Girdwood

The nation's top transportation official is in Alaska this week. Tuesday morning, Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood heard from community leaders in Girdwood on what to do about one of the deadliest roads in the state: the Seward Highway. The Girdwood Community Center was just one of the stops LaHood made on his tour around Alaska learning about the state's unique transportation needs. The vast majority of people who participated in the roundtable said the Seward Highway needs to be expanded to four lanes, and even turned into a highway with lanes separated by a barrier.

The Seward Highway is closed from Mile 90 to Mile 115 due to weather conditions on Tuesday, which is between Anchorage and Girdwood, according to the Anchorage Police Department. APD said the state Department of Transportation closed the highway around 9:15 a.m and said it is unknown when the highway will reopen. DOT issued two avalanche warnings on Tuesday morning on the Seward highway in between Anchorage and Girdwood. This is a developing story. Please check KTUU.com and the Channel 2 newscasts for updates.

by The Associated Press Saturday, March 27, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A small earthquake rumbled the Prince William Sound area and was felt in Anchorage Saturday. The Alaska Earthquake Information Center says the 2.8-magnitude quake was centered about 17 miles northeast of Girdwood, and hit at 12:40 p.m. Saturday. There were no reports of damage.

Alaska State Troopers have identified the man who was killed in the three-vehicle collision Thursday afternoon on the Seward Highway near Indian that also injured 16 others. Jason Small of Girdwood, 39, was entrapped in his vehicle and died on the scene. Troopers responded at about 1:42 p.m. Thursday to Mile 104.2 of the highway, where a Ford passenger van headed north driven by 72-year-old Lewis Hayes of Anchorage crossed the center line and struck nearly head-on a Ford F-150 pickup driven by Small.

by The Associated Press Monday, June 28, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A minor earthquake that struck south of Anchorage was felt in several area communities. The Alaska Earthquake Information Center says the 3.5-magnitude temblor hit at 6:49 p.m. Sunday and was centered 17 miles southeast of Anchorage at a depth of 16 miles. The agency says the quake was felt in Anchorage, Fort Richardson, Chugiak, Eagle River, Girdwood and Palmer, but there were no reports of damage from the mild seismic event.

The Winter X Games have been drawing the eyes of the outdoors-inclined, and an Alaskan took the podium at the games Saturday. Olympian Callan Chythlook-Sifsof from Girdwood took the silver medal in snowboardcross. She was right on the heels of Lindsey Jacobellis, who captured her fourth gold medal in the event. Contact Charlie Sokaitis at csokaitis@ktuu.com ktuu-chythlook-sifsof-x-games-silver-012911 Chythlook-Sifsof captures X Games silver Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, X Games, snowboardcross by Charlie Sokaitis Channel 2 Sports ANCHORAGE , Alaska   The Winter X Games have been drawing the eyes of the outdoors-inclined, and an Alaskan took the podium at the games Saturday.

Two minor crashes on the New Seward highway left traffic backed-up for miles Sunday afternoon. Alaska State Troopers said the second crash was a result of the slow-moving traffic from a collision further south on the highway. A Girdwood trooper said the second crash happened at about 1:30pm near mile 110. It is unclear what caused the first collision, but officials said it appears that a driver stuck in traffic from that accident was not paying attention and rear-ended a vehicle, pushing it into a third car. "It's a busy holiday weekend, we have a lot of traffic on the highway.

Powder pilgrims still have a week to wait, but a winter ritual will arrive before Thanksgiving: the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood says its ski slopes will open next Wednesday, Nov. 23. According to a Wednesday press release, the resort's Tram, Chair 6, Chair 4, Bear Cub Quad and both Magic Carpet lifts will open next week for ski and snowboard operations from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Officials say October and November's...

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.   

The Lions Club is offering free vision screenings at the Alaska State Fair. Using a high tech piece of equipment called "Plus Optics," volunteers can screen people for potential problems.   "We discovered people were hiding their problems with their eyes," Girdwood and Turnagain Lions Club Member Robert Galle said.   It's not a diagnosis, according to volunteers but people should use the results to judge whether they need to see an optometrist. "One eye was way stronger and so he was compensating for it," Theresa Walton who had her son screened last year said.