Alaskans aren't confident with the direction the state is headed, a recent poll has found.

According to the Rasmuson Foundation, which has been polling Alaskans for five years, concern about the economy is at a four-year high. The poll shows that the number of Alaskans who say they are extremely concerned about the budget shortfall has grown significantly since July of 2015.

Only 25 percent of Alaskans rate the economy as excellent or good, which is down from 37 percent in July 2015. Additionally, 72 percent of respondents consider the economic conditions to be fair or poor, which has increased from 61 percent in July. Perhaps even more telling, is that 50 percent of Alaskans predict that the state economy will be worse one year from now.

"When you say, 'What's the most important issue for our elected officials to deal with?' two-thirds of [respondents] say the budget, deal with the budget," Diane Kaplan, president and CEO of Rasmuson Foundation said. "And what they feel is, if there's not a solution soon, this uncertainty will continue to plague Alaska and make it a very unfavorable environment for people to feel good about spending money, investing money."

State lawmakers are faced with two big challenges this year: agree on policies that address the almost $4 billion spending deficit and looming fiscal crisis, and then live with the consequences of the solution that ultimately wins out.

Rasmuson is one of the many organizations watching closely as the lawmaking session unfolds and has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a variety of initiatives all over Alaska, Kaplan said. The foundation is behind an effort to make sure that a "comprehensive" fiscal solution is passed this year.

Due to legal and tax reasons, Rasmuson cannot advocate specific policies and is instead limited to providing educational materials. That includes building a website called Plan4Alaska.com and writing papers that call for consideration of additional government cuts, new taxes, and use of excess Permanent Fund earnings.

Additionally, the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation says already there are signs of a slow down in restaurant and hotel spending, although that could be blamed on a low snowfall, which caused fewer people to travel here for winter activities.

AEDC says the housing market does not appear to have slowed down. "What we're seeing is this concern that is being driven by bad news in the oil patch," said AEDC president and CEO Bill Popp. "Unfortunately any kind of bad news right now gets headline treatment in any forms of media even if it's a small thing, and that kind of constant push is undermining confidence to a degree. But the big uncertainty factor is state government."

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With warmer than average spring weather, farmers in the Mat-Su Borough are in "crunch time" to prepare for the upcoming farming season.

According to district agriculture agent Stephen Brown, the farmland is typically too cold or too wet to get significant work done during April. But this year is bucking the normal trend, with farmers plowing fields, spreading fertilizer and starting plants off in green houses ahead of schedule.

"This is shaping up to be a spectacular season. Spring has gotten here a whole month to month and a half early," said Brown.

Out on the Matanuska Experiment Farm, farmer Jim Ericksen was out on his tractor Tuesday afternoon, fertilizing his future hay fields with about three tons of product.

"Conditions right now are just about perfect," said Ericksen. "In some spots it's a little wet, but I'm just driving around them."

Brown said farmers like Ericksen are already working 16 to 18 hour days to prepare for a bountiful harvest, but still many are waiting for a few more weeks before committing seeds to the ground. May 21 is said to be the general rule for planting in Alaska, as that's when the last freeze historically strikes.

"We're telling people, 'Don't plant yet! Don't plant yet!' because we could have a really hard freeze," said Brown. "But with weather like this, who doesn't want to plant?"

Construction work is already underway, but this afternoon Alaska Pacific University held a groundbreaking ceremony announcing a new business venture that the school is part of.

The building going up in the U-Med District near University Lake Drive will house the Denali OB-GYN Clinic. APU is leasing its land to the clinic.

It's the first project under a major agreement to develop APU endowment lands. The university signed the agreement last year with Anchorage developer Mark Pfeffer.

APU has sold a significant amount of its land over the past 20-years. Rather than bringing in revenue through one-time sales, the new agreement calls for APU to lease its endowment land to bring in a steady stream of revenue.

According to university, the lease for the new clinic will bring in $200,000 a year.

The university has identified an additional 65 acres of land it would like to develop in the future.

As allergy season gets underway and beekeepers receive new shipments of bees, some say fresh locally made honey is the key to taming some of those allergy symptoms. But there's a debate among medical professionals about whether or not honey is a true remedy for the problem.

