The stoves weigh between 50 and 90 pounds, and they’re not something you can just run in and grab. Grant Fairbanks, another Toyo stove dealer and mechanic in Bethel, said that it takes at least 15 minutes to detach one from the wall without damaging it.
Crime & Courts
Over 40% of Alaska’s prisoners have contracted COVID-19
Frustrated advocates and families point to overcrowding in prisons, inconsistent precautions and a general lack of transparency from the Department of Corrections.
Alaska Supreme Court rules in favor of critical Native corp. shareholder
ACLU senior counsel Susan Orlansky says the justices’ decision outlines how the state’s regulations potentially fall afoul of the U.S. Constitution on free speech and due process grounds.
Alaska requires that DNA be collected from people arrested for violent crimes. Many police agencies have ignored that.
By failing to collect those DNA samples, law enforcement has left Alaska’s DNA database with crucial gaps, allowing at least one serial rapist to go undetected.
After 3 years and $1.5 million devoted to testing rape kits, Alaska made one new arrest
First of two parts: In the state with the highest rate of sexual assault in the nation, testing the backlog of rape kits may not be enough. Many were from cases where the identity of the suspect was already known, or were opened only to find no usable DNA.
Sealaska Heritage and Neiman Marcus will settle lawsuit over sale of Ravenstail coat
SHI President Rosita Worl said “the widespread interest in this story indicates to us that the public is as concerned as we are about protecting our cultural heritage.”
COVID-19 outbreak at Bethel jail winding down after infecting nearly all inmates
On Dec. 21, Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation Chief of Staff Dr. Ellen Hodges said that over 80% of the correctional center’s inmates had tested positive for COVID-19.
Alaska’s pretrial inmate population has swelled with COVID-19 restrictions on courts and attorney-client meetings
Jury trials remain suspended, and many people have no idea when they will get their day in court. Plus, defense attorneys say their inability to meet with clients put a damper on resolving cases through plea deals.
Alaska guns sold in private sales discovered in shipments to Mexican drug cartel
Charges against Miguel Moreno-Cortez allege he was an Alaska-based gun purchaser who was part of a larger network exporting guns to a Michoacán drug-trafficking organization.
Wrongful death lawsuit against Juneau police officer in fatal shooting dropped
The family members of Kelly Stephens agreed to drop the federal case. The family’s lawyers were not ready to comment.