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.
Study Reveals Polar Bears’ Long Distance Swims
A new study shows polar bears are swimming long distances as the Arctic Ocean sea ice retreats. The United States Geological Survey documents polar bears swimming for days with little or no rest on ice floes. But the study doesn’t look at what cost these endurance swims have on the population as a whole.
Quality Improvement Measures Get Results at Providence
Medicare is starting to reward hospitals that deliver better quality health care. Paying more for improved care is a simple idea. And it's transforming how hospitals are doing their work in a lot of little ways. At Providence hospital in Anchorage, a few of those small changes have added up to big results.
Gov. Parnell Calls Special Session To Review Oil Tax Reform
Governor Sean Parnell plans to introduce a new oil tax bill for state lawmakers to consider when they gavel into special session Wednesday afternoon. Parnell called a special session early this morning after lawmakers failed to pass an oil tax reform bill. He says he doesn’t know if lawmakers will be able to come to agreement, but the special session is worth a try.
Doctors Battle High TB Rate In Alaska
Alaska has the highest rate of tuberculosis in the country – more than double the national average. And many of the cases pop up in rural areas of the state where treating the disease is especially difficult. But health officials hope new tools for identifying and treating TB will help slowly bring down Alaska’s high infection rate.
State Rep. Sharon Cissna Will Run Against Rep. Don Young
State Representative Sharon Cissna is running for Don Young’s seat in Congress. She filed her paperwork with the Alaska Public Offices Commission this morning. Cissna is a Democrat who currently represents the University/medical district in Anchorage.
Report Calls For Expansion Of Alaska’s Dental Health Therapist Model
A new report from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation attempts to make the case for expanding Alaska's Dental Health Therapist model to other parts of the country. It looks at how the mid-level dental provider model is working in more than 50 countries around the world. But the American Dental Association has long been opposed to Dental Health Therapists in the United States. And the new report won't reverse that opposition.
Polar Bears Show Signs of Mysterious Illness
Biologists have found Polar Bears in the Beaufort Sea with hair loss and skin lesions. Those are the same symptoms that have sickened ice seals and walruses in the arctic since last summer and...
City Clerks Office Reviews Voting Problems
The Anchorage city clerks office is calling the voter turn out in yesterday's election "unprecedented." The office is investigating the election, working today to figure out which voting precincts ran out of ballots. Read More
Derelict Vessel Adrift in Southeast Waters
The Coast Guard is monitoring a derelict vessel in U.S. waters off Alaska's coast that washed out to sea during the tsunami that struck the coast of Japan a year ago. The vessel is...
GAO Raises Questions About Shell’s Arctic Drilling Plan
A new report from the Government Accountability Office - or GAO - raises questions about Shell's plan to drill exploratory wells in the Arctic Ocean this summer. The report, released Friday, finds the Interior...
Innovative Court Program Encourages Settlment in Divorce Cases
Divorce can lead to a messy and drawn-out legal battle. But in Anchorage, an innovative court program is helping divorcing couples settle their cases quickly and amicably. It's called the Early Resolution Project and...
US Senators Question Steven’s Trial Investigator
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee today heard from the Special Counsel who conducted a court ordered investigation into misconduct in the 2008 trial of former Senator Ted Stevens.
Federal Government Approves Shell Spill Plan
Shell passed another regulatory hurdle today in its quest to drill exploratory wells in the Arctic Ocean this summer. The federal government approved the company’s spill response plan for the Beaufort Sea. Shell wants to drill several wells in both the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas beginning in July.
Three Federal Courts In Alaska Could Be Closed
The federal government is considering closing three courthouses in Alaska. According to documents obtained by the Associated Press, courthouses in Juneau, Ketchikan and Fairbanks could be shut down as part of an effort to cut costs. If all three did close, the only active federal courthouse in Alaska would be in Anchorage. Senator Lisa Murkowski responded to the news in a statement, saying, “it’s penny-wise, pound-foolish to remove three out of our four active courthouses and ask all Alaskans to travel to Anchorage for legal proceedings.”
Providence Hospital Tests New Breed Of Medical Professional: Health Coaches
Most of us want to be healthier. But motivating to do anything about can be difficult. Now a new kind of health professional could help. They’re called health coaches. In Anchorage, Providence Hospital thinks it’s a model that could help transform the health care system in the years ahead. And for the last few years, they’ve been testing the idea with employees.
Massachusetts Congressman Rallies Against Gas Line Exports
A Democratic Congressman from Massachusetts is rallying against the idea to build a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope to tidewater in Alaska for export to Asia.
Crews Plug Blown Out Repsol Well
The North Slope well that suffered a blow out last month has been plugged. Crews pumped cement into the well Sunday to seal it off. Repsol, the Spanish Company that owns the well, decided it was easier to abandon the well than get it working again. Jim Regg is a petroleum engineer with the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. He says cold weather hampered the well control operation.
Dallas Seavey Hanging On To Small Lead
Dallas Seavey is hanging onto a narrow Iditarod lead. He pulled into the Elim checkpoint at a little before 4pm this afternoon. Aliy Zirkle joined him there soon after. Just a mile or two separated them on the run from Koyuk. Aaron Burmeister, Ramey Smyth and Pete Kaiser are chasing the leaders.
Supreme Court To Consider Constitutionality Of The Affordable Care Act
Later this month, the Supreme Court will consider whether the Affordable Care Act- the President’s new health care law- is constitutional. Alaska has joined with 25 other states to argue that it is not. Attorney’s with the Department of Law want to stop what they think is too much federal government intrusion.
Diseased Ringed Seal Turn Up In Southeast
A diseased ringed seal has turned up in Southeast Alaska, far outside the animal’s normal range. Last week, a sluggish seal with hardly any hair was found hauled out along shore near Yakutat.