Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
A Dark View of Geopolitics in the Arctic
World leaders speak of the Arctic as a "zone of peace and co-operation." But continued tranquility is just one forecast for the region. A much darker scenario came today from a Canadian policy scholar with an insider's view of Russia.
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Sen. Murkowski Pushes For Tweaks To Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act has special provisions for American Indians and Alaska Natives. They’re exempt from the individual mandate requiring Americans to purchase health insurance, since they’re already entitled to health care through the Indian Health Service.
State Applauds Supreme Court Ruling On Subsidies
More than 16,000 Alaskans will keep their health insurance subsidies under a ruling issued Thursday by the United States Supreme Court. The Court ruled 6 to 3 in favor of the argument that the Affordable Care Act allows residents in states like Alaska to access federal subsidies on healthcare.gov.
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$1B Icebreaker Isn’t In the Coast Guard’s Stars… Yet
Congress does not appear close to finding $1 billion to fund a new Coast Guard icebreaker, but Thursday, the Senate Commerce Committee approved a bill authorizing $14 million to plan for one.
Sen. Sullivan: VA Must Own Up to Alaska ‘Crisis’
A new Veterans Affairs program aimed at reducing long wait times for health care has had the opposite effect for scores of Alaska vets. At a congressional hearing today, Sen. Dan Sullivan said the Choice program is undermining older systems that helped Alaskans use their VA benefits to get treatment outside the VA.
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Young a Lonely GOP Voice for Puerto Rican Statehood
Rep. Don Young took some flack for holding a fundraiser in Puerto Rico last week, just days before chairing a subcommittee hearing on statehood for the U.S. territory. But at the hearing back in Washington this afternoon, Young made it clear he’s no Johnny-come-lately to the question.
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Enviros: Shell’s Arctic Plan Violates Walrus Rule
Environmental groups say they’ve found a fundamental flaw in Shell’s plan to drill in the Chukchi Sea this summer. They say Shell’s plan to use two drill rigs at once violates a 2013 Fish and Wildlife regulation aimed at protecting walruses.
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GOP Presidential Candidate Announces Alaska Team
Of the throng of Republicans known to be running for president, the state party says Marco Rubio is the first to announce an Alaska team. Anchorage political consultants Art and April Hackney have signed on to lead the Alaska campaign.
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Vets, Lawmakers Irate over New VA ‘Choice’ Program
When the scandal erupted last year over long wait lists at the Phoenix VA, Alaska was found to have quite short wait times. The Alaska VA has for years been buying care for veterans outside the VA, from the private sector and the Native health care system. That’s the model Congress chose when it passed the Veterans Choice Act last year, aimed at solving the VA backlog in the Lower 48. But as the new Choice program spreads to Alaska, vets and providers say it’s undoing parts of the Alaska-grown system that have worked well.
Sockeye Fire Map for Thursday Shows Reduced Acreage
Update: Thursday, June 18th. 11:30 am.
On Thursday, the official estimate of the size of the Sockeye Fire was reduced to 7,066 acres, a reduction of almost 500 acres. According to the Incident Command Post, the new number is due to more accurate mapping, particularly in the area of Willow Creek.
Sockeye Fire Evacuees to Learn Fate of Homes Today
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough government plans to meet individually with residents this afternoon to tell them if their homes are still standing. Sessions begin at 1 p.m. at the Houston Middle School.
Murkowski Bill Would Impel Izembek Road, Undo EPA Efforts
An appropriations bill authored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski would undo two of the Obama administration’s highest profile environmental efforts, and compel a land exchange to build a road in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, to connect King Cove and Cold Bay.
Industry Chafes at Relief Rig Rule for Arctic Drilling
The safety of drilling in Arctic seas was debated at a congressional hearing this morning. Advocates of development say requiring a relief rig isn't necessary for blowout response.
Sockeye Map Shows Modest Fire Growth For Monday
The fire grew modestly on Monday, to 7,555 acres. (A previous estimate of 8,500 acres was revised downward.) Today's forecast calls for warm, dry weather with possible dry thunderstorms. The Type 1 Alaska Interagency Incident Management Team takes command of the firefighting effort at 7 a.m.
AK: Ice Dance
New York dancer and choreographer Jody Sperling had a rare opportunity last year. She was an artist-in-residence aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy while it was on a research mission in the Arctic. Alone on vast ice floes, she danced while no one watched.
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Rep. Young Lobbies To Offer Land Allotments For Alaska Native ‘Nam Vets
Congressman Don Young’s subcommittee on Native affairs took testimony today on a bill to re-open land allotment selections for Alaska Natives who served in the military during the Vietnam War.
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U.S. House Bill Seen as Aviation Boon, Housing Bane
The House this week passed a transportation and housing bill. Rep. Don Young says it includes programs important to Alaska aviation, while the White House says it shortchanges homeless programs and transit.
Village Crime Victims Need Intervention, Senators Told
A U.S. Senate committee today heard pleas for better treatment of crime victims in Native communities. Gerad Godfrey, chairman of an Alaska victims' compensation panel, recommends sexual assault rapid response teams for Alaska villages.
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Rep. Don Young Marries on 82nd Birthday
Alaska Congressman Don Young tied the knot today, on his 82nd birthday. Young married 76-year-old Anne Garland Walton, a flight nurse from Fairbanks. She says his birthday cakes will never be the same.
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Sen. Sullivan Moves D.C. Office to Hart Building
Sen. Dan Sullivan is out of the basement. His staff announced today that they’ve moved to their new office location in the nation’s capital, on the 7th floor of the Hart Building.
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