Anchorage police name suspects in beating that left man in critical condition: Anchorage police said they are looking for two men believed to be connected to an early Sunday morning beating that left a man in critical condition. APD said it has issued arrest warrants for 22-year-old Devarrio Garvin and 23-year-old Trevon Allridge. Both men remain at large. Police say the two were involved in the beating that left an unidentified man unconscious and with severe head trauma. APD said the victim remained at a local hospital in critical condition as of late Wednesday afternoon. Anyone with information on the two wanted men is asked to call APD at 786-8900 or Crime Stoppers at 561-7867.
Director of Iditarod film 'Icebound' perishes: Daniel Anker, who directed "Icebound," a documentary about the 1925 serum run to Nome that inspired the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, died on Monday of pneumonia, according to the Associated Press. Anker, 50, opened the Anchorage International Film Festival in 2013 with the film about the historic diphtheria epidemic. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 2001 for "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy." Most recently, Anker's wife told the Associated Press, the director was working on a documentary about Sidney Lumet, the late director of the films " 12 Angry Men," "Verdict" and many other films.
UAA professor charged with sexual abuse of a minor: An Anchorage man who served as both a foster parent and a professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage has been charged with three counts of sexual abuse of a minor, according to Anchorage Police. Steven Pyle, 48, was charged Wednesday, though according to court records, charging documents were still pending. Pyle is listed as term assistant professor in the medical laboratory science program at UAA. Detectives believe there could be additional victims and encourage anyone with information to call Anchorage police.
Sarah Palin's long shadow touches Alaska's 2014 Senate race: Joe Miller declared his candidacy for Senate Monday, aiming to unseat embattled Democrat Mark Begich, who's finishing up his first term. But Begich might do well to celebrate Miller's arrival in the race, according to an analysis piece by University of Alaska Anchorage political science professor Forrest Nabors published by Politico. Nabors' piece goes into detail about the history of the Alaska politics, but its takeaway is summed up succinctly in the third paragraph: "Yet by an unusual arrangement of events, Miller is actually poised to seal Begich's re-election, protect the Democrats' Senate majority and prevent the repeal of Obamacare. And it's all thanks to Sarah Palin."
Faster cell service coming to Seward, Ketchikan: Telecom giant AT&T announced Tuesday that it had flipped the switch on its expanded "4G" LTE service in the Alaska communities of Ketchikan and Seward. Just in time for tourist season, the faster cell service arrives as cruise passengers begin to appear in Southeast Alaska, where Ketchikan is a popular port of call. Meanwhile, Seward plays host to the annual Mount Marathon race, which draws thousands to the small town on the Fourth of July every year. AT&T continues to shore up its high-speed mobile phone service in the Last Frontier, as Verizon works toward unveiling its own cell service here. That company rolled out its data service last year, with an anticipated 2014 debut for voice services.
Another Alaska reality show: Haven't had enough Alaska reality TV yet? If so, you'll be glad to know there's another Alaska-themed show included among a fresh batch of series pilots that the Travel Channel has recently greenlighted, according to the site Monsters & Critics. The shows pitch hits the blend of myth and marketing Alaska shows have come to employ almost perfectly: "This features an ensemble cast who takes viewers on an excursion to one of Alaska's most elite and remote wilderness resorts. Located 300 miles from civilization, the world famous Tikchik Lodge and its experienced and eccentric crew, welcome the challenge of serving and satisfying its guests with exhilarating outdoor adventures and world-class cuisine. This is Alaska, where contending with the dynamic, untamed and at times almost insurmountable wilderness goes hand in hand."
An "endangered song" for an endangered species: Wasilla-born band Portugal. The Man, is trying to save Sumatran tigers in partnership with the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, according to Rolling Stone magazine. For Earth Day Tuesday, the American rock band released 400 copies of the new song "Sumatran Tiger," on vinyl. But there is a catch. The song itself is "endangered" -- there is no official digital copy and the 400 polycarbonate records will "degrade and self destruct after it's played a number of times, according to the Associated Press.
Speculation grows that climate change is making mountains more dangerous: Climate change has been fingered as a culprit in the death of at least 13 Sherpas in last weeks avalanche on Mount Everest. It was only a matter of time. Scientists studying Alaska have been speculating for years that warming was making both the ice and rocks of the mountains less stable. "There's a hint -- just a hint, at the most -- that some of these very big landslides might be triggered by a permafrost thaw," Columbia University geologist Colin Stark told Dispatch in February. The Washington Post took things a big step beyond that Wednesday headlining "Climate change likely to make Everest even riskier.'' The story beneath the story was, however, somewhat less conclusive. It ended with hydrologist Jeff Kargel of the University of Arizona saying that "you can be sure that if the climate is changing — and it is — then glaciers are changing and the danger is shifting. It doesn't necessarily mean it's getting worse, it just means you don't know." The mountains of the world have already been dangerous. The question of the day is whether warm mountains are more or less dangerous than cold mountains.