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State eyes Alaska Permanent Fund earnings draw without plan
Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO – Juneau
Lawmakers have proposed drawing money from the Alaska Permanent Fund earnings to pay for state government for the first time. But as the Legislature focuses on preventing a government shutdown, it’s increasingly likely the draw won’t be based on any one plan. And that’s raising concerns with lawmakers, the fund’s leader and a bond-rating firm.
Hilcorp picks up more acreage in Cook Inlet for oil and gas development
Elizabeth Harball, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage
Hilcorp snapped up more than 100,000 acres in Cook Inlet for additional oil and gas development at federal and state lease sales held Wednesday.
Borough Assembly approves funding for Port Mac repairs
Phillip Manning, KTNA – Talkeetna
On Tuesday, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly approved the transfer of over half-a-million dollars from existing funds to pay for repairs to the Port Mackenzie barge dock, although some expressed reservations about the port’s continuing costs.
Man dies in Army Corps industrial accident in Alaska
Associated Press
The Army Corps of Engineers has identified a man killed on an Alaska construction project as a Chicago employee on temporary assignment.
Fairbanks looks to recruit seasoned officers with $20,000 bonus
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
Fairbanks is offering a $20,000 bonus to attract seasoned police officers to the city after the money was approved unanimously by the city council on June 19. Fairbanks Police Department is short nine officers, and it’s estimated to take four years to fill the posts with rookie recruits, who must go through police academy training.
Bristol bay reacts to influx of fishermen population
Caitlin Tan, KDLG – Dillingham
The Bristol Bay Borough swells from a year round population of about 1000 to closer to 10,000 for the summer fishery. Almost all of the fishermen, seafood processors, and thousands of sport fishing and wildlife viewing visitors on the east side of Bristol Bay pass through one very busy small terminal in King Salmon.
Advocates opposed to mining in Bristol Bay region ramp up summer outreach
Avery Lill, KDLG – Dillingham
As Bristol Bay’s population swells with seasonal workers, organizations opposed to mining in the area are redoubling their outreach efforts.
Assembly member wants to turn fallow land into an urban farm
Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
The 15-acre property in question is the former site of the Alaska Native Hospital, which one Assembly member wants to see turned into an urban agriculture center.
A ‘funnybug’ holds a serious clue to Ice Age ecology
Robert Woolsey, KCAW – Sitka
Late last month a retired scientist from Oregon stepped off the ferry in Sitka, and on a hunch decided to look around the woods for an old friend. And while his discovery sheds light on one of the more obscure corners of entomology, it also is a clue to how humans may have survived the Ice Age in North America.
