Anchorage news

• FDA OKs new Johnson & Johnson treatment for psoriasis

  13-07-2017 23:43
  
  NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) – People with the skin disorder psoriasis will have another treatment option after U.S. regulators approved a new drug from Johnson & Johnson.
  The Food and Drug Administration approved Tremfya (trehm-FEYE-eh) Thursday for people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
  Johnson & Johnson said that in one patient study about seven in 10 patients getting Tremfya had clear or nearly clear skin after 24 weeks of treatment, compared with about four in 10 patient
  
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• New planning effort on the horizon for downtown Fairbanks

  13-07-2017 23:27
  
  FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – A process for developing a new plan for downtown Fairbanks is being created.
  The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Wednesday Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Karl Kassel is assembling a working group of 10 people to consult on the plan.
  The working group has not yet met. The director of the borough’s Community Planning Department, Christine Nelson, says the appointments are underway and members would be announced in the coming weeks.
  Nelson says the group
  
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• Alaska’s capital city names next police chief

  13-07-2017 23:18
  
  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The City and Borough of Juneau has named its next police chief.
  The Juneau Empire reported Wednesday that Juneau Deputy Chief Ed Mercer will become the police department’s next leader.
  Mercer will take over when Police Chief Bryce Johnson leaves the department on July 28 for a position in Idaho.
  Mercer has been with the Juneau Police Department for 17 years. He has been deputy chief since 2013.
  Mercer says he has been preparing for this position for his entire l
  
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• U.S. senators seethe at Indian Health Services

  13-07-2017 23:14 via ktoo.org
  
  Michael Weahkee, a Public Health Service offers, is the acting head of the Indian Health Services. He was on the hot seat at a Senate hearing Wednesday. (Screen grab from hearing video on Senate.gov)
  President Donald Trump proposes to cut the Indian Health Service budget by $300 million, and the head of the IHS had trouble defending that 6 percent cut at a Senate hearing Wednesday.
  U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who chaired the hearing, said the IHS already is failing Native communities in the Lower
  
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• US approves Alaska offshore drilling from gravel island

  13-07-2017 23:10
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Federal regulators have conditionally approved exploratory drilling in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea by a subsidiary of an Italian multinational oil and gas company.
  Eni US Operating Co. Inc., part of Eni S.p.A., plans to drill four exploration wells from Spy Island, an artificial gravel island in state waters, starting in December.
  The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced conditional approval of the exploratory drilling plan late Wednesday. The condit
  
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• Haines Assembly censures Morphet for release of police complaints

  13-07-2017 22:58 via ktoo.org
  
  This week, the Haines Assembly formally reprimanded member Tom Morphet for releasing police complaints a few months ago.
  Morphet brought four critical accounts of individuals’ interactions with Haines police to a public meeting in April. He said the complaints showed evidence of “intimidating tactics” and raised questions about police behavior.
  Morphet’s actions were condemned by Police Chief Heath Scott and other officers, some of whom were named in the complaints.
  Soon
  
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• Spenard road closure alert

  13-07-2017 22:46
  
  Anchorage police are advising the public of some upcoming road closures in Spenard Anchorage.
  APD says Spenard Road will be closed between Northern Lights Boulevard and Benson Boulevard starting Saturday, July 15, and is expected to last for approximately 30 days. However, intersections on these roads will remain open to traffic.
  Police say businesses in these areas will remain open, so drivers are asked to use caution and follow the detour routes for access.
  The post Spenard road closure alert
  
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• Midtown road closure alert

  13-07-2017 22:46
  
  Anchorage police are advising the public of some upcoming road closures in Midtown Anchorage.
  APD says Spenard Road will be closed between Northern Lights Boulevard and Benson Boulevard starting Saturday, July 15, and is expected to last for approximately 30 days. However, intersections on these roads will remain open to traffic.
  Police say businesses in these areas will remain open, so drivers are asked to use caution and follow the detour routes for access.
  The post Midtown road closure alert
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, July 13, 2017

  13-07-2017 22:25 via ktoo.org
  
  In this newscast:
  Most senators met in Juneau for a floor session for the first time since the Legislature passed the budget on June 22nd. But most house majority members were out of town.
  A weekend search for a 12-year-old boy missing on Kodiak Island hike had a happy ending when the youth found his way to a fish camp.
  The federal government has approved a proposal intended to help stabilize Alaska’s individual health insurance market.
   
