News

Interior miners aren’t happy with changes proposed to federal permits for small scale placer operations that impact water resources, including wetlands. Dozens attended an Army Corps of Engineers public meeting in Fairbanks last week on the proposals. Download Audio

Conservation groups are asking for endangered species protection for yellow cedar trees in Alaska. The trees have been dying off in portions of Southeast over the past century. Scientists say it’s likely due to a warming climate and lack of snow cover for vulnerable roots. Download Audio

After months of planning and studying the numbers, state and federal managers will open the first six-inch-drift gillnet opening on the most densely populated stretch of the Kuskokwim river. The tremendous fishing power will be aimed at chum and sockeye salmon, but managers are moving cautiously to make sure enough king salmon make it to spawning grounds. Download Audio

Up to 1,200 gallons of home heating oil is estimated to have spilled at Norton Sound Regional Hospital in Nome.

Write-in candidates must show at least 5% standing in the polls to be included. The percentage would NOT include the margin of error in the poll. The poll must be done by a reputable pollster and presented to Alaska Public Media at least one week before the production - either the record date or the live date.

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell on Friday signed a bill to finance a $900 million bridge across Knik Arm. A decade ago, bridge proponents hoped to fund the project entirely with federal earmarks. But then Congress banned earmarks, in part due to public outrage over this bridge and another in Ketchikan, both derided nationally as “bridges to nowhere.” Now, the Knik project all depends on winning a low-interest from a federal program known as TIFIA.

The tsunami advisory in Unalaska has ended, after a powerful underwater earthquake in the Western Aleutians triggered tsunami alerts for parts of the Aleutian Islands Monday afternoon. Download Audio

An initiative that would add another roadblock to the Pebble Mine project will appear on the ballot this fall, now that a legal challenge against it has failed.

A federal trial is underway to determine whether the State of Alaska does enough to serve voters who speak Native languages.

Governor Sean Parnell on Friday signed a bill to finance a $900 million bridge across Knik Arm, from Anchorage to Point McKenzie. Bridge proponents originally wanted to fund the project entirely with federal earmarks. But then Congress banned earmarks, in part due to public outrage over this bridge and another in Ketchikan, both derided nationally as “bridges to nowhere.” The new Knik bridge plan is contingent on low-interest loans from the federal government. Download Audio

Anchorage’s unemployment rate for May is 4.9 percent, one of the lowest rates in the state. Though that may seem like a good thing, it’s actually a barrier for growth in the state’s largest city. Businesses are having trouble finding reliable workers. Download Audio

Surrounded by dozens of public employees in the atrium of Juneau’s State Office Building, Gov. Sean Parnell today signed legislation transferring $3 billion from state savings into Alaska’s public employee pension systems. Download Audio

Tsunami Warning In Effect From Attu to Nikolski; Medicare Will Penalize Alaska Hospitals For Patient Safety; Initiative Challenging Pebble Development Remains On Ballot; Does The State Do Enough To Serve Alaska Native Language Speakers?; Gov. Parnell Signs Bill To Finance KABATA; Low Unemployment Limits Anchorage’s Business Growth; Legislation Transfers $3 Billion From State Savings To Public Employee Pension Systems; A Mountaineering Season for the Record Books Download Audio

A tsunami advisory is in effect for Unalaska. The advisory stretches from Unimak Pass to Nikolski. Public Safety says people do not need to evacuate to high ground at this time. They say residents should avoid shore areas, but don't need to take any other action.