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Medfra Fire grows to 1,650 acres; firefighters battling winds
Josh Edge and Lori Townsend, Alaska Public Media-Anchorage
Crews are battling a large blaze about 50 miles northeast of McGrath, dubbed the Medfra Fire. The fire is about 20 miles from the small community of Medfra.
Czech climber dies while skiing on Denali
The Associated Press
A mountaineer from the Czech Republic is dead after an estimated 1,500-foot fall on Denali Mountain. The National Park Service reports 45-year-old Pavel Michut was skiing Messner Couloir when he fell Saturday.
Juneau man captures story of icebreaker Storis in labor-of-love documentary
Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media -Washington
Congress is considering funding a new icebreaker to serve in the Arctic. It would be a heavy, polar-class Coast Guard cutter, to get through thick ice. But size isn’t everything when it comes to Coast Guard ships. A Juneau man has made a film about the Storis, a dainty icebreaker by polar standards, that rescued mariners and enforced the law along Alaska’s coast for almost 60 years.
State to explore privatizing juvenile detention centers
The Associated Press
The state is seeking contractors to look into the feasibility of privatizing four of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ juvenile detention facilities.
Forest Service reminds tourists why Mendenhall glacier is shrinking
Elizabeth Jenkins, KTOO-Juneau
On a busy summer day, thousands of people — mostly cruise ship passengers — visit Juneau’s Mendenhall glacier. The U.S. Forest Service wants those tourists to take in the dramatic views, but also consider why the glacier is shrinking. Visitor center director John Neary is making it his personal mission.
First Alaska ibis sighting has birders going ‘ballistic’
Jillian Rogers, KHNS-Haines
An unusual bird was spotted in two separate Southeast towns on the same day recently. The ibises were a rare treat that has left bird experts scratching their heads, wondering why these southern birds have landed in Alaska.
Veteran teacher retires ending an era for Unalaska preschool
Zoe Sobel, KUCB-Unalaska
After 26 years, it’s the end of an era for Unalaska’s preschool.
Author’s wage war on bed bugs included a little chocolate
Sumner MacLeish – Special to APRN
Writer Sumner MacLeish listened to our report last week on the difficulty, expense, and stress for rural residents trying to get rid of bed bugs. MacLeish has lived in rural Alaska but it was not until she got to Anchorage that she first encountered Cimex lectularius.
