Annie Feidt, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Annie Feidt is the broadcast managing editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at afeidt@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Annie here.
Two More Walrus Calves Headed To SeaLife Center
Two more walrus calves are on their way to the Alaska SeaLife Center. Both were rescued near Barrow yesterday. One was found floating on an ice floe by hunters looking for bearded seal. The other one showed up on a beach in Barrow. Raphaela Stimmelmayr is a Wildlife Veterinarian with the North Slope Borough. She says a representative from the Alaska SeaLife Center was landing in Barrow to pick up the first calf when she heard about the second one.
July On Track To Rank Among The Coldest Recorded
This July is on track to be one of the coldest ever in Anchorage. As of today, the average temperature for the month is just 55 degrees, a bit shy of the coldest July on record which came in at 54 point 4 degrees in 1920. The normal average is 58 degrees. David Snider is a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Anchorage. He says the same weather pattern that is heating up the Lower 48 is making it colder than normal over Southcentral Alaska and keeping storms over the area.
Protestors Gather At Anchorage EPA Office
Protesters also gathered at the EPA office in downtown Anchorage. Fewer than a dozen people showed up in light rain. They held up anti-drilling signs and hoped for encouragement from passing motorists.
Gov. Parnell Letting Federal Government Run Health Insurance Exchange
Governor Sean Parnell has decided to let the Federal government run Alaska’s Health Insurance Exchange. The exchange is required under the Affordable Care Act. It’s an online marketplace that will give consumers an easy way to buy pre-approved insurance plans. Parnell says setting up a state- run exchange would be too costly.
USCG Opening Temporary Base In Barrow
The Coast Guard is launching a temporary base in Barrow beginning July 16 in a response to increased Arctic shipping. The Coast Guard calls it a Forward Operating Location and it will remain in place through October. It’s the largest presence the Coast Guard has ever had in the Arctic, although it has been conducting arctic outreach in Alaska since 2008.
Shell Asks EPA For Air Permit Revision
Shell is facing another unexpected hurdle in its plan to drill exploratory wells in the Arctic Ocean this summer. The company is asking the Environmental Protection Agency to revise its air permit for one of its drill ships. The normal revision process would take months, but the EPA is considering options that would allow Shell to proceed this summer.
Scientists Discover Female Brants Live Longer
A small Arctic goose in Alaska called the black brant mates for life. And a new study finds that stable lifestyle comes with a clear benefit for the female brants – they live longer. The discovery came from a long running study of the geese at one of their prime nesting grounds near Chevak.
Troopers Suspend Search For Missing Mt. Marathon Runner
The Seward Chamber of Commerce is considering ways to make the Mount Marathon race safer in the wake of two tragedies during this year’s July 4 race. Over the weekend, the State Troopers suspended the search for missing runner Micheal LeMaitre.
Assessment Aims To Document Arctic Biodiversity
The Arctic is home to about 20,000 known species. And a team of scientists is working on documenting them for the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment. The assessment is being conducted by the Arctic Council with the goal of describing the current state of the Arctic ecosystem. The lead scientist for the assessment was in Barrow recently to see the Alaskan Arctic first hand.
Dismal Runs Close Ship Creek Fishery
Anglers are usually packed shoulder to shoulder this time of year on the banks of Ship Creek in downtown Anchorage. But state managers closed the popular fishery over the weekend. Like many rivers and streams around the state, the king run has been weak in Ship Creek in recent years. Even though the fishery is stocked, managers are worried about collecting enough broodstock for the hatchery upstream. APRN’s Annie Feidt caught up with some anglers before the fishery closed and has this story.
Gov. Parnell Reacts To Health Care Ruling
Governor Sean Parnell says Alaskans stand to lose more freedom and pay more taxes with Thursday's Supreme Court ruling largely upholding the federal health care overall. Alaska was one of 26 states suing to overturn the Affordable Care Act. At a news conference this afternoon, Parnell said the state may have lost the battle, but isn't going to stop fighting.
Some Alaskans Relieved By Health Care Ruling
While the Parnell Administration is strongly condemning the Supreme Court's health care ruling, some Alaskans had a different take when they heard the news.
2,700 Alaskans Due Health Insurance Rebates
While everyone awaits tomorrow's Supreme Court decision on whether the Affordable Care Act is constitutional, the health care field has already been changed by it. The Act was designed to be implemented in phases...
State Pays Large Settlement for Patient Privacy Breach
The State of Alaska is paying $1.7 million to the federal government for a 2009 security breach of patient data. A federal investigation following the breach found inferior security measures in place at Alaska's Division of Health and Social Services. The settlement, under the patient privacy law know as the HIPAA act, is the second largest in history and the first against a state agency.
Human Waste Adds up to Stinky Problem on Denali
About 1500 climbers attempt to summit Denali each summer. And over the decades, they've generated a lot of human waste. More than 130,000 pounds, in fact, according to Mike Loso's calculations. The glaciologist from Alaska Pacific University wanted to answer a few questions about that.
Polar Bear Researcher Wins Prestigious Conservation Award
Polar bear biologist Steve Amstrup is the winner of a prestigious conservation award called the Indianapolis Prize. Amstrup's work was instrumental in convincing the federal government to list the polar bear as a threatened species in 2008. He retired from the United States Geological Survey in 2010 to focus his efforts on saving the species from extinction.
JBER Soldier Killed In Afghanistan
A soldier assigned to Joint Base Elmendorf- Richardson in Anchorage has been killed in Afghanistan. The Army is reporting Private First Class Nathan Tyler Davis died June 9th when his vehicle was attacked with an improvised explosive device. Davis was driving the vehicle. The 20 year old was from California and joined the Army in 2010. This was his first deployment.
New DNA Test Could Represent a ‘Revolution’ for Colon Cancer
Colon Cancer is the second deadliest cancer for men and women in the U-S, behind lung cancer. And Alaska Natives suffer from especially high rates of the disease. Now, a new colon cancer screening test is in the final stages of the FDA approval process. It was developed by a Mayo Clinic doctor who visited rural Alaska and saw the problem first hand.
APU Students Dig for Answers on Eklutna Glacier
Anchorage is one of the only cities in North America dependent on a glacier for most of its drinking water. The Eklutna Glacier also provides about 15 percent of the city's electricity, in the form of hydro power. And it's an ideal outdoor laboratory for an intrepid group of Alaska Pacific University students who are working to answer one very important question: How long will the glacier last?
New Management Style Allows Health Organization To Improve Care
A Native health care organization in Anchorage is transforming the way it does business with the Toyota management system. Chugachmiut delivers health care and social services to seven Alaska Native villages around Prince William Sound. Executive director Patrick Anderson says the Toyota Lean management style has helped the organization free up resources to spend on improving care.