Concern in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District over the merger of two of its high schools in the Soldotna area is stirring controversy between local students and school officials.

The school district says the decision will maximize resources, but for some of the students who will have to leave the old school, they say the move could hurt them in other areas.

For some of the students at Skyview High School, there's a reason why they want to be here.

 "People come here who don't want to go home; they stay here," said Skyview senior, Catherine Schoessler. "It's really a huge family atmosphere; it's not just a school."

But with the news that their longtime school will be combined with the nearby Soldotna High School next year, students say the entire process has left them frustrated.

"How is it going to affect me and the other students involved and how much is it going to cost," said Skyview junior, James Gallagher.

Beyond the inconvenience and the certain sense of lost identity, some students say they won't have the same chances to compete.

"My freshman year if I had gone to Sohi I wouldn't have made it on the volleyball team, probably wouldn't have made it on the softball team," said Schoessler.

"There are times when I broke out crying in basketball practice because I was thinking I am not going to be able to play here my  senior year," said Skyview junior Moira Pyhala.

It's for that reason that some students are have made the decision to go out with a bang and make sure their voices get heard. Students have created a Facebook page and even have gone to school board meetings to express their concerns

"Afterwards they come up to me and they are like I'm happy you're involved in politics, but we are not taking your opinion seriously," said Skyview junior Austin Laber.

"I would be a little frustrated I think," said Soldotna High School sophomore Hannah Pothast. "I think it's just a hard transition for people to make because they are so attached to that school."

Superintendent Dr. Steve Atwater says he understands where the Skyview students are coming from, but because both schools have declining enrollment numbers, he says the decision to merge will benefit all students to have more access to more classes and teachers.

As part of the migration, 7^th and 8^th graders will go to a new middle school on the current Skyview campus, 9^th graders will go to a separate school on the current Soldotna Middle School campus, and 10^th thru 12^th graders will go to the new unnamed school that sits where Soldotna High School is now.

"I understand the reservations that are being expressed and the emotional hesitation to join that school but what we are going to do is create a new high school that isn't necessarily exactly what it's like here in Soldotna High School right now," Atwater said.

That idea is something some Skyview diehards are beginning to realize.

"I'm taking Spanish online, we can't even have a real Spanish class so it's things like that, that are going to affect the student body and it's happening at Sohi too," Pyhala said.

"I don't want the kids before me like the freshmen and my little sister I want her to have as many opportunities as she can I want her to grow to be whatever she wants and to have the classes she wants," said Skyview junior Lana Chesley.

It's two Soldotna schools, the Skyview Panthers and the Soldotna Stars and now that they are merging they have to figure out how to make it the best fit for their students.

"We want a new school, we want new colors, we want to bring Skyview in there so it's not just dead -- so people remember Skyview," said Pyhala.

It's a compromise their future classmates are willing to make.

"They are all friends they all have such great school spirit and I think bringing some of that to Sohi will benefit a lot," said Soldotna High School junior Haley Miller.

As part of the reconfiguration process, the district is looking for parents and community members to be a part of the Soldotna schools advisory committee to offer suggestions on what should be in the new school.

We've included a link right here.

Native leaders from across the state are meeting in Anchorage to tackle the topic of suicide in their communities.

Suicide among native youth in Alaska is well known to Alaska's tribal leaders, and Thursday and Friday they are continuing efforts to find solutions.

At the 13th annual Alaska Tribal Leaders Summit, the issue is foremost on the agenda.

Organizers of the event say suicides are most severe in Alaska's remote villages, and the conference will help bring tools like keeping cultural ties strong throughout the generations to those locations.

Census data shows 49 percent of Alaska Natives are younger than 25 years old, and statistics provide by the Statewide Suicide Prevention Council say it's among these young people that suicide rates are the highest.

"We need to be able to get with these children and understand what's going on in their mind and what's bothering them," said Bill Martin with the Alaska Native Brotherhood.

The summit is open to the public and is being held at the Hilton in downtown Anchorage through tomorrow.

Contact: Dan Carpenter

In most small town airports around Alaska you'll find a welcoming face greeting visitors fresh off their flight but it was a different case Tuesday in Sand Point, when an accused drug dealer arrived in this east Aleutians community of nearly a 1,000 people.

"He had just gotten off the plane at about 6:30 and there was a semicircle of very angry parents that knew that that knew what he was up to," said Sand Point Officer Michael Livingston.  "They gave him clear directions that they didn't want him in town and he just basically got right back on the plane to get out of Sand Point."

