Casey Grove, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Casey Grove is the host of Alaska News Nightly and a general assignment reporter at Alaska Public Media with an emphasis on crime and courts. Reach him at cgrove@alaskapublic.org.
Indiana man pleads guilty to soliciting Anchorage woman’s murder in catfishing scheme
Darin Schilmiller, 25, promised a group of teenagers millions of dollars to record themselves killing Cynthia Hoffman.
Alaska woman’s lawsuit says she was victim at California prison known as ‘rape club’
The lawsuit follows a criminal conviction for the former prison warden, Ray Garcia, and seeks an unspecified sum of money to be determined in court.
Anchorage hits grim milestone for outdoor deaths. Still, this reporter shares a story of hope.
The data on outdoor deaths comes from Anchorage Daily News stories, many of them written by ADN reporter Michelle Theriault Boots.
Alaska News Nightly: Monday, July 31, 2023
A new state system lets sexual assault survivors track the evidence kits used in their cases. Also, as salmon disappears from the Yukon River, a program connects families with sockeye from Bristol Bay. And Bethel residents show off their vehicles at the community's first car show, each with their own story.
Alaska game managers dispute study, saying predator control does work
Tom Paragi, a biologist with the Division of Wildlife Conservation, says other studies back up the notion that predator control can help declining populations of prey, like moose.
Alaska News Nightly: Friday, July 21, 2023
Head Start programs in Alaska could lose millions in federal funding, because they don't have enough staff. Also, the state pushes back on research that says predator control doesn't work. And young burn survivors get hooked on Alaska.
Alaska predator control doesn’t result in more moose harvests, according to a study of one game unit
The state disputes that, saying not enough time had passed between the predator control work and the analysis of moose harvests.
Indiana man accused in Alaska teen’s ‘catfish’ killing pleads guilty to child porn charges
Darin Schilmiller posed online as a rich man, claiming he’d pay millions of dollars for sexually explicit photos and video of Cynthia Hoffman's murder.
When Alaska wilderness adventures go wrong, mental mistakes are sometimes to blame
Wilderness safety instructor Deb Ajango says adventurers can make thinking errors that, in some cases, make an uncomfortable situation much worse.
Alaska News Nightly: Friday, July 7, 2023
Anton McParland was unknown in Alaska when he managed Congresswoman Peltola's campaign, and now he's also her chief of staff. Also, as Anchorage grapples with sheltering unhoused residents, some officials point to simplifying zoning. And visions of a mysterious white raven around Kenai have the town talking.
Alaska drownings led the nation, with alcohol use and lack of lifejackets often involved
Nearly nine of 10 Alaskans who drowned in non-occupational settings were not wearing a life jacket, according to a state report.
Alaska addiction patients were lucrative in treatment center’s scheme, insurance company’s lawsuit says
Moda claims a California addiction treatment center falsified Alaska patients’ income, in a scheme to overbill the insurer by $3.3 million.
Alaska researcher dives into the mysterious lives of octopuses in new book, ‘Many Things Under A Rock’
Dr. David Scheel's book is the culmination of many hours spent investigating octopuses underwater and in tide pools, with help from coastal Alaska's Indigenous people.
Troopers say 2 women found dead near Trapper Creek were murdered
One of the women was reported missing in late May after making a 911 call.
Alaska’s spring was colder than average, while other places baked (so, yes, global warming is still a thing)
Lingering snow and cloudy days resulted in temperatures about 3.5 degrees below the statewide average from March through May.
Anchorage charity under investigation after city gave it a big pandemic recovery grant
The city gave $1.6 million to Rosalina Magaeva’s House of Transformations, despite the state having investigated her for alleged fraud.
Wasilla teacher who sexually abused students sentenced to 46 years
Lukis Nighswonger, 40, taught at Iditarod Elementary School before nearly a dozen young victims came forward against him.
Some Alaska legislative priorities stalled last session, so where do those bills go from here?
Anchorage Daily News reporter Iris Samuels says those bills aren't dead, though some might be harder to pass during next year's election season.
Alaska’s heavy dependence on federal dollars could mean big impacts from debt default
Alaska Beacon reporter James Brooks wrote about the potential impacts to Alaska from a debt default recently.
Alaska’s big shift to renewable energy appears stalled, as future access to natural gas in doubt
Reporter Nat Herz with the Northern Journal says efforts to craft a mandate for utilities to pursue renewable energy haven't gotten very far.