An Anchorage husband and wife have been sentenced for endangering the welfare of an adult, after billing Medicaid for care they didn't provide to a diabetic man who later had two of his toes amputated.

According to a Thursday statement from Attorney General Michael Geraghty's office, Maurice Marulanda, 37, and Sandy Marulanda, 36, were each convicted in state District Court of a single welfare-endangerment count, with Maurice Marulanda also convicted of medical assistance fraud.

"Adult Protective Services employees with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services became aware that the Medicaid recipient was not receiving care after the recipient's apartment manager called authorities due to the unsanitary conditions of the recipient's apartment and his personal hygiene," prosecutors wrote.

Although the Marulandas were supposed to be providing home-based health care services for the man, DHSS found that that wasn't happening when investigators were assigned to the case.

"Instead of caring for the recipient, the Marulandas simply handed the recipient their timesheets through his apartment window for him to sign in order to verify that services were being provided," prosecutors wrote. "The Marulandas then submitted these timesheets to Medicaid for payment. The Medicaid recipient ultimately went to the hospital and suffered the loss of two toes due to his diabetes and poor physical condition."

Sandy Marulanda received a suspended sentence Wednesday of 60 days in jail. She will also have to pay a $1,000 fine and work 40 hours of community service. Maurice Marulanda was sentenced March 13 to 180 days of suspended jail and 180 hours of community work service, with a $2,000 fine.

"Both defendants were placed on probation for a period of five years, permanently barred from billing Medicaid and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $4,017.48," prosecutors wrote.

Contact Chris Klint

Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan announced a series of repairs to local public buildings Thursday, fueled by millions of dollars in appropriations from the state's capital budget.

Alaska may be one of the few places where hockey and politics collide. Back in October, corroded pipes in an aging refrigeration system at the Sullivan Arena nearly delayed the start of the Alaska Aces' 2012-2013 season.

Mayor Dan Sullivan announced Thursday that there would be a permanent fix to the ice problem -- not just at the Sullivan, but also at the Ben Boeke Ice Arena, the Dempsey-Anderson Ice Arena and the Harry MacDonald Center in Eagle River.

"These facilities are approaching 30 years of age and the ice-making equipment has changed dramatically over the years," Sullivan said. "We want to get into that modern era where you're not using the Freon systems, and upgrade and modernize."

The hockey upgrades are part of a $37 million package to restore a slew of buildings raised in Anchorage during the early 1980s.

According to Sullivan's office, $5 million is going to repairs and upgrades for the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, $2.5 million for the Anchorage Golf Course and $1.7 million for upgrades to the Anchorage Center for the Performing Arts.

In addition, the state has approved a $20 million request to build a northern access road to the U-Med District.

"The U-Med district has grown so much over the last decade or so," Sullivan said. "We want to make sure there are as many connections into that area as possible, but also if you're in an ambulance, you don't want to be taking the long way into the hospital."

Karen Rehfeld, the director of the state Office of Management and Budget, says the capital budget for the 2014 fiscal year is $1 billion less than the current year's, but significant investments were still made around the state.

"There was $355 million towards the in-state pipeline fund," Rehfeld said.  "That is the money that will be used for all the permitting, the environmentals, and the right-of-ways."

Rehfeld says $1 billion is going to transportation and infrastructure funds, with millions more to be spent on a natural gas liquefaction and distribution center in the Interior.

Contact Adam Pinsker

Alaska State Troopers have arrested a Kokhanok woman charged with murder in the death of a 25-year-old man whose body was found in Lake Iliamna, after state prosecutors say she drove an ATV drunk and failed to help him following a crash.

According to a Thursday statement from Deputy District Attorney Clint Campion with the Alaska Department of Law, 24-year-old Brenda Nowatak was indicted Thursday for her alleged role in causing the death of Trefim Wassillie Jr.

Wassillie's mother found his body face-down in Lake Iliamna on Sept. 16, 2012 and notified the village public safety officer in Kokhanok. Wassillie's remains were sent to the state medical examiner's office in Anchorage where an autopsy revealed that he died "as a result of drowning and blunt force injuries to the head," according to Campion.

An Alaska State Troopers dispatch released Thursday afternoon says additional investigation established that Nowatak had been driving an ATV, while Wassillie rode with her. Prosecutors say Nowatak was drunk at the time.

Nowatak has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident and DUI.

After a grand jury indicted Nowatak Wednesday and an arrest warrant for her was issued, she was arrested Thursday and taken to King Salmon, where she is being held on $10,000 bail.

Channel 2's Chris Klint contributed information to this story.

