Anchorage news

• Human rights activist helping North Korean refugees stops in Alaska

  09-07-2017 23:58
  
   
  Officials confirmed North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile test was the same day Tim Peters flew to Alaska.
  “And I thought to myself, this is a rather bizarre coincidence,” he said.
  The Christian missionary is visiting Alaska and spent Saturday speaking at the Ninilchik Senior Center sharing his story about his organization, Helping Hands Korea. It’s a non-profit helping North Korean refugees escaping the regime under President Kim Jong-un.
  Peters says h
  
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• Seward Highway open after multi-vehicle crash near McHugh Creek

  09-07-2017 23:28
  
  All lanes of the Seward Highway are now open after a multiple vehicle crash caused the highway to close Sunday afternoon.
  According to a Nixle alert sent at 12:56 p.m., drivers should expect major delays in both directions of the Seward Highway at Milepost 109, near McHugh Creek.
  APD Spokesperson M.J. Thim said Southbound lanes at Potter Marsh are currently closed. The number of vehicles involved and the extent of the injuries is unknown at this time.
  APD sent an update at 2:38 p.m. reporting a
  
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• Multiple vehicle accidents cause traffic standstill on Seward Highway

  09-07-2017 23:28
  
  Emergency crews respond to a multiple vehicle accident on the Seward Highway Sunday afternoon.According to a Nixle alert, a multiple vehicle accident is causing major delays in both directions of the Seward Highway at Milepost 109, near McHugh Creek.
  APD Spokesperson M.J. Thim said Southbound lanes at Potter Marsh are currently closed. The number of vehicles involved and the extent of the injuries is unknown at this time.
  This is a developing story; check back for updates.
   
  The post Multi
  
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• 1 in life-threatening condition after multi-vehicle crash on Seward Highway

  09-07-2017 23:28
  
   
  All lanes of the Seward Highway is back open after a multi-vehicle crash delayed traffic for several hours.
  According to a Nixle alert sent at 12:56 p.m. Sunday, a multi-vehicle crash happened at Milepost 109, near McHugh Creek.
  APD Spokesperson M.J. Thim said a vehicle was traveling northbound when it turned into the southbound lane for an unknown reason. It hit a vehicle head-on causing a chain reaction and multiple injuries — including one life-threatening.
  APD says tow trucks r
  
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• Float plane crashes into West Anchorage neighborhood

  09-07-2017 22:55
  
  Courtesy: Nicole Hay Courtesy: Nicole Hay Courtesy: Nicole Hay Courtesy: Nicole Hay
  Anchorage Police Department and the NTSB responds to a float plane crash in West Anchorage Sunday afternoon.
  APD sent an alert Sunday afternoon to warn the public of a float plane that went down in the area of 35th Avenue and Wisconsin and asks to avoid the area to allow emergency vehicles access.
  AFD says it was not a fatal crash.
  A KTVA crew is gathering information at the scene and will post updates as it bec
  
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• Neighbors save home from Matanuska River

  09-07-2017 22:14
  
   
  It’s moving day for Terry Van Wyhe of Sutton, not that he had a choice. Rising water from the Matanuska River had eroded more of Van Wyhe’s land, forcing him to move, but he did not do it alone.
  “The neighbors are the emergency response,” said Mike Pearson, one of the neighbors who helped save the structure. “If we wouldn’t have pulled it out, we’d have more debris in the river, it’s overrun with shard, metal objects, pieces of wood, houses.
  
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• New commander takes over Coast Guard Sector Juneau

  09-07-2017 21:49
  
  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Coast Guard sector in Juneau has a new leader.
  The Juneau Empire reports Capt. Phillip Thorne gained command of the sector Friday after Capt. Shannan Greene relinquished her position. Thorne has served in Alaska for 10 years and has been the Seventeenth District Chief of Response since 2016. He has overseen operations such as search and rescue, ports and waterways security missions and also had a hand in intelligence support across the state.
  Thorne has also serve
  
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• Charging bison wounds Juneau man at national park in North Dakota

  09-07-2017 05:38 via ktoo.org
  
  A bison grazes at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. (Creative Commons photo by Christa R.)
  Before losing consciousness, a 65-year-old Juneau man remembers taking photos of a bison in Theodore Roosevelt National Park before the animal turned toward him, charged.
  According to a park news release, Michael Turk took a late evening hike on the Buckhorn Trail in the park’s north unit on June 30. Turk planned to take photos of the sunset.
  Park&nb
  
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• Coast Guard, DEC finish hazmat cleanup on fishing boat run aground near Wrangell

  09-07-2017 05:08 via ktoo.org
  
  On Friday, the Coast Guard and state Department of Environmental Conservation finished cleaning up behind a ship that ran aground in Stikine Strait about 17 nautical miles west of Wrangell.
  According to a Coast Guard spokesman, the fishing vessel, the Deceptive C, is still aground. It is up to the owner to recover it.
  The grounding was reported to Coast Guard Sector Juneau on Monday evening. No injuries wer
  
