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Congressman Don Young Apologizes For Slur
Peter Granitz, APRN – Washington DC
Congressman Don Young has apologized for a derogatory term he used to describe Mexican migrant workers earlier this week in Ketchikan.
Alaska Senate Passes Operating Budget
Alexandra Gutierrez, APRN – Juneau
On Thursday, the Alaska State Senate passed its operating budget, and it’s slightly smaller than the one proposed by Governor Sean Parnell. Parnell hopes to see more budgets like that in the future. He’s proposed a five-year commitment to keep state general fund spending at $6.8 billion. Combined with his oil tax plan, the proposal could mean a combination of belt-tightening measures and big withdrawals from Alaska’s savings accounts.
Fairbanks Assembly Axes CHIPS Ordinance
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
The Fairbanks North Star Borough assembly shot down an ordinance Thursday night that would have paid people $30 a day not to burn wood when air quality is poor.
European Company Bids On Mat-Su Ferry
Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage
Authorities at the Matanuska Susitna Borough today opened a single bid for the ice breaking ferry, Susitna. Borough spokesperson Patty Sullivan says the bid came from Europe.
Adak Builds Case For Ferry Service
Stephanie Joyce, KUCB – Unalaska
The Aleutian community of Adak wants ferry service. In a resolution passed last month, the city council asked the state marine highway system to consider sending a ferry out to the community at least once a year.
McDonald’s Drops Fish McBites From Menu
Lauren Rosenthal, KUCB – Unalaska
McDonald’s bet on their new Fish McBites to help lift the company out of financial doldrums this winter. The gamble didn’t pay off: The new product didn’t sell very well, and it’s going to be pulled from the menu at the end of the month.
But as KUCB’s Lauren Rosenthal reports, the McBites experiment wasn’t a total flop — at least, not for Alaskan fishermen.
State Legislators Make Stand Against Genetically Engineered Salmon
Mike Mason, KDLG – Dillingham
The idea of allowing a genetically engineered salmon to be sold for human consumption has galvanized the Alaska Legislature to oppose the idea.
AK: Competitive Fishing
Ariel Van Cleave, KBBI – Homer
Each year, hundreds of fishermen brave the cold weather and sometimes choppy seas to compete in the Winter King Salmon Tournament in Homer. Pete Wedin has tried his hand at catching the heaviest fish for the last 16 years. And he was out on the water again last week in search of that sweet spot. KBBI’s Ariel Van Cleave hopped on the Early Dawn with Wedin and three other anglers and brought back this story.
300 Villages: Brevig Mission
This week we’re heading to the community of Brevig Mission, on the Bering Sea Coast north of Nome, Mike Olanna lives in Brevig Mission.
