Articles by Becky Bohrer

Alaska Native Who Alleged Wrongful Murder Conviction Reaches $11.5M Settlement

An Alaska Native man who maintained his innocence in the 1997 killing of a white teenager has agreed to an $11.5 million settlement with the city of Fairbanks after alleging police acted with a racial bias in a case in …

Residents in Alaska Capital Clean up Swamped Homes After Ice Dam Burst and Unleashed a Flood

In her yard under the blazing sun, Debbie Penrose Fischer leafed through a water-logged cookbook with sentimental value that she hoped to salvage but doubted she could. Nearby, friends helped carry boxes out of her family’s garage, which was inundated …

Residents in Alaska Capital Clean up Swamped Homes After Ice Dam Burst and Unleashed a Flood

In her yard under the blazing sun, Debbie Penrose Fischer leafed through a water-logged cookbook with sentimental value that she hoped to salvage but doubted she could. Nearby, friends helped carry boxes out of her family’s garage, which was inundated …

10 Years After Washington Landslide, Climate Change Is Increasing The Danger

After the mountainside collapsed, obliterating a neighborhood and 43 lives in the worst landslide disaster in U.S. history in Washington, Jessica Pzsonka made a promise -– to herself, to her bereft parents and to her late sister, who was buried …

Report: Pilot Error, Training Issues Factors in Alaska Crash That Killed Czech Billionaire

The probable cause of a heli-skiing crash in Alaska in 2021 that killed a Czech billionaire and four others was a failure by the pilot to adequately respond to whiteout conditions, a federal accident report concluded. The report from the …

Bursting Ice Dam in Alaska Highlights Risks of Glacial Flooding

The gray, two-story home with white trim toppled and slid, crashing into the river below as rushing waters carried off a bobbing chunk of its roof. Next door, a condo building teetered on the edge of the bank, its foundation …

Glacial Dam Outburst in Alaska Eroded Riverbanks, Destroyed at Least 2 Buildings

Raging waters that ate away at riverbanks, destroyed at least two buildings and damaged others had receded Monday in Alaska`s capital city after an outburst of weekend flooding from a glacial lake, authorities said. Levels along the Mendenhall River had …

Alaska Oil Project Construction Allowed as Lawsuits Play out

Construction can proceed related to a major oil project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope after a federal judge on Monday rejected requests to halt work until challenges to the Biden administration’s recent approval are resolved. The decision means ConocoPhillips Alaska …

Psychiatrists in Alaska Settle Case Over Firings

A settlement has been reached with two psychiatrists who said they were wrongfully fired when Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy took office. Under the agreement, announced Wednesday, the state agrees to pay Anthony Blanford $220,000 and John Bellville, $275,000, reflecting lost …

Group Behind Alaska Cyberattack ‘Sophisticated,’ Agency Says

A “highly sophisticated group” known for cyberattacks against governmental and other entities is believed to be behind the attack this spring that targeted the Alaska health department, a spokesperson for the department said. Clinton Bennett, a department spokesperson, said a …