Anchorage news

• Newscast – Wednesday, June 28, 2017

  28-06-2017 23:33 via ktoo.org
  
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/06/noon062817.mp3In this newscast:
  Abortion rules are being updated,
  Report suggests Alaska’s Medicaid program would be cut under U.S. House’s health care bill,
  CBJ still working out sales tax remittance procedures for Uber and Lyft drivers,
  Suspect still at large after Petco store is robbed,
  Bogoslof Volcano erupts again, and
  Oprah is coming to Southeast Alaska.
  
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• Oprah and friends to visit Alaska during July cruise

  28-06-2017 23:22 via ktoo.org
  
  President Barack Obama awards the 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Oprah Winfrey during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Nov. 20, 2013. (Photo by Lawrence Jackson/White House)
  Oprah Winfrey and some of her friends will be cruising through Alaska next month.
  Forbes reports that the seven-day Holland America cruise “Share the Adventure” departs from Seattle on July 15 on July 15. The 2,104-passenger ship will visit Glacier Bay National Park, Juneau, Sitka and o
  
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• Lawyer: AG is harassing Wagner family in Rhoden case

  28-06-2017 22:36
  
  WAVERLY, Ohio (AP) – An attorney for a family that is now the focus of the investigation into the slayings of eight members of a different family in Ohio says his clients are being harassed by the attorney general’s office despite their cooperation.
  The Cincinnati Enquirer reports attorney John Clark says the Wagner family provided laptops, phones and DNA samples to investigators and agreed to be interviewed about the Rhoden family slayings in Pike County in April 2016.
  The Wagner fa
  
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• Mat-Su Miners go to bat for Mat-Su Food Bank

  28-06-2017 22:26
  
  Eddie Ezell has seen better days at the Mat-Su Food Bank in Wasilla.
  “As you can see on our shelves, we’re a little thin. We still have food for people, it’s not like we have to close our doors,” said Ezell.
  “We do have canned vegetables we purchased with the money people donated,” Ezell said. ,
  But, there’s one thing noticeably absent from shelves.
  “Normally we purchase eggs and butter. This year, because of the downturn, I don’t have any eg
  
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• Anchorage Assembly approves pot, prostitution, parking ordinances

  28-06-2017 22:14
  
  Alaska Fireweed on 4th Ave. in downtown
  A group of investors looking to open a marijuana business Downtown was hoping to get a special land use permit approved by the Anchorage Assembly Tuesday night, while another group showed up to ask Assembly members to press pause on issuing municipal permits for pot shop owners looking to move in Downtown.
  Earlier this month, Downtown businesses owners raised concerns because there is no limit to how many pot shops can open Downtown.
  The permit on Tuesday
  
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• Shots fired outside another apartment building

  28-06-2017 21:35
  
  Police, for the second day in a row, are investigating shots fired outside of an apartment building that left units and vehicles damaged.
  Just before 3 a.m. Wednesday, Anchorage Police were called to the 100 block of Grand Larry Street after residents reported hearing gunshots.
  When officers arrived, they found bullet holes in buildings and multiple vehicles. Shell casings were located around the building and surrounding area.
  No injuries were reported and no suspects are in custody.
  As of this
  
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• Just 17% of Americans approve of Republican Senate health care bill

  28-06-2017 21:34 via ktoo.org
  
  Updated at 1:35 p.m. ET
  Americans broadly disapprove of the Senate GOP’s health care bill, and they’re unhappy with how Republicans are handling the efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.
  Just 17 percent of those surveyed say they approve of the Senate’s health care plan, the Better Care Reconciliation Act. Fifty-five percent say they disapprove, while about a quarter said they hadn’t heard enough about the
  
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• Challenging conceptions of Alaska

