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Opinion: Alaska needs to curb crypto-kiosk scams

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Opinion: Alaska needs to curb crypto-kiosk scams


Bitcoin tokens. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Imagine receiving a call from a law enforcement agency, state or federal court or some other “official” government entity saying you have an outstanding fine, fee or warrant. Pay it immediately or you’re going to jail. The phone number matches that of the identified agency, thanks to AI, and you’re directed to a nearby “Bitcoin ATM” to send cash.

This isn’t hypothetical. This happens to dozens of Alaskans every day. In 2024, Alaskans lost more than $26 million to online fraud, with seniors bearing a third of those losses. These cryptocurrency kiosks have become a preferred tool for criminals because they offer instant, irreversible and often anonymous transactions.

Unlike traditional banks, these kiosks currently operate in a regulatory “black hole.” Scammers exploit this by using high-pressure tactics to force victims into making untraceable transfers. To protect our most vulnerable residents, I introduced Senate Bill 249. This legislation creates a necessary shield for Alaskans by requiring:

• Clear warnings: Operators must post conspicuous notices warning users about common scams.

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• Identity verification: Requiring a government-issued ID creates a vital “speed bump” to break the spell of a high-pressure scam.

• Blocking fraud: Operators must use analytics to block transactions to known illicit or overseas criminal wallets.

• Fee and transaction limits: There are limits on fees for using the machines, but more importantly there are daily and monthly transaction limits to minimize the financial damage from these scams.

Our seniors spent decades building their life savings. They deserve the same financial “guardrails” in the digital age that we expect in every other sector. SB 249 doesn’t ban technology; it simply brings it out of the shadows. It is time to provide our seniors with the protection they’ve earned and stop digital predators from draining Alaskan bank accounts.

Sen. Cathy Tilton represents Senate District M in the Alaska State Senate. Senate District M is composed of House districts 25 and 26 in the Mat-Su. Sen. Tilton is a former speaker of the Alaska House.

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Man hospitalized with serious injuries following frightening Slush Cup crash, family says

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Man hospitalized with serious injuries following frightening Slush Cup crash, family says


GIRDWOOD, Alaska (KTUU) – A skier sustained serious injuries Saturday after a frightening crash in the Alaska Airlines Slush Cup event at the Alyeska Resort Spring Carnival.

Family members of 29-year-old William Ingrim confirmed that Ingrim is currently hospitalized with injuries sustained participating in Saturday’s pond skim, and said his medical team is working to determine his prognosis.

Video footage captured at the event shows Ingrim skiing down the slope leading up to the pool of water, hitting the jump at high speed, and crossing over almost the entire length of the pool before landing hard near the end of it. Medical personnel staged at the pool can be seen rushing to his aid in the moments after the crash.

Ingrim’s mother, Robin, told Alaska’s News Source on Sunday that she was told her son is “stable” but in a medically-induced coma. She added that he will “probably” be paralyzed.

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Other family members disputed that information Monday, telling Alaska’s News Source that a lot about Ingrim’s status is unknown.

Family members who are currently in Alaska and who spoke with doctors released a short statement Monday night:

“It’s a tough time for Will, but he’s a resilient young man. it’s an unimaginable time for his family and friends and we appreciate all the outpouring of love, prayers and support.”

According to his family, Ingrim is a commercial fisherman. During the winter months, he works as a coach at the Alyeska Ski Club.

Ingrim is one of seven siblings, a brother with six sisters, his family said.

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“He’s precious to me,” Robin said about her son. “Will is the nicest young man you know.

“It’s going to be very hard on all of us.”

As of Sunday, Robin said she has not heard from Alyeska Resort.

Officials with Alyeska told Alaska’s News Source on Monday that their thoughts are with the participant and their loved ones during this time. The resort also stated that the safety of their guests and participants remains their highest priority.

“The Slush Cup is a longstanding event that is carefully planned with safety measures in place, including trained personnel and emergency response teams on site,” the statement from Alyeska spokesperson Bayne Salmon read.

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“Out of respect for the individual and their family, we will not be sharing additional personal details at this time.”

Alaska’s News Source asked the resort if anyone in the past has ever been injured while participating in the event in the past, but have not heard back as of publication.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated with new information from members of the skier’s family, including sensitivity to their wishes in providing updates on his current medical condition.

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

Copyright 2026 KTUU. All rights reserved.

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Biologists forecast a reduced Alaska commercial salmon harvest

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Biologists forecast a reduced Alaska commercial salmon harvest


Two spawning pink salmon head upstream in shallow water in Cove Creek in Whittier on Aug. 5, 2024. (Photo by Yereth Rosen / Alaska Beacon)

Alaska’s statewide commercial salmon harvest this year is expected to total 125.5 million fish, less than two-thirds of the total landed by commercial harvesters in 2025, according to the annual forecast released last week by state biologists.

The anticipated 2026 total, detailed in the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s 2026 forecast and 2025 review, is lower than annual statewide harvests in all but four years since 2000, according to department records.

The lowered expectations for the statewide salmon harvest are driven mostly by anticipated declines in runs of pink salmon, also known as humpback salmon, according to the forecast.

Pink salmon are the most plentiful, smallest and cheapest of Alaska’s five salmon species. They have two-year life cycles, the shortest of all of Alaska’s salmon species. Although there are regional variations, the general pattern for the recent past is alternating big-run and smaller-run years, with 2025 as one of the big-run years.

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The year-to-year difference has been significant, said Forrest Bowers, who heads the department’s commercial fishing division.

