Alaska News Nightly: May 17, 2010

Individual news stories are posted in the Alaska News category and you can subscribe to APRN’s news feeds via email, podcast and RSS.Download Audio (MP3)Permit Refusal Puts All Alaska Gasline in QuestionDave Donaldson, APRN - JuneauThe Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has refused to extend a principle permit needed for construction of an All-Alaska Gas Pipeline from the North Slope to Valdez.Denali Climbing Season Registers Its First DeathDan Bross, KUAC - FairbanksA climber has died on Denali. The National Park Service reports that French mountaineer Pascal Frison was at the 12 thousand foot level of the 20 thousand foot peak when he fell yesterday (Sunday).Graduation Numbers Soar for Alaska Native College StudentsAssociated PressThe number of Alaska Native students graduating from the University of Alaska Fairbanks has reached an all-time high.Alaskans Pay Last Respects at Governor Wally Hickel's FuneralSteve Heimel, APRN - AnchorageMourners are gathered in Anchorage to pay tribute to former Alaska governor and Nixon Cabinet member Walter J. Hickel nine days after he died at age 90.Congressional Delegation Addresses Energy for Anchorage ChamberLen Anderson, KSKA - AnchorageBecause of the funeral, all three members of Alaska's Congressional Delegation were in Anchorage. At noon, they spoke to the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce on the impact of energy and environmental issues facing Alaska.British Explorers Describe Rapid Arctic Ice Movement at North PoleLori Townsend, APRN - AnchorageA team of British explorers just wrapped up a 2 month trip, walking on the arctic ocean to the North Pole to collect samples for ocean acidification and to measure ice thickness.Summer Tourism Season Gets Underway at DenaliDan Bross, KUAC - FairbanksThe summer tourism season is getting under way at Denali National Park.Ahtna Native Corporation Explores for GoldDan Bross, KUAC - FairbanksAhtna is partnering with a Canadian company to explore for minerals east of Glennallen.Former Kodiak Resident Lives in Path of Advancing Gulf Oil SpillJay Barrett, KMXT – KodiakWith the Deep Water Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico continuing to spew hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil a day into the water, residents in coastal Louisiana are trying to prepare as best they can to save the marshlands.Kodiak Crab Festival Frog Jumping Contest CanceledJay Barrett, KMXT – KodiakAfter 25 years of being a Crab Festival fixture, the the annual Frog Jumping Contest in Kodiak has been canceled.