Bet You Didn't See THIS On Your Local News

 Video shows Anchorage woman shooing moose from grocery cart.

I bet you won't look at Costco parking lots the same way. :)

It May or May Not Mean Anything

... but BATFE has joined the investigation into the apartment building fire, in Anchorage.

 

The Anchorage Fire Department is investigating a large structure fire that claimed at least two lives early Wednesday. ... AFD spokeswoman Jodie Hettrick said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has joined the investigation into the fire. Hettrick said based on reports from bystanders, there is a possibility the fire was intentionally set. ATF is helping AFD secure the scene for this investigation. At a meeting with some of the victims Wednesday night, AFD battalion chief Mike Davidson told them they would not be able to check on their apartments for at least a few days, as the building was considered a crime scene.

Sad News

Anchorage, despite its size - and trust me, 330,000 people is a lot when the entire State's population is only 710,000 - has not a lot of "big city" crime.

 

Sure there are muggings, break-ins, and car thefts, but those can happen most anywhere. But it doesn't often see headlines like the one this morning:

 

BREAKING: 2 dead, 17 sent to hospital with 'moderate to severe' injuries

A large, fatal fire with multiple victims has dozens of crews on scene in Spenard, according to the Anchorage Fire Department.  

Crews on scene say that 17 people have been sent to the hospital, and two people are confirmed to be dead. AFD says those sent to the hospital have injuries ranging from "moderate to severe." 

Fire crews are still working on the fire. Investigators with AFD remain on the scene, ensuring all hot spots are being put out. 

Units on the scene say investigations into the cause are stalled as the building has still not been declared structurally sound. Due to this, investigators have not been allowed to enter the structure to determine what exactly caused the fire. Witnesses at the scene said they saw people jumping from windows on the third floor.

 

30 34 units responded to the fire, reported as fully engaged (meaning the entire structure was ablaze) by 0230. At 0712 (i.e., now), it's under control, and surrounding streets are reopened.

 

* * * * *

Meanwhile, it's snowing heavily - a wet, slushy snow of a type we don't often get - and there's a winter weather advisory in place. This morning's commute was a real joy.

 

Not.

 

Fortunately, traffic was unusually light, and I only saw one accident - a vehicle on its side - on the way in. But I knew exactly where the warm front was, as I drove. At one point just south of the accident, my windshield was suddenly doused with a heavy load of water (!?!). Twice. And then back to snow again.

 

I've experienced snow/rain mixes in the past, often enough, but never all snow, then all rain for 2 or 3 seconds, and back to snow again. Rinse, repeat.

 

Strange. Anywho, AccuHunch calls for 3" to 6" of this wet, un-fun stuff.

 

All I know is, it would have been a good day to stay home.

And The Beat Goes On ...

Not this:



This:

Merrill Field Pounding Expected to Last Through September

ANCHORAGE (KTUU) Six days a week, there’s a constant pounding sound coming from the Merrill Field Airport during the day. It’s a 15 ton steel-encased concrete block in free fall, hitting the ground from seven stories up.

Airport manager Paul Bowers said it's part of a unique trash compacting construction job to repave nearly eight acres of of taxiway that’s sinking into the ground of what used to be the original city dump.

“There are car bodies in here, broken buildings, broken roads, furniture,” said Bowers. “Right now, we're standing on about 25 feet of trash.”

Construction costs are about $6.9 million, primarily paid for through federal funds.

Officials said fixing up the taxiway is important because it connects the hospital to those being flown into Anchorage on emergency flights.

“Merrill field is one of the few airports in the nation with a taxiway that actually accommodates medevac aircraft going to an adjacent hospital,” said Bowers.

The concrete block compacts the trash down about eight feet. Once the entire area is smashed down, the ground will be smoothed, leveled and paved. The compacted road is expected to last about 15 years before it runs the possibility of sinking and warping again.

This trash compacting project is part of a multi-phase, multi-year effort to smooth out the roads and taxiways at Merrill Field.

Ammunition explodes as Hillside home burns

From the Alaska Dispatch News:

Sean Doogan, August 21, 2015

Smoke billows from a house fire near Huffman Road on Friday morning. Scott Jensen

11:30 a.m. update:
Huffman Road has been reopened, and fire officials at the scene said the home was extensively damaged.

-------------
Original story:

A garage fire in an Anchorage Hillside home detonated stored ammunition Friday morning, prompting police to close Huffman Road from Elmore Road to Birch Road.

Anchorage Fire Department spokesperson John See said the blaze was reported at 8:06 a.m. by the homeowner, who told dispatch his garage was on fire and ammunition he stored inside a safe was cooking off.

