Alaska News Nightly: September 22, 2014

Stories are posted on the APRN news page. You can subscribe to APRN’s newsfeeds via emailpodcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @aprn

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State Ordered to Improve Voting Materials for Alaska Natives

Daysha Eaton, KYUK – Bethel

A federal judge has ordered the state to take additional steps to provide voting materials to Alaska Native voters with limited English.

Senate Candidates Vie for Rural Support

Ben Matheson, KYUK – Bethel

This year’s U.S. Senate race in Alaska is shattering records for spending, with millions in outside dollars directed mostly toward TV ads. With less than two months before the general election, both campaigns are also aggressively seeking an edge on the ground in rural Alaska.

State Files Complaint Against Medicaid Payment Vendor

The Associated Press

The state has filed an administrative complaint alleging unfair or deceptive practices by the vendor it hired to implement a new Medicaid payment system.

Deadline Set for Southeast Wolves ESA Review

Joe Veichnicki, KFSK – Petersburg

The federal government has agreed to a deadline of the end of next year for an endangered species review for wolves in Southeast Alaska.

KTVA Reporter Quits on Air, Dedicates Time to Pot Initiative

Anne Hilleman, KSKA – Anchorage

A KTVA reporter announced that she is the president of Alaska Cannabis Club and quit her job during a live broadcast Sunday night.

EPA’s 404-C Public Comment Period on Pebble Closes

Mike Mason, KDLG  – Dillingham

More than 160,000 official public comments have been received by the EPA regarding their proposed restrictions on the controversial Pebble mine. But it’s expected that once the numbers are tallied hundreds of thousands of comments, both pro-and-con, will be submitted.

NTSB Report Yields Few Clues In Fatal Soldotna Plane Crash

Shady Grove Oliver, KBBI – Homer

A plane crash in Soldotna last summer resulted in the deaths of 10 people. The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary findings on the crash this week.

Murkowski Presses FDA To Clarify Spent-Grain Rule for Brewers

Liz Ruskin, APRN – Washington, D.C.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, along with beer-makers around the country, is celebrating a recent clarification from the Food and Drug Administration about spent grains.

Arctic Researcher: Social Changes Are As Drastic as Climate Changes

Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage

Academics and researchers have been meeting in Anchorage to bring together studies looking at what sustainability means in the arctic. Andrey Petrov is lead investigator and director of Arctic Frost. He has studied the arctic in Russia, Canada and Alaska for 15 years. He says there is a lot of discussion about environmental changes, but social changes in arctic communities can be even more dramatic.

 

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