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Walker Continues To Fill Out Cabinet With Administration, Education Commissioners
Alexandra Gutierrez, APRN – Juneau
Gov. Bill Walker has made his final decision on his administration and education commissioner.
Regional Subsistence Advisory Councils Having Trouble Filling Seats
Joaqlin Estus, KNBA – Anchorage
Subsistence harvests are managed by federal agencies with input from local residents through regional advisory councils.
Second Boy Reaches Deal in Illegal Brevig Mission Muskox Killings
Matthew Smith, KNOM – Nome
Both boys charged with chasing down a herd of muskox before killing several of the animals just outside of Brevig Mission have now reached a deal with state prosecutors—bringing to a close a case that started back in 2012.
Lance Mackey Enters 2015 Yukon Quest Field
The Associated Press
Four-time Yukon Quest champion Lance Mackey signed up Monday for the 1,000-mile race between Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and Fairbanks.
UAF Shooting Death Ruled Suicide
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
A shooting death at the University of Alaska Fairbanks earlier this month has been ruled a suicide.
North Pacific Groundfish and Halibut Observer Program Sees Changes in 2015
Shady Grove Oliver, KBBI – Homer
2015 will bring changes for the North Pacific Groundfish and Halibut Observer programs. Â The National Marine Fisheries Service held outreach meetings in Kodiak and Homer in December. Fishermen and NMFS representatives discussed the North Pacific Groundfish and Halibut Observer program.
DEC Commissioner to Rule in 2015 on Groundwater Sulfolane-Cleanup Level
Tim Ellis, KUAC – Fairbanks
The dispute over a cleanup standard for sulfolane contaminated groundwater in the community of North Pole will likely continue into the New Year. State regulators are still reviewing toxicity studies to determine a safe cleanup level for the chemical solvent traced to historic spills at a North Pole oil refinery.
Troopers Seek Public’s Help In Locating Missing Wisconsin Man
The Associated Press
Alaska State Troopers are seeking the public’s help in a search for a 72-year-old Wisconsin man who disappeared in August.
Alaska Marine Highway Prices To Rise Next Summer
Margaret Friedenauer, KHNS – Haines
It will cost passengers more to ride the state ferry starting in the summer. That’s when fares for most Alaska Marine Highway will increase by four-and-a-half percent.
Alaska Prepares to Offer Grizzly License Plates
The Associated Press
Alaska is bringing back the bear to license plates. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports Alaskans will be able to choose license plates of blue and gold next spring that reflect state flag colors or a new version of plates- last offered in 1976 that feature a grizzly bear.
Humpback History: Soviet Whaling
Rachel Waldholtz, KCAW – Sitka
Like nearly all the great whales, humpbacks were heavily hunted. And one question researchers have grappled with is how many animals there were before the whaling fleets took their toll.
To solve this mystery, it turns out, you have to take a trip back in time, and into the secret history of Soviet whaling.