Baklava, grape leaves, and more are being shared at the annual Greek Festival in South Anchorage.

For the past 18 years, the Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church has been celebrating the rich Mediterranean culture at its church location on 2800 O'Malley Road.

"You do not have to be Greek, everyone's welcome to come," said Kimberly Copadis, co-chair of Greek Festival. "We just want people to come and get a taste of the Greek culture."

Festival parking and admission is free and all the proceeds will go towards to building the new church, which broke ground in 2009.

The festival began Friday evening and will continue throughout the weekend.

The Greek Festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug.17 and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18.

Contact Neil Torquiano

Contact Neil Torquiano

A man died after crashing a pickup truck early Saturday morning near Martin Luther King Jr. Ave and Tudor Road, according to the Anchorage Police Department.

Stephen Christopher Kenny, 34, was behind the wheel of his 1995 Ford F-150 pickup truck driving eastbound on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue when he lost control on the curve toward Tudor Road, just west of the former State Crime Lab building. The truck went over an embankment and crashed through a fence. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene. 

Police received calls of the crash around 2:47 a.m. by the passenger in the truck, which came in hours after APD launched a ramped up effort to curb drunk driving. The passenger was treated and released at an area hospital.

"The passenger told police that the pair had been at a private party in South Anchorage that evening and that they both had been drinking," Anita Shell, APD spokesperson, said in a statement. "Investigators reconstructing the scene estimate Kenny was traveling between 68-75 miles per hour when he failed to negotiate the 30 MPH curve."

Police say alcohol may have been in a factor in the crash, which would mark the fifth death of the year related to driving under the influence.

On Friday evening, APD Chief Mark Mew announced an initiative to crack down on drunk driving at a rally at West High School.

The new plan has 40 volunteers from the APD Citizens Academy Alumni combing the streets between 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. in search of drivers that may be drunk.

The first night of enforcement led to 13 reports of possible impaired driving with one arrest.

Police efforts of ramped up DUI enforcement led to 10 DUI arrests.

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

Contact Neil Torquiano

Anchorage police are searching for runaway boy last seen Friday afternoon.

12-year-old runaway Jose Raul Mena Nivar, Jr. was last seen around 4:30 p.m. Friday near the 1200 block of West Dimond.

"According to his father, he and his son got into an altercation and Jose left the home, not wearing any shoes," Anita Shell said in a statement. "Jose's family searched the Dimond area for several hours before calling police."

Nivar, Jr. is described as Hispanic boy, 5'5" tall, 120 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.  He was last seen wearing a yellow t-shirt, blue jeans, black socks with no shoes and possibly a baseball cap.

If you have information on his whereabouts, then call police at 786-8900.

Contact Neil Torquiano

The Alaska Air National Guard says crews equipped with night-vision goggles rescued a hunter more than 36 hours after he was mauled by a brown bear in northern Alaska's remote Brooks Range.
   
The man was part of a guided hunting party about 30 miles north of the tiny village of Anaktuvuk Pass. Initial rescue efforts by local search teams and the Alaska State Troopers were turned back because of dense fog.
   
The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center learned of the man's plight Thursday. A medical professional who happened to be in a nearby hunting party reached him and stemmed his blood loss.
   
The Alaska Air National Guard launched a search-and-rescue plane and helicopter from an Air Force base near Fairbanks at 12:30 a.m. Friday. The plane's crew launched flares to guide the helicopter through the pass, and the helicopter reached the victim before 3 a.m. Friday.
   
The man was taken to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.

Officials say 15 areas still qualify as "zones of underemployment" because their unemployment rates are at least 10 percent higher than the national rate.          

Under state law, those zones qualify for at least 90 percent of state jobs in various trades.          

Officials say Alaska had a higher unemployment rate until several years ago, when the rate dipped below the national rate.           

The Alaska Democratic Party criticizes the change implemented Friday as political, saying the state has long been on shaky legal ground because of the improved economy, but chose to make the changes only now.    
  

Visit Anchorage President Julie Saupe tells the Alaska Journal of Commerce that the economic impact from conventions last year set at record at nearly $105 million.          

Visit Anchorage says the previous record was $99 million in 2011.          

Last year, there were 765 meetings and conventions held in Anchorage, with total attendance of just under 120,000.

A 77-year-old Fairbanks man who exchanged gunfire with two Alaska State Troopers last year has been found guilty of assault.
   
Court records indicate the jury took about two hours to convict Stanley Pieniazek.
   
Prosecutors called four witnesses at trial, all Alaska State Troopers, to describe the incident that occurred near the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
   
Pieniazek was the only defense witness, and he spoke briefly in Polish before declining to answer further questions.
   
