Dan Bross, KUAC - Fairbanks
Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
Honor Flag Lands In Fairbanks
A commercial airliner delivered the United States Honor Flag to Fairbanks yesterday. The flag, which flew at Ground Zero in New York following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, and has since traveled around the country to honor fallen law enforcement officers and fire fighters, was brought to Fairbanks to pay tribute to Alaska State Trooper Sergeant Patrick “Scott” Johnson and Trooper Gabe Rich, who were killed in Tanana last week.
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Alaska’s UAV Test Site Begins Operation
The University of Alaska’s status as a Federal Aviation Administration unmanned aerial vehicle test center is official. Events in Anchorage and Fairbanks marked the start of operations on Monday.
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Tanana Residents Devastated By Trooper Deaths
Tanana is an Athabascan village about 130 miles west of Fairbanks, near the confluence of the Tanana and Yukon Rivers. The village’s 300 residents all know one another, and many are related.
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Fairbanks Schools Anticipating Teacher, Staff Reductions
The State Legislature has boosted money for education, but it’s not enough to stem cuts by the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. The district is getting 6 million new dollars from the state, $3.3 million more than the expected increase, but acting Superintendent Karen Gaborik says it’s not sufficient to avert teacher and staff reductions.
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Sikuliaq Research Vessel Nears Completion
The National Science Foundation’s new Arctic research vessel Sikuliaq is nearing completion. The $200 million project has experienced delays, but final work is taking place at a Wisconsin shipyard.
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Wildfire Threat Increases As Snow Melts
As snow melts, wildfire is becoming a threat. Red Flag warnings are in effect for areas of South Central and Interior Alaska, including Fairbanks, Delta Junction and Tok.
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Legislature Passes Bill With Aid For State Refineries
The package, which includes state income tax credits and other provisions, was forwarded by Governor Sean Parnell as a means to ensure Alaska retains its refining industry as cheaper Lower 48 oil makes shipping fuel into the state an option.
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Fairbanks Hatchery Opening Doors To Public
The Ruth Burnett Sport Fish Hatchery in Fairbanks will open its doors to the public during this weekend’s Outdoors Show. Public outreach and education are part of the $46 million state hatchery’s mission, and a visitor’s center is required by its borough land lease. The hatchery has been operating for more than 2 years but the visitor’s center hasn’t opened.
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‘Demo Dose’ Lab Tests Find Bacteria
Lab testing of a synthetic saline solution wrongly used in a University of Alaska Fairbanks medical class shows bacteria. A Houston based laboratory was hired by the university to analyze samples of “Demo Dose.” The solution, which is not intended for humans, was used by UAF Community and Technical College Clinical Procedures Class students to practice injections on themselves and one another.
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The Alaska Innocence Project Challenging 1987 Murder Conviction
Evidence used to get a conviction for a 1987 Fairbanks murder trial is in question. The Alaska Innocence Project is pursuing post conviction relief for Michael Alexander, who was imprisoned for the March 23, 1987 kidnapping and killing of Fairbanks teenager Kathy Stockholm. The Innocence Project request challenges biological evidence that helped convict Alexander, and the group’s Director Bill Oberly says the FBI has concurred it could be suspect.
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Army Sets New Protocols During Fire Season
The Army has a new protocol for live ordnance training during times of high wildfire danger. Army artillery practice sparked the Stewart Creek 2 wildfire that burned east of Fairbanks though much of last summer. The 87,000 acre blaze forced evacuations and cost more than $20 million to fight.
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Fairbanks Will Help Fund New Mental Health Drop In Center
The City of Fairbanks will help fund a new mental health drop in center. Earlier this week, the city council approved $58,000 for the Northern Door Clubhouse.
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UAF Med Students Inject Wrong Substance
Some University of Alaska Fairbanks students received doses of a substance not approved for humans or animals. The medical course students were practicing giving injections.
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State Reviewing Sulfolane Cleanup Standards
The state will take another look at its cleanup standard for sulfolane contaminated water in North Pole. Last November, the Department of Environmental Conservation set a 14 parts per billion clean up threshold for groundwater tainted by historic spills at the Flint Hills North Pole Refinery.
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Fairbanks Sport Fish Hatchery Prepares For Second Season
The onset of spring has some Alaskans looking forward to fishing season. That includes employees at the state’ new sport fish hatchery in Fairbanks, where they’re hoping for conditions less extreme than those experienced last year.
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State, Feds Wrestle Over Navigable Water Control
The State of Alaska is continuing to fight the federal government over control of navigable waters in two cases involving Interior rivers.
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FDA Adds Alaska Salmon Testing To Radiation Monitoring Program
Alaska fish are being tested for radiation contamination from Japan’s leaking Fukushima Nuclear energy plant. The power plant was damaged during an earthquake three years ago and continues to releases radioactive water into the sea.
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‘Fairbikes’ To Open In Fairbanks
A bike share business plans to start operating in Fairbanks this summer. “Fairbikes” owner Jennifer Eskridge previewed what’s planned for the North Star Borough assembly last week.
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Feeling Left Out: The Health Insurance Gap In Alaska
Monday is the deadline to sign up for health insurance and avoid a penalty under the Affordable Care Act. Insurance is available through multiple sources, from private carriers to publicly funded providers like Medicaid. But Alaska is among many states that have so far declined to expand Medicaid, and it’s created a coverage gap.
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Fairbanks Approves Credit Line For Interior Gas Utility
The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly has approved an up to $7.5 million line of credit for the Interior Gas Utility. The loan fund is for the borough created IGU to begin preliminary work on local gas distribution piping in anticipation of LNG being trucked to town from the North Slope via the state’s Interior Energy Project.
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