Firefighters in Alaska have been busy at work after thousands of recorded lightning strikes sparked about 20 fires across the state. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that more than 8,000 lightning strikes were reported in the state on Saturday, and at least 8,300 through Sunday evening. Alaska Division of Forestry spokesman Tim Mowry says the…
Associated Press
Sitka schools end year with a surplus
Sitka schools are ending this academic year with a $200,000 surplus. KCAW-FM reports district administrators decided to save half the surplus while the other half helps pay for arts curriculum. District business manager Cassee Olin told Sitka School board members in June that savings on utilities and heating fuel were the most significant. Some areas…
NTSBA wrapping up plane crash investigation
An investigation into a floatplane crash that killed 8 sightseers and the pilot about a year ago is nearly finished. National Transportation Safety Board Alaska Chief Clint Johnson told the Ketchikan Daily News that officials are compiling information before releasing a final report. The federal agency sent investigators to the site near Ketchikan where visibility…
Medicaid challenge dismissed by judge
A state judge has denied an attempt to prolong litigation challenging Gov. Bill Walker’s authority to unilaterally expand Medicaid. The Friday action stems from a lawsuit filed by the Alaska Legislative Council against Walker last summer. The case was dismissed by a state court judge in March. The Alaska House subsequently gave notice it planned…
Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly votes to keep praying at meetings
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly will continue to begin every meeting with a prayer after tabling an ordinance that would end the practice. The Peninsula Clarion reports the issue arose at the borough’s Tuesday meeting after members of the community had mentioned earlier this year that the invocation made them uncomfortable. Borough code allows local…
Denali visitors charged by grizzly
Denali National Park says staff members are searching for a young grizzly bear that charged at visitors and vehicles in a parking lot and on a trail. Park officials say in a statement that the grizzly bear approached humans and vehicles Wednesday and earlier in the week. The officials say that early this week, the…
Fight breaks out at Alaska Pride Festival
Police will remain at the Alaska Pride Festival after officers broke up an altercation between participants and Westboro Baptist Church protesters. The Anchorage Police Department said in a statement that officers provided extra security Saturday during the Alaska Equality Parade in downtown Anchorage following the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida. Officers resumed their regular patrol…
Anchorage Zoo brings wolverine from Sweden
The Alaska Zoo in Anchorage has welcomed a new male wolverine to join a female already on exhibit. KTVA-TV reports that Jumbo, a 3-year-old male from Sweden, arrived at the zoo on Wednesday but is currently being quarantined from his partner Olga. Zookeeper Kora Isakson says Jumbo and Olga will hopefully breed together, though at…
Man arrested in Ohio for Fairbanks shooting
A man suspected of fatally shooting another man outside a Fairbanks bar last year has been arrested in Ohio. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that detectives with the Fairbanks Police Department went to Cleveland, Ohio last week to arrest 23-year-old Patrick Dale Burton on a warrant for first-degree murder. Burton is suspected of shooting 23-year-old…
North Pole man pleads guilty to first-degree murder
A 42-year-old North Pole resident suspected of shooting an Anchorage man to death last year at a North Pole home has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports Matthew Burton Davis entered the plea Thursday in Fairbanks Superior Court in the death of 34-year-old John Adam Chilcote. Chilcote was staying with a…