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the trial followed a hearing earlier this summer in which Superior Court Judge Michael McConahy deemed the defendant mentally competent to stand trial.
   
Sentencing is scheduled for January.

A groundbreaking ceremony took place Friday for a new visitor center at the south Denali campground and day-use area.

Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell along with local, state, federal and private-sector officials shoveled dirt during the ceremony at Mile 135 of the Parks Highway.

According to the State Dept. of Natural Resources, the groundbreaking kicked off the construction of a 1.5 mile access road and a 22-space parking lot.

The site will also have a 15-site tent campground and a 32-site motor home campground, a ranger station and a maintenance facility.

United Companies Inc., LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sea Lion Corp., the village corporation for Hooper Bay donated the land with a valued price tag at $1 million.

"This is an exciting step forward," said Alaska State Parks Director Ben Ellis. "After years and years of talking, we are taking the first steps to open new recreational opportunities and public access to our state park lands south of Denali."



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Drunk driving has taken five lives in Anchorage as of mid-August and police are stepping up efforts to curb the problem.

On Friday night, the Anchorage Police Department organized a rally at West High School and launched a new initiative, using 40 volunteers from the APD Citizens Academy Alumni. The extra man power will comb the streets of Anchorage between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. in search of drivers they suspect are intoxicated.

"Although we cannot go back in time and change what has happened to your loved ones, we can decide that as a community, we've had enough and that it is time to work together to create a change," said APD Chief Mark Mew at a Friday evening rally.

Hours after the new program launched, 34-year-old Stephen Christopher Kenny died in East Anchorage after crashing his pickup truck through a fence at Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. The passenger in the truck suffered non-life threatening injuries and told police that both of them were drinking at a party in South Anchorage.
 
"I can't believe that I'm here today talking to you about this just hours after we had a rally about reporting dangerous driving, just hours after we brought five additional officers on duty just to look for dangerous drivers," said Anita Shell, APD Public Information Officer.

Prior to Saturday's morning deadly crash, there had been three DUI crashes that have killed four people in the last eight weeks.

On Jun. 30, 20-year-old Citari Townes-Sweatt was killed after 22-year-old Lane Douglas Wyatt, a JBER airman, allegedly t-boned her near Boniface Parkway and Debarr Road, and told police on scene that he was drinking a midtown bar.

On Jul. 12, 32-year-old Marcia Mausali was a backseat passenger and died after being ejected from a Chevy Avalanche on Commercial Dr. near Mountain View. 29-year-old Andre Clinton was behind the wheel and suffered life-threatening injuries and police said "speed and alcohol" were factors in the crash.

On Aug. 9, two 15-year-old girls, Jordyn Durr and Brooke McPheters, were killed walking home on Abbott Road after 31-year-old Stacey Allen Graham allegedly drove his pickup truck when he was approximately three times the legal limit.

Currently, about 25 APD officers patrol the streets, but now a handful of them will be dedicated to finding and arresting suspected drunk drivers the volunteers locate.

"If the enthusiasm I'm seeing out of this crowd is much my guess is it's going to spread," said Mew. "It may encourage more people to join our academy just so they can do this kind of volunteer work."

The new initiative isn't limited to the volunteers, APD encourages all drivers to be REDDI- that acronym stands for Report Every Dangerous Driver Immediately.

Police ask anyone to call 9-1-1 if they see dangerous driving, that can be speeding, texting while driving or possibly intoxicated. 

Contact Mallory Peebles

Affordable housing in Anchorage tends to be a scarce commodity, but some organizations are helping low-income families find a home.

On Saturday, Habitat for Humanity celebrated 20 years in Anchorage with 23 new homes in Muldoon near 4th Avenue and Oklahoma St. For two decades, the non-profit organization helped more than 80 families.

Rhoda Jal, a wife and mother, hails from Sudan, but fled her country due to civil war. Her husband and her eight children are recognized refugees by the United States.

"Without Habitat for Humanity, I never imagine I would be a homeowner," Rhoda Jal said. " I thank God for people who have a heart to build homes."

Alaska Housing Finance Corporation's Mark Romick says Anchorage's affordable housing is scarce.

"The cost of construction is going up," Romick said. "The cost of rent is going up. The cost of purchasing a single family home is going up. Everything is going up."

There is a tremendous affordable housing need for families who earn less than $60,000 a year due to minimal tracks of land combined with the rising cost of construction, according to AHFC.

The Habitat homes in Muldoon will cost anywhere between $175,000 to $185,000 and the families will have a 30-year mortgage at zero interest and no down payment. The organization says it's able to bypass some of the construction cost with thousands of volunteers.

