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TURNAGAIN NEWS

Crow Pass Crossing

The Alaskan Backcountry Marathon was held Saturday where athletes began the 23-mile race from Girdwood to the Eagle River Nature Center. Check back as TNews has full coverage and spectacular photography of the event. See the developing story and more photos below. (Photo courtesy of Soren Wuerth)

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MOA responds to TNews Inquiry on current ‘Holtan Hills’ construction
MOA responds to TNews Inquiry on current ‘Holtan Hills’ construction

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

The Municipality of Anchorage responded late Friday to a slew of questions by Turnagain News regarding the so-called "Holtan Hills" subdivision development currently underway off Hightower Rd. near the school.

The project is a joint effort by Anchorage developer Connie Yoshimura and the city's Heritage Land Bank, which manages most of the land in Girdwood's valley. "Holtan Hills", so named by a small group acting without community consent, has little local support. It was nevertheless approved by the Anchorage Assembly in January, 2024.

The HLB recently signed an agreement for $2 million with Anchorage-based GMC Contracting for "off-site" development of a road and sewer connection, impacting approximately 2.5 acres, according to the city and Yoshimura. The project is expected to last into August when children return to school.

GMC began tearing a swath to the toe of the 60-plus acre housing development on July 7.

Responses, provided through an email from the muni's public affairs office, are in italics.

Has a traffic study been conducted to determine existing traffic patterns, densities, and vehicle traffic amount on Hightower Road?

During the early planning stages of this project, both the [Municipality of Anchorage] Planning Department and Traffic Engineering Department reviewed the potential density within the development and concurred that the road improvements would be built to local residential street standards which would not require a (traffic study) traffic impact analysis prior to construction.

Where can we view the traffic plan?

See previous response regarding the traffic study.  A traffic control plan will be submitted and available for public review prior to disturbance and reconstruction of affectioned portions of Hightower Rd.

Read the entire response from the Municipality of Anchorage at the link:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/moa-responds-to-tnews-inquiry-on-current-holtan-hills-construction

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ARTICLES
Crow Pass Crossing Race held Saturday

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

The Alaskan Backcountry Marathon was held Saturday where athletes began the 23-mile race from Girdwood to the Eagle River Nature Center.

Male winner, Coby Marvin, became the youngest-ever winner of the trail race in his first attempt and Shauna Severson was the women’s division winner and sixth overall finisher.

One-hundred and thirty eight runners crossed Crow Pass this morning on their way to Eagle River in the 40th annual race.

The leader ran from the trailhead parking lot to the pass in 37 minutes and had a couple minutes lead over rivals.

The route changed slightly for last year's race due to new mandates by the Forest Service, according the race website, so runners now have to take a high traverse to get to the pass.

The change adds around 10 minutes to the 22 mile course. The first runners make it to the Eagle River Nature Center in under three hours.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

See more pictures at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/crow-pass-crossing-race-held-saturday

Forest Fair at 50: Still Growing Strong

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Tents yawned open, music trickled from a stage, and bubbles and cottonwood drifted among crowds as Girdwood's Forest Fair began its 50th year under blue skies Friday.

Throughout the day and into Saturday, they came—patrons wearing face paint, summer skirts, muscle shirts, rainbow tie-dyes, sunglasses or ball caps painted with mountain reliefs.

They endured long lines of traffic along Alyeska highway, lines for merchandise and even lines for spinach bread without complaint or even notice. "The line goes fast and it's worth it," remarked a fair-goer holding a paper tray of cheese-slathered bread. 

Over five decades, the event has grown from a small "arts and craft" fair with a half dozen booths into a busy festival with more than 200 vendors, 52 music acts, and 24 food booths.

There is no way to count the number of people who attend the three-day weekend, but, by 10 a.m. Friday every available parking spot in downtown Girdwood was taken.

"When people ask how many showed up, we say, 'a forest full'," said Terri Adkins, the event's vice president.

The fair has unmistakably grown. Its formerly 10-member nonprofit board now has 30 people. Its red-shirt clad volunteer force has grown into a 200-strong small army of "keg pushers" (beer servers), "age discriminators", "earth maintenance" crew, merch slingers and security. The beer garden alone requires 40 volunteers.

The Forest Fair is a project so consuming, its core committee call themselves the "commit me", Adkins said.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/forest-fair-at-50-still-growing-strong

2025 Forest Fair Festival photos

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

This is a photo essay captured by Journalist Soren Wuerth of Forest Fair festivities Saturday which started with a parade and continued throughout the day.

