Anchorage news

• Mic Check in the Morning: Granddad

  19-05-2017 23:20
  
  Granddad, a three-piece emo punk band from Fairbanks, Alaska is headed to the Lower 48 to further their music career.
  Since forming in 2013, the band has released three albums and moved to Anchorage. Their new home will be Minneapolis, but before they leave they will be playing one more time at the Williwaw in downtown Anchorage.
  Tickets are $10 and the show starts at 9 p.m. For more Granddad, check out their website.
  The post Mic Check in the Morning: Granddad appeared first on KTVA 11.
  
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• The Neighbors project, taking portraits of people in all 50 states

  19-05-2017 23:19
  
  John Mireles started his Neighbors project in his hometown of San Diego, California, where he says he literally started take portraits of his neighbors. Since then, he says he’s visited 35 states and taken about 3,000 portraits. Mireles said it was his way of connecting with his predominately African-American neighborhood, and expanded from there after he got a crazy idea to travel to all 50 states.
  Mireles says one of the things he’s learned is that Americans are amazingly friendly
  
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• Pebble forms advisory committee to help with range of issues

  19-05-2017 21:48 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Members of the media walking to an exploratory drill rig at the Pebble Mine Exploratory site. (File photo by Jason Sear/KDLG)
  The Pebble Partnership announced Thursday that is has officially formed a new advisory committee in an effort to expand its engagement with stakeholders. The company noted the commitments of five founding members: Willie Hensley, Kimberly Williams, Jim Maddy, General Joseph Ralston and Terrence ‘Rock’ Salt. Mike Heatwole is a spokesman for Pebble Mine.http://m
  
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• Oil company watches over pregnant polar bear under bridge

  19-05-2017 21:41
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A pregnant polar bear in search of a spot for her maternity den chose an unlikely one: along a bridge leading to an artificial production island off the north coast of Alaska.
  The den was spotted by an oil company security officer in December. Hilcorp Alaska then restricted access along the causeway in hopes of a peaceful pregnancy.
  Fish and Wildlife Service supervisory biologist Christopher Putnam says polar bears have a high mortality rate in their first year of
  
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• Anthony Weiner pleads guilty to charge over sexting with a minor

  19-05-2017 21:40 via ktoo.org
  
  Updated at 12:07 p.m. ET
  Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman from New York, pleaded guilty Friday to one charge of transferring obscene material to a minor after he was investigated for sending sexual messages to a 15-year-old girl last year.
  Weiner will have to register as a sex offender and could be sentenced to years in prison, The Associated Press reports. As part of his plea deal, he has agreed not to appeal any sentence of 27 months or less, Reuters says.
  Weiner cried in court
  
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• Newscast – Friday, May 19, 2017

  19-05-2017 21:22 via ktoo.org
  
  
  In this newscast: Alaska legislature approves REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses; Uber and Lyft are coming to Alaska and deceased rocker Chris Cornell’s family disputes the musician committed suicide.
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/05/170519MIDDAYNEWSCAST.mp3
  
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• Amid tumult, Trump leaves on first presidential foreign trip

  19-05-2017 21:18
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has departed for his maiden overseas trip as president amid the controversy surrounding investigations into whether his campaign associates collaborated with Russia to sway the election.
  Air Force One departed Friday from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, outside Washington, with the president, first lady Melania Trump, his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as well as a group of senior advisers and journalists covering the trip.
  The preside
  
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• Uber, Lyft could be back in Alaska by June

  19-05-2017 21:14 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Taxi drivers in Budapest protested Uber in 2016. (Photo by Wikimedia Commons)
  The state House and Senate have both passed bills that allow transportation network companies to operate, which means controversial businesses like Uber and Lyft could open up shop in Alaska as early as June.
  http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20170518-05.mp3The companies allow passengers to book and pay for rides through apps on a smartphone.
  Republican Sen. Mia Costello of Anchorage sponsored Senate Bill 14, which s
  
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• Update: Murder suspect turns himself in to police

  19-05-2017 20:28
  
  The Anchorage Police Department has arrested  a man accused of killing his girlfriend at the couple’s Lake Otis Road home last month.According to APD, on April 19 Victor Sibson shot and killed Brittanymae Haag. Then, almost a month later, on May 16, Sibson was indicted by a grand jury for causing her death. Sibson has been charged with first-and second-degree murder.
  Sibson turned himself in at APD headquarters shortly before noon Friday.
   
