Alaska News Nightly: Tueday, Nov. 27, 2018

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Murkowski all in for Hyde-Smith, despite ‘hanging’ remark

Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media – Washington

Some contributors asked for refunds after the Mississippi senator seemed to make light of lynching. But Sen. Lisa Murkowski made a maximum campaign contribution.

Appeals court ruling mixed on Alaska campaign finance laws

Associated Press

A divided federal appeals court panel ruled Tuesday that Alaska’s limit on what nonresidents can contribute to candidates is unconstitutional.

Johnson murder trial begins

Anne Hillman, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage

The trial began yesterday for an Alaska man accused in the killing of a 16-year-old boy near Palmer.

ConocoPhillips executive: more land around Teshekpuk Lake should be available for drilling

Elizabeth Harball, Alaska’s Energy Desk

A top executive with ConocoPhillips said the federal government should shrink — but not eliminate — the protected area around Teshekpuk Lake, the biggest lake in Arctic Alaska, which is important habitat for wildlife.

As oceans heats up off Northwest Alaska, the fishing does too

Nathaniel Herz, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage

This year’s commercial harvest of chum salmon in Kotzebue Sound was nearly 700,000 fish, breaking a record nearly four decades old. To the south, the value of the commercial salmon catch in Norton Sound was also the highest ever.

Fisheries managers report declining halibut stocks

Joe Viechnicki, KFSK – Petersburg

The International Pacific Halibut Commission’s annual survey showed the numbers of halibut coast-wide dropped by six percent from the year before.

University of Alaska patents data synthesis computer program 

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

Described as a tool for urban planners and tax assessors, a program created by University of Alaska Fairbanks research faculty member Keith Cunningham automates the merger of satellite or aircraft gathered imagery with on line records to precisely track changes to landscapes and structures.

Dillingham man arrested with $55,000 worth of meth in suitcase

Avery Lill, KDLG – Dillingham

Andy Straley, 50, was arrested at the airport in Anchorage with more than 100 grams of methamphetamine in a suitcase.

Rescuers free tangled whale in Southeast Alaska

Robert Woolsey, KCAW – Sitka

A humpback whale was successfully disentangled on Thanksgiving Day in Southeast Alaska. According to Fred Sharpe, the researcher who eventually cut it free, the whale was at risk of suffocation and knew it — making this rescue especially challenging.

Kirsten Swann is a producer and reporter for Alaska Public Media.

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