  
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• Widespread thunderstorm advisory for Southcentral Thursday

  13-07-2017 22:08
  
  Be on the lookout for some thunderstorms in Southcentral Alaska Thursday afternoon and evening.
  A Nixle alert was sent Thursday morning saying the day will start out with mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures, but by mid-to-late afternoon, showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop over the mountains.
  According to Anchorage Office of Emergency Management, “They will form earliest on the southern end of the Talkeetna Mountains before slightly later development over the Chugach, ac
  
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• Newly found disease could threaten Southeast Alaska spruce

  13-07-2017 21:19 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Forest Service Forest Pathologist Robin Mulvey points out infected spruce branches on July 11, 2017. at Juneau’s Shrine of St. Therese to shrine volunteer Brian Flory. (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News).
  A fungus that’s damaged trees in Southcentral and Interior Alaska has been discovered for the first time in Southeast.
  But there’s a chance its spread could be stopped.http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/07/12BudBlight-L.mp3Forest Pathologist Robin Mulvey walks d
  
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• Ask Alaska: What is your ideal summer temperature?

  13-07-2017 21:03
  
   
  A summer heatwave is underway in Southcentral Alaska — with the forecast calling for temperatures warming into the 70s, for the second day in a row.
  Daybreak Meteorologist Rachael Penton visited downtown Anchorage to find out what temperature Alaskans are most comfortable at in the summer and what tourists think about the “warm” weather.
  Watch the video above to find out what people had to say.
  The post Ask Alaska: What is your ideal summer temperature? appeared first o
  
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• Headed Outside: Vlogger Cory Williams is leaving Alaska

  13-07-2017 20:57
  
   
  Viral vlogger and YouTuber Cory Williams is saying goodbye to Alaska and headed to Oklahoma. Williams says he is leaving to raise his daughter closer to family.
  In the three years Williams spent in Alaska, he has had adventures from skipping rocks on a frozen lake to wandering the Iditarod trail. He says he has checked off so many boxes on his bucket list, he doesn’t know where to start. Williams also hit major life milestones such as getting married and becoming a father.
  Williams
  
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• City of Sitka postpones hospital town hall to reconsider process

  13-07-2017 20:37 via ktoo.org
  
  A conversation about merging Sitka Community Hospital and SEARHC has slowed, as the Assembly received news of a competing offer. During their meeting next week (July 18, 2017), the Assembly will consider issuing an request for proposal to entertain other bids. (File photo by KCAW)
  The city has postponed a town hall meeting set for Monday, July 17, on the future of Sitka’s health care to review other options.
  The Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium wants to merge with Sitka Com
  
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• Live firefighter training at Ted Stevens Airport Thursday

  13-07-2017 20:19
  
  If you see large plumes of dark smoke near the airport Thursday, don’t be alarmed. The Airport Fire Department is conducting live fire training.
  In a release sent by APD Thursday morning, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport has scheduled firefighter training exercises between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Dark smoke may be visible during this time.
  Officials say crews will be using a burn pit facility located on the south side of the airport. It’s designed to contain fuel in order to co
  
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• Four on Petersburg assembly could face recall vote

  13-07-2017 20:15 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Petersburg’s borough assembly members in February, from left, Eric Castro, Nancy Strand, Jeigh Stanton Gregor, Mark Jensen, Kurt Wohlhueter and Bob Lynn. Jensen has resigned as mayor and is one of the sponsors seeking to recall Castro, Strand, Stanton Gregor and Wohlhueter. (File photo by KFSK)
  Four of the six people on the Petersburg borough assembly could be facing a recall election.
  A group of local residents has turned in applications to the borough seeking a recall petition for Assemb
  
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• Wednesday – July 12, 2017

  13-07-2017 16:10 via ktoo.org
  
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/07/071217noonnewscast.mp3
  In this newscast:
  Deputy Chief Ed Mercer named Juneau’s new police chief,
  Roberto Leal, Jr. of Fairbankscharged with murder in death of girlfriend Robyn Gray,
  Jeffrey Davis of Wasilla sentenced to year in prison for embelzzling $92,766, and
  A spill reported by Caelus Energy at its Nuna devlopment on the North Slope.
  
