Alaska News February 18, 2019

By Kortnie Horazdovsky: Magnitude 4.4 aftershock hits southcentral Monday morning
 
 
 
 
By Austin Sjong: Roads reopen after early morning fire causes Arctic and Fireweed to shut down
 
 
 
 
By Patrick Enslow: Crash on Iron Dog trail leaves rider hospitalized, sleds totaled
 
 
 
 
By Dave Leval: Neighbors say Mat-Su man’s Black History Month display is offensive, racist
African-American leaders including Chuck Bremer, who has worked with the A. Philip Randolph Institute to advance civil rights, have advice for Platt and others.

“I wouldn’t waste my time with anybody like that, it wouldn’t bother me. It’s a fool,” said Bremer, who is in Anchorage this weekend for the inaugural Bettye Davis African-American Summit, in memory of the first black woman elected to the Alaska Senate. “I don’t have time for foolish things at my age.”

Wade Henderson, the former director of the Washington, D.C. branch of the NAACP, agreed with Bremer.

“As long as it stops with an expression of political opinion, I’m OK with that,” Henderson said. “When it crosses over into action, harmful actions against individuals, obviously I would oppose it. In this instance, I think it’s just best to ignore him.”
 
 
 
 
By Associated Press: State signs $2M timber sale contract for southeast Alaska
 
 
 
 
By Derek Minemyer: Alaska volunteer fire departments suffering staff shortages

Alaska News February 17, 2019

By Chris Klint: Sailboat fire in Seward Harbor leaves 1 dead
 
 
 
 
By Chris Klint: Murder arrest made in Barratt Inn shooting
 
 
 
 
By Chris Klint: Man fatally shot in Turnagain ‘isolated incident’
 
 
 
 
By Derek Minemyer: ‘We want justice’: Family remembers shooting death of Brandy Sullivan
 
 
 
 
KTOO Public Media: Storms erode Bering Sea ice pack; caution is urged; Young sponsors bill to bring back deported vets and more ->
 
 
 
 
Alaska Native News: USCG Assists Kona Kai in Recovering Five from Sunken Pacific 1 and more->
 
 
 
 
Fairbanks News Webcenter 11: UAF Chancellor Releases Statement on Sergie Cold Case Arrest; Borough buses could be running on compressed natural gas in a few years and more->
 
 
 
 
By Patrick Enslow: Off to the races for Iron Dog 36
 
 
 
 
By Hank Davis: 2019 Bettye Davis summit honors former senator’s legacy
 
 
 
 
By Laura Ojeda Melchor: Literary Tourism: Alaska’s Mat-Su Valley

Alaska News February 16, 2019

KYUK Public Media for Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta: Two Kids Fall Through Ice Behind AC Quickstop, But A Young Man Saves Them and more ->
 
 
 
 
By Chris Klint: Troopers make Maine arrest in 25-year-old Fairbanks murder
 
 
 
 
By Sandra Medearis for the Nome Nugget: Bering Straits School District to pay $12.6M in student sex abuse case
Alaska State Troopers took Oxereok, then 43, into custody in September 2016 after a parent filed a complaint on child sex abuse at the Wales school. More victims came forward. Oxereok pleaded guilty to two counts of second degree Sex Abuse of a Minor Under Age 13 in Aug. 2017. He went to prison in February 2018 to begin serving a sentence of 20 years.
 
 
 
 
By KTVA: Man sentenced for theft, damage at marijuana business
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A 40-year-old man who stole or damaged $144,000 in marijuana at an Anchorage cultivation facility has been sentenced to two years in prison.
 
 
 
 
By Chris Klint: Anchorage substance abuse rises after PFD payments, ISER finds
 
 
 
 
By KTUU Digital Staff: Smoked Alaska Seafoods issues recall of Smoked Silver Salmon cans
Containers with the production code AL81111133 on the bottom of the jar may be contaminated or may become contaminated with clostridium botulinum, which can lead to botulism — a rare but potentially deadly bacterial infection.
 
