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Insurance Director tells lawmakers individual market could collapse
Rachel Waldholz, Alaska Public Media – Juneau
Alaska’s individual health insurance market could collapse as soon as next year, unless the legislature acts.
House bill streamlines children in state custody
Joaqlin Estus, KNBA – Anchorage
The first bill to come out of the Legislative special session may be one that streamlines handling of children in state custody.
Bill with $1B for icebreaker advances to Senate
Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media – Washington D.C.
The Arctic is one step closer to having a new U.S. icebreaker. The full Senate Appropriations committee this morning passed a bill that includes $1 billion for a heavy duty polar ship. Sen. Lisa Murkowski says the money would fully fund a goal she’s worked toward for years.
‘Spicy’ ocean levels could spell trouble for marine mammal hunting
Emily Russell, KNOM – Nome
The Arctic Ocean is getting spicier. A new study published in the Journal of Physical Oceanography suggests that rising temperatures in the far north could result in warmer, saltier water, or what’s know as spicier water. This could make marine mammal hunting off Alaska’s coast more dangerous.
Department of Fish and Game seeks to prevent closing of caribou hunting to outsiders
Laura Kraegel, KNOM – Nome
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has asked the Federal Subsistence Board to repeal its controversial decision to close caribou hunting in the Northwest Arctic to all non-local hunters.
Brown bears draw hundreds to Alaska Peninsula for spendy spring hunt
Hannah Colton, KDLG – Dillingham
Hundreds of people have traveled to the Alaska Peninsula this month for a chance to bag a brown bear. Most hunters are non-residents who hire guides and charter flights, driving an estimated $10 million dollars of economic activity.
Man charged after using stolen front loader to rob liquor store
Wesley Early, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
A man was charged with DUI, theft and criminal mischief among other charges after he ran a front loader into an Anchorage Brown Jug liquor store in order to rob it at around 3 in the morning on Thursday.
Barrow experiences earliest snowmelt on record
Emily Russell, KNOM – Nome
Snow in the northern most town in the nation is melting earlier than ever
before on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s
Observatory in Barrow reported a snowmelt starting on May 13. That’s 10 days
earlier than the previous record set in 2002. NOAA has been recording
snowmelt from its Barrow Observatory for over 70 years.
Tanana River erosion closes trail, threatens cabins at Big Delta State Historical Park
Tim Ellis, KUAC – Fairbanks
Alaska State Parks officials have closed a section of trail in Big Delta State Historical Park near Delta Junction, because the Tanana River been cutting sharply into its southern bank where the trail is located. The extreme erosion now threatens a couple of historical cabins within the park. State and local officials are working on a plan to shore up the bank – and to come up with a way to pay for it.
Seattle’s KPLU meets $7M fundraising goal, avoiding sale
Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
A public radio station based in Seattle and serving the Puget Sound Region announced Thursday it has raised enough money to stay on air
