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Alaska Tapped To Be UAV Test Site
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
A University of Alaska lead consortium has been selected by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate an unmanned aerial vehicle test center. It will be one of six centers across the country charged with helping integrate the technology into national airspace. Alaska partnered with Oregon and Hawaii on the successful proposal.
Part 1: Lt. General Russell Handy On Arctic Strategy
Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage
Last month, the Department of Defense released an eight-point Arctic Strategy. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel presented the document at the Halifax international security forum in Nova Scotia. It is a military blueprint for managing the future of international shipping, territorial sovereignty, tourism and security in a rapidly changing arctic. In the first of a two part interview, Alaska’s top military official, Lt General Russell Handy says what stands out from the plan is how much is yet unknown.
Pioneering Alaska Doctor Marcell Jackson Dies
The Associated Press
M. Marcell Jackson, one of Alaska’s first female doctors, has died at age 84.
Jackson’s medical career dated from territorial days. During early statehood, Jackson was one of a handful of women doctors practicing in the state.
She died on Dec. 8 in Anchorage.
Jackson was born in Lewistown, Mont., in 1929. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Montana State University, moving to Alaska in 1951. She became a lab technician for Anchorage doctors, one of whom urged her to pursue a medical degree.
A service is scheduled for Jan. 19 in Anchorage.
Slow Business, High Costs Shut Down Paxson Lodge
Tim Ellis, KUAC – Fairbanks
The Paxson Lodge is closed. The owner of the roadhouse at the junction of the Richardson and Denali highways says he shut the lodge down due to slow business and high operating costs. It’s the latest of several Richardson Highway roadhouses that have closed down in recent years.
BLM Builds Long-Term Clean Up Plan For Red Devil Mine Site
Ben Matheson, KYUK – Bethel
The Bureau of Land Manage is planning do a quick field season at the Red Devil mine to try to stop the large tailings piles from eroding into Red Devil Creek and sending more metals into the Kuskokwim river. But there are more than 250,000 cubic yards of contaminated ground at the site.
Preventing Language Loss: A 3-Step Process
Lisa Phu, KTOO – Juneau
Indigenous languages throughout North America are teetering on extinction. In Southeast Alaska, less than 200 people can speak Tlingit, Haida, or Tsimshian. But a Tlingit language expert suggests indigenous language loss can be prevented by addressing it at three levels.
MAP Students Train For ETT
Dave Bendinger, KDLG – Dillingham
Students at Dillingham’s Alternative School had the opportunity to train for an Emergency Trauma Technician certification this month. An ETT can provide basic medical care in emergency situations, and graduates in years past have not only helped save lives in their communities, but have also gone on to further careers in the medical field.
