17,000 Alaskans Fall Into Health Care Gap
Alaskans who earn less than $14,350 a year will not qualify for subsidies to buy insurance on healthcare.gov. They won’t qualify for Medicaid either, as the Affordable Care Act intended. That’s because Governor Sean Parnell decided not to expand Medicaid in Alaska, even though the federal government would pay most of the cost. A new report from the Kasier Family Foundation shows 17,000 Alaskans fall into that “gap.”
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Alaska Flags To Be Lowered For Former State Rep
Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell has ordered state flags to be lowered Thursday in memory of a former lawmaker.
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Walt Monegan Remembers Special Christmas Memory
Walt Monegan is an Alaskan well known to many as a man of public service. He is the former commissioner of Public Safety and the former Anchorage chief of police. Monegan now serves as President and CEO of the Alaska Native Justice Center, but more than four decades ago, he was a teenage Marine spending Christmas a long way from home.
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December in California: Take Mittens When Searching for Art
The internet said eighty degree weather in California the first week of December. So, husband Dave and I left our mittens in the car before flying to Los Angeles for a bankruptcy conference and Fall art.
Sitting in our hotel room later, I kept hearing Sinatra singing, “hate California, it’s cold and it’s damp.” Catalina Island looked like a cake submerged in whipped cream.
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State Suggests New KABATA Finance Strategy
The state is suggesting another tactic in financing the Knik Arm Crossing. Plans for a bridge linking Anchorage and the Matanuska Susitna Borough hit a snag earlier this year, when the state legislature reacted negatively to an audit indicating that toll projections for the first years after the bridge’s completion are too “optimistic.”
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Jewell Rejects Road Through Izembek
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell won't allow a road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. Residents of King Cove have been asking the Interior Department for permission to build a one lane gravel road through the refuge for decades. They want easier access to Cold Bay, which has an all weather airport.
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Rio Tinto Considers Pulling Out Of Pebble Mine
Another investor in the proposed Pebble Mine says it may back out. Rio Tinto announced today that it will perform a strategic review of its investment in the controversial gold and copper mine in the Bristol Bay region and that the review will consider divestment.
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1 Dead In Talkeetna Spur Road Crash
Just after 8:00 am on Monday, Alaska State Troopers and Talkeetna Emergency Services received a call of a vehicle collision near Mile 11 of the Talkeetna Spur Road.
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Reindeer Herders Ask For Help As Herds Dwindle
Here’s a story about reindeer that has nothing to do with Santa. The reindeer herders of the Seward Peninsula have endured years of declining stocks. Once they had more than 100,000 animals. Now, it’s down to about 20,000 and the industry teeters on the edge of viability. Kawerek Reindeer Herders Association sent a delegation to Washington, D.C. earlier this month to see if the federal government can help.
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Experts Caution Against Breed-Specific Dog Laws
Juneau Animal Control only labels dogs as “dangerous” or “potentially dangerous” as a last resort. Two recent attacks have put the agency in the spotlight. Last week, an Animal Control official urged the Juneau Assembly not to adopt breed specific legislation in response to the attacks. An animal behavior expert says that’s the right idea.
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An Alternative Take On The Christmas Tree
Cutting down a Christmas tree is a venerated tradition in many parts of the country, and decorating the tree is many people’s favorite holiday activity. But in Alaska, there are places where there simply aren’t trees to cut down.
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At Unalaska’s Methodist Church, Telling A Special Christmas Story
Kids at Unalaska’s United Methodist Church got to tell the story of Christmas during their annual living nativity last week. Fifteen elementary school kids from the congregation dressed up as wise men, shepherds and angels. Pastor Dan Wilcox helped lead the show.
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WWAMI Program Prepares To Undergo Changes
The WWAMI program is the only option for Alaskans who want to stay in the state for part of medical school. And it's about to undergo changes that will reshape when and where students can attend classes.
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Person Found Dead After Wasilla House Fire
Alaska State Troopers say a person has been found dead after a fire destroyed house in Wasilla.
Proposed Rule Would Allow VPSOs To Carry Guns
Village public safety officers in Alaska’s interior say they should be able to carry guns while on the job.
Former Haines Rep. Thomas Files To Run For State Office In 2014
Former Haines Representative Bill Thomas has filed a letter of intent to run for state office in 2014. Thomas filed late Friday. He did not indicate which office he will seek, but he is eligible to run for either House or Senate in districts representing Juneau. House District 33 includes downtown Juneau and Douglas Island, as well as Gustavus, Haines, and Skagway. It is part of Senate District Q.
I Run The Talkeetna Roadhouse
One night a year, Talkeetna Roadhouse owner Trisha Costello pulls an all-nighter to feed the entire town.
http://youtu.be/Uv4gyBaNx64
Our Mashup: A Visit from St. Nick
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
With Months To Go, Oil Industry Spends $1 Million Against Referendum
Two years ago, oil companies spent over a million dollars to defeat an initiative that would have revived Alaska's coastal management program. They're on track to spend even more this election cycle to protect the new tax system they lobbied for.
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GCI Buys 3 Southeast TV Stations, With Big Ambitions
Earlier this year, the telecom giant GCI moved into a new line of business, buying three television stations in Sitka, Juneau and Anchorage. It turns out those purchases were just the beginning. This month, GCI announced plans to buy three more TV stations in Southeast Alaska. If approved, the deal could mark a new era in Alaska media.
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