Anchorage news

• After a string of fatal landslides, is this a new normal for Southeast Alaska?

  13-09-2024 16:00 via ktoo.org
  
  A house on Second Avenue in Ketchikan is flipped sideways and destroyed by the Aug. 25 landslide. (Jack Darrell/KRBD)
  Ketchikan gets more rain than almost anywhere else in Alaska. It’s the kind of rain you have to dump out of your coat pockets before you come inside. Mountainsides across the channel on Gravina Island are streaked with scars from landslides in years past.
  But even so, landslides never felt like a threat, said Ketchikan mayor and local historian Dave Kiffer.
  “If you as
  
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• Tongass Voices: Mitch Erie on what it takes to be a firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service

  18-09-2024 22:13 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Mitch Erie works as a firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service in Wrangell. (Photo courtesy of Mitch Erie)
  This is Tongass Voices, a series from KTOO sharing weekly perspectives from the homelands of the Áak’w Kwáan and beyond.
  Mitch Erie is a U.S. Forest Service firefighter based out of Wrangell, but he says the job takes him all over Alaska and the country. 
  The Forest Service is recruiting more firefighters now. There are 17 open positions in Moose Pass and Anchorage i
  
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• Alaska pursues appeal of $17.5 million penalty over federal education funding equity dispute

  18-09-2024 18:25 via ktoo.org
  
  Deena Bishop, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, speaks at a news conference on March 15, 2024, with Gov. Mike Dunleavy. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)
  Consequences are mounting for Alaska as a dispute continues between the state’s education officials and their federal counterparts over whether the state spent pandemic relief equitably.
  The U.S. Department of Education has said it will withhold $17.5 million in federal grant funds from the s
  
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• Sen. Murkowski joins Democrats to support IVF bill

  18-09-2024 05:02 via ktoo.org
  
  The U.S. Capitol, viewed from the east side. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media)
  Alaska’s U.S. senators split their votes Tuesday on a bill that would provide federal protection and guarantee insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization.
  Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins of Maine were the only two Republicans to vote in favor of advancing the IVF bill. Forty-four Republicans, including Sen. Dan Sullivan, blocked the measure. The bill fell nine votes short of the number needed to pr
  
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• WATCH LIVE: Juneau Assembly candidates discuss local issues at 2024 League of Women Voters candidate forum

  18-09-2024 04:44 via ktoo.org
  
  Juneau Assembly and mayoral candidates running in the Oct. 1 election will answer questions about local issues during the 2024 League of Women Voters Assembly forum.
  KTOO’s Clarise Larson and the Juneau Empire’s Mark Sabbatini will moderate the live forum. Watch live on KTOO 360TV or listen live on KTOO 104.3 FM and KAUK 91.7 FM beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
  School board candidates will participate in a forum on Wednesday. Come in person to KTOO’s studio to watch or tune in liv
  
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• WATCH: Juneau Assembly candidates discuss local issues at 2024 League of Women Voters candidate forum

  18-09-2024 04:44 via ktoo.org
  
  Juneau Assembly and mayoral candidates running in the Oct. 1 election answer questions about local issues during the 2024 League of Women Voters Assembly forum.
  KTOO’s Clarise Larson and the Juneau Empire’s Mark Sabbatini moderate the live forum.
  School board candidates will participate in a forum on Wednesday. Come in person to KTOO’s studio, watch live on KTOO 360TV or listen live on KTOO 104.3 FM and KAUK 91.7 FM starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
  Find more elections coverage &mda
  
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• Newscast – Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024

  18-09-2024 02:40 via ktoo.org
  
  In this newscast:Bethel Regional High School classes were temporarily suspended on Monday morning in response to a threat that spread on social media.Juneau Assembly discusses funding for flood preparation as residents ask for more guidance.Bartlett Regional Hospital’s Rainforest Recovery Center will permanently close next week.Seagriculture USA occurred in Ketchikan last week, and participants discussed Alaska’s potential growth as a seaweed producer.
  