Dena Tanguay, a beekeeper in Palmer, said being outside at this time of the year would have been difficult for her five years ago.

"I am allergic to cottonwood, birch, most of the grasses, the pollen in the grasses, a number of the things that we have here," Tanguay said.

But after consuming locally-grown raw honey, Tanguay noticed she began to feel better. That's when she decided to take a class and try her hand at beekeeping.

"When I first got my bees, I was terrified of my bees and I got stung a couple times and I realized it wasn't going to kill me and you get used to it," Tanguay said.

The raw honey she now eats regularly is made by bees collecting pollen from the same plants that once made her sick, but she said it was the honey that helped control her symptoms.

"You know, I still have other things that we all get as we get older. Arthritis, it hasn't helped with that," Tanguay said. "It does appear to be helping with all the respiratory illnesses and the issues that deal with the allergens."

Beverly Sorenson, an acupuncturist at Natural Health Center said honey has served as a natural remedy for thousands of years.

"Ancient Egyptians would use honey as offerings to their gods," Sorenson said. "The other thing they did with honey is they used it for embalming and for wound care."

In today's world, Sorenson said the FDA approved in 2007 a medical-grade honey known as "Manuka honey" to treat ulcers and sores.

"Manuka honey is a product from Australia, it's a darker honey and they find that the darker honeys are better when we're using them on a medical grade such as for wound care," Sorenson said.

But when it comes to allergies, medical experts with Mayo Clinic said honey's effectiveness as a treatment haven't been consistently duplicated in clinical studies and said it could just be a sweet placebo.

Other experts, like Sorenson said the research about honey treating allergies is limited and testimony from patients makes a strong case.

"I've seen some really amazing benefits of honey in my clinic and with the patients that I treat and they believe it's helped ward off seasonal allergies, seasonal colds and flues," Sorenson said.

Tanguay said that's been the case for her.

"It is an amazing thing, honey" Tanguay said. "I no longer have pneumonia, I no longer get bronchitis, I'm not constantly sick and the only thing that's different is the honey."

Whether or not there is a proven link between honey and allergies, Tanguay said she plans to continue doing what makes her happy.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The university professor mauled while leading a mountaineering class in southeast Alaska continues to improve.

Forest Wagner has been upgraded to fair condition at Providence Alaska Medical Center. The University of Alaska Southeast also says in a Tuesday release that the 35-year-old Wagner has been moved from intensive care to the orthopedic care unit.

Wagner was with a group of nine students and two teaching assistants on April 18 near Haines, Alaska, when he was mauled by a brown bear.

The extent of his injuries hasn't been released except for a police report indicating extensive leg wounds. Wagner has declined interview requests.

While Wagner was en route to the Anchorage hospital, the university arranged for the students to be evacuated from the mountain. There were no other injuries.

JUNEAU -- A new version of omnibus crime reform legislation, introduced at a House Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday, would strip away many changes that were recommended as S.B. 91 made its way through the Senate and legislative committees.

A key goal of the bill is to make it so there are fewer Alaskans serving lengthy prison terms in cases where they are not effective at preventing recidivism or improving re-integration to society.

Some victim advocacy groups have voiced opposition to the bill, saying it makes the state soft on crime.

The latest committee substitute bill is an attempt to pare down a proposal that increasingly became far-reaching as it moved through the Senate -- which passed the bill, 16-2, on April 9 -- and in the House Judiciary Committee, according to Rep. Steve Thompson, R-Fairbanks, the finance committee co-chair behind the newly unveiled changes that have been worked on for weeks.

The current version is more in line with original recommendations of the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission, which released a report in December on the state's rising prison population that outlined various policies.

Below is a Q&A with Thompson:

Austin Baird: Can you talk about the committee's approach in revising the bill that passed the Senate a couple weeks ago? Rep. Steve Thompson:  "We tried to trim it back to where it's addressing what the Criminal Justice Commission was trying to do with their 21 recommendations that they had. The bill is about corrections, recidivism, trying to reduce our spending that we have in prisons. A lot of the additions it picked up in the process of coming through and coming over to us were trying to fix crime. That's another issue. This bill is 114 pages long with 186 sections, and it was a lot longer. We tried to bring it back to something that was manageable. This is a huge bill. In reality, it probably should have been four or five separate bills that we could have gone through. But we feel like it's a product now that's been worked through by the district attorneys, by victims services, the victims rights groups, the public defenders office, department of law, they've all been involved in this, and we had them work on the (committee substitute) to make sure we were doing the right things."