 
 
 
KTOO Public Media: Multi-partisan House majority takes shape; Dunleavy offers Alaska National Guard support to Trump’s emergency declaration; Legislative Finance gets ready to release its version of Dunleavy’s new budget; Fashion faux pas? MLM company LuLaRoe sued in Alaska over sales taxes. More ->
 
 
 
 
By Kristen Durand: Chugiak High band director hopes to bring new life to the program

Alaska News February 15, 2019

By Leroy Polk: Loaded gun found in Anchorage elementary student’s backpack, police say
APD spokesperson Kendra Doshier said Friday that the handgun was loaded with a full magazine, but no round was in the chamber. After it’s discovery, Doshier said the gun was turned over to APD and seized as evidence.

While Esary could not comment on what disciplinary action, if any, was taken on the student in this specific case, she said the section on Weapons and Firearms in the ASD student handbook outlines disciplinary practice.

“Students possessing weapons are subject to disciplinary action up to and including expulsion,” ASD states in the handbook. “Students possessing guns on school grounds will be recommended for expulsion.”
 
 
 
 
By Associated Press: Alaska Supreme Court finds state law defining medically necessary abortions unconstitutional
 
 
 
 
KTOO Public Media: Findings released regarding governor’s bid to fire head of state oil and gas watchdog agency; Why do Norah Jones tickets cost over $500? And more ->
 
 
 
 
Alaska Native News: Gov. Dunleavy Wants Money from Cities and Boroughs to Balance the Budget and more ->
 
 
 
 
Fairbnaks News Webcenter 11: Chiropractor Appointed to State Board Arrested in Kodiak; 2018 AF ‘Spouse of the Year’ Promotes Suicide Awareness and more ->
 
 
 
 
Father-daughter duo take on Iron Dog (just dont tell mom)
Larry and Danielle Levine look to become the first father-daughter duo to compete in the Iron Dog pro-class race.
 
 
 
 
By Chris Klint: ‘Byron was talking pretty clearly:’ Ice fall highlights glacier’s dangers
 
 
 
 
By Lauren Maxwell: City wants comments on draft plan for old Native hospital site

Alaska News February 14, 2019

Suzanne Downing Must Read Alaska: Breaking: Jack Coghill, ‘Mr. Republican,’ passes

John Bruce Coghill (September 24, 1925 – February 13, 2019) was a politician and businessman who was the lieutenant governor of Alaska from 1990 to 1994 under Governor Walter Hickel. Both were members of the Alaskan Independence Party.

Originally elected as the Republican Party’s lieutenant governor nominee in 1990, Coghill had faced serious compatibility issues with running mate Arliss Sturgulewski. AIP chair Joe Vogler vacated his party’s nominated slate of John Lindauer and Jerry Ward and replaced them with Wally Hickel and Coghill. While Hickel turned his back on the AIP and their platform almost immediately after taking office, Coghill remained loyal to the party, even becoming their gubernatorial nominee in 1994. Prior to these events, he was well known in Alaskan political circles as “Mr. Republican.”[1]

Read more ->
 
 
 
 

By Hillel Italie: Paperback pioneer Betty Ballantine dead at 99

Elizabeth Jones Ballantine read more ->
 
 
 
 
By Leroy Polk: Anchorage resident killed in early morning motorhome fire
 
 
 
 
By Leroy Polk: Bryce Edgmon confirmed as Alaska House speaker after 31 days in session
During the first 29 days of the session, most Alaska House members were eligible to collect more than $8,700 each via a daily $302 per diem since the legislative session started on Jan. 15.
 
 
 
 
KTOO Public Media: U.S. Air Force ‘barren lands’ survival course teaches how to stay alive in Arctic wilderness; How Alaska school districts planned to spend that $20 million and more ->
 
 
 
 
KYUK Public Media for Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta: Calista Shareholders Voice Dissent Over Donlin Mine In Letter To Board and more->
 
 
 
 
Alaska Native News: Governor and First Lady Mourn the Passing of Jack Coghill; Anchorage Detectives Seek Person of Interest in Steven John Homicide Investigation and more ->
 
 
 
 
Fairbanks News Webcenter 11: Fairbanks Police Chief Speaks About Officer Shooting; MILITARY REPORT: Eielson holds first annual ‘Spouse Symposium’ and more->
 
 
 
 
Alaska Journal of Commerce – Gov. Michael J. Dunleavy GUEST COMMENTARY: An honest budget: sustainable, predictable, affordable
 
 
 
 
By Jeremy LaGoo: GOES-17 satellite means more accurate weather forecasts for Alaska
 
 
 
 
By Patrick Enslow: Coca-Cola backs out of sponsorship for 2019 Iditarod
 
 
 
 
Local students practice business skills during Valentine’s Day sale Starting a business can be difficult for an adult let alone a kid but these 5th and 6th graders from Bowman Elementary are running a successful business for the 2nd year learning what it means to be an entrepreneur.

