Sabine Poux, KDLL - Soldotna
Alaska state agency again rejects Hollis French’s petition to investigate Cook Inlet leak
State regulators doubled down Thursday on their refusal to investigate a 2016 fuel gas leak in Cook Inlet, capping a years-long disagreement with a former commissioner over the scope of the agency’s authority.
Past heat waves and low sea ice continued to impact Alaska’s waters in 2021
The so-called blob that brought warm surface water temperatures to the Gulf of Alaska between 2014 and 2016 has passed. But the effects are not all in the rearview mirror.
Alaska SeaLife Center scientists learn from two baby belugas with diverging paths
Tyonek became the first beluga calf to be successfully nursed back to health when the Alaska SeaLife Center rescued him in 2017. The success story came just a few years after the nonprofit took in another stranded beluga calf named Naknek.
Fisheries board member steps down, citing workload and bout with COVID
Indy Walton of Soldotna said he’s dealing with a confluence of health issues that have been exacerbated by stress and a bout of COVID-19.
Seaweed and shellfish farming in Alaska could get a big boost from federal grant
Alaska’s economic development districts are in the running to win $50 million in federal money to grow the state’s seaweed and shellfish farming industry, known collectively as mariculture.
Citing economic concerns, cities will weigh in on lawsuit over Cook Inlet commercial fishing closure
Kenai and Homer both are submitting amicus briefs to a suit from the United Cook Inlet Drift Association that attempts to stop the closure before it goes into effect next summer. The cities say the ramifications of the decision on their local economies could be intense.
5.9 earthquake shakes Kenai and Southcentral
A 5.9-magnitude earthquake centered in Lake Clark National Park shook the Kenai Peninsula and Southcentral Alaska Tuesday at aboout 1:40 p.m.
Fishing council ties bycatch limits on Bering Sea trawlers to halibut abundance
The council that manages fishing in federal waters voted this week to link groundfish trawl fishing in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to halibut abundance. The action caps — at least for now — a six-year debate about curbing halibut bycatch in Alaska.
A Soldotna man has created a new fantasy dice game
Aaron Gordon works at Kalifornsky Beach Elementary School and also really likes games. He just created his own called Battle Dice.
Rebounding oil prices mean two idled Cook Inlet fields are operating again
Glacier Oil and Gas suspended operations in spring 2020 as demand for oil and gas tanked. Now that prices have largely rebounded, it's bringing two Cook Inlet wells online again.
Fired commissioner Hollis French gets hearing on 2017 Cook Inlet pipeline leak
It’s been nearly five years since a Hilcorp pipeline off the coast of Nikiski began leaking fuel gas into Cook Inlet, a problem that lasted for months. State regulators will now revisit the circumstances of that leak at a hearing next week
Second hunter found dead days after boat capsized near Whittier
The body of Luki Akelkok III was found Saturday, ending a multi-day search for the 28-year-old Dillingham man who went missing after his boat sank near Whittier in bad weather, according to Alaska State Troopers.
Olympian Lydia Jacoby partners with swimwear company following NCAA rule change
Seward swimmer Lydia Jacoby just signed with swimwear company Arena. It's the high school senior’s first deal with a brand since winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
Federal oil and gas report draws ire from both Alaska industry and environmental groups
The U.S. Department of the Interior said oil and gas companies should pay more to extract fossil fuels from federal lands and waters, like the million acres that could be up for bid soon in Cook Inlet.
Tule geese took the long way south from Alaska last year as fires ripped through the west
“Tule geese are among the first migrants to come down across the Gulf of Alaska toward California,” said a wildlife biologist. “So we watch with bated breath every year to watch them come down and see what they’re doing.”
Nikiski paramedics hope visiting patients at home will restore trust in health care system
In an emergency, paramedics in Nikiski might have 30 minutes with a patient before dropping them at the hospital. They likely won’t meet again until that patient has another emergency. The Nikiski Fire Department wants to change that.
Kenaitze Tribe’s craft classes help elders socialize and learn new skills
Helen Dick, a Dena’ina elder, learned to make birch bark baskets from her grandmother. Now, she’s teaching others to make them, too.
‘Beyond the Bear’ to become a movie
In 2003, when Bigley was 25, he was attacked by a brown bear after a day of salmon fishing on the Russian River. The bear bit him in the face, permanently blinding him.
Some Americans will pay more for natural gas, but not Alaskans, ENSTAR says
ENSTAR spokesperson Lindsay Hobson says the company has pre-existing long-term gas contracts, insulating Alaska from the price increase.
With new research, Alaska groups aim to turn mariculture into $100 million industry
Thanks to federal grants, some Alaskan organizations are looking into new ways to process kelp to eliminate harmful bacteria