“We have been seeing a pronounced even-odd year difference in pink salmon returns, with much larger returns in odd-numbered years,” Bowers said by email.

In all, about 197.4 million salmon were harvested commercially last year, 120 million of which were pink salmon, the forecast said. This year, about 60 million pink salmon are expected to be harvested commercially, according to the forecast.

For Alaska’s other four salmon species, the forecast calls for lower total catches as well, with a combined reduction of 11% below the 2025 non-pink salmon total harvest, Bowers said.

That is not considered a precise prediction. There are estimate ranges for different species and locations, which put the anticipated 2026 harvest in the general ballpark of last year’s harvest, except for pink salmon.

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“When we consider forecast uncertainty and the distribution of harvests across the state, the forecast for non-pink salmon is fairly similar to the 2025 actual harvest,” Bowers said.

Alaska commercial salmon harvest totals from 1975 to 2024 are shown on a graph. In recent years, totals have fluctuated widely from year to year, reflecting the pattern in pink salmon returns. The 2025 total, not shown on the graph, was over 197 million fish, putting it among the top years in the past five decades for salmon numbers. (Graph provided by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game)

Sockeye salmon, also known as red salmon, is the second-most plentiful of Alaska’s five species, and the statewide harvest is dominated by Southwest Alaska’s Bristol Bay, site of the world’s largest sockeye salmon runs.

That status will continue this year, according to the forest. Bristol Bay’s estimated 2026 harvest for this year is 33.5 million fish, a little over the average over the last 20 years — but smaller than in some recent years, when harvests in that region hit or approached records. Last year’s Bristol Bay sockeye harvest was about 41.2 million fish, a little more than three-quarters of the statewide sockeye harvest.

This year, the statewide sockeye salmon harvest is forecast to total 49.7 million fish, of which about two-thirds are expected to come from Bristol Bay.

The forecast chum salmon commercial harvest this year is 17.2 million fish, compared to 21.7 million last year. This year’s forecast harvest of coho salmon, also known as silver salmon, is 2.4 million fish, compared to 2.7 million harvested last year. This year’s forecast harvest of chinook salmon, also known as king salmon, is 197,000 fish, compared to last year’s total harvest of 201,000 fish.

The department’s forecast details regional differences along with species differences.

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In the Yukon and Kuskokwim river systems, salmon runs are expected to continue to be weak, as they have been for the past several years, according to the forecast. There is no commercial fishing anticipated on either of those river systems. The only commercial fishing in the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim region is expected to be in Norton Sound and in the Kotzebue area, as was the case last year and in other recent years.

The newly released forecast is for commercial harvesting alone. It does not include subsistence or sport harvests. Reports detailing last year’s subsistence harvests are expected to be released in the future, the forecast said.

Originally published by the Alaska Beacon, an independent, nonpartisan news organization that covers Alaska state government.

Pink salmon are seen in an undated photo. Male pink salmon develop humps on their backs, and the fish are also known as humpback salmon or “humpies.” (Photo provided by National Oceanic and Atrmospheric Administration Fisheries)





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Miss Manners: When a host cares more about their dogs than their guests

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Miss Manners: When a host cares more about their dogs than their guests


DEAR MISS MANNERS: My husband is the president of a local college alumni chapter, and I am the secretary. The chapter recently held an alumni meeting at the residence of the headmaster of a local private high school. Though the setting was a private home, the event was a formal gathering attended by the university president and various dignitaries.

Upon our arrival, five dogs began jumping on us and the other guests. We did not know that the headmaster and his wife had dogs. As I am severely allergic, I quietly asked the hostess if the dogs could be kept upstairs during the meeting.

She took great offense, loudly declaring that the dogs were her “children” and refusing to move them. I spent the evening wheezing and sneezing through my presentation to the university president.

Was I wrong to make this request? Should I have suffered in silence to avoid offending the hosts?

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GENTLE READER: As unpleasant as this situation was for you, Miss Manners can’t help being relieved that it wasn’t even more dangerous.

You and your husband are not employees of the college, but its beneficiaries. Therefore any estrangement would have been a loss to the school, and not to your own status.

And evidently, the headmaster and his wife do not have human children, if they believe youngsters of any kind should be jumping on their guests — especially ones suffering physical distress. (One wonders at the standard of behavior in the headmaster’s school, if this is what prevails at home.)

Of course you should not have stayed and suffered. You could have apologized to the guests that you had to leave because of your allergy, or you could have stuck the university president with that task. He would have had a strong interest in not alienating the leaders of the alumni group.

• • •

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DEAR MISS MANNERS: We’ve hosted an annual Kentucky Derby party in our home for years. We invite most of the same people every year, with a few new folks now and then.

We send out the invitations and let them know that we are providing all the food, and also tell them what drinks we will be serving. We ask that they RSVP so we will know how many to prepare for.

We have had as few as 25 people show up, and as many as 60 — the majority of whom had not responded to our invitation. I feel compelled to let the non-responders know how rude it is to ignore an invitation and how hard it makes it for us to prepare, but I fear that would be rude as well.

How do I handle non-responders? My first inclination is to ask them if they understand what “RSVP” means, or just to drop them from the list next year. Help.

GENTLE READER: The non-rude way to let them know how rude they are is to ask whether they plan to attend, and then to drop them from next year’s list.

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But Miss Manners wonders why your invitations don’t plainly state “please respond” instead of using a silly French form that some people really might not understand.





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