Channel Two is not identifying the accused drug dealer because he hasn't been charged by authorities.   The community does say he is "not" a Sand Point resident.

Expulsion or banishment of an unwelcome visitor from a village dates back to before planes or trains traversed the Last Frontier.

"What these folks have done is they've taken some action to protect their families, their neighbors and their community," said CEO of the Alaska Native Justice Center Walt Monegan.  "It looks like they've done so in a matter that didn't cause violence, it didn't cause harm; it just basically told the individual you're not welcome here anymore."

Former Anchorage Police Chief and state Public Safety Commissioner, Walt Monegan, says communities have been expelling unruly residents or visitors for years. The emergence of smartphones, Facebook and other social media has helped publicize this incident and others such as the banishment of an accused bootlegger from the Yukon Delta Village of Akiak in April.  Monegan says traditionally such sanctions aren't permanent, "It wasn't like you could never come back here ever, if you want to come back, you must come back in a way that you would obey the community rules."

Alaska State Troopers Spokeswoman Megan Peters says residents should use caution when confronting someone suspected of committing a crime. Peters says that person may be able to file assault charges if they feel threatened. She recommends calling State Troopers or local police to address the situation.

Contact Adam Pinsker

Alaska State Troopers have identified the woman who died on the Richardson Highway near Tonsina Wednesday night, after her car was badly damaged in a collision with a moose and left the road.

According to an AST dispatch late Thursday, state medical examiners have positively identified the body of Andrea Lee Conley. Troopers responded just after 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to Mile 75.5 of the highway, where they found a blue 2006 Acura in trees off the road.

"The entire top of the vehicle had been ripped off by the impact with the moose," troopers wrote. "The lone white female occupant of the vehicle had severe head trauma and no signs of life."

Troopers used an automatic emergency defibrillator in an attempt to resuscitate Conley, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

In an email to Channel 2, AST spokesperson Megan Peters says Conley apparently "never saw the cow moose coming" while she was driving on a straight stretch of the highway.

"She struck the moose, went off the roadway, into the west side ditch, hit a pretty big hump in the ditch and went airborne for approximately 30 feet where the vehicle came to rest approximately 60 feet to 70 feet off the roadway on flat surface," Peters wrote.

Bureau of Highway Patrol troopers subsequently responded to investigate the crash. Conley's body was initally taken to the Crossroads Medical Clinic in Glennallen, before being transferred to the state medical examiner's office.

Conley's next of kin have been notified.

Contact Chris Klint

The Coast Guard found two hunters Thursday who were overdue from a trip to an island near Kenai, which they had visited by skiff earlier this week.

In a Thursday statement, the Coast Guard says the hunters left Kenai for Kalgin Island in a 21-foot skiff Tuesday and were expected back Wednesday night. Family members reported them overdue Thursday morning, prompting an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to be launched from Air Station Kodiak to search for them.

"Approximately two hours into the search the Jayhawk crew located the hunters in good condition and in no distress," Steve Garcia, a search and rescue controller with the Sector Anchorage command center, said in the statement. "It's good news that there was no emergency and these guys did the right thing by leaving word with family about their trip intentions. We recommend when plans change people update family or friends."

Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Mooers says it's not clear whether the hunters had communications gear or any kind of emergency locators, but that they were prepared for their trip.

"We received the report that they had taken equipment to stay overnight," Mooers said.

The Coast Guard encourages people heading to remote areas of Alaska to file flight, float or trip plans, as well as bringing multiple forms of long-range communication. While the Coast Guard mentions VHF radios, personal locator transmitters and satellite phones or cellphones, officials warn that not all devices work in all areas.

Contact Chris Klint

Petitioners opposed to Anchorage's labor law rewrite are on a mission to get signatures. They have 26 days to get 7,000 to 8.000 signatures, in order to put the question of whether Assembly Ordinance 37 should be repealed before voters.

AO37 repeal petitioner Renee Oistad thinks it's a goal she and her colleagues can accomplish.

"I do for several reasons," Oistad said. "Not only for folks that disagree with the ordinance itself but there are people out there that may support the ordinance but they don't like the process."

Petitioners hope to make the labor ordinance a voter issue, something Mayor Dan Sullivan thinks they will achieve.