Alaska News February 13, 2019

By KTVA Web Staff: Sand Point man sentenced in series of crimes
A Sand Point man has received sentences totaling more than a year in prison, after he admitted that he tried to smuggle drugs into the Southwest Alaska community during a crime spree spanning much of 2018.
 
 
 
 
By Lauren Maxwell: Anchorage proposal could put brake on bike thefts
Constant plans to introduce an ordinance at Tuesday’s Assembly meeting that would make it a crime to possess a bike that has had its serial number removed. It would allow police to assume the bike is stolen, seize it and fine the person who had it. The ordinance would make possessing an item where the serial number has been removed a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine that could be as high as $10,000.
 
 
 
 
By Shannon Ballard: Pot industry questions Dunleavy crime bills’ impact on growers
 
 
 
 
By Derek Minemyer: Say goodbye to nuisance properties, the Anchorage Assembly says
 
 
 
 
KTOO Public Media: Southeast Alaska tribe takes initial steps to create their own tribal court; Juneau’s legislative delegation looks to get ahead of potential cuts to state jobs; Signal detected from missing Guardian Flight plane and more ->
 
 
 
 
KYUK Public Media for Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta: Brazil Dam Disaster Sparks Questions Over The Safety Of Donlin’s Tailings Dam; Kings Swim In A Dangerous Ocean and more->
 
 
 
 
Alaska Native News: Troopers, SERT, Helo-3 Carry out Willow High Risk Warrant Arrest; Governor Legally Obligated to Accept Federal Funds for Medicaid Expansion and more ->
 
 
 
 
Fairbanks News Webcenter 11: Fort Wainwright Soldier Dies From Injuries; Officer Involved Shooting on the Elliot Highway; Residents voiced their thoughts on Ordinance 6093 at Fairbanks city council meeting; Fairbanks Memorial Hospital offering classes for Hip and Joint replacement patients and more ->
 
 
 
 
By John Thompson: Head of the Class: Larry Wilson
 
 
 
 
Alissa Pili broke the 4A Girls Basketball scoring record Tuesday night against West.
 
 
 
 
Program helps interns overcome obstacles Project Search is a program that helps people with disabilities gain work experience at Providence Hospital.
 
 
 
 
By Seth Kantner: Remembering Clarence Wood, a hunter in the truest sense of the word
 
 
 
 
By Mike Ross: Trail danger: Dog owner urges trap safety

Alaska News February 11 & 12, 2019

By Chris Klint: Former Quintillion CEO pleads guilty in Alaska fiber-optic fraud case
 
 
 
 
By Patrick Enslow: Sass wins 2019 Yukon Quest following breakaway run into Two Rivers
 
 
 
 
By Kristen Durand: Reflecting on Black History Month: Rev. Alonzo Patterson
“I refuse to sit down and just be retired, said Reverend Patterson. “I have too much of a desire to bring us to the next level, and to help this generation see what that generation was about. I’m a little slower now. 82 is different than 33, but I still have that desire to make a difference.”
 
 
 
 
By Tracy Sinclare: Will unseasonably thin ice mean an early tripod topple?
She also said the organization isn’t concerned and the thin ice doesn’t change their plans. The tripod will go up on March 3 and ticket sale will continue through April 5 as usual.
 
 
 
 
KTOO Public Media: Knopp ends holdout for bipartisan House coalition, paving way for Republican majority; Dunleavy outlines approach ahead of big budget rollout; Of 140,000 comments, most favor keeping the Tongass Forest Roadless Rule; Transforming perspectives on trauma through paintings of hope and more ->
 
 
 
 
KYUK Public Media for Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta: Learning And Teaching At Yup’ik Winter Cultural Camp and more ->
 
 
 
 
Alaska Native News: Three False Calls to Police Lands Anchorage Man in Jail and more->
 
 
 
