Alaska

Alaska middle-schooler claims victory, $100K as winner of first-ever National Civics Bee

Published

2 months ago

November 14, 2024

Alaska middle-schooler claims victory, 0K as winner of first-ever National Civics Bee

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – An Anchorage middle-schooler took home a big trophy and a major wad of cash this week in a historic moment in the nation’s capital.

Romig Middle School eighth-grader Emily Brubaker took home an inaugural victory and a hefty monetary prize of $100,000 after the first National Civics Bee competition.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the National Civics Bee was designed to inspire student interest in civics, with Tuesday’s inaugural National Civics Bee taking place in Washington, D.C.

Following her win in the statewide Alaska Bee in June, Brubaker and her parents headed for the capitol, along with 27 other young, civic-minded Americans.

Finalists showcased their knowledge with team challenges, presentations, and a buzzer round; the winner was ultimately decided with a final cumulative score.

With the commotion of the competition, Brubaker said she wasn’t certain if she was in first, or if her fellow contestant Michael O’Mara from Iowa would take it.

“I was so nervous, because after that fourth round — the buzzer round, where I had tied with Michael — I wasn’t sure if I even had a chance or not,” Brubaker said. “They announced the third-place winner, Keith from New Mexico, and then the second-place winner, Michael from Iowa, and then they brought out the CEO of the Daniels fund to announce the first-place winner.

“When it was me, I actually started crying on camera.”

Brubaker says she was shocked upon hearing the announcement.

She walked onstage and was handed a larger-than-life check while streamers popped out of cannons.

14-year-old Emily Brubaker was awarded $100,000 in a 529 plan for her victory in the first National Civics Bee.(From U.S. Chamber of Commerce)

“There was just a moment where it clicked, like she could really win this, you know, she could actually maybe win it,” Brubaker’s father, Brian Brubaker said.

He said watching his daughter practice and perfect her speech made him proud.

Each contestant in the Bee chose a subject for a public address. Some contestants chose civic issues like gun violence or voting, but Brubaker chose a matter closer to her heart.

Born with a genetic anomaly called ectodermal dysplasia — a disorder that affects hair, skin, sweat glands and teeth — Brubaker said she has been an advocate for the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act since she was six years old.

The ELSA act would require private insurance companies to cover services to improve the lives of people born with genetic anomalies, like ectodermal dysplasia.

Brubaker, who expects she will eventually face large amounts of dental work related to her diagnosis, believes her advocacy will greatly improve the lives of people who share her experience should ELSA pass.

“We need more advocates like you who can help get this bill passed, which can not only affect my life, but also, like many people’s lives around the country,” Brubaker said. “Even though this bill would affect the minority, it would greatly impact the lives of certain individuals.”

Brubaker departed the capitol with a winning title and a sizeable prize. She said she intends to use the $100,000 in a 529 Plan (which covers tuition or other higher education expenses) to attend MIT.

Brubaker says while she’s “only” 14, she’d like to work as a satellite and spacecraft programmer at NASA.

Her father believes her success at the Civics Bee is a relief, and removes some of the pressure families like theirs might face when their child requires more medical care than others.

“Her teeth impacts are not as bad as some other folks who have ectodermal dysplasia, but we haven’t yet had to do a lot of dental work,” Brian Brubaker said. ”It’s going to come soon, and we’ll have to do what we have to do, but for a lot of families, it’s choosing between putting money in their college fund or helping get started in life, or doing their getting their teeth done.”

The 2024 National Civics Bee only included 27 contestants, each representing a single state. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce plans to continue boosting its competition, currently intending to have all 50 states represented in 2026 for the 250th anniversary of the United States.

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Alaska

2025 starts with a big chill!

Published

3 hours ago

January 1, 2025

Press Room

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – It is cold as Alaska ushers out 2024 and welcomes in the new year.

Sub-zero temperatures will hold over much of mainland areas, with wind chills dropping to 30 to 50 below in some areas. A winter weather advisory for cold wind chills to 45 below zero holds over northwest Alaska. This affects the western Arctic slope, including Point Hope until 3 am Thursday.

