Anchorage news

• Trump announces rollback of some Cuba policies

  16-06-2017 23:52
  
  President Trump took a hard line against the Castro regime, criticized his predecessor’s approach to Cuba, and praised the courage of Cuban dissidents in a Friday speech in Miami’s Little Havana that marked the beginning of sweeping changes to U.S.-Cuba relations.
  Mr. Trump — fulfilling a campaign promise to roll back Obama-era policies that had eased restrictions on Cuban trade and travel — announced he is reversing the “one-sided” Obama-era approach in a way
  
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• Judge announces verdict in texting suicide trial

  16-06-2017 23:45
  
  TAUNTON, Mass. — A young Massachusetts woman accused of sending her boyfriend dozens of text messages urging him to kill himself when they were teenagers was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter Friday.
  Michelle Carter was charged in the death of Conrad Roy III. Carter, then 17, cajoled Roy to kill himself in July 2014 with a series of texts and phone calls, prosecutors alleged. Roy died when his pickup truck filled with carbon monoxide in a store parking lot in Fairhaven. After he exi
  
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• Officer acquitted in fatal shooting of Philando Castile

  16-06-2017 23:33
  
  ST. PAUL, Minn. – A jury on Friday found a Minnesota police officer not guilty of manslaughter in the death of a black motorist.
  Defense attorneys contended the 29-year-old Latino officer was scared for his life and was justified in shooting 32-year-old Philando Castile. Jeronimo Yanez shot Castile five times last July during a traffic stop in a St. Paul suburb, just seconds after Castile informed him he was carrying a gun.
  Prosecutors insisted Yanez never saw a gun and had plenty of optio
  
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• Mic Check in the Morning: Ukulele Russ

  16-06-2017 23:25
  
  Ukulele Russ is billed as Alaska’s one man frontier band and will be playing in Anchorage this weekend.
  On Friday, June 16, he’ll be at the Avenue Bar in Downtown Anchorage starting at 7 p.m. On Saturday, June 17, Russ will be playing at the Blue Fox Cocktail Lounge on Tudor Road. He’ll start playing at 10 p.m.
  Russ’ album, “Nobody Cares,” can be purchased on iTunes and Google Play.
  For more Ukulele Russ, visit his website or Facebook page.
  The post Mic Check
  
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• Newscast – June 16, 2017

  16-06-2017 22:28 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/06/170616-midday-newscast.mp3In this newscast:
  Gov. Bill Walker calls the state Legislature back for a second special session
  Uber and Lyft are coming to Alaska — over the objections of local authorities
  U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bailey Barco gives public tours on Friday afternoon
  
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• Governor calls lawmakers for 2nd special session after House budget gambit fails

  16-06-2017 22:27 via ktoo.org
  
  House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, addresses reporters in the Capitol in Juneau on Friday. The House had pushed an operating budget through the night before then adjourned sine die, leaving the Senate few options. Other House Majority Coalition leaders pictured: Chris Tuck, Paul Seaton, Neal Foster and Gabrielle LeDoux. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
  Alaska Gov. Bill Walker has called the Alaska Legislature back for a second special session to begin at 1 p.m. today, after lawmakers failed t
  
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• Hiker dies descending Denali Pass

  16-06-2017 22:18
  
  The National Park Service says a hiker died of a medical condition while descending Denali Pass Friday morning.
  An NPS ranger patrol was called to Denali’s West Buttress route at 17,500 feet around 1 a.m. Friday. Reports indicated a hiker had collapsed due to an unknown illness.
  When the two-person NPS mountaineering volunteers team reached the scene, the hiker was unresponsive.
  Medical interventions were made, but, the hiker never regained consciousness.
  The identity of the deceased hiker
  
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• Walker calls for second special session

  16-06-2017 21:52
  
  Late-Friday morning, the Alaska Senate gaveled out, bringing an end to the special session. However, mere minutes later, Governor Bill Walker called legislators into a second special session due to the looming government shutdown and the legislature’s failure to pass a budget.
  Walker issued the proclamation around 11:15 Friday, with one item on the agenda: the budget.
  I call the 30th Legislature of the State of Alaska into its second special session in Juneau, Alaska on June 16 @ 1:00PM. -
  
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• LIVE: Walker calls for second special session

  16-06-2017 21:52
  
  Late-Friday morning, the Alaska Senate gaveled out, bringing an end to the special session. However, mere minutes later, Governor Bill Walker called legislators into a second special session due to the looming government shutdown and the legislature’s failure to pass a budget.
  Walker issued the proclamation around 11:15 Friday, with one item on the agenda: the budget.
  I call the 30th Legislature of the State of Alaska into its second special session in Juneau, Alaska on June 16 @ 1:00PM.
  
