Tim Ellis, KUAC - Fairbanks
Tim Ellis is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
Missile-Defense System Contractor Boeing Hails Successful Test Of New ‘Kill Vehicle’
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency successfully tested an anti-missile warhead over the weekend. The test marked the first time in over two years that missiles like the ones at Fort Greely have been launched. It sets the stage for missile-defense contractor Boeing to conduct a full-scale test later this year.
Top-Level Army Leader: Alaska’s Strategic Importance Will Limit Military Budget Cuts
The Army’s second-highest-ranking civilian leader visited Fort Wainwright last week to talk about Alaska and the strategic role it plays in the nation’s defense – and how that might help protect the state’s military installations from cutbacks during upcoming budget battles in Washington.
Kikkan Randall Scores World Cup Career Best at Canmore
Anchorage’s Kikkan Randall finished 6th in a 10 kilometer World Cup ski race in Canmore, Alberta yesterday (Thursday). It was her career best World Cup finish in a classic distance race. The reigning World Cup sprint champion was 30 seconds back of winner Justyna Kowalzak of Poland, one of the top skiers on the tour.
Trucks Hauling Massive Girders for Bridge Project Likely to Cause Traffic Delays
A Fairbanks-based trucking company is hauling dozens of massive support structures up the Richardson Highway over the next few months. The 165-foot steel girders will be used to build the Alaska Railroad bridge over the Tanana River at Salcha. Motorists who encounter the slow-moving convoys of trucks hauling the girders should drive carefully – and expect delays.
Frigid Temperatures Close Delta-Area Schools
The cold snap that’s been gripping the Interior for more than a week now finally pushed the mercury to 50 below in the Delta Junction area, so Delta-Greely School District officials canceled classes this morning. The Delta district is one of the few in the Interior that closes schools if the temperature drops too low.
Republicans Win Four Interior House Races
Republicans also won four of six races for House Districts lying within the Interior, with North Pole Mayor Doug Isaacson presiding over the most lopsided win. Incumbent Republican Eric Feige also cruised to victory in District 6 with just over 72 percent of the vote over Jamie Duhamel. Republicans Tammie Wilson and Pete Higgins also won elections in District 2 and 7.
A Week Before Election, State House Candidates Sharpen Rhetoric
Redistricting has many incumbents facing incumbents for the Alaska legislature this election. And that’s true of two House races in the Fairbanks area. House district two includes Two Rivers and House District 38 represents Nenana and Tanana.
Division of Forestry Group Handling Proposals For Wood Heat, Power Generation
The high cost of oil has driven many communities in the interior to look for fuel alternatives, including biomass. The state Division of Forestry has put together a group of specialists to handle proposals to harvest timber for heat and power generation.
‘Mildly Racy’ Calendar Pictures Addressed By Army Officials
An anonymous complaint over what were called ‘mildly racy’ photos in a calendar put out by a Delta Junction-area nonprofit prompted an obscenity complaint that reached the highest level of the U.S. Army.
Tanacross, Dot Lake Still Without Power After High Winds
Line-repair crews have restored power to most of the Tok area, and work continues in Tanacross and the Alaska Highway community of Dot Lake, which are still blacked-out due to damage inflicted by Sunday’s storm.
Interior Cleaning Up After Wind Storm
The same storm that left relatively little damage in Anchorage hit parts of the Interior hard. Golden Valley Electric Association crews have been working since early this morning repairing power lines damaged by wind felled trees.
Work Begins On Tanana River Bridge
One year after an Alaska Railroad’s contractor began clearing land on the banks of the Tanana River at Salcha, the real work is about to begin on the state’s longest bridge.
White Moose Generates Internet Buzz
A white moose that’s been hanging around Delta Junction for the past few years made another appearance last week at a local bed and breakfast. The latest sighting generated some Internet buzz, and led a local biologist to again consider whether the animal is an albino or just a colorless cow.
500 Delta Homes Still Without Power
About 500 homes in the Delta Junction area were still without power this afternoon, more than 18 hours after high winds gusting to 76 miles per hour pounded the area Tuesday night.
Proposal Would Have Fairbanks Borough Build Natural Gas Distribution Network
The Fairbanks North Star Borough would take on utility powers and build a natural gas distribution network under a proposal being pushed by a group of local leaders.
Fairbanks Entrepreneur Continues With Wind Farm Plans
A year and a half after Golden Valley Electric Association turned down his proposal to sell GVEA up to 24 megawatts of power, Fairbanks entrepreneur Mike Craft is pushing ahead on construction of a second big wind generator at his wind farm near Delta Junction. Craft says he intends to continue selling the utility 1 megawatt and use the rest of the electricity for a big greenhouse he plans to build next summer.
NTSB Releases Preliminary Report on Deadly Delta-Area Helicopter Crash
The helicopter that crashed two weeks ago in a remote spot near the Pogo gold mine, killing the pilot, reportedly had touched down on a primitive helipad before it pitched up, apparently out-of-control, then hit some nearby trees and rolled down a hillside.
Six Alaskans Recognized For Homesteading Efforts
A federal commemoration of homesteading in America recognizes six Alaskans, considered the last to participate in the program. The last woman homesteader and her son gained title to land near Big Delta in 1984.
Troopers Call Off Search For Missing Delta Junction Man
Alaska State Troopers have called off the search for a Delta Junction man missing since last weekend. According to Troopers, an officer from the Delta Post found Emmanuel Martin Hosier’s car parked at a bluff overlooking the Tanana River Sunday night. The 20-year-old was last seen by family Saturday evening.
Troopers, Delta Residents Search For Missing Man
Alaska State Troopers and dozens of Delta Junction-area volunteers are searching for a 20-year-old man who hasn’t been seen since Sunday evening.