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• Some in oil industry skeptical despite news oil could rise 25% this year

  13-07-2017 07:52
  
  Financial magazine Barron’s has some news that will perk up many Alaskans ears: it’s predicting oil prices to hit $60 before the end of the year.
  That’s a 25 percent increase over the current North Slope price of $47.92 and good news when you consider 90 percent of Alaska’s revenue comes from oil prices.
  However, some in the industry are warning Alaskans not to get too excited.
  Last month, the Trans-Alaska pipeline celebrated its 40th anniversary. In four decades, m
  
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• Alaska Dept. of Education and Early Development seeks feedback

  13-07-2017 07:47
  
  The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development wants Alaskan’s thoughts on the state plan to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act, the new federal education law that replaced No Child Left Behind.
  States must submit plans to the U.S. Department of Education by Sept. 18, to show how they will implement the new law.
  The Alaska Education Department will gather public comment on the draft through July 31.
  To read the draft proposal and comment on all or part of its provisions, vi
  
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• APD, AFD provide latest crime rates

  13-07-2017 05:50
  
  Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll says while there is a spike in stolen cars this year, his team is striving to recover them and finding success.
  Numbers presented to Assembly members during Wednesday’s public safety committee meeting cite that so far this year, 92 percent of stolen cars have been recovered, with an average of $193 worth of damage to returned vehicles.
  Chief Doll says a common question from the public is what’s being done with stolen cars.
  “Typically what we&
  
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• Children were playing outside as bullets started flying

  13-07-2017 04:52
  
  People who live near East 5th Avenue and State Street in Muldoon say hearing gunshots at night is normal.
  “It shouldn’t be, but it’s what it is,” said Tremaine Chisholm.
  He and others became worried Tuesday night when the shots didn’t stop.
  “It’s been going on for at least a month now. You’ll wake up in the middle of the morning just from gunshots, but last night takes the cake. That was the worst thing.”
  Neighbors report thinking it was fir
  
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• Wrench in oil tax negotiations derails second special session

  13-07-2017 04:45
  
  Negotiations over oil taxes derailed Wednesday after the Alaska House added a new element to House Bill 111. Lawmakers are taking up the issue in a second special session that ends Saturday.
  But at this point, the Legislature will be hard-pressed to meet that deadline. At a conference committee on the measure Wednesday afternoon, members were divided both politically and physically. Half of the panel’s six members met in Anchorage, communicating telephonically with those in Juneau.
  B
  
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• Low-frequency earthquakes detected in Alaska

  13-07-2017 04:39
  
  Hundreds of earthquakes are detected in Alaska every week, but new research reveals some earthquakes are happening continuously and could encourage larger quakes.
  Seismologists at the University of California Riverside looked at data from one area south and east of Dutch Harbor in the Alaska-Aleutian Subduction Zone.
  They found more than 1,000 low-frequency earthquakes happened in a two-month time span, along with on-going tremors that last days to years.
  Researchers say they move too slowly fo
  
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• U.S. Army welcomes new commander to Alaska

  13-07-2017 03:42
  
  U.S. Army Alaska has a new commander. Major General Mark O’Neil assumed command in a ceremony on JBER Wednesday morning.
  O’Neil replaces Maj. General Bryan Owens who is retiring after serving as U.S. Army Alaska Commander for the past two years.
  O’Neil comes to Alaska from Hawaii where he served as the U.S. Army Pacific Chief of Staff. O’Neil will command roughly 12,000 Army soldiers stationed at Fort Wainwright, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and the Black Rapids Traini
  
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• Is Kid Rock’s “campaign website” the real deal?

  13-07-2017 03:35
  
  Musician, record producer, and Michigan native Robert James Ritchie, better known as Kid Rock, tweeted Wednesday that the website “kidrockforsenate.com” was “real” in an apparent effort to gin up interest in a run for public office.
  “I have a ton of emails and texts asking me if this website is real…kidrockforsenate.com,” Rock said on Twitter. “The answer is an absolute YES.”
  I have had a ton of emails and texts asking me if this website is
  
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• Facing global gas glut, ConocoPhillips to mothball Kenai LNG plant

  13-07-2017 03:14 via ktoo.org
  
  The Feb. 2, 2008 file photo shows the ConocoPhillips LNG facility in Nikiski. The company plans to mothball the facility in the fall of 2017. (Photo courtesy of the Peninsula Clarion)
  Last year, ConocoPhillips announced that it wanted to sell its liquefied natural gas plant on the Kenai Peninsula. The company hasn’t yet found a buyer. Now, a company spokesperson said it’s going to save expenses by mothballing the facility this fall.It’s the last piece of infrastructure that Con
  
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• Far apart politically and geographically, lawmakers talk oil and gas taxes

