Alaska News Nightly: Monday, Aug. 6, 2018

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Pilot identified in fatal Alaska Range crash

Phillip Manning, KTNA – Talkeetna

Four people are confirmed dead with a fifth unaccounted for and presumed dead after a crash in the Alaska Range on Saturday. It is the first fatal crash in the Alaska Range involving a commercial operator since 2003.

Austria man dies in Alaska pack-rafting accident

Associated Press

An Austria man has died in a pack-rafting accident in Alaska.

Kodiak pays $254K to settle lawsuit filed by family of autistic man

Kayla Desroches, KMXT – Kodiak

The city of Kodiak paid $265,000 to settle a lawsuit filed in 2016 by the family of an autistic man whom a Kodiak Police officer pepper sprayed the year before.

New data on Chukchi Sea polar bears leads to subsistence harvest level increase

Ravenna Koenig, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Fairbanks

Native hunters in Alaska are about to see an increase in the number of polar bears they can harvest from the Chukchi Sea bear population.

Troopers seize 33,000 pounds of illegal salmon near Homer

Aaron Bolton, KBBI – Homer

Alaska State Troopers say five commercial fishing vessels illegally caught and transported thousands of pounds of salmon near Homer in late July.

After a long wait, Ugashik fishermen’s patience pays off

Mitch Borden, KDLG – Dillingham

After a very slow beginning to their season, fishermen in Ugashik Bay saw millions of sockeye salmon return in a little over a week in mid-July. The short intense peak of the season turned out to be beneficial for some of the fishermen who stuck it out all the weeks without fish.

FCC Commissioner to visit Unalaska during state broadband tour

Laura Kraegel, KUCB – Unalaska

Commissioner Brendan Carr will arrive Monday night and spend about 24 hours on the island to learn about the broadband challenges facing rural Alaska.

Empty grocery shelves stem from missed shipments

Joe Viechnicki, KFSK – Petersburg

The shelves at the grocery store in some Alaska communities may be a little emptier than normal this summer and it’s not because customers are buying up all the food. A national food supplier is having shipping problems from Tacoma, Washington.

Kodiak feels tropical at 78F and breaks a 1941 record

Daysha Eaton, KMXT – Kodiak

If you were in Kodiak this morning, it felt more like Hawaii than Alaska.

Anchor Point residents aim to keep an eye on crime

Aaron Bolton, KBBI – Homer

Anchor Point residents are looking to form neighborhood watch groups following complaints that Alaska State Troopers aren’t responding to calls.

Philanthropic horticulturists and other prison community leaders

Anne Hillman, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage

The world inside Spring Creek Correctional Center is in many ways just like the world outside. Prison clubs function as nonprofits, filling service gaps and trying to build healthier communities.

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