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• New fire rages off Sterling Highway

  16-06-2017 21:27
  
  A new wildfire began burning near the Sterling Highway Thursday evening.
  The fire, named the East Fork Fire by The Division of Forestry, was discovered just before 6:30 p.m. Thursday. It’s burning about five to six miles north of the Sterling Highway in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, with a spread of roughly 150 acres.
  The fire is reportedly moving away from the road, primarily fueled by black spruce, according to the Alaska Interagency Control Center.
  Authorities say that smoke
  
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• Daybreak Adopt-A-Pet: June 16, 2017

  16-06-2017 21:00
  
  From Anchorage Animal Care and Control:Bristol:
  Bristol has three simple questions for her new family:
  Do you have a couch and are cats allowed on it?
  Do you have a lap and are cats allowed in it?
  Do you want a sweet kitty with a quiet purr sitting next to you while you relax in the evening?
  If you answered yes to any of those questions, you can be Bristol’s new family.Gigi:
  Gigi is a dignified older gentleman who responds quietly to your approach. He’ll stretch out his handsome head
  
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• Former Alaska district attorney dies in traffic crash

  16-06-2017 20:47 via ktoo.org
  
  FAIRBANKS — A former Kodiak, Fairbanks and Bethel district attorney died in a motorcycle crash as he traveled in Canada.
  Mike Gray, 64, died Sunday near Mile 820 Alaska Highway, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports.
  Gray, traveling alone, left Fairbanks early Saturday morning for a family gathering in Montana.
  Gray lost control of his bike on a gravel shoulder near Jake’s Corner and slid into a ditch, Yukon Territory Chief Coroner Heather Jones said.
  Gray was a Kodiak as
  
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• 1 shot in West Anchorage Carrs parking lot

  16-06-2017 20:28
  
  Police are investigating a Friday morning shooting that left one man with a gunshot wound to the neck.
  Anchorage Police responded to the shooting in the parking lot of the Aurora Village Carrs in the 4 o’clock hour Friday morning.
  One victim was located on scene suffering a gunshot wound to the neck. Police say he was taken to the hospital with critical injuries.
  APD has not taken a suspect into custody.
  The incident comes just weeks after a Carrs employee was shot in the leg twice, a
  
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• Team Pure and Wild Freeburd wins 2017 Race to Alaska

  16-06-2017 20:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Chris Burd laughs as his brothers tie up their boat in Ketchikan after winning the 2017 Race to Alaska. (Photo by Leila Kheiry/KRBD)
  Four days and 700 miles after departing from Victoria, British Columbia, Team Pure and Wild Freeburd sailed into Ketchikan, making them the winners of the 2017 Race to Alaska.http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20170615-08.mp3Amidst light rain, with fog eclipsing the tops of the surrounding mountains, brothers Tripp, Chris and Trevor Burd guided their trimaran, “M
  
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• Federal officials make formal apology for WWII internment of Unangan people

  16-06-2017 19:46 via ktoo.org
  
  (Photo by Scott Burton/KTOO).
  Federal officials apologized Wednesday for their role in the World War II internment of the Unangan people.
  Jim Kurth, acting director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, traveled to St. Paul Island to speak with survivors and descendants.
  “As much as we wish, we cannot take back the course of history,” Kurth said. “But what we can do now is heal together. We can work together.”
  Fish and Wildlife agents oversaw the internment of the p
  
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• Homer and ACLU cut a deal after recall case ruling

  16-06-2017 19:28 via ktoo.org
  
  Homer City Hall (Photo courtesy of City of Homer)
  The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska and the City of Homer have struck a deal following a recent court battle over a recent recall effort.
  The ACLU represented Homer City Council members Donna Aderhold, Catriona Reynolds and David Lewis, all subjects of the recall, in a lawsuit to halt the election.
  The council members have been targeted over two resolutions they sponsored, particularly a resolution regarding inclusivity. Petitioners argu
  
