Ellen Lockyer, Alaska Public Media
Legacy wells due for cleanup
Dozens of abandoned oil wells are scattered on federal land on the North Slope. BLM has launched an ambitious program to clean them up. Download Audio
The push to hire locally in AK
The number of nonresident workers in Alaska surpassed the number of residential workers in 2014. What's causing this statistic and what can be done to encourage local hiring within the state? This week's Alaska Edition tackles these questions and looks at the legality of policies aiming to increase the number of Alaskan workers.
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Agreement expected soon between state and Ma-Su Borough on railroad right of way
An agreement between the state and the Matanuska Susitna Borough is soon to be finalized regarding state land the Borough wants for a railroad right of way. The Borough had purchased several agricultural parcels from the state in the Point MacKenzie area for a right of way for the rail spur between Port MacKenzie and Houston. But agricultural covenants on the land didn't allow industrial use. Download Audio
Alaska DOC to be reviewed by newly appointed Commissioner
All prison programs in Alaska's correctional institutions will be reviewed, according to newly appointed Corrections Commissioner Dean Williams. Williams is also the co-author of an administrative report released last year that detailed deficiencies in the current system. Download Audio
The next steps for DOC
Governor Walker recently announced Dean Williams as the new commissioner of the Department of Corrections. This week on Alaska Edition we will talk about the future of the Department of Corrections and the steps the new commissioner plans to take to better the system.
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Mat-Su takes up pot codes
Mat Su Borough commercial marijuana codes are ready for Assembly debate, but some want the panel to hold off until after an October election.
MTA ballot seeks deregulation
Matanuska Telephone Association is asking its members to vote against a Regulatory Commission of Alaska phone service charge.
Two homicide victims identified by APD
Anchorage Police have released the names of the two victims found early Thursday morning on a beach near a local park. They are 19 year old Selina Annette Mullenax and 20 year old Foreignne Aubert-Morissette. Police are releasing few details in the case, including cause and time of death, pending autopsy results. Download Audio
APD investigates 2 unusual deaths at Point Woronzof
Two suspicious deaths in Anchorage have local police puzzled. APD was investigating a body that was found at the city's Point Woronzoff early Thursday morning when they found a second person nearby, critically wounded.
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Unpopular AMP tests to be replaced
In a surprise statement late Tuesday night, Alaska education commissioner Mike Hanley said the Alaska Measures of Progress tests would be dropped for the 2016-2017 school year while the state considers "new assessment structures."
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Palmer sculptor heats up the art scene
Palmer sculptor Pat Garley's Arctic Fires Bronze Sculpture Works is a gathering place for local artists.
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Redington first in Northern Lights 300, despite quake
Thirty mushers in the Northern Lights 300 sled dog race were on the trail when a strong earthquake shook Southcentral Alaska early Sunday morning.
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Northern Lights 300 pack heads to Finger Lake
Mushers leave the chute at Big Lake in this year's Northern Lights 300.
Mayors want tax share scheme for future gasline
Although an Alaska LNG project is in the future, the mayors of boroughs impacted by the project want to make sure they get a fair share of any taxes on the future gas line.
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Vets concerned about Wasilla monument
A planned senior care project near Wasilla has hit a wall... literally. It seems the design for the specialized nursing complex intrudes on space now occupied by the Veterans Wall of Honor Memorial, and some local veterans say they are not backing down in their stand against moving the wall.
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Comment due on Mental Health Trust lease to Usibelli
Alaska's Mental Health Trust Land's Office is in the process of determining the issue of a ground lease of Trust land to Usibelli Coal. The approximately 95-acre parcel is located adjacent to Usibelli's Wishbone Hill prospect near Palmer.
Slaughterhouse shutdown prompts ag community to mobilize
Matanuska Valley ranchers and farmers turned out Tuesday at a Palmer meeting to let state lawmakers know that they want Mt. McKinley Meat and Sausage to remain in business.
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Mat-Su grant targets parents in bolstering family well-being
Something as simple as a family meal can go a long way in the fight against drug addiction. New parents are getting support in child rearing skills from a Mat-Su program that focuses on preventing the seeds of drug dependency from taking root in the youngest children.
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Borough eyes emergency dispatch upgrade
Emergency dispatch operations in the Mat Su could be put out to bid, if a Requests For Proposals outlined at Tuesday night's Matanuska Susitna Borough Assembly meeting is successful.