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Family celebrates life of woman with Alaska roots shot, killed last month

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Family celebrates life of woman with Alaska roots shot, killed last month


ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Family, friends and members of the community gathered Thursday night for ceremony to remember Ayanna Morgan and celebrate what would have been her twenty-second birthday.

A beautiful ceremony was held where guests wore red — Morgan’s favorite color — blew bubbles, and released balloons as a way to celebrate the young woman who died suddenly last month. Morgan’s aunt Toya Brown, who resides in Anchorage, spoke highly of her niece and all the things she accomplished in her life.

“We’re going to honor her by remembering how lively she was, and how beautiful of a spirit she was, and how kind and caring she was and compassionate for other people — how she loved children, animals — and we’re just going to honor her memory with all of the wonderful times we’ve had with her in her 21 years on this earth,” Brown said.

Morgan, who was 21 years old, was a Western Kentucky University student in Bowling Green, but she grew up in Anchorage. Her family says she was big part of the community, and the Sankofa Dance Organization.

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“Ayanna was a very beautiful soul. She was very head strong and driven, she was very determined to be a positive light in the world. She was going to be approaching her last year at Western Kentucky University to be a veterinarian, she was an honor student, she played basketball in high school — it was her life, she loved sports, very athletic, she grew up dancing so she’s always been a very active young lady,” Brown said.

Reports from Kentucky law enforcement indicate Morgan was physically assaulted and shot at the muse apartment complex in Bowling Green, Kentucky on July 23. The motive for the violence is still unknown to the family.

“She was in this world and actively trying to be a better person, regardless what happened in her surroundings,” Brown said. “We really don’t have the details to understand what initiated this attack and it is so devastating, and so hard — it’s so hard to know someone you loved so passionately and so much ended their life in that manner.”

Morgan’s family in Alaska is now speaking out about her death in the hopes it might encourage those with information to come forward. They also hope to spread awareness about gun violence.

Thursday’s celebration of Morgan’s life was held in three states to show the extension of love Ayanna spread to various places she lived.

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“We’re doing it across three states — across Kentucky, Georgia and Alaska — because not only do we want to remember the light that was her life and celebrate her life. But we also want to bring awareness to ending gun violence, because I just strongly feel like this is happening way too often in our society,” Brown said.

Since her death, family says even strangers have come forward to share stories of Morgan’s life and the way she impacted people.

“You never really realize the impact of one life, and it’s so hard because … it’s beautiful to hear those stories, but it’s devastating because she no longer here, and she’s no longer able to shine her light physically. She will always shine her light in our hearts and always be a part of us, but the devastation of knowing how this happened and how this ended for her,” said Brown.

One person has come forward and has been arrested, and persons of interest have been identified, but the family and law enforcement are still seeking more information about what happened to Morgan on July 23. Her family, now heartbroken and devastated by Morgan’s death, want justice.

Those information about Ayanna Morgan’s death are encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at 866-842-CLUE.

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When asked what she would say to her niece, Brown’s response was emotional.

“Ayanna boo, I love you, and I’m so proud of you. You were such a beautiful person and you did wonderful things and people remember you — and people remember your beautiful, beautiful smile,” Brown said.

A GoFundMe has been established to ease the sudden financial burden on Morgan’s family.



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Alaska

Flight attendant sacked for twerking on the job: ‘What’s wrong with a little twerk before work’

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Flight attendant sacked for twerking on the job: ‘What’s wrong with a little twerk before work’


They deemed the stunt not-safe-for-twerk.

An Alaska Airlines flight attendant who was sacked for twerking on camera has created a GoFundMe to support her while she seeks a new berth.

The crewmember, named Nelle Diala, had filmed the viral booty-shaking TikTok video on the plane while waiting two hours for the captain to arrive, A View From the Wing reported.

“I never thought a single moment would cost me everything,” wrote the ex-crewmember. TikTok / @_jvnelle415

She captioned the clip, which also blew up on Instagram, “ghetto bih till i D-I-E, don’t let the uniform fool you.”

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Diala was reportedly doing a victory dance to celebrate the end of her new hire probationary period.

Unfortunately, her jubilation was short-lived as Alaska Airlines nipped her employment in the bum just six months into her contract.

The fanny-wagging flight attendant feels that she didn’t do anything wrong.

Diala was ripped online over her GoFundMe page. GoFundMe

Diala has since reposted the twerking clip with the new caption: “Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive. What’s wrong with a little twerk before work, people act like they never did that before.”