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• Bartlett Regional Hospital’s Rainforest Recovery Center will permanently close next week

  18-09-2024 02:02 via ktoo.org
  
  Rainforest Recovery Center on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/17rainforest.wav
  Bartlett Regional Hospital has operated the high-intensity substance misuse treatment program at Rainforest Recovery Center for over two decades.The 16-bed facility has allowed Juneau residents and others in Southeast Alaska to access treatment faster, without having to travel to places like Anchorage or Seattle.
  But this spring, the hospital shared that
  
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• Juneau Assembly discusses funding for flood preparation, as residents ask for more guidance

  18-09-2024 01:51 via ktoo.org
  
  Juneau Assembly chambers in City Hall during the local election on Oct. 4, 2022. (Photo by Tasha Elizarde/KTOO)
  Juneau residents testified at Monday’s Assembly meeting to call for flood preparation and prevention following last month’s record-breaking glacial outburst flood, which devastated parts of the Mendenhall Valley. 
  Jake Waid lives on Center Court. His neighborhood took on water for the first time this year. In his testimony, he referenced the photo of the Mendenhall Gla
  
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• Alaska’s presidential election allows voters to rank up to eight candidates

  17-09-2024 16:57 via ktoo.org
  
  A ballot box containing absentee ballots dropped off at Anchorage City Hall is seen on Aug. 19, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/Alaska Beacon)
  Alaska’s first ranked choice presidential election will include eight candidates, according to the final roster approved by the Alaska Division of Elections.
  Because Alaska’s top-four primary election doesn’t apply to the presidential race, voters will be able to rank all eight options if they choose to do so.
  The first ballots for the
  
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• Juneau voters will decide whether to OK $10M bond for wastewater infrastructure improvements

  17-09-2024 16:51 via ktoo.org
  
  City and Borough of Juneau’s Utilities Superintendent Brian McGuire walks across a bridge in the wastewater clarifier building at the Juneau Douglas Wastewater Treatment Plant on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/17wastewater.wav
  Every time you wash your hands, take a bath or flush the toilet — your water and waste go somewhere. In Juneau, it goes to one of the sewage treatment plants run by the city.
  Each day, the plants p
  
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• 4 people killed in St. Mary’s plane crash

  17-09-2024 03:11 via ktoo.org
  
  St. Mary’s, Alaska (courtesy of Walton Smith)
  Four people are dead after a plane they were traveling in from Bethel crashed short of the runway in St. Mary’s late Sunday night, according to transportation officials.
  The Cessna 207 was operated by Bethel-based Yute Commuter Service. The pilot and three passengers departed Bethel for the roughly 100-mile journey to the lower Yukon River community at around 9 p.m. Sunday, according to National Transportation Safety Board Alaska Chief Cl
  
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• U.S. Navy plans apologies to Southeast Alaska villages for century-old attacks

  17-09-2024 03:07 via ktoo.org
  
  Angoon students prepare to paddle the unity canoe they built with master carver Wayne Price on June 19, 2023. It is the first canoe of its kind since the U.S. Navy bombardment of Angoon in 1882 that destroyed all the village’s canoes. The Navy plans to issue apologies to Kake and Angoon residents in the fall of 2024. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)
  Two Tlingít villages in Southeast Alaska will receive apologies for wrongful military action from the U.S. Navy this fall.
  The
  
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• Newscast – Monday, Sept. 16, 2024

  17-09-2024 03:04 via ktoo.org
  
  
  In this newscast:
  Four people have died after a plane they were traveling in from Bethel crashed short of the runway in St. Mary’s late Sunday (9/15) night.
  The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska has received $15 million in funding via the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program.
  Researchers have documented a hundred more cases of bird flu in Alaska, but some species are showing signs of immunity to the disease.20
  
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• $15 million EPA grant for Southeast composting projects latest in local expansion efforts

  16-09-2024 23:08 via ktoo.org
  
  In a commercial operation like Juneau Composts in Lemon Creek, items are sorted out before they are mixed into a compost pile. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
  The Central of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska has received $15 million in funding via the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction grant program.
  The Tribe will use the money to expand composting in Juneau and tribal communities across Southeast Alaska. It’s part of a larger trend of funding
  
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• Lingít Word of the Week: Yéil — Raven

