Patrick Yack, Alaska Public Media

Patrick Yack, Alaska Public Media
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Alaska News Nightly: July 31, 2009

Individual news stories are posted in the Alaska News category and you can subscribe to APRN’s news feeds via email, podcast and RSS. Download Audio (MP3) State and Feds Discuss Lifting Senior Services Ban Dave Donaldson, APRN...

Railbelt Fires Prompting More Response

Operations are ramping up at the Railbelt Complex fires.  The management team is leveling up, and eight additional crews are being assigned to the fires, bringing staffing to around 350 people. The biggest fire...

Fairbanks is Socked In

Fairbanks is socked in with wildfire smoke, and air quality is in the unhealthy range. A borough air quality specialist says conditions have been deteriorating since the winds shifted early Thursday. Dan Bross, KUAC...

Largest Firefighting Plane Comes to Fairbanks

The world's largest firefighting aircraft is in Fairbanks.  The new one of a kind Evergreen aviation Supertanker is a converted 747 that holds 20,000 gallons of water and retardant. Dan Bross, KUAC - Fairbanks Download Audio...

Bethel Fire Station is in Danger of Collapsing

The Bethel fire station is in imminent danger of collapse. That's the conclusion of an independent engineer. The fire department runs a skeleton crew inside the building, while the City looks for money to replace...

Senators Introduce Offshore Energy Bill

US Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has teamed up with Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu to introduce a bill that would give coastal states revenue from offshore oil and gas development. States like Alaska would get...

New Fish Panel Wants to Connect with Rural Alaskans

The panel that shapes federal fish policy for Alaskan waters is launching a new committee to connect with rural residents of the state. Some regional leaders says the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council's new...

Homer Might Allow Small Wind Systems

The Homer City Council is considering an ordinance that would change city code to make it easier for private property owners to install small wind energy systems on their homes and businesses. The council...

Seward Still Battling Floods

Seward is still dealing with flooded areas after many days of rain.  A flood advisory remains in effect. Ben Stanton, KDLL - Kenai Download Audio (MP3)

Millions of Salmon Are Harvested but Only a Part Makes a Fillet

Millions of salmon are harvested every summer in Alaska waters, but only part of the fish is turned into fillets. Jay Barrett, KMXT - Kodiak Download Audio (MP3)

Crystal Ball for Ferries Shows Many Options

A look into Southeast Alaska's crystal ball shows more ferries and roads ... or maybe less. Options for an updated Southeast Alaska Transportation Plan include a tunnel to Sitka, a ferry to Gustavus, and...

Alaska News Nightly: July 30, 2009

Individual news stories are posted in the Alaska News category and you can subscribe to APRN's news feeds via email, podcast and RSS. Download Audio (MP3) Railbelt Fires Prompting More Response Dan Bross, KUAC - Fairbanks Operations are...

Suit Filed to Challenge Pebble Permits

Trustees for Alaska filed a lawsuit in Anchorage Superior court this morning challenging all of the state's permits that allow exploration of the proposed pebble mine in the Bristol Bay region. Lori Townsend, APRN -...

Kenai Flooding, Some Residents Evacuating

Parts of the Kenai Peninsula are experiencing flooding rivers and waterways as seasonal snow and glacier melt combines with a couple days of consistent rainfall.  Residents in one area are being asked to prepare...

State’s Largest Wildfire Getting Bigger

The country's biggest wildfire is getting larger by the day.  The Minto South Flats blaze, west of Nenana has burned 337 thousand acres. Dan Bross, KUAC - Fairbanks Download Audio (MP3)

Murkowski Asks Feds to Help with Troubled Senior Program

US Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) on Wednesday asked the federal government to send its own staff to help seniors and disabled people who were shut out of the Personal Care and Medicaid Waiver assistance...

Senate Indian Affairs Committee May Explore Native Contracts

US Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) wants the Senate Indian Affairs Committee to hold a hearing this fall on the Native American 8 - A program.  It gives Alaska Native Corporations extra advantages so they...

Canada and US to Explore Arctic Together

The US and Canada are gearing up for a joint mission into ice filled Arctic waters.  Next week both nations will send an icebreaker ship into the Beaufort Sea, where they'll meet up...

Alaska to Get $5 Million in Stimulus Funds for Police

Alaska villages and cities are receiving more than $5 million in federal stimulus money for police services. Ellen Lockyer, APRN - Anchorage Download Audio (MP3)

FEMA Distributes Millions to Alaska Flood Victims

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has distributed $3 million to Alaskans who lost their houses and other property in the devastating spring floods. In all, families in 22 villages on the Yukon and...