Q: Do you feel like you've resolved concerns raised by groups like the Office of Victims' Rights? A: "I'm not sure that there's anything in there that they disagree with right now at this time. I think they were in the room tonight. (This bill is) something that's been a big concern to them also, that we don't lighten it too much and we increase where it's necessary."

Q: Do you feel like this version of the bill has the support needed to pass, or do you expect significant changes through committee and floor amendments? A: "We'll see tomorrow, I guess, here in this room. I think we do (have the votes) here in this room tomorrow. And I'm not sure, but there are probably some more amendments on the floor during the House floor session. So we'll see how that all works out, but I think most people are in acceptance that we need to do some of these things."

Q: A previous amendment made in the Senate incorporated H.B. 66 into this bill. That would have provided the families of officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty health insurance. Your version of the bill does not include that change. Why? A: "That's a difficult one. We've all got sympathies for those survivors, and that bill, I wish it would've gone through and got its hearings in all the different committees, and the committee it should have gone through. That's the big concern. That bill needs to be a standalone bill. There are so many different unintended consequences with that bill that -- it'll be back next year. I think that those survivors are being taken care of insurance wise at this time, so I'm looking forward to seeing that come through and get its proper place."

Q: Can you talk about the path forward for this bill? A: "We're going to continue this discussion in the morning. All the departments that were here tonight will be here probably to answer questions that some of the committee are going to be studying this bill late into the night probably, so they can make sure that they have all their questions answered. We'll discuss it in the morning, and then we'll take amendments. I don't know how long it's going to take tomorrow, but we're going to try to wade our way through this and the process so we can move it forward."

Anchorage police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred Tuesday evening at a Subway restaurant on Northway Drive. Police responded to the robbery at 7:18 p.m.

According to police, an adult male suspect entered the store with a handgun and ordered an employee to open the cash register. The employee then gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of cash before the suspect left the store on foot.

“At the time of the robbery there were no customers inside. There was one employee behind the front counter and two other employees in the back of the restaurant in an ‘employee only’ area,” police wrote in a Tuesday statement. “There were no injuries."

The suspect is described by police as a black male in his 30s, 6’02” tall and 220 pounds. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Anchorage police at 786-8900 or submit an anonymous tip on crimestoppers.

UPDATE:

The Assembly has passed an amendment to use $5 million from the city's budget surplus to issue a tax rebate to property owners after Sept. 1.

The amendment, proposed by Assembly members Eric Croft, John Weddleton and Forrest Dunbar, passed by a 9-2 vote.

ORIGINAL STORY:

The Anchorage Assembly tackled an envious problem Tuesday: how to spend approximately $15 million dollars left over from the last fiscal year. Both municipal cuts and a lack of demand for snow plowing over the winter contributed to the surplus.

Anchorage Assembly members Bill Evans and Amy Demboski proposed an immediate $5 million tax rebate. The savings for the owner of a $300,000 home would be close to $40 for the year.

Some of the debate centered on whether the money should be spent before budget decisions in Juneau are made.

“I think it’s an obligation if we’re going to spend a dime that we make equal effort to return some of that money to the citizens,” said Assembly member Bill Evans.

“It just does not seem prudent with everything that’s going on and the multitude of ways the city can be impacted by decisions that have not been made yet for us to do it now so for that reason I will be voting no here but finding another way to try and give $5 million for relief,” said Assembly member Eric Croft.

The amendment failed in a five to six vote. Assembly members Eric Croft, John Weddleton and Forrest Dunbar also proposed giving 1/3rd back to tax payers but not until after Sept. 1st.

The Assembly was still discussing the amendment late Tuesday night. Assembly member Patrick Flynn proposed setting aside $2 million into a trust fund but it failed in a five to six vote.

Assembly Members Traini and Gray-Jackson proposed spending $75,000 for Four A’s for its housing support program. That amendment passed with only Amy Demboski voting against it.

