new Little bears playhouse Open house

Girdwood residents, many who have gone to Little Bears Playhouse themselves, or have children or grandchildren who've attended, gather Saturday for the new childcare facilities grand opening.

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New Childcare Center Opens Doors to Community
New Childcare Center Opens Doors to Community

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

The crowd that formed to toast, with cups of sparkling cider, Saturday's grand opening of Girdwood’s new early learning center had something more in common than many likely knew. 

"If you've gone to Little Bears [Playhouse], have a child who's gone or have a grandchild who's gone please raise your hand," the center's director asked the crowd. 

Nearly every hand went up. 

Parents, children and grandparents and others roamed the new facility Saturday, many getting their first glimpse at a building that's been 10 years in the making.

The new center, within walking distance from Hotel Alyeska, fulfills not only the community's support for expanding child care services, but the vision of Little Bears and its executive director, Rachel Byers, who helped design a building that is child-centered and play-based. 

Toilets in some of the classrooms are enclosed with walls hip-high for an adult, but reach above a small child's head, an accommodation that gives children a classroom custom sized for their real world. 

"All the tables, sinks, toilets, shelves; they are all accessible to the children so that they can become independent in their self care and engagement with the environment," said Byers, who formerly worked as an assistant director at the Early Learning Center in Anchorage.

In a text message later, Byers laid out what parents can expect with enrollment.

"We have a monthly themed curriculum that is taught through the play materials in our classrooms. We encourage children to explore the environment freely and to learn about the world around them through the presented works," she said. 

Byers said children have 15-20 minutes of "circle time" then "hands-on art activities, STEM, or free play with intentionally-chosen materials" that give the kids a chance to apply their learning.

"For example, we are discussing Alaskan animals in preschool this month. Our teacher will show children photos, or actual furs of animals that live here. They will play the animal sounds for the children to hear," she said.

Read the entire story at the link below:

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Portage Visitor Center Closes During Mid-July Rainstorm That Raised Landslide Threat
Portage Visitor Center Closes During Mid-July Rainstorm That Raised Landslide Threat

Public Notification of Risk Limited

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor 

For a pair of Swiss travelers standing on a beach opposite Portage Glacier the German word for "landslide" sounds like something harsher:  "erdrutsch".

Informed about the threat of "erdrutsch" and tsunami, a menace now widely reported, the couple took a last look at the glacier across the lake and quickly began their hike out.

On a Monday in late July there were dozens of hikers on an out-and-back, two-mile trail that crosses an 800-foot pass to Portage Lake. It was just over a week after a torrential rainstorm raised concerns about a looming landslide abutting the glacier.

More than four inches of rain fell in Portage July 19-20, according to data from the Alaska Climate Research Center. 

In an unprecedented move, the U.S Forest Service closed its Begich, Boggs Visitor Center and pulled its employees from a bunkhouse, according to Forest Service staff who declined to be identified. 

The facilities are about two miles from a creeping landslide that geologists warn could collapse any moment—especially following heavy rains or an earthquake—sending a catastrophic tsunami up to 1,000 feet high careening across the lake and through Portage's narrow valley. 

Independent geologist, Bretwood "Hig" Higman, estimates there is a 1-30 chance that a 50-million cubic meter slab of rock could be released into Portage Lake. Such a colossal slide could even send a wave up and over the pass and into Whitter on the other side, said Higman, who has placed homemade monitors at the site to gauge widening cracks in the landmass.

Visitors hiking the popular Portage Pass trail that Monday knew nothing of the landslide threat, however. A trailhead sign on the Whittier side of the Anton Anderson tunnel offered no information. 

Meanwhile nothing has been posted at the visitor center to warn the public about the threat of a tsunami that would allow minutes to escape.

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

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/portage-visitor-center-closes-during-mid-july-rainstorm-that-raised-landslide-threat

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‘Photonz’ Bring It Home
‘Photonz’ Bring It Home

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Girdwood's Cosmic Party (formerly known as The Photonz) returned to Southcentral Alaska after three years playing gigs in Eagle River, Anchorage, Hope and Girdwood. The group even played on a boat in Prince William Sound.

The band played original songs—jams and "psychedelic funk"— to an enthusiastic crowd Monday at the Raw Market in Girdwood. 

Although the band began in Glacier City nearly 30 years ago, its music is still familiar to locals.

On Monday night a crowd of teens gathered near the front of the stage, some of whom are children of band members, and sang aloud to Cosmic sounds.

When a call came out for a show of hands from those who travelled from out-of-state to see the band, dozens of arms went up. 

The six-member band includes singer/guitarist/drummer Ben Robinson, Peter Townsend (mandolin and electric guitar), Tony Restivo (bass), Steve Norwood (guitar, drums), Romero Begay (electric guitar) and Benjamin Trocki (percussion).

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Tiny Alaska Port Town designs Transportation Plan to handle huge crowds
Tiny Alaska Port Town designs Transportation Plan to handle huge crowds

By Yereth Rosen

Alaska Beacon

The western Prince William Sound town of Whittier is small, with only about 250 residents packed into a narrow slice of land between the mountains and the sea. But it accommodates a huge number of travelers who move in and out by cruise ship, ferry, railroad, car, bus and truck.