Contact Jessica Ridgway

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) - Authorities say there were no fatalities when an Interstate 5 bridge over a river north of Seattle collapsed.

The Thursday evening bridge failure dumped vehicles and people into the water.

Marcus Deyerin, a spokesman for the Northwest Washington Incident Management team, said there were no fatalities or suspected fatalities. He said three people were rescued from the water and sent to area hospitals. He didn't know the extent of their injuries.

A search of the river continues and a dive team was on scene as well as several rescue boats still on the river.

The four-lane bridge over the Skagit River collapsed about 7 p.m., Trooper Mark Francis said.

It was not known what caused the collapse of the bridge about 60 miles north of Seattle in Skagit County, which stretches from the North Cascades National Park to a cluster of islands off the Washington coast.

Xavier Grospe, 62, who lives near the river, said he could see three cars with what appeared to be one person per vehicle. The vehicles were sitting still in the water, partially submerged and partly above the waterline, and the apparent drivers were sitting either on top of the vehicles or on the edge of open windows.

"It doesn't look like anybody's in danger right now," Grospe said.

Helicopter footage aired by KOMO-TV in Seattle showed several rescue boats at the bridge collapse scene with several ambulances waiting on the shore. One rescue boat left the scene with one person strapped into a stretcher.

A damaged red car and a damaged pickup truck were visible in the water, which appeared so shallow it barely reached the top of the car's hood.

Crowds of people lined the river to watch the scene unfold.

The bridge is not considered structurally deficient but is listed as being "functionally obsolete" - a category meaning that their design is outdated, such as having narrow shoulders are low clearance underneath, according to a database compiled by the Federal Highway Administration.

The bridge was built in 1955 and has a sufficiency rating of 57.4 out of 100, according to federal records. That is well below the statewide average rating of 80, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal data, but 759 bridges in the state have a lower sufficiency score.

According to a 2012 Skagit County Public Works Department, 42 of the county's 108 bridges that are 50 years or older. The document says eight of the bridges are more than 70 years old and two are over 80.

Washington state was given a C in the American Society of Civil Engineers' 2013 infrastructure report card and a C- when it came to the state's bridges. The group said more than a quarter of Washington's 7,840 bridges are considered structurally deficient of functionally obsolete.

An airport in Anchorage is in the initial phase of determining the best path forward to meet current and future needs, but two of the five "draft alternative plans" are stirring up a conflict between conservation and development.

On Thursday night, the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport held a public open house on its Master Plan Update. Airport Manager John Parrott says five proposals range from doing nothing in terms of development, to re-purposing the North Terminal, and adding a new North-South runway. The latter is under Draft alternative five and is the most controversial proposal the airport is considering.

A new runway would be built on fill that would have to be put in the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge. Opponents say it would destroy Point Woronzof Park and cut into the existing coastal trail. Parrott says it is too early to discuss the ways the coastal trail might be accommodated but the airport is still committed to a continuous coastal trail.

"All of that gets determined when there's actually the need for the runway. We're not at that step yet and won't be for at least a few years," said Parrott.

However, Turnagain Community Council President Cathy Gleason is gearing up for an all-too familiar fight. Draft alternative five has her concerned about municipally-dedicated park land at Point Woronzof. She questions how the coastal trail can be maintained for winter skiing if a portion of it will have to be tunneled under a new runway. Potential safety risks along a tunneled part of the trail, also worries Gleason.

"There is no good way to provide a contiguous coastal trail that would benefit the public the way the existing trail does now," said Gleason.

The airport expects to have a master plan finalized by the end of the year.

The public can comment on the draft alternatives on the airport's website. 

Contact Abby Hancock

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is nearing agreement on a partnership that would establish a new veterinary medicine program.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reportsthe proposal would allow the school and Colorado State University to jointly offer a veterinary degree. Under terms of the deal, details of which haven't yet been finalized, UAF would provide the first two years of graduate-level study and Colorado State would provide the final two.

The arrangement would allow UAF to provide a limited number of students with access to a top-tier veterinary school without the expense of maintaining a full program.

Paul Layer, a UAF dean, says Alaska is currently the only state that doesn't have a veterinary school or a partnership with a state that does.

A state election official says it appears someone registered to vote in Alaska and another state cast ballots in both states during the November election.

Division of Elections Director Gail Fenumiai says the matter has been sent to the criminal division of the Department of Law for review.

Alaska joined other states in doing a cross-check of voter registration rolls. In April, Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell's office announced more than 25,000 Alaska voters might also be registered in other states and that 14 individuals may have voted in two states during the election. Treadwell cautioned those 14 might involve something like a father and son with the same name.