A proposal to hire a Commercial Fire Inspector for $83,500 along with $50,920 for a Code Enforcement Officer to deal with Marijuana issues were also still being discussed late Tuesday.

Following amendments the Assembly will set the mil rate for property tax payers for the next fiscal year. 

A small ice jam has raised concerns for flooding along the Yukon River. According to residents of Eagle, the town is seeing rising water levels.

“This morning, when we woke up it had risen considerably,” said Eagle resident Ann Miller, “Right now the river is relatively high but not threatening to us.” Miller says the river is usually about 30 feet below her house, but is now in the range of 15-20 feet.

“There was no anticipating for us anyway what happened in ’09, but when something like that happens to you try to be as prepared as possible," Miller said. "So you know when and where you are going to evacuate,and exactly what things you’ll take.”

In 2009, an ice jam caused devastating flooding in Eagle, destroying several homes.

The National Weather Service says it is monitoring the Yukon River break up this year.

“It’s a concern at the moment and we want the community to have a heightened awareness,” according to Crane Johnson, NWS River Hydrologist, “The latest information from this afternoon shows water levels elevated and a small ice jam a little downstream from Eagle.”

Johnson says other cities along the Yukon, like Dawson City, have set records for early break up.The National Weather Service says it's river watch crew will fly over Eagle on Friday to monitor the river's break up.

Alaska will soon become the first state in the nation to allow customers to smoke pot and consume marijuana edibles at authorized retail stores.

But rules governing this are still being hammered out, with state regulators set to consider regulations Wednesday in Anchorage.

But don't get too excited yet, especially if you're planning to visit Alaska this summer as a tourist.

The state hasn't issued any business licenses yet, and the first store isn't expected to open until this autumn — after the cruise ship season.

Among the items regulators will consider Wednesday will be deciding how to separate smoking area in stores from the sales side. And then there's the question of what happens to the pot you buy to smoke or eat on the premises but don't finish. Whatever is decided has to go out for public comment.

Anchorage police are searching for a suspect after the second armed robbery at a Mountain View gas station in two days, police spokeswoman Jennifer Castro told Channel 2 News. 

Just before 3 a.m., police were notified that a suspect had gone into the Holiday Gas Station at the 4000 block of Mountain View Drive and pointed a gun at the cashier, demanding money. "The suspect left on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash," police wrote. 

No one was injured in the stick up. "A K9 track was launched following the robbery and a search in the area for the suspect was unsuccessful," police wrote. 

In a similar incident on Monday, a suspect held the cashier at gunpoint, demanded the cash register be opened and fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. 

Anchorage police have not confirmed or ruled out the possibility that the suspect in the two stick ups is the same person, police spokeswoman Jennifer Castro told Channel 2 News. 

RELATED STORY: Anchorage police searching for suspect in armed robbery at Subway restaurant

Anyone with information about any of these crimes is asked to contact police at 786-8900 or make an anonymous tip at 561-STOP. 

An Anchorage assisted living home faces fines from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development for occupational safety and health issues after a caregiver was killed by one of the residents in 2015. 

In November, Eye to Eye ALH caregiver, 57-year-old Glenna Wyllie, was strangled and beaten to death Gilbert Nashookpuk who was in her care. Nashookpuk now faces first and second degree murder charges. 

On Wednesday, officials with the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced that Eye to Eye ALH will be fined $75,000 for its "willful failure to provide a workplace free of recognized hazards and for failing to notify the department of a workplace fatality."

RELATED: 'Just loved taking care of people.' Son remembers Anchorage caretaker killed Saturday

Investigations by the Department of Labor revealed that the assisted living home had failed to provide their employees with a safe place to work. Documents collected during the investigation revealed that Eye to Eye ALH officials were aware of the violent tendencies of the residents but still required Wyllie to work alone, which was a violation of their own standard of care. 

"Among other allegations, the willful citation asserts that, although Eye to Eye ALH specialized in providing assisted living care for adults with behavioral disturbances, developmental disabilities, and mental illnesses, the company failed to ensure employees were adequately trained to recognize and minimize workplace violence hazards," officials wrote. 

Eye to Eye ALH also failed to notify the Department of Labor within eight hours of becoming aware of Wyllie's death. This carries a penalty of $5,000. 