Clear, cold and dry weather will extend over the mainland, to southeast. The weakening low spinning west will bring mixed showers to coastal areas and the Aleutian Chain.

Hot spot for Alaska on the last day of 2024 was King Cove with 45 degrees. Coldest spot was Arctic Village with 38 degrees below zero.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

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Alaska

Eagle Strike Forced Plane to Turn Around in Alaska

Published

11 hours ago

December 31, 2024

Press Room

Eagle Strike Forced Plane to Turn Around in Alaska

Days before the air disaster in South Korea, a flight in Alaska also experienced a bird strike, but the effect was not as catastrophic. Alaska Airlines said Horizon Air Flight 2041 from Anchorage to Fairbanks was forced to turn around on Christmas Eve after an eagle hit the plane, NBC News reports. The bird strike happened soon after takeoff from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. “The captain and first officer are trained for these situations and landed the aircraft safely without any issue,” Alaska Airlines said. Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines are both owned by Alaska Air Group. Passengers were put on another flight to Fairbanks and the only casualty was the eagle.

Passenger Michelle Tatela tells KTUU that police cars surrounded the plane when it landed. “Normally, it would be a scarier situation, but knowing that it was a bird … and then they said the eagle was going to the eagle hospital, and he had a broken wing,” she says. Officials at the Alaska Bird Treatment and Learning Center say the eagle was brought in on Christmas Eve but it had to be euthanized because of severe damage to its wing. “Everybody was really excited that they said the eagle had been removed and he was going to the sanctuary,” Tatela says. “We’re hoping for a happier ending for the eagle, but it is a jet, so there’s that.” (More bird strike stories.)

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Alaska

Alaska Airlines plane was struck by an eagle, forcing flight back to the airport

Published

20 hours ago

December 31, 2024

Press Room

Alaska Airlines plane was struck by an eagle, forcing flight back to the airport

An Alaska Airlines flight on Christmas Eve from Anchorage to Fairbanks was forced to turn around after an eagle hit the plane.

On Sunday, a major plane crash at a South Korean airport that killed 179 people and left just two survivors is also believed to have been caused by a bird strike — meaning a collision between a bird and an aircraft.

Alaska Airlines flight 2041 had taken off from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport at 11:40 a.m. local time on Dec. 24, but turned around and returned about 30 minutes later, according to FlightAware data. That flight typically takes about an hour.

Passenger Michelle Tatela was visiting from Chicago when the incident happened.

“We’re in the air, and after a few minutes, we were told we were turning back around out of an abundance of caution, to come back to Anchorage,” she told NBC affiliate KTUU of Anchorage.

When the plane landed back in Anchorage, she said passengers learned that a bird strike involving an eagle was behind the sudden return.

“The eagle survived at that time,” Tatela told the station. “And there were a bunch of police cars around the plane. Normally, it would be a scarier situation, but knowing that it was a bird … and then they said the eagle was going to the eagle hospital, and he had a broken wing.”

However, the eagle’s wing damage was too great for rehabilitation and it was euthanized on arrival, Bird Treatment and Learning Center Executive Director Laura Atwood said, KTUU reported.

“Everybody was really excited that they said the eagle had been removed and he was going to the sanctuary,” Tatela said. “We’re hoping for a happier ending for the eagle, but it is a jet, so there’s that.”

She and other passengers were put on another flight to Fairbanks.

An Alaska Airlines spokesperson told the station that no emergency was declared and that the captain and first officer are trained for situations like a bird strike. NBC News has reached out to the airline for further comment.

The spokesperson added that the aircraft was removed from service for inspection and has since been returned to service.

In the case of Sunday’s plane tragedy in South Korea, the pilot of Jeju Air Flight 2216 had declared mayday after issuing the bird strike alert, said Joo Jong-wan, director of the Aviation Policy Division at South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The plane skidded off the runway while landing at Muan International Airport, about 180 miles south of Seoul, and burst into flames after crashing.

Joo said the plane was completely destroyed by the ensuing fire and a full investigation, that could take six months to three years, will take place.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading an American team, including Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration, that will assist South Korea in investigating.

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