Anchorage

The Anchorage Economic Development Corporation is forecasting higher employment numbers for the city. Last year, Anchorage saw employment numbers fall for the first time since 1988. The drop was small compared to the rest of the country, but it was still a drop. At an annual investor luncheon Wednesday, the AEDC revealed a mid-year update on the Anchorage economy and said we can expect a turn for the best. The AEDC expects more jobs in Anchorage for the next three years. This comes after a dip in employment last year where Anchorage lost 900 jobs, but, according to the AEDC, if you put the numbers in perspective that's minor compared to the rest of the country.

Some House lawmakers are taking a mid-special-session break from the state capitol to set up shop in Anchorage, trying to build support for their budget concerns. Six members of the House Finance Committee gathered Friday morning at the Anchorage legislative information office to hear invited testimony on the much-disputed "all-or-nothing" list of roughly $460 million in energy projects that the Senate insists on keeping in the capital budget. House Majority leaders said the purpose of the Anchorage meeting is to hear from a different audience as they prepare to head into their third week of special session.

by Ted Land Wednesday, June 9, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- An anchorage woman is giving away a quilting project she's spent years piecing together. Joanne Rinker started making quilts two years ago out of extra fabric she had laying around. Her original goal was to send the blankets overseas to Afghanistan to keep women and children warm. Rinker says, she tried three times to get the quilts onto military aircraft, but she was told that there was no room.

An Occupy Anchorage protest at Town Square Park drew a crowd organizers described as hundreds strong to the Downtown area Saturday. "I brought a sign that says I am interested in getting rid of corporate campaign donations," said protester Kate Veh, who drove from Kenai to Anchorage for the event. A few members of the group wrote up a mock foreclosure letter for Key Bank, and marched outside its Downtown branch. "I'm out here protesting the greed on Wall Street, our purchase politicians -- and that includes in our state," said Anchorage resident Shirley Schnieder.

by Channel 2 News staff Wednesday, April 7, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Young patients at the Alaska Native Medical Center met a star Wednesday. Rocket Rivers of the famous Harlem Globetrotters visited with children in the pediatrics department. The visit was part of the Globetrotters' "smile patrol" outreach program, bringing the fun of the game to fans that are unable to go. Rivers signed autographs and showed off some of his skills. He says making someone smile is the best part of his job. "Their eyes light up, they smile.

You might notice some interesting visitors down at the Port of Anchorage this week -- a group of Japanese destroyers carrying more than 700 officers and crew.   The Japan Training Force, part of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, the country's naval branch, arrived Monday morning and plans to stay through Thursday. "I do hope that the people in Anchorage will know my country better, particularly its good spirit, through the vitality of my young officers here," said Rear Admiral Umio Otsuka, commander of the squadron.

Students and the public packed into the University of Alaska Board of Regents meeting in Anchorage Thursday. It's the first of two meetings where the public will have a chance to testify about items on the agenda.  More than a dozen people signed up to speak before the board. Several students and others testified on revising the non-discrimination policy to add sexual orientation. Including that group has been in the works since the 1990s, but the Board of Regents Chair Fuller Cowell says this is the first time since he's been on the board that the topic has made it to the agenda as an item to be voted on. "It varies from regent to regent in terms of how much weight they give to the public information but we all really appreciate that input," Cowell said.

Joe Miller made a push for Alaskan voters at a Dena’ina Center rally Thursday night that featured speeches from national political figures, as well as a big headliner: former Gov. Sarah Palin. Probably the biggest cheers during the 90-minute rally came when Palin took the stage and spoke just before Miller. Palin says Alaskans have not been getting the true story about Miller, and she highlighted his military experience. Neither Miller nor Palin used the names of Miller’s opponents, write-in candidate Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Scott McAdams.

The 11 rookies planning to run the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race visited Anchorage this weekend, for the mandatory rookie meeting at the Millennium Alaskan Hotel. The meeting’s purpose is to make sure those set for the 1,000-mile trip to Nome know how to properly prepare their dog team, as well as how to keep their dogs and themselves safe. Race veterans impart knowledge they've learned over the years, and 19-year-old rookie Cain Carter had his ears open -- although the stepson of Iditarod legend Lance Mackey always has veteran advice close at hand.

Anchorage homeowners should have received their annual green cards -- the postcard notices that let you know how much the city thinks your property is worth -- what could the news mean for your property taxes? The city uses the cards as a basis for what to charge for property taxes every year. The city says total property value for single family homes has increased this year, but very slightly, about 1.5 percent. The average home value of$ 312,000 last year has gone up to more than $316,000 this year.