Summer

The Children's Lunchbox, a group that partners with Bean's Cafe, kicked off its summer meal program on Monday, delivering and serving up free lunches and dinner for kids at a couple of sites in Anchorage. Fifty-six lunches were served at the Muldoon Boys and Girls Club, a number which drew praise from program director Lynnette Ortolano. "On average, the Boys and Girls Club serves about 90 to 100 a day. On the first day of summer, this is a really good turnout," Ortolano said.

Alaska is about to get a boost of wind power. Project planners in both Kodiak and Anchorage are preparing for a busy summer of wind turbine construction. On a breezy day, the community of Kodiak gets just under 10% of its power from three turbines atop Pillar Mountain, which rises high above downtown. The Kodiak Electric Association says the project has proven that wind energy is a reliable way to power homes and businesses on the island and so come September, if all goes as planned, there'll be three more turbines churning in the sea air. “In the first 2 and a half years of operation, (the project)

With the end of the Anchorage school year Thursday, many local parents are facing the summer conundrum of how to keep kids busy and fit during the long days ahead. Channel 2 asked what you and your kids will be doing on our Facebook page, and here's some of what you've said: Kathy Day: My kids are going to multi sport camp in June with Matt Shasby. If you are looking for a story idea, my client, AK Dinner Factory, offers kids camps where kids learn about nutrition, cooking, measuring ingredients and they make a dinner each day. My son got a whole new appreciation for my cooking by attending the camp!

Another chilly day will give way to warmer conditions beginning tomorrow throughout Southcentral and Western Alaska. While the Inlet Region will remain dry and a little milder, PWS and the eastern Kenai Peninsula are in for more rain and snow showers activity.  Temps there will remain cold, with 30s and 40s.  Expect upper 40s to low 50s in Anchorage and the Mat Su. Quiet conditions and mostly sunny skies are in store for Southwest.  However,...

The Anchorage Market and Festival opened for the summer this weekend, one week earlier than it did last year. Vendors say cooler temperatures are keeping some people away from the outdoor market opening weekend, but they're still planning on a busy season. Some vendors, like Papa B's Fruits, are adding another summer season to decades of business at the market. "It's all indicative of an early season-- the type of fruit, the temperature, the number of people--- slim numbers of people.

The Governor wants to spend some time with you this summer. Today he announced the dates for the Governor's Family Picnics. The annual picnics have been held each year for more than a decade. The picnics are made possible by generous donations from Alaska businesses and hundreds of volunteers.   Starting this year, other Alaska communities were given the opportunity to host a picnic with Governor Parnell. Glennallen was selected as this year's location. Communities interested in hosting future picnics are encouraged to visit the governor's website click here.

The ringing of the trolley bell can be heard once again in downtown Anchorage, signaling the start of the tourism season.  Around noon on Friday, there was only one passenger in Caleb Aldeman's trolley car.  But the owner of Anchorage City Trolley Tours isn't worried.  Based on the number of out-of-state license plates he's seen and an increase in tourists arriving early this year, he's confident Anchorage is headed towards a profitable summer.  ...

Residents in Cordova will soon have an impressive place to gather for meetings and city events with its new city center. The building will house city offices, a museum, the library, and it will also have space for performances in its location along 1st Street in downtown Cordova. The city has planned the center for more than a decade, but it was only in the past few years that the city was able to come up with the money. “This stems out of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the city of Cordova was very negatively affected by that and this is a goal to sort of help the community rebuild part of that economic base that we lost in that oil spill,” Cordova City Manager, Mark Lynch said.

An online petition ignited over a thousand digital signatures in a few days, which opposes the summer closing of the Westchester Lagoon disc golf course. The petition states that “Westchester Lagoon disc golf course provides a free, fun, safe and hugely popular outdoor activity for Anchorage residents and visitors. Closing the course because of the actions a few is unfairly punishes the vast majority of people who use the course respectfully and responsibly.” Parks and Recreation director John Rodda has said that because the park is so popular it has sustained a lot of damage.

Anchorage topped out at 58 yesterday.  Wasilla hit 59 and Palmer reached 61.  And sunshine was constant. Happily, we're doing it all over again today. A stable, dry air mass remains in place over Alaska associated with an upper ridge over Western Alaska.  Clouds will be hard to come by and winds will be light.  Southcentral will see the warmest temps today, but it is by no means the only part of the state basking in warm sunshine. The Interior will climb into the 50s with mostly sunny skies.  Clouds are pressing in from the east along the southern Alcan due to a surface low over the Southeastern Gulf of Alaska.  Thus, there is a chance of a shower or two in and around Tok. Mainly gray skies and rain are likely over all of the Panhandle.  The Gulf low responsible for the damp day will gradually weaken today and elongate inland before clearing the area by tomorrow.