Alaska

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Alaskans Seek Higher Ground After Earthquake

Tsunami warning is issued for 950-mile path

(Newser) - Southern Alaska was under a tsunami warning Monday after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck near the peninsula. An aftershock followed about 20 minutes later, with a magnitude of 5.8, NBC reports. The first earthquake was near Sand Point in the Shumagin Islands. No damage was reported, per the...

Senate Forecast Tweaks Favor Democrats

Assessments of 3 contests edge away from Republicans

(Newser) - The reelection fortunes of three Republican senators declined a bit Tuesday, as the Cook Political Report adjusted its assessments. The changes echoed one the nonpartisan organization made last week, the Hill reports, when it shifted the South Carolina race from "lean Republican" to "toss-up." Sen. Lindsey Graham,...

After Death Threat From News Anchor, Mayor Admits 'Major Lapse'

What a wild weekend in Anchorage

(Newser) - The mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, has apologized for a "consensual, inappropriate messaging relationship" with a reporter who shared what she claimed was a nude photo of him before getting arrested. Maureen "Maria" Athens—the main anchor for KTBY and KYUR, which operate together as Your Alaska Link—had...

There's a Fat Contest Going On in an Alaska National Park

12 Alaska heavyweights are competing for title

(Newser) - If you're fed up with the election, there's another contest taking place in America. The annual "fat bear week" competition is underway in Alaska as the brown bears at Katmai National Park prepare for hibernation, the Guardian reports. The Fat Bear Week website lists 12 contenders, including...

Park: Hunter's Mauling Death Was 'Surprise Attack'

Ohio man was field-dressing moose

(Newser) - The man killed by a grizzly bear in America's biggest national park was attacked as he field-dressed a moose he had killed the night before, authorities say. The victim of the first known fatal bear attack in Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve has been identified as...

Bear Breaks Into Zoo, Kills Beloved Alpaca

'It was kind of a bizarre incident'

(Newser) - A wild brown bear tunneled under perimeter fencing and killed a popular alpaca at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, officials said Wednesday. The bear was killed a day later by wildlife officials. The bear had been hanging around the zoo, knocking over trash bins and breaking bear-proof latches before it...

Grizzly Kills Hunter in Biggest US National Park

Alaska victim was on a 10-day moose hunt

(Newser) - For the first time in the 40-year history of America's largest national park, a visitor has been killed by a bear. The National Park Service says a moose hunter was mauled and killed by a grizzly bear Sunday in the Chisana River area of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and...

Dentist Who Pulled Tooth on Hoverboard Gets 12 Years

'You darn near killed some people,' judge tells him

(Newser) - An Alaska dentist who extracted a tooth while standing on a hoverboard has been stripped of his license—and his freedom. Seth Lockhart has been sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges including Medicaid fraud, embezzlement, reckless endangerment, and unlawful dental acts, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Investigators said...

Locals Use Car Lights to Help Medevac Land on Dark Runway

The medical transport plane was trying to land to airlift a girl, but the runway's lights weren't working

(Newser) - Residents of a tiny Alaskan village jumped out of bed en masse Friday night, using their vehicles to light up a runway so that a medevac plane could land to help save a child. Per Alaska Public Media and the AP , the state-owned airport in Igiugig, a small town in...

These Are the Biggest Slacking US States

North Dakota isn't one of them

(Newser) - Despite massive unemployment right now across the nation, WalletHub finds that Americans work pretty darn hard—whether it's because they want to, have to, or have the perception they have to. To find out which states really roll up their sleeves, the site looked at all 50 states across...

After 550 'G-Rated' Texts to Colleague, Alaska AG Steps Down

A married Kevin Clarkson sent the messages to much younger female worker's personal phone

(Newser) - Alaska's attorney general is stepping down after a joint investigation by the Alaska Daily News and ProPublica revealed a series of "uncomfortable" texts he'd sent to a much younger female colleague. Per the ADN , Gov. Mike Dunleavy said on Tuesday that Kevin Clarkson had resigned, after first...

Lawmaker in Deadly Crash Flew Despite Vision Problems

Gary Knopp was denied certification in 2012

(Newser) - An Alaska state lawmaker who was involved in a July midair collision that killed seven people was piloting his plane even though his medical flight certification was denied eight years ago because of vision problems, a federal agency reported Tuesday. Alaska State Troopers identified the pilot as state Rep. Gary...

Alaska Salmon Are Shrinking, and Scientists Have a Theory

The fish aren't spending as long in the ocean as they used to before returning to spawn

(Newser) - It won't be a revelation to locals, but researchers have determined that Alaska salmon are shrinking. For example, Chinook salmon are 8% smaller today than they were before 1990, say researchers in Nature Communications . Sockeye, coho, and chum salmon have also shrunk, though to a lesser extent, reports Reuters...

Coming Soon to Sprawling Alaska Refuge: Oil Drills

Interior secretary makes controversial move on Arctic territory

(Newser) - A giant wildlife refuge in Alaska home to caribou and polar bears will soon have something new on the landscape: oil and gas drills. The Department of the Interior on Monday approved a program to dole out drilling leases for a 1.6-million-acre coastal plain in the Arctic National Wildlife...

Cops Found Killer After 24 Years, Didn't Get to Arrest Him

As authorities closed in on Steve Branch in 1996 rape, murder of 17-year-old, he killed himself

(Newser) - Alaska State Police were pretty sure they'd found their man when they arrived at the Arkansas home of Steve Branch last week. But 66-year-old Branch—suspected of raping and killing Jessica Baggen after her 17th birthday party in Sitka, Alaska, in 1996—refused to provide a DNA sample, so...

JetBlue Bans Masks With Vents
JetBlue Bans Masks With Vents
Aug 5, 2020 6:08 PM CDT

JetBlue Bans Masks With Vents

Airline says exemptions will no longer be allowed

(Newser) - Face masks with valves to make breathing more comfortable defeat the whole purpose of wearing masks, experts say—and JetBlue has joined airlines banning them. The airline says that as of Aug. 10, masks with vents or exhalation valves will no longer be acceptable, and passengers will no longer be...

State Lawmaker, 6 Others Die in 'Unfathomable Tragedy'

2 planes collide over Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, killing Rep. Gary Knopp

(Newser) - Seven people, including an Alaska state lawmaker, died Friday when two small airplanes collided in midair near Soldotna, a small community on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Alaska State Troopers said state Rep. Gary Knopp of Kenai, believed to be in his early 60s, was the sole occupant of one plane....

One State Sets High Bar for Visitors

Alaska says it has to preserve COVID-19 tests for local communities

(Newser) - Traveling to Alaska? Gov. Mike Dunleavy says that as of Aug. 11 you'll need to take a COVID-19 test 72 hours before arriving, the Anchorage Daily News reports. It's a departure from the state's current policy, which lets visitors test before or after arriving, or endure 14...

This State Needs to Put Its Credit Cards in the Freezer

Alaska has the most credit card debt in America

(Newser) - Many people are struggling with money as the pandemic continues, and resorting to plastic has become even more of a crutch. WalletHub looked at all 50 states and the District of Columbia, using TransUnion credit data to review each state's median credit-card balance and monthly credit-card payment, assuming a...

Authorities Couldn't Find This Guy—Until He Lost His Temper

Marcus Catalin Rosu is accused of 'skimming' from ATMs

(Newser) - If only Marcus Catalin Rosu had kept his cool. The California man's blow-up at an airport car rental eventually led to his arrest for alleged "skimming"—a fraud issue that plagues the ATM industry, the New York Times reports. Authorities say Rosu, 39, had been riding his...

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