ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Two Alaska State Troopers were honored Tuesday for risking their lives to save people from drowning in separate incidents earlier this year, according to the Department of Public Safety.

Troopers Garrett Stephens and Nathan Hollenbeck received the Commissioner’s Commendation during a Dec. 2 ceremony at the governor’s office. Both entered frigid waters in different emergencies — one in the Mat-Su and one in Nenana — to rescue victims who were near death, officials said.

“Alaskans rely on our troopers to protect them and save them,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy said in a statement, adding the pair’s actions “showcase their dedication and commitment to our great state.”

Rescue on the Tanana River

Around 2:30 a.m. on May 29, Hollenbeck responded while on standby to a report of a man struggling on the Tanana River. He arrived within minutes of the call and found the victim about 15 feet below a steel dock, hypothermic and unable to grab onto a tow strap lowered toward him.

“He was already pale,” Hollenbeck told Alaska’s News Source in an interview in May. “He was not really responding to us talking to him, and he was obviously weak and cold.”

Hollenbeck fastened a makeshift rescue harness, called for a boat or hoist, and then climbed into the icy waters himself.

For roughly 30 minutes, he kept the man’s head above the water until a rescue boat arrived. Both were severely hypothermic and taken to the hospital.

The man survived and was released from the ICU several days later.

Teen rescued from Mat-Su lake

On June 10, Stephens responded to an urgent call about a 17-year-old boy who had gone underwater about 75 feet from the shore of a Mat-Su lake.

Stephens sprinted into the 42-degree water and swam toward the teen, encouraging him to stay conscious as he drifted in and out of awareness and vomited water, officials said.

Medics threw two life vests into the lake. Stephens put one on and swam the second to the teen, securing it before towing him back to shore with one arm while holding the teen with the other.

The teen was treated for water inhalation and severe hypothermia. Doctors later determined he likely would have died without Stephens’ intervention.

Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell said the troopers “represent the very best of the Alaska State Troopers.”

“I am so proud to have such brave and dedicated troopers serving our state,” he said.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) -While a light snow fell, Casey Schuler looked out his office window.

“I see a lot of folks, you know, running out into the street against any of the lights crossing the street there,” Schuler said. “Oftentimes, down the street itself, crossing it, not the crosswalks. But I also see people crossing at the crosswalks and drivers, more or less, kind of ignoring the pedestrian right of way.”

They were hit by people driving under the influence, or while dashing across the street dressed in black, it happened because the lighting wasn’t bright enough and road conditions were slippery. There seem to be constant near misses.

“I mean, on a daily basis, I see it,” Schuler said. “I’ve seen people actually hit.”

In the past 12 months, 15 people in Anchorage were killed in pedestrian versus vehicle collisions according to the Anchorage Police Department.

In 2023, there were six.

Across the United States, according to data compiled by the Washington Post, there’s been a surge of pedestrian deaths in the Lower 48 — from 4,302 in 2010 to 7,314 deaths in 2023.

Revealed in its “Deadliest Roads in America” report, in Albuquerque, 34 pedestrians were killed along a three-mile stretch of Central Avenue between 2010 and 2023. In Los Angeles, 33 people were killed on Western Avenue just south of downtown during that time.

Alaska state data shows 19 percent of all fatalities on Alaska’s roadways happened when someone was walking or biking. Additionally, there are Alaska-specific problems such as snowy roads, dark clothing, and drugs and alcohol.

“We continue to see a trend with drugs alcohol or a combination thereof for both pedestrians and drivers,” Chief Sean Case with APD said.

Anchorage also follows national trends of people being hit by vehicles on multi-lane roads, by impaired drivers or pedestrians and people taking risks to cross outside of the crosswalk.

Case said city roads were designed to get any driver to their destination within 15 minutes and oftentimes, drivers are going faster than the posted limit.

From where he sits, Schuler says he often thinks about the driver going down the road, not looking for any problems, who then hits and kills someone.

“I actually think of the person that is riding along, you know going about their day, not looking to cause any issues, and then, you know, a pedestrian walks out in front of them. You hit them, you know, potentially kill that person and you have to live with that the rest of your life.”

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – An ice storm warning in effect for the Yukon Kuskokwim delta could impact travel, schools and power, as well as recovery efforts after Typhoon Halong.

An ice storm of this size is not unusual for the region, but with three quarters of an inch of ice expected, certain preparation and safety measures may be necessary. The storm could also change school schedules, according to Director of Operations for the Lower Kuskokwim School District.

“One of the most recent ice storms we had, an ice event that happened last December, took out a transformer by our district office, and we had a heck of a time, keeping schools warm, because it was also very, very cold,” Sweet said.

Sweet said in that 2024 storm, maintenance mechanics in Bethel worked 4 hours on and 4 hours off to ensure that glycol was circulating through the heating system in order to keep schools warm.

“So, when it’s cold and when it’s icy, of course, things break, generators can go down, anything that was fragile before sometimes decides it isn’t going to work,” Sweet said. “Of course, there’s a lot of damage that can happen to people. Slipping and falling is a huge risk. Most people wear ice cleats when it’s this icy. Most elders stay home.”

While ice presents the obvious falling risk, Sweet mentioned several other reminders to keep in mind, like not pouring water on vehicles to clear ice, let someone know if you’re going out of the house, and clear stairs and walkways to prevent falling hazards.

The Lower Kuskokwim School District covers a large area, roughly the size of the state of West Virginia. So, weather conditions can be dramatically different in Bethel and outer lying villages, so decisions on school closures or delays are made on a local basis.

“They might say school’s canceled, or school’s delayed an hour, school’s canceled,” Sweet said. “Whatever the message is, they put it on Facebook, they put it out VHF, they might have a phone tree that they call. It’s very grassroots, right?”

“One thing that’s really important to note, though, is that it’s a local decision.”

The storm also has the potential to slow rebuilding efforts in the wake of Typhoon Halong.

The ice itself can make outdoor tasks challenging, or even dangerous, but Sweet said one of the broadest impacts will be travel delays. Residents are familiar with weather delays, but during the recovery process, every delayed flight impacts the recovery effort.

“In Kwig, we need to have a power supply on a plane to help with our water plant there, and there’s no way we can get that on the plane,” Sweet said. “So, folks in Kwig who are at the school trying to rebuild the community are facing a water situation there at the school that we have no way of fixing right this second. So, the real impact to this storm is that the efforts to rebuild are put on hold for a minute while people are just trying to survive, and it’s really challenging.”

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