“I send my deepest condolences to the family, friends, and coworkers of Ms. Wyllie,” Labor Commissioner Heidi Drygas was quoted as saying in the press release. “Employers whose business involves known risks of violence to employees need to ensure workers are properly trained and protected. Incidents like this can be avoided with adequate training and staffing.”

Eye to Eye ALH will have an opportunity to formally contest each of the alleged violations. 

ANCHORAGE - Imagine having to wait decades before ever seeing the national war memorial honoring you and your comrades.

The Last Frontier Honor Flight is working to end that wait, jetting groups to Washington D.C. and making a world of difference for more than 20 Alaskan veterans on this week's trip.

As the 71st anniversary of World War II approaches, 23 veterans from around Alaska boarded a flight Tuesday to Washington, D.C., departing Anchorage for a five-day experience in the nation's capital.

...

For these brave men and women, it could be one of the last chances they get.

"The clock is running," said Ron Travis, president and co-founder of the Last Frontier Honor Flight, noting that America loses about 400 World War II veterans each day. When the Last Frontier Honor Flight first began, he said, that number was in the neighborhood of 1,500.

"They're running out of gas, so it's important that we do it," he said. "If we don't do it now, we're not going to get it done at all."

Travis and his wife started the mission in Alaska in 2013 after learning about the trip in other states and realizing the nationwide effort had no Alaskan hub.

"We thought, well, when we get back to Alaska, we will find out and we will help," he said. "Well, we've got more veterans than any other state per capita, and we don't have this program?"

The couple gathered some friends and made it happen.

"When people say it's a lot of work, it's a lot of work. We work 24/7," Travis said. "But when someone comes up – 93, 94 years old – with tears in his eyes and says 'Thank you,' the bills are paid."

It's a team effort: The cost for a single Honor Flight is around $60,000 round trip, which includes the plane tickets for veterans, their guardians, a medic, and a photographer, hotels, meals, motorbus transportation and the like, according to Board Member Carol Marvel. The trip can only happen with help from numerous volunteers, donors and Alaska Air - which provides the plane tickets for veterans themselves - and Geneva Woods - which supplies wheelchairs and oxygen tanks.

Marvel said the Last Frontier Honor Flight is on its sixth run from Alaska this week, having served nearly 150 veterans since the first trip three years ago.

"It's such an honor," she said. "What it means is we are giving time and effort to help our vets who served, to give them the opportunity to see these memorials. It's really quite an event."

It's an exciting experience for the group of World War II and Korean War veterans who departed Ted Stevens on Tuesday.

"Oh, I'm elated," said Kathleen Mize, who served as a civilian nurse right here in Anchorage during World War II. "I've heard so many good reports, and I'm happy to be part of it."

For some, such as fellow World War II veteran William Hauff, the experience is as daunting as it is exciting.

"It'll be interesting, I'll put it that way," he said.

On Saturday, there will be a heroes' welcome for the veterans' return to Ted Stevens International Airport. The flight is scheduled to land that afternoon.

To learn more about the Last Frontier Honor Flight, click here.

Alaska State Troopers in Fairbanks have been grappling with a string of stolen vehicles lately.

Last Thursday troopers received a report of a stolen vehicle found at a business in Salcha.

Another vehicle was discovered stolen from that location. That stolen vehicle was subsequently located at another location where another vehicle was stolen, according to troopers.

The pattern continued across Fairbanks and North Pole until the next morning. A burglary was also discovered at one of the locations.

Last Friday, troopers say Sergey Delaney, 24 of North Pole was arrested in the vicinity of the sixth stolen vehicle on Moriarty Avenue in North Pole.

Delaney was taken to at Fairbanks Correctional Complex on six vehicle theft charges, first-degree burglary, and second-degree trespass.

The Anchorage School District is closer to choosing its next leader as the search for a superintendent winds down.

After about $40,000 worth of investment in a search that garnered more than 80 resumes from 48 different states, the hunt for ASD Superintendent Ed Graff's successor has been narrowed to two candidates: Dr. Deena Paramo, current superintendent of the Mat-Su Borough School District, and Dr. Steve Atwater, current interim dean at the University of Alaska Fairbanks' School of Education and former superintendent of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.

