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Immigration Amendment Would Send Billions To Boost US, Mexico Border Security
Peter Grantiz, APRN – Washington DC
The Senate passed a key procedural hurdle to immigration reform this evening.
Minimum Wage Initiative One Step Closer To Ballot
Alexandra Gutierrez, APRN – Juneau
Another ballot proposition has made it to the signature-gathering phase. Monday, Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell certified an initiative that would raise the minimum wage to $9.75 an hour. Right now, the state minimum wage is set at $7.75. The initiative would bump that up by a dollar in 2015, and then by another dollar the year after. It also would build in future increases by tying the minimum wage to Anchorage’s consumer price index.
Fire Danger Remains High Across State
Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks
Weather forecasts across the state are calling for continued hot and dry weather and fire danger statewide remains significant. Five hotshot crews have been flown to Fairbanks from Oregon.
84 wildfires are currently burning across the state.
Anchorage Homeowners Prepare For Wildfires
Sara Bernard, APRN – Anchorage
No fires are burning near Anchorage, but officials worry about the potential for wildfires in or near the city.
Galena Businesses, Schools Evaluate Losses
Jeremy Scott, KIYU – Galena
While residents of Galena continue working to clean up and assess the damage to their homes from last month’s flood, the community’s businesses and schools are also evaluating what they’ve lost.
Some Residents Fighting AHFC’s Decision To Go Smoke Free
Rosemarie Alexander, KTOO – Juneau
Government subsidized senior public housing will go totally smoke-free in August. The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation will implement no-smoking rules in residents’ apartments, forcing smokers outside to common areas. But some folks at Juneau’s Mountain View Apartments are fighting back.
New Bike Share Program Comes To Fairbanks
Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks
A ribbon cutting ceremony last week marked the beginning of a new bike share program in Fairbanks.
ANSEP Program Garners Awards, Recognition
Joaqlin Estus, KNBA – Anchorage
A University of Alaska program is winning awards and recognition for its success in preparing students for careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
On 70th Anniversary Of Battle, Memorial Planed On Attu
Stephanie Joyce, KUCB – Unalaska
Seventy years ago, American forces recaptured the Aleutian Island of Attu from the Japanese, in the only ground battle fought on U.S. soil during the war. The fighting, which ended on May 30, 1943, took a heavy toll on both sides, but the battle is often forgotten by history books.
Earlier this month, in an effort to remember both the soldiers and the 44 Unangan villagers who lost their homes on the island, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service installed a memorial on Attu.