"We believe the public will agree with our position," Sullivan said. "That's probably the best way for the public to decide these thing,s and let the public weigh in and let their voice be heard on these issues."

Sullivan says the municipality is still contemplating whether or not to appeal this decision to the state Supreme Court. City Attorney Dennis Wheeler's office says that decision will be made within the next few days.

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An Anchorage man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the government and aggravated identity theft.

The U.S. attorney's office says Steven James McComb also was ordered to pay more than $110,000 restitution.

McComb was among four residents indicted in what authorities called a tax fraud scheme. Two others have pleaded guilty to related charges, while a third is pending arraignment and trial.

The U.S. attorney's office says McComb was in prison when he participated in the scheme. Over two years, prosecutors say McComb and others submitted about 100 false tax returns claiming refunds of over $210,000.

Prosecutors alleged McComb provided his co-conspirators with names and Social Security numbers used in the false returns. Many of those names and numbers belonged to fellow inmates.

A 40-year-old rural Alaska resident suspected of trying to drown a man in a mud puddle has been charged with attempted murder.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports Neil Madros of Nulato also is charged with felony assault.

Alaska State Troopers say Madros on Tuesday began threatening Kenneth Kriska, with whom he had been drinking, and Kriska's family.

Kriska told investigators Madros pushed him face-down into a 3-inch-deep puddle and said he was going to drown him.

Kriska says muddy water entered his mouth. He saw stars and thought he was going to faint. He says Madros also hit him on the head with something. A cut on Kriska's head required 13 staples to close.

Nulato is 310 miles west of Fairbanks. Madros was jailed in Fairbanks.

Saturday is looking like a big day in Bethel, which is holding its annual fair.

KYUK says the fair was dormant for a long time and was resurrected a few years ago.

This weekend's event will include attractions such as games, a BMX bike competition and a bird exhibit featuring a live eagle and owl.

The event also will include a berry picking contest, cribbage tournament, fun run and a concert.

There are also exhibit entrees in various categories, including skin sewing, artworks, quilting, baking and photography.

The last viewing of fair winners and exhibit entries will be held on Sunday.

A Fairbanks judge has denied a defense attorney's request for a gag order to prevent the Alaska Office of Children's Services from releasing information in the case of a former foster parent and daycare operator accused of sexually abusing two children in his care.

The Anchorage Daily News says the decision by Superior Court Judge Douglas Blankenship was issued in two criminal cases against 69-year-old Peter Tony.

Tony and his late wife, Marilyn, were foster care parents in Bethel for 14 years, ending in 1998. The couple then operated a child care center in Bethel.

Tony is accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old foster daughter in 1998 and a 4-year-old last year at the day care center.

His attorney, Mark Osterman, requested the gag order, which was denied Monday.

Jean Mischel wrote the memo in response to questions from state Sen. Hollis French (D-Anchorage), who recently announced plans to run for governor, about the constitutionality of proposed rules changes by the Department of Health and Social Services.

One of the changes "appears to be inconsistent with related statutes and regulations that apply to all other covered services and may for that reason be unconstitutional," Mischel wrote.

The proposed revisions would "create a new and restrictive state standard for determining when abortion services are 'medically necessary' without applying this same standard to coverage for other types of medical care services," she wrote.

Mischel's opinion comes during an ongoing effort by DHSS to limit the use of Medicaid funding for abortions to situations where a pregnancy could cause serious physical harm to a woman's health.

French says such a regulation would be an encroachment on a woman's right to choose.

"It's illegal to discriminate against women based on their income," French said. "If you provide medical services for poor women, you have to provide it across the board. You can't pick and choose."

State health commissioner William Streur previously told The Associated Press the state received about 260 certificates requesting state funds for abortions through May, with none of the certificates indicating rape, incest or risk of death as the reason.

When reached by Channel 2 On Friday, Streur declined to comment on specifics of the proposed regulations or the legal memo, saying he would not do so until the public comment period ends on Sept. 27.

"The new document isn't substantially different than the old one," Streur said. "There may be issues around constitutionality, but it's going to have to shake itself out."

Contact Austin Baird

The Alaska State Personnel Board is considering including Same-sex partners in the definition of "immediate family."

The proposed change in rules would allow state employees to take family leave due to a serious health condition of a same-sex partner.

Same-sex marriage is not legal in Alaska because of a state constitutional amendment, but Deputy Personnel Director Nancy Sutch says the proposed change in rules stems from a recent review of a 2005 Alaska Supreme Court decision.

