Office Lounge offers $10,000 reward for shooting information: After an early morning shooting Sunday outside of the Office Lounge in Midtown Anchorage, the bar has offered a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the individual or individuals responsible for the shooting, which left one woman wounded and a man in critical condition. "Patrons should be able to feel safe in any surrounding and these days whether it's the lounge or at any other establishment patrons are not feeling as safe due to situations like these," read a message on the bar's Facebook page. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Anchorage police at 907-786-8900 or Crime Stoppers at 907-561-STOP.
Matt Lauer will visit Palin in Wasilla: Alaska's former half-term governor gets another spot in the limelight this Christmas: NBC's Matt Lauer is apparently headed to Wasilla for a special about Sarah Palin's new book, Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas," according to various news accounts. The Today Show host will be in Alaska early next month, and the interview is scheduled to film Dec. 16.
Lauer and Palin sat down for a short exchange Monday on Obamacare as a sometimes-bubbly, sometimes-pointed Palin refused to stray from her talking points. Where's the alternative plan from the Tea Party? Lauer wanted to know. Palin instead focused on how even Democrats dont like Obamacare. "She then said the Tea Partys plan was to allow for healthcare reform to sort itself out in the free market and encourage more competition, before going back to "what thwarts those plans is the far left. Its President Obama and his supporters who will not allow the Republicans to usher in free market, patient-centered, doctor-patient relationship links to reform healthcare," according to The Wrap.
Three feet of fresh snow: Winter arrived with a bang in Southcentral Alaska on Sunday, especially at Hatcher Pass, which counted more than 3 feet of new snow, according to the National Weather Service Alaska. The big drop began Saturday night and lasted more than 24 hours. The weather servce called a webcam's time-lapse video from Hatcher Pass "quite a sight." The big gainer was the Independence Mine, which got 39 inches of snow.
Small 4.0 earthquake jolts Southcentral Alaska: An earthquake centered 36 miles west of Ninilchik hit Southcentral Alaska Monday morning with a magnitude of 4.0. There were no reports of damage from the quake, which was located at a depth of 56 miles. The Alaska Earthquake Information Center said that residents who felt the quake can report that here.
Western Alaska warned of flooding: Alaska residents in Kotzebue, Selawik and Norvik are being warned, by the National Weather Service, that the coast could flood. This warning is in effect until 3 p.m., Monday. Tides are supposed to be five feet above normal and the surf is expected to be powerful.