Girdwood

Girdwood buses are canceled on Tuesday morning due to high winds along Turnagain Arm, according to the Anchorage School District. The following complete routes are canceled: South High School #621 Girdwood K-8 School #622 The portion of these routes that run along Turnagain Arm are canceled: Goldenview Middle School #27 Oceanview Elementary School #610 If students who normally ride these bus routes cannot make it to school with...

A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle near Bird Creek on the Seward Highway, according to Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen.  Troopers are treating the incident as a crime scene and say the highway will be closed for the next 4-6 hours on both side.  The pedestrian was struck around 7:18 p.m, that's when a trooper witnessed a vehicle strike the pedestrian, and the pedestrian became trapped under the vehicle. The pedestrian is still alive, but further information about the person's condition is unknown at this time.  This is a developing story, check back for updates.

Girdwood cable subscribers are going digital on Sept. 14 th after GCI Cable Inc. turns off the old analog signal, and switches to digital. Instead of 41 channels, GCI officials say there will now be 160 and the picture will be more crisp and clear. “Digital Signals are much better than analog,” said David Fox, marketing director for GCI. “So that means a clearer picture and a more consistent picture, and there will be fewer times when a customer will lose his or her signal.” Internet speed will also be faster, up to 22 megabytes per second.

Summer skiing is a reality this year in Girdwood, where a skiing and snowboarding website says the Alyeska Resort got more snow this winter than any other ski area in the U.S. According to rankings from UnofficialNetworks.com, the resort got 962 inches of snow during the 2011-2012 season, while Mount Baker in Washington came in second with 800 inches. Crystal Mountain, also in Washington, got 587 inches. A lot of that snow is still covering the mountains at Alyeska. On Friday there were several skiers and snowboarders out taking advantage of the weather.

A linked pair of recent burglaries in which Girdwood homes were broken into and firearms were taken is under investigation by Alaska State Troopers. Thursday AST dispatches say the first notification of a burglary, on the 100 block of Stowe Drive, reached troopers shortly before 10 a.m. Monday. “Investigation revealed unknown person(s) forcibly entered the residence sometime near (7:30 a.m.) on (Oct. 27) and took firearms,” troopers wrote. Just before 6:30 p.m. the same day, troopers learned of a second burglary on the 400 block of Vail Drive.

by Channel 2 News staff Thursday, February 18, 2010 The Seward Highway is open again after an avalanche Thursday afternoon. The highway was closed at mile 85.5, near Turnagain Pass, and kept traffic from traveling south of Girdwood for several hours The Department of Transportation says crews were doing avalanche control earlier in the morning and in the afternoon were working on both sides of the slide to clear the snow....

by The Associated Press Thursday, February 4, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A 43-year-old Girdwood man has died, nearly a week after being involved in an accident on the Seward Highway. Alaska State Troopers say Paul C. Wiersema died late Wednesday at an Anchorage hospital. He was involved in a collision Jan. 29 with a trailer pulled by another vehicle that served into his lane. Troopers say the other driver lost control of his trailer, which held a full-sized pickup.

It was a busy President's Day holiday at Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood.  But for some who work here, especially those who ski in the back country, it was a day of loss. Many know the three skiers who were killed in Sunday's avalanche near Seattle.   “It was a big shocker to the whole snow community for sure,” said Brad Cosgrove who works as a guide for Chugach Powder Guides, which takes skiers to back country slopes  by helicopter.  Cosgrove also knows the Girdwood woman who survived, Elyse Saugstad, who credits an avalanche airbag backpack with saving her life.

A good Samaritan from Girdwood was struck and killed Saturday afternoon near mile 88 of the Seward highway, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers said 60-year-old Robert Hammel, of Girdwood, was reported to be dead after 86-year-old John Sadusky lost control of a Dodge Caravan heading southbound and stuck Hammel and “resuscitation efforts would be futile.” Sadusky and his passenger 83-year-old Nancy Sadusky were taken to Providence Hospital...

Alaska State Troopers have identified two Anchorage men who were driving the vehicles involved in a head-on crash Sunday afternoon that injured nearly a dozen people, closing both lanes of the Seward Highway near Girdwood for almost three hours. A Monday AST dispatch says troopers received reports of a crash involving multiple vehicles at about 4:20 p.m. near Milepost 92, about three miles north of Girdwood. A Ford Expedition heading north and driven by 42-year-old Christopher Keffalos lost control due to snow and slush, crossing the center line and slamming into a Suzuki SUV driven by Ronald Myers, 56. There were a total of eight people inside the Expedition and three passengers were children.

