Alaska

Free pet vaccines attracts record crowd in Anchorage

Published

1 year ago

October 6, 2024

Free pet vaccines attracts record crowd in Anchorage

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Hundreds of Alaskans and their furry friends flocked to Mountain View on Saturday for free pet vaccinations and food.

The organization, Friends of Pets, teamed up with Anchorage Animal Care and Control to sponsor a vaccination clinic for cats and dogs. The Normandy Project also provided free pet food at the clinic and AACA was handing out spay and neuter coupons. In addition to pet services, several groups were providing food and water to those who are low-income and homeless.

“Last spring, we heard that there were a number of dogs that died in camps because they weren’t vaccinated for parvovirus,” said Michele Girault, board president for Friends of Pets. “We wanted to do something to outreach to our community. We had a clinic in May, and then we thought we’d do another one in the fall, and obviously word got out and lots of people are here.”

The clinic opened at 11 a.m. and went until vaccines ran out, which was scheduled for 3 p.m. Organizers had to order 150 vaccines during the event because of the demand. Friends of Pets and AACA held a similar clinic in May and after such a large turnout for Saturday’s clinic, organizers said they plan on holding the vaccination events more often, possibly four times per year.

“It’s super important to make sure your pets are vaccinated,” said Joel Jorgensen, AACA community outreach manager. “If they get outside and they end up at the shelter, I mean, they’re going to be in an environment that has a lot of animals, and environment like that does have disease, especially when animals come in that aren’t vaccinated, so events like this is to help prevent it from even entering our shelter, and then just on the total hole, making sure Anchorage is covered and safe.”

Several churches and homeless outreach organizations provided food and hygiene supplies to people in line. Some had waited as long as two hours for pet vaccines. Duke Russell, who says he’s been providing food for unhoused individuals for several years, says he was invited to join the event and was happy to serve the community.

“We coordinated with the Friends of pets and APD to kind of show our support to the community today,” said Russell. “Basically it’s just some citizens get together and cooperate in mutual aid for those who are unsheltered.”

Some people traveled from as far as Seward to get their pet vaccinated.

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Alaska

Polar bear undergoes root canal at Alaska Zoo

Published

2 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Polar bear undergoes root canal at Alaska Zoo

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (InvestigateTV) — Staff at the Alaska Zoo performed a root canal on one of its polar bears after the bear broke a canine tooth.

Kova, 4, shares an enclosure with another polar bear named Cranbeary. The two have toys, treats and a large pool where Kova likes to take her morning swim.

Curator Sam Lavin noticed something was wrong when Kova’s behavior changed.

“Kova is a very interactive and busy bear and she just seemed kind of off. She was pawing at her mouth a little bit,” Lavin said.

Lavin suspected a tooth issue and asked Kova to open her mouth for a closer look.

“We could see that she had broken one of her canines and there’s any number of ways she could have done that,” Lavin said.

An X-ray confirmed the diagnosis. Zoo staff consulted with a veterinary specialist outside Alaska, sent the X-rays and received advice on how to proceed.

“We went with a local doctor to do the work,” Lavin said.

An endodontist who normally operates on humans was part of the large team that performed the root canal on the fully sedated 450-pound bear.

“Everybody knew ahead of time what their role was and what to do and where to be and it was so well planned out and everybody worked so well together,” Lavin said.

The procedure went smoothly.

“She feels so much better,” Lavin said.

The zoo said Kova quickly recovered and is back with her playmate Cranbeary.

Alaska

Alaska disability advocates praise progress and push for more at state Capitol

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14 hours ago

March 23, 2026

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Alaska

West Valley’s Jayden Miranda named Gatorade Alaska Boys Basketball Player of the Year

Published

1 day ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

West Valley’s Jayden Miranda named Gatorade Alaska Boys Basketball Player of the Year

West Valley Wolfpack junior guard Jayden Miranda looks to pass the ball during a 56-38 loss to the Forest Wildcats from Ocala, Florida during the opening round of the Alaska Airlines Classic at West Anchorage High School on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Junior Jayden Miranda on Friday became the latest player from West Valley High School to be named Gatorade Alaska Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

“It feels good and it was definitely one of the goals that I had to check off my checklist,” he said. “I woke up, and I didn’t know. My coach told me, and it was just excitement in my heart. My heart was beating and I was just smiling.”

Miranda led the Wolfpack boys basketball team to a Mid Alaska Conference championship and the No. 1 seed at the 2026 ASAA 4A state tournament.

The 5-foot-11 guard also helped lead West Valley to a 22-4 record, and through 23 games, he averaged 14.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists as well as shooting 51.8% from the floor and 39.7% from the perimeter.

“Miranda is a great kid on and off the court — gets good grades and never gets in trouble,” North Pole head coach Travis Church said in a statement. “Looking around 4A, I don’t see anyone who would measure up. He’s the best player on the best team in the state. It’s hard for me to imagine going with anyone else.”

Miranda is the second player from the program to receive the award. The first was two-time recipient Stewart Erhart, who was honored in back-to-back years from 2022-23.

The award acknowledges a student-athlete’s athletic achievement, and also recognizes outstanding academic excellence and exceptional character displayed on and off the court.

Miranda maintained a 3.36 GPA and volunteered locally with the Fairbanks Community Food Bank, donated time as a youth basketball coach and is a practiced artist who has also taken multiple cooking classes in high school.

He and the top-seeded Wolfpack fell short of advancing to the finals Friday after losing 59-52 to fifth-seeded South Anchorage.

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