Dan Bross, KUAC - Fairbanks
Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
Poor Air Quality Raising Health Concerns In Fairbanks
Areas of Fairbanks and North Pole suffered poor air quality this a week as cold stagnant air allowed smoke from wood burning and other combustion to accumulate. The situation is nothing new and the focus of state and local plan to clean up the air. Fine particulate pollution is a known health hazard, and that’s confirmed in a locally produced report.
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UAF Shooting Death Ruled Suicide
A shooting death at the University of Alaska Fairbanks earlier this month has been ruled a suicide.
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Orphan Bear Cubs Find A Home Outside
A permanent home has been secured for two black bear cubs rescued last month. The animals are being temporarily housed at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, but they’ll soon be headed Outside.
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University President: Budget Cuts Will Require Downsizing to ‘Core’ Missions
University of Alaska President Pat Gamble is anticipating budget cuts that will force the institution to downsize, and focus on its core missions. Gamble plans to retire at the end of the 2015 school year, but he’s looking beyond his tenure to help the university prepare for the future.
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Governor Walker Shares Upbeat Message With Fairbanks
Governor Bill Walker is striking an optimistic tone despite tanking oil prices that are reducing state revenue. Speaking to the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Tuesday, Walker pointed to opportunity.
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UA President Announces Retirement Date
University of Alaska President Pat Gamble will step down at the end school year. Vice President of University relations, Carla Beam says Gamble announced his plan to retire June 1st 2015, to UA Regents, during an executive session Friday.
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EPA To Use North Pole Air Data
The Fairbanks area continues to struggle with fine particulate pollution from wood smoke and other sources. Wintertime air inversions trap emissions at ground level, dropping air quality below federal Clean Air Act standards. Much of the North Star Borough is classified a federal non-attainment area by the Environmental Protection Agency, based on air quality monitoring in Fairbanks, but the EPA plans to begin using monitoring data from North Pole, where pollution is typically much worse.
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University of Alaska Regents Approve Tobacco Ban
The University of Alaska Board of Regents has approved a policy banning smoking and other tobacco use on its campuses statewide.
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‘Sandbar Mitchell’ Restoration Takes New Approach
Restoration of a World War II bomber salvaged from a Tanana River sandbar will benefit from a similar relic in Nome. Some of the parts needed to restore the plane known as “Sandbar Mitchell” will be come from another B-25 that crashed in Nome over 70 years ago.
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DEC Gets Feedback on Fairbanks Air Quality Plan
State Department of Environmental Conservation officials have been in Fairbanks this week sharing information and taking public feedback on a plan for getting the area into compliance with federal air quality standards.
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UAF Student Found Dead
A University of Alaska Fairbanks student is dead, the apparent victim of an accident.
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Warm Temps Mean More Salt on Fairbanks’ Roads
Warmer than normal temperatures this fall are allowing expanded use salt to combat icy roads in Fairbanks. Salt is more effective in some conditions and less expensive.
APU Nordic Skier To Compete In World Cup
A cross country skier from Fairbanks is taking on the world’s best. Alaska Pacific University team member Reese Hanneman, who grew up in Fairbanks, will compete for the U.S. Ski Team in World Cup races in Europe over the next month.
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Orphaned Bear Cub Finds Temporary Home At Alaska Zoo
An orphaned bear cub from the Eagle area is at the Alaska Zoo. The young black bear will be kept at the facility in Anchorage, while a search is conducted for a permanent home.
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Interior’s Dry Weather To Continue
The Interior is forecast to get a little snow over the next couple days, but the trend is for continued dry weather.
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Another Orphaned Alaska Bear Cub Needs A Home
Another orphaned Alaska bear cub needs a home. The young black bear found near Eagle is the 8th the state has dealt with this year. The other seven cubs, all but one black, including a trio rescued in Galena in September, have been placed in lower 48 wildlife care facilities. The fate of the latest orphaned cub is uncertain.
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Warm Weather Allowing Expanded Use Of Salt On Fairbanks Roads
Warmer than normal temperatures this fall are allowing expanded use salt to combat icy roads in Fairbanks. Salt is more effective in some conditions and less expensive.
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State Releases Plan To Improve Fairbanks Air Quality
The state has released a long in the works plan for improving Fairbanks air quality. The community regularly falls short of federal fine particulate pollution standards in the winter, but many residents rely on wood burning for heat. There’s opposition to any sort of burn ban, and that’s not part of the plan.
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LNG Trucking Plan Might Not Hit Targeted Consumer Price Point
The latest numbers show a state plan to truck North Slope natural gas to Fairbanks may not hit a targeted consumer price point. Officials updated the public on the project Wednesday, and they‘re optimistic they can bring down the price.
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New Hearing Held On Fairbanks Four Case
There was a hearing in the Fairbanks Four case Monday. The hearing in state court was requested by the Alaska Innocence Project, which is attempting to overturn guilty convictions of George Frese, Kevin Pease, Marvin Roberts and Eugene Vent, the 4 men imprisoned for the 1997 beating death of John Hartman.
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