News

All news stories, regardless of topic (local, statewide + national news stories, as well as Talk of Alaska, Alaska News Nightly, Alaska Insight, Alaska Economic Report). Some news stories may also have other categories marked, which will also put them on a subpage. Not all news stories will fall into a subpage.

Bill Would Allow Guns To Be Carried On Campus

Down in Idaho, college students are protesting a bill that would allow guns on campus. Here in Alaska, they’re drafting the legislation.

Buser Regains Iditarod Lead, First Out of Rohn

Martin Buser retook the lead in the 2014 Iditarod, leaving Rohn about 1:45 Monday afternoon. Kelly Maixner was the first musher into Rohn, checking in at 11:26 a.m. Buser was being chased by Aliy Zirkle, who finished second in 2013 and 2012. She left Rohn about 5:22 Monday evening. Right behind her was Sonny Lindner. Hugh Neff and Jeff King trailed Lindner.

Alaska News Nightly: March 3, 2014

Municipality Sues for Port Damages; Norwegian Contingent Prepared For For Iditarod Challenge; Bringing Money to Politics: A Job for a Pro; Begich Calls For Increased Education Funding; Kikkan Randall Wins World Cup Sprint Race; State Suing Over Flint Hills North Pole Refinery Contamination; Outrage And Praise For The EPA Over 404-C; Gov. Parnell Responds To EPA’s 404-C Decision Regarding Pebble Mine; Alaska Zoo Polar Bears To Get New Home Download Audio

Municipality Sues Feds for Port Damages

The Municipality of Anchorage is suing a federal agency over problems with a port expansion project. This is the second lawsuit that the administration of Mayor Dan Sullivan has initiated to try to recover funds spent on the troubled port project. Download Audio

Bringing Money to Politics: A Job for a Pro

Alaska’s U.S. Senate race is shaping up to be a big-money affair. One hidden asset the campaigns deploy is the professional fundraiser. Sen. Mark Begich and the Republican front-runners hoping to unseat him all list professional fundraisers in their campaign finance reports, but they declined to talk about it. That’s not unusual, says fundraiser Kirsten Borman. She says there’s too much at stake for a campaign to pull back the curtain. Download Audio

Begich Calls For Increased Education Funding

Sen. Mark Begich chastised state lawmakers for their approach to education during his annual legislative address. Download Audio

Kikkan Randall Wins World Cup Sprint Race

Kikkan Randall is back on top. Following disappointing races at the Sochi Olympics, Randall of Anchorage, won a World Cup sprint race in Finland over the weekend. Download Audio

State Suing Over Flint Hills North Pole Refinery Contamination

The State of Alaska will sue over contamination from the Flint Hills North Pole Refinery. Historic sulfolane spills have resulted in the industrial solvent migrating through ground water. Download Audio

Outrage And Praise For The EPA Over 404-C

Friday’s announcement by the EPA to seek a 404-C designation for the proposed Pebble Mine has drawn praise and outrage. Download Audio

Gov. Parnell Responds To EPA’s 404-C Decision Regarding Pebble Mine

Alaska Governor Sean Parnell calls the EPA decision a preemptive veto. Download Audio

Kelly Maixner Leads Mushers Into Rohn

Kelly Maixner is the first musher into Rohn, checking in at 11:26 Monday morning. He took the lead from fellow Big Lake musher Martin Buser at Rainy Pass earlier Monday.

Norwegian Contingent Prepared For For Iditarod Challenge

Teams are making their way into Rainy Pass as they head trough the Alaska Range. It’s arguably the toughest stretch of trail. Many say they’re ready for the challenge, including a contingent of Norwegians who are in Alaska to find out how their dog teams fare on this side of the world.

Alaska Wolf Killings Upset National Park Service

Alaska Fish and Game officials killed an Eastern Interior wolf pack last week, and the National Park Service - which had been studying the animals - is none too pleased.

Picking Up the Poop in Anchorage

Today we’re picking up after our dogs. Yes, today’s topic is dog poop. Not the most glamorous subject, but one that inspires a lot of angst that Cherie Northon hears about all the time. Northon is the Executive Director of the Anchorage Waterways Council.

Buser Takes Early Iditarod Lead

Martin Buser took an early lead in this year's Iditarod. The former Iditarod champion was the first into Rainy Pass about 5:42 Monday morning. Nicolas Petit was into Rainy Pass about an hour later.

Race Leaders Approach Finger Lake

Martin Buser leads the pack as he approaches the Finger Lake checkpoint. Buser holds a few mile lead over fellow Big Lake musher, Kelly Maixner.

Iditarod Veterans Anticipating Rough Trail Conditions

The 42nd annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race is underway. Dog teams left Willow Sunday. They’re making their way toward the Alaska Range, where the trail is reportedly extremely rough.

Ceremonial Start Kicks Off 42nd Iditarod

On Saturday, mushers lined out their dog teams in downtown Anchorage for the Ceremonial Start of the race. This year's race includes six former champions and at least 20 mushers vying for a top-10 finish.

Alaska Zoo Polar Bears To Get New Home

The Alaska Zoo in Anchorage has been home to a long line of polar bears over the years, from the infamous sneaker stealing Binky to the fluffy cub Kalli which was shipped to a sister zoo back East last year. Right now, Ahpun a female, and Lyutik, a young male, are the only two residents in the zoo's polar bear enclosure, but that is soon to change, as the Zoo plans a new program that is expected to help Alaska lead the country in polar bear captive breeding and research. Download Audio

We Are An Iditarod Checkpoint Oasis

Winterlake Lodge on Finger Lake is an official Iditarod Trail checkpoint, 153 miles down the trail from Anchorage. The Dixon family owns and operates the lodge, hosting mushers, their dogs and paying guests alike. http://youtu.be/lMNLzEwfjCw