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Archaeologists Uncover Pre-Contact Inupiat Village Near Kiana
Daysha Eaton, KSKA – Anchorage
A team of archeologists from Brown University have uncovered a Native village site in Northwest Alaska that dates from just before first contact. The village is one of the biggest archaeological sites discovered in the Arctic. Local Inupiaq residents hope the research will tell them more about their ancestors.
Bill Walker Announces Plans To Run For Governor
The Associated Press
Republican Bill Walker announced plans today to run as an unaffiliated candidate for governor next year.
If he gathers the required signatures to qualify, Walker would avoid a primary with Governor Sean Parnell and get his name on the November general election ballot.
Walker, in a statement, said it seems to him that if you don’t support the oil tax cut recently passed by the Legislature, and championed by Parnell, then you’re not considered a “good Republican.”
He said that while he’ll remain a “traditional” Alaska Republican, it’s time to put party politics aside and “aggressively pursue what is in the best interests of Alaskans.”
Walker is a former mayor of Valdez known for his support of an all-Alaska natural gas pipeline.
Study Finds Increasing Wildfire Frequency
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
A new study finds evidence of increasing wildfire frequency. University of Illinois Ph.D. candidate Ryan Kelly’s project analyzed drill cores from the bottom of lakes in the Yukon Flats. The cores provide a record of sediment accumulation dating back 10,000 years, including charcoal particles deposited by wildfires.
Researchers Study Micro-Nutrients Of Aquatic Ecosystems
Ben Matheson, KDLG – Dillingham
A researcher in Bristol Bay is working to better understand the micro-nutrients that are essential for aquatic ecosystems. Salmon are well known to be a big source of the nutrients, but scientists are learning that a slightly less delicious organism plays a huge role in the health of salmon-producing streams and lakes.
Fairbanks Residents Speak Out On LNG Service Applications
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
Fairbanks residents turned out strongly earlier this week to speak out on natural gas service applications. The Regulatory Commission of Alaska held a hearing as part its review of applications from Fairbanks Natural Gas and the borough’s Interior Gas Utility.
‘Not Dead Yet’: Living With Terminal Cancer
Annie Feidt, APRN – Anchorage
Dawn Dillard never wanted to retire. The 57-year-old expected to keep working as a public advocacy lawyer until she turned 100. But last year, a diagnosis of uterine cancer forced her into retirement. Now her full time job is fighting terminal cancer. And she says even if the disease kills her, she doesn’t want it to defeat her.