  The post Update: Murder suspect turns h
  
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• Cook Inlet oil and gas lease sales set for June

  19-05-2017 20:06 via ktoo.org
  
  An oil rig in Cook Inlet, Feb. 22, 2009. (Creative Commons photo by hig314)
  The federal government this week announced it’s holding an oil and gas lease sale for over 1 million acres in Cook Inlet this June.
  The offshore area spans from south of Kalgin Island to north of Seldovia.
  The last three federal lease sales in Cook Inlet were canceled due to lack of industry interest.
  In a letter submitted to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management last year, environmental groups raised concerns
  
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• Interior nominee sees ‘clean slate’ on land in trust

  19-05-2017 19:54 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Tribes that want to place land in federal trust, giving them Indian Country jurisdiction, are still waiting to see how the Trump administration will treat their applications.
  David Bernhardt, the nominee for deputy Interior secretary, suggests history won’t be any guide.
  http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20170518-03.mp3“I’m excited about having a new slate to start with, if you will, not covered by the legacy of hundreds of years, or a hundred years,” Bernhardt said at his c
  
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• Appeals court strikes down FAA drone registration rule

  19-05-2017 18:46
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal appeals court has struck down a federal regulation that required owners of recreational drones and other model aircraft to register the devices with the Federal Aviation Administration.
  The FAA had announced the rule in 2015 in response to growing reports of drones flying near manned aircraft and airports. Drones have become increasingly popular with hobbyists and more than 550,000 unmanned aircraft were registered within the first year it was required.
  But the
  
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• A new meth surge gathers momentum across U.S.

  19-05-2017 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  An Oklahoma narcotics agent displays 20 pounds of Mexican crystal meth seized from a drug dealer. As federal, state and local health officials focus on the opioid epidemic, the supply and use of methamphetamine is surging in Oklahoma and other Western, Midwestern and Southern states. (Photo courtesy Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics)
  The opioid epidemic has killed tens of thousands over the past two years and driven major reforms in state and local law enforcement and public health policies for peopl
  
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• Alaska students finish first Russian immersion program

  19-05-2017 17:16
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A group of students in Alaska has become the first class to complete a Russian language immersion program.
  Alaska Public Media reported (http://bit.ly/2qEFnwg ) Thursday that the group of 17 students started the program in kindergarten and stuck with it through their senior year at Western Anchorage High School.
  The program was designed for American students specifically so they could learn Russian from a young age.
  Program teacher Elena Farkas says the Anchorage S
  
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• Report: Melting of Arctic sea ice taking heavy toll on marine species

  19-05-2017 15:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Screen capture of a video produced by the Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna working group shows a polar bear raiding the cliff nests of murres. (Image courtesy CAFF/Arctic Council)
  The latest research shows that diminishing Arctic sea ice caused by climate change is forcing some species to travel further to find food or look for alternative food sources.
  “Polar bears are even showing up on murre colonies. Now, these are cliff-nesting birds,” said Kathy Kul
  
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• Season’s first Copper River salmon arrives in Anchorage

  19-05-2017 08:27
  
  The Copper River is officially open to commercial fishing, and with it the start of Alaska’s summer salmon season.
  Usually, it’s Alaska Airlines that boasts about flying the season’s first salmon to Anchorage before sending it down to Seattle. But this year the folks at ACE Air Cargo said they wanted to make sure Alaskans got the first taste, not Seattleites.
  Copper River Kings are something salmon lovers look forward to every year.
  Much of Alaska’s seafood is shippe
  
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• Take a sneak peek inside the Anchorage Museum expansion

