Alaska News Nightly: April 25, 2014
Jury Convicts Alaska Man In Coast Guard Killings; Court Rules In Favor Of Same-Sex Couples In Property Tax Case; Surprise Inspection Finds High Radiation Levels At Acuren Facility; Alaska Legislature Gavels Out; Three To Try Out For Juneau Symphony Conductor; AK: Cats; 300 Villages: St. Michael
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Seward’s Icebox
What was William Seward thinking when he pushed the purchase of Alaska from Russia? What would most surprise him if he could see Alaska now? Seward’s Day is a state holiday; a town and a highway are named after him; but who was he? Two historians will help us understand why we’re not part of Russia, on the next Talk of Alaska.
APRN: Tuesday, 4/29 at 10:00am
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Southcentral Foundation Reaches Historic Settlement With IHS
Anchorage based Southcentral Foundation announced a settlement with the Indian Health Service over contract payments that at $96 million represents the largest IHS settlement in history.
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Alaska Food Policy Council Hosts Bethel Town Hall Meeting
Members of the Alaska Food Policy Council hosted a town hall meeting in Bethel last week to gather information they’ll use to guide statewide food policy.
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More Tourists Expected In Petersburg This Year
More tourists are expected to visit Petersburg this summer than in recent years. Located on Mitkof Island, the small town cannot accommodate large cruise ships because of the shallow channels. But that’s just the sort of thing that some visitors are looking for.
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Alaska News Nightly: April 24, 2014
Ferry Dock In Skagway Sinks; Southcentral Foundation Reaches Historic With IHS; Lawmakers Make Tentative Deal On Education Bill; As Legislature Make Progress On Adjourning, KABATA Bill Falls Apart; Investigation Attributes USCG Death To Faulty Equipment, Work Practices; Customers Suing GCI For Poor Cell And Data Performance; Alaska Food Policy Council Hosts Bethel Town Hall Meeting; NOAA Investigating Rare Whale Beachings; More Tourists Expected In Petersburg This Year
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Ferry Dock In Skagway Sinks
The Skagway ferry terminal dock is fully submerged, according to state transportation officials. DOT spokesman Jeremy Woodrow says an engineer is on his way to Skagway to find out what happened. Apparently the dock started to sink overnight and by early this morning it was totally underwater.
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Investigation Attributes USCG Death To Faulty Equipment, Work Practices
The Coast Guard has finished investigating a Bering Sea rescue that left a 28-year-old crewman with fatal head injuries late last year. According to a review board, faulty equipment and work practices developed by the crew of the cutter Waesche put Petty Officer Travis Obendorf in harm’s way.
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NOAA Investigating Rare Whale Beachings
Three rarely seen whales beached on Alaska’s coast last year, and NOAA Fisheries is investigating whether human activity contributed to the strandings.
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Customers Suing GCI For Poor Cell And Data Performance
GCI is facing a lawsuit filed by customers in Bethel and along the Kuskokwim. The suit alleges that the communications company has been ripping off customers in the YK Delta.
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Kotzebue Man Charged With Animal Cruelty For Shooting Dogs
A Kotzebue man is behind bars and faces a felony animal cruelty charge after State Troopers say he killed four sled dogs while drunk.
As Legislature Make Progress On Adjourning, KABATA Bill Falls Apart
Less than two hours after the combative House and Senate seemed to reach a truce on education, a bill dealing with the proposed Knik Arm Bridge blew up on the House floor.
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Lentils with Kale, Goat Cheese, and Walnuts
I've been keeping my Alaskan Springtime blues at bay by cooking up a storm in my kitchen! Short ribs, pasta, spring salads, soups...anything to keep the dreary brown grass on my lawn out of sight and out of mind. Summer can't come soon enough!
I devoured this lovely little lentil salad soon after I took these pictures.
See the recipe.
Lawmakers Make Tentative Deal On Education Bill
Negotiators from the State House and Senate have reached a deal on the governor’s education bill, and it includes a mix of permanent and one-time funding increases.
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Legislature Passes Bill With Aid For State Refineries
The package, which includes state income tax credits and other provisions, was forwarded by Governor Sean Parnell as a means to ensure Alaska retains its refining industry as cheaper Lower 48 oil makes shipping fuel into the state an option.
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Report Not Anticipating Near-Term Arctic Increase In Commercial Shipping
Despite reports of a boom in Arctic ship traffic, a recent report by the Government Accountability Office concludes commercial industries aren’t planning to boost shipping through the Bering Strait or elsewhere in the U.S. Arctic over the next decade.
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YK Delta VPSOs Prepare For Firearms
When Governor Sean Parnell signs House Bill 199, approved earlier this month by the Alaska Senate, Village Public Safety Officers can legally carry firearms. The Yukon Kuskokwim region has the largest number of VPSO’s in the state.
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Survey Finds Mat-Su Residents Want To Maintain Rural Profile
A survey sponsored by the Nature Conservancy indicates that Matanuska-Susitna Borough residents want to maintain a rural profile a quarter of a century from now. The Institute of Social and Economic Research collected the data used in the survey. The results were released last week.
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Fairbanks Hatchery Opening Doors To Public
The Ruth Burnett Sport Fish Hatchery in Fairbanks will open its doors to the public during this weekend’s Outdoors Show. Public outreach and education are part of the $46 million state hatchery’s mission, and a visitor’s center is required by its borough land lease. The hatchery has been operating for more than 2 years but the visitor’s center hasn’t opened.
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Moviegoers Get Glimpse Of Katmai Grizzlies In Disney’s ‘Bears’
Moviegoers across the country got an up-close look at the wild Grizzly bears of Katmai National Park over the weekend. After a two-year shoot at Hallo Bay Bear Camp, Disney’s wilderness feature “Bears” opened Friday.
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