed by rising fees to broadcast live events at the same time hordes of cord-cutting TV viewers have been canceling their ESPN subscriptions. ESPN ha
  
  Read more

• Anchorage municipality shows residents options for fixing Chester Creek flooding

  27-04-2017 18:43
  
  The Municipality of Anchorage is one step closer to solving a flooding problem that residents who live in the Chester Creek area have been dealing with for years.
  Periodically, often in winter, Chester Creek floods at Arctic Boulevard near 18th Avenue, which affects the bike path and nearby homes. Flooding events also impact part of Spenard Road.
  It’s widely agreed upon by both residents and the municipality, that the main cause of the flooding affecting homes is the culvert that runs bene
  
  Read more

• Houston HS raises the stakes on the softball field

  27-04-2017 18:07
  
  The Houston Hawks are fielding their own dreams– one at a time.
  But, this season will provide a greater challenge, as they’ve moved up to the varsity level in the Northern Lights Conference. That comes with challenges for a young program.
  “They don’t have a strong youth program coming up into the high schools, so, a lot of things they’re learning now, it’s the first time they’ve learned it,” said first year head coach Brian Mitchell.
  Mitchell knows
  
  Read more

• 2 US troops killed in eastern Afghanistan

  27-04-2017 17:26
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) – The Pentagon says two U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan overnight Wednesday.
  Navy Capt. Jeff Davis says they were killed during an operation against the Afghanistan-based Islamic State group in Nangahar Province in the eastern part of the country. He says the U.S. is gathering further details.
  The U.S. has been battling the Islamic State Khorasan group in Afghanistan for months. About two weeks ago, the U.S. dropped what’s called the “mother of a
  
  Read more

• Ex-Alaska senator works on Permanent Fund repeal plan

  27-04-2017 17:18
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A former state senator is preparing to fight back against a bill that would restructure the Alaska Permanent Fund and reduce the dividends Alaskans receive from the oil-wealth fund each year.
  The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports both houses of the Legislature have passed a version of Gov. Bill Walker’s plan to use some of the fund’s income to pay off the state’s multibillion-dollar deficit.
  If Walker signs off on such a bill, former Republican S
  
  Read more

• City museum gets reprieve from Juneau Assembly

  27-04-2017 09:37 via ktoo.org
  
  Throngs packed the Juneau Assembly chambers on Wednesday to testify against proposed closures including the Juneau-Douglas City Museum. (Photo by Quinton Chandler/KTOO)
  The Juneau-Douglas City Museum is off the chopping block — for now. The City and Borough of Juneau had been considering shuttering the local history museum in an effort to help close a $1.9 million shortfall.
  Mayor Ken Koelsch moved to remove the museum from the list of possible cuts after more than a dozen people spoke aga
  
  Read more

• Assembly funds schools to full legal amount again

  27-04-2017 09:37 via ktoo.org
  
  The Juneau Assembly holds a special meeting on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. (Photo by Quinton Chandler/KTOO)
  The CBJ Assembly voted five to four Wednesday night to appropriate $26,935,900 to the Juneau School District’s budget – more than $1 million above last year’s level.
  The appropriation meets the full amount state law allows the CBJ to give the school district plus provides $925,700 for other programs and activities not tied to the state funding cap.
  Juneau School District S
  
  Read more

• Hope explores indigenous thought in new book of poetry ‘Rock Piles Along the Eddy’

  27-04-2017 09:36 via ktoo.org
  
  Ishmael Hope will read from his new book of poetry “Rock Piles Along the Eddy” Thursday at Kindred Post in downtown Juneau.
  On a chilly blue-sky morning, Hope sits on the back porch of a valley home. It was a quiet place in house full of kids.
  Ishmael Hope reads from a digital version of “Rock Piles Along the Eddy.” (Photo by Scott Burton/KTOO)http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/04/27POET.mp3“Khaagwáask’ yéi xhat duwasáakw. My Tlin
  
  Read more

• Anchorage man finds peace through singing opera

  27-04-2017 07:11
  
  Hubert Joseph is a classical singer who has been singing for six months. He wasn’t interested in classical music until he listened to symphonic metal.
  “It’s where you get a trained opera singer with metal guitar instrumentals,” Joseph said.
  When he worked a the Rustic Goat, a co-worker enjoyed his singing so much she bought him singing lessons. He likes to perform wherever there is a lot of people and positive energy.
  Joseph feels close to Point Woronzof because it’
  
  Read more

• Governor, education advocates ramp up pressure on Senate over cuts, broad-based tax

  27-04-2017 05:34
  
  Governor Bill Walker and some citizen-led groups are turning up the heat in Juneau on the Senate’s calls for big budget cuts, on day 100 of the 90-day session.
  Walker pointed to a new report by the state Office of Management and Budget Wednesday to show Alaska’s budget may be bigger than most other states, but services are already lean. He reiterated his support for a broad-based tax, something the Senate continues to oppose.
  The Senate’s opposition to the measure is under pres
  
  Read more

• Anchorage homeowners to see property tax increase

  27-04-2017 05:26
  
  Anchorage homeowners will have to budget a little more to pay their property taxes.
  The municipal assembly voted 9 to 2 to increase the mill levy at Tuesday night’s meeting. The mill levy is used to calculate the amount a person owes in taxes. Amy Demboski and Fred Dyson were the two assembly members who voted against the tax increase.
  The increase raises rates by about 5.3 percent. That means someone who owns a home worth $300,000 will see an increase of about $240 for a total bill of abo
  