 
KTUU: Alaska’s backlog of Medicaid applications numbers nearly 16K; State culinary competition serves as qualifier for national cook-off; Some Alaska lawmakers say new ethics rules are too limiting and more ->
 
 
 
 
Fairbanks News Webcenter 11: High Speed Chase Through Lakeview Terrace Leads to Arrest; Car Theft Turns to Car Chase; Legislators voice concern over decisions made by AK Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner and more->
 
 
 
 
1 on 1: Gov. Dunleavy speaks with KTUU’s Sean Maguire
 
 
 
 
2 on 2: Dee Dee Jonrowe
 
 
 
 
By Leory Polk: Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay films unknown new TV show in Alaska
 
 
 
 
By Angela Krenzien: Ed and Cathy Rasmuson named honorary 2019 Iditarod mushers
 
 
 
 
By Dave Leval: Fat-tire bikers to get new Anchorage trail
“We need more people positively using this area,” Constant said. “I’ve heard neighbors say they no longer come here because they don’t feel safe.”

It’s something Schmidt understands well.

“To see four or five people at six o’clock on a Wednesday, hanging around with an open bottle of whiskey in the middle of them, is something you don’t want to see,” Schmidt said.

Alaska News February 10, 2019

KTOO Public Media: Petersburg assembly waits on state budget, police job unfilled; Investors are backing Southeast’s largest oyster farms; Data suggests opioid-related overdose deaths in Alaska down and more ->
 
 
 
 
KYUK Public Media for Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta: Bethel City Audit Still Undecided and more ->
 
 
 
 
Alaska Native News: Murkowski Language Preservation Bill Advances; Fuzzy Memories of Great Alaska Cold Snap and more ->
 
 
 
 
Fairbanks News Webcenter 11: 20th Annual Bard-a-thon kicks off and more ->
 
 
 
 
By Daybreak Staff: Head of the Class: Lorianne Mordini
 
 
 
 
By Dave Goldman: Local high school singers team up for music lesson, concert
 
 
 
 
By Hank Davis: Hundreds turn out at Jewel Lake for a community fishing event
 
 
 
 
Video by photojournalist Phil Walczak: Alaska Woodturners Assn. makes bowls for Bean’s Cafe’s Empty Bowl Project The Empty Bowl Project will take place on March 9 at the Dena’ina Center in Downtown Anchorage.

Alaska News February 09, 2019

By Associated Press: Man sentenced in Alaska mail theft case
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Federal prosecutors say a former supervisor with an Alaska commuter airline has been sentenced to six months in a halfway house for stealing mail, including computers that were destined for rural schools.

Breadoflife “Presley” Faiupu also was sentenced Friday to five years of probation in connection with thefts between March 2015 and April 2017.
 
 
 
 
By Daniella Rivera: Ex-Port of Alaska engineer to be on house arrest in attempted murder

After hearing from a state prosecutor who raised concerns about Todd’s parents serving as his third-party custodians while also posting the bail money, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Erin Marston agreed to the arrangement.

“The court doesn’t have a glass ball and can’t see what’s gonna happen in the future, but it does appear to me to — first of all I don’t think there’s a risk of flight here, that’s not a concern. The risk is whether the defendant may harm himself or others,” said Judge Marston. “This appears to be totally out of character and a result of mental illness at this point, but it sounds like he’s being treated for the mental illness and I do think that this bail proposal is sufficient to protect people.”

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESOURCES: If you are facing threatened or actual domestic violence, please discreetly call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis in Anchorage at 1-907-272-0100.

SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES: If you are considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or Stop Suicide Alaska at 1-877-266-HELP.
 
 
 
 
By Jill Burke: Former Mat-Su elementary school teacher faces 14 new charges of sex abuse
By Sean Maguire: New Administration Commissioner plans more stringent vetting of hires, efficiencies in government
 
 
 
 

By Chris Klint: King Kong toy mailed to Anchorage yields kilo of heroin in bust

A separate state reckless-driving case involving Sanders became a flashpoint in Palmer court last year, after he didn’t pass an urine analysis test but didn’t suffer any immediate consequences from the state Pretrial Enforcement Division.

Anchorage-based FBI spokeswoman Staci Feger-Pellessier said the Anchorage street price of heroin is about $1,500 per ounce, which works out to nearly $53 per gram – or about $53,400 for the seized shipment.