See all the photos at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/forest-fair-saturday-festivities

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US Senate GOP under pressure on Trump demand to defund NPR, PBS, foreign aid
US Senate GOP under pressure on Trump demand to defund NPR, PBS, foreign aid

By Jennifer Shutt

Alaska Beacon, States Newsroom

WASHINGTON — Congress has just one week left to approve the Trump administration’s request to cancel $9.4 billion in previously approved funding for public media and foreign aid, setting up yet another tight deadline for lawmakers. 

The Senate must pass the bill before July 18, otherwise the White House budget office will be required to spend the funding and be barred from sending up the same proposal again for what are called rescissions.

But objections from several GOP senators could stop the legislation in its tracks, or change it substantially, requiring another House vote in a very short time frame. Rejecting the plan would represent a loss for the Trump administration after passage of the “big, beautiful” tax and spending cut law earlier this month.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., appears optimistic he can secure the votes needed to begin debate, though he hasn’t said publicly if he thinks the bill can actually pass. 

“We’ll have it up on the floor next week. Hopefully, we get on it and then we’ll have an amendment process,” Thune said during a Wednesday press conference. “And kind of like a budget reconciliation bill, it’s an open amendment process, a vote-a-rama type process, which I’m sure you’re very excited about.”

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/us-senate-gop-under-pressure-on-trump-demand-to-defund-npr-pbs-foreign-aid

Update: ‘Holtan Hills’ Road Construction Begins
Update: ‘Holtan Hills’ Road Construction Begins

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

In a slight drizzle of rain Monday morning a group of concerned citizens stood outside a gate to the contentious "Holtan Hills" development. 

Then trucks began to roll in, first white trucks with men who jumped into "Hydro-Ax" mulchers. After a couple hours, the protesters left.

Then a gym-length tractor hauling an enormous excavator arrived. Later more machines rumbled through town down Hightower Rd. 

The first day of the city's 75-day contract with a major construction company—GMC Contracting—to drive a road, sewer, gas and electric into the forested hills behind Girdwood's school began with the staging of heavy equipment. 

Construction delays on the Seward Highway slowed traffic on the opening day foray.

Meanwhile, responses from municipal public officials to questions emailed last week regarding the project have not been answered as of late afternoon.

"Thank you for reaching out. We haven’t forgotten about you," wrote Kenny Friendly, a public involvement coordinator for the Municipality, said in an email Monday.

"We are currently fielding all public inquiries surrounding the project including yours. When we have the answers, we’ll get back to you as soon as possible," he wrote.

This is a developing story. Check back with TNews for updates.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/update-holtan-hills-road-construction-begins

Forest Fair Signs Down, Up Again
Forest Fair Signs Down, Up Again

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Dozens of colorful, quicky and instructive signs that line Alyeska highway every Forest Fair weekend were suddenly removed yesterday by transportation officials.

But, following a slew of angry comments and negotiations with DOT officials, the signs were back up Friday.

The signs have been a hallmark prelude for the summer festival, in its 50th year, and their disappearance caught many by surprise.

Longtime local resident Drew Motsinger, who retired from DOT, wrote on Girdwood's Facebook page that the state transportation department personnel removed the signs over right-of-way concerns, though DOT officials could not be reached during the holiday.

DOT took the signs down "due to the pedestrian crossing being painted by someone other than DOT", according to Motsinger, who later said he still keeps in touch with friends from the department.

Pedestrian lines at the intersection of Hightower and Alyeska Highway were painted in different colors this year and that triggered an inspection which led to the removal of nearby signs.

Motsinger said in his post the DOT is trying to be proactive, but he also understood the complaints of Forest Fair volunteers about the abrupt, unannounced removal of the signs.

"There's so much jay walking in town. That's obviously a problem and then there are so many people on their phones not paying attention and driving," he said Friday.

In the past few years, the number of accidents involving pedestrians in Southcentral Alaska has grown significantly. 

As a DOT employee, Motsinger was asked to take down crosses along the highway (he refused). "My motto was, 'You got friends and family on the road, you do the best you can," said Motsinger of his work to keep highways safe.

He decried the speed of traffic through Girdwood. 

Read the entire story and more pictures at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/forest-fair-signs-down-up-again

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ARTICLES
Trump wants Congress to slash $9.4B in spending now, defund NPR and PBS
Trump wants Congress to slash $9.4B in spending now, defund NPR and PBS

By Jennifer Shutt

States Newsroom

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration sent its first spending cuts request to Congress on Tuesday, asking lawmakers to swiftly eliminate $9.4 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and various foreign aid programs.