See said 21 fire units responded. Crews were still battling the fire as of 9:15 a.m., and parts of Huffman Road remained closed.

See said no one has been injured by the fire. A fire investigator was sent to the scene.

Saving a Moose

An Anchorage driver who encountered a moose calf walking across an East Anchorage road Saturday evening says he took matters -- and the moose -- into his own hands to ensure the animal’s safety.


Here is the man's story, from YouTube.

A Note About the Weather, and "That" Reporter

The weather widget on my sidebar says it's 43 somewhere in Anchorage. Perhaps so, but it's 32 here La Casa del Pablo. So there.

* * * * *

Since the national media rarely care to devote the time to fully cover local stories, here's the local story on the foul-mouthed reporter you've probably already heard a snippet about:

ANCHORAGE - A reporter for Anchorage CBS-affiliate KTVA quit on live television Sunday night, using the f-word to punctuate an announcement that she will work to legalize marijuana as the owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club.

The reporter, known professionally as Charlo Greene, made the announcement during the station's 10 p.m. newscast at the end of a story titled "Voting for easier access." Greene told viewers that she is owner of the group, which describes itself as a liaison between people who hold medical marijuana cards and those who can supply the drug.

"Everything you heard is why I, the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, will be dedicating all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska," she said.

"And as for this job," Greene continued, "Well, not that I have a choice, but f--- it, I quit."

Greene soon explained the event with a post on the crowd-funding site Indiegogo.com. The reporter wrote that she left her job in order to "end a failed drug policy that has ruined the lives of far too many Americans." She asks visitors to the site to donate money for marketing and travel in support of legalization.

KTVA News Director Burt Rudman issued an apology on the station's Facebook page at about 11:20 p.m.

"We sincerely apologize for the inappropriate language used by a KTVA reporter during her live presentation on the air tonight. The employee has been terminated," he wrote.

Alaska voters will decide whether to decriminalize pot in November.

Alaska corporation records show the Alaska Cannabis Club was formed on April 20 of this year, owned by Charlene Egbe, Greene's real name. Greene reported stories about the Alaska marijuana debate after the creation of the Cannabis Club group, without disclosing her connection to the corporation.

The Alaska Dispatch News, which published a story in August that anonymously quoted a club founder who didn't want to reveal her name because she feared "potential repercussions from her employer," posted a clip of the video here. 

I'm sure she'd want me to publish her photo.

The "S" Word, and APD in the News

Happy Friday, friends!

The National Weather Service is alerting southcentral Alaska to the threat of an arctic mass moving into the area over the next couple of days. We're to have lows in the 30s tonight & tomorrow ... and they're speaking of "minor accumulations of snow" to the NNE of Anchorage.

It's that time of year. And so it goes ...

* * * * *

In other news, there's proof that strong public opinion - especially negative opinion - can make a difference.

As police departments all across the country beef up their forces with military equipment, Anchorage police say they have chosen to turn down the offer of free armored vehicles.

Anchorage Police Chief Mark Mew said the department submitted the paperwork to begin the process to acquire two vehicles, but later decided against it.

Earlier this year, Anchorage police asked for two mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles as part of the U.S. military’s 1033 program, in which surplus military gear is given to local police.

Several months later, they decided not to accept the MRAPs.

They say that it's because of the significant expense to paint and maintain the vehicles. Knowing Alaskans, I'd say it's also because of significant push-back from the citizens who are tired of black-clad ninja police strong-arming the public.

To be fair, not all the APD officers are like that, at all. But a number of them are, and it's scary.

In Local News Today...

Alaska Railroad considers commuter rail between Anchorage and Wasilla.

The Alaska Railroad is evaluating whether to launch weekday passenger rail service between Anchorage and the Valley, where nearly a third of the working population drives to jobs in Alaska's largest city.

Trains would run from Wasilla to the railroad's Ship Creek platform in Anchorage and back.

But don't line up for tickets just yet.

Officials want to make sure the public understands that any plans are in the early stages. Any new train service would need approval from the railroad's board of directors, already grappling with a difficult budget year. Many details have yet to be worked out, including fare and schedule.

An Alaska Railroad train reflects color from the western sky. The area around the Port of Anchorage Boat Launch attracted many visitors on a clear evening Wednesday, August 22, 2012. Tugboats came and went, a few late-season fishermen sat patiently near Ship Creek's mouth and warm sunlight reflected off the buildings of downtown Anchorage.