  16-09-2024 18:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Ravens sit near the seawalk in downtown Juneau on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (Katie Anastas/KTOO)
  This is Lingít Word of the Week. Each week, we feature a Lingít word voiced by master speakers. Lingít has been spoken throughout present-day Southeast Alaska and parts of Canada for over 10,000 years.
  Gunalchéesh to X̱’unei Lance Twitchell, Goldbelt Heritage Foundation and the University of Alaska Southeast for sharing the recorded audio for this series.
  This week&rs
  
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• Visitors to Alaska’s national parklands pumped $2.3 billion into the state’s economy, report says

  16-09-2024 13:29 via ktoo.org
  
  The road entrance to Kenai Fjords National Park is marked by a sign, seen on Aug. 27, 2022. The National Park Service has released its annual report on the economic impact of park visitation. Alaska is among the states that reaps the most economic benefit from visitors to its national parks, according to the report. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
  Tourism to national parks in Alaska has rebounded from pre-pandemic levels after three years of lower numbers, according to a report released by
  
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• Juneau Afternoon: Wearable Art; Skate to Eliminate Cancer; SHI Lecture with Preston Singletary

  14-09-2024 03:59 via ktoo.org
  
  Cancer Connection’s second annual Skate to Eliminate Cancer at Treadwell Arena takes place on September 14 & 15.On today’s program:Preview of Wearable Art happening at Centennial Hall on Saturday, September 21 & 22Cancer Connection’s second annual Skate to Eliminate Cancer at Treadwell Arena on September 14 & 15SHI Lecture Series with Preston Singletary “Eagle’s Journey with Raven” on September 17 at NoonPreston Singletary website
  Volunteer Andy Kl
  
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• Young people in Juneau gather to protest Dunleavy’s “incomprehensible” contraceptive expansion veto

  14-09-2024 02:05 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Protestors gathered at the Alaska State Capitol after Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a bill that would have expanded access to contraceptives. September 11, 2014. (Photo by Yvonne Krumrey/KTOO).https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/12bcrally.mp3
  Dozens gathered on the sidewalk across from the Alaska State Capitol building Wednesday holding pink and cardboard signs saying, “healthcare is a right, not a privilege” and “reproductive freedom by any means necessary.”&nb
  
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• Newscast – Friday, Sept. 13, 2024

  14-09-2024 01:56 via ktoo.org
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240913-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:The City and Borough of Juneau is asking voters whether or not to take out 12.7 million in bond debt to help replace the radio system that police and firefighters use to communicate.
  Juneau residents took to the Capitol this week to protest Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of a bill that would have expanded access to birth control.
  The Alaska Supreme Court has affirmed the U.S. House candidacy of Eric Haf
  
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• Juneau’s public safety radio system hardly works. This election, Juneau voters are being asked to overhaul it for $12.7M.

  13-09-2024 23:41 via ktoo.org
  
  Juneau Police Department Officer Terry Allen talks into a radio while on patrol duty in downtown Juneau on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/13radiobond.wav
  City officials say the radio system that police and firefighters in Juneau use is outdated. It was only designed for an eight-year lifespan and that expired a decade ago.Though the system still operates, police officers like Terry Allen say it’s hardly reliable anymore. 
  
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• Alaska’s U.S. Attorney under scrutiny in disgraced federal judge’s sex scandal

  13-09-2024 23:06 via ktoo.org
  
   
  S. Lane Tucker, U.S Attorney for the District of Alaska, speaks at a press conference in Anchorage on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. (Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media)
  The fallout from former U.S. District Court Judge Joshua Kindred’s inappropriate relationships with two federal prosecutors continues to unfold.
  Kindred resigned July 3. Days later, the Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit released the results of its investigation into Kindred’s bad behavior, which included
  
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• NORAD detects, intercepts 2 Russian aircraft off Alaska’s coast

  13-09-2024 21:03 via ktoo.org
  
  A U.S. F-22 jet fighter accompanies a Russian Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance/antisubmarine warfare plane through the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone in March 2020. (From NORAD)
  The North American Aerospace Defense Command tracked and intercepted two Russian military aircraft Wednesday in international airspace near Alaska.
  A NORAD news release said the Russian aircraft remained in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, or ADIZ, and did not enter American or Canadian soverei
  
