Anchorage

On Saturday, what looked like a crime scene at the Dimond Center, wasn't one at all. Public Safety officials showed off their bomb squad robot, SWAT truck and fire engines to get a buzz going around about new positions at the Anchorage fire and police departments. "The best tool that we have is to get out and let folks see what it is we do on a day to day basis," Anchorage police officer Ryan Rockom said. "I think the community can take heart in the fact that we're doing everything we can to make sure the people that we do recruit are of the highest caliber.

“The real thing is we can't control what happens in our world and the kids know that, bad things are going to happen,” Denali Montessori teacher Dawnmarie Riley said. Should Anchorage educators discuss current events with young students, such as the Boston Marathon explosion and manhunt for suspects or the West Texas explosion?  Should these conversations take place in the classroom or left at home? "We have discussions about that because they're going to talk about it anyway here in this setting so I have to be prepared for that," Riley said.

Anchorage's master project plan for Ship Creek comes with a price tag of about $4 million, and Mayor Dan Sullivan wants community input before the city proceeds with work on it. The Boston-based firm  KlingStubbins Design and Engineering has been selected to head up developing that master plan. From Tuesday through Thursday this week, designers from KlingStubbins and the mayor are listening to ideas from the community about Ship Creek's future. Some call property along the creek in Anchorage a hidden gem. “There's lot of potential down there because of it's relation to Downtown, ocean on one end, mountains on the other,” said Dan Billman with the Northern District Set Netters Association.

Tyler Sawyer of Anchorage claimed his fourth straight title over the weekend in the National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships, held in Colorado Springs.  Sawyer fought his way through a 16-person bracket to win the bantamweight division.  His previous three national collegiate championships came as a flyweight.  Sawyer, who competes for Santa Clara, is now eligible to compete against older fighters at the U.S. National Championships in...

It can be frustrating to still see a thick blanket of snow on the Chugach Mountains and big heaps of ugly ice in parking lots around Anchorage, but we are getting closer and closer to the period of green grass and pretty flowers. There are always setbacks for those in northern climate zones, whether it's Maine, Minnesota or Alaska. Spring for these locations is the shortest season of all. In areas like Southcentral, spring can actually be as short as three to six weeks. That's not much time to get a garden prepped and a golf swing back in shape, but that my friends, is what we're stuck with.

The Anchorage School Board discussed school choice in local facilities Monday, exploring how to give parents and student more opportunities -- as well as how those choices should look in the future. It's the beginning of discussions on what options in education the Anchorage School District currently offers, and what could be changed to make them more successful. One topic of those talks is ensuring that all students in the district are free to choose where they learn. With programs ranging from Chinese and Spanish immersion to cultural and specialized learning, ASD officials say numerous selections can be found in the city at neighborhood, charter and alternative schools.

Mayor Sullivan wants your input on developing Ship Creek, an area in between downtown and Government Hill, right next to the Port of Anchorage - a project with a price tag of $4 million. There will be three meetings this week in the evening on April 16, 17, and 18 to discuss a master plan for developing the area . On Monday, Mayor Sullivan announced that KlingStubbins, based out of Cambridge, MA as the head firm to develop the master plan, along with local engineering firm USKH and international development company Boston Global Investors.

The Alaska Judicial Council has been evaluating appointed judges and making recommendations to voters about their retention since 1975, but some legislators want that practice to end.  House Bill 200, proposed by state Rep. Wes Keller (R-Wasilla), was heard in the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday and will be held until the next legislative session, according to his staff. According to Keller, voters need to know more about how the council chooses which judges it recommends.

Travel and tourism in Alaska could be on track for a strong summer season for 2013. Travel industry experts say they're hoping more people will pass through the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport with the help of more travel options and wallet-friendly ticket deals. While many of us are hoping the last bits of winter will melt away, it's a time when people in the air travel industry are preparing for a busy summer and more flight options for passengers. John Parrott, the airport's manager, says two airlines will make their debut in the state this summer.

Kotzebue police say a 7-year-old local boy last seen Saturday was found dead, pinned by ice against a sea wall, hours after he was reported missing Sunday afternoon. According to a Wednesday statement from the Kotzebue Police Department, Suyuk Brown was last seen playing in front of his Shore Avenue home at 3 p.m. Saturday during a snowmachine race. His family reported him missing a day later, at about 4:40 p.m. Sunday. Members of Kotzebue Search and Rescue, as well as the local fire and police departments, conducted a search for Brown until his body was located just after 11 p.m. Sunday.