Downtown Anchorage

Anchorage residents have seen their fair share of the heavy snowfall Alaska's been hit with this season -- slightly more than 81.4 inches in the city, according to Channel 2's Jackie Purcell. The extra powder comes as many parts of the Lower 48 are seeing a warmer, drier winter. The Chicago Tribune says the city may soon break its record for the least-snowiest start to winter. As he was shoveling the walk in front of his office in Downtown Anchorage, Peter Freeman said he loves the snow.

The debate over the controversial Anchorage sidewalk sitting ban is not over yet: it could be reconsidered by the Anchorage Assembly. Assembly members passed the law a couple weeks ago, but that was before they heard a report from Channel 2 News that night about where the ACLU stands on the issue. "The ordinance as it's proposed would bar sidewalk sitting at six o'clock in the morning on a Saturday," said ACLU of Alaska's Tom Stenson. "Anchorage is just not busy at a lot of the times that are in [the ordinance]

Too many Alaska children without health insurance coverage.  That's what drew about 50 people to a rally in downtown Anchorage on Thursday.   They chanted in front of the Legislative Information Office, calling on the governor and state lawmakers to expand the Denali KidCare program, which gives the children of parents, who can't afford  health insurance, access to medical care. Earlier this year, Governor Sean Parnell vetoed Senate Bill 5, which would have made 1,300 more children eligible for the program.  The governor objected to the bill, because it also would have made more money available for abortions.

Those who have lost someone to suicide took time out on Friday to reflect, gathering in a quiet garden behind the Downtown Anchorage office of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.     Kameron Perez-Verdia shared his story with the crowd. Earlier this year, his sister, Kathleen, swallowed sleeping pills in her car at Earthquake Park and never woke up.     "We are not better off without you. Life is less without you," Perez-Verdia said, choking back tears. "You had a life to finish.

New images have surfaced online that show what the historic 4th Avenue Theatre in Downtown Anchorage may someday look like. A design model by architect firm Hinthorne Mott, based out of Seattle, was posted on their Facebook page. Hinthorne Mott says the interior would be “restored to its original state” and three new stories of office space would be built on top. The theater was bought by Peach Investments in 2009. There were reports Peach Investments had been in talks to bring a Hard Rock Café to the theater.

The Anchorage Community Development Authority unveiled its plan for the future of parking enforcement in Downtown Anchorage Thursday morning, giving a new name and new uniforms to the officials empowered to write tickets by city voters in the April elections. The new Parking Enforcement Officers are slated to begin their duties on Wednesday or Thursday of next week. Parking in the Downtown area -- bounded by Ship Creek to the north, Gambell Street to the east, 10th Avenue to the south and M Street to the west -- is currently being enforced by sworn Anchorage police officers, who will continue to enforce issues like expired tags.

Thousands of people spent Saturday afternoon and evening celebrating the longest weekend of the year at the "Downtown Solstice Festival" in Anchorage.  The festival featured dozens of activities including kayaking, bouncy castles and face painting. "We are down here enjoying the sunshine, getting our faces painted," said Terri Harper, and Anchorage resident.  Visitors come from all over to experience the midnight sun in Alaska. "The problem is you never know what time it is," said Alex Papke of Davenport, Iowa who is visiting Alaska with his wife.  "It's been 9 o'clock and we've been hungry and it's like, oh man time for dinner, no time for bed. "  Saturday afternoon the sun was out, and temperatures reached into the mid-60's.

There's an old saying that goes, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. " Catholic Social Services’ Welcome Center for refugees centers around that proverb. In a setting that resembles a kindergarten classroom, the center distills the American lifestyle to its basics. How to tell time and how to count money are skills Americans often take for granted, but are crucial for new arrivals to learn. “We really have to start with them with scratch, so we really have to start the basics with them like money,” said Laura Smith, an instructor’s assistant at the Welcome Center.

Name: Ron Alleva     Occupation: Auctioneer, Real Estate Broker. Personal Property Appraiser, Utility Owner Website: www.alleva4assembly.com Registered Political Party: None Last book you read: The Checklist Manifesto Favorite movie: The Count of Monte Cristo Why are you running for the Anchorage Assembly?:   To raise issues and to inspire others to more fully participate in civic discourse and to exercise their civic duty.