KTVA CBS 11 News (Anchorage, Alaska)
25 Years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Ronda Schlumbohm
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- 25 Years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Ronda Schlumbohm
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- While low test scores and how to raise them are being discussed in Juneau, Ronda Schlumbohm is on the ground floor and has plenty of insight to offer.
“I love, love, love to teach children how to read," Schlumbohm said with a big smile. "It’s just always been a passion.”
Read the full story and more stories of inspiring educators at ktva.com/teachers
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- 2020 State of the State address
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
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- Gov. Mike Dunleavy delivered his second State of State to the Alaska Legislature on Jan. 27, 2020.
Read the full story and reactions from lawmakers on ktva.com
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- How to stay connected to lawmakers and issues during legislative session
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
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- Tips to stay connected to lawmakers during legislative session.
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- Brian Smith indicted in the murders of 2 Alaska Native women
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
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- (This story was originally published on KTVA.com on Oct. 17, 2019.)
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- KTVA Weather Lab: Chester Valley Elementary
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
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- Dunleavy on potential new sources of revenue
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
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- As state lawmakers kicked off this year's legislative session, KTVA's Joe vigil sat down with Gov. Mike Dunleavy to talk about potential new sources of revenue.
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- 25 years of BP Teacher of Excellence: Allison Curry
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Fairbanks' Allison Curry teaches her students to dream big and conveys the importance of confidence.
Find more BP Teachers of Excellence at ktva.com/teachers.
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- KTVA Weather Lab: Ursa Major Elementary School
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- KTVA's Chief Meteorologist Melissa Frey visits Ursa Major Elementary School to teach students why it's important to prepare for the weather.
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- 'Shell shocked': Skwentna cabin fire survivor Tyson Steele mourns dog
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Tyson Steele describes the ordeal he went through when his cabin burned down near Skwentna and how he tried to save his dog, Phil, from the flames.
He survived more than 20 days in subzero temperatures.
Alaska State Troopers arrived in a helicopter to find Steele waving for help and SOS stamped in the snow.
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- The U.S. Census: Historical perspective from pioneer radio broadcaster Ruben Gaines
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- In the Alaska Digital Archives, you’ll find lots of treasures, including this story from Ruben Gaines, an early Anchorage radio broadcaster who told stories on the radio.
This one features a tale about a 1900 U.S. Census taker, who had to travel by dog team to do his work, which Gaines describes as both “harrowing and hilarious.”
Fast-forward 150 years later. The census may not be quite as colorful, but it’s still as challenging as ever. Here’s an excerpt from the broadcast, to bring perspective to this one-every-ten-year process, still very different from the rest of the United States.
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- 25 Years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Patty Clem
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Patty Clem believes establishing personal connections fosters growth in academic areas.
“When you do that, you connect your group and when you’re connected, then they can learn. If you’re a disconnected kid, you can’t learn," she said.
Read more about Patty Clem and all our featured BP Teachers of Excellence at KTVA.com/teachers
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- Frontiers 196: Census 2020 - Why Alaska Counts
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
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- Census 2020: Why Alaska Counts
By Rhonda McBride
Alaska has some curious distinctions. Among them: it’s where the U.S. Census begins. On January 21, it starts in Toksook Bay, the first community in the nation to be counted.
Toksook Bay is a small Yup’ik-speaking village in Southwest Alaska that overlooks the Bering Sea. The choice of Toksook is symbolic -- a way to bring attention to the fact that Alaska Natives have historically been undercounted. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates an undercount of about 8 percent in 1990.
Throughout Alaska history, it’s always been a challenge to get an accurate population count.
Alaska’s first census was conducted in 1870 under the command of a U.S. Army general. About 82,000 people were counted, but the numbers weren’t considered very reliable. Census historians believe some of the numbers for Alaska tribes were likely made-up.
Fast forward to 2020. Even a centur...
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- 25 Years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Toni Hawkins
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- It may be 40 degrees below zero outside, but the disposition is sunny in Toni Hawkins' classroom at West Valley High School in Fairbanks.