  28-06-2017 21:30
  
  One man is challenging the Lower 48’s preconceived notions of Alaska.
  Nationally-known journalist and critically-acclaimed author Bob Reiss joined Daybreak to give a preview of a talk he will have at the Anchorage Museum Wednesday night.
  Reiss has written “numerous articles and also a book that came out about five years ago, which had Shell oil, the Inupiat community of the north slope, how they dealt with each other during a difficult time for Shell,” he said on Daybreak.
  He w
  
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• Workforce Wednesday: Careers as a crane operator

  28-06-2017 21:28
  
  Cranes are used all across the construction industry, according to David Myers with STG Incorporated, who joined Daybreak on the couch Wednesday morning.
  “Crane operating, you need to be patient, methodical, predictable, great leadership skills,” Myers said. “They’re responsible for the safety of that crane and those around them. They need to be able to call any kind of safety.”
  If you are interested in this kind of job, you should also be able to make those to
  
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• Valley farmers adapting to cooler temperatures

  28-06-2017 21:25
  
  Last year at this point in the season, Palmer already had 21 days in the 70s, this year there have only been five.
  Farmers in the valley are noticing the cooler temperatures but have learned in Alaska, you have to be ready for anything.
  That’s the case for Mark Rempel, who has been farming in Palmer his whole life. He took over Rempel Family Farm from his father who had been harvesting the land since 1959.
  In nearly 60 years he’s seen just about everything when it comes to weather, i
  
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• A Juneau Afternoon, Wednesday June 28

  28-06-2017 21:22 via ktoo.org
  
  Today on A Juneau Afternoon, Sheli DeLaney hosts:
  Kate Burkhart will be here from the Office of the Ombudsman;
  Mike Blackwell from the City Museum talks to us about the Downtown Geology Walking Tour;
  And actors from Perseverance Theater will talk to us about their performances in Treadwell Gold;
  That, Writers Almanac, Bird Note, music and more, today on A Juneau Afternoon, live at 3 on KTPP, repeated at 4 on KRNN, and available on-demand via ktoo.org
  
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• University of Alaska Southeast tightens belt, gets creative after about a half-million dollar budget cut

  28-06-2017 18:50 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The University of Alaska Board of Regents met in Anchorage for an executive session in September 2014. (Photo by Josh Edge, APRN)http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/06/27UAS.mp3The University of Alaska’s Board of Regents unanimously agreed on a budget today, a week after the Legislature decided to cut university funding by about $8 million. That cut comes with a $3 million increase in the university’s costs.
  To absorb its share, the University of Alaska Southeast is sell
  
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• Ask a Climatologist: Utqiagvik ends above normal temperature streak

  28-06-2017 18:36 via ktoo.org
  
  Utqiagvik, Alaska. (File photo by Steven Kazlowsk)
  Residents of Utqiagvik have experienced above normal temperatures for the last 17 months. But a cooler-than-normal June will end that streak.
  Brian Brettschneider with our Ask a Climatologist segment says the rest of the state has drifted back toward normal temperatures this year, after spending several years in above normal territory.
  But he says Utqiagvik stayed warm — until this month.
  Interview Transcript:
  Brian: They’re going to
  
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• Video: Driving the haul road

  28-06-2017 04:09 via ktoo.org
  
  Every day of the year, no matter the conditions, commercial truck drivers make the trip from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. The haul road is the only supply route to North America’s largest oil field, and John Slater has been driving this road for 16 years.
  
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• Man robs Juneau Petco at gunpoint

  28-06-2017 04:05
  
  Tuesday afternoon, Juneau Police say a man robbed a Petco at gunpoint.
  Officers were called to the store around 3:30 Tuesday and began an investigation and search for the suspect.
  The suspect, who police say should be considered armed and dangerous, is still on the lam. He’s described as a white male between 25- and 30-years-old who stands about 6-foot-3 with a thin build and scruffy facial hair. He was last seen wearing a baseball cap, a dark sweatshirt with light-colored sleeves and dark
  
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• ‘If you’re ever going to take bear safety seriously, do it this year’

