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Lawmakers ideas on budget range from OCS to cuts
Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO – Juneau
Differences between lawmakers are emerging on how deeply to cut the state budget. For example, the House Finance Committee discussed the billion dollars the state spends on the Department of Health and Social Services, and recommended $21 million dollars in cuts from last year’s budget.
Fairbanks police officer won’t be charged for fatal summer shooting
Robert Hannon, KUAC – Fairbanks
A Fairbanks police officer will not be charged for fatally shooting a man last summer. On Friday, Fairbanks Police Chief Eric Jewkes announced the findings of an Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions investigation of the downtown shooting. The report said Sgt. Gregory Foster took reasonable actions.
Officials readying for Eielson F-35s to spur housing crunch
Associated Press
Officials are preparing for a possible housing crunch in 2020 that is expected to coincide with an influx of service members from the two new F-35 squadrons coming to Eielson Air Force Base.
Juneau to review new affordable housing project
Associated Press
Juneau officials are considering adding new housing. The city’s Planning Commission is set to review a plan to construct dozens of affordable homes to help meet the demand for single-family housing in the city.
Ask the Energy Desk: Are plastic bag bans better for the environment?
Elizabeth Jenkins, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Juneau
Bans on plastic grocery bags have been cropping up across Alaska’s remote communities. Cordova’s ban went into effect last year. But so far, the larger cities in the state have yet to adopt one.
State to hold meetings on evaluation process for controversial water protections
Emily Files, KHNS – Haines
Four Alaska communities from Haines to Bristol Bay have applied for high-level water body protections. The Outstanding National Resource Water, also known as Tier 3, nominations have been in limbo for a few years. That’s because the state is still figuring out what evaluation process to use. A series of public meetings in March aim to gather input on that question.
Tribe’s Herring Committee drafts proposals to protect subsistence
Emily Russell, KCAW – Sitka
The Sitka Tribe of Alaska wants to see more protection for subsistence harvesters when herring season begins next month. The Tribe’s Herring Committee is recommending a pair of proposals to reserve more areas for subsistence and to cut the commercial harvest by half.
Students work to reduce ocean trash, one spork at a time
Shahla Farzan, KBBI – Homer
A new educational program is working to stop marine debris before it starts. Students from schools across the Kenai Peninsula have partnered with the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies to cut down on their consumption of single-use plastics.
‘I Am Inuit’ goes from Instagram to Anchorage Museum
Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
Who lives in the Arctic? And what are their stories? Those are questions posed by a new photography exhibit more than a year in the making. The “I Am Inuit” show is a body of images from artist Brian Adams that premiered last week at the Anchorage Museum. The project has built an audience online for much longer.
