Invasive plants have closed a lake at a state recreation area near Nikiski to planes and boats for the summer, with state and federal workers planning to contain the infestation in its waters.

The state Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation says Wednesday that its director, Ben Ellis, signed an order Monday closing Stormy Lake in the Captain Cook State Recreation Area.

According to state officials say both Stormy Lake and Daniels Lake, on the recreation area's boundary, have been infested by Elodea plants. The aquatic plants can have severe effects if unchecked, and easily spread by attachment to plane floats or boat hulls, and can asexually reproduce in other bodies of water.

"Ecological impacts include reduced water quality, increased sedimentation, native vegetation displacement, and degraded salmon spawning habitat," officials wrote. "Elodea can also impact recreation use by entangling outboard motors, decreasing fishing opportunities, and creating undesirable conditions for swimming and wading."

The state anticipates treating Stormy and Daniels lakes to halt their Elodea infestations this summer.

Contact Chris Klint

A gap in an ice jam is slowly draining a massive backup of water upriver from the community of Fort Yukon.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner says part of the ice jam on the Yukon River broke early Wednesday morning.

Forecasters have been watching a large amount of water behind the ice jam 12 miles upriver from the community 145 miles northeast of Fairbanks.

A National Weather Service area flood watch for the Yukon, from Beaver to Rampart, remains in effect until Friday afternoon. Forecasters with the service's River Watch Team are monitoring a breakup front which is moving downriver.

"If an ice jam forms as the breakup front moves past then water levels could rise rapidly and flooding could occur at Beaver, Stevens Village and Rampart between now and Friday," forecasters wrote.

Fort Yukon police Sgt. Peter Hawbaker says that other than some ice Tuesday night and early Wednesday, water levels have not changed since dropping after minor flooding Monday.

Some low-lying areas of the town with more than 580 residents flooded including a road to the airport.

State emergency managers are working with Fort Yukon and other communities threatened or affected by flooding, including Circle and Eagle.

The pilots involved in a midair collision near Talkeetna nearly two years ago that left a family of four dead were communicating on different radio frequencies, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

A factual NTSB report, released Tuesday, sheds new light on the July 30, 2011 floatplane collision near Amber Lake which killed the Carlson family -- pilot Corey Carlson, 41, Hetty Barnett Carlson, 39, and their daughters Adelaide, 3, and Ella, 5. The pilot of the other plane, 56-year-old Kevin Earp of Eagle River, was uninjured in the crash.

In the report, the NTSB says Earp's Cessna 206 took off from Sister Lake at 2 p.m. headed for nearby Amber Lake, roughly 16 miles southwest of Talkeetna. The Carlsons' Cessna 180 had taken off from Anchorage's Lake Hood seaplane base at 1:30 p.m., headed for Amber Lake.

Earp told investigators he had little to no warning before colliding with the Carlsons' aircraft at about 2:15 p.m.

"(T)he pilot of the Cessna 206 said that while on approach to Amber Lake he did not see the Cessna 180 coming from his right until the last seconds prior to the impact," investigators wrote. "He said he pulled his airplane up and left to avoid the collision."

Earp's wife, who was on the ground at the couple's cabin near Sister Lake that day, watched him take off from Sister Lake headed for Amber Lake. She told the NTSB that she had seen a plane passing to the north of her headed east or northeast before he took off -- which she believed to be the same aircraft which collided with him after he was airborne.

"As she watched, the airplanes appeared to be converging. She saw her husband's Cessna 206 pitch up and roll left, and the two airplanes collided," investigators wrote. "She said the airplanes seemed suspended together for a few seconds, and she saw a flash and smoke as the unknown airplane plummeted toward the ground trailing smoke."

The NTSB says the Carlsons' plane lost part of its left wing and its left aileron, which were lodged in the floats of Earp's aircraft. The Cessna 180 crashed and burned afterward, in a fire which destroyed most of the passenger compartment, while Earp was able to limp his Cessna 206 back to Anchorage.

According to the report, Earp was working as a Boeing 737 captain at the time of the crash and had more than 19,000 hours of total flight time logged. No flight records were available for Corey Carlson, but in a June 30, 2007 medical form filed with the FAA Carlson said he had about 220 hours of total flight time logged, 50 of which had occurred in the past six months.

Although the crash took place in airspace where planes aren't required to have two-way communications gear, both pilots were reportedly transmitting and listening for other aircraft. Earp told the NTSB that he was using 122.8 MHz -- the radio frequency designated for that purpose by the Federal Aviation Administration in areas south and west of the Parks Highway, including Amber Lake.

Similar transmissions in areas north and east of the Parks are supposed to occur on 122.9 MHz, the frequency Carlson was apparently using at the time of the crash.

"According to a pilot-rated member of the Cessna 180 pilot's family, another pilot heard the Cessna 180 pilot making position reports on 122.9 MHz at the time of the accident," investigators wrote. "The family member said communicating on (122.9 MHz) was the common practice used by the Cessna 180 pilot and himself at all remote lakes."

