Mayor hosts community forum on property tax relief: Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan has said the Municipality is reaching a point where there aren't any efficiencies left to identify that could lower the city's budget. Sullivan is hosting the first of four community discussions on Tuesday about how to ease the burden of Anchorage's property tax payers. Some of the ideas up for discussion include: a sales tax, an increased liquor tax, and a value-added tax -- which would charge wholesalers when they sell product to retailers. The first forum will be held at the Anchorage Senior Center at 5:45 Tuesday. The schedule for the remaining community forums is:
All meetings will be held at 5:45 p.m.
Woman accused of leaving baby in park pleads not guilty: Ashley Ard, the 24-year-old soldier accused of abandoning her newborn baby in an Eagle River park, where the infant subsequently died, pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder in Anchorage Tuesday. After initially being represented by a public defender, well-known Anchorage attorney Rex Butler was working as defense counsel on Tuesday for Ard after being approached by the woman's family. At Ard's arraignment on Tuesday, Butler asked the public to reserve judgment until all the facts of the case were in.
Fewer deaths from brain injuries: If you end up in the hospital these days with a brain injury, your chances of surviving are significantly better than in the past, according to a new study out of Canada. That might be good news to most, but bad news for people awaiting organ transplants. "Neurologic death became progressively less likely among individuals suffering brain injuries in western Canada from 2002 to 2012, with potentially worrisome implications for organ transplantation," MedPage today reported in summarizing the research. The improved survival trend appears to be continent wide. The really good news from the study reported in the journal of the Canadian Medical Association is that progress has come not from people being maintained longer in long-term vegetative states, but from patients actually getting better. Alaska has seen a couple high-profile recoveries from traumatic brain injuries in recent years, the latest involving Seward Mount Marathon racer Matt Kenney. He spent almost a year in recovery after rag-dolling down the mountain in 2012, and he is still not fully healed, but an accident that might have proved fatal a decade ago was not. Kenney was back hiking on the mountain this year and chatting with friends who accompanied him, and thinking about how maybe he might be able to do the race again someday.
Mysterious animal parts found in Denali: A turtle was rescued from Denali National Park last week, though that's not the strangest part of the story, according to Fairbanks Daily News-Miner columnist Kris Capps. According to Capps, park rangers, headed down the Denali Park Road to investigate a landslide at Mile 37, noticed garbage strewn about a parking lot at Mile 5 of the road. Upon further inspection, rangers found the turtle, Petco boxes, scattered animal entrails, the carcass of a roasted rodent -- possibly a guinea pig or a ferret -- with human bite marks, a white mouse and a "medium-sized" exotic snake head. According to park officials, the "investigation continues" over what exactly happened.
Purported Anchorage moose shooter makes statement: Justin Scott, the cyclist who shot a female moose with two calves in Kincaid Park, one of the city's most popular recreation areas, has taken a public thrashing after the incident but has remained mum about the matter. On Monday evening, however, someone claiming to be Scott came forward and posted publicly to Facebook an account of what allegedly happened. Contrary to what Anchorage Police say Scott told them, the Facebook account claims Scott was fleeing a charging moose with his dog still on a leash, when he decided to let the dog loose, draw his 9mm handgun, and turn to start shooting before the moose ran up his back. Alaska Dispatch is still seeking confirmation and further information from Scott about the incident and the following word-for-word comment posted to its Facebook page:
Hello, my name is Justin. I am the the person whom your article is about. And I would like for you to hear my side of the this unfortunate situation from me. Just as the police report says word for word, My dog was ON her leash as I was biking with here in Kincaid park. As I rounded the Conner I seen a moose with two young. I dropped my bike and started to back away from the moose and her young as fast as possible. But the moose was not gonna let us leave. At this point the moose started to charge myself and my dog. I then started to run but the moose did not stop. I then let my dog go as I need both hands to draw my weapon as I feared for my life and the safety of my dog. As I regret shooting this moose I feared I no choice. I would also like to add that I served over four years in the United States Army. With service in Afghanistan. I am not a 22 year old person who has a gun that was out to shoot a moose for fun. I genuinely felt as if my life at that point the moose was charging me was in danger. Other wise I would had never fired my weapon. I realize six shoots sounds like way to many. But here are the facts. I was carrying a nine millimeter XDM. This moose was over 1,000 lbs in weight and about 6' tall and charging me. I had no cover and no way of running fast enough to a safe spot to avoid being seriously injured or worse. As I feel bad that I had no choice. The meat from this animal went to a great cause helping needy family's here in Alaska. I have been in contact with the department of fish and game, and as by law will file a DLP report on Monday morning (10-28-2013) in regards to this unfortunate situation. As for the reporting officer at Kincaid park who said he was unable to contact me after he failed to return my drivers license after he completed his report. The reason I did not respond right away to this officers phone calls was because, I was dealing with a serious medical emergency in my family. The following day I received word that my grandmother was vary ill and had only a few hours to live. Since this tragic loss in our family I have been in contact with the DFG and APD in regards to what needs to happen next. Thank you for your time.
Snow expected by Wednesday: Get out your snow boots; winter could arrive before the end of the week. Anchorage and surrounding areas could see snow as soon as tomorrow night, according to the National Weather Service. Anchorage, Eagle River, Eklutna, Indian and the Matanuska Valley are all expected to see the snow that could last through Sunday night. Flakes are also forecasted for the Kenai Peninsula, and Whitter, Seward, Girdwood and Moose Pass by Thursday.