  28-06-2017 03:57
  
  (Credit: Alaska Department of Fish and Game)
  Fish and Game biologist Dave Battle says the agency is getting more reports of bear activity in the Anchorage Bowl than usual, and they are warning people to take precautions.
  “We hope people always take bear safety seriously,” said Battle. “But, if you were ever going to take bear safety seriously, do it this year.”
  Battle says both bear spray and firearms can be effective deterrents against a bear attack but added that people
  
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• Hughes leaves Senate majority over budget

  28-06-2017 03:49 via ktoo.org
  
  Sen. Shelley Hughes, R-Anchorage, describes education legislation to the Senate Finance Committee in April. Hughes left the Senate majority caucus over the budget. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  For the second time this year, a Republican from Matanuska-Susitna Borough left the state Senate majority caucus. Palmer Sen. Shelley Hughes left the caucus last Thursday to oppose the state budget.
  Hughes was the only senator to vote against the $4.1 billion operating budget. She said she wish
  
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• House health care bill could force Alaska to cut Medicaid program

  28-06-2017 03:22 via ktoo.org
  
  A new report commissioned by the state health department suggests Alaska could be forced to cut its Medicaid program under a health care overhaul bill passed by the U.S. House.The report, prepared by the firm Manatt Health, cites as a reason proposed changes to Medicaid funding under the bill.
  One-quarter of Alaska’s population currently is covered by Medicaid.
  The U.S. Senate is working on its own health care bill. Alaska health department spokeswoman Katie Marquette says the state plans
  
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• 5-year-old girl’s dying wish to ‘marry’ her best friend comes true

  28-06-2017 03:13
  
  Eileidh Paterson, 5, and her friend, Harrison, 6, get “married” in Forres, Scotland, on June 18. EILEIDH’S JOURNEY
  With a sparkly crown, pink tulle skirt and rhinestone-lined silk top, 5-year-old Eileidh Paterson felt like a princess as she walked down the aisle to meet her future “husband.”
  It was a fairy tale the terminally ill girl dreamed up with her mom after she was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma — a cancer that is commonly found in the adrenal gla
  
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• JPD: Suspect sought in Petco robbery

  28-06-2017 03:11 via ktoo.org
  
  The Juneau Police Department says Petco was robbed this afternoon and is seeking help finding the suspect.
  The robbery was at 3:22 p.m. The police posted security video of the suspect on its Facebook page Tuesday afternoon and described him as white, 25 to 30 years old, 6-foot-3 and skinny with scruffy facial hair.Police warned he may be armed with a handgun and discouraged approaching him.
  Call the police at 586-0600 with tips.
  
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• Bogoslof erupts twice in two days

  28-06-2017 03:09
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Volcano Observatory says seismic activity at an Aleutians Island volcano has diminished following two eruptions in two days.
  Bogoslof (BOH-gohs-lawf) Volcano about 850 miles (1,400 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage erupted at 3:17 a.m. Tuesday and sent an ash cloud to 30,000 feet (9,100 meters).
  The eruption lasted 14 minutes.
  The observatory says no further ash emissions have occurred and seismicity remains low at Bogoslof.
  The observatory lowered the
  
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• Alaskans rally downtown, urge lawmakers to vote ‘no’ on GOP healthcare bill

  28-06-2017 02:55
  
  Senate Republican leaders announced Tuesday they would delay a vote on the health care bill until after the July 4 recess, according to CBS News.
  Meanwhile, Alaskans are continuing to voice their concerns. A crowd gathered in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) office in downtown Anchorage, holding signs and chanting about their opposition to the healthcare bill.
  “I’ve been calling and calling every day this week,” said Sara Dykstra, who joined the rally.
  Dykstra said a
  
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• Aliy Zirkle’s retired Iditarod sled dog missing in Anchorage