Read more about Toni Hawkins and all our featured BP Teachers of Excellence at KTVA.com/teachers
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- Frontiers 195: 1919 - A Year of Death and Survival
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
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- Frontiers 195. 1919: A Year of Death and Survival
By Rhonda McBride
After almost five years of bringing you programs on Frontiers, there’s one thing I’ve learned: Alaska is a historian’s paradise, with so many stories yet to be discovered and given their due. The story of the Bristol Bay flu epidemic is one of those historical gems.
This week on Frontiers, we travel back in time 100 years to 1919 -- the year the Spanish Flu swept through Bristol Bay -- in what turned out to be a second wave of sickness and death. The world had felt the brunt of a global pandemic the year before.
Here are some of this week’s highlights:
• The great flu of 1919: How canneries like the Diamond NN at South Naknek responded to the epidemic, in which an estimated 40 percent of the adult population died.
• The children left behind: How children, suddenly parentless, were initially cared for by the canneries and then later ...
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- KTVA Voices | Mayor Ethan Berkowitz
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
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- Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz remembers where he was when the Nov. 30, 2018 earthquake hit and the recovery efforts that happened thereafter.
Produced by KTVA's Matt Faubion.
See all the earthquake anniversary coverage at ktva.com/nov-30-quake
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- KTVA Voices | Luba Bartnitskaia
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Assistant District Attorney Luba Bartnitskaia recounts being several floors up in the Nesbett Courthouse in downtown Anchorage when the Nov. 30, 2018 earthquake hit.
Produced by KTVA's Matt Faubion.
See all the earthquake anniversary coverage at ktva.com/nov-30-quake
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- KTVA Voices | John Thompson
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- KTVA 11 Daybreak anchor John Thompson recounts the morning the Nov. 30, 2018 earthquake struck in this animated story.
Video produced by KTVA's Matt Faubion.
See all the earthquake anniversary coverage at ktva.com/nov-30-quake
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- 25 Years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Kelly Corrigan
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Kelly Corrigan teaches college-level math at Service High School in Anchorage. She also supports students as a debate coach and peer leadership counselor.
Read more about Kelly Corrigan and all our featured BP Teachers of Excellence at KTVA.com/teachers
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- Frontiers 194: Dick Proenneke - At Home in the Wilderness
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- By Rhonda McBride, KTVA.
I remember the first time I heard Dick Proenneke’s name, I said, “Dick, what?”
The name Proenneke, pronounced “preh’-neck-key,” sounded so odd.
My colleague Will Mader, our main Frontiers photojournalist, brought it up. He’s a big fan of Proenneke’s.
Will had devoured Proenneke’s journals and watched all his films. He had even made the pilgrimage to Dick’s cabin at Lake Clark National Park and Wilderness Preserve and talked with me about doing a show on efforts to preserve his log house.
Why? Alaska has lots of log cabins. Why this one?
Will convinced me this was an important story to tell.
Since Proenneke’s death in 2003, his fame has continued to grow. But curiously, he’s better known outside of our state than he is here, because his film, Alone is the Wilderness, is often featured in public broadcasting fundraisers across the country.
The more I learned, the more intrigued I...
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- UAA 2019 FALL GRADUATION
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
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- Over 1100 students graduated as part of the 2019 Fall class of the University of Alaska Anchorage on Sunday, December 15.
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- KTVA Weather Lab: Chinook Elementary School students learn why it's important to prepare for weather
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- KTVA's Chief Meteorologist Melissa Frey visits Chinook Elementary School to teach students why it's important to prepare for the weather.
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- Frontiers 193: Mayor Berkowitz - Beyond the Numbers
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- In the previous episode of Frontiers, we sat down with Governor Mike Dunleavy, who talked about his first year on the job and what he hopes to accomplish in the coming year. One of the topics was the economy and the impact of state budget cuts. The governor said he feels vindicated by his push for cuts. He says, despite forecasts of doom and gloom, Alaska’s economic recovery remains on track.
For a different perspective, we invited Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, who is in the final stretch of his last term in office. We also asked the mayor to weigh in on the state budget, which was released after our interview with the governor.