Chugach Electric has scheduled a power outage early Saturday morning for customers in the Indian, Bird, Girdwood, Portage and Whittier areas. The scheduled work will happen from 3:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. on March, 30. It affects approximately 1,900 customers. A helicopter inspection a few days ago spotted a bolt out of place near Powerline Pass and in order to make emergency repairs to the transmission structure, an outage is necessary, according to Chugach spokesperson Sarah Wiggers.

The teenager injured in the New Year's Eve tram crash at the Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood says Friday that she will return once it is operating again, despite the scary experience. Strong wind gusts blew the resort's tram into the tower shortly before 7:30 p.m. Monday and trapped 15-year-old Catie Quinn, of Peters Creek, as well as a friend and several employees for nearly five and a half hours. Quinn was knocked unconscious and suffered minor injuries, including a cut to her head about 2.5 inches long and seven centimeters wide which needed eight staples.

The Girdwood Health Clinic has spent the fall and winter months working on a lease deal. The Girdwood Health Clinic Incorporated or GHCI has been working with the current landlord of the building. The building is owned by the nonprofit the Turnagain Arm Health Center, Incorporated. GHCI has requested TAHCI to apply for a non-profit property tax exemption in the hopes that the savings can be passed onto GHCI so the rent is lowered. The lease officially ended in August and GHCI has been paying rent on a month to month basis.

The lack of snowfall this season is hurting at least one town in Alaska. Girdwood is seeing less business on the slopes and at other local retailers. Typically, the weekend before Christmas is very busy, but not this year, according to Alyeska mountain services manager Brian Burnett.  Until the natural snow starts falling, Alyeska is making their own snow, and lots of it. However, that's something they prefer not doing because it costs them money. On Sunday afternoon, only the beginner runs and some of the intermediate runs were open.

Alaska State Troopers have identified two Anchorage men who were driving the vehicles involved in a head-on crash Sunday afternoon that injured nearly a dozen people, closing both lanes of the Seward Highway near Girdwood for almost three hours. A Monday AST dispatch says troopers received reports of a crash involving multiple vehicles at about 4:20 p.m. near Milepost 92, about three miles north of Girdwood. A Ford Expedition heading north and driven by 42-year-old Christopher Keffalos lost control due to snow and slush, crossing the center line and slamming into a Suzuki SUV driven by Ronald Myers, 56. There were a total of eight people inside the Expedition and three passengers were children.

A good Samaritan from Girdwood was struck and killed Saturday afternoon near mile 88 of the Seward highway, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers said 60-year-old Robert Hammel, of Girdwood, was reported to be dead after 86-year-old John Sadusky lost control of a Dodge Caravan heading southbound and stuck Hammel and “resuscitation efforts would be futile.” Sadusky and his passenger 83-year-old Nancy Sadusky were taken to Providence Hospital...

A linked pair of recent burglaries in which Girdwood homes were broken into and firearms were taken is under investigation by Alaska State Troopers. Thursday AST dispatches say the first notification of a burglary, on the 100 block of Stowe Drive, reached troopers shortly before 10 a.m. Monday. “Investigation revealed unknown person(s) forcibly entered the residence sometime near (7:30 a.m.) on (Oct. 27) and took firearms,” troopers wrote. Just before 6:30 p.m. the same day, troopers learned of a second burglary on the 400 block of Vail Drive.

A Girdwood man died when his plane hit power lines and crashed near Homer Friday afternoon, according to Alaska State Troopers. AST spokesperson Beth Ipsen said the plane went down in shallow water on the east side of the Wosnesenski River, between China Poot Bay and Neptune Bay. The 7GCBC Bellanca's pilot, 66-year-old George Vonderheide, is believed to be its only occupant. According to Ipsen, Vonderheide had filed a flight plan and was apparently following a river drainage en route to a lake when he crashed.

Southcentral Alaska's premier backcountry distance race, the Crow Pass Crossing, kicked off its 29th annual challenge Saturday, July 21st. Claiming the title for the men was Scott Patterson with a time of 3:05.16 and for the women, the 2011 champion Kiersten Lippmann at 3:40.27. The race is approximately 24 miles, starting in Girdwood and moving along the Crow Pass Trail through the Chugach mountains, and finishing at the Eagle River Nature Center.  The total gradient is 5,959 feet, and a peak elevation gain of 3,888 feet.   

Less than an hour away from Anchorage, the annual Girdwood Forest Fair celebrates 37 years from July 6 to July 8 with hand-made crafts, foods, entertainers, and Alaska businesses. For the past years, the fair fell with July 4th celebrations, but since this year's holiday occurred on a weekday, the event was pushed back a few days. The Forest Fair parade will be held on Saturday, July 7 at 10:00 a.m. and it will close the Alyeska Highway at Hightower Road for about an hour. This year's theme is “With Bells On” and the Grand Marshall will be Jim Veatch.