According to Habitat for Humanity, the application process is long and recipients are selected by their ability to pay for their home, their income level and their level of need.

"Everybody really deserves the opportunity for simple decent safe affordable housing," Habitat's Craig Jaegar said.

Check out these links to find out more about affordable housing in Alaska:

http://www.ahfc.us/

http://www.hfhanchorage.org/

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Trick or Treat in the Heat, a popular fundraiser involving several neighborhoods, will have a change of venue this fall in Eagle River. It started as way to bring families together to remember a little boy who lost his battle to leukemia eight years ago and raises money for local charities that support cancer research.

The event has been held at the Eaglewood homes for the past two years and will move to the Heritage Estates. According to volunteers, the Eaglewood Homeowners Association declined to participate and cited legal liability concerns.

"It's just sad that our association is more concerned with focusing on the bad than they are on the good," Jody Asing, a resident in the area, said.

Asing says it was a great opportunity for little kids to participate when it was hosted in Eaglewood.

"It was awesome to see all the little kids out here and the little ones in the strollers were able to be out because there's no snow on the ground," Asing said. "It's not too cold for them and to me, it was daylight so that makes it even more safe versus when you do have it in October."

While some people are upset by the move, Sarah McKinnon, a volunteer for the fundraiser, says they are happy they found a new location quickly.

"We always have communities willing to help out and so the reception that we've received at Heritage Estates has been amazing," McKinnon said.

Organizers say the number of participants will be scaled back from 1,200 to 800 at the new neighborhood.

Money will donated to the Ronald McDonald House, Make A Wish Foundation, and the Hospice of Anchorage, and this year, some money will also go to helping a young girl who lives in Eaglewood with a rare form of Leukemia.

In April, Audrey Bennett was diagnosed just two months before her eighth birthday.

"It started when her right eye started to swell," Chet Bennett, Audrey's father, said. "We didn't think much about it at first, but it lasted a couple of days and in the meantime her right leg started to hurt as well."

9-year-old Will and 4-year-old Jack, Audrey's brothers, have both showed their support for their sister by shaving their heads.

Bennett says his daughter will have to miss the early Halloween celebration, but she's just happy to be a part of it.

"She knows of it and those that know she's being a part of that. She's just tickled about that, she likes the limelight a little bit," Bennett said with a smile.

Bennett says Audrey is doing well at a children's hospital in Portland and just completed her fourth round of chemotherapy.

"From what we're being told, four rounds of chemo and she's had four rounds should be sufficient for her to go into remission," Bennett said.

Regardless of where the event holds its gathering, organizers say it's something they'll continue no matter where they go.

Wristbands for the event go on sale August 24 and the event is scheduled to take place Sept. 8.

Contact: Samantha Angaiak

STORY UPDATED AT 12:24 p.m. at 8/18/13:

Anchorage police say a 12-year-old runaway boy was found safe Saturday evening.

"He was found by a friend wandering on a bike trail and has returned home," Anita Shell, police spokesperson, said in a brief update.

STORY UPDATED AT 12:05 p.m. at 8/17/13:

Anchorage police are searching for runaway boy last seen Friday afternoon.

12-year-old runaway Jose Raul Mena Nivar, Jr. was last seen around 4:30 p.m. Friday near the 1200 block of West Dimond.

"According to his father, he and his son got into an altercation and Jose left the home, not wearing any shoes," Anita Shell, police spokesperson, said in a statement. "Jose's family searched the Dimond area for several hours before calling police."

Nivar, Jr. is described as Hispanic boy, 5'5" tall, 120 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.  He was last seen wearing a yellow t-shirt, blue jeans, black socks with no shoes and possibly a baseball cap.

If you have information on his whereabouts, then call police at 786-8900.

Contact Neil Torquiano

Four schools in the Anchorage School District are welcoming electronic diversions.
   
Chugiak, Eagle River and East high schools, along with Romig Middle School, are participating in a pilot program that will allow students to use smartphones, laptops and tablets for educational uses.
   
The Chugiak-Eagle River Star reports it will be up to individual teachers and students to opt into the Bring Your Own Device - or BYOD - program.
   
In classrooms where students are allowed to use the devices, they will connect to the school's Wi-Fi for filtered Internet access.
   
Chugiak Principal David Legg says the program is bringing the 21st century into the classroom.

A new residence hall will soon grace the University of Alaska Southeast campus in Juneau.
   
The Juneau Empire reports concrete should start pouring this coming week for the 31,000-square-foot freshman residence hall.
   
The project will cost $14 million and will be two, four-story dormitories connected by a commons area.
   
It will be completed in two phases, with the first dorm completed by July. The second building should be done by November 2014.
   
