Domestic Violence

The Emmonak Women's shelter says it may have to close by the end of the summer. Officials with the shelter say they provide services to women from 14 villages. Joann Horn the shelter's director says they've applied for a federal grant, but won't know if the money will be funded until September. The current grant runs out August 31 st .  "It's sad," Horn said, "you know we're we don't want to see women out there wondering where to go and where to sleep. " The Executive Director for the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Lauree Morton, said the shelter never applied for funding from the state in 2009, or this year.

Thousands of Alaskans, in more than 120 communities, chose respect Thursday, openly embracing Gov. Sean Parnell's anti-domestic violence campaign through marching. Parnell came into office in 2009, making fighting Alaska's epidemic an administration priority. Among the hundreds marching from Palmer's MTA Events Center to the Palmer Community Center Train Depot were officials with the Valley's only domestic violence shelter. ”We have a 32 bed shelter," says Alaska Family Services Communication Director Beck Stoppa.

by Channel 2 News staff Thursday, March 4, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The three Anchorage police officers who fired at and killed Frederick Jones early Monday morning have been identified as Sgt. Jared Tuia and Ofcs. Kevin Armstrong and Gina Burington. Police initially said only two officers opened fire. Jones was killed after he repeatedly ignored commands to lower his weapon. Police were called to the Turnagain neighborhood on a domestic violence call.

Anchorage anti-violence advocacy groups participated in the "One Billion Rising" campaign at STAR Alaska's headquarters Wednesday night. Local musicians performed and speakers from STAR Alaska, AWAIC, and the YWCA proclaimed it a night for celebration of strength and a rising up against domestic violence against women and girls. The campaign gets its name from the statistic that one out of three women will experience a rape or other form of violence in her lifetime.  Those numbers combined with the current population of the world at around seven billion inspired activists to include "One Billion Rising" as part of the "V-Day" movement.  "V-Day" is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefits productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler's award winning play, "The Vagina Monologues" and other works.

A standoff between an armed man and police in Juneau ended early Tuesday morning when the man surrendered to authorities on felony assault and domestic-violence charges. Juneau police say 51-year-old Jeffrey Isturis fired a gunshot through an apartment door inside a building on the 300 block of Distin Avenue, near the governor's mansion, at about 5:20 p.m. Monday. Residents in the three-story building were told not to leave their apartments until a SWAT team arrived to escort them out. At about 7:30 p.m., JPD received a report that Isturis had barricaded himself inside a garage on the 600 block of West 11th Street.

Alaska State Troopers arrested a Kodiak woman on a first-degree charge of domestic-violence assault early Saturday after she allegedly cut her former boyfriend with a knife. Troopers responded just after 1:30 a.m. to a home off Spruce Cape Road, where the incident had been reported. “Investigation revealed Chandra Wenrich, age 24 of Kodiak, was in an argument with an ex-boyfriend after a night of drinking,” troopers wrote. “At some point during the argument Wenrich used a knife to injure her ex-boyfriend causing a significant laceration and risk of death.” Troopers say the ex-boyfriend was taken to Central Peninsula Hospital, where he was treated for his injuries and released.

by Jason Lamb Monday, June 28, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Anchorage Police Department responded to concerns that the city's crime numbers are reaching unacceptable levels at a town hall meeting held by local lawmakers Monday. State Rep. Pete Petersen, Sen. Bill Wielechowski and Anchorage Assembly members Mike Gutierrez and Paul Honeman put the event together to find answers to the crime problem in Anchorage. But APD says in some cases, crime rates aren't as bad as people might think.

Governor Sean Parnell just introduced a bill to increase a number of penalties for exploitation of children, domestic violence, stalking, and graphic text messaging when it distributes a sexually explicit image of a child under the age of 16.   “We are strengthening our laws by keeping them current with technology so we are able to fight crime and keep Alaskans safe,” the Governor said in a statement.   The bill would also expand the crime of stalking to include those acts of following or monitoring the victim with a global positioning device, and using or installing a device to record or photograph events in the victim's home, workplace, vehicle, or on the victim's telephone or computer.

Fairbanks Police are investigating 2 shootings that happened early Sunday morning, one of them fatal. Few initial details were available Sunday afternoon about the 22nd Avenue shooting, which killed one person shortly after midnight; police are investigating the incident. In another Fairbanks incident, police say 28-year-old Robert Carlson is charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting at a Fairbanks police car. Police say it happened around 4:30 a.m. when an officer responded to a domestic violence call at a home on Nunivak Loop.

The Alaska Ski for Women is now taking names for this year's event, as registration opened Thursday for the 16th annual benefit slated to run Sunday. Organizers say the race, which donates its proceeds to organizations working toward ending the cycle of domestic violence in Alaska, is a fun way to fundraise. "Last year we received a grant of $7,000 (from the race)," said Solveig Pedersen with YWCA Alaska. Women of all ages, and skill levels are invited to participate.