"Both of them have tremendous experience in education," said Kameron Perez-Verdia, Anchorage School Board president. He said, both have a lot of experience in bringing people together and demonstrating that they can improve outcomes for students.

"That is something that's really important to us," he said. "We want to make sure that all of our students are successful, and both have strong backgrounds in doing that."

Perez-Verdia said it's been an extremely long, extensive search because its importance.

"We saw some of the most talented and experienced candidates from across the country come and apply for positions here," he said. "We felt like we went through a thoughtful process, and we're excited to see that in the end, even though we saw some of the best in the entire country, Alaskans came out on top."

The public can learn more about the final candidates via a community meet-and-greet session on Wednesday.

A recording of the session will be posted online Thursday morning.

The meet-and-greet with both candidates will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Bartlett High School. Each candidate will have 45 minutes to give remarks, and both will answer questions from the audience.

"We're very proud of the two candidates we do have, and we're excited to show them to the public," Perez-Verdia said.

Perez-Verdia said he and the ASD School Board will have their last meeting with the candidates on Thursday morning. He said the plan is to make an offer that day and begin contract negotiations.

Current superintendent Ed Graff is among the top three candidates for a superintendent job in the St. Michael-Albertville School District in Minnesota. Graff is the only superintendent in the mix. The other two candidates are Minnesota-based principals.

Though people have questioned the ASD's decision not to renew Graff's contract, Perez-Verdia said he hopes the focus turns to the future and the direction in which the district is going.

"We feel like we made the right choice," Perez-Verdia said. "We realize it's hard for some people to understand, but we're really excited about moving forward."

He said he got 40 or 50 emails last weekend alone advocating for the remaining candidates. None of the emails were complaints, he said.

"These candidates are not only people that the community will really respond to, but they're going to be strong leaders for our district and our students," he said. He said that if all goes as planned, a new superintendent will be in place by May 2.

UPDATE:

Dustin Ames has been found safe at around 3:30p.m., according to trooper spokesman Tim Despain.

“At approximately 1530 hours, Dustin Ames was located along Goldstream Road by a volunteer searcher,” Despain told Channel 2 in an email. “Ames was in good health and is being reunited with his father. All searchers and assets are being recalled from the field.”

ORIGINAL STORY:

Alaska State Troopers are looking for a missing 11-year-old boy who is developmentally challenged.

Dustin Ames, 11, of Fairbanks is described as black, under 5-foot in height, and about 60 pounds.

He has short dark hair and dark brown eyes. The boy is believed to be wearing a black cowboy hat, an orange t-shirt and a black and red backpack. Dustin went missing in the area of Beverly Drive and Bonanza Trail this morning. It's near the Murphy Dome area.

The child reportedly ran away. Authorities do not think he would cooperate with any good Samaritans. If contacted, he may talk about living in the woods or going to Georgia to visit family.

Anyone who has sighted the child should contact 911 or 451-5100 immediately.

UPDATE:

A motorcyclist has been taken to hospital with serious injuries following a single-vehicle crash near Boniface and Boundary Avenue, according to APD spokeswoman Renee Oistad.

The motorcycle was the only vehicle involved, Oistad said.

"According to witnesses, the adult male motorcyclist was traveling westbound on Boundary, prior to Boniface, when he went into the curve and lost control," police wrote in a statement. "At this time it is unknown why the crash occurred as speed does not appear to be a factor."

The motorcyclist was wearing a helmet and is expected to survive, police say.

Boundary Ave. remains closed as emergency responders work the crash. The road will remain closed for about 30-45 minutes, police said.

ORIGINAL POST:

Anchorage police are responding to a vehicle crash with injuries near Boniface Parkway and Boundary Avenue.

Boundary is closed. Police are advising the public to avoid the area.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

UPDATE:

The jury in the Her Yang Thao trial has returned a verdict of not guilty of criminally negligent homicide.

Thao declined to be interviewed by Channel 2 as she left the court house Wednesday afternoon.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A jury is considering hours of emotional witness testimony and days worth of evidence in the criminally negligent homicide case of a woman who killed a 5-year-old girl in a South Anchorage trail park.

Her Thao faces up to four years in prison for the 2014 death of Ashley Xiong who was riding her bicycle with training wheels in Dimond Estates on May 9, 2014.

