Alaskans

The price of gold has been dropping for six days as of Friday and local miners say the declines haven't dampened their optimism. The Alaska chapter of the Gold Prospectors Association of America spent part of Friday teaching Anchorage area sixth graders about panning. Bill Dunlevy GPAA President says it's the association's sixth year participating in the Bureau of Land Managment's "Outdoor Week" event. "The best way to keep mining alive is to start with the young and hopefully it keeps going," Dunlevy said.

A late-to-arrive spring has caused delays for local farmers who are waiting on a weather warm-up in order to begin transplanting starters into the ground. Another dose of wintry weather on Friday through Saturday has also made conditions not too promising either. River Bean, owner of Arctic Organics in Palmer, has packed greenhouses full of starter produce plants that he has yet to move outside. He has moved some of the overflow greenery into one of his cold frames to make extra room.

by Rebecca Palsha, Mike Ross, and Leyla Santiago Friday, Sept. 26, 2008 ANCHORAGE, Alaska-- Barack Obama and John McCain squared off Friday night in their first presidential debate. Both candidates said fixing the nation's financial mess is critical but neither would commit to the bailout plan being debated in Washington.  Many Alaskans were glued to their televisions hoping to get more insight into the candidates. Channel 2 News had three crews fan out across Anchorage to get a sampling of how people felt about the debate and found many different opinions among Alaskans.

by The Associated Press Thursday, February 04, 2010 FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service is looking for opinions from state residents to aid in long-range planning of programs and services. Extension director Fred Schlutt says the agency is collecting information through a short survey online. A paper version is also available at district offices. Schlutt says the Extension Service will use survey results to focus its work in six areas: health, energy, climate change, food security, economic development, and youth and families.

We didn't see much sunshine this summer, but the lack of golden sunrays has brought out the yellow and gold in the tree tops this autumn. It's a sure sign tourism season has ended and for hiker Marion Glaser autumn is the season when Alaskans take back the state for themselves. “I like the crisps morning and the blue skies. It's still warm enough to do a lot of stuff outside without over heating or without all the tourists,” said Glaser. The first leaves of the season turned and fell on schedule, just after the first frost.

While Democratic and Republican members of Congress chose to sit together during President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday evening, Alaskans still had divided opinions on its message. At a Democratic viewing party for the address in Anchorage, Alaska Democratic Party Chair Patti Higgins discussed Obama's call for the U.S. to remain a world power. "We are the best that we are creative, we are the innovators; we don't just calculate, we come up with the ideas," Higgins said.

A Navy SEAL from Alaska was severely injured in Afghanistan, according to Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell's office. Treadwell said 27-year-old Lt. Brandon David Stone lost his foot, and has a substantial amount of shrapnel in his upper body.   Stone is the son of David Stone, Treadwell's chief of staff. According to Treadwell, Lt. Stone called his father while being transported to Germany for medical treatment.    "I've never known a dad to be prouder of a son going off to war," Treadwell said.

by Channel 2 News staff Monday, May 24, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Sen. Mark Begich has launched a new Twitter page and updated his other social networking platforms. On the new Twitter account, Begich will share updates of meetings and hearings, senate votes, travels across Alaska and present Alaskans a way to keep in touch with his work. Begich also has YouTube, Facebook and Flickr sites.

Alaskans were feeling pretty generous this holiday weekend, pledging $363,948 to the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Alaska in the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. The telethon gives Americans and Alaskans a chance to donate to help people who are affected by muscular dystrophy. For the executive director of MDA Alaska, knowing how many people will benefit from the support is what really matters. “That is probably the most amazing part of my job and most amazing part of telethons: getting to meet these people and they do amazing, amazing things in order to overcome so much,” Sabrina Hoppas said.

Alaska has the highest suicide rate per capita in the country, and on Saturday, dozens of Alaskans gathered on the Delaney Park Strip to shed light on a dark statistic. The Alaska chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) held its second annual "Out of the Darkness" walk. More than 250 people walked the three-mile route downtown to support suicide awareness and raise money for prevention programs. "We as a state should not take light of the fact of how severe suicides are in this area.

