Alaskans least likely to go hungry?: Alaska's topped yet another list, but some may argue the validity of a newly published Gallup Poll finding the state's residents are the least likely to struggle to afford food. According to Gallup's State of the States poll, 11 percent of Alaskans don't have enough money for food -- a lower figure than any other state. New Hampshire came in second at 11.3 percent. And for the sixth consecutive year in a row, Mississippians were the most likely U.S. residents to have difficulty buying meals – 25.1 percent of Mississippi's population can't afford food, according to the poll. However, in recent years researchers have shed light on Alaska's fickle food systems. Producing food has been done for centuries in subsistence cultures, but many Arctic regions can't plan to produce specific amounts of food each year because of unpredictable weather and uncertain food supplies. This causes food woes in the Bush, where grocery store items city folk take for granted skyrocket in price. But rural areas aren't the only places with issues; in urban hubs like Fairbanks and Anchorage, food can cost 25 percent more than it does in the Lower 48.
Cold case trial underway in Juneau: A cold case murder trial involving the shooting of a Washington woman by her boyfriend at a Southeast Alaska fishing lodge started Thursday, according to the Juneau Empire. Robert Kowalski, 52, is charged with first- and second-degree murder for the death of Sandra Perry. The 39-year-old woman was shot and killed at the Glacier Bear Lodge in Yakutat more than 17 years ago. The case of Perry's alleged murder was reopened in 2009 after Kowalski was convicted of homicide for killing a different girlfriend in Montana in 2008. Perry's death was initially ruled an accident, as the defendant, who then lived in Auburn, said he heard a bear at the bedroom window and grabbed his 12-gauge shotgun. He said he tripped over a cord on his way to the window, causing the gun to discharge and kill Perry. The trial is expected to last three to four weeks.
Spice arrest in the Mat-Su: Alaska State Troopers say they arrested a 24-year-old Houston man who'd been smoking Spice, or synthetic marijuana. Late Friday night, troopers responded to a residence near White Knight Road in Houston, a community of 2,039 that lies on the George Parks Highway 18 northwest of Wasilla, after getting a disturbance report. Troopers say they contacted Bryan Hamersley and determined he'd been smoking the over-the-counter drug inside the house while on probation. The man was arrested for probation violation from an original charge of fourth-degree misconduct involving a controlled substance. In Anchorage, the state's largest city 57 road miles from Houston, a city ordinance has banned the sale of synthetic drugs by targeting misleading marketing. Sen. Kevin Meyer introduced legislation in February hoping to mimic the Anchorage ordinance and impose a statewide ban. Senate Bill 173 was referred to the Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday. But near Houston in Wasilla, people can still buy Spice at smoke shops as the city council failed to pass its own anti-synthetic drug ordinance.
Troopers say Fairbanks DUI suspect fled on foot: An alleged drunk driver in Fairbanks who tried to escape pursuing officers in a vehicle and on foot but ended up in handcuffs now faces a slew of charges, according to Alaska State Troopers. Around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, troopers got a call about an intoxicated driver leaving a University Avenue business. They went to the area and located a vehicle, and the driver, 42-year-old Edward Smagge, reportedly decided to play hot pursuit rather than stop. But his vehicle eventually crashed on Chena Ridge Road. Undeterred, Smagge "fled on foot into the woods." He was apprehended and taken to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital for treatment of possible injuries, troopers say. The amateur escape artist is being charged with felony eluding, felony DUI and violating conditions of release from a previous case.