The NTSB says the Amber Lake crash led to the formation of the Mat Su Mid-Air Collision Avoidance Working Group, an organization intended to clarify and standardize radio frequencies in the region to avoid similar crashes in the future.

Tom George, co-chair of the working group and Alaska regional director of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, says the group is working closely with the FAA to identify inconsistancies and make recommendations regarding radio frequencies.

"What we're trying to do right now actually, is define some zones that would use the common frequency for an entire area rather than just an individual airport to help reduce confusion of the type that might have contributed to that accident," said George.

In a survey posted online last year (PDF), the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association says 53 percent of responding pilots who flew in the Mat-Su Valley reported feeling unsafe due to "aircraft proximity" during the previous five years.

Channel 2's Abby Hancock contributed information to this story.

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

Contact Chris Klint

Anchorage firefighters are investigating a fire at a Midtown coffee stand early Tuesday morning, this month's second suspicious blaze at a local food-service establishment with indications of burglary beforehand.

According to Anchorage Fire Department spokesperson Al Tamagni Jr., a passerby called crews to the Sugar Shack coffee stand at 3720 Lake Otis Pkwy. at about 4:04 a.m. While 12 AFD units were initially dispatched to the fire, Anchorage police were among the first responders.

"APD got there and said it was fully involved," Tamagni said.

Crews quickly extinguished the fire, which was focused on a doorway on the north side of the Sugar Shack. The stand was unoccupied and apparently closed, with no injuries reported during the fire, but a subsequent investigation of the scene raised questions with firefighters.

"The southern window was broken out and all the items beneath it were on the floor," Tamagni said. "It looked like somebody had broken into (the stand) and burglarized it."

Tamagni says no determination has yet been made about the cause of the fire, which he says left the interior of the structure as a total loss. Crews turned the scene over to the Sugar Shack's owners after the fire was put out.

"At this point we're just calling it suspicious circumstances and it's under investigation," Tamagni said.

Tuesday's fire comes less than two weeks after a morning conflagration on May 11 burned the Sunrise Grill and Pancake House in South Anchorage, at 8201 Old Seward Hwy. AFD announced Monday that investigators believe the restaurant was burglarized before the fire, but Tamagni says no links have been made between the two incidents.

Anyone with information about either fire should call AFD at 267-5060 or Crime Stoppers at 561-STOP.

Channel 2's Mallory Peebles contributed information to this story.

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

Contact Chris Klint

The Anchorage Assembly voted unanimously to indefinitely postpone Ordinance 63, a proposal to reform public testimony policy, shortly before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Dozens lined up at Assembly chambers to take a stand on taking the stand, which was essentially tabled.

Many of these people were opposed to ordinance 63, a proposal by Assembly Chairman Ernie Hall that would have made changes to the policy for public testimony at assembly meetings.

Hall's proposal would have required a sign-up sheet when the room swells with people wanting to comment on a particular issue, as was the case earlier this year when the city wanted to rewrite the labor laws

"After AO 37, I received a letter from the ACLU that stated, you need to do it the same time, every time you do it," said Hall. "You can't do it with a shotgun this way this time - this way next time."

According to Hall, his proposal would have established a protocol on how to conduct public comment that can be followed by future assemblies.

"It's going to guarantee [that] the people that show up the first night and put their name on the list are going to be the first to testify when you go into the following meeting because you will begin by calling the names on the previous sign-up sheet," said Hall.

Assembly Member Dick Traini opposed the ordinance because he said people who didn't sign up on the first night of testimony, wouldn't be able to do so on the second night.

"You know our obligation when we run for the Assembly is to listen to everyone," said Traini.  "That just means if you have to have another meeting, you start the meeting at noon."

That assurance fell on deaf ears on the second night of public testimony on the matter.

"I will be heard before this assembly," said Richard Evans.  "I demand my right to speak before this assembly because it's the government of this city and the government of me."  

The next Anchorage Assembly meeting is scheduled for June 4.

Contact Adam Pinsker

On day two of the Devante Jordan murder, jurors were shown graphic photos taken by police officers who first responded to the scene back in 2011.

Jordan was 19-years-old when he was shot to death at an apartment in Mountain View. He was one of eight men allegedly involved the 2009 deadly shooting of 17-year-old Desirae Douglas in East Anchorage.

Marquinn Jones-Nelson is accused of killing Jordan, tampering with physical evidence, and misconduct involving weapons. Parish Harris is also on trial in the case facing charges of misconduct involving weapons.

The defense for Jones-Nelson claimed their client shot Jordan in self defense.

The prosecution called to the stand Derland George, a man who was in jail at the same time as Jones-Nelson. He testified that Jones Nelson admitted to shooting Jordan.

"Later on in the evening, he told me about a situation he was involved in about a house in Mountain View where he shot Devante," said George.

Two police officers who responded to the crime scene also testified, including Officer Derek Sitz, who said he was one of the first on scene.

