Anchorage news

• New state ombudsman to start this week

  21-06-2017 23:39 via ktoo.org
  
  Kate Burkhart is starting as the state’s new ombudsman this week, replacing Linda Lord-Jenkins who held the position longer than any other investigator since the agency started in 1975.
  The ombudsman is a non-partisan position that investigates complaints of state agencies and will often make recommendations to agencies or the state legislature on how to fix problems.
  Lord-Jenkins retired this week.
  “The incoming ombudsman is a very capable, and talented and resourceful wom
  
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• Paddler sought life off the beaten path, respite from ‘paying to live’

  21-06-2017 23:37 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Brandt Smith, 32, paddles his modified inflatable raft on June 7 in Gastineau Channel near Juneau. A Coast Guard boat crew intervened and took Smith and his dog Sam to Douglas harbor. (Photo courtesy Lt. Joey Schlosser/U.S. Coast Guard )http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/06/21RAFT-npr1.mp3As KTOO reported, the Coast Guard pulled a man, his dog and a makeshift raft out of Gastineau Channel on June 7. As is usually the case, there’s always more to the story.
  Coast Guard Lt. Joey Sch
  
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• Assistant DA appointed as Juneau’s new district attorney

  21-06-2017 23:23 via ktoo.org
  
  Angie Kemp takes over for the retiring James Scott as the new district attorney for Juneau.
  Kemp served for the last nine years as an assistant district attorney prosecuting criminal cases in Juneau and northern Southeast Alaska.
  “Angie knows the region and knows how to work with communities to resolve cases while holding offenders accountable,” said Deputy Attorney General Rob Henderson in a statement released by the Department of Law. “Her unique experience will serve the dep
  
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• Newscast – Wednesday, June 21, 2017

  21-06-2017 22:53 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/06/noon062117.mp3In this newscast:
  Bruce Butler of Wasilla has been charged for a double homicide in 2015,
  Angie Kemp is named the new District Attorney for Juneau,
  Searchers recover the body of Edgar Curtis from Wasilla Lake, and
  the Wrangell Assembly adopted its last contract offer to municipal employees.
  
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• Wrangell’s 24 unionized municipal workers on strike

  21-06-2017 22:09 via ktoo.org
  
  IBEW Local 1547 is one of the unions that participated in this week’s training on right-to-work laws. (Photo by Casey Kelly/KTOO)
  Updated | 11:45 a.m. Thursday
  Wrangell’s 24 unionized municipal workers went on strike this morning.
  An International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers press release says the employees acted because local officials negotiated in bad faith.
  Members authorized a strike earlier this month, after they voted down the municipality’s final contract offer.
  T
  
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• Unionized borough workers want more contract talks

  21-06-2017 22:09 via ktoo.org
  
  IBEW Local 1547 is one of the unions that participated in this week’s training on right-to-work laws. Photo by Casey Kelly/KTOO.
  Wrangell’s municipal employees’ union has authorized a strike. But one of its leaders said members don’t really want to.
  Mark Armstrong is a shop steward for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents 24 city and borough staffers.
  He said the union voted to authorize a strike twice before this year. Both times, municip
  
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• Dillingham family farm pivots, selling produce to subscribers instead of grocery stores

  21-06-2017 21:31 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Kyle Belleque and his daughter, Amy, are in the midst of planting these greens. Some will go in the garden in their yard. Others will be replanted in their hydroponic growing system. (Photo by Avery Lill/KDLG)
  Water rushes through the pipes and fans whir inside the hydroponic growing system that Belleque Family Farms has set up inside a converted shipping container.
  Kyle Belleque crouches low to inspect the spinach plant on the bottom shelf of his garden.
  “Makes me want to have a spinach s
  
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• Nuka Conference: Bringing Southcentral Foundation’s system of care to others

  21-06-2017 21:14
  
  The Southcentral Foundation’s NUKA System of Care (Nuka) has been garnering attention from the rest of the United States. It focuses on working with the community to make them healthier and has been for more than 30 years.
  Casey Cooper, CEO of Cherokee Indian Hospital, says this system is the wave of the future. Cooper said he was sold and took the Nuka system back home and redesigned their clinic space and processes. The hospital also changed its culture to be more relationship-based
  
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• Workforce Wednesday: Careers in water and wastewater treatment

  21-06-2017 21:11
  
  Alaskans looking for a job with transferable skills to Lower 48 can look no further than a career in water and wastewater treatment. The Alaska Job Corps offers free training that often takes around two years.
  According to Greg Howard, the program is self-directed, so, it might take students less than that. Typically, he added, there’s a year of instruction in the classroom and then hands-on training. Howard said students will go out into the community and get tangible experience, all work
  
