Anchorage news

• Newscast – Friday, July 21, 2017

  21-07-2017 22:58 via ktoo.org
  
  
  In this newscast:
  Juneau city engineers: no contaminated soil at burned Twin Lakes Playground site
  Sitka weighing proposals over community hospital’s future
  Coast Guard says it spent $311,000 searching for an Alaska man who faked his own disappearance
  Federal researchers uncover wreck of the doomed F/V Destination that sunk in the Bering Sea with six aboard
  http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/07/170721-midday-news.mp3
  
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• With so many Obamacare repeal options in play, confusion reigns

  21-07-2017 22:50 via ktoo.org
  (Illustration by Alyson Hurt/NPR)
  On Thursday, the Senate unleashed yet another iteration of its effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and with it came another analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. If your head is spinning, you’ve got plenty of company, us here at Shots included.
  Here are the key versions of repeal and/or replace legislation so far this year:
  The American Health Care Act, the House bill passed on May 4. The Sena
  
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• Fashion Friday: summer trends

  21-07-2017 22:42
  For fashion, keep it simple this summer.
  Experts at the 5th Avenue Mall say the trend this year for men is lighter, natural colors with subtle prints. For women, it’s easy elegance; think floral prints, ruffles and slip-on shoes.
  Watch the video above for some outfit ideas and summer looks.
  The post Fashion Friday: summer trends appeared first on KTVA 11.
  
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• Man gets 25-year sentence in 2014 Anchorage sexual assault

  21-07-2017 22:08
  An Anchorage man was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison with five years suspended, for a violent sexual assault against a woman more than two years ago.
  Superior Court Judge Kevin Saxby handed down 31-year-old Asad Nur’s sentence on Thursday, according to a statement from Anchorage District Attorney Clint Campion’s office. An Anchorage jury convicted Nur in February of first-degree sexual assault and second-degree assault following the September 2014 incident, which began when
  
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• Daybreak Adopt-A-Pet: July 21, 2017

  21-07-2017 22:00
  From Anchorage Animal Care and Control:Your next adventure buddy awaits:
  This week is going to the dogs. If you’re looking for an energetic dog to be your new companion then one of these could be your match. Head down to the shelter to meet Snoopy, Oxford, Nala or Bruce who are all looking for active families to hang with.Caption contest winner:
  This week’s caption contest winner goes to Linda Holthaus, whose caption had Sophie saying “It’s not a water slide, but it&rsquo
  
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• Washington’s new, tougher distracted driving law takes effect Sunday

  21-07-2017 21:35 via ktoo.org
  Washington Gov. Jay Inslee discusses a new distracted driving law on the state Capitol steps Monday. Tina Meyer, the mother of a distracted driving crash victim, is at far left. (Photo by Tom Banse/Northwest News Network)
  Texting or holding a phone to your ear while driving is already illegal in Washington state. But starting Sunday, Washington state troopers and local police will begin enforcing a toughened law against distracted driving.
  This spring, the Legislature expande
  
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• Mic Check in the Morning: The Super Saturated Sugar Strings

  21-07-2017 20:51
  The Super Saturated Sugar Strings are releasing their new album, “All Their Many Miles,” and are inviting Alaska to help them celebrate.
  The party starts at 7 p.m. July 27 at the 49th State Brewing Company on 3rd Avenue in Downtown Anchorage. Before that, the group will play at the University of Alaska Anchorage’s GooseFest at the UAA Cuddy Quad from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 22. That event will be free to the public.
  The band’s previous releases are available o
  
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• This weekend in Southcentral Alaska

  21-07-2017 20:45
  Cardboard City
  When: 5 p.m. July 21 to 8 a.m. July 22
  Location: Alaska State Fairgrounds, green entrance
  Price: $50 per person
  Spend the night in a cardboard box and raise money to end homelessness
  Mat-Su Fiber Festival
  When: July 22 and 23
  Location: Alaska State Fairgrounds
  All-ages
  Dog Jog
  When: July 22, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  Location: Service High School
  Price: $25 adults, $5 kids, $50 families
  5K run or 1 mile walk
  Family fair
  UAA GooseFest
  When: July 22, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m
  Location: UAA Cuddy Quad
  
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• Sean Spicer resigns as White House press secretary

  21-07-2017 19:07
  White House press secretary Sean Spicer has resigned, CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett has confirmed.
  Spicer resigned Friday morning, shortly after President Trump selected Anthony Scaramucci as communications director. Scaramucci’s hiring was a factor in his resignation, as was Spicer’s diminishing role in the White House, Garrett reports. A source with direct knowledge of the situation said there was a Friday White House communications meeting in which the ne
  