  19-05-2017 07:30
  
  Take a sneak peek inside the newly renovated Anchorage Museum, months before it’s set open.
  The $41 million project features a new wing, an atrium redesign and a new exhibit. The whole first floor will be dedicated to family-friendly activities.
  Workers are still putting up the finishing touches inside and outside the 30,000 square foot expansion.
  Museum director and CEO Julie Decker said the new space will allow them to share more of artwork and artifacts they’ve had to keep in stor
  
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• Anchorage police investigate assault near Fairview

  19-05-2017 07:22
  
  (Daniella Rivera / KTVA)
  Anchorage police are actively investigating an assault around 700 E. 11th Avenue, between Fairview and Downtown.
  In an alert sent out shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, police said one person had been taken to a nearby hospital with “potentially life-threatening injuries.”
  A domestic situation between two male family members reportedly escalated into a fight involving multiple weapons, according to Anchorage Police Lt. John Nolder.
  One suspect has been
  
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• Expect major detours this weekend on Glenn, Seward highways

  19-05-2017 07:02
  
  Drivers on the Glenn and Seward highways are in for some major detours this weekend.
  Beginning 8 p.m. Friday, the Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) will reroute both northbound and southbound traffic through the on/off ramps at the Peters Creek bridge. That detour will last until 5 p.m. Monday morning.
  DOT spokesperson Shannon McCarthy said the construction is part of the $10 million Pavement Preservation project from Hiland to Eklutna this summer.
  McCarthy said that while ther
  
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• YWCA works to close gender pay gap in Alaska

  19-05-2017 06:56
  
  The YWCA says ending the gender pay gap in Alaska isn’t just a social justice cause – it’s an economic one as well.
  Nationally, women make 78 cents for every dollar a man makes. In Alaska, it’s 68 cents on the dollar, according to the YWCA.
  The group held a luncheon Thursday, to discuss how to close the gap in our state more quickly. It featured Natasha Lamb, managing partner of investment firm Arjuna Capital.
  Lamb’s firm started an initiative, asking the compa
  
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• Rate of dementia among Alaska’s elderly expected to rise

  19-05-2017 06:52
  
  It’s a crime that’s making headlines in Anchorage — a 91-year-old man is accused of shooting his 92-year-old wife. Duane Marvin told authorities he doesn’t know why he did what he did. His family members say he has dementia, but he’ s not alone.
  According to Pam Kelley, Education Director at Alzheimer’s Resource Alaska, at least 7,000 people aged 65 and older have Alzheimer’s in Alaska. It’s a number she said is expected to double in the next
  
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• ‘Deadliest Catch’ star arrested after alleged assault

  19-05-2017 03:55
  
  SEATTLE (AP) – Celebrity crab-boat captain Sig Hansen was arrested after he allegedly spat on an Uber driver in Seattle and kicked and dented the driver’s car upon learning he couldn’t pay cash for his ride home.
  The Seattle Times reports the 51-year-old had been in the Ballard neighborhood celebrating Norway’s Constitution Day with family and was arrested early Thursday at his Shoreline home.
  (Tim Dorr / Flickr Creative Commons)
  Police reports say when officers conf
  
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• Special session off to sluggish start in Juneau

  19-05-2017 03:49
  
  Thursday marked Day 122 for lawmakers in Juneau – the first day of a special session after the Alaska Legislature failed to pass a budget before its constitutional deadline Wednesday.
  By midday Thursday, the halls of the Capitol were sparsely populated. Many lawmakers had already left town for the weekend, acknowledging that work wouldn’t ramp-up until next week.
  The big sticking point between the two legislative bodies remains a broad-based tax. The Democrat-led House and Governor B
  
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• Reality Check w/ John Tracy: When does fake news stop being fake news?

