Dan Bross, KUAC - Fairbanks
Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
Numbers Promising for Proposed Livengood Gold Mine
The latest numbers show promise for a proposed major gold mine at Livengood. The Canadian company International Tower Hill is in the early stages of studying the open pit mine, but a Preliminary Economic Assessment was issued late last month.
Early Numbers Indicate Slight Rise in UAF Enrollment
Early numbers indicate enrollment is up this fall at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Preliminary figures peg Fairbanks campus enrollment at over 5,100, up 61 students from this time last year. University spokeswoman Marmian Grimes says numbers have yet to settle out, but the trend is toward an uptick.
Tanana Chiefs Conference Receives Suicide Grant
The Tanana Chiefs Conference is one of the recipients over 50 million dollars in youth suicide prevention grants announced yesterday for states and tribes across the country.
Some Potato Blight Found in Alaska
Cases of potato blight on 2 Alaska farms have been controlled, but agriculture officials are warning Alaska gardeners to keep an eye out for the fungus that can destroy potato crops.
Fire Claims Dot Lake Utility Building
A fire burned down a utility building in Dot Lake Sunday, taking out essential infrastructure in the Alaska Highway community between Delta Junction and Tok.
Chum Run is Strong on the Yukon
The fall chum run on the Yukon River has surpassed expectations with a return in excess of average. State Management biologist Jeff Estensen says the run is approaching 900 thousand fish, better than the 700 thousand average for this point in the season.
Wrangell ATV Trails to Close
The National Park Service is out with a final plan for managing off road vehicle use on popular trails in Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park. The plan and environmental impact statement cover trails in the northern part of the park and preserve, along the Nabesna Road, east of Glennallen.
The National Park Service Finalizes Plan for Off Road Vehicles in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
The National Park Service is out with a final plan for managing off road vehicle use on popular trails in Wrangle St. Elias national park. The plan and environmental impact statement cover trails in the northern part of the park and preserve, along the Nabesna Road, east of Glennallen.
Fairbanks Port Authority Out of Gas Trucking Proposal
Fairbanks Borough voters will not decide whether the Alaska Gasline Port Authority pursues a plan to truck North Slope Natural gas to Fairbanks. The Borough Assembly last week rescinded an ordinance putting the question on the ballot in light of Golden Valley Electric and Flint Hills refinery’s recent announcement they are moving ahead with their own gas trucking plan. So Port Authority chairman Jim Whitaker said they are bowing out.
Legislators’ Norway Trip Focusing on Economic, Natural Resource Issues
A dozen Alaska state legislators are heading to Norway. The senators and representatives are part of a trip organized by the Institute of the North, a nonprofit group founded by former Governor Wally Hickel to improve understanding of northern issues. F
Fairbanks Hoping to Speed Up Wood Stove Change Out Program
The Fairbanks Borough wants to speed up the wood stove change out program before winter. Governor Parnell approved $3 million for the program last month, but Mayor Luke Hopkins says interim borough action is needed for the program aimed at ridding neighborhoods of polluting wood stoves and boilers.
Lake Minchumina Resident ‘Walking on Air’ After Postal Service Announcement
The closure study list included post offices in the interior communities of Anvik, Beaver, Hughes, Kaltag, Koyukuk, Stevens Village, Shaegeluk and Lake Minchumina.
Developer Plans to Renovate Polaris Building in Fairbanks
An Anchorage developer, with plans to refurbish the derelict Polaris building in downtown Fairbanks, is seeking additional concessions from the city.
Life Sciences Building Transforms Look of UAF’s West Ridge
The University of Alaska Fairbanks west ridge is taking on a new look, as construction of the new Life Sciences building progresses.
UAF Receives Endowment for School of Mining and Geological Engineering
The University of Alaska Fairbanks has received a major gift from private industry. Kinross Ft. Knox mine presented the UAF school of Mining and Geological Engineering a check for $990,000 Tuesday. Kinross North America vice president Lauren Roberts says the gift will fund a research endowment that’s developed out of a partnership with UAF.
Yukon River Law Enforcement Conflict Dates Back to 1996
The conflict between the state and federal government over National Park Service law enforcement on the Yukon River dates back to a regulatory change in 1996. At a forum on jurisdiction over navigable waters, held in Fairbanks Monday, State Attorney General John Burns cited the policy change as the root of recent tensions between the state and the Park Service.
Plan Aims to Protect Denali Highway Cultural Resources
The state is out with a draft plan to protect cultural resources along the Denali Highway. The plan is aimed at ensuring artifacts, like spear points, fire pits and other evidence of ancient cultures that used the area aren’t destroyed by recreational use or resources development. State archeologist Richard Vander Hoek says the Tangle Lakes area on the east end of the Denali Highway has a long history of habitation.
Fairbanks Schools Receive Mixed AYP Results
Fairbanks schools performance is mixed in the latest results from standardized tests uses to assess Alaska kids under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Statewide 302 schools of 505 passed the Adequate Yearly Progress standards – nearly 60 percent.
Yukon Chum Run Stronger Than Forecast
The Yukon River fall chum run is coming in stronger than forecast. Alaska Department of Fish and Game manager Jeff Estensen says 490,000 chums had passed a state sonar counter near the mouth of the river as of Aug. 8. Estensen says that’s better than the historic average of 340,000 chums for that date, and bodes well for the overall return.
Potential Conversion to Natural Gas May Prove Expensive
Fairbanks faces major costs to convert to natural gas for space heating. That was one of the messages from an Enstar gas official from Anchorage, in an address to the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Tuesday.