Alaska
Snow emergency declared in Whittier
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Till Monday morning on Jan. 2, Whittier Metropolis Supervisor Jim Hunt had not declared a snow emergency for 3 years.
Hunt defined that the Division of Transportation and Public Amenities, the Alaska Railroad, and the Metropolis of Whittier share a symbiotic accountability to maintain Whittier related to the Seward Freeway and Alaska Marine Freeway System.
Whittier sits on Prince William Sound 60 miles south of Anchorage, and is accessible to autos solely by the two.7 mile-long Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. On account of the townâs distinctive location, protecting the railway and roads clear is vital for the day-to-day operations of the town and every day life for residents. Whittier receives frequent rainfall, excessive winds, and practically 50 inches of snowfall on common within the month of January, in response to the Western Regional Local weather Heart information from practically 70 years of recordkeeping by 2011.
âI declared a snow emergency as a result of on this case, the DOT had not been in to plow on this aspect of the tunnel,â Hunt stated Tuesday.
The declaration permits Hunt to make use of metropolis labor and tools to take care of roadways that the DOT&PF retains main accountability for clearing.
âThere was a single monitor and a foot of snow,â Hunt recalled. âThe wind was blowing and it was a multitude.â
In response to the division, a brief lapse in a serviceable grader and loader on the Whittier aspect of the tunnel precipitated the delay in service. The roadway is now satisfactory and clear.
As supervisor, Hunt has the authority to declare a state of emergency for the town if he deems an occasion important sufficient to warrant a significant response. This energy extends past snow and winter-weather occasions and consists of an array of pure disasters or stressors threatening the townâs general welfare.
âWe acknowledge we’re a low precedence on the subject of clearing the roads. However thereâs a ache threshold thatâs been reached,â
concluded Hunt, as metropolis plows continued to clear the roads from aggregated snow, ice, and rainfall Tuesday afternoon.
Michael Nordahl, a former resident of Myrtle Seashore, South Carolina drove across the metropolis on Tuesday, and confirmed the circumstances of the roads improved at the moment within the wake of Mondayâs snowfall.
âItâs good now,â Nordahl stated. âI imply, after yesterday, that is nice.â
Copyright 2023 KTUU. All rights reserved.
Alaska
Alaska hospital adjusting after Hurricane Helene causes nationwide IV fluid shortage
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Hospitals across the United States and in Alaska are dealing with an IV fluid shortage after flooding from Hurricane Helene caused medical supply manufacturers to cease production.
Baxter International, the largest supplier of IV fluid and peritoneal dialysis fluid for care facilities, was forced to shut the doors of its largest production facility in North Cove, North Carolina â which was impacted by major flooding and water saturating the building.
In a release Thursday, Baxter described their plans to minimize patient disruption moving forward, mentioning a customer limit on orders to prevent stockpiling saline, dextrose, and peritoneal dialysis solutions.
Alaskan hospitals are experiencing the effects of the shortage. Providence Alaska Medical Center said in a written statement:
“The situation and impact to products and availability are currently being assessed, but in the meantime, Providence is employing various mitigation strategies to ensure there is no disruption to patient care, including strategies to conserve current supply and use of alternative fluids and solutions as appropriate.â
Currently, the situation is not considered dire. In a release from Alaska Emergency Medical Services, State Director Michael Levy said it is hoped the situation will be resolved and production will resume quickly, but there are currently no details available.
Baxterâs statement from Thursday also mentioned their medical affairs teamâs availability to advise on possible solutions while supply rationing is still in effect.
Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.
Alaska
Alaska Airlines employees help uplift communities during inspiring Week of CARE – Alaska Airlines News
Alessandra F., Manager of Community Relations and Engagement, searched for meaningful ways to support local military families in the state of Alaska, where over 50,000 active-duty service members and their dependents reside, and where 1 in 10 Alaskans is a veteran. Her search led her to Fisher House Alaska, a long-standing Care Miles partner with Alaska Airlines.
Fisher House provides military families with a âhome away from homeâ at no cost, allowing them to focus on medical care and recovery while finding comfort and community. Alaska Mileage Plan members can support this cause by donating miles here.
More than 30 Alaska Airlines employees spent the day at Fisher House, baking fresh brownies and cookies, organizing closets and pantries, and preparing thoughtful care packages for the families staying there. The day wrapped up with a hearty fall dinner cooked by our team, serving more than 50 guests and creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere for these deserving families.
Alaska
Wright and Eischeid face off again in a close state House race to represent East Anchorage district âą Alaska Beacon
In Anchorageâs North Muldoon and Russian Jack neighborhoods, two candidates are facing each other for the second time in two years for a seat in the Alaska House.
While Republican incumbent Rep. Stanley Wright is seeking reelection, Democrat Ted Eischeid is on a mission to unseat Wright in the rematch.
In 2022, Eischeid lost to Wright by 72 votes.
This year, Eischeid said he retired early from his job as planner for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough so he could redouble his campaign efforts ââI knocked a lot of doors two years ago, Iâm doubling that effort this time,â he said.
Eischeid led the race in the primaries with a 3% edge over Wright, although only 8% of registered voters turned out.
Any flipped seat could be consequential in a closely divided House, so an Eischeid victory could tip the balance of power away from the current Republican majority.
Wright is a Navy veteran from South Carolina. He followed his wife to Alaska where they raised their children. Before representing House District 22, Wright worked as a community systems manager in Anchorageâs Community Safety and Development office. His previous public service roles include work in the state governorâs office and for the stateâs Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
Eischeid had a career as a middle school science teacher in the Midwest before he, too, followed his wife to Alaska where he found work as a planner for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. His previous public service was two terms as a nonpartisan county board supervisor in Wisconsin. He said the value of listening to all viewpoints was driven home to him in that role.
âSometimes I voted conservative, sometimes I voted progressive. I let peopleâs public testimony and I let the data guide me. And I listened very closely, tried to suspend my bias as much as I could,â he said.
As part of his campaign, Eischeid said he heard that the districtâs main concerns are education, public safety and infrastructure. He said the value of a good education is a priority for him in part because he grew up poor in Iowa after his father died when he was very young.
âIâm a food stamp kid. Iâm a free and reduced lunch kid. And because I had good public school teachers, I got a good education. I was able to earn that college degree, and I entered a good middle-class lifestyle,â he said, adding that, if elected, he will bring that history â and the sense of compassion it instilled in him â to Juneau.
That sentiment points to a similarity between the candidates. In 2022, Wright told the Alaska Beacon that a âpretty roughâ childhood on a South Carolina farm and, later, in a housing project, taught him about the value of public assistance. He sought federal grants for low- and moderate-income housing as a city employee in Anchorage, according to his campaign.
Eischeid described himself as a moderate Democrat who will listen, but doesnât want to âwaste timeâ fighting culture wars.
âPeople donât want professional politicians, and theyâre not asking for much, but they want somebody that represents them and knows them and puts people over party,â he said.
Wright did not respond to the Alaska Beaconâs requests for an interview for this story. But his voting record has at least one striking example of putting concerns raised in his district over the leadership of his party: In the last session, he was one of the seven members of the Alaska Houseâs majority caucus who voted with members of the House minority in a failed attempt to override Gov. Mike Dunleavyâs veto of an education bill that included a permanent increase for state education funding.
At the time, Wright said one of the schools in his district had been threatened with closure and that âreally weighed heavy on my heart.â
In his first term in office he co-sponsored a number of bills that became law, including the measure that led to state recognition of Juneteenth, and passed a law that is intended to streamline the certification process for counselors in order to increase access to mental health care.
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