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• Suspect’s struggle over gun with Anchorage police leads to attempted-murder charges

  21-07-2017 18:51
  A man who Anchorage police say fired a gun during an altercation with two officers earlier this week has been arrested on a series of charges, including attempted murder.
  Court records show Pagopago Beefcake Lelilio, 29, also facing seven other counts of assault, weapons misconduct and reckless endangerment in the Wednesday encounter.
  A criminal complaint against Lelilio said that the events leading to his arrest began Tuesday night, with reports of shots fired in Mountain View. Witnesses told r
  
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• Hawaii starting campaign to help people plan for North Korea attack

  21-07-2017 17:42
  Undated photo of a North Korean weapons test.
  HONOLULU — The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is kicking off an educational campaign aimed at helping residents and visitors figure out what to do if the state is targeted in a nuclear missile attack from North Korea, reports CBS Honolulu affiliate KGMB.
  The agency said the threat to the islands from the rogue nation is “currently assessed to be low.”
  But officials added ongoing North Korean missile tests —and growing publ
  
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• Dirt at burned Juneau playground safe, city engineers say

  21-07-2017 17:32
  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – City engineers have determined the dirt at a Juneau playground that burned down in April is not contaminated.
  The Juneau Empire reported Thursday that after crews finished cleaning up the Twin Lakes Playground, city engineers tested the dirt and found it to be safe.
  The next step is reseeding the area for grass.
  The grass will be going in during the next few weeks and then the area will be open to the public again.
  The city is currently accepting proposals for the de
  
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• 1 dead in Glenn Highway wreck near Sutton

  21-07-2017 16:24
  A driver was killed Thursday night during a single-vehicle crash on the Glenn Highway near Sutton, which remains under investigation by Alaska State Troopers.
  A brief online dispatch about the crash at Mile 68 of the Glenn, released early Friday, said troopers responded to the scene at about 10:15 p.m. Thursday.
  “Investigation revealed the vehicle was traveling southbound on the Glenn Highway when it exited the roadway and collided with a tree,” troopers wrote. “The driver, and
  
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• Why isn’t Gastineau Channel navigable all the way through?

  21-07-2017 16:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  On a clear, sunny day, a boat makes down the Gastineau Channel way on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/Alaska’s Energy Desk)http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2017/07/170721DREDGING-CJ-podcast-mix.mp3For most mariners Gastineau Channel is a cul-de-sac. Vessels coming into Juneau almost always have to exit the way they came in. The Juneau-Douglas bridge isn’t the issue – it’s just too shallow for most boats except small craft runn
  
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• Reality Check: Sen. Murkowski vote to not repeal Obamacare

  21-07-2017 08:58
  
  Senator Lisa Murkowski was one of three who said she would not vote to repeal Obamacare without a plan to replace it. Her party accused her of breaking the promise she made to repeal Obamacare.
  In this week’s Reality Check, John Tracy says Senator Murkowski is one of the few Senate Republicans keeping their promise to the American people.
  The post Reality Check: Sen. Murkowski vote to not repeal Obamacare appeared first on KTVA 11.
  
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• Linda McMahon visits Alaska on her ‘Ignite’ tour

  21-07-2017 08:29
  
  When you think of Alaska you may think oil — not so, says one of President Donald Trump’s cabinet members, who’s in Alaska touring small businesses.
  Linda McMahon is the head of the U.S. small business administration. Thursday, she visited 49th State Brewing Company in Anchorage. It’s part of her “Ignite” tour, visiting all 68 offices across the country. Around 99 percent of businesses in Alaska are small businesses.
  McMahon says, yes, they make money, bu
  
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• Woman thinks people who helped her get to the hospital likely stole her car

  21-07-2017 08:24
  
  Jessica Clark says the people who helped her with her medical emergency, were likely the ones who drove off with her car.
  “I’m just grateful they took me to the hospital when they did,” she said.
  Clark said she pulled over late Tuesday night near Boniface Parkway when she started to realize she needed medical help.
  “I felt my hands go numb,” she said.
  Clark provided this picture of her vehicle. She said it is the black Subaru Forester in the middle. / Courtesy: Jess
  
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• Anchorage could face $20 million deficit next year, city departments told to prepare for cuts

  21-07-2017 07:44
  
  Anchorage could be looking at a budget deficit as high as $20 million next year, according to Municipal Management and Budget Director Lance Wilber.He said the number is still a guess, but city departments are being told to prepare for cuts.
  Wilber said he’s asked each department, with the exception of “first responders” (police and fire), to come up with 10% budget cuts and submit what those might look like to the Mayor’s Office.
  “I’m asking all departments t
  