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• House passes budget, adjourns in dramatic vote

  16-06-2017 19:18
  
  The House Majority Caucus pushed through a budget in a surprising vote Thursday night.
  The feud started with a surprise 89-page amendment directly before the vote. Minority Leader Charisse Millett was one of several lawmakers who asked to be excused from voting for the budget bill. Representative Millett said it was because she said she had no idea what was in it.
  The House Majority used the aforementioned 89-page amendment to put the operating budget into the capitol budget, giving the Min
  
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• Curious Juneau looks into the eye of Mount Juneau

  16-06-2017 16:00 via ktoo.org
  
  The eye painted on Mount Juneau as it appeared in 2016. (Photo courtesy Mikko Wilson)
  In this Curious Juneau, we look into the origins of the eye glaring over downtown.
  “When I first moved here in 1974, as a kid in the playground at Harborview we’d look up and all the kids would always wonder what that eye was,” local Paul Prussing said.
  Prussing was one of many people that asked Curious Juneau what the story is behind the bloodshot eye painted on the side of Mount Juneau.
  
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• Red Carpet Concert: Annie Bartholomew

  16-06-2017 15:59 via ktoo.org
  
  Remember those Red Carpet Concert videos from folk fest we’ve been releasing over the last couple weeks? Well, it turns out there was one more video. After a cancellation, the production team had an extra slot to fill and our very own Annie Bartholomew happened to have her guitar with her. Here’s a bonus from the session, Annie Bartholomew with her song “Mister Thomas.”Watch this and other Red Carpet Concerts with The Murphy Beds, Goldwing and more here at KTOO.org.
  
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• House pushes budget through and quits, leaving Senate few options and Republicans seething

  16-06-2017 10:18 via ktoo.org
  
  House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, left, confers with Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, and Rep. Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, during a break in floor debate on the House Majority’s budget proposal on Thursday. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/KTOO and Alaska Public Media)
  The Alaska House passed a new budget Thursday night. It combined the operating and capital budgets.
  The House adjourned from the special session, leaving the Senate with no option but to accept or reject the House budget. Republic
  
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• Why we’re closer to understanding earthquakes in Alaska

  16-06-2017 05:48
  
  There’s a big science experiment going on in Alaska. In fact, it’s one of the most important on earth according to Popular Science Magazine, and it’s revolutionizing the way scientists can read earthquakes.
  Right now, there is a whole team of them in Alaska installing tiny devices every 50 square miles, across the state.
  “This is the most challenging project I’ve ever seen. It’s like flying an ultralight experimental craft,” Mike Lundgren told KTVA last
  
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• New Butte summit signs to be relocated after community concern

  16-06-2017 05:41
  
  Bodenburg Butte hikers will notice new signage at the summit, but not everyone is happy about where the plaques are placed.
  “The signs are placed at the prow of the summit that faces the glacier and kind of in people’s iconic photo shot,” said Kim Sollien, the Mat-Su program director for Great Land Trust (GLT).
  Sollien said that’s not where the signs were supposed to be, though. There was some miscommunication with the contractor when the signs went up on Tuesday.
  She sai
  
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• 1 injured in Mt. View shooting, APD says

  16-06-2017 05:34
  
  Thursday evening just before 7, Anchorage Police say three juveniles were involved in an altercation that escalated, leaving one wounded.
  APD began receiving calls about 10 minutes to 7 that a shooting occurred at the intersection of Bragaw Street and Parsons Avenue in the Mountain View neighborhood.
  By the time officers arrived on the scene, only shell casings remained.
  Witnesses described those involved as three young black males. All three were on foot, witnesses said, and after the altercati
  
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• Mixed reactions to Uber, Lyft coming to Alaska

  16-06-2017 04:55
  
  Ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft will now be able to operate in Alaska now that Governor Bill Walker signed that legislation into law.
  It sets up rules for background checks and insurance policies for drivers. Municipalities can also ban these services if a majority of its voters approve of that move.
  Anchorage residents who signed up to be drivers hope this will be an opportunity to have a flexible side job. Dan Apted runs a computer repair shop and says the seasonal fluctuation frees up
  
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• Providence Alaska video goes viral, earns honors

