The Associated Press

An Alaska scientist whose observations of drowned polar bears helped galvanize the global warming movement has been reprimanded for improper release of government documents.

The University of Alaska Board of Regents have voted 9-1 to increase tuition. The board on Friday approved what the university system is calling the lowest increase in over a decade. The board, meeting in Juneau, approved UA President Pat Gamble's proposal to raise tuition by 2 percent for resident undergraduates and a 4 percent increase for non-resident undergraduates. Regents also approved a 2 percent increase to the graduate resident and non-resident rate.

Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan yesterday vetoed the Assembly repeal of the sidewalk ordinance. Sullivan's Municipal Attorney maintains the ban on sitting on sidewalks is constitutional. The assembly vote was 7-2. It would take eight votes to over-ride the veto.

The body found this week on the coastal trail in Anchorage has been confirmed as that of a woman missing for seven weeks. Police say in a statement that dental records were used to confirm the identity of 63-year-old Letitia Baxter.

The Anchorage Assembly voted to allow builders to carry out their own inspections instead of waiting for the city on Tuesday night. The vote was 9-2. The Municipal Building Department said such a practice would be a conflict of interest, but Mayor Dan Sullivan said he would not oppose the change, which covers structural review for safety and earthquake and snow load stability, but not other aspects of the city code. The builders argued that it was taking too long to get municipal inspectors to do it and they would rather pay to hire it out and not have the delay.

The Alaska Railroad is planning to resume freight traffic between Anchorage and Fairbanks on Tuesday after repairs were made to 500 feet of track washed out by flooding.

A federal appeals court has ruled against the northwest Alaska village of Kivalina, which sued energy companies over claims that greenhouse emissions contributed to global warming that is threatening the community’s existence.

Alaska State Troopers say the suspect in a shooting of two brothers north of Kiana has been arrested and identified as a Kiana actor who went missing earlier this month after the death of his 74-year-old mother.

Kivalina students will finally head back to classes Monday, five weeks after the fall semester was postponed because late summer storms damaged a water supply pipeline that left the school and teacher housing without clean water.

A double shooting near Kiana is under investigation. Alaska authorities say two men were shot Tuesday night in an altercation at a cabin 40 miles upriver from the village of Kiana. Alaska State Trooper spokesperson Megan Peters says the trouble began when the two hunters stopped at a remote cabin.

The Alaska Board of Game has rejected an emergency request for a buffer zone protecting wolves that leave Denali National Park and Preserve. Board Executive Director Kristy Tibbles says six members determined the request did not meet criteria for an emergency order.

Era Aviation has resumed some limited service in Alaska after the commuter airline grounded 12 airplanes over the weekend. Airline spokesman Steve Smith says flights this morning were being routed by dispatchers to provide service to those most affected by the weekend grounding.

A group of stakeholders in the Tongass National Forest has voted to support a proposed land exchange in Southeast Alaska. The Tongass Futures Rountable voted yesterday (Thursday) to support the land exchange between the U.S. Forest Service and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority. The deal involves nearly 39,000 acres of federal and Mental Health Trust lands.

A spokesman for Shell Alaska says it will be at least Monday before a company drill ship can return to an offshore petroleum prospect in the Chukchi Sea. Curtis Smith says ice is still prevalent over the Royal Dutch Shell prospect 70 miles off the coast of northwest Alaska.

Anchorage Police have charged 37-year-old Jason Barnum with three counts of attempted murder in the shooting of a police officer on Thursday at the Merrill Field Inn. Barnum was arrested Friday morning after his release from an Anchorage hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound suffered in the shootout.

A study was conducted on Kodiak Island this summer that could result in a seabird being placed on the endangered species list. The bird is the Kittlitz's Murrelet, a rare black-and-white seabird.

Governor Sean Parnell has issued a disaster declaration for Kivalina, a community within Northwest Arctic Borough. The declaration makes funds available to pay for expenses associated with emergency protective measures and immediate efforts to refill the community’s water holding tanks.

Anchorage will pay more than $5.5 million to settle 11 civil lawsuits filed by women who claimed they were raped by a police officer. Mayor Dan Sullivan’s office announced the settlement Tuesday in a news release.

An Alaska couple has admitted to buying a gun, silencer and hand grenades, and having maps to a federal judge's homes, in what prosecutors say was a murder plot that developed from a dispute over paying taxes.

A wildfire burning on military land south of Fairbanks has grown to 42,000 acres, and smoke continues to cause hazy conditions. The Dry Creek Fire is growing because of shifting winds. The fire was more than 28,000 acres on Thursday, and spread 14,000 acres throughout the day.