  13-07-2017 03:10 via ktoo.org
  
  Rep. David Talerico, R-Anchorage, Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, and Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, listen to Democratic lawmakers in Anchorage. The two sides don’t agree on reducing the ability of oil companies to use losses to lower their taxes. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/KTOO)
  The first substantial day of legislative meetings in 20 days occurred Wednesday, but the two majorities in the Legislature were far apart — and not just politically.
  Most senators met in Juneau for a fl
  
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• Strangers step up after man with Down syndrome loses home, movie collection

  13-07-2017 02:35
  
  Strangers from across the country are donating movies to Mark Orsillo, a 34-year-old with Down syndrome, who lost his collection in a California wildfire. Danielle Devine
  As a raging wildfire closed in on their Oroville, California, home on Saturday, Steve and Vicki Orsillo knew they only had about 20 minutes to evacuate.
  They quickly gathered their valuables — photographs, important documents and a small suitcase full of clothes. But Mark Orsillo, their 34-year-old son with Down syndrome,
  
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• 1-trillion-ton iceberg breaks away from Antarctica

  13-07-2017 02:26
  
  LONDON — A vast iceberg the size of the state of Delaware with twice the volume of Lake Erie has broken off from a key floating ice shelf in Antarctica, scientists said Wednesday.
  The iceberg broke off from the Larsen C ice shelf, scientists at the University of Swansea in Britain said. The iceberg, which is likely to be named A68, is described as weighing 1.12 trillion U.S. tons.
  The process, known as calving, occurred in the last few days, when a 2,240-square-mile section broke away. Res
  
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• Who is Jayden K. Smith? Stop sharing this viral Facebook message

  13-07-2017 02:21
  
  Who is Jayden K. Smith, anyway?
  That’s a question a lot of Facebook users have been asking after receiving paragraph-long warnings from friends over the weekend about an alleged hacker.
  Some users have reported receiving dozens, even hundreds, of messages in the span of a few days. And each one read the same:
  Please tell all the contacts in your messenger list not to accept Jayden K. Smith friendship request. He is a hacker and has the system connected to your Facebook account. If one of y
  
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• Some Uber drivers say cheaper fares have them sacrificing sleep to earn more

  13-07-2017 02:07
  
  Some Uber drivers are concerned the company’s lucrative incentives are pushing them to sacrifice sleep for more pay.
  Uber is in the first month of its six-month program designed to help drivers make more money called “180 Days of Change.” The program calls for tipping, shorter cancellation windows and no more unpaid wait time.
  But some drivers say they still can’t make a decent wage without getting the bonuses they claim require longer hours and less sleep.
  How did Uber b
  
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• Bethel native works to program a ‘Yup’ik Siri’

  13-07-2017 01:37 via ktoo.org
  
  (Photo courtesy of Christopher Liu)
  Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities are keeping Yup’ik alive through immersion schools, bilingual media, teacher training programs and speaking the language at home.
  Bethel native Christopher Liu is doing his part to bring his language into the 21st century.
  Liu is a graduate student at Stanford University studying electrical engineering and specializes in speech processing and optimization.
  He’s interning at NASA this summer, working to determi
  
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• Win tickets to see BUSH in concert this weekend!

  13-07-2017 00:40
  
   
  The post Win tickets to see BUSH in concert this weekend! appeared first on KTVA 11.
  
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• Missing boy hikes in wrong direction, finds Kodiak fish camp

  13-07-2017 00:40
  
  KODIAK, Alaska (AP) – A weekend search for a 12-year-old boy missing on a Kodiak Island hike had a happy ending when the youth found his way to a fish camp.
  The boy borrowed a cellphone to call his parents and tell them he was safe.
  The boy Sunday afternoon was hiking with his mother, other children and a dog on the Termination Point Trail. He and the dog got ahead of the others, lost sight of the group and hiked several miles in the wrong direction.
  The others reached their car and notifi
  
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• Frauds, scams and schemes cost Alaskans millions last year

  13-07-2017 00:32 via ktoo.org
  
  
  In 2016, Alaskans lost $2,745,716 to financial frauds and scams. And that’s just from the people who filed complaints.
  Officials suspect many more residents were victims but never contacted authorities.http://media.aprn.org/2017/ann-20170710-03.mp3Federal Trade Commission data show that last year, 3,031 complaints were filed in Alaska, about a third of them in Anchorage.
  Now, the FTC is making a big push to raise awareness about online and phone scams and is highlighting how minority
  
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