  19-05-2017 03:37
  
  It’s long past time to drop the term fake news when it comes to covering the White House.
  Without the mainstream media, we would not have learned President Trump was thinking of the FBI investigation into his campaign’s connections to Russia when he decided to fire FBI director James Comey.
  And we would not have learned, in a meeting the next day, of the president’s decision to share classified information with Russian diplomats.
  A meeting that only Russian media was allowed t
  
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• $50 million budget cut latest indicator of waning support for state gasline project

  19-05-2017 03:25 via ktoo.org
  
  Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, and Sen. Mike Dunleavy, R-Wasilla, listen to Alaska Gasline Development Corporation President Keith Meyer, during a Senate Finance meeting focusing on the corporation’s budget on February 14, in Juneau. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
  The head of Alaska’s Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) is in China this week, working to attract buyers and woo investors into supporting a state-run LNG export project. Meanwhile, political s
  
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• Cannabis Classic to be held at new Anchorage location this weekend

  19-05-2017 03:20
  
  This weekend’s Cannabis Classic will be held outside the Sullivan Arena, after spending its first two years inside the Dena’ina Center.
  “We think people will be more comfortable, have more space to stretch,” said organizer Cory Wray. “We have food trucks. They will be able to experience that as well.”
  The Cannabis Classic is promoted as an event that showcases Alaska’s marijuana industry. Retailers, growers, and product manufacturers, like glass shops an
  
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• State House, Senate call for each other to give ground, Walker hopes for compromise

  19-05-2017 03:07 via ktoo.org
  
  Rep. Paul Seaton, left, R-Homer, Rep. Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, Speaker Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, and Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux, R-Anchorage, take turns speaking during the first day of the special session. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/KTOO and Alaska Public Media)
  Talk on the first day of the legislative special session focused on whether the House and Senate can compromise on a plan to balance the state’s budget in the future.
  Senate leaders said the House must move in their direction.
  
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• Nation’s first group of K-12 Russian immersion students graduates from West Anchorage High

  19-05-2017 02:56 via ktoo.org
  
  The students of Russian teacher Elena Farkas, left, which include Anastasia Erikson, Wesley Piscoya and Parker Roy all graduated from West Anchorage High School on May 17, 2017. (Photo by Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media)
  As West Anchorage High School students walked down the aisle Wednesday of the Sullivan Arena, they filed into their seats, waiting patiently for diplomas they had worked for the last four years to receive.
  For 17 of the students, they had received scholastic recognition at a ce
  
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• Kodiak biologists to conduct bear population survey

  19-05-2017 02:29 via ktoo.org
  
  The spring bear hunting season closed Monday, and that means it’s time for local biologists to do their bear survey.
  Kodiak biologists are conducting bear population surveys on the island. (Photo courtesy of Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
  Every year, if the weather allows, they choose a sample area to fly over to get an estimate of the season’s bear population.
  Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge bear biologist Bill Leacock said the refuge and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 5-19-17

  19-05-2017 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Friday at 3 on a Juneau Afternoon, Andy Kline will be your host.
  We’ll talk with Gary Motley about this weekend’s Juneau Jazz & Classics concerts;
  We’ll talk with Reed Stoops, Eric Boraas and Jamie Waste about a new fund set up to support Parks, Trails, and Recreation;
  We’ll highlight about an upcoming Writers Workshop;
  We’ll get the details about the Alaska Youth Choir performance.
  That, Writer’s Almanac, Bird Note, music and more, live at 3 on KTOO, repe
  
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• State says harsh conditions, not aging infrastructure, culprit in Cook Inlet gas leak

  19-05-2017 01:57 via ktoo.org
  
  Still from a 1965 Shell video of Cook Inlet pipeline installations. (courtesy Cook Inletkeeper)
  Everyone knew drilling for oil and gas in Cook Inlet wasn’t going to be easy.
  This is made clear by a 1965 documentary produced by Shell Oil Company about the industry’s early work to lay pipes in Cook Inlet. In dramatic terms, the narrator talks about the winter ice that “only structures of the toughest steel” can withstand, “high winds and waves” and “swift
  
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• Petersburg mayor resigns with two years left on term

  19-05-2017 00:19 via ktoo.org
  
  Petersburg’s mayor Mark Jensen has resigned.
  Jensen turned in a short letter of resignation to the borough at 8 a.m. Thursday, May 18, and is no longer mayor . The letter does not give any reason for stepping down.
  He declined comment this morning other than to say he would make a statement in the near future.
  Jensen, 61, is a welder and commercial fisherman. He has been mayor of the borough since the startup of the new expanded municipality in January 2013. Before that he served
  
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