The building will provide housing for 120 freshman students.

This year may end up as a below-average wildfire season in Alaska despite the hot and dry conditions.
   
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that only 1.25 million acres have burned so far in 2013. The 10-year average is 1.4 million acres, and there's rain in the forecast that could help bring the fire season to an end this year.
   
While there have been nearly 600 wildfires, officials say a lack of large wildfires helped keep the acreage numbers low. After all, the 2004 season had about 700 wildfires and burned a record 6.65 million acres.
   
Alaska Fire Service meteorologist Sharon Alden says there have been a lot less lightning strikes this year compared to the 2004 season. Other officials say the firefighters have been quick to douse fires before they grow too large while others say the weather has cooperated with timely rainfalls.

One sip at a time, Alaskans have helped grow the microbrewery industry across our state -- and now there's an app for that. The Beer Up Here, a newly created mobile-device application, is highlighting the many the craft beers brewed by residents.

J.J. Tranquilla, the creator of the new app which launched last month, says users will find a list of every brewery in Alaska -- plus their locations, business hours, and lists of all the beers they make.

The app will also let users check off the beers they've tried and then rate them.

"It's for Alaska, you know," Tranquilla said. "This is a beer app made by Alaskans, for people in Alaska, about the beer that's made in Alaska."

On Sunday, a new brew was added to the app as the Moose's Tooth restuarant and Broken Tooth Brewery celebrated their 17th anniversary. The Broken Tooth's newly crafted extra pale ale, The Seventeener, debuted Saturday night at the celebration for the business's landmark anniversary. 

Brewery manager Tyler Jones says craft brewing in Alaska is a unique industry because there's more camaraderie than competition and that helps everyone thrive.

According to Tranquilla, whenever a brewery creates a new beer, he will add it to the app.

The Beer Up Here can be downloaded for Apple devices, including the iPhone and iPad, from Apple's iTunes website.

Contact Mallory Peebles

The 65-foot fishing tender Fate Hunter, based in Astoria, grounded Aug. 11 about four miles west of the Prince William Sound community. It had 1,900 gallons of fuel and oil aboard, as well as 75 tons of fish. None of the four people on board was injured.          

The Coast Guard and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation have been monitoring efforts to remove the fuel, with hundreds of gallons of fuel off-loaded so far. Officials say oil-soaking boom has been placed around the vessel to contain pollution.          

Naval architects with Global Diving and Salvage are working on a salvage plan to submit to the Coast Guard and the state for approval.          

The cause of the grounding remains under investigation.

The state's unemployment rate went up slightly in July, according to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3 percent, up three-tenths of a percentage point from June's revised rate.

Many small populations depend on a single summer industry, which helps unemployment rates. Bristol Bay and Skagway reported the lowest jobless rates due to salmon fishing and tourism, respectively. Bristol Bay had a rate of 1.1 percent and Skagway at 2.3 percent.

Rates fell 4 and 2.3 percent-age points in Aleutians East Borough and Aleutians West Census Area last month, which were the largest over-the-month rate drops.

"The summer pollock and salmon fisheries are in full swing in the Aleutians by July, which explains the drop in unemployment," Caroline Schultz, state economist, said in a statement.

The national unemployment rate was 7.4 percent last month.

"Summer employment was firing on all cylinders in July, reflected in low unemployment across the state," Schultz said.

Contact Neil Torquiano

More than 60 widows of members of the armed forces ran together at the Anchorage Big Wild runs Sunday in memory of their loved ones and to raise awareness about an organization that offers support.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, each day 22 veterans will commit suicide, leaving family members searching for answers. Last year, military records showed that more U.S. servicemen took their lives than the number of soldiers killed in the Afghanistan War, 349 active duty service members died by suicide while 295 died during combat.

A number of non-profits are helping those left behind to keep going, such as the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, better known as TAPS.

TAPS is a program that offers support to families of fallen military members and started nearly 20 years ago in Alaska.

By participating in the Big Wild Life Runs, and other activities throughout the weekend, the program hopes to bring together grieving family members to find support.

"It heals in a way that you don't get in your everyday life and it makes you feel like you're normal, like you have a safe place to share with other and experience the healing with them," says Kylynn Maxwell, whose husband committed suicide after serving in Iraq.

Currently, TAPS serves more than 40,000 people nationwide helping military widows and families find hope again. The non-profit organization says they receive about thirteen new referrals a day, four of which are suicide related.

For widows like Rebecca Morrison, TAPS is all about helping people see through the grief and see that there is going to be a life after.

"It makes an incredible difference in my ability to continue on with my life and to find joy in things again and to live life again," says Maxwell.

Contact Blake Essig