"As we entered the apartment, we could hear some screaming going on the inside, and it sounded like crying," said Officer Sitz. "Inside the apartment, we were directed towards the kitchen where a female adult was holding onto a male sitting in a chair."

Officer Sitz said police attempted life saving procedures but Jordan was pronounced dead on the scene. Photos of Jordan's gunshot wounds, one to the torso and two to the buttocks, were presented to jurors.

Jordan's mother, who attended the trial in person, cried out as she tried to leave the courtroom when the graphic photos were shown.

Attorneys for Jones-Nelson said they will not comment on if their client will take the stand. The trial is expected to last until the beginning of June.

Contact Mallory Peebles

Authorities in the Florida Keys are searching for a man who went missing during a boating trip.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office reports that the U.S. Coast Guard detected 40-year-old Jay Wesley Rydberg's emergency beacon May 14 at 4:13 a.m. During a 78-hour search, Rydberg's beacon was found 33 miles north of Key West, but there were no signs of Rydberg or his 39-foot trimaran sailboat. At the time the beacon went off, there were no reported storms in the area.

Rydberg had been living on his boat at a Key West marina for the past year. His sister told authorities that he had moved from Alaska to Florida to be near his 11-year-old son, who lives in southwest Florida. He was sailing from Fort Myers back to Key West when he disappeared.

Gov. Sean Parnell has signed into law several bills, including an overhaul of Alaska's oil tax structure.

Parnell championed the overhaul as a way to increase oil production. He referred to the bill Tuesday as the "More Alaska Production Act."

Critics fear the plan gives away too much to oil companies with no guarantee about what Alaska might see in return. Protesters gathered outside the venue where Parnell spoke and signed the bill in Anchorage.

Parnell also signed bills involving permitting and a gas line project.

Parnell says taken together, the bills are part of an historic package aimed at moving Alaska forward.

In addition, Parnell signed state budgets totaling $13.2 billion.
   
The operating and capital budgets constitute about $1.1 billion less in unrestricted general fund spending compared with the current year. Unrestricted general funds refer to money that isn't restricted in its use by the law, constitution or something else.
   
Parnell vetoed $2.5 million, much of which was attributed to a calculation error. He called his reductions "modest."
   
Parnell, who earlier in his term vetoed a record $400 million in spending, says lawmakers this year stuck to the spending limit that all sides had agreed to.

Republicans took over the Senate after last year's elections, putting the GOP in control of the House, Senate and governor's office for the first time in years.

Contact Chris Klint

A German man died Sunday night after suffering a heart attack on Mount McKinley, becoming the first climber to die on the mountain during the 2013 climbing season.

In a Tuesday statement, Denali National Park spokesperson Maureen McLaughlin says Klaus Bielstein, 59, of Muenster, Germany was part of an 11-person expedition guided by Alpine Ascents International, which was ascending the mountain via its West Buttress route.

"According to teammates, Bielstein suddenly collapsed after the team rounded the feature known as Windy Corner, just as they reached a commonly used gear caching site at 13,500 feet," McLaughlin wrote.

McLaughlin says many teams ascend to 13,500 feet to cache gear for future legs of the climb, then fall back to 11,000 feet to rest -- a portion of the ascent that often marks climbers' first exposure to steeper terrain and higher elevations.

"It would have been their first taste of getting to higher than 11,000 feet," McLaughlin said.

After Bielstein fell, his fellow climbers attempted to resuscitate him while calling the Kalhiltna base camp by radio at about 7 p.m. Sunday for assistance.

"The guides had started CPR, and just were unable to regain a pulse," McLaughlin said.

National Park Service rangers from the mountain's 14,200-foot camp were able to reach Windy Corner in less than an hour, and a volunteer registered nurse declared him dead after a medical assessment.

"Bielstein's remains were recovered that evening by the NPS A-Star B3 helicopter via a long-line operation, then subsequently flown to Talkeetna and transferred to a local funeral home," McLaughlin wrote.

McLaughlin says 920 climbers have registered to climb Mount McKinley this year, 352 of whom are currently on the mountain. Five of the 14 teams that have already tried the climb successfully reached the summit.

According to McLaughlin, Bielstein's death marks the fifth on the mountain from cardiac arrests in five years, with two recorded in 2008, one in 2009 and one in 2011.

Contact Chris Klint

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has decreased the bag and possession limit for razor clams harvested from the eastside Cook Inlet beaches due to an assessment that shows this year's abundance of razor clams as the lowest on record in the past 21 years.

According to the ADFG, razor clam populations on the Ninilchik Beach decreased from approximately 1,500,000 clams in 2011 to 79,000 clams in 2013. The cause of the decline is unknown, but is thought to be a result of poor spawning or settling success.

Diggers are limited to the first 25 clams dug per day and each person may possess up to 25 razor clams. The reduction is effective beginning 12:01 a.m. Thursday, May 23, through December 31.

Contact Jessica Ridgway