Fenumiai said Thursday she's waiting for information on one other person. Other than that, she says the review is finished.

The public comment period is scheduled to end next week on a federal study of large mining impacts in the Bristol Bay region.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set May 31 as the deadline for comments on its revised watershed assessment. The report also is expected to undergo a new round of peer review before a final report is released.

The final report, expected later this year, could affect permitting decisions for the proposed Pebble Mine.

The revised assessment found construction of a large-scale mine near the headwaters of Bristol Bay could have major impacts even without a mishap, including wiping out up to 90 miles of streams and altering stream flows.

The CEO of the group behind the mine project has called the EPA assessment flawed and unnecessary.

Comments may be submitted either in writing or online, learn more here.

A Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson soldier has been sentenced to six months in prison after being convicted in a court-martial of abusive sexual contact and three other offenses.

In a Friday statement, U.S. Army Alaska spokesperson John Pennell says military judge Maj. Stefan Wolfe also found Chief Warrant Officer Guillermo Castillo, 33, guilty Thursday of DUI and two counts of disobeying a lawful order. In addition to the jail time, Castillo will forfeit $3,000 per month for 12 months and be dismissed from the Army.

Castillo, a member of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division since June 2010, had been charged with touching an adult civilian woman while she was sleeping in October 2012. He had pleaded guilty to the DUI and orders charges, but testified Wednesday that he was only guilty of assault of consummated battery in the abusive-conduct charge because he touched the woman's waist while lying next to her drunk.

Pennell says he isn't at liberty to share many details of what happened at Thursday's court-martial proceedings, due to the possibility of disclosing information about the victim.

Although the manner of Castillo's separation from the Army is not the same as a dishonorable or bad-conduct discharge, Pennell says a dismissal is similar to those measures.

"For commissioned officers under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the only punishment is a dismissal," Pennell said. "It carries the same stigma."

Castillo's forfeitures won't necessarily be paid to the Army, according to Pennell.

"(Castillo) can request the court-martial convening authority that that money be used to compensate the victim," Pennell said.

Contact Chris Klint

Prosecutors will be able to pursue Hawaii's harshest penalty against a man charged with murdering a woman, in a case where both the victim and suspect are former Alaskans.

A Kauai grand jury on Thursday returned an indictment against 26-year-old Steven Wilson for second-degree murder in last month's stabbing death of 21-year-old Kendra Lewis.

Police say Wilson and Lewis relocated to Kauai from Alaska at the beginning of the year and were living together at the time of her death. He is being held on $1 million bond.

The Kauai prosecuting attorney's office says grand jurors also found the murder was "especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, manifesting exceptional depravity." That will allow the state to seek an enhanced sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Lewis was found dead in her room at a condominium.

Students in a remote Inupiat Eskimo village in northern Alaska received three fewer weeks of school because of a severe shortage of treated water.

The fall semester was postponed five weeks in Kivalina last year after storms damaged a water supply pipeline that left the school without clean water.

School district superintendent Norm Eck says students were able to make up two weeks because school days were lengthened by 30 minutes.

Classes ended last week. Eck says little treated water remains in the village tanks and the school would have soon run out anyway.

He says the school still met the number of days required.

Kivalina city manager Janet Mitchell says severe water restrictions remain in place until tanks can be filled after the river thaws and turbidity levels drop.

A Sutton man was fatally shot by Alaska State Troopers after refusing to vacate his residence when troopers attempted to issue him a court order.

The incident began at about 4:10 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, when troopers responded to the Sutton home of Theodule LeJeune, 58, to serve him with a domestic violence order issued by a Palmer Court Judge.

LeJeune was served by troopers through a window at his residence, but refused to vacate the residence at troopers' request, according to an AST report.

"The order was for him to be out of the home," said Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters.

Troopers continued to attempt to make contact with LeJeune, who, according to AST officials, retreated further into his residence. For a time troopers tried to convince the Sutton man to vacate his house, when he stepped into view holding a firearm, which he then pointed at troopers, according to the report.

"Troopers departed the residence and throughout the night and the next day other means were utilized in an attempt to get Lejeune to surrender peacefully," according to the report.

An arrest warrant and a search warrant were subsequently issued on Thursday "for two counts of assault in the third degree, violation of a domestic violence protective order and disorderly conduct," and at about 6:30 p.m. troopers returned to LeJeune's home to serve the warrants, according to the report.

Troopers made a number of unsuccessful attempts to contact LeJeune as well as taking tactical measures to enter the home and remove the man from his residence.