  16-06-2017 04:41
  
  Providence Alaska earned top honors at a film festival competition for their creative take on hand washing.
  The video called “Look At Me (Hand Hygiene)” demonstrates hand washing techniques.
  The music video was featured at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology’s 44th annual conference in Portland.
  A panel of judges chose the video for its inventiveness, originality, appeal and significance to the infection prevention community.The post Providen
  
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• Alaska lawmakers unlikely to pass budget before special session ends

  16-06-2017 04:00
  
  Friday is the end of a special session in Juneau, and lawmakers have not passed an operating budget to keep state services running past July 1.
  At this point, passage of a budget is possible, but procedurally difficult because lawmakers must have the bill on their desks for 24 hours before taking a vote — and that timeframe has already passed. Still, legislators could vote to waive that rule.
  “But that would mean that our conference committees would be meeting now negotiati
  
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• Murkowski, Young among lawmakers to introduce CARERS Act

  16-06-2017 03:55
  
  Senator Lisa Murkowski and Congressman Don Young joined a group of lawmakers to introduce legislation requiring the federal government to respect state marijuana laws.
  It’s called the CARERS Act, which stands for Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States.
  Senator Murkowski says the Act would allow Americans to gain access to the care they need by protecting patients from federal intervention in states with existing medical marijuana laws.
  “There is a conflict that e
  
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• F&G calls off hunt for bear that mauled three

  16-06-2017 03:50
  
  Fish and Game spokesman Ken Marsh says they are no longer looking for a bear with two cubs that mauled three young people Wednesday on a trail near the Eagle River Campground.
  The trail was closed after the incident and remained so Thursday evening.
  Marsh said biologists spent several hours looking for the bear Wednesday without any luck. A homeowner in the area reported seeing the bear later that evening heading upriver. Marsh said it appears she has left the area.
  The bear sent two young adult
  
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• Uber and Lyft are rolling into Juneau

  16-06-2017 02:53 via ktoo.org
  
  Alaska Gov. Bill Walker shows off House Bill 132 after signing the ridesharing measure into law in Juneau on June 15, 2017. Pictured with him are bill supporters Sen. Anna MacKinnon, Sen. Mia Costello and Rep. Adam Wool. (Photo courtesy Alaska House Majority Coalition)
  Gov. Bill Walker signed legislation Thursday paving way for ride-share companies, such as Uber and Lyft, to operate in Alaska.
  The companies dispatch private cars to act as taxis via smartphone app. Passengers are billed electroni
  
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• With one day left in special session, little public progress on budget

  16-06-2017 02:44 via ktoo.org
  
  Senate President Pete Kelly gives a statement on the budget on Thursday. Kelly wants legislative leaders to focus on the budget. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/KTOO and Alaska Public Media)
  Leaders from both chambers of the Legislature met behind closed doors Thursday as they tried to reach a budget agreement.
  But there was little public progress.
  The 30-day special session will end Friday and the House and Senate majorities remained far apart.
  Fairbanks Republican Senate President Pete Kelly said&
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 6-16-17

  16-06-2017 02:25 via ktoo.org
  
  Friday, June 16, 2017 on KRNNFriday at 3 on a Juneau Afternoon, Andy Kline will host;
  We’ll get a preview of the Friday night Science on a Screen NASA Film screening at the Gold Town Nick;
  Meghan Chambers, from the Arts Council, will be here to highlight the Friday night Block party;
  Linda Buckley will be here to talk about the Parade of Species float in the upcoming 4th of July Parade. And we’ll learn more about the Parade itself, with Jean Szuck.
  And Jerry Harmon will be here with
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 6-15-17

  16-06-2017 02:16 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Thursday on a Juneau Afternoon, Joan Pardes hosts;
  UAS Corner – UAS Outdoor Studies Program
  Guest: Kevin Krine
  We’ll talk with Sydney Mitchell, from Shoefly, who recently returned from a shoe manufacturer in Spain, where she gave her input on their new line;
  William Todd Hunt will be here with a preview of this weekend’s Saxophone Showcase 
  And Meghan Chambers will be here with info about painting big and Thursday’s edition of Arts Up. 
  That, Writer’s
  
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• Judge orders landowners to pay $52,000 in Chilkoot land use case