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• Sisters from Washington have grown up fishing Bristol Bay’s salmon fishery

  21-06-2017 20:58 via ktoo.org
  
  Maddy Marinkovich learned to stitch nets from her father. (Photo by Caitlin Tan/KDLG)
  Maddy and Sophia Marinkovich are mending net for their dad among a sea of men preparing for the salmon season.
  Both are in their early 20’s and consider fishing their lifestyle.
  “It’s not as much of a make it work – that’s the thing we need to get over,” Sophia said. “It’s like girls can be girls and fish at the same time.”
  They are from Washington but
  
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• Help needed to keep Bartlett High School pool afloat

  21-06-2017 20:57
  
  Lauren Langford knows the value of the Bartlett High School Swimming Pool.
  “This is the only Olympic size pool in the state, and with it being the only facility of its kind, it’s really really important to make sure this pool has the best,” said Langford, who is with Central Area Swimming.
  She is looking for money to help improve the pool, lots of it. Langford said $100,000 is needed for phase one, which will replace the timing system. That includes the scoreboards, t
  
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• Sitka considers code changes in landslide zones

  21-06-2017 20:12 via ktoo.org
  
  
  If the critical areas ordinance passes on June 27th, it would change development rules for South Kramer Avenue. An outside firm mapped the area for landslide risk in the aftermath of the August 18, 2015 landslides. (Map from Shannon & Wilson South Kramer report)
  The state is currently mapping the potential risk for landslides in Sitka.
  This time next year, the Sitka Assembly will be presented with a community-wide map.
  Whether they adopt the maps or not, city staff wanted to be prepared for
  
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• What the Democratic loss in Georgia means for the midterms

  21-06-2017 19:33 via ktoo.org
  
  Defeat is an orphan.
  Summing up the left’s response to its deflating loss in a special congressional election in the Atlanta suburbs were two reactions:
  (1) Jim Dean, chairman of the progressive activist group Democracy For America, in a statement:
  “Defeating Republicans in districts that they have traditionally held requires doing something drastically different than establishment Democrats have done before — specifically, running on a bold progressive vision and investing hea
  
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• Alyeska Pipeline is trying to engineer their way out of low oil flow in TAPS

  21-06-2017 19:12
  
  June 30 is a big anniversary for one of the most famous pipeline systems in the world. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline is 40-years-old. However, age and decreased oil flow are presenting problems that threaten to shut it down. KTVA traveled 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez to show you how operators are trying to engineer their way out of the problem.
  At Pump Station One, $30 million of crude leaves Prudhoe Bay every day. A far cry from its heyday. The easy crude has been sucked out of the oil fiel
  
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• Ohio AG has ‘laser focus’ on family living in Kenai

  21-06-2017 18:56
  
  It was children’s toys in the yard that prompted Brad Conklin of Kenai to stop Monday and meet his new neighbors.
  “I stopped in to say that we have bear around here so keep a gun handy, and they said all they have was a little shotgun,” said Conklin.
  A few hours later, he recognized them in news reports after Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine named four people he is focusing on in a mass murder investigation.
  George “Billy” Wagner, III, and Angela Wagner. (Credit: O
  
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• After nearly 20 Years, NOAA surveys Norton Sound beluga whale population

  21-06-2017 17:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Beluga coming to the surface to breathe. (Creative Commons photo by Eva Hejda)
  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, or NOAA Fisheries, in conjunction with two other Alaska entities, is conducting a survey of beluga whales in Norton Sound.
  Surveys of this area’s beluga whale population have not been taken since the year 2000.
  The Alaska Beluga Whale Committee, the North Slope Borough, and NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Fisheries Science Center are doing aerial surveys of
  
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• Alaska Supreme Court hears arguments over legality of Walker’s PFD veto

  21-06-2017 04:55 via ktoo.org
  
  The Alaska Supreme Court hears arguments in the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage on Tuesday in a case to overturn Gov. Bill Walker’s veto of about half of Alaska Permanent Fund dividend money in 2016. Pictured from left to right: Justices Joel Bolger, Daniel Winfree, Craig Stowers, Peter Maassen and Susan Carney. (Photo by Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media)
  The fate of hundreds of millions in Alaska Permanent Fund dividend money now rests with the five Alaska Supreme court judges.
  The court he
  
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• APD dispatch center to get new technology

  21-06-2017 04:46
  
  The last time the Anchorage Police Department’s Dispatch Center got new furniture and launched its computer systems was about two decades ago, according to Emergency Communications Center Manager Amy Foraker.
  Foraker says there will soon be two projects taking place: one to expand the center and one to upgrade the communications systems.
  “We’re going to replace furniture, all the computers, both our dispatch systems– the computer-aided dispatch and our 911 system, and the
  
