Alaska News Nightly: October 30, 2007

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upholds ruling on the Kensington Mine. The federal corruption trial of Vic Kohring heads to the jury, and Federal Investigators dig into Ted Stevens fish deals. Those stories and more on tonight's Alaska News Nightly, broadcast statewide on APRN stations.Individual news stories are posted in the Alaska News category and you can subscribe to APRN's news feeds via e-mail, podcast and RSS.Court stands its ground on Kensington MineRosemarie Alexander, KTOO - JuneauThe U.S. Ninth Circuit of Appeals will not reconsider an earlier decision that the tailings plan for the Kensington Gold Mine is illegal. Korhing trial set to go to the juryDavid Shurtleff, APRN - AnchorageBoth sides have officially rested their cases in the corruption trial of former state lawmaker Vic Kohring, and the case will now go to the jury tomorrow morning. Latest oil-tax proposal takes on waterDave Donaldson, APRN - JuneauA new revenue analysis of the House Oil and Gas Committee’s oil tax bill that appeared over the weekend shows the state would take in less money under that substitute proposal than under the Palin Administration’s plan. In a press conferencethis morning, Democrats said the majority’s plan had some inconsistencies that didn’t appear in time to affect thecommittee’s decision. Feds Investigating Stevens Fish DealsAP/Lori Townsend, APRN - AnchorageThe Associated Press is reporting Federal authorities investigating Sen. Ted Stevens are talking to members of the Alaska fishing industry looking for evidence of whether Stevens pushed seafood legislation that benefited his son Ben Stevens who was a lobbyist at the time. White Pass locomotive heads homeJohn Hunt, KHNS - HainesWhite Pass and Yukon Route’s Engine 114 left a repair yard in Tacoma, Washington, last Friday, bound for Skagway. Thelocomotive had been undergoing major repairs from an accident that occurred in September of last year. State rethinks size of timber harvestsDeanna Garrison, KRBD - KetchikanThe state of Alaska has sold record levels of its timber over the past number of years to supplement federal timber sale offerings while the forest service makes court-mandated changes to its Tongass land management plan. But the state says it cannot sustain those harvest levels over the long term and is scaling back the program to traditional harvest levels.Consolidataion in Southeast creates ripplesLisa Phu, KSTK - WrangellA Southeast boundary commission will take action on a possible Wrangell Borough as well as on the Ketchikan Gateway Borough annexation early next month. Although the small communities of Meyers Chuck and Union Bay do not want to be part of either borough, their fates have become entangled in these decisions. Whatcom gives a damJoe Viechnicki, KFSK - PetersburgMembers of the council for Whatcom county Washington say they welcome feedback from Petersburg area residents about proposed hydro electric power plants in nearby Thomas Bay. Both Whatcom county and a private Bellingham company have applied for a federal permit to study the bay’s hydro potential. But at least two Whatcom council members say they’re going to take a closer look at their county’s involvement in the project.