As the Memorial Day weekend begins, local, state and federal authorities are working to keep Alaskans safe in their cars, boats, campsites and kitchens. Both Alaska State Troopers and the Anchorage Police Department have added officers for enforcement of seat-belt laws as part of the national Click it or Ticket campaign, which began Monday and is continuing through June 2. “Troopers encourage you to always practice safe driving behaviors on the roads while traveling to and from your destination,” AST spokesperson Megan Peters wrote in a statement on the campaign.

When a service member or civilian in uniform makes the ultimate sacrifice, they are officially considered lost in the line of duty. Channel Two is looking back at three Alaskans and their families who have paid the ultimate price. On May 10, The State of Alaska recognized Peace Officers   Memorial Day . It's a somber yet iconic event to mark and mourn Alaska's law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. This year the annual event was organized by State Trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters.

The price of gold has been dropping for six days as of Friday and local miners say the declines haven't dampened their optimism. The Alaska chapter of the Gold Prospectors Association of America spent part of Friday teaching Anchorage area sixth graders about panning. Bill Dunlevy GPAA President says it's the association's sixth year participating in the Bureau of Land Managment's "Outdoor Week" event. "The best way to keep mining alive is to start with the young and hopefully it keeps going," Dunlevy said.

A late-to-arrive spring has caused delays for local farmers who are waiting on a weather warm-up in order to begin transplanting starters into the ground. Another dose of wintry weather on Friday through Saturday has also made conditions not too promising either. River Bean, owner of Arctic Organics in Palmer, has packed greenhouses full of starter produce plants that he has yet to move outside. He has moved some of the overflow greenery into one of his cold frames to make extra room.

Dry pavement in Alaska means motorcycles are back on the roads. Our state has the highest number of registered motorcyclists per capita in the nation. Governor Sean Parnell recently named the month of May “Motorcycle and Motor Scooter Awareness Month" to remind Alaskans about watching for motorbikes. Alaska Bikers Advocating Training and Education (A.B.A.T.E) is offering their annual motorcycle safety courses again. The group began offering training courses to riders in 1991 and has trained over 16,000 people.

Even as some lawmakers have barely had time to unpack their bags after returning from Juneau, a group of Alaskans are trying to repeal a piece of legislation passed on the final day of the 90 day session. "If Senate Bill 21 survives, this state may go bankrupt in a few years,” said repeal organizer Ray Metcalfe.  “If Senate Bill 21 survives, it's very soon going to be goodbye dividends, hello income taxes. " Senate Bill 21 repeals Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share, the tax system that has been in place since the Palin Administration.

Numbers from a new national study show the challenges of being able to afford housing in Alaska. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the average wage for Alaskans who rent doesn't quite add up to the cost of renting a standard two bedroom apartment. The annual study says the average rent for a two bedroom apartment in the Alaska is about $1,111 per month and Alaskans would need to earn an average of $21.37 an hour to afford it. Megan Bolton,  NLIHC's Research Director, says Alaska is consistently in the top ten for most expensive states to live in, which impacts how much residents need to earn to rent a home.

Today, Friday April 26, is the last day to submit a comment to the Federal Drug Administration regarding the approval of genetically-modified (GM) salmon. Local representatives and many Alaska organizations, including United Fisherman of Alaska, met with the FDA to express Alaskans' concerns of allowing the sale of genetically-modified salmon, or what critics refer to as "Frankenfish," in the United States. Last week, Sitka-based grocery store Sea Mart Quality Foods and Market Center said they will be joining over 2,000 grocery stores nationwide in pledging not to sell the GM salmon in their stores.

As part of a mission to lower Alaska's high rate of domestic violence and sexual assault, Alaskans are using a national prevention program called Green Dot to reach that goal and think outside the box. Imagine seeing a map with a lot of red dots on them that represent domestic violence and sexual assaults that happen here in Alaska every single day -- then imagine those red dots are replaced by green dots that represent people coming up with solutions...

Although a suspect in Monday's deadly Boston Marathon bombings is in custody Friday, Alaskans who participated in the race are still sorting through their emotions -- and for some, they hit pretty close to home. For Alaskan runners Michael Wheatall and Andy Holland, Monday's marathon was more than just a great race. It brought them closer to their family members who live in the areas where the tragedy unfolded. It's a day Wheatall, 52, will never forget. “My wife and my daughter were both on top of the spot where each of those bombs went off earlier in the day,” Wheatall said.