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• Alaska mom snaps cellphone pics of Obama carrying her baby

  09-07-2017 04:38 via ktoo.org
  
  An Alaska mother is cherishing cellphone photos of her wide-eyed 6-month-old baby in the arms of former President Barack Obama.
  Jolene Jackinsky says she was looking for an airline at Anchorage International Airport on Monday when she ended up in a waiting area for private flights where a man she thought looked like Obama was sitting. As she got closer, she realized it really was him.
  Jackinsky says he walked up to her and asked, “Who is this pretty girl?” She says she chatted with h
  
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• Prescription for orphan walrus calf: touch, massage, cuddle, repeat

  09-07-2017 04:37 via ktoo.org
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A walrus calf found last month outside Nome, Alaska, is being nursed to health with the help of 24-hour massage therapy.
  A spokeswoman for the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward says the center’s recuperation plan for the walrus includes touching, massaging and cuddling.
  Jennifer Gibbins says walrus spend two years with their mothers. She says calves need constant contact and part of the caregiving at the center is providing tactile interaction.
  The male calf we
  
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• Beginning in August: Deep-release puts the pressure on rockfish survival

  09-07-2017 04:34 via ktoo.org
  
  Take your pick: Whether homemade or a commercial design, every sport fishing boat in Southeast Alaska must have a deep-release mechanism on board beginning August 1. (Photo by Robert Woolsey/KCAW)
  For sport anglers in Southeast Alaska having a slow day trying for salmon or halibut this August, there will be no “Plan B” for bottom-dwelling rockfish.
  The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is closing all sport fishing for nonpelagic rockfish in outside waters from Yakutat to Ketchikan f
  
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• ‘G19’ nations affirm climate plan, acknowledging U.S. withdrawal

  09-07-2017 03:49 via ktoo.org
  
  President Donald J. Trump, Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Prime Minister Theresa May on July 7, 2017 (Public Domain photo by Shealah Craighead/White House)
  The G20 Summit ended in Hamburg with affirmation to pursue the Paris climate accord by leaders of the world’s strongest economies, minus President Trump.
  “The leaders of the other G20 members state that the Paris Agreement is irreversible,” reads a declaration adopted on the final day of meetings Saturday, by a group that inc
  
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• Inside the Gates: the language of military acronyms

  09-07-2017 00:56
  
  When you join the military, you have to learn a whole new language: how to speak acronyms. It can make the conversation hard to follow for newcomers.
  “You had to talk that way. You had to learn the lingo,” said Donn Griffith, a retired Air Force member.
  The military has an acronym for everything, from job titles (MOS – military occupational specialty) to equipment (LARP – light airfield repair package) and even the commissary itself, depending on the branch.
  “In th
  
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• New Seawalk in downtown Juneau is open, for now

  09-07-2017 00:24
  
  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Many Juneau residents enjoyed taking a stroll along the newly-opened Seawalk after driving past the downtown construction site for the past couple of years. But that joy will be short lived.
  The Juneau Empire reports after opening the Seawalk Thursday, the city announced it will close off the island and Bridge Park portions soon for further construction.
  Contractors will be working in both locations through August, planting grass, shrubs and trees on the island a
  
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• Truck carrying groceries rolls over on Alaska Highway

  09-07-2017 00:22
  
  FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – A semi-trailer carrying groceries crashed on the Alaska Highway, scattering groceries down a steep embankment along the road.
  The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the crash occurred early Friday near the Northway Junction.
  A tribal secretary for the Northway Village Council, Eliza Jimmie, says people from area communities and drivers on the Alaska Highway were still working to salvage the fruits, vegetables and other groceries about 12 hours after the crash.
  Jimm
  
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• North Korea missile threat a test for foreign relations

  09-07-2017 00:18
  
  U.S. officials confirmed earlier this week North Korea had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile and experts said the missile could have reached Alaska.
  Charles Hawkins, who lives in Alaska, said a close issue to monitor is how the U.S. works with its allies in responding to North Korea. Hawkins, who has military experience, works closely monitoring foreign relations in Asia.
  “Absolutely, we’re prepared,” Hawkins said of U.S. resources. “We should not be worried
  
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• Alaska bank joins Iditarod as major sponsor

  09-07-2017 00:07
  
  Joar Leifseth Ulsom’s dog team in Unalakleet. (David Poyzer / KTVA)
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska bank has joined the world’s most famous sled dog race as a major sponsor.
  Northrim Bank’s entry in Alaska’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race fills a vacuum left earlier this year when Wells Fargo decided to drop its longtime sponsorship.
  Iditarod and Northrim officials declined Friday to disclose the dollar amount of Northrim’s support.
  But it’s significant
  
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