  28-06-2017 02:46
  
  One of Aliy Zirkle’s retired Iditarod sled dogs is on the loose in Anchorage.
  Barbara Swenson has been sponsoring “Scruggs” for years and adopted the dog from Zirkle over the weekend.
  Scruggs had only been at her home for a day before a loud lawnmower spooked him and he took off on Sunday.
  “Sled dogs love to run and he ran. He’s a lot faster than I am and I wasn’t able to catch up with him,” Swenson said.
  She believes Scruggs is in the Campbell Airstrip
  
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• Bear attack victims seek community support

  28-06-2017 02:33
  
  The rash of bear attacks in Alaska this season has left a string of injured victims, devastated families and medical expenses.
  In response, some of the families affected have set up fundraising pages to help shoulder some of the financial burdens and set up memorials for their lost loved ones.
  Jack Cooper, featured on the GoFundMe Memorial Fund Page
  Jack Cooper Memorial Fund
  Jack “Patrick” Cooper, 16, died in a bear attack after competing in a race on Bird Ridge. Several days after h
  
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• Brothers endeavor to name Alaska mountain ridge

  28-06-2017 01:47
  
  Moose Pass. (Credit: Rick Schwartz via Flickr)
  MOOSE PASS, Alaska (AP) – Two mountaineering brothers who lived in Alaska briefly in the late 1960s have asked the state Historical Commission to formally name three peaks and a ridge.
  The Peninsula-Clarion reports that if the request is granted, the ridge in Moose Pass will be named Locomotive Ridge, with peaks named the Engine, the Tender and the Caboose. The Mountaineering Club of Alaska sent the proposal to the state in March on behal
  
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• Mom gives birth to 14.4-pound baby

  28-06-2017 01:17
  
  Arthur Keisler holds his newborn son, Colin, who weighed nearly 14.5 pounds at birth. / WLTX
  Cindy Richmond and Arthur Keisler had a hunch their third child would be a bit bigger than their previous two.
  The couple’s first baby weighed 7.6 pounds and the second weighed 9.8 pounds. They thought their third child would maybe top 10 pounds. But they never expected the number on the scale would be record-breaking.
  On June 23, the mom from Lexington, South Carolina, gave birth to a whopping 14.
  
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• Medicaid a focus for Alaska health commissioner during trip

  28-06-2017 01:12
  
  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A new report commissioned by the state health department suggests Alaska could be forced to cut its Medicaid program under a health care overhaul bill passed by the U.S. House.
  The report, prepared by the firm Manatt Health, cites as a reason proposed changes to Medicaid funding under the bill.
  One-quarter of Alaska’s population currently is covered by Medicaid.
  The U.S. Senate is working on its own health care bill. Alaska health department spokeswoman Katie Ma
  
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• Youth hockey association volunteer charged with $180K theft

  28-06-2017 00:58
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The former treasurer for an Anchorage youth hockey association has been charged with stealing $180,000 from the group.
  Thirty-three-year-old Jennifer Suchan is charged with felony theft and scheming to defraud in the unauthorized spending of Mustang Hockey Association funds.
  The association is the nonprofit youth hockey organization for the Chugiak and Eagle River areas of north Anchorage.
  The association is managed by volunteers.
  An association member June 19 repo
  
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• Alaska, prodded by suit, enacting new abortion regulations

  28-06-2017 00:57
  
  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The state of Alaska is enacting new regulations for abortions following a lawsuit by abortion-rights advocates.
  Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands sued the state, arguing that existing regulations restrict access to second-trimester abortions.
  The new regulations, adopted by the state medical board, take effect July 19.
  They repeal a requirement that a doctor consult with another doctor before performing an abortion after the 12th week
  
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• New cyberattack spreads fast across the globe

  28-06-2017 00:46
  
  PARIS — A new and highly virulent outbreak of malicious data-scrambling software appears to be causing mass disruption across Europe, hitting Ukraine especially hard.
  Company and government officials reported serious intrusions at the Ukrainian power grid, banks and government offices, where one senior official posted a photo of a darkened computer screen and the words, “the whole network is down.”
  The attack was reportedly affecting websites in Great Britain, Norway and India,
  
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