Dan Bross, KUAC - Fairbanks

Dan Bross, KUAC - Fairbanks
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Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.

24 Apache Choppers To Nest At Ft. Wainwright

The first U.S. Army apache helicopters to be based in Alaska are scheduled to arrive at Fort Wainwright this week. They're part of a new unit that will include 24 helicopters and 400 soldiers. Download Audio

Doyon Announces New Oil & Gas Prospect Near Nenana

Doyon plans to drill another oil and gas exploration well in the Nenana area. It will be the third the company has sunk into the oil and gas rich basin.

AG Rejects Cook Inlet Gas Facility Sale, Calls for Revision

Alaska Attorney General Craig Richards has rejected the proposed sale of a Cook Inlet natural gas processing facility that’s targeted for expansion to produce more gas for Fairbanks. Download Audio

AIDEA Shares Info On 16 Interior Energy Project Proposals

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority has released some details on proposals to supply natural gas to the Interior Energy Project. Download Audio

Open Call for Gas Supply Proposals Closes

The deadline for proposals to supply the State lead Interior Energy Project with natural gas was Monday. The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority is managing the project, and AIDEA spokesman Karsten Rodvik says the state corporation is considering a range of possibilities for getting affordable gas to the Interior. Download Audio

Proposed Cantwell Hydro Projects Draw Skepticism

Small hydro-electric projects proposed for the Cantwell area are receiving a mixed response. The proposals outlined at a public meeting this week include both dam and river diversion projects. Download Audio

Yukon King Run Stronger Than Expected

A stronger than expected run of Yukon River Chinook salmon is allowing fishery managers to loosen subsistence harvest restrictions on both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the river. The better-than-anticipated run is still small by historical standards, but may signal that Yukon King stocks are beginning to rebuild. Download Audio

Under Alaska Management, Mosquito Fork is Open for Business

The federal government has backed down in a long running legal dispute with the State of Alaska over ownership of an eastern interior river. State ownership the Mosquito Fork of the Forty Mile River will open it up to new activity, including mining. Download Audio

Post-Flooding Gravel Work to Raise Dalton Highway

A contractor is expected to begin work soon building up a portion of the Dalton Highway severely damaged earlier this year by overflow ice and flooding from the Sag River. It’s part of plan to armor the major North Slope oil field supply conduit against future ice and flood impacts.

Wet Weather Gives Wildland Firefighters An Edge

The statewide wildfire response that’s been operating at peak for more than a month is ramping down. Wet weather over areas of the interior has calmed many fires. Download Audio

Denali Wolf Hunt Nears Opening Despite Low Population Numbers

Wolf hunting season is scheduled to open next month in and around Denali National Park, despite record low wolf numbers. This spring, Park biologists counted fewer than 50 Denali wolves, heightening a long running battle over the popularly viewed animals. Download Audio

Fairbanks Voters To Decide on 5% Pot Tax

City of Fairbanks voters will consider a 5 percent sales tax on marijuana. The city council has approved putting the proposed retail tax before voters in the October municipal election. The tax is an effort to tap unknown revenue that legalized marijuana sales could provide. Download Audio

Five Fires Threaten Tanana On the Yukon

Recent rain slowed wildfire growth around the interior, but there are still nearly 2 hundred active blazes, and over twenty staffed fires. The largest response is to a half-million-acre complex of fires near Tanana. Managers expect suppression and demobilization to take weeks. Download Audio

Fairbanks Police Launch Website to Crowdsource Tips on Cold Cases

The city of Fairbanks has launched a new web page to share and generate information about unsolved murder cases. Local police are tracking cases ranging from months to decades old. Download Audio

Rain Helps Slow A Vigorous Fire Season In the Interior

Areas of the Interior have received rain in recent days, helping to slow wildfires that have charred more than 4.7 million acres, and fire season is far from over. Download Audio

Sled Dogs Safe, But Musher Stays To Protect Fire-Threatened Homestead

Yukon Quest champion Brent Sass remains at his wildfire-threatened compound in Eureka, but his dogs are safe in Fairbanks. Download Audio

Interior Alaska Ablaze With Lightning-Ignited Fires

Smoke is spreading over a large area of the state, as wildfire activity grows. There were 56 new wildfires Monday statewide, and 238 active, mostly in interior and southwest Alaska. Listen now:

‘Fairbanks Four’ Suspect Paroled

One of four Fairbanks men fighting for exoneration from murder convictions was paroled last week. The Alaska Native community gathered in Fairbanks over the weekend to welcome home Marvin Roberts. Download Audio

Lightning Strikes Ignite Nearly 50 New Fires

Dozens of new wildfires are burning around interior and western Alaska, as widespread lightning continues to cause new starts. An Alaska Interagency Coordination Center report listed 47 new fires Monday morning, with 186 active blazes state-wide. Download Audio
Elodea. (Photo from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

Elodea Eradication Plan Would Employ Herbicide

A herbicide is proposed to eradicate an invasive weed that’s infested some Fairbanks area waters. The chemical application would target Elodea, a prolific aquatic weed known to choke out native plants and fish, and inhibit navigation.