As budgets go, this one is fairly status quo, compared to the deep cuts outlined in last year’s spending plan. What stands out: a draw of $1.5 million from the state’s main savings account to cover deficit spending. The governor also has left it to the legislature to decide what cuts will be made.
The Dunlea...
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- KTVA Weather Lab: Northwood Elementary School students learn about weather in Alaska
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- The third- and fourth-grade students at Northwood Elementary School are learning about the weather as part of their STEM curriculum this year.
Many of these students are familiar with the harsh winds and quick temperature changes of western Alaska with students representing Bethel, Kotzebue, Nome and Unalakleet.
Chief meteorologist Melissa Frey gave them a lesson on how she forecasts the weather and how temperature changes across Alaska and the rest of the globe is what drives our winds and most of our weather!
KTVA partners with area schools to give students a hands-on STEM learning opportunity through lessons on meteorology. If you would like one of our meteorologists to visit your school or community group, email the KTVA Weather Team at weather@ktva.com.
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- Frontiers 192: Gov. Dunleavy's Year of Change
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
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- The last time we featured Mike Dunleavy on Frontiers, he was governor elect.
The governor had planned to take his oath of office in Noorvik, a community near Kotzebue — a place his wife, Rose, calls home. But weather diverted his flight to Kotzebue, the first of many surprises since that day.
From the start, the governor made it clear that he was out to shake up the status quo — but who would have predicted the governor’s unprecedented budget cuts would light a fire under a recall campaign?
One year later: this is a noticeably different man. For one thing, the governor has lost a lot of weight, something we asked him about in the course of a wide-ranging interview.
It’s as if he’s trying to set a personal example for fiscal belt-tightening.
Here are some of the highlights of this week’s show:
Taking on the status quo: From slashing the budget to downsizing the state ferry system, the gove...
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- 25 Years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Karen Gordon
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- Kindergarten marks an important time in a child's life. For many, it's an introduction to the education system and their first time away from home.
Karen Gordon ensures that her young students get on the right track, right away.
"Kindergarten, to me, is magical," she said.
Read more about Karen Gordon and all our featured BP Teachers of Excellence at KTVA.com/teachers
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- 7.1: Lessons Learned
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- As we mark one year since the Nov. 30, 2018 earthquake, the KTVA 11 Weather team takes you into the science of what happened. Join meteorologists Melissa Frey, Jeremy LaGoo and Aaron Morrison as they explore the event itself, the aftershocks, tsunami threats and when the next Big One might hit.
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- Wasilla security camera catches rough doorstep delivery on camera
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
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- A Wasilla home’s security camera captured a rough doorstep delivery from a contract carrier.
Video courtesy Erika Kubik
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- 25 Years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Lee Butterfield
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
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- Lee Butterfield teaches film at South Anchorage High School. Every Tuesday and Thursday, he helps students produce their own newscast called 'The Den.'
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- 25 Years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Joe Rizzo
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
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- Joe Rizzo started teaching in Wrangell, Alaska in 1994. He says he's always been passionate about education and fostering growth in young people. After 25 years, Rizzo is still bringing that enthusiasm to his classroom at Nikiski High School.
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- Frontiers 191: Magnitude 7.1 - Pieces of the Puzzle
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- November 30, 2018, 8:29 a.m. -- a moment etched in the memories of those who experienced the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that rocked Southcentral Alaska.
There are so many pieces to the puzzle of that day, with many still trying to make sense of what happened. Each of us holds a piece of a vast mosaic of memories – perhaps the most important, that we survived this force of nature.
This week Frontiers kicks off KTVA’s coverage of the November 30 earthquake anniversary. Here are some of the highlights:
• One year later: Some of the early responders to the November 30 quake share their own experiences.
• What lurks underneath: Joe Vigil takes us down to the docks of Anchorage to show us how planning and preparation saved the port this time. But what about about the next big quake? How will pilings eroding under the water hold up?
• Frozen in time: Heather Hintze shows us damage to the Houston Middle School,...
