Alaska SeaLife Center Announces Birth of Harbor Seal Pup

By Chris Klint, Channel 2 News

The Alaska SeaLife Center announced the birth of a male harbor seal pup to two of the center’s seals Tuesday, marking the mother’s second successful pregnancy in two years.

The new pup, born June 27 to Atuun and Snapper, was named Kobuk following a poll of center employees, interns and volunteers. The seal has exhibited rapid weight gain common to harbor seal pups, rising from an estimated 22 pounds at birth to 66 pounds, and Kobuk means “big river” in Inuit.

The center’s staff gave Atuun and Kobuk two weeks to bond before getting close enough to determine the pup’s gender.

Read the entire article here.  Watch KTUU Channel 2 News Video here.

Butte Braces For Matanuska River Flooding

By Jason Lamb, Channel 2 News

Butte residents are bracing for flooding, as a swollen Matanuska River continues to rise with new rain.

Along the Old Glenn Highway, volunteers packed up belongings at Dana Mirsch-Wenner's home, as flood waters crept closer to her home. Many of the volunteers were high school students.

Mirsch-Wenner says the river had advanced 10 feet toward her home within just the past 24 hours.

Read the entire article here.  KTUU Channel 2 News Video here.

Seward Highway Reopens as Police Seek Armed Kidnapper

By Chris Klint, Channel 2 News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The Seward Highway has reopened after a Friday closure near Mile 70, as Anchorage police and Alaska State Troopers look for an armed kidnapper.

APD spokesperson Lt. Dave Parker says the incident began earlier Friday near 88th Avenue and Lake Otis Parkway, where an 18-year-old man saw a male suspect -- described by troopers as a white man in his forties, about 6 feet tall with a shaved head and a black-and-red tattoo on his left shoulder -- snooping around the back yard of his grandmother's home. The home was taped off as a crime scene by APD Friday afternoon, as police searched for more clues about the suspect.

The man reportedly confronted the suspect, at which point the suspect forced the man into his red 2000 Chevrolet pickup truck and made him drive south along the Seward at gunpoint. Parker says the suspect needed to relieve himself at the Turnagain Pass rest area and took the pickup’s key, but the victim had a spare key and drove off.

According to police, the victim sent a text message to family members, who then alerted APD and AST about the incident. As of Friday afternoon, the victim was headed back to Anchorage, but was stuck in traffic from the Seward's closure.

Read the entire article here.

DOT Construction Signs Hacked To Read 'Impeach Obama'

By Todd Walker, Channel 2 News

Several electronic road construction signs around Anchorage were hacked late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Signs that normally display closure and detour information, like the one on Minnesota Drive near 100th Avenue, were changed to read “Impeach Obama.” That particular sign wasn’t fixed until sometime between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. Thursday.

It happened because DOT says it doesn't lock the boxes on the signs that hold the message control pad.

Read the entire article here.

Snow Piles Still Tower Over Anchorage in July

Melting Leftovers of Record Winter Requires Extra Work

By Ted Land, Channel 2 News

Bulldozer crews are on the clock this Independence Day, trying to break down mountains of snow, which still tower over some parts of Anchorage after a winter of record snowfall.

At American Landscaping, along C st. in South Anchorage, crews “roll” the surface of their pile every day or so, scraping off a top layer of gravel, which can insulate the snow, slowing its melt.

“I don’t know how high it is now, looks like about 80 feet,” said Glenn Ball, owner of American Landscaping, as he looked up at what he estimated to be about 280,000 cubic yards of leftovers.

Read the entire article here.

Alaska Healthcare: A Breakdown of the Law and What Happens Next

Lawmakers and policy makers react to Supreme Court decision

By Jason Lamb and Abby Hancock, Channel 2 News

The Supreme Court's landmark ruling on federal healthcare reform still leaves some unanswered questions about what the decision will mean for Alaska.

In a press conference Thursday afternoon, Republican Governor Sean Parnell said it is too soon to say how the state will move forward.

"I do not intend to saddle the state's residents with the costs of that if I can allow the federal government to cover the cost for our citizens," said Parnell.

Read the entire article here.

Anchorage, Alaska - One Person Killed in Three-Vehicle Crash

Police say fatal crash happened at Lake Otis Parkway and O'Malley Road intersection.

By Abby Hancock, Channel 2 News

Anchorage police say one person was killed in a vehicle crash in South Anchorage late Sunday night. The crash happened just before midnight at the Lake Otis Parkway and O'Malley Road intersection. The driver of one of the vehicles died at the scene, according to APD.

Police say it is still unclear what led to the crash or which direction each vehicle was travelling.

"We're in the process of speaking with two of the drivers but it sounds as though there was a red light violation that occurred which then resulted in the collision, but we're still trying to sort out which vehicle was travelling which way," said Sgt. Gerard Asselin.

Read the entire article here.