The request for what are called rescissions allows the White House budget office to legally freeze spending on those accounts for 45 days while the Republican-controlled Congress debates whether to approve the recommendation in full or in part, or to ignore it.

The proposal calls on lawmakers to eliminate $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service. That means NPR and PBS would lose their already approved federal allocations, if the request is approved by Congress.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order in May seeking to block the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from providing funding for NPR and PBS, leading to twoseparate lawsuits citing First Amendment concerns.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/trump-wants-congress-to-slash-94b-in-spending-now-defund-npr-and-pbs

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Mount Spurr: Preparation Can Ease the Pain
Mount Spurr: Preparation Can Ease the Pain

By Allison Sayer

TNews Staffwriter

On March 12, The Alaska Volcano Observatory announced “an eruption [of Mount Spurr] is likely, but not certain, to occur within the next few weeks or months. The most likely outcome of the current unrest is an explosive eruption (or eruptions) like those that occurred in 1953 and 1992. Those eruptions each lasted a few hours and produced ash clouds that were carried downwind for hundreds of miles and minor ashfall (up to about ¼ inch) on southcentral Alaska communities.”

 Many simple, low cost preparedness tips are available from the Municipality of Anchorage Emergency Operations Center  and ready.alaska.gov. The common advice from these and other sources is to have a mask handy, stock up on relevant air filters, and put some forethought into what would happen if you must shelter in place somewhere.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/mount-spurr-preparation-can-ease-the-pain

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Cross Country: Native Alaskan Ava Earl stars as squad climbs to new heights
Cross Country: Native Alaskan Ava Earl stars as squad climbs to new heights

By Henry Frieman, Sports Editor

The Daily Northwestern

Girdwood, Alaska, population estimated at 2,500, sits in a valley at the base of Mount Alyeska, a ski resort in the winter and a hiking destination in the summer. The mountain town has one main road, a two-lane highway surrounded by hemlock and conifer. 

There is one elementary school, but the nearest high school is 30 miles away in Anchorage. There is a fire department, but no police station. Further away from the resort, the paved roads turn to gravel. 

It was on the gravel paths and dirt trails of the Alaskan woodlands where Northwestern cross country runner Ava Earl, now a senior, fell in love with running.

Read the entire story here:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/ava-earl-carries-alaskan-roots-to-nu-cross-country-stardom

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Raw Market: ‘Together, We Thrive’
Raw Market: ‘Together, We Thrive’

By Hannah Dillon

Assistant Editor

A red ribbon hung on the entrance to the Raw Market—just off Holmgren Ave. next to The Laundromall—as community members gathered around the store at 5 p.m. July 2. When the ribbon was cut, a new local market officially opened in Girdwood.

People quickly entered the intimately-sized store once the doors were open. Aesthetic lighting and plants hovered overhead as customers sorted through bell peppers, chocolate milk glasses, candles, locally made pottery, dried herbs, cherries and aloe vera plants.

Behind the register, employees created delicious acai bowls and smoothies for everyone in need of a cool treat on a warm sunny day.

Michelle Young, who, along with her husband James Glover, owns the Raw Market sat down with Turnagain News to discuss opening day and a little history of the store.

Young said the inspiration to establish a store like Raw Market stems from a visit to Maui, where nearly every small town had a juice bar that sold acai bowls, smoothies and juice. “We really loved the abundance of fresh food,” said Young.

Young’s experience with the fresh food available on the streets of Maui inspired Young and Glover to bring that experience to Girdwood.

Read the entire story here:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/raw-market-together-we-thrive

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Girdwood Board reverses community decision on Alyeska Development
Girdwood Board reverses community decision on Alyeska Development

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

The Girdwood Board of Supervisors, in a 3-2 decision Monday, rescinded an earlier community vote that rejected a subdivision proposed in a popular recreational area.

The board's move tells municipal planners it has no objection to plans by Alyeska Resort to build an assortment of housing, roads, parking lots, a tram and in the Glacier Creek watershed north of the town's airport.

The GBOS has since voted to reconsider its Monday vote and will discuss the reconsideration at a meeting Thursday at 1 p.m.

"I suspect [the vote] will be changed," said Supervisor Mike Edgington on Wednesday. "We're basically going back for a re-do."

He said he feels Pomeroy's goals for development are sound, but the location the company has chosen for development isn't.

In both meetings, community members expressed criticism, skepticism and dismay about Pomeroy Lodging's plan to acquire nearly 100 acres of municipal land in the upper valley for housing.

Read the entire story at:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-board-reverses-community-decision-on-alyeska-development

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