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• Deadly earthquake shakes Greece, Turkey

  21-07-2017 07:33
  
  2. #Greece 6.7 or 6.9 magnitude Earthquake. 2 dead. First images out of #Kos, credit: https://t.co/GfmXtx6DDD pic.twitter.com/PngaswiUWt
  — Το Ρωμέικο (@RomeikoCalendar) July 21, 2017
  KOS, Greece — A powerful earthquake shook the Greek island of Kos early Friday morning, damaging several buildings and the main port, killing at least two people and causing more than 120 injuries, authorities said.
  The 6.5-magnitude quake rattled Turkey&r
  
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• Ban on laptops in airplane cabins lifted, federal officials say

  21-07-2017 07:14
  
  DALLAS — The ban on laptops in the cabins of planes flying from the Middle East to the U.S. is over, federal officials said Thursday as large airports in the region have taken other steps to increase security.
  Those measures include checking electronic devices to make sure they don’t contain a bomb, and pulling more people out of airport lines for additional screening.
  Laptop ban prompted after explosive test destroyed airplane, DHS chief says
  A spokesman for the Department of H
  
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• Same-sex bathroom signatures submitted

  21-07-2017 06:03
  
  A group that wants mandate same-sex bathrooms in Anchorage said it’s gathered the necessary signatures to get the issue on the April ballot, although the city clerk must still approve them. Supporters dropped off what they said was close to 85-hundred signatures at the Municipal Clerk’s office Thursday morning.
  Supporters dropped off what they said was close to 85-hundred signatures at the Municipal Clerk’s office Thursday morning.
  The Protect Our Privacy Initiative would amend
  
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• With construction projects behind schedule, lawmakers plan return to Juneau

  21-07-2017 05:53
  
  Lawmakers say they’re close to a budget deal for construction projects statewide. The Legislature is planning to take it up in Juneau next Thursday.
  Timing on the measure is key. Some projects in Anchorage are already behind schedule without it. The Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) says maintenance on a stretch of road near Tudor Road and C Street is one of them.
  The shoulder of the road is riddled with divots — a safety hazard — as bicyclists move out into the ro
  
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• Fish waste fiasco: Bird Ridge trailhead remains closed

  21-07-2017 05:39
  
  The main trailhead for Bird Ridge is still shut down, two days after someone illegally dumped 300 pounds of fish waste in the parking lot. Chugach State Park rangers say that was like ringing the dinner bell for every bear in the area.
  Small pieces of flesh and bone are all that’s left of a major mess in the corner of the Bird Ridge parking lot. Chief Ranger Kurt Hensel spent more than an hour cleaning up that mess Tuesday morning.
  “It took me about ten 50-gallon trash bags to load t
  
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• Initiative to regulate Anchorage bathrooms likely to appear on ballot

  21-07-2017 05:33 via ktoo.org
  
  A sign hangs outside a bathroom in Montreal on Feb. 25, 2017. (Public domain photo by Exile on Ontario St)
  A controversial proposal on sex, gender and bathrooms looks likely to go before Anchorage voters next spring.
  The measure seeks to regulate bathrooms, locker rooms and other so-called “intimate spaces” on the basis of biological sex rather than gender identity. The Alaska Family Council, which calls itself a public policy ministry that stands for conservative valu
  
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• Armed robbery at the Flight Deck Bar

  21-07-2017 05:30
  
  Anchorage Police responded to an early morning armed robbery at an Anchorage bar, after a man ordered everyone to the ground and fired a shot.
  APD said it happened at the Flight Deck Bar on International Airport Road around 1 o’clock Thursday morning. The gunman then went behind the bar, stole several bottles of alcohol and ran out the door.
  A witness sitting in a truck, outside the bar, said the man pointed a gun at him and fired. That was when he then drove off to call the police. 
  
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• U.S. House passes King Cove Road bill

  21-07-2017 04:56 via ktoo.org
  
  The U.S. House on Thursday passed a bill that would allow a road between King Cove and Cold Bay. If it becomes law, it could end a decades-long quest for Alaska’s congressional delegation: An escape route for a town near the start of the Aleutian Chain.
  King Cove, population 989, has been campaigning for years for a road to Cold Bay, which has a former military runway where planes can land in all weather. The problem is, 11 miles of road would go through the Izembek Nat
  
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• Felines for $15 at Anchorage Animal Care & Control