MARC LESTER / ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS

This would seem to be a no-brainer, given that we have only one road into/out of Anchorage, and it's always congested in the morning & afternoon drives. Let there be one accident of any kind, and 80,000 commuters get to sit still for hours.

C'mon folks, make a good business decision ... and get the lead out, 'kthanxbye.

* * * * *

WASILLA -- By the time Antares Viens called 911 from a friend's house on Wasilla-Fishhook Road, his baby daughter was already being born.

Feet first.

The birth at the end of January marked the third in less than three months where the Palmer Emergency Dispatch Center helped deliver a baby by phone, the kind of event that usually prompts high-fives and headlines.

But the story of this baby -- her parents have named her Pearl -- was different.

This baby wasn't breathing when she emerged, bruised and still, in "footling breech" position, a much riskier birth than if the baby comes out head first. Medics performed CPR for more than 10 minutes before they picked up signs of pulse and respiration.

Clarissa Viens holds baby Pearl in the hospital last week. PHOTO COURTESY OF VIENS FAMILY

Pearl needs our prayers.

* * * * *

Last summer, workers demolishing an old Alaska Railroad warehouse near Ship Creek found something unusual inside a wall. It was an old-fashioned photo album: Black leather-bound cover with pages made of delicate black paper. "Marie and Irvan Christian" was embossed on the front cover. 

Inside were pictures of a couple who had married in 1906. The album was made after a party was held for their 50th wedding anniversary. There were pictures of family members seated at well-dressed tables. Ladies in gloves and hats. Interiors with wood-paneled walls, linoleum floors and lace curtains. A napkin printed with their names was pressed between the pages. Newspapers from Florida and Ohio printed announcements about the party, with detailed lists of who attended.

The 1956 golden anniversary album of Marie and Irvan Christian was found this summer in the wall of an Alaska Railroad building as it was being torn down. ERIK HILL — Anchorage Daily News

No one knew what to do with the album after it was found. Months passed. Eventually it landed on the desk of Tim Sullivan Jr., external affairs manager for the railroad. He pored over it looking for an Alaska connection. There was a sticker from the Alaska Railroad on the last page. In one of the newspaper announcements, he came across a name: Gladys Kahler, the couple's daughter. She'd come all the way from Anchorage, Alaska, the story said. A letter addressed to Gladys, tucked in the album, said it was made and sent to Gladys around Christmas 1957 by someone named "Dot."

Sullivan sent the name to the railroad's human resources department. The railroad opened its headquarters in Anchorage in 1915 and ignited the growth of the city. It is one of the Anchorage's oldest employers. Because workers had pensions, it has records of when employees died. Gladys Kahler's name was in the railroad's files.

Born in 1910, she had been the secretary to the superintendent of operations from 1950 to 1959. She died in 1960 in Anchorage. There were other Kahlers in the records, too. Howard Kahler, who was married to Gladys, worked a number of jobs with train freight. He died a few months after his wife, also in 1960.

It's an interesting & heart-warming story. You can read it all at the link.


That's it for this morning. Thanks for stopping by, friends, and have a great day. And if you're in the path of the latest winter storm, stay safe & warm, too.

"He tried to make a limp for it..."

This one's worthy of the Unalaska Police Blotter, but happened right here in Anchorage.

From the Anchorage Daily News:

An out-of-control sedan side-swiped an East Anchorage coffee hut Tuesday, injuring the barista inside, said police, who arrested the sedan's driver on suspicion of driving drunk.

The Nissan Altima hit a median and some large rocks on Bragaw Street -- going airborne twice -- and smashed into the side of the Arctic Grounds Coffee Company hut, witnesses said. The driver stumbled away, but officers arrested him about 100 yards from the wrecked car.

Anchorage Police Department officers examine a Nissan Altima after an allegedly drunk driver slammed into the Arctic Grounds Coffee Company hut in the parking lot of the Sweet Pink Pepper restaurant Tuesday afternoon, May 14, 2013 along Bragaw Street south of DeBarr Road.

Erik Hill — Anchorage Daily News

~ snip ~

Tony Newsom, a driver for Riggs Towing, said he watched the wreck from the intersection of DeBarr and Bragaw.

"He went airborne, took out the sign and then he shot across both northbound lanes and hit the rocks that separate the Pink Pepper from the church parking lot. He went airborne again and that's when he hit the coffee cart," Newsom said. "When I pulled up, he got out all wobbly. I was already on the phone with 911 when I pulled up."

"He tried to make a, I guess, a limp for it, when he heard the sirens. He wasn't moving very fast," Newsom said.

Read the whole story here.