  16-06-2017 01:44 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Fishermen will still be able to drive vehicles to the spot on the Chilkoot River during the hooligan run. (Photo by Abbey Collins/KHNS)
  A dispute in Haines between private landowners and several Native organizations has come to a close.
  The disagreement over drive-down access for hooligan fishing on the Chilkoot River was resolved by a judge last year.
  But that wasn’t the end of the legal battle.
  Now, the landowners in the case have been ordered to pay a significant amount of money to the
  
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• Bear chasing dog shot, killed by homeowner

  16-06-2017 01:35
  
  A brown bear shooting death in Sitka has been ruled as “justified defense of life and property,” according to Fish and Game.
  A man, who is also an Alaska State Trooper, heard his dog yipping after he let it out early Wednesday morning. That is when he saw an adult male brown bear chasing his dog.
  The man shot the bear four times and it died in a deep ravine about 100 yards away.
  Recruits from the Sitka Trooper Academy retrieved the bear’s body, which will be used for train
  
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• What’s on tap for Valley Performing Arts’ 42nd season

  16-06-2017 01:32
  
  The Valley Performing Arts is getting ready for its 42nd season, which starts in September. Along with seven new shows, VPA is offering lower priced tickets and a perk for season ticket holders.
  Garry Forrester, the theatre’s executive director, said if a season ticket holder signs a friend up for season tickets, the person who referred the friend will get two free tickets to any production. Forrester added that’s a good way to engage people in community theatre.
  The seven shows begi
  
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• Southeast newspaper has a new owner

  16-06-2017 01:06 via ktoo.org
  
  Kyle Clayton bought the Chilkat Valley News from longtime reporter and five-year owner Tom Morphet. (Photo by Emily Files/KHNS)
  Haines’ local newspaper has a new owner.
  Kyle Clayton, who is an Army veteran who has been in journalism about five years, takes over for longtime Chilkat Valley News reporter Tom Morphet, whose recent foray into local politics is now challenged by a recall campaign.
  Morphet has been trying to sell the newspaper since last fall, when he was elected to the Haines B
  
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• JPD ‘disables’ suspected explosive; turns out to be geocache

  16-06-2017 00:43
  
  Whoops! Adventurers in Juneau have one less surprise to find after police “disabled” a geocache found in a wooded area.
  Juneau Police were called to a reported pipe bomb off a trail near Glacier Spur Road Wednesday afternoon.
  The device was described as a seven-inch “cylindrical tube wrapped in camouflage tape.”
  The bomb squad disabled the object with a watercannon. The object turned out to be not explosive– and was, instead, a geocache.
  The post JPD ‘disables
  
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• JPD nabs Alaskan Dames burglary suspect in under an hour

  16-06-2017 00:38 via ktoo.org
  
  A Juneau business owner is glad she had security measures in place after her Mendenhall Valley shop was burgled late Wednesday.
  Lisa Ibias owns the local consignment store chain Alaskan Dames. She said the store has had shoplifters before, but this was the first break-in.
  “I recommend cameras and I recommend security. And it doesn’t have to cost a lot,” Ibias said, of the Dames’ security systems. “It’s pretty minimal to protect yoursel
  
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• After over 40 years at Prudhoe Bay, general store manager to retire

  16-06-2017 00:35 via ktoo.org
  
  Dave Pritchard retires on June 27 after working at Prudhoe Bay for 42 years. (Photo by Elizabeth Harball/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
  The North Slope community of Deadhorse is an unusual place. Its No. 1 purpose is to serve the oil field it’s next to: Prudhoe Bay. There are no houses, there’s no downtown and no parks; just a series of industrial lots and gravel roads in the middle of the tundra.
  But Deadhorse does have a store. And the man who runs it is retiring this month, afte
  
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• Gov. Walker signs bill to open door for Uber/Lyft in Alaska

  16-06-2017 00:12
  
  On Thursday afternoon, Gov. Bill Walker signed into law a bill to encourage ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft to operate in Alaska.
  House Bill 132 allows drivers to operate as independent contractors and exempts them from workers’ compensation, similar to taxi drivers.
  “We heard loud and clear the support, we also heard the concerns. And we believe that the bill allows, on the regulations, a side for us to address some of those concerns,” said Gov. Bill Walker, referrin
  
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