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• Bird Ridge Race organizers to discuss fatal bear mauling

  21-06-2017 04:41
  
  Alaska’s mountain running community is still reeling from the death of a 16-year-old boy who was killed by a black bear following the Bird Ridge Race on Sunday. The death is also raising questions about the type of safety precautions that might be necessary going forward.
  The death is also raising questions about the type of safety precautions that might be necessary going forward.
  Race Director Brad Precosky said volunteers and race organizers planned to meet soon to debrief and discuss w
  
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• Rain and cooler temps don’t stop Alaskans from enjoying Summer Solstice

  21-06-2017 04:33
  
  We’ve been gaining daylight for 181 days– all building up to today, the Summer Solstice.
  Many Alaskans look forward to this day for months, eager to soak up the 19 hours and 21 minutes of daylight, but this year’s Solstice is more soggy than sunny.
  The rain didn’t stop the Willis family from heading to the park though like they do every Tuesday, rain or shine.
  Kim Willis had new rain suits sitting in the car just waiting on a wet day for her 3-year-old twins, Karisa and K
  
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• Alaska Supreme Court weighs PFD lawsuit

  21-06-2017 03:48
  
  The future of Permanent Fund dividends is now in the hands of five judges. On Tuesday, the Alaska Supreme Court heard from both sides in a lawsuit challenging Gov. Bill Walker’s partial veto of last year’s PFD checks.
  The historic case will set a precedent for decisions about the dividend program moving forward.
  Debate in the courtroom Tuesday boiled down to whether any money the state brings in can be dedicated or earmarked for PFDs.
  The Alaska Constitution bans dedicated funds, but
  
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• Man charged in 2015 double homicide of Wasilla couple

  21-06-2017 03:42
  
  Nearly two years later, authorities have made an arrest in the double homicide of a Wasilla couple.
  The bodies of Lynn Butler, 42, and Richard Casler, 61, were found in a trailer off of the Denali Highway over the Fourth of July weekend in 2005.
  Both Butler and Casler died of gunshot wounds. Police say they were killed on or about July 2, 2015; their bodies were located on July 5, 2015.
  Tuesday, nearly two years after the murders were committed, the Alaska Bureau of Investigation obtained a
  
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• Playground burned in alleged arson will rebuild

  21-06-2017 03:22
  
  Crews will be working for the next week to clean up a playground that burned to the ground in Juneau.
  The Twin Lakes playground caught fire in April.
  Two 13-year-olds were charged with arson in connection to that fire.
  While crews work, the public is allowed in the area but the restrooms and shelter at Twin Lakes are closed.
  Crews expect to break ground on a new playground next spring.
  No injuries in Twin Lakes Playground fire, but equipment mostly destroyed @ktva pic.twitter.com/tq1l7NStex
  &mda
  
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• Alaska’s credit ratings are on negative credit watch

  21-06-2017 03:10
  
  Alaska’s credit ratings are on a negative credit watch.
  Tuesday, the S&P announced that since the state doesn’t have a budget for 2018 and continues to rely on savings to pay for government services, the state’s credit rating could be in danger of being lowered again.
  Governor Bill Walker says Tuesday’s announcement is concerning but not surprising.
  The credit rating could cost the state millions in additional interest payments.
  The post Alaska’s credit ratings
  
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• U.S.-led forces kill top ISIS cleric

  21-06-2017 02:58
  
  U.S.-led coalition forces killed Turki al-Bin’ali, a top cleric of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), in an airstrike last month, the coalition said Tuesday.
  The coalition said in a statement that the cleric and self-proclaimed “Grand Mufti” was killed in an airstrike on May 31 in Mayadeen, Syria.
  Al-Bin’ali played a prolific role in recruiting terrorist fighters and inciting terror attacks around the world, U.S. officials said. He has acted as the chief cleric o
  
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• As opioid crisis grows, few get treatment meds

  21-06-2017 02:55
  
  Opioid addiction among Americans under the age of 25 is skyrocketing, climbing nearly sixfold between 2001 and 2014. Yet only 1 in 4 teens and young adults with opioid addiction receive recommended treatment medication despite having good health insurance, according to new research.
  The new study suggests doctors are not keeping up with the needs of youth caught up in the worst addiction crisis in U.S. history.
  “Young people may be dying because they are not getting the treatment they need
  
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• Government shutdown looms as Washington state lawmakers head for third special session