That decision says it is unconstitutional to offer valuable benefits to spouses but not to same-sex domestic partners.

The personnel board plans to consider the changes at its Sept. 19 meeting in Anchorage.

A new hospital will open in late September in Alaska's northernmost city.

The Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital in Barrow is the result of a $160 million investment by the Arctic Slope Native Association, Indian Health Service and Denali Commission.

The 109,000-square-foot facility will provide additional rooms for dental and medical examinations, increased specialty care clinics and an expanded pharmacy.

Physical therapy, CT scans and an eye clinic are among the new services that will be provided by the clinic.

50 new jobs have already been created, according to ASNA, and an estimated 30 more will become available when the hospital is fully staffed.

U.S. Sens. Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.

Marie Carroll, president of ASNA, said said the old hospital, the only one in Barrow, was so crowded that closets were being used as offices and multiple people often shared one small office within a department.

"The hospital has been a long-term goal of the ASNA Board of Directors and it will meet many of the healthcare needs of our region," Carroll said.

She said the old hospital, the only one in Barrow, was so crowded that closets were being used as offices and multiple people often shared one small office within a department.

Contact Austin Baird

The man accused of killing two teenage girls in Anchorage last week has been indicted by a grand jury with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of manslaughter and driving under the influence, according to the Department of Law.

Stacey Allen Graham, 31, is accused of causing an Aug. 9 crash on Abbott Road that resulted in the deaths of 15-year-olds Brooke McPheters and Jordyn Durr.

APD traffic investigators claim that Graham was driving his red 2006 Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck east on Dimond Boulevard, toward Abbott Road, in "a reckless manner and at a high rate of speed," based on witness statements.

"Preliminary alcohol tests indicate Graham was approximately three times the legal limit at the time of the crash," said APD spokeswoman Dani Myren at the time of the crash.

Previously, there were questions about what charges Graham should face, murder or manslaughter, crimes that are similar under Alaska statutes.

At the news of the grand jury indictment, the families said they are committed to achieving justice for their "beautiful angels.

"We appreciate the continued support of the community and all efforts to stop the devastating problem of drinking and driving in our city," the family said in a written statement. "We encourage all residents to be REDDI (reporting every dangerous driver immediately)."

If convicted, Graham faces a sentence of up to 99 years in prison and a fine of $500,000
on each murder count.

Graham was appointed a public defender following his first appearance in court. His bail is set at $100,000.

The new law that will change the way Alaska taxes the oil industry is drawing complaints that it's confusing and too demanding.

The Anchorage Daily News reports much attention is being focused on what is "new oil."

New production will give oil producers the biggest tax breaks. The provision was meant as an incentive to invest in prospects that would not otherwise have been developed.

State officials say that may mean the oil industry will have to install meters on individual wells to show that new oil is being produced.

Industry officials say that sort of metering is impractical.

Critics of the new law passed by the Republican-controlled legislature say that a loose standard would give tax breaks in oil fields that were going to be produced anyway.

A two week series of training missions that concluded today attracted military air crews from around the world to Alaska.

Crews from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan and South Korea have been simulating war scenarios using F-22 jets, C-130s, C-17s and AWAC Airbornes.

It's considered some of best training in the world.  

Red Flag Alaska featured crews from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Eielson Air Force base.

The Air Force says this training is crucial because a high percentage of its primary fighter pilots do not see actual combat.

"The value and the training is getting to do real world operations essentially without having to actually having to fight a war," said Capt. Ian Crawford.

"We do everything that we would do in actual combat operations."

Red Flag Alaska exercises have been going on for the past two weeks. 

Officials say with most combat losses occur during an air crew's first eight to ten missions, the training will increase air crews chances of survival.

The Matanuska Creamery closed its doors at the end of 2012, but fallout related to the failed venture's use of federal grant money continues.

An Anchorage grand jury on Friday indicted 57-year-old Karen B. Olson of Wasilla.

Olson, former chief executive officer of Valley Dairy, Inc., is accused of defrauding the State of Alaska, making false statements to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and concealing criminal activity of Kyle E. Beus.

Beus is the former president and co-owner of Valley Dairy, Inc., and was indicted last year on charges of using agricultural grant money for personal gain. He is accused of inflating invoices from companies that had done work on the dairy and submitting the inflated number to the USDA for reimbursement.

