Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015

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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Shell oil rigs leave the Arctic, skip Seattle

John Ryan, KUCB – Unalaska

Shell’s Arctic oil rigs have left the Arctic. The two rigs pulled into Unalaska’s Dutch Harbor on Sunday, more than a thousand miles south of the company’s drilling site in the Chukchi Sea.

Why did Shell walk away from Alaska?

Rachel Waldholz, APRN – Anchorage

When Shell announced it was pulling out of the Arctic “for the foreseeable future,” it surprised just about everyone. Many in Alaska had high hopes for offshore drilling — from an Arctic economic boom to more oil for the Trans Alaska Pipeline. Shell’s announcement left the state wondering what to blame — low oil prices? Tough regulations? Better prospects elsewhere? In other words, is it us? Or is it Shell?

FBX 4 investigators testify, point to languishing evidence

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

Two Alaska State Troopers hired in September 2013 to re-investigate the 1997 John Hartman murder case testified in state court in Fairbanks Monday.

Kachemak sea otter deaths under investigation; Authorities seek public’s help

Daysha Eaton, KBBI – Homer

Scientists continue to see large numbers of dead or sick sea otters turning up in the Kachemak Bay region.

Juneau trapper, hiker take stand at first day of trial

Lisa Phu, KTOO – Juneau

Monday’s small claims case between a trapper and a trap springer was supposed to last an hour, but after about two and half hours in District Court, it’s stretching into a second day.

Study: Alaska’s wild berry harvests becoming more variable

Tim Bodony, KIYU – Galena

A new study suggests that the harvests of several popular wild berries are becoming less reliable in many areas of the state. The study is a first step in a process that might learn more about the connections between climate factors and berry production.

IndiGenius: Connecting conference attendees with craft, heritage

Jennifer Canfield, KTOO – Juneau

IndiGenius — a play on the word indigenous — is an offering of afternoon workshops at the First Alaskans Institute’s Elders and Youth Conference this week.

‘Assimilation’ playwright flips the script on Native history

Elizabeth Jenkins, KTOO – Juneau

In a dystopian future, Western civilization has crumbed and indigenous people are in control. That’s the premise of Jack Dalton’s play “Assimilation,” now touring Alaska. It flips the history of boarding schools with “whites” violently assimilated into Native culture.

 

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