"You should be looking at where you're putting you car," said Assistant District Attorney Arne Soldwedel in his closing arguments today.

Soldwedel said Thao should have been more attentive while driving in the mobile home park where she lives.

Soldwedel argued that an emotional phone call Thao received from a daughter in California moments before the crash contributed to the crash. While talking on the phone while driving is not illegal, Soldwedel concluded it was a major contributor to why Thao did not see the young girl in the middle of Turquoise Street.

Soldwedel saidThao was grossly negligent in her actions.

The defense is asking the jury for an acquittal in the case. Thao's public defenders have argued the collision was unavoidable and Thao was not negligent in her driving.

"The cell phone may have played a part in the accident but it was not a major factor," said defense attorney Jonathan Torres.

The defense reminded the jury that Thao holds a clean driving record since she obtained a license in 2007.

Torres told the jury the victim should have been wearing a helmet to make herself more visible and avoid being struck.

Torres also pointed the finger at Anchorage police saying lead investigator Steve Dunn "ran a narrowly focused, incomplete investigation and that is why we are here today."

Torres said police should have taken a number of steps in their investigation including recreating the crash with the defendant's car at the scene and police never should have allowed cars to leave the scene which could have contributed to blocking the drivers view.

"The facts of the case do not add up to gross deviation," said Torres.

(Editor's note: Earlier versions of this story said Ashley Xiong was 4-years-old at the time of her death. That information was based on a police press release. It was clarified during Thao's trial that Xiong was actually 5-years-old when she was killed.)

Check back for updates on this developing story.

First a judge said their office lease was illegal. Then Gov. Bill Walker said he’d veto attempts to buy the controversial building. Now lawmakers are considering new options in the hunt for office space to house politicians who live or work in the city.

A few leaders from Legislative Council, the House-Senate committee in charge of finding space for lawmakers to meet in Anchorage, on Tuesday toured buildings on Kulis Air National Guard Base and a Wells Fargo office tower in Midtown, said council chair Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak.

The vacated National Guard base properties might be too expensive to renovate, Stevens said, who toured the five-story Wells Fargo office building at Northern Lights Boulevard and Minnesota Drive along with Sen. Anna MacKinnon, an Eagle River Republican who co-chairs the Senate Finance Committee, and Anchorage GOP Rep. Craig Johnson, House Rules Committee chair.

“(It) would be quite good,” Stevens said of the Wells Fargo property. “Great parking. Really accessible.”

The city assessed the value of the Wells Fargo offices, built in 1982, at $11.9 million. The Midnight Sun blog first reported lawmakers’ apparent interest in the building as a possible replacement for the LIO.

A Superior Court judge in March ruled the state’s lease of the renovated Legislative Information Office on Fourth Avenue was illegal because the deal was reached without an opportunity for competing bids.

The Legislative Council later offered to buy the building and land at 716 West Fourth Avenue from Mark Pfeffer and Bob Acree for $32.5 million, but Gov. Bill Walker said he would veto money to purchase the offices from the state construction budget.

The state-owned Atwood building downtown is also a possible home for lawmakers, who are looking for offices for Anchorage-based legislators and others who frequently work in the city.

A flood watch near the eastern Alaska village of Eagle has been upgraded to a flood advisory as an ice jam on the Yukon River continues to cause rising water levels in the area, the National Weather Service says.

According to the NWS, the ice jam is located about 10 miles downriver from Eagle, a community of about 80 people according to a 2015 Department of Labor estimate.

“The Yukon River is bankful and flowing overbank in some locations,” the NWS wrote in the advisory. “As of 1 p.m., residents report water levels have continued to slowly rise and minor flooding is occurring in the community.”

RELATED: Ice jam along Yukon River causes flooding concern in Eagle

Residents say the road connecting Eagle with Old Eagle Village has flooded and water is sitting about two feet below the city’s retaining wall. The choked river has also flooded the yards of several homes along the lower banks.

Minor flooding has also been reported in communities further upriver, such as Dawson City, however no significant surge of water is expected there over the next few days, the NWS says. Low elevation snowpack has also melted.

The NWS says water levels in Eagle will remain high and continue to rise until the ice jam releases. Travelers are advised not to cross any flooded roads.