Steve Heimel, APRN Contributor
sheimel (at) alaskapublic (dot) org | 907.550.8454 | About Steve
Weekend Gun Violence Lands 2 In Anchorage Hospitals
More weekend overnight violence involving firearms in Anchorage. Two people are reported injured at a party in Muldoon early Saturday morning.
Alaska’s Revenue Shortfall and What to Do About it
The price of oil has gone down so far that it’s likely state revenues this fiscal year will be less than the forecast. And the forecast was already down more than $7 billion from the year before. The question the Governor and the Legislature are asking now is not whether there will be a deficit but just how big will it be and where will the money come from to fill it.
APRN: Tuesday, 1/6 at 10:00am
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The Year Gone by and Prospects for the Year to Come
From the Pebble mine order to the election to the sale of our largest newspaper to a website, 2014’s news had a lot of unexpected developments. What do you think was the big news of the year gone by? Was it the National Guard scandal? The death of the HAARP (harp) Project? The beginning of same-sex marriage? Or something else?
APRN: Tuesday, 12/30 at 10:00am
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Annual Statewide Holiday Greetings Show
It’s not to be missed! The annual state-wide holiday greeting edition of Talk of Alaska is on its way. Good wishes will be flying across the great state of Alaska, re-connecting friends and families and extended families in a two-hour wave of greetings. So make your list and get ready to call on the next Talk of Alaska.
APRN: Tuesday, 12/23 at 10:00am
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Chevron Pulls Back On Beaufort Sea Drilling Plans
Chevron has leases in Canadian waters and notified the Canadian government Wednesday that developing its EL 481 lease tracts would not be competitive in the company's anticipated future markets.
Sikuliaq Headed To Alaska Waters
The 261-foot vessel had trials in the Great Lakes. It went through the Panama Canal, and on to Hawaii, Guam, and should arrive shortly at the navy submarine test center in Behm Canal outside of Ketchikan before crossing the Gulf to Seward and a commissioning ceremony.
Invasive Species in a Human Modified World
These days agencies in charge of public lands and wildlife are trying to consider the whole eco-system in their management decisions, and how natural diversity can be harmed by invasive species. But it turns out that eco-systems sometimes have ideas of their own.
APRN: Tuesday, 12/16 at 10:00am
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Police and Deadly Force
If you live in a high-crime neighborhood, even if you’re just visiting, you’re under increased risk of encountering a scared police officer if your skin is dark. Does urban Alaska have a chance to avoid the problems other cities are having that involve police and deadly force?
APRN: Tuesday, 12/9 at 10:00am
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What Does Ferguson Mean to Alaska?
Even before the announcement was made about the Grand Jury in Ferguson, Missouri, the Governor had declared an emergency for the area, buildings were boarded up and schools were closed in anticipation of a violent reaction. Police were ready in full military gear. In the aftermath, protests continue and questions arise. What do Alaskans think about Ferguson and the militarization of the police?
APRN: Tuesday, 12/2 at 10:00am
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Village Sewer and Water
It is estimated that one of every three families in village Alaska still do not have a sanitary means of sewage disposal, in spite of hundreds of million dollars poured into rural sanitation. Systems have been installed in 77 percent of villages, but the smaller the village the higher the cost per person. What is the answer to this puzzle?
APRN: Tuesday, 11/25 at 10:00am
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The Anchorage International Film Festival
In the dead of winter, film makers from far distant lands come to Alaska because we have a festival. It’s been around for 13 years, and it shows more motion pictures in a week than it is possible for any one human being to see. A look ahead at the program for this year’s Anchorage International Film Festival is just ahead on the next Talk of Alaska.
APRN: Tuesday, 11/18 at 10:00am
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More About Food Security in Alaska
Alaska’s rich environment is already a major source of food, but it’s not inexhaustible. Encouraging local food producers is one part of food security but another part is hanging onto the habitat that is already producing wild plants and animals. We’ll be drilling deeper into the issues surrounding food security for the second week in a row on the next Talk of Alaska.
APRN: Tuesday, 11/11 at 10:00am
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Getting Down to the Details of Alaska’s Food
A short growing season, limited transportation links, high fuel prices – the list of barriers to strengthening Alaska’s local food system is long. It’s hard to know where to start.
APRN: Tuesday, 11/4 at 10:00am
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Proposition 2: To Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol
Should Alaska join the other states that have decided to decriminalize marijuana? Proponents argue that it’s already a big business here and bringing it out into the open would allow it to be taxed and provide a source of revenue. Proponents argue it’s too risky and would make our existing substance abuse problems even worse.
APRN: Tuesday, 9/16 at 10:00am
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Two Charged In Fatal Anchorage Shooting
Two people were arrested and charged in a fatal shooting in East Anchorage last week.
Alaska’s Top Secret Cold War History
Those stories grandpa told of being a secret government spy after the Second World War may be true. Secret documents now made public reveal that Alaskan bush pilots and other civilians were recruited by intelligence agencies to be spies in the event of a Russian invasion. We’ll hear more about Alaska’s secret Cold War history on the next Talk of Alaska.
APRN: Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00am
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Mallott, Walker Talk of Joining Forces
The deadline for making candidacy changes for the November general election ballot is tomorrow and talks have reportedly been going between Democrat Gubernatorial nominee Byron Mallott and independent candidate Bill Walker about a possible unity ticket. Just how that would be done and what would become of running mates Craig Fleener and Hollis French remains to be seen.
Alaska Maritime Workforce Needs
There are eight thousand fishing vessels registered in Alaska and not enough qualified Alaskans to fill the jobs aboard them or working on them. Everyone knows the state needs to beef up its vocational training resources, but how do we get there? Maritime work-force development is the subject on the next “Talk of Alaska."
APRN: Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 10:00 a.m.
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New Study Sheds Light on Peopling of the Arctic
Archaeologists have been arguing for decades about how human beings got to the new world, and genetic research released today deepens the mystery. An article published in "Science" magazine shows that there must have been at least four pulses of migration from Siberia through Alaska since the last Ice Age, and the Yupik and Inupiat people now in Alaska actually replaced an earlier population.
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Commerce Sec. Pritzker Visits Alaska – Talks Salmon, Infrastructure
Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker has spent the week in Alaska talking with staffers in the various federal agencies she's in charge of, including the Census and the Bureau of Standards, the Economic Development Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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