Alaska Edition May 9, 2014
Two state troopers killed in Tanana. The state Republican Party meets in Juneau. The Anchorage School District comes into extra money. Three motorcyclists killed on Glenn Highway. Anchorage water rates are perplexing - an explanation follows. Parnell cuts deal for pipeline taxes. Ammunition in short supply. Why? Sen. Fred Dyson has a bill that would remove from view court cases that do not lead to conviction. National Climate Assessment of climate change has warnings for Alaska.
KSKA: Friday, May 9 at 2:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 10 at 6:00 p.m.
KAKM: Friday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 10 at 4:30 p.m.
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Parnell Signs Gasline Legislation
Parnell's gasline bill sets the state up as a partial owner of a major LNG project. The proposed natural gas project is seen as a lifeline for the state, as North Slope oil production declines and state revenue dwindles.
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Memo Underscores Confession In Fairbanks 4 Case
There’s new evidence challenging the long contested murder convictions of 4 Native men in Fairbanks. The information was provided to the court by the Alaska Innocence Project, in its effort to free the men known as “The Fairbanks 4”.
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Former-Gov. Palin Defends ACES
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin defended the oil tax structure she championed while in office, known as ACES. The system has been dismantled by state lawmakers and her successor Governor Sean Parnell.
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Skagway Ferry Service Will Resume Sunday
State ferry service to Skagway resumes on Sunday.
Alaska Marine Highway ferries have not been running to Skagway since the ferry dock there sank on April 24th. The state was able to contract with a marine salvage and repair company out of Juneau for an emergency sole source contract, and the dock was re-floated a few days later.
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Unusual Quakes Send Seismologists Into Rapid Response
Aftershocks are continuing to rattle the western edge of the Brooks Range near communities like Noatak, and now seismologists are conducting a “rapid response” to capture these tremors. That’s after two earthquakes that came two weeks apart at magnitudes not recorded in the region in more than 30 years.
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UAA Student Breaks Ground With Yup’ik Spell Checker
A student at the University of Alaska in Anchorage has created software that can spell-check the Yup’ik language. Yup’ik language experts are excited about the possibilities even though the designer is not a fluent speaker.
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Alaska News Nightly: May 8, 2014
Gov. Parnell Signs Gasline Legislation; Former-Gov. Palin Defends ACES; Memo Underscores Confession In Fairbanks 4 Case; UAA, Willamette University Partner To Offer New Law School Opportunity; Education Bill Boosts Juneau Community Charter School; Skagway Ferry Service Will Resume Sunday; National Weather Service Issues El Niño Watch; Unusual Quakes Send Seismologists Into Rapid Response; UAA Student Breaks Ground With Yup’ik Spell Checker
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Sand Point Sees Progress In War On Drugs
A man allegedly carrying black tar heroin was arrested as he stepped off a plane in Sand Point last month. It’s the most recent development in the town’s fight against hard drugs.
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Education Bill Boosts Juneau Community Charter School
The Juneau Community Charter School is getting a 56 percent increase to its budget through an upcoming change in state law. New mandates in House Bill 278 give charter schools more parity with other public schools.
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National Weather Service Issues El Niño Watch
There could be more warm and cloudy weather on Alaska's coast and more wildfire danger in the Interior this summer if a temperature trend in the waters of the Pacific Ocean along the equator continues.
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Council Banishes 2 In Village Where Troopers Died
The tribal government in the village where two Alaska State Troopers were killed has voted to banish two men indirectly connected to the deaths.
Arctic May Not Be That Busy, Report Says
As the ice goes out in the Arctic, many people predict more ships will be drawn through the Bering Straits to take advantage of a shortcut between Asia and Europe. But, a recent government report suggests less ice may not mean more ships.
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Coast Guard Says Its Increased Arctic Presence Will Have ‘No Significant’ Environmental Impact
The U.S. Coast Guard has operated in the Arctic for more than a century, but as the maritime agency plans for an increased presence in the region, its taking stock of what its environmental impact will be in the Arctic in the years to come.
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Emergency Personnel Battle Unalaska Warehouse Fire
While the rest of the state is gearing up for wildfire season, Unalaska’s emergency responders spent Wednesday fighting an industrial fire inside a local longshore warehouse. The building appears to be a total loss.
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Agencies Emphasize Fire Prevention Awareness
The sunshine and warmer weather are bringing more Alaskans out to enjoy parks and trails. But that increase in recreation can also mean more accidental fires. Four agencies joined forces at a media event Tuesday to get the word out about fire prevention.
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Troopers Maintaining Presence In Tanana
Alaska State Troopers are maintaining a presence in the village of Tanana. Trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters says Troopers do not have a post in the village and the assignment of officers there is temporary.
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Honor Flag Lands In Fairbanks
A commercial airliner delivered the United States Honor Flag to Fairbanks yesterday. The flag, which flew at Ground Zero in New York following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, and has since traveled around the country to honor fallen law enforcement officers and fire fighters, was brought to Fairbanks to pay tribute to Alaska State Trooper Sergeant Patrick “Scott” Johnson and Trooper Gabe Rich, who were killed in Tanana last week.
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NAACP Demands Apology Over Sullivan Comments
The Anchorage NAACP and the Anchorage Central Labor Council have called on lieutenant governor candidate Dan Sullivan to apologize for comments likening required payment of union dues to slavery.
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Minecraft In The Classroom: When Learning Looks Like Gaming
The popular video game Minecraft has made its way into Juneau high school classrooms.
A graduate education course at the University of Alaska Southeast showed teachers how to implement the game in their classes.
KTOO’s Lisa Phu went to a high school algebra class to hear what students have to say about Minecraft – not as a game but – as a learning tool.
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