Tim Ellis, KUAC - Fairbanks
Tim Ellis is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
Eielson reminds pilots to not harass wildlife on training ranges
Eielson Air Force Base officials say they reminded pilots and their commanders participating in a training exercise last month that they cannot harass wildlife that wanders onto military training ranges during a recent exercise. Listen now
Former Kenai city manager dies after motorcycle crash
A former Kenai city manager died Sunday of injuries he sustained when he wrecked his motorcycle earlier that day on the Dalton Highway. Listen now
Alaska Highway Project: Memorializing civil rights legacy of black soldiers in state history
Anchorage high school students will get a chance this year to learn about the work African-American soldiers did 75 years ago to help build the Alaska Highway. The retired educator who led the effort to get the district to teach that lesson said it’s important that Alaska students learn about this important part of their state’s history. Listen now
Military ramps up spending ahead of Eielson fighter jet squadrons
The first of the two contracts was worth $37.3 million and went to a joint venture between Anchorage-based Bethel Federal and the Unit Company. Kevin Blanchard, who directs the 354th Fighter Wing’s F-35 Program Integration Office, says the companies will build a facility that’ll be used for corrosion control and maintenance and repair on the jets’ engines.
Delta school district turns to feds to demolish old school
The Delta Greely School District wants to get rid of an old, unused schoolhouse on Fort Greely. But it can’t afford to demolish the structure, and the Army and state government have turned down requests by the district to pay those costs.
African-American soldiers who helped build Alaska Highway honored
Fort Greely and Delta Junction celebrated the Alaska Highway’s 75th anniversary Saturday – and one of the soldiers who helped build it. Gov. Bill Walker and other state and local leaders attended a tribute to 96-year-old Leonard Larkins, one of more than 3,000 African-American soldiers who helped build the highway.
Alaska Highway 75th Anniversary: tribute to vets who helped build ‘road to civil rights’
Alaskans will celebrate the Alaska Highway’s 75th anniversary this year, and organizers of those celebrations plan to include tributes to the African-American soldiers who helped carve the road out of rugged wilderness. Listen now
Delta-area dairy owners decide to stay in business, but worker shortage persists
The Northern Lights Dairy in Delta Junction will stay open – at least, for now. The owners say they’ve reconsidered a decision earlier this month to close. The dairy’s future hinges on finding people to work hard for low pay, a nationwide agricultural problem, experts say is even more challenging in Alaska. Listen now
State asks for mule deer sightings due to concern about spread of moose winter tick
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is asking for the public’s help in reporting sightings of mule deer around the Interior. The experts are concerned they may be carrying a parasite that could devastate local moose populations. Listen now
Repair season under way on ‘just about every road in Alaska’
The Alaska Department of Transportation’s summer road-construction season has begun, with major projects in Fairbanks and on both the Richardson and Parks highways. Crews are hustling to get as much work done as possible during the short construction season. Listen now
Closure of Interior’s only dairy shows vulnerability of Alaska’s food security
The only commercial dairy in the Interior will soon shut down. The owners of Northern Lights Dairy in Delta Junction, one of Alaska’s two operating dairies, say they’ve decided to close the dairy they’ve operated since 1970 due to a lack of workers and other challenges. Listen now
Experts outline benefits of boosting Arctic broadband; but some cite cultural ‘concern’
Participants in the Arctic Broadband Forum held this week at the University of Alaska Fairbanks got an update on the progress of a project that promises to bring high-speed internet to remote northern Alaskan communities. Listen now
Week of the Arctic: ‘Very important’ event showcases concerns, interests in region
The Week of the Arctic gets under way today here on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. Dozens of Arctic science- and policy-related events will be held throughout the week, culminating in Thursday’s Arctic Council ministerial meetings, when U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will hand over the council chairmanship to his counterpart from Finland. Listen now
Construction at area’s Air Force installations to inject $1.5 billion into Interior economy
Summer promises to be a busy construction season for the Interior due to a series of projects at the region’s two Air Force installations. The projects will inject more than $1.5 billion into the area’s economy. Listen now
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