  Read more

• Easing shutdown worries, Trump relents on another major hurdle

  27-04-2017 05:11 via ktoo.org
  
  With just two days left to stop a partial shutdown of the federal government, the Trump administration on Wednesday removed another major sticking point in the spending bill negotiations.
  The White House told lawmakers it will not cut off federal subsidies that help low-income Americans pay for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, at least for now, an administration official and congressional sources confirm to NPR.
  Democrats sought to have the federal payment — known as a cost-
  
  Read more

• Bear-resistant trash cans now available in Anchorage

  27-04-2017 04:27
  
  The Government Hill neighborhood that’s had a long history with problem bears is finally getting something residents say they’ve wanted: bear-resistant trash cans.
  The trash cans weren’t available two summers ago when a black bear with three cubs made regular visits to the neighborhood, attracting huge crowds in the process. The bears were eventually put down by Fish and Game.
  Melinda Gant , Government Hill Community Council president, said trash was a big problem at the time b
  
  Read more

• Musk ox calf birth caught on camera

  27-04-2017 04:09
  
  Musk ox momma, Avalanche, welcomed a calf Wednesday afternoon at The Musk Ox Farm in Palmer.
  Around 3:45, workers at the Farm captured the new calf coming into the world. The staff gives the new calf and its mom a few hours to bond before they make contact. So, it’s not yet clear if the calf is male or female, and, because of that, the new calf has not yet been named.
  Avalanche is not the only new mom today– Ellie gave birth to a healthy female, who has since been named Eider, earlie
  
  Read more

• Residents uneasy over mass tire slashing in Douglas and West Juneau

  27-04-2017 03:23 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The Juneau Police Department is investigating a mass tire slashing in Douglas and West Juneau.
  In a news release, the department says 33 vehicles had their tires slashed along Douglas Highway on Tuesday night. It estimates more than $10,000 of damage.http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/04/26TIRES.mp3Wednesday was busy all day for Randal Benc, he said. He’s a tow truck operator for Capital Towing, and was putting chains on a Ford SUV on the side of Douglas Highway in West June
  
  Read more

• Boosters of Juneau’s city museum dig in over proposed cuts

  27-04-2017 02:50 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Facing a nearly $2 million revenue shortfall, the City and Borough of Juneau will have to make some difficult decisions.
  The Juneau-Douglas City Museum is included on a list of proposed cuts, but what would happen to the tens of thousands of items in its collection?
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/04/170426_city_museum.mp3The Juneau-Douglas City Museum. (Photo by Casey Kelly/KTOO)
  The city museum has about 85,000 items in its collection. Here’s one that’s special to
  
  Read more

• Couple married 69 years die minutes apart, holding hands

  27-04-2017 02:45
  
  HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) – The children of a suburban Chicago couple married for 69 years say their parents died just 40 minutes apart while holding hands at a hospital.
  Teresa Vatkin died Saturday at 12:10 a.m. at Highland Park Hospital at age 89. Her husband, 91-year-old Isaac Vatkin, died around 12:50 a.m.
  Relatives say the husband and wife were holding hands when Teresa Vatkin passed away. Their daughter, Clara Gesklin, says her father stopped breathing when family members separated th
  
  Read more

• Neanderthals in California? Maybe so, provocative study says

  27-04-2017 02:05
  
  Researchers found a treasure trove of mastedon parts: here, two mastodon femur balls (center), the neural spine of a vertebra (lower right), and a broken rib (lower left). (Credit: San Diego Natural History Museum)NEW YORK – A startling new report asserts that the first known Americans arrived much, much earlier than scientists thought – more than 100,000 years ago. And maybe they were Neanderthals.
  If true, the finding would far surpass the widely accepted date of about 15,000 year
  
  Read more

• Alaska Air beats 1Q profit forecasts

  27-04-2017 01:33
  
  SEATTLE (AP) – Alaska Air Group Inc. (ALK) on Wednesday reported first-quarter profit of $99 million.
  On a per-share basis, the Seattle-based company said it had net income of 79 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to $1.05 per share.
  The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.04 per share.
  The airline posted revenue of $1.75 billion in the period, which missed St
  
  Read more

• For $425, Nordstrom will sell you a pair of dirty jeans

  27-04-2017 01:20
  
  (Credit: Nordstrom)
  NEW YORK (AP) – Department store Nordstrom is getting dragged through the mud on social media for selling a pair of dirty-looking jeans for $425.
  The department store chain says the five-pocket, button-fly dirty denim pants — dubbed PRPS Barracuda straight-legged jeans — are “heavily distressed” and “embody rugged, Americana workwear that’s seen some hard-working action with a crackled, caked-on muddy coating that shows you&
  
  Read more

• Walker tries to force lawmakers to weigh nominees

  27-04-2017 01:16
  
  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska Gov. Bill Walker is trying to force legislators to consider his appointments to boards, commissions and key administration posts.
  This comes after Alaska’s Senate refused House requests to meet in joint session to consider confirmations.
  Walker issued a proclamation Wednesday calling the Legislature into joint session Thursday. He cites two constitutional provisions as giving him authority to do so.
  One allows a governor to convene the Legislature wheneve
  
  Read more

Follow @AnchorageNewsUS on Twitter!