Eventually LeJeune exited the home on his own holding a firearm, according to the report.

Attempts were made to disarm LeJeune with "less lethal tools," including one of AST's tactical response vehicles.

"LeJeune fired upon troopers who had taken up tactical positions outside of the TRV," according to the trooper report. "A Trooper returned fire, striking LeJeune."

LeJeune was declared deceased on the scene.

According to AST officials, the trooper's name will be disclosed following an administrative leave. The leave is standard and typically issued as per department policy, according to the report.

"We've been up all night dealing with it," Peters said.

LeJeune's next of kin have been notified. The investigation is ongoing.

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As the Memorial Day weekend begins, local, state and federal authorities are working to keep Alaskans safe in their cars, boats, campsites and kitchens.

Both Alaska State Troopers and the Anchorage Police Department have added officers for enforcement of seat-belt laws as part of the national Click it or Ticket campaign, which began Monday and is continuing through June 2.

Peters says troopers will also be on the lookout for drunk drivers throughout the holiday weekend. While Peters acknowledges that people may choose to drink during the long weekend, she urges Alaskans to neither drive drunk nor allow their friends and loved ones to do so.

APD spokesperson Dani Myren says three additional officers will be on Anchorage streets for the campaign, ramping up to five more on Monday.

"Under Anchorage Municipal Code, a motorist or passenger age 16 or over found not wearing his or her seatbelt can be fined up to $60.00 plus a $10.00 surcharge; a driver with children under the age of 16 who are not properly restrained can be fined up to $200.00 plus a $10.00 surcharge," Myren wrote.

Alaska's waterways will also see a heightened focus on safety, as National Safe Boating Week begins Saturday. U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Klingenberg says the event, timed to coincide with the Memorial Day weekend, tries to broaden the use of life jackets and prevent people from operating under the influence.

"The Coast Guard reminds all boaters to boat responsibly while on the water and avoid the consumption of alcohol," Klingenberg wrote in a statement. "The use of life jackets, emergency beacons, flares, float plans and appropriate communications devices are advised for anyone operating watercraft."

Klingenberg says many communities on Alaska's coasts will have Coast Guard Auxiliarists on hand to offer vessel safety checks and safety classes. Details on those events have been posted on the Coast Guard Auxiliary's National Safe Boating Week website.

Alaskans staying ashore over the holiday are being asked by the state Division of Fire and Life Safety to avoid burn hazards, during activities ranging from starting campfires to burning debris during spring cleanup.

"Please consider your safety, and the safety of others; do your part to prevent human-caused fires," division spokesperson Maggie Rogers said in a statement. "Make sure campfires are completely extinguished, that fireworks are used carefully and only where legal, and adhere to burn permit regulations. If you build a campfire, make sure tools and water are available, do not leave the fire unattended, and properly dispose of smoking materials."

Rogers also asks that anyone who sees wildfires promptly call 911 to report them.

Even if you're staying home for the weekend, the state Department of Environmental Conservation is encouraging people to observe food-safety guidelines during meals and cookouts.

DEC spokesperson Ty Keltner says foods should be thawed or marinated in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Raw meats shouldn't be stored near ready-to-eat foods like fruits or vegetables.

On the grill, meats should be cooked to temperatures of 165 degrees for chicken, 155 degrees for hamburgers and 145 degrees for steaks and fish. In addition, cooked meats shouldn't be placed on unwashed plates that have held raw meat.

After meals, Keltner says warm foods should be kept warm while cold foods should be kept cold, with any moved items kept at their temperatures in insulated totes. Any food that's been outside for more than two hours should be thrown out.

Contact Chris Klint

Contact Neil Torquiano

An Amber Alert for a 5-year-old girl was canceled after Anchorage police say she was reported safe after her father was taken into custody Friday evening.
 
Around 7:37 p.m., police issued the alert for Willoh Handy after her father 38-year-old Shane Handy allegedly abducted her on the 9200 block of Kirkwall Circle, near Dimond Blvd.

Shortly after 8 p.m., Alaska State Troopers made a traffic stop in Wasilla after spotting a vehicle that matched the description and license of the suspect's vehicle.

Police spokesperson Anita Shell wrote in a statement, "Troopers stopped a vehicle matching the description and license plate of the child's abductor in the area of the Parks Highway and Pittman Road approximately 8 PM tonight and recovered the child safely."

This is a developing story. Please check KTUU.com and the Channel 2 newscasts for updates.

Contact Neil Torquiano

The parking problem at Flattop will soon have a new solution as Chugach State Park officials prepare for another busy summer at the most used trail head in Anchorage.

