In this newscast:
- Abandoned rifle found near Juneau school on same day as Florida shooting: Juneau police are investigating the case of a semi-automatic rifle found in the snow near Juneau-Douglas High School on Feb. 14, the same day as the Parkland, Florida, school shooting. But they don’t believe the abandoned firearm was intended to harm anyone.
- Alaska State Troopers: 2 found dead at campground near Talkeetna: Troopers released few details of the deaths in an online report posted Friday, saying that the cause and manner of death is under investigation. Troopers say they were notified Tuesday that the bodies of the male and female were found at the Byers Lake campground.
- Mushers, fans gather for world’s most famous sled dog race: Sixty-seven teams are signed up to vie for a total purse of $500,000. Organizers say the winner’s share of the prize money will be determined later in the race.
In other news:
After fatal police shooting in Fairbanks of young Juneau man, family raises questions
The family of an armed man shot dead by law enforcement on Christmas Eve in Fairbanks is questioning how officers handled the incident.
Cody Eyre, 20, originally from Juneau, was shot by Alaska State Troopers and Fairbanks Police near the intersection of the Steese Highway and the Johansen Expressway, after they responded to a call about a distraught man with a gun walking along the road.
Era Helicopters sells off Alaska tour operations
One of the world’s largest helicopter firms recently sold its Alaska tour operations to Ketchikan-based firms.
Era Helicopters had operated flight tours from Juneau and Denali National Park. The Juneau operation will be taken over by NorthStar Trekking. The Denali flightseeing business will go to TEMSCO Helicopters.
Citizen scientists help biologists discover unique bat behavior
White nose syndrome is a fungal disease that is killing off bats on the U.S. East Coast. While it hasn’t hit Alaska yet, it is one of the main reasons bat research has revved up in the past decade.
With that newfound interest, new discoveries are being made in Alaska. Last summer, the state recorded the first documentation of swarming behavior outside of a cave or mine.
You can hear these stories and more at ktoo.sandbox.5mts.com/listen.