The indictment against Beus claims fraudulent funds amount to at least $121,000 and were part of a $650,000 pot of money set aside by the USDA to expand the dairy industry in Alaska.

Olson is accused of obtaining a $430,000 loan from the state Division of Agriculture to conceal the true nature of the company's finances in an effort to hide the alleged illegal activity of Beus.

If found guilty, Olson faces a maximum 30-year prison sentence and a fine up to $1 million.

The contentious debate over potential economic and environmental impacts from developing Pebble Mine has unfolded in Alaska for nearly a decade.

The proposed mine site is now drawing interest from the recently-appointed administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy.

McCarthy will visit the site in Southwestern Alaska Tuesday.

"Bristol Bay is a one of a kind place that you have to see to even begin to understand," said Daniel Cheyette, a lawyer for Bristol Bay Native Corporation.

BBNC is opposed to Pebble's development of the area, which sits close the largest salmon run in the world. Some environmentalists raise concerns that pollution from the mine will harm the runs and put the long-standing industry and source of subsistence at risk.

Cheyette said the visit, just a month after her confirmation, is a signal that she understands the importance of the ongoing debate: "We know that she is doing all that she can to quickly come up to speed and gather as much information as possible, so that's a good thing," he said.

"The old saying, seeing is believing and that is certainly the case here; we welcome the opportunity to have her with us," said Mike Heatwole, vice president of Pebble Public Affairs. "This is primarily for her to see for herself."

The Pebble Partnership became aware of McCarthy's interest in the project shortly after she was confirmed as administrator last month.  She will be the first cabinet level official to tour the area.

McCarthy is expected to meet with local leaders in Iliamna and other communities near the proposed site. She will also visit Portage and Fairbanks while in Alaska to highlight efforts by the Obama administration to fight climate change and its impact on the state.

Both sides of the Pebble debate hope to shape McCarthy's views during her visit and that she will take their concerns back to Washington.

Anchorage police have identified the two people killed in a crash at Merrill Field shortly before 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

According to APD spokesperson Jennifer Castro, the two victims of the crash were Robert Lilly, 31, and Jessi Nelsen, 27. Their next of kin have been notified.

National Transportation Safety Board inspectors were at the scene of the Cessna 150L's crash Sunday, with investigator Josh Cawthra saying an air traffic controller at Merrill Field had cleared the plane to land on runway 25, before the aircraft aborted its approach for a "go-around" to reattempt the landing. The crash occurred during that second attempt.

George LaMoreaux was on the airfield at the time of the crash. LaMoreaux and two other men hurdled the fence and attempted to save the victims before emergency responders arrived, he said.

"I hollered at them to get me fire extinguishers, we need fire extinguishers," he said. "We went rifling through these other planes that are on the sidelines and found one. They gave it to me, then I used that, but it was still on fire."

The flames were eventually extinguished, and Lilly and Nelsen were pulled from the plane. Both victims were taken to a local hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Friends and family of the victims say they were an unmarried couple, who constantly flew around the state and enjoyed traveling together. Nelsen, a longshoreman in Seward, was about to take a flying job next week.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, and the purpose of the flight is unclear. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association describes the 150L as a single-engine fixed wing plane, which has been one of the most commonly used model of trainer aircraft for the past three decades.

The aircraft is registered to a single owner, a Big Lake man, but it is unclear who was flying the plane.

Cawthra says plans have been made to move the aircraft's wreckage to a hangar Sunday afternoon.

Update includes the identities of the two victims killed in the crash.

Contact: Samantha Angaiak

The FAA has cleared the way for unmanned aircraft, or drones, to fly for the Alaskan oil industry.

The Petroleum News reports approval for two remote-controlled aircraft to fly over the Arctic Ocean is an aviation milestone.

ConocoPhillips requested permission for the drone flights. But the company says it's not quite ready to put them to use.

The FAA announced approval for flying either the ScanEagle X200 from Insitu Inc., a Klickitat County subsidiary of The Boeing Co., or the Puma AE from AeroVironment Inc., of Monrovia, Calif.

Federal officials say the application talked about ship-launched flights to survey ocean ice floes and migrating whales in Arctic oil exploration areas, as well as emergency response monitoring and wildlife surveillance over the Beaufort Sea.

The FAA-certified unmanned aircraft are small, each about 4 1/2 feet long with wingspans of 10 feet or less.