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- The real reason for the Last Great Race on Earth
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- A movie is set to hit theaters nationwide that chronicles the 1925 serum run. "The Great Alaskan Race" tells the story of Leonhard Seppala and his dogs Togo and Balto, part of a mushing team that braved the worst conditions to help get medicine to Nome, where children sick with diphtheria were dying.
The serum run has long been associated with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race, and it's generally believed to be the reason behind the annual contest. However, Joe Redington Sr. and his wife Vi had different motivations when they organized the first Iditarod in 1973.
FULL STORY: https://www.ktva.com/story/41230493/the-real-reason-for-the-last-great-race
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- Murder of David Grunwald: The trial of Dominic Johnson - Day 5
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- The fifth day in the trial of Dominic Johnson, a suspect in the murder of David Grunwald.
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- Murder of David Grunwald: The trial of Dominic Johnson - Day 4
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- The fourth day in the trial of Dominic Johnson, a suspect in the murder of David Grunwald.
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- Murder of David Grunwald: The trial of Dominic Johnson - Day 3
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- The third day in the trial of Dominic Johnson, a suspect in the murder of David Grunwald.
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- Frontiers 191 Web Extra: The November 30 Alaska Earthquake
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- A discussion with Rob Witter, a USGS geologist, and John Thornley, a geotechnical engineer on the November 30, 2018 Alaska earthquake and how it was different than the 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake.
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- Murder of David Grunwald: The trial of Dominic Johnson - Day 2
- Date posted
- 4 years ago
- Description
- The second day in the trial of Dominic Johnson, a suspect in the murder of David Grunwald.
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- 25 Years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Meredith McCullough
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Meredith McCullough is in her 11th year of teaching. She's spent the last eight years at Kenai Central High School. She teaches 11th grade English and advanced world history, but according to students, her impact resounds beyond the classroom.
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- 25 Years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Sheilah-Margaret Pothast
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
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- Sheilah-Margaret Pothast is currently in her 12th year teaching at Skyview Middle School. She teaches health, Spanish and American History.
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- Frontiers 190: Iron Men of Bristol Bay
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Alaska is a place where much of its history is still fresh, yet with so many stories on the verge of disappearing forever. Such is the case with the double-ender sailboat, pushed by the wind and the tides across Bristol Bay in pursuit of salmon.
For more than 60 years, they were the workhorses of the canneries that brought in fishermen from all over the world in big sailing ships -- to work the boats and pull in nets, heavy with sockeyes -- all by hand.
The sailboats may have been beautiful, but they were dangerous. And although motorized boats appeared on the market in the 1920s, Bristol Bay fishermen weren’t allowed to use them for commercial catches until the 1950s.
So the big question is: Why were the sailboats used long after they had become obsolete?
In this episode of Frontiers, we attempt to answer that question with help from two self-described “fish-torians,” Tim Troll and Bob King, who share a passion for the hist...
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- 25 years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Eric Rush
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Eric Rush fosters success in his classroom each day. Now in his 10th year teaching in Alaska, he says he can't imagine doing anything else. The 2017 BP Teacher of Excellence teaches third-graders at Ticasuk Brown Elementary School in North Pole.
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- Frontiers 189: AFN 2019 - Justice for All
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- There’s nothing like the Alaska Federation of Natives anywhere – an organization that is, at its core, a living breathing, civil rights movement. Its annual convention pulses and swells, almost as if it has a heartbeat.
Whether it’s a governor who chooses the convention to announce the end of his campaign, or a group of teenagers from Tanana who staged a silent but powerful protest against the behavior of adults in their community, there are moments at almost every convention that resonate for years.
This year, as a giant kuspuk, bearing the faces of missing and murdered Native women looked out on the crowd, a series of moments seemed to coalesce. Repeatedly, representatives of state, federal, tribal governments – even the US Attorney General – called for change to a system of law enforcement that leaves Alaska Natives, especially women and children, unprotected.
This week on Frontiers, we look at why this year’s gathering might go...
