Tim Ellis, KUAC - Fairbanks
Tim Ellis is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
State’s biggest military training exercise takes off next week
The skies above the Interior and Southcentral Alaska will get a lot busier starting next week, when Northern Edge 2017 gets under way. It’ll be the biggest military-training exercise to be held this year in Alaska. Listen now
Wind-farm developer assails GVEA’s refusal to buy more power
Lawyers representing the Delta Wind Farm are asking state regulators to deny a tariff filed by Golden Valley Electric Association that argues the utility should not be required to buy more power from the wind farm. GVEA said it should be exempt from state and federal regulations intended to promote use of renewable energy, because it can’t integrate more wind power now without incurring costs that would be passed along to ratepayers. Listen now
Fairbanks International Airport evacuated after bomb threat
The FBI and Fairbanks International Airport police are investigating two bomb threats called-in to the airport Wednesday night. The terminal was evacuated for a little more than an hour, but no bomb was found and no one was injured. Two Alaska Airlines flights were delayed. Listen now
Arctic winter sees record low sea-ice cover
It’s been a chilly winter here in the Interior and elsewhere around the state. But for the Arctic Ocean, it’s been one long warm spell. That’s led to another record-low year for formation of Arctic winter sea-ice cover. Listen now
Final fuel spill cleanup near Paxson may be delayed
Cleanup has resumed along a stretch of the Richardson Highway near Paxson, where more than 4,000 gallons of diesel was spilled when a Fairbanks-based tanker wrecked in January. But it may take years to clean up all the contamination. Listen now
Warm air, sea-surface temperatures in February limited Arctic sea-ice growth
It’s been a relatively cool and snowy winter here in the Interior, compared with the past couple of winters. But climate experts say the Arctic has been warmer than average. They say that’s why it appears this year’s maximum Arctic sea-ice cover, measured near the end of winter, is likely to set another record for the smallest maximum on record. Listen now
Climate scientists worry NOAA cuts will hinder Alaska weather forecasting
Scientists who study Arctic climate say their research will suffer if the Trump administration goes ahead with big budget cuts reportedly under consideration for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And they say the proposed cuts also would hinder meteorologists’ ability to forecast weather in Alaska and worldwide. Listen now
Preparations underway for Arctic Council ministerial, related events
A U.S. State Department official said planning is well under way for the big, biennial meeting of top diplomats from the eight Arctic Council member nations to be held this spring in Fairbanks. Listen now
Exercise near Deadhorse to test paratroopers’ ability to operate in cold
About 200 paratroopers from Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson (JBER) will drop into Deadhorse Tuesday as part of a joint Army-Air Force rapid-deployment exercise that’ll include Stryker Brigade soldiers and equipment from Fort Wainwright. Listen now
Pending EPA cuts lead to new junk cleanups in villages
A network of partnerships between nonprofit organizations, government agencies and private-sector recycling companies is planning to step up efforts to clean up junk and electronic waste that’s been accumulating for decades in remote communities around Alaska. The partnerships are racing to clean up as much of the stuff as possible by 2020, when federal funding for the projects is scheduled to run out. Listen now
Army Aviation unit’s deployment reduces military role in remote civilian rescues
About 190 members of a Fort Wainwright-based aviation unit will be largely unavailable for civilian search-and-rescue for at least a year. The Alaska Aviation Task Force regularly helps find and pick up missing and injured from remote backcountry locations, but personnel in a key Army unit that’s part of the task force are deploying overseas. Listen now
State studies how to clean up 4,000-gallon fuel spill
Officials with the state Department of Environmental Conservation and a Fairbanks-based trucking company are still assessing the extent of a recent fuel spill along the Richardson Highway south of Paxson. Officials with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said it looks like diesel from a Colville Transport tanker crash has seeped into the road bed. Listen now
Alaska Highway 75th anniversary events to include tribute to black soldiers’ key role
75 years ago, the U.S. Army began work on a road to connect the far-flung territory of Alaska to the continental United States. This week, the town at the end of that road, Delta Junction, will consider a proposal to celebrate the Alaska Highway’s 75th anniversary. Organizers of a statewide effort to commemorate the anniversary say the highway represents an important historical achievement and a breakthrough in race relations. Listen now
Tanker truck spills 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel after crash near Paxson
The driver of a diesel-fuel tanker truck lost control of his rig Monday and wrecked in a remote spot on the Richardson Highway south of Paxson, spilling some 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel. And now, officials with a Fairbanks-based trucking company and the state are trying to figure out a way to remove contaminated material from the area while allowing traffic to pass through the narrow, winding stretch of roadway. Listen now
Experts say 2016 smashed previous records for Alaska’s hottest year on record
2016 was the warmest year in Alaska since the National Weather Service began keeping records in the state more than a century ago. Two weather-service climate specialists say that’s mainly because of extraordinarily warm ocean water, which in turn helped generate above-normal precipitation – especially in the Interior. Listen now
UAF research facility device could boost use of renewable energy
Engineers at UAF’s Alaska Center for Energy and Power have invented a device that should help promote greater use of renewable-energy sources such as wind and hydropower to generate electricity in small, remote communities. Center officials say development of the ST100 is an important milestone in their effort to boost the use of renewables to help communities save money by burning less diesel fuel to generate power. Listen Now
Wind-farm developer asks court to overturn approval of GVEA Tariff
Delta Wind Farm President and CEO Mike Craft is taking the Regulatory Commission of Alaska to court. Craft is asking a judge to overturn the commission’s approval of a Golden Valley Electric Association tariff filed last summer. He claims the tariff violates new state regulations intended to help renewable-energy projects like his access the grid. Listen Now
AK: Fairbanks Four’s plight inspires musician’s latest composition
The Fairbanks Four’s release from prison last year inspired virtuoso Emerson Eads to compose a piece titled “Mass for the Oppressed.” Eads has lined up some impressive talent to perform the piece next month, and he’s arranged for proceeds from sales of the production to go to an organization that represented the four Alaska Native men in court. Listen Now
High-level U.S., Canadian military chiefs meet again to confer on Arctic training, operations
Ten high-level U.S. and Canadian commissioned and noncommissioned officers toured the Army’s Black Rapids Training Site in Delta Junction, November 15. Listen Now
This year’s winter forecast for Interior Alaska: more cold snaps, near-normal snowfall likely
Residents of the Interior will likely see more snow and a cold snap or two this winter. Listen Now