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• Alaska Supreme Court rejects Democrats’ attempt to remove candidate from U.S. House ballot

  13-09-2024 07:04 via ktoo.org
  
  The Alaska Supreme Court is seen in session on June 27 in Boney Courthouse in Anchorage. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/Alaska Beacon)
  The Alaska Supreme Court has affirmed the U.S. House candidacy of Eric Hafner, a Democrat imprisoned in New York state.
  The court, in a split 4-1 decision, upheld Anchorage Superior Court Judge Ian Wheeles’ decision to dismiss a lawsuit by the Alaska Democratic Party that had challenged Hafner’s eligibility.
  The decision means Hafner will appear on the N
  
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• Juneau Afternoon: Muskeg Collective, ‘Cruise Boom’ to air on PBS, National Concussion Awareness Day, USDA Forest Service

  13-09-2024 04:00 via ktoo.org
  
  “Cruise Boom” will begin airing on PBS and KTOO 360 TV.On today’s program:Juneau’s own Muskeg Collective calls in live from Ireland to share adventures in music touringAn interview with Ellen Frankenstein whose film “Cruise Boom” will air on PBS and KTOO 360 TVBartlett specialists share important resources in support of National Concussion Awareness Day on September 20USDA Forest Service on the Tongass Forest Revision Plan and a new subsistence dashboardSubsis
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024

  13-09-2024 02:52 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240912-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:Ballots for Juneau’s local election are being mailed to registered voters Thursday.
  Landslides are nothing new among Southeast Alaska’s steep mountainsides and heavy rain. But the idea that every few years, another Southeast Alaska community has to dig its way out after a fatal disaster — that is new.
  Trail Mix, Inc.’s Meghan Tabacek shares how the makeup of the nonprofit’s
  
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• Local election ballots headed to Juneau voters’ mailboxes

  12-09-2024 23:08 via ktoo.org
  
  A municipal election ballot is placed in the drop box at the Douglas Library in September 2023. (Clarise Larson/for the Juneau Empire)
  Ballots for Juneau’s local election are being mailed to registered voters Thursday. 
  It marks the start of the City and Borough of Juneau’s municipal election this year, which features three ballot propositions, two recall questions, nine Assembly and six school board candidates.  
  City Clerk Beth McEwen said people should start receivi
  
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• Sitka tourism documentary ‘Cruise Boom’ to debut on PBS

  12-09-2024 22:42 via ktoo.org
  
  Summer tourists in Sitka, seen in the documentary “Cruise Boom.” (Courtesy ArtChange, Inc.)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240912104821-10CRUISEBOOM.mp3
  Sitka-based filmmaker Ellen Frankenstein’s latest documentary, “Cruise Boom,” premieres nationwide Saturday on PBS.
  The national debut culminates years of work on the part of Frankenstein and her co-director Atman Mehta, who explored both the potential benefits and downsides of cruise tourism&rsq
  
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• Juneau Afternoon: ‘Romantische’ from Con Brio Chamber Series to play Saturday, September 14

  12-09-2024 05:49 via ktoo.org
  
  
  “Romantische” from the Con Brio Chamber Series plays at the Alaska State Museum on Saturday, September 14, at 2:00 p.m.On today’s program:Preview of Con Brio Chamber Series’ upcoming concert “Romantische” with Doug Smith and William Todd HuntElection preview with KTOO’s Clarise Larson and Adelyn BaxterThe Medicare and Social Security seminar is open to the public on Friday, September 13, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
  Bostin Christopher hosts the conversat
  
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• Alaska Supreme Court considers legal challenge to imprisoned out-of-state Democrat’s U.S. House run

  12-09-2024 03:09 via ktoo.org
  
  Case files for a legal matter referred to the Alaska Supreme Court are seen on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Juneau. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
  The Alaska Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Thursday morning in a lawsuit seeking to remove Eric Hafner, an imprisoned, out-of-state Democrat, from the state’s November election ballot.
  Under Alaska’s elections system, the top four finishers in the August primary election advance to the general election ballot. Hafner, who finish
  
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