City buses and school buses are using winter routes today. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)
Juneau is under a winter storm warning from the National Weather Service. The forecast is calling for 10 to 21 inches of snow with gusting winds up to 40 mph.
The weather has prompted changes in bus routes and we’ll keep a running list of those changes here and update them throughout the day as information comes in.
No service on Cordova Street. Please wait for the bus at the Breeze Inn stop.
No service to St Ann’s. Please wait for the bus at the Douglas Post Office stop.
No service on Franklin or 4th street. Please wait for the bus at the Main Street stop.
No service on Davis Avenue and Lemon Creek Road. Please wait for the bus at Glacier Highway.
The aurora at Mendenhall Lake on Nov. 8, 2013. (Photo by Heather Bryant)
Last weekend, Juneau was treated to a rare but brilliant display of the aurora and conditions are right for a repeat performance tonight.
It was a party like atmosphere at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor’s Center last week as people headed away from city lights. By 9 p.m. most of the parking lots were full and people were having to walk to the center from down the road. A steady view of green and sometimes purple lights were visible over the lake and mountains.
That night, the Geophysical Institute had forecast moderate activity for the aurora. Tonight, the same level of activity is expected.
The National Weather Service has predicted clear skies through the day changing to partly cloudy tonight. However, if you’re heading out, dress warmly. The forecast also calls for the first prolonged cold of the winter with temperatures expected to get down in the teens and it will be windy.
If the weather stays nice over the weekend, skygazers also might catch a glimpse of the Leonid Meteor shower which is expected to peak Saturday night. If cold or clouds inhibit viewing, NASA has us covered. They will be hosting a livestream of the shower.
Students go over basic firing range safety before heading out to the range.
Everyone at the firing range wears eye protection.
Students shot from the four positions: prone, sitting, kneeling and standing.
These students had the opportunity to use air rifles.
Before heading to the "shoot/don't shoot course," each student donned a orange vest.
Practicing safe weapon holding positions was reinforced during the outdoor part of the program.
These students correctly identified this target as a "don't shoot" because of the housing located just beyond the trees.
Another learning moment was the hand off of a firearm when crossing obstacles.
Students said they wouldn't fire at this target because the animal is on top of the hill.
Students went on the "shoot/don't shoot" course in groups of approximately a dozen.
The students evaluate a target that is located across a road.
Students went on the "shoot/don't shoot" course in groups of approximately a dozen.
The navigation part of the program called on skills from classwork in math and geometry.
Students practice using a compass.
Earlier this week, more than 150 sixth grade students from Floyd Dryden Middle School ventured onto the firing range and woods off Montana Creek Road to test their outdoor skills.
The Outdoor Skills and Safety Program is available to all 6th grade students in Juneau.
The program is more than just firearm safety and hunter educations, says volunteer coordinator Jesse Kiehl, who has been involved with the program for 6 years.
“The benefits of this program go way way beyond firearm safety and a Hunter Ed card, so we try to get as many kids involved as possible.”
Kiehl says schools encourage participation in the program because many of the segments apply to all of life in Alaska.
Trip planning, cold water safety and survival, wildlife management, the science that’s involved in meat care, and the mathematics of land navigation are all parts of the curriculum.
“We focus at all times on firearm safety, on safety in the woods, in the field. If the kids take nothing else away from this, every one of them gets a grasp on the basic rules of firearm safety and how to be safe around a firearm. This is Alaska. The vast majority of these kids have a firearm in the home and if they don’t, there’s one in their friend’s house, or more than one. So knowing how to be safe around them is an essential skill for every Alaska kid.”
The program is volunteer driven with people from various groups involved. It is supported by the ADF&G Hunter Education Program, the U.S. Forest Service, Alaska State Troopers and the Taku River Sportsman’s Association.
(Click to enlarge) Thousands of walruses haul out on a barrier island beach near Point Lay in the Chukchi Sea. (Credit: NOAA)
NOAA researchers recently captured this amazing photo of thousands of walruses on a beach in the Chukchi Sea. NOAA biologists estimate there were roughly 10,000 walruses on the beach as of Sept. 27.
“Large walrus haulouts along the Alaskan coasts in the northeastern Chukchi Sea are a relatively new phenomenon,” said Megan Ferguson, a marine mammal scientist with NOAA Fisheries, in a press release.
Walruses typically use ice as a resting platform while foraging but low ice levels have the animals heading for shore. Researchers say that the use of beaches as a haul out area is a new phenomenon. The first documented large-scale haul out occurred in 2007, when the Chukchi saw record low ice levels. Since then, haul outs have been documented in a number of locations in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013.
NOAA scientists will be conducting daily surveys through the end of October if weather permits as part of the annual Aerial Survey of Arctic Marine Mammals.
The board of directors for the group charged with advancing an in-state natural gas pipeline has been announced.
Gov. Sean Parnell announced the appointments Friday.
They include Drue Pearce, John Burns, Albert Bolea, Dave Cruz and Richard Rabinow. State Labor Commissioner Dianne Blumer and Commerce Commissioner Susan Bell will also serve on the Alaska Gasline Development Corp.‘s board.
Pearce is a former legislator who previously served as federal coordinator for Alaska gas pipeline projects. Burns was an attorney general under Parnell.
Parnell’s office, in a release, says Bolea worked in the oil and gas industry for nearly 40 years; Rabinow worked for Exxon Mobil for more than 30.
The release says Cruz is president of firms specializing in heavy civil construction, remote camp construction, oil field services and construction support.
A regional community health center that provides mental health services in Fairbanks says it will file for bankruptcy.
The Fairbanks Daily News Miner reports the board of the Fairbanks Community Behavioral Health Center voted unanimously Tuesday to pursue bankruptcy protection.
The center has about 60 employees but has been struggling to make its payroll.
An audit indicated the center has money to continue operating for only another three weeks.
Board President Barbara Burch says the board became aware of financial problems in May. She says heavy debt and two major medical claims affected finances and a backlog of Medicaid reimbursements affected cash flow.
The center will continue services to clients during the bankruptcy process.
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