State House Finance Committee Passes $9.1 Billion Operating Budget
The $9.1 billion state operating budget has passed the House Finance committee. It's down about $1.6 million from the original bill, much of that due to a cut in school construction and debt service money.
Despite Revisions, Opposition To Permitting Bill Still Vocal
After nearly a year of waiting for a rewrite of HB77, members of the public had plenty to say about the changes. They got their first chance to speak to them at a Senate Resources Committee hearing on Wednesday. Most of the testimony on the Parnell administration’s permitting bill was as negative as it was brief.
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Without Necessary Votes, Senate Leadership Pulls Controversial Education Amendment
Over the past two legislative sessions, conservative lawmakers have prioritized an amendment that would allow public money to be spent at private schools. Wednesday was supposed to be the grand showdown, where the State Senate would take a vote on it. The measure did not even make it to the floor, because it did not have enough support to pass.
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Arctic is Top Priority for Homeland Security – But One of Many
Sen. Lisa Murkowski today pressed the Secretary of Homeland Security to make the Arctic a priority for the Administration, particularly for the Coast Guard. She got no disagreement.
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SHARP-II Program Under Fire
A State House committee has eliminated funding for a state program that helps medical professionals repay their student loans if they serve poor or rural patients. It’s called the SHARP-II program and clinics say it’s an essential tool to convince physicians and other medical professionals to care for patients in under-served communities.
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Low Income Sitkans Fall Through Medicaid ‘Donut Hole’
The Affordable Care Act is a big law with plenty of ripple effects, but at its heart is a pretty simple premise: Americans who lack health insurance should be able to go online and pick a plan, and if their income falls beneath a certain threshold, then the federal government will cover part of the cost. That is, unless you live in Alaska, or one of the other states that has opted out of the federal Medicaid expansion. Then, you can actually make too little money to qualify for help. This is what some are calling the “Medicaid donut hole.” And falling into the donut hole can be a frustrating experience.
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YK Delta Halibut Quotas Halved
The statewide halibut and black cod season opened last Saturday. When YK Delta fishermen participate in the Community Development Quota allocations this summer, they will see their halibut quota cut nearly in half.
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Fairbanks Resolution Endorses Fukushima Radiation Monitoring
The Fairbanks city council passed a resolution Monday in support of state, federal and international monitoring for radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.
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Shakespeare Is Alive In The Capitol City, 24 Hours A Day
If he were alive today, William Shakespeare would be 450 years old in April. In honor of the event, the capitol city is celebrating with its first Bard-A-Thon, 24 hours of Shakespeare readings for eight consecutive days. The non-stop Shakespeare kicked off on Saturday.
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Alaska Senate Committee Supports Native American Veterans Memorial
The Alaska Legislature could join the chorus of voices calling for an American Indian Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. An Alaska Senate committee on Tuesday passed a resolution supporting the project.
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Alaska News Nightly: March 12, 2014
Without Necessary Votes, Senate Leadership Pulls Controversial Education Amendment; Arctic is Top Priority for Homeland Security – But One of Many; Program Helping Medical Professionals In Under-Served Communities Pay Back Student Loans Comes Under Fire; Low Income Sitkans Fall Through Medicaid ‘Donut Hole’; Fairbanks Resolution Endorses Fukushima Radiation Monitoring; YK Delta Halibut Quotas Halved; Alaska Senate Committee Supports Native American Veterans Memorial; Shakespeare Is Alive In The Capitol City, 24 Hours A Day
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Iditarod 42 Most Certainly One Of The Toughest
This year’s Iditarod is not only record-breaking, it may have broken some mushers as well. The 42 annual race will not soon be forgotten. It’s being called on of the toughest in the race’s history.
Not Guilty Plea For Fall Diving Death Near Ketchikan
A fisherman pleaded not guilty Monday in Ketchikan Superior Court to manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. The two charges against 32-year-old Joshua Wodyga stem from a crew member’s death last fall while diving for sea cucumbers near Ketchikan.
Ketchikan-POW Ferry Aids Seafood, Retail, Tourism
A small southern Southeast Alaska ferry line is of large value to the region’s economy. That’s according to a new report studying the Inter-Island Ferry Authority.
Second Fat Tire Bike Race is Held in Talkeetna
This past weekend, the second annual Mike Sterling Memorial Bike Race was held in Talkeetna. Unlike summer events like the Clean Air Challenge or the Big Wild Ride, this race featured a type of bike specially built for ice and snow.
Two Men Sentenced In Shooting At Sitka’s Pioneer Bar
Sitka’s District Court has sentenced two men linked to a September shooting at Sitka’s Pioneer Bar.
Small Victories, Big Problems for Buccaneer In Alaska
Since Buccaneer Energy arrived on the scene in Alaska in the summer of 2011, it has seen a few victories and a host of unexpected problems.
North Pacific Seafoods Fined $205,000 for Ammonia Dumping
A Kodiak seafood processor has been fined over $200,000 after pleading guilty to illegally dumping 40 pounds of ammonia into the city’s sewer system in 2011.
Labor Language Reinserted In Gasline Bill
The new version of the bill will include provisions encouraging Alaska hire and addressing “project labor agreements.”
High Winds Battering Iditarod Mushers During Final Stretch To Nome
The 42nd annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race proved to be one of the most dramatic from start to finish. Dog teams were lost, ganglines were broken, mushers were injured – some severely. The trail from Anchorage to Nome threw everything possible at mushers from rocks to tree stumps to hurricane force winds.
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