In recent years, according to city officials, Whittier has gotten about 700,000 visitors annually: tourists, recreational users, seafood workers, cargo shippers and others. That number is expected to increase substantially in the coming years.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/quirky-once-isolated-alaska-town-is-eyeing-a-transportation-system-upgrade

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ARTICLES
AWWU updates Girdwood infrastructure under residents’ feet and roads
AWWU updates Girdwood infrastructure under residents’ feet and roads

By Chase Berenson

TNews Staffwriter

One of the most important elements of water utility infrastructure is what removes the wastewater from our homes after we have used the water in our kitchen sinks, showers, and other plumbing fixtures.  Wastewater infrastructure isn’t generally thought about too much, but Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility (AWWU) is investing in improvements in Girdwood’s wastewater system.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/awwu-updates-girdwood-infrastructure-under-residents-feet-and-roads

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Forest-Bog Walk & Talk Daylights Wonder
Forest-Bog Walk & Talk Daylights Wonder

By Soren Wuerth 

TNews Editor

For most people, let's admit it, a walk through our local meadow reveals beauty writ large—the way light suffuses the field, yellow-green, distant blue-gray ridgelines, or the warped netted planks replacing a muddy track.

Rarely do we crouch for a closer look, except to search for a blueberry patch.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/forest-bog-walk-amp-talk-daylights-wonder

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UPDATE: On Your Mark, Get Set, Crow!
UPDATE: On Your Mark, Get Set, Crow!

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Around 108 runners stampeded off a bridge Saturday's rainy morning on their way to Eagle River, 22.6 miles away.

Confronting them was a three-mile, 2,000-foot climb to the top of Crow Pass, a 10-mile descent through an overgrown trail to eventually cross thigh or waist-high Eagle River, then another nearly 10-mile slog to the Eagle River Nature Center.

Prior to the start, runners had received a warning: it's going to be a cold one. A steady drizzle made the 50-degree morning feel downright chilly.

And with a capacity for 150 racers, only 108 bibs were picked up. 

This year the 41st-annual race is going to be a little "longer and slower", Race Director Matias Saari said as he packed up gear below a tent at the start.

Later he sent a text:  "two come from behind wins".

Crossing the finish line three hours and 33 minutes later, Allan Spangler had a five minute lead over 18-year-old Zan Griffis. Spangler "caught and passed" Griffis with three miles to go, Saari said, and Christy Marvin "chased down" Shauna Severson to be the first woman to cross the tape. The two took 8th and 9th overall.

A new trail section adds nearly a half mile to the run. The time limit for completion was increased to seven hours.

Read the entire story at the link below;

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/one-your-mark-get-set-crow

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Girdwood Sees Record Turnout for Local Anti-Trump "No Kings" Demonstration
Girdwood Sees Record Turnout for Local Anti-Trump "No Kings" Demonstration

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Organizers estimate eight million people hit the streets in yesterday's "No Kings" demonstrations across the country.

If Girdwood is any indication, it was the largest day of protest yet seen since Donald Trump took office a little over a year ago.

All four corners of Alyeska Hwy. and Hightower Rd. were packed with locals holding signs and banners. Organizer Emma Kramer counted 110 at one point, the highest seen locally in the 10 held since the start of Trump's election.

"There was one in the summer where we had numbers close to this, but I think we exceeded it by 20 or 25 people," Kramer said. 

A variety of signs fluttered in the crowd, highlighted by morning sunshine rounding Max's Mtn. 

"I think the message here was 'bring a friend' because chances are you and your friend will both find reasons for things you wish were different, things you want to change, things you can't stand by and watch happening," Kramer said.

Read the entire story at the link below:

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100 Percent Dump Increase Beleaguers Local Residents 
100 Percent Dump Increase Beleaguers Local Residents 

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

A new rate increase that doubles the cost of trash disposal at municipal transfer facilities has some local residents storing their garbage and others laying a course to fight the fee.

Paying $10 to throw out a single bag of garbage is a high cost for a single person living paycheck to paycheck, said a municipal employee who declined to be identified. 

"There are elderly people stockpiling stinky trash in their house because they don't have a shed," the source said. 

The price to throw out one-to-four bags shot up from $5 to $10, a 100% increase. A load of a cubic yard or less went from $10 to $15 and a truck load climbed from $20 to $27.

Only a small part of the increase, 5 percent, pays for "rising operating costs" of Solid Waste Service, according to a flyer from the self-funded utility.

The bulk of the extra cost is a $4 surcharge to fund a "Healthy Spaces" crew of workers tasked with cleaning parks and other public spaces in the municipality. 

The measure, championed by Anchorage Assembly Member Chris Constant, passed the Assembly in September and took effect in January. At a press conference two weeks ago Mayor Suzanne LaFrance said the Healthy Spaces program added 10 year-round positions.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/100-percent-dump-increase-beleaguers-local-residentsnbsp

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Noncommercial Shrimp Season Reduced, Commercial Season Closed for 2026
Noncommercial Shrimp Season Reduced, Commercial Season Closed for 2026

By Allison Sayer

TNews Staffwriter

 On February 26, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) announced the noncommercial (sport + subsistence)spot shrimp fishery would be open from May 1 through June 8, and fishers would be limited to two pots. This is over six weeks less than last year, and almost four months shorter than the 2024 season.

