Casey Grove, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Casey Grove is host of Alaska News Nightly, a general assignment reporter and an editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cgrove@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Casey here.
Alaska News Nightly: Friday, July 17, 2020
A surge in Covid-19 cases in Anchorage has local health officials sounding the alarm. And how doctors like Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne Zink are avoiding the virus in their own lives. Plus, a late-night kitten rescue in Ketchikan.
LISTEN: Anchorage union president says teachers are concerned about returning to classrooms
With Covid-19 cases on the rise in Anchorage and elsewhere in Alaska, and the first day of school, Aug. 20, a little more than a month out, some parents and teachers think the district's plan is not cautious enough.
International ‘skimmer’ schemer caught in Alaska with illegal card-reading device, charges say
The charges say Marcus Catalin Rosu’s criminal activity spans the globe. In Alaska, Rosu faces one criminal count of “possession of counterfeit access device-making equipment,” which investigators allegedly found hidden in the ceiling tiles of his Anchorage hotel room.
LISTEN: Alaska polar bear den disturbances part of ‘death by a thousand cuts,’ researcher says
The authors of a recently published study say current requirements for the oil industry to stay at least one mile from known polar bear dens are working. But they’ve also found that the industry’s current den-detection methods miss more than half of the dens.
LISTEN: Haines author’s new book shares the ups, downs and adventure of small-town politics
"Of Bears and Ballots" is about Heather Lende's time as a member of the Haines assembly, from running for office, through some contentious debates, some uplifting moments, and then a recall effort that ultimately failed.
LISTEN: Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz talks mask mandate, concerns about Fourth of July gatherings
As the pandemic hit Alaska this spring, it forced the closure of nonessential businesses in Anchorage, and Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz says mandating mask-wearing now -- as cases spike in the city -- is a way to avoid another shutdown.
Ask a Climatologist: Where are we at so far this summer in Alaska?
Whether it's thunder and lightning and rain in Fairbanks, or just a whole lot more rain in Juneau, a couple things stand out about the summer so far in Alaska.
Alaska court district to test grand jury by Zoom
Alaska’s courts will test the use of videoconferencing in grand jury proceedings later this summer in the northwest region of the state. The goal is for residents to hear cases and complete jury service while staying home, to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
LISTEN: This Alaska Native artist dug a grave for Capt. Cook’s statue
The art installation took over a year to conceive and create, and it's called “Shadow on the land, an excavation and bush burial," part of Sydney’s 22nd Biennale art exhibition. It's the work of Yeil Ya-Tseen Nicholas Galanin, a Tlingit-Unangax̂ artist from and based in Sitka.
LISTEN: Alaska sports advisory council wrestling with how to restart sporting events
The Alaska Sports and Recreation COVID-19 Advisory Council is comprised of three dozen people from a broad range of sports and recreation interests, from athletes to event organizers and backcountry guides.
LISTEN: Investigative report uncovers allegations of sex abuse against priest in western Alaska
A Jesuit Catholic priest who visited Alaska off and on for many years is among nearly a dozen who worked at a prominent university in the Pacific Northwest and are also accused of sexual misconduct.
Palmer police chief back on the job after ‘inappropriate’ comments about Black Lives Matter
Palmer’s police chief returned to work Monday after a nearly three-week suspension over Facebook posts he made calling the Black Lives Matter movement a “hate group” and, separately, questioning the legitimacy of sexual assault reports.
LISTEN: How the Supreme Court’s ruling on discrimination affects LGBTQ Alaskans
Anchorage lawyer Caitlin Shortell told Alaska Public Media's Casey Grove there are still some loopholes, and now, more than ever, it's important for Alaskans who feel discriminated against in the workplace to know their rights.
Feds drop charges for alleged coronavirus quarantine violation
Duane Fields, 48, is the only person known to have been criminally prosecuted in the state for violating coronavirus quarantine rules. He had been charged with contempt of court for allegedly violating a court order as part of his conditions of release to quarantine for two weeks at an Anchorage hotel.
LISTEN: Alaska DACA recipient cheers Supreme Court ruling, but says the struggle continues
DACA recipient and Anchorage resident HJ Kim says she had been anticipating a ruling from the High Court -- one way or the other -- and had worried she would have to leave her job and be deported to South Korea, where she was born.
Action on Palmer police chief’s protest-inducing statements still pending
Two weeks, one protest and one city council meeting later, and the city of Palmer has made no decision yet on how to handle statements by its police chief calling the Black Lives Matter movement a "hate group" and questioning the honesty of sexual assault victims.
LISTEN: Alaska NAACP activism in early ’80s changed police use of force rules
Anchorage's history of activism impacting local police policy includes the NAACP's efforts toward repealing the "fleeing felon" rule. That said police officers were justified in using lethal force to stop a fleeing felon.
LISTEN: Alaska lacks good data on police killings, researcher says
Researchers wish there was more data to contextualize the rate of police killings in Alaska.
LISTEN: COVID-19 almost killed this marathon runner. Now he wants Alaskans to take the threat seriously.
Fairbanks resident Greg Finstad was one of the first people in Alaska diagnosed with COVID-19. He says the disease almost killed him and he’s still recovering.
LISTEN: To require masks or not? Food service workers criticized from both sides.
In following Alaska's health guidelines for preventing the spread of coronavirus, service industry workers are sometimes caught between customers who think a business's rules around things like wearing masks are too strict, and those who think the rules are not strict enough.