The new footage was hashtagged #discriminationisreal.

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The disgraced stewardess even set up a GoFundMe page to help support the so-called “wrongfully fired” flight attendant until she can land a new flight attendant gig.

“I never thought a single moment would cost me everything,” wrote the ex-crewmember. “Losing my job was devastating.”

“Can’t even be yourself anymore, without the world being so sensitive,” Diala wrote on TikTok while reacting to news of her firing. “What’s wrong with a little twerk before work, people act like they never did that before.” Getty Images

She claimed that the gig had allowed her to meet new people and see the world, among other perks.

While air hostessing was ostensibly a “dream job,” Diala admitted that she used the income to help fund her “blossoming lingerie and dessert businesses,” which she runs under the Instagram handles @cakezncake (which doesn’t appear to have any content?) and @figure8.lingerie.

As of Wednesday morning, the crowdfunding campaign has raised just $182 of its $12,000 goal.

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Diala was ripped online for twerking on the job as well as her subsequent GoFundMe efforts.

“You don’t respect the uniform, you don’t respect your job then,” declared one critic on the popular aviation-focused Instagram page The Crew Lounge. “Terms and Conditions apply.”

“‘Support for wrongly fired flight attendant??’” mocked another. “Her GoFund title says it all. She still thinks she was wrongly fired. Girl you weren’t wrongly fired. Go apply for a new job and probably stop twerking in your uniform.”

“The fact that you don’t respect your job is one thing but doing it while in uniform and at work speaks volumes,” scoffed a third. “You’re the brand ambassador and it’s not a good look.”

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As Alaska sees a spike in Flu cases — another virus is on the rise in the U.S.

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As Alaska sees a spike in Flu cases — another virus is on the rise in the U.S.


FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU) – Alaska has recently seen a rise in both influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV. Amidst the spike in both illnesses, norovirus has also been on the rise in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it’s highly contagious and hand sanitizers don’t work well against it.

Current data for Alaska shows 449 influenza cases and 262 RSV cases for the week of Jan. 4. Influenza predominantly impacts the Kenai area, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, and the Northwest regions of the state. RSV is also seeing significant activity in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and Anchorage.

Both are respiratory viruses that are treatable, but norovirus — which behaves like the stomach flu according to the CDC — is seeing a surge at the national level. It “causes acute gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach or intestines,” as stated on the CDC webpage.

This virus is spread through close contact with infected people and surfaces, particularly food.

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“Basically any place that people aggregate in close quarters, they’re going to be especially at risk,” said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent.

Preventing infection is possible but does require diligence. Just using hand sanitizer “does not work well against norovirus,” according to the CDC. Instead, the CDC advises washing your hands with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds. When preparing food or cleaning fabrics — the virus “can survive temperatures as high as 145°F,” as stated by the CDC.

According to Dr. Gupta, its proteins make it difficult to kill, leaving many cleaning methods ineffective. To ensure a given product can kill the virus, he advises checking the label to see if it claims it can kill norovirus. Gupta said you can also make your own “by mixing bleach with water, 3/4 of a cup of bleach per gallon of water.”

For fabrics, it’s best to clean with water temperatures set to hot or steam cleaning at 175°F for five minutes.

As for foods, it’s best to throw out any items that might have norovirus. As a protective measure, it’s best to cook oysters and shellfish to a temperature greater than 145°F.

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Based on Alaska Department of Health data, reported COVID-19 cases are significantly lower than this time last year.

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



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Sky Watch Alaska: planets align plus the aurora forecast

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Sky Watch Alaska: planets align plus the aurora forecast


ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – This is a great time of year to do some star gazing. If you have clear skies in your part of Alaska, take the time to check out the night — and morning — sky.

After sunset, look toward the southwest. Saturn and Venus are snuggled up together (of course, they are more than 800 million miles apart) in the evening sky. They set at about 9:40 p.m. in Southcentral.

Before 9:40 p.m., you can see four planets with the naked eye — Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and Mars. Jupiter and Mars stick around through the morning. Mars is very close to the moon right now.

The Aurora forecast is fairly weak for the next few weeks. That’s not to say there won’t be the occasional burst but overall, solar activity is expected to be fairly low until the beginning of February.

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If you get great pictures of the planets, the sky, or the aurora, don’t forget to send them to Alaska’s News Source.

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



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