Steve Heimel, APRN Contributor
sheimel (at) alaskapublic (dot) org | 907.550.8454 | About Steve
Bike To Work Week
People-powered transportation gets more popular every year. As Alaska’s city dwellers take to two wheels for Bicycle to Work Week, Talk of Alaska will hear their progress reports. Right now, as federal fuel tax funds are shrinking because people are driving fewer miles, we’ll talk about how much of that money should be used for pedestrians and bicyclists, on the next Talk of Alaska.
KSKA: Tuesday, 5/15 at 10:00am
Author Investigates Exxon-Mobil In Book
Two of Alaska’s three major oil and gas producers are highly visible, but the third one is not. While BP and Conoco Phillips have large office buildings in Anchorage, Exxon-Mobil’s Alaska operations are run from an anonymous suite of offices in a mid-town building that has no sign bearing the company’s name. The sign was taken down 23 years ago for security reasons when protests erupted there following the Exxon Valdez oil spill. It was never replaced.
Exxon Mobil
In 2008, Exxon-Mobil earned a record $45.2 billion in profits. Three years later its credit rating was higher than that of the United States government. A new book about the corporation is entitled “Private Empire.” You have a chance to talk with its author, Steve Coll, on the next Talk of Alaska.
KSKA: Tuesday, 5/8 at 10:00am
Report Shows Growing Arctic Militarization
Tuesday, a think tank issued a wake-up call about growing militarization of the Arctic. The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions released a report on the security implications of an Arctic Ocean with less sea ice. The report documents a dramatic increase in policy actions by Arctic nations, many of them military.
The International Polar Year Revisited
It was a wave of scientific exploration designed to bring back knowledge of the fastest changing areas of the planet – the North and South Poles. The explorers have been back for several years now, and politics are beginning to intervene.
KSKA: Tuesday, 5/1 at 10:00am
Alaska Spirit Of Reading Presents “Strong Man”
A young man contemplating his own failure sees the world of his dreams become entangled with the work ahead of him. The graphic novel “Strong Man” was made in Alaska, and kids who read it will gather in school libraries to talk with the author. It’s the annual “Alaska Spirit of Reading” book club edition of Talk of Alaska.
KSKA: Tuesday, 4/24 at 10:00am
New Books Talks About Alaska Newspaper War
They say that history is written by the winners. That’s certainly the case with a new book by Howard Weaver, the former Managing Editor of the Anchorage Daily News. “Write Hard, Die Free: Dispatches from the Battlefields and Bar-rooms of the Great Alaska Newspaper War” tells of a time when the city of Anchorage was one of the last of its size to have two newspapers in competition. The Daily News won.
Anchorage During The Pipeline Boom And After
Old timers like to say that Alaska was never the same after the pipeline boom. But a boom town is a great place to run a newspaper. We'll be talking with Howard Weaver about his new book that brings it all back.
KSKA: Tuesday, 4/17 at 10:00am
Film Industry Tax Credits
The film industry tax credit bill, Senate Bill 23, is undergoing some changes in the House, and there is a risk of no decision on renewing the program this year. The program does not expire until next year, but supporters say the planning horizons of the industry are such that plans already in the works will be cancelled if there is no assurance the tax credits will be renewed. Are the House changes deal breakers?
APRN: Tuesday 4/10 at 10:00 am
Forecasters Predict Manageable Spring Break Up
Despite more snow-pack than usual, forecasters say the risk of spring break-up flooding is for the most part moderate across the state, even in areas of Southcentral that were buried under huge amounts of snow.
Alaskans for Justice Hold Anchorage Rally
A number of Alaskans, including our congressional delegation, turned up for a rally at the Anchorage airport organized by Alaskans for Justice, a group that believes the Justice Department railroaded the late Senator Ted...
Fisheries Panel Moves to Protect Undersea Canyons
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council yesterday directed its staff to do a scientific review of evidence that some areas of the Bering Sea are such rich fish habitat they should be protected...Read More
House Natural Resources Committee Subpoenas Records of Federal Offshore Moratorium Decision
As a House Natural Resources subcommittee was blasting the Obama administration's ocean policy at a field hearing in Alaska, committee Chairman Doc Hastings of Washington issued a subpoena for records of how Interior Secretary...
Plane Crash Kills Miner’s Son, Sleetmute Tribal Leader
Richard I Wilmarth crashed his father's airplane at Red Devil Friday evening and he and his passenger both died in the crash. The father, Richard C Wilmarth, said his son was not supposed...
EPA Appeals Board Lets Air Quality Permit for Chukchi Drilling Go Through, but New GAO Study Says Government Still Not Adequately Prepared for Arctic Offshore Spill
The air quality permits for Shell Oil's Chukchi Sea drilling plans have passed muster with an appeals board of the Environmental Protection Agency. A similar appeal that was granted was what stopped Shell from...
Village Subsistence Fishermen Call for Bycatch Restrictions
Alaska villagers say it's time to crack down on the Pollock trawl fleet because it is intercepting too many salmon bound for their rivers. This week they have been pressuring the North Pacific Fishery...
Investing in Clean Energy in Alaska
It’s about saving energy dollars but it’s also about return on investment – the next Talk of Alaska will be a preview of the upcoming “Business of Clean Energy in Alaska” conference, an update on new technology and renewable energy success stories.
KSKA: Tuesday, 4/3 at 10:00am
Federal Highway Bill Gets Another Extension
Congress couldn't agree on re-authorizing the highway act. It melted down in the House, which just couldn't agree to get behind efforts by House Speaker John Boehner to move some policy actions along with...
Board Releases New Redistricting Map
There is a new state election district map out, but the state Redistricting Board warns it is just an intermediate step toward a plan that complies with the federal Voting Rights Act. The state Supreme Court ordered the Board to do a new map that set more of a priority on the requirements of the state Constitution. The Board has a consultant who is expected to provide an analysis Wednesday.
Poems
There was a time when Americans memorized their favorite poems, but this year they are carrying them in their pockets. How alive is poetry these days? Whether it’s a classic, a slam performance, a bit of Robert Service or a haiku tweet, Alaskans will be sharing their favorite poems to kick off National Poetry Month, on the next Talk of Alaska.
KSKA: Tuesday, 3/27 at 10:00am