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- Re-entry after incarceration: UAA students learn it's harder than people might think
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- University of Alaska Anchorage's College of Health hosted a Re-entry Simulation event for more than 50 students and community members Friday.
Participants were assigned a profile of a person just released from prison and tasked with navigating the challenges re-entrants face. This includes obtaining an ID, finding employment and securing housing, all while complying with probation and parole requirements.
The simulation was sponsored by the Anchorage Re-entry Coalition in partnership with the U.S. Attorney's Office through the program Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Read more on KTVA.com
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- 25 Years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Ashley Savage
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Ashley Savage came to Alaska to teach just a few years ago, but she has already made an impact.
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- Frontiers 188: Haunted Anchorage
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Just in time for Halloween…
This week on Frontiers, we feature a few ghost stories collected and told by Rick Goodfellow. You might have seen him around town in his top hat and tails, with tourists in tow, as he conducts his ghost tours of Anchorage.
The other hat Rick wears: He’s owner and founder of KLEF, the classical radio station in Anchorage, his day job, which he also does with a lot of flair. And in the course of his broadcasts, he promotes Anchorage’s arts and culture scene, as well as a number of public service projects.
As if he doesn’t have enough to keep him busy…
Rick is also a history buff – and a few years ago, began researching ghost stories with his wife, Jan Ingram. They hoped these spooky tales would hook Alaskans and acquaint them with Anchorage’s colorful history, which has been one of rapid changes.
Here are some of the highlights from this week’s haunted histories:
• Historic Anchorage Hotel: A downtown ...
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- 25 Years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Matthew Prnka
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Matthew Prnka says he's always available if a student needs to work through a problem. He also makes YouTube videos to help students learn beyond the classroom.
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- 25 years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Heather Roach
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Heather Roach teaches science at East Anchorage High School. She creates an environment that makes science fun and encourages wonder. That learning environment, her classroom, is lovingly referred to as “The Roach Motel.”
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- Frontiers 187: The Permanent Fund - Alaska's Golden Goose
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- These days the Alaska Permanent Fund seems to be a permanent source of angst. Debates over the amount of the dividend and the use of the earnings to pay for state government keep the pot boiling.
Not that we aim to add fuel to the fire on this week’s Frontiers program, but we thought this is a good time to take a step back and look at what this uniquely Alaskan institution provides for the state.
Despite all the political tensions in the backdrop, there’s still an air of excitement in October. The extra shot of cash makes the Alaskan pursuit of happiness full of promise.
Many have likened the Permanent Fund to that proverbial goose with the golden eggs, which has yielded a steady supply since 1982 – a cumulative $25 billion in dividends, money that’s changed the state in some surprising ways.
We’ll look at some of the long-term and short-term impacts of the fund – as well as the growing fear that state policies have put ...
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- Frontiers 187 Web Extra: Jack Hickel and Rick Halford
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- For Alaskans, the Permanent Fund is really like that proverbial goose that lays golden eggs. Since 1982, it's given us a steady supply of them. Cumulatively, the fund has paid out about $25 billion in dividends.
This week on Frontiers, we look at this uniquely Alaskan institution -- and also hear from a group called the Permanent Fund Defenders, who believe that if we continue to tap the earnings of the fund to cover budget gaps, we'll kill the fund that has provided such generous dividends.
Dr. Jack Hickel and former Senate President Rick Halford were our guests on Frontiers this week. After we recorded the show, we continued the conversation -- as part of an ongoing dialogue about a program that is near and dear to Alaskans.
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- Jury finds Bradley Renfro guilty of killing David Grunwald
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- Twelve jurors deliberated for about a day and a half before reaching their decision.
They convicted Renfro of the following charges: first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, vehicle theft and arson. The jury found Renfro not guilty of assault.
For comprehensive case coverage, head to ktva.com/grunwald-murder
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- 25 years of BP Teachers of Excellence: Kris Hinrichsen
- Date posted
- 5 years ago
- Description
- BP is celebrating a quarter-century of honoring Alaska's educators through its Teachers of Excellence awards. KTVA is partnering with BP to check in with past honorees and see the impact they continue to have on our community.