Lori Townsend, Alaska Public Media
Alaska News Nightly: April 28, 2015
The Coast Guard wants cutters before icebreakers; Lawmakers ask for a break and relocation for special session; Marriage equality advocates ask Governor to stop gay marriage challenge; Akiak's approach to stopping the flow of alcohol; Health implications for third world conditions in rural Alaska; Unalaska prepares for cruise ship season; The U.S. Army 'Sugar Bears' fly supplies to Denali
Alaska News Nightly: April 27, 2015
Lawmakers May Gavel Out; Law Enforcement Battles Bootlegging In YK Delta; Anchorage Nepalese Community Reacts To Quake; BOEM Explains Arctic Oil Spill Risk Estimate; Trident To Open New Fishmeal Plant In Naknek; Strong Tourist Season Is Forecast For Alaska; House Bill 147 Gives Pets Special Legal Considerations.
The Blind Spot: Juvenile Justice And Substance Abuse In Young Alaskans.
Juvenile crime in Anchorage is down, but crimes involving drugs and alcohol is not. Many who work in the juvenile justice system say we’re not catching young people who are getting into trouble soon enough. A new series examines what services are available, how youth are getting help and how they're helping themselves.
APRN: Tuesday, 4/28 at 10:00am
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Land Into Trust And The Future Of Tribal Sovereignty In Alaska
Alaska tribes can now ask the Interior Secretary to take land into trust, a legal designation called Indian Country. What would this mean for the future of tribal sovereignty? How would Indian Country status affect Alaska Native Corporations and the relationship between tribes and the state?
APRN: Tuesday, 4/21 at 10:00am
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Army Corps Of Engineers Preps For Summer Season
The Army Corp of Engineers are gearing up for the summer season of projects around the state.
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Prolific Glacial Melt Is 10% Of Annual Fresh Water In The Gulf Of Alaska
A kayak trip in Glacier Bay in 2006 inspired an engineer to research the impact of glacial run off in the Gulf of Alaska. David Hill is an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Oregon State University. For the study, he used decades of state and USGS stream flow data, combined with calculations on land characteristics and watershed size to create an analysis for the entire area. He found glacier melt makes up about 10% of the overall precipitation added to the Gulf. The annual amount is measured in multiple feet of water. Hill says he worked to model how quickly rain and snow melt started to flow.
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Medicaid Expansion And The State Budget
State leaders need to cut the budget without hurting the economy and find new sources of revenue. In a time of fiscal deficit, what do lawmakers think of Medicaid expansion and other ideas that impact the budget? What will it take to stabilize Alaska's financial future?
APRN: Tuesday, 3/24 at 10:00am
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Lecture Addresses Food, Conflict, and Culture
Is food a source of comfort--or division? How can it be used to spark conversations about global conflicts? Those are the questions Anita Mannur is asking in her upcoming talk called "Kitchens in Crisis" at UAA.
Women’s Hall of Fame Inducts New Members
The annual spring ritual of honoring women who have helped shaped Alaska, took place last weekend in Anchorage. The Alaska Women's Hall of Fame holds their induction ceremony in the Wilda Marston theater at the Loussac Library. Every year, women, some well known and others not, are honored for their contributions to the state. This year's 13 inductees ranged from one of the first female USGS geologists, who at one point worked on a top secret federal program-- to women who had achievements in musical artistry and activism and others who championed conservation and science education.
Governor Bill Walker And The Alaska State Budget
Governor Bill Walker and legislators need to work together to bring down state spending and raise new revenue. The Governor wants to expand Medicaid, beef up the instate gasline proposal and halt spending on several large infrastructure projects. Some Lawmakers are pushing back. How will they compromise?
APRN: Tuesday, 3/17 at 10:00am
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Steve Heimel and Historical Context for APRN
Steve Heimel has been a fixture of the APRN system since its inception. After more than three decades of dedicated service to news, Steve is leaving the network for other challenges. From covering the Exxon Valdez oil spill to helping Alaskans understand the breaking news on September 11th, Steve has been a steadfast, credible and authoritative voice. Steve Heimel
is our guest on the next Talk of Alaska.
APRN: Tuesday, March 10, at 10:00 a.m.
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How Will Retreating Glaciers Affect Whales, Seals?
Glaciologist Erin Pettit was on a kayaking trip in Glacier Bay in 2006 when she first wondered what kind of noise the glaciers were making under the water. Her new research shows the answer to that question is a lot - and not just when the glaciers are calving. Here's the sound of a glacier pressurized bubbles being released from a glacier.
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‘Iditarod Adventures, Tales from Mushers Along the Trail’ Documents Race Stories
A new book, out just in time for this year's race, documents stories of the Iditarod. Lew Freedman, a former Anchorage Daily News reporter and author of numerous other books on Iditarod legends, gets people who race or love and support the race, to tell their own stories. The book is called Iditarod Adventures, Tales from Mushers Along the Trail. Freedman starts with Martin Buser. He says he's had a question he's wanted to ask Buser since 1991.
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National Geographic Photographer Reflects On Three Decades Of Work
National Geographic photographer Annie Griffiths will be speaking tonight in Anchorage about her more than three decades of work capturing the lives and cultures of people across the planet. Griffiths has worked in more than 150 countries. She raised her children on the road and says they loved the Middle East where they rode camels, milked goats and were warmly welcomed by people who prioritized family.
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Holly Brooks Wins American Birkebeiner Ski Race
Holly Brooks won the 51 kilometer American Birkebeiner ski race in Hayward, Wisconsin this Saturday. Brooks is leading the International Ski Federation - or FIS - Marathon Cup - competing in long distance races in Europe, the U.S and later this spring- Russia. She gave up her spot on the U.S. Ski team to pursue an overall win on the Marathon Cup this season.
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Anchorage Man Indicted On Sex Trafficking, Sexual Assault, Weapons Misconduct Charges
Xavier Lanell Cook Benson is facing 12 counts related to what law enforcement officials allege in a written release, was a brutal and exploitative sex trafficking and prostitution operation in Anchorage, Juneau, Kenai and Fairbanks.
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Seward Highway Reopened After Rock Slide
Alaska Department of Transportation and Anchorage police report the Seward highway is open again. It was closed this morning due to a rock slide near the scales south of Potter Marsh. Both lanes of the highway were closed.
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Anchorage YWCA Works for Gender Pay Equity
The Anchorage YWCA has taken on the topic of pay inequity for women. Nationally women make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes, but in Alaska, the rate is 67 cents, placing Alaska at 48th for women's pay in the nation. Hilary Morgan is the CEO of Anchorage YWCA, she says when she researched the pay disparity, she thought it may be skewed due to jobs in the resource development industry that required more physical strength, so she examined industries that didn't require brawn.
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Practitioner of Traditional Medicine Stresses Personal Responsibility
Ted Mala grew up in a family that covered a broad career spectrum; from medicine people to movie stars. Dr Mala is the son of Alaska Native movie star Ray Mala and before he became the first Alaska Native to attend medical school and return to Alaska to practice, he learned about traditional medicine from relatives in the region of his childhood home in Buckland.
He believes deeply in the power of traditional healing, but he also makes a clear distinction between it and shamanism.
Seabird Decline Could Signal Drop In Ocean Productivity
Seabirds are on the decline in the North Pacific, from the Western Aleutians to Vancouver Island. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey compiled and filtered the data of hundreds of thousands of surveys of different species conducted in the last 40 years to document the decline. They say the decline could signal a drop in the overall productivity of the ocean.
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