  21-06-2017 02:51 via ktoo.org
  
  House budget chair Timm Ormsby, second from left, and Senate budget chair John Braun, on right, say they are working to get a budget deal by June 30 to avoid a government shutdown. (Photo by Austin Jenkins/Northwest News Network)https://cpa.ds.npr.org/northwestnews/audio/2017/06/062017AJ_Revenue_web.mp3The state of Washington is 10 days from a government shutdown as lawmakers head into a third overtime session with still no budget deal.
  This is the point when even veteran Olympia insiders start
  
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• Man shot by FPD ‘prepared for armed confrontation’

  21-06-2017 02:39
  
  Fairbanks Police released new details in an officer-involved shooting earlier this week that left one man dead.
  In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Fairbanks Police Chief Eric Jewkes said 21-year-old Matthew Colton Stover was prepared for an armed confrontation with officers.
  The incident began Monday around 3 a.m. when a citizen called in suspicious activity in the Denny’s parking lot off Airport Way. The caller reported seeing a man wearing a mask and carrying a rifle.
  About a half
  
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• Confusion over legalities is hurting Alaskan ivory market, locals say

  21-06-2017 02:06 via ktoo.org
  
  
  An ivory carving of a beluga whale is set to be purchased by a couple from Washington State. (Photo by Davis Hovey/KNOM)
  With five different states’ ivory bans currently in effect, the latest passed by Hawaii at the beginning of this year, confusion remains among potential walrus ivory buyers in Alaska about what ivory is legal and what isn’t.
  http://www.knom.org/wp-audio/2017/06/2017-06-20-IvoryBrochure_PKG.mp3Robert James is the manager of Maruskiya’s, a small business in Nom
  
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• Juneau Afternoon – 6-21-17

  21-06-2017 02:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Wednesday at 3 on A Juneau Afternoon,
  Sheli Delaney will host.We’ll learn about this weekend’s Amateur Radio Field Day;Lena Simmons will be here to highlight the MidSummer Vocal Workshop;We’ll find out about the United Human Services Wednesday night reception at the Hangar Ballroom, with guest, Chuck Collins;That, Writer’s Almanac, Bird Note, music and more, Wednesday on A Juneau Afternoon, live at 3 on KTOO-News, repeated at 4 on KRNN, and available on demand on-line at
  
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• U.S. flies supersonic bombers over Korean Peninsula

  21-06-2017 01:57
  
  SEOUL, South Korea — The United States flew two supersonic bombers over the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday in a show of force against North Korea, South Korean officials said.
  The U.S. often sends powerful warplanes in times of heightened animosities with North Korea and flew B-1B bombers several times this year as the North conducted a series of banned ballistic missile tests.
  Tuesday’s flights by B-1Bs came shortly after the death of a U.S. college student who was recently released by
  
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• Here’s what we know about the Senate GOP health care bill

  21-06-2017 01:54 via ktoo.org
  
  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Republicans will release a discussion draft of their version of the health care bill on Thursday, with a vote likely next week.
  Private health care talks have been underway in the Senate for weeks. McConnell tapped a 13-member working group last month to hash out senators’ differences over the House-passed American Health Care Act. McConnell’s office has since taken the lead drafting the Senate version of the party’s long-promised leg
  
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• Corps employee dies in workplace accident in North Pole

  21-06-2017 01:51
  
  A United States Army Corps of Engineers employee died Monday in a construction accident in North Police.
  ASACE says the accident occurred on a construction site and involved a piece of construction equipment.
  The victim, who has not yet been identified pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced deceased at the scene around 4:20 Monday afternoon.
  The accident is under investigation.
  The post Corps employee dies in workplace accident in North Pole appeared first on KTVA 11.
  
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• Ask a Climatologist: Summer solstice

  21-06-2017 01:27 via ktoo.org
  
  (Graphic courtesy of Brian Brettschneider)
  Alaskans will celebrate the summer solstice at 8:24 tonight. The solstice is the point when the sun’s rays reach their highest latitude of the year. And also the moment when the days start getting shorter.
  And Brian Brettschneider, with our Ask a Climatologist segment says the solstice is always a popular topic with Alaskans.
  Interview Transcript:
  Brian: From an astronomical point of view it’s when the sun’s rays reach their farthest,
  
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• Mattel gives Ken doll a makeover

  21-06-2017 00:45
  
  The new lineup of Barbie and Ken dolls. (Credit: Mattel)
  Mattel is rolling out a new line of Ken dolls aimed at a more diverse audience.
  The company added 15 Ken dolls to the current lineup, featuring a range of seven skin tones and three body types including “slim,” “broad” and “original.” Photos of the new line show Ken dolls in clothes including skinny ties and plaid shirts and sporting a range of hairstyles including cornrows and a man bun.
  “By conti
  
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