By June 1, the State's new overflow parking lot will be serviceable, according to project engineers. The $700,000 construction project started last summer and it will include a new overlook.

"It's important to give people a place to park, so they're not parking up and down Toilsome Drive because it's illegal and poses a safety concern," Sarah Stephens, Project Engineer, said. "We're building a new overlook to kind of tell people about the mountains and the region."

Hikers like newlyweds Amanda and Oleg Bondar say it's a chance to celebrate Alaska's beauty.

"We were married a week ago, so it's part of our honeymoon, just enjoying the sunshine and being together and a beautiful place." Amanda Bondar said.

With more sunnier days approaching, park rangers have warned people to use extra caution when hiking along the Glen Alps after seeing people misuse the mountain.

"People like to slide down it and in some places you can see snow and some of the eastern gullies and wherever there's snow, it kind of attracts people," Kurt Hansel, Park Ranger, said. "It's a mountainous, steep area, so accidents happen regularly up there."

Nome-Beltz High School seniors of 2013 wanted a graduation speaker who resonated with all students.

At a Wednesday night ceremony, the seniors got their wish when a longtime friend appeared before them in the form of a pre-recorded message. She spoke to students intimately, as if she was having a one-on-one conversation, and read a book to them. She was their librarian.

Graduate Dylan Johnson said a lot of different ideas for speakers came up at a senior meeting early in the school year.

Only one person stood out as the obvious choice.

"When Miss Joy came up, we all, we just agreed instantly," Johnson said. "There wasn't really any questions asked that she was the one we wanted to speak."

Joy Hewitt was the librarian of Nome Public Schools since 1990.

The Burlington, Wis. native touched the lives of hundreds of students who passed through the small town's schools.

Hewitt retired in June, 2012, about a year and a half after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

She died March 1, this year.

Before she went, Nome-Beltz seniors made their appeal for her to appear as their graduation speaker. It took some urging.

"We had the idea that she could film herself, and as soon as she heard that idea, she was all in for it," Johnson explained. "Before we gave her that option, she was kind of iffy about it and didn't know if she would do it because she didn't know if she'd be able to make it. But as soon as she heard that, she told us she was honored and she'd do that for us."

Hewitt recorded her message in February, with the help of a former Nome teacher who now teaches in Palmer.

Colony High School teacher Bob Williams said the message was one of the last items on Hewitt's bucket list. He said they did two and a half takes of the speech because even though she was tired, it was important to her.

Hewitt passed away three weeks after recording the video.

Williams traveled to Nome to present Hewitt at the ceremony this week.

He said most people don't remember their graduation speakers or what they said, but he could feel the attention of the class of 2013, even as he introduced the message.

In her video, Hewitt read the story of "Pete the Cat," a children's tale about a protagonist that walks through all sorts of things with his new white shoes.

People at the ceremony said the moral of the story was to keep walking, no matter what you step in.

"Make your life a story that you're proud to tell," Hewitt told students. "A story about learning and loving life. A good life is a life well lived. Love what you do. Do what you love. Dream big. Work hard. Keep walking. And read."

Hewitt told students that her story was nearing its end, but theirs was just beginning.

Nome Public Schools graduated 30 students this year.

State health officials say five people have become ill after drinking raw milk from a Kenai Peninsula farm.
   
The Peninsula Clarion reports it's a similar bacterial infection that sickened more than 30 people in February.
   
In both instances, state health department spokeswoman Laura Carpenter says it started at Peninsula Dairy in Kasilof. Owner Kevin Byers declined comment.
   
The farm is a raw milk-cow share operation that delivers to shareholders on the peninsula, Anchorage and Sitka.
   
Health officials say Byers said he has informed shareholders of the outbreak, caused by fecal contamination of a cow's raw milk.
   
The state cannot shut the operation down because he only distributes the milk. The Clarion says the shareholders collectively own the cows.
   
Two people have sought medical attention in the latest outbreak.
   

A Colorado man is indicated by a federal grand jury in Alaska for perjury and making false statements.
   
The U.S. attorney's office says in a release the indictment was returned against 61-year-old James Paul Hunt of Montrose, Colo.
   
Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Feldis says Hunt had applied to be a third-party custodian for his son, who is charged with distributing child pornography.
   
Feldis says when Hunt signed his custodian application, he didn't disclose a prior arrest, one of the questions on the form. Feldis says Hunt pleaded guilty in Colorado in 1987 to sexual assault on a child. Feldis also says Hunt didn't disclose the charge or his guilty plea when questioned under oath.
   
Each felony count carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.