 The guideline harvest limit (GHL) in the 2026 noncommercial fishery is 29,782 pounds. Managers determine the GHL as a proportion of the estimated population, which has declined each year since 2021. Pot and season limits are then implemented based on the limit.

 The 2025 GHL was 54,311 pounds of shrimp, and the season was open May 1 though July 31 with two pots. During 2025, fishers exceeded the GHL, catching 60,234 pounds. The noncommercial fishery catch has exceeded the GHL for seven of the past seventeen seasons, despite managers implementing pot and season limits.

 ADF&G commercial and sport fishery staff hosted an online meeting February 12 to discuss shrimp research and take public questions and comments. According to Area Management Biologist Brittany Blain-Roth, about 130 people tuned into the meeting. 

 One bright spot presented by Fisheries Biologist Alissa Cole was the 2025 shift in commercial and noncommercial season opening days from April 15 to May 1 reduced the percentage of egg-bearing females taken in the harvest- from 36% of the fishery to just 5%. Presumably, the later date gave most females time to release their eggs before being harvested. 

 Cole shared population estimates come from an annual survey that has been performed in October throughout Prince William Sound since 1992.

Read the entire story at the link below

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/noncommercial-shrimp-season-reduced-commercial-season-closed-for-2026

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Seward Highway project meeting held in Girdwood
Seward Highway project meeting held in Girdwood

By Chase Berenson

TNews Staffwriter

On Tuesday, January 13th, Girdwood residents met with representatives of the Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) and their consultants HDR and Michael Baker International to discuss the Safer Seward Highway project.  This is a massive infrastructure project that would dramatically reimagine the Seward Highway between mileposts 98.5 and 118, or approximately from Bird Flats in the south to Rabbit Creek in the north.  In December 2025 the DOT published the draft Environmental Assessment (EA), and this meeting allowed the public to comment on the assessment.

The Safer Seward Highway project is a construction project that is predicted to cost $1.4 billion and to take 15-20 years of work.  This project will convert the road into a four-lane divided highway, like the Glenn Highway between Anchorage and Wasilla.  This project will straighten out the curves of the highway by blasting rock walls and cliffs, will destroy over 300 acres of wildlife habitat, and will fill in 101 acres of mudflats to provide space to expand the Alaska Railroad tracks and the Seward Highway itself.  The Environmental Assessment states that the project may entail highway closures for construction for some period of the day that may take place daily over the 15-20 years of construction.

The DOT’s goals with the project are threefold: reduce crashes, increase mobility/reliability, and accommodate mixed-use in the highway right-of-way.  It approaches these goals by expanding the highway to be safer, which the DOT claims should reduce accident-related closures and make the highway more reliable.  The project also includes a multi-use pathway from the northern end of the Bird-to-Gird all the way to Anchorage, accommodating pedestrians and bicyclists who want to connect Anchorage and Girdwood without using the highway.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/seward-highway-project-meeting-held-in-girdwood

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Turnagain Community Health: Don’t Give Up On Accessing Health Care
Turnagain Community Health: Don’t Give Up On Accessing Health Care

By Allison Sayer

TNews Staffwriter

 The deadline to enroll in Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance (also widely called “Obamacare”) is just days away- Thursday, January 15. I spoke to Turnagain Community Health Patient Assistance Program Coordinator Linda Mankoff on January 9 to learn more about options for health insurance in 2026.

 Free appointments for help understanding your options are available at Turnagain Community Health. Call 783-1355, choose option 1, and ask to be scheduled with a Community Health Worker.   The best times to call are Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You do not have to be a patient to receive help.

 Congressional wrangling over extending pandemic-era insurance subsidies has been all over national news. Mankoff feels there has been confusion about what Congress is actually fighting about. In 2021, extra subsidies were added to the already existing ACA program. In particular, substantial subsidies were extended to people making over $75,000 per year. Those extra subsidies expired December 31. Extending them was what Congress is fighting about.

 “We could not get people in here on the first of November [when the enrollment period started]. The way it came out in the media, it sounded like Obamacare was gone.” She felt people who were making $30,000 or $40,000 per year didn’t understand they could still be eligible for premium tax credits and lower premiums.  

 What if you earn more than $75,000? Mankoff said she has worked with Girdwood small business owners who initially thought, “I’m never going to be able to afford the marketplace.” However, she continued, “The Marketplace counts net profits for small business owners.” “I tell owners, if you made a big profit, but then you reinvested in the business, what did you actually see at the end of the day? You could be eligible.”

 There are people who will see a huge jump in premiums if the extra subsidies end. “If you are in a certain category, you may have paid $400 last year for insurance but it could be as much as $1500-1800 per month this year,” said Mankoff.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/turnagain-community-health-dont-give-up-on-accessing-health-care

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