  21-07-2017 04:22
  
  Felines for $15 starting Friday — Anchorage Animal Care & Control (AACC) is selling adult cats for $15, which includes the spay or neuter fee and things like litter, toys and food.
  The offer will continue until 35 cats are sold.
  “We want all of our animals to get into homes,” said Laura Atwood, a spokesperson with AACC. “We’re concerned for these cats. We want them to find their homes as soon as they can.”
  Atwood said, cats can get stressed after a while i
  
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• Chester Bennington, Linkin Park singer, dead at 41

  21-07-2017 02:42
  
  Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington has died, the Los Angeles County coroner confirmed to CBS News Thursday. He was 41.
  Early reports from TMZ claimed that Bennington’s death was the result of suicide and that he had hanged himself. His body was found at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California.
  Band-member Mike Shinoda confirmed the news of Bennington’s death on Twitter, explaining that a full statement would come later. “Shocked and heartbroken, but it’s true
  
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• Sen. David Wilson says he filed to run lieutenant governor by accident, doesn’t intend to run

  21-07-2017 02:34 via ktoo.org
  
  State Sen. David Wilson, R-Wasilla, addresses his colleagues in the Senate on Friday, June 16, 2017. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
  On Wednesday, state Sen. David Wilson filed a letter of intent to run for lieutenant governor. Later the same day, he amended that filing, saying he is not running.
  Wilson, a Wasilla Republican, said he made the filing accidentally, and does not intend to run for any statewide office in 2018.
  He declined to elaborate on how he accidentally filed to run for the state&r
  
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• UAA hires new gymnastics coach from Sacramento State

  21-07-2017 02:02
  
  The University of Alaska Anchorage has hired Tanya Ho as the new head gymnastics coach. Interim athletic director Tim McDiffett announced the appointment.
  Ho comes to Anchorage by way of northern California. For the past five seasons, she served as an assistant coach at Sacramento State. There, she oversaw both the balance beam and uneven bars. A 2010 graduate of UC Davis, she’s one of the most decorated gymnasts in school history. There, she qualified for the NCAA regional three times an
  
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• Wreckage of crabber Destination discovered after disappearing in February

  21-07-2017 01:56 via ktoo.org
  
  NOAA ship Fairweather captured this sonar image of the F/V Destination, where it rests on the sea floor near St. George Island. (Image courtesy National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
  Wreckage from the F/V Destination has been found off St. George Island.
  The boat and its six crew members were fishing for snow crab when they disappeared Feb. 11.
  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced this morning that two of its research vessels have found and confirmed the l
  
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• Dillingham man sentenced to 5 years after sixth DUI conviction

  21-07-2017 01:38 via ktoo.org
  
  Basil Backford, 44, of Dillingham was convicted of his sixth DUI and sentenced to five years in prison. (Photo courtesy Dillingham Police Department)
  A Dillingham man was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday for his repeated drinking and driving violations.
  Basil Backford, 44, was ordered to begin serving his time immediately after the hearing at the Dillingham courthouse.
  After a jury trial in March, Backford was found guilty of a DUI from September 2015 at Ekuk.  This was his sixth
  
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• Help the Lady Shriners of Alaska finish its mural with a block party

  21-07-2017 01:00
  
  The Lady Shriners of Alaska in Anchorage are asking for the community’s help to finish its summer mural on the side of the building.
  Naomi Everett, the high priestess, says they will be throwing a summer block party to get it done. Everett says it was her sister’s idea to paint a mural on the side of the building, to bring more awareness to what the Shriners actually do.
  The Lady Shriners of Alaska raises money to support the Shriners hospitals for children. Those hospitals provide c
  
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• Meet the Big Sister of the Year, Erin Barry

  21-07-2017 00:58
  
  2017’s Big Sister of the Year has been crowned by the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organazition. The winner this year is Alaskan Erin Barry, who the big sister to Noelle Kozak. Barry has been Kozak’s big sister for the past six years.
  Barry was chosen out of 150,oo0 Big Sisters, known as “bigs,” from around the entire country. She says she’s still in shock, and added it is the most amazing honor she could receive. Barry mentioned she got involved with the Big Brothers,
  
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• Sitka brown bear shot and wounded by homeowner found, euthanized

  21-07-2017 00:02
  
  A brown bear shot and wounded when it chased a Sitka homeowner’s dog Tuesday was located and killed near the residence a day later, the Southeast Alaska town’s latest bear to be killed in similar incidents this summer.
  Alaska State Troopers said in a Thursday dispatch that the initial shooting was reported to Sitka police Tuesday on the 2400 block of Sawmill Creek Road, where the homeowner shot the bear twice “chasing a dog through (the homeowner’s) yard just before dark.
  
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