State officials say heroin can command high prices in Alaska, especially when supplies are limited. Those figures can reach $500 to $600 per gram in Alaska prisons, or $800 to $1,000 per gram in remote areas of the state.

A statewide inmate database showed Sanders in custody Friday at the Anchorage Correctional Complex.
 
 
 
 
By Beth Verge: Community lifts up Valley shooting victim’s mother with surprise in Anchorage
We were able to get you a new SUV,” Ferguson exclaimed. Swan was very obviously grateful, relieved, and surprised.

“This is amazing,” she said, after checking out her new vehicle. “I was really stressed about the car. I felt like I could manage some of the smaller, other things I needed to manage right now. The car just felt looming…

“And now that I’m starting to process things, I’m trying to figure out, how do I make my life really matter from here on out, you know?” she said.

For now, there is a little bit of relief, and one big task off a daunting list.

“To have someone, a bunch of other people come along, and to say, ‘Hey, we did this for you,’ that’s incredible,” Swan said. “I’m beyond grateful.”
 
 
 
 
By Scott Gross: Inside the Gates: Sullivan, Trump tout Alaska military spending
 
 
 
 
By Shannon Ballard: Palmer company creates unprecedented cleaning machine for Navy
 
 
 
 
By Dave Leval: Redington High tournament remembers late ‘team mom’
 
 
 
 
KTOO Public Media: Facebook removes fur hat posts by Alaska Native artist; With spring whaling around the corner, sinew thread makers are hard at work; Don’t count on oil to bail out Alaska’s budget soon, says unpublished state tax memo and more ->
 
 
 
 
KYUK Public Media for Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta: Calista Squabble Patched Up; The Kuskokwim Corporation Names Sam Boyle As Interim CEO and more ->
 
 
 
 
Alaska Native News: Kuskokwim Tribes Fight Donlin Mine Permits; British Columbia Mega Mines in U.S.-Canada Transboundary Watersheds Are a Liability to West Coast Wild Salmon and more ->
 
 
 
 
Fairbanks News Webcenter 11: Celebrating Black History Month, FNSB School District and NAACP partner up; Fairbanks schools annual History Day competition comes to a close; Cushman Street was lined with community members, rallying for those with disabilities and more ->
 
 
 
 
Rasmuson Foundation: Help for Alaska artists seeking award

Alaska News February 08, 2019

By Heather Hintze: Remaining Grunwald murder suspects want trial moved to Fairbanks
 
 
 
 
By Daniella Rivera: Dunleavy AG to review some post-Schneider sexual assault pleas
 
 
 
 
By Heather Hintze: Sarah’s House offers Palmer women a second chance
 
 
 
 
By Joe Vigil: Alaska dive team ready to answer the call statewide
 
 
 
 
KTOO Public Media: Former Ketchikan teacher pleads guilty to sexual abuse of minor, gets six years; Harris Harbor resident found dead; How Alaska schools can help students dealing with trauma; Alaska GOP Gov. Dunleavy seeks to oust Democratic chair of oil and gas watchdog agency and more ->
 
 
 
 
KYUK Public Media for Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta: Sen. Hoffman Predicts A Long Legislative Session Since No House Speaker Elected; Finding A New Link In The Food Chain; Wind Change Pulls Curtain Back On A Future Bering Sea and more ->
 
 
 
 
Alaska Native News: Don’t Get ‘Reeled In’ by Online Fishing Company; Seismic Exploration on Hold for Arctic Refuge; Polar Bears Breathe a Sigh of Relief and more ->
 
 
 
 
Fairbanks Webcenter 11: Fort Yukon man pleads not guilty to assaulting, kidnapping his girlfriend; Men accused of leading Troopers on a high speed chase plead not guilty; American Red Cross announces partnership with Bassett Army Community Hospital; Alaska leads nation in snow machine thefts; UAA education students will be allowed to graduate and more ->
 
 
 
 
By Kristen Durand: Alaska Aviation Museum archivists assessing more than 150 artifacts damaged in the earthquake
 
 
 
 
By Julia O’Malley: How Alaska eats: Matcha crème brûlée, Valentine’s jam burgers and a big ol’ chocolate cake
 
 
 
 
By Ariane Aramburo: Illusionist Landon Swank performs magic on the Morning Edition

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