Steve Heimel, APRN Contributor

Shell's Arctic drilling problems continue to mount up. This morning word is out that the Environmental Protection Agency has cited both of its drilling rigs for air pollution violations during the past drilling season. The Noble Discoverer still sits in Seward, originally detained for safety and propulsion violations. And the Kulluk is anchored in a Kodiak Island bay still being inspected for damages from being grounded on New Year's Eve.

Anchorage police are seeking witnesses to learn more about what happened when an SUV pulled out of a midtown parking lot and hit and killed pedestrian Hymie James Castro, 64. They have released the identity of the driver now - Virginia Jacober, 68, of Anchorage - and they have filed no charges. They say they need to know more about how Castro got in the street at the corner of C street and Northern Lights Boulevard.

It looks like there was a spill from the Kulluk grounding after all. One of four life-boats dislodged and washed ashore as the huge rig grounded off Sitkalidik Island has at least two damaged fuel tanks. The rig itself has been towed to more sheltered waters and responders discovered the empty tanks while assessing materials washed to the the shoreline during the New Year's Eve grounding. The spill is estimated as under 270 gallons of diesel fuel. That estimate may rise as more tanks are examined on the four lifeboats.

An Anchorage man died Tuesday after he was struck by a car pulling out of a parking lot on a midtown street. James Castro, 64, initially appeared uninjured but later died in the hospital. Police have not yet released the identity of the 68-year-old woman who drove the SUV that hit him.

Kikkan Randall once again dominated an event in the Tour de Ski yesterday, winning all heats of the freestyle sprint event. Her rival, Justina Kowalchik of Poland, did not make the final heat. Randall ended up 8.7 seconds ahead of her closest competitor.

A crew member fell overboard from a cargo vessel in the Gulf of Alaska Tuesday night and was not found. The "Aqua Splendor" was on its way to Asia from Washington state and was about 300 miles south of Kodiak when the crew member fell. They threw flotation gear to him and put out a distress call. The Coast Guard sent out a C-130 but it was forced by the weather to turn back. A second vessel also searched, but found no sign of the man.

The Army has identified the man found dead of a gunshot wound at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Tuesday morning as Private Grant Wise, age 25, of Fairport, New York. Wise was assigned to Alaska duty with the 4-25th in September, after serving at Fort Bragg. The Army says he was found dead in another soldier's barracks room and investigation continues.

Not much information available yet from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, where the Army says a soldier was found dead in the barracks Tuesday morning of an apparent gunshot wound. The name has not yet been released. The Army says an investigation is being done.

A project is underway to replace the power line across Turnagain Pass on the Kenai Peninsula. Skiers and snowmachiners between Turnagain Arm and the Johnson Pass campground are advised to be on the lookout for stockpiles of materials placed there by the Chugach Electric Association, which may be covered with snow as the winter wears on.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved genetically modified salmon, deciding the fish would not pose an environmental threat. This triggered outrage from Alaska's congressional delegation.

Work has begun on the gas field at Point Thomson on the North Slope. The Exxon-Mobil Corporation is working to connect the field to an existing pipeline, twenty-two miles away.

Today Governor Sean Parnell announced a $12.8 billion-dollar budget for 2014, saying it's more than a billion dollars leaner than this year's budget and leaves a half-billion-dollar surplus.

A legislative aide resigned today because of ethics violations involving an anti-Islam organization.

Many Alaskans make a point of listening to the radio on the last Tuesday before Christmas for the unique experience of hearing holiday greetings from friends and relatives across the state on “Talk of Alaska.” It’s your chance to reach out to people near and far with your good wishes for the holiday and the new year. It’s a special two-hour Holiday Greetings edition of Talk of Alaska. KSKA: Tuesday, 12/18 at 10:00am

The Deepwater Horizon blowout of 2010 marked the first time that chemical dispersants were injected into an oil spill underwater. Now a report from government scientists finds remarkably few ill effects from these chemicals. That has heightened concerns of several Native groups, and others who have been pushing for tighter regulation of dispersants.

You can add the name of NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenko to the list of top Obama administration officials not sticking around for the president's second term. The Commerce Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere told her staff Wednesday that she'll be leaving her job early next year.

Alaska’s biggest landlord is the federal government, and for better or worse, some of its living heritage is about to disappear. Due to a quirk in federal law, some senior federal personnel in Alaska plan to retire by the end of the year. Their regrets, their memories and their advice to fellow Alaskans will be the subject of the next Talk of Alaska. KSKA: Tuesday, 12/11 at 10:00am