Alaska Unemployment Hits 6.9 Percent
Alaska's unemployment rate last month dropped to 6.9 percent, its lowest level since December 2008. The state labor department says the preliminary, seasonally adjusted rate is slightly lower than March, when unemployment stood at 7 percent. Unemployment in April 2011 stood at 7.5 percent.
Murkowski Wants Additional Review Of Fish
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is proposing to have the environmental and economic impacts of genetically modified fish studied before the fish are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Great Performances at the Met: The Enchanted Island
Watch GP at the Met: The Enchanted Island on PBS. See more from Great Performances.
This extraordinary new work combines the world’s best singers, the glorious music of the Baroque masters, and a story drawn from Shakespeare. In “The Enchanted Island,” the lovers from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream are shipwrecked on the other-worldly island of The Tempest. Inspired by the musical pastiches and masques of the 18th century, the work showcases arias and ensembles by Handel, Vivaldi, Rameau and others, and a new libretto by Jeremy Sams. Eminent conductor William Christie leads an all-star cast featuring David Daniels, Joyce DiDonato, Danielle de Niese, Luca Pisaroni, Lisette Oropesa and Anthony Roth Costanzo, with special guest star Plácido Domingo. KAKM: Friday, 5/18 at 9:30pmFederal Government Unprepared To Deal With Tsunami Debris
The federal government is woefully unprepared for the tsunami debris washing ashore. Government officials testified on Capitol Hill on Thursday, and complained their agencies are underfunded, under-staffed and haven’t done nearly enough research.
Native American Energy Act Passes Committee Vote
The House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday passed Alaskan Congressman Don Young’s Native American Energy Act. Among other actions, the bill establishes five Indian Energy Development Offices within the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Young says the legislation also hold plaintiffs, rather than defendants, liable when an energy development project on Indian or Alaska Native Corporation land is delayed by what he calls “frivolous” lawsuits.
Prosecution Presenting Evidence, Witnesses In Militia Trial
The trial of Peacemaker’s militia leader Schaeffer Cox and militia members Coleman Barney and Lonnie Vernon continued today in Anchorage. The prosecution is still presenting evidence and witnesses. Yesterday jurors heard from a former militia member who became alarmed at Cox’s behavior and another man who said he’d still take orders from Cox. Sam Friedman is a reporter for the Fairbanks Daily News Miner and has been covering the trial. He says Philip Clark’s testimony started with his recollection of meeting Schaeffer Cox in 2009.
Nearby Residents Won’t See Effects Of F-22 Flight Restrictions
The Air Force says people who live near F-22 bases shouldn’t see significant changes in how or where the aircraft are flying following new restrictions that will limit how far away from bases the stealth fighter jets can fly.
Fairbanks Soldiers Celebrate Return From Deployment
It’s been a busy week for soldiers that make up the First Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25thInfantry Division. Wednesday, the soldiers celebrated their return from Afghanistan after a after a year-long deployment.
Memorial Honors Fallen Ft. Wainwright Soldiers
A memorial service was held on Ft. Wainwright yesterday to honor soldiers killed during the Stryker Brigade’s deployment to Afghanistan.
St. Lawrence Island Elder Started Studying Climate Change Independently
In the annals of climate change, there’s a story that stands out. It’s about a hobby that created a scientific legacy. Leonard Apangalook has a masters in the traditional ways of his ancestors on the Bering Sea’s remote Saint Lawrence Island. He like other Native hunters noticed the climate was changing but he went further. He stared writing his observations down.
Herring Fishery Hampered By Weather, Unripe Fish
The largest herring fishery in Alaska has been hampered the last few days by weather and unripe fish.
‘Yarn Bomb’ Covers UAA Statue
When you hear here the word “graffiti,” you don’t necessarily associate it with something cozy. But if you’re looking at a yarn bomb, that’s essentially what you’ve got. Yarn bombing, also known as guerilla knitting, involves covering public structures or objects in a colorful, non-permanent way. And UAA just got tagged.
Change Of Command At Air Station Sitka
Cmdr. Ward Sandlin took over as commanding officer of Air Station Sitka on Wednesday. The top job changes over every two years. Sandlin replaces Cmdr. Doug Cameron, who will serve as Chief of Incident Management for a region stretching from New Jersey to North Carolina. Cameron’s time at the 120-person station was marked by a tragedy, but also by a strengthening of ties with the larger community.
Plea Hearing Set In Contracting Fraud Scheme
A plea hearing is set for a former Army Corps of Engineers manager charged in a $30 million bribery and kickback scheme. Kerry F. Khan is due Thursday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Washington.
Alyeska Announces Maintenance Shutdowns
The operator of the trans-Alaska pipeline plans five shutdowns this summer for maintenance work. Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. says the shutdowns are expected to last from eight- to 18 hours each, with the first planned for Friday.
American Road to Victory: Americans on D-Day
Watch The American Road To Victory (Trilogy) on PBS. See more from wrlk.
As host of the trilogy, von Seibold, a surprisingly agile and energetic 63 year old, gives viewers the full battlefield experience of three crucial points in World War II from the blood soaked beaches of D Day through Hell's Highway in Holland and to the frozen Ardennes forests of the Battle of the Bulge. In this first episode, land in Sainte-Mère-Église with the 82nd Airborne, scale the cliffs at La Pointe du Hoc with the Rangers, wade through the surf on Omaha Beach with the Big Red One and the 29th Infantry Division, and take the guns at Brecourt Manor with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. See the uniforms they wore, the weapons they fired and the equipment they carried. KAKM: Thursday, 5/17 at 8:00pm
Work Between Native Hunters, Biologists Lays Groundwork For Future
Climate change is causing ice withdrawal and creating stress for animals that live on it. When sick seals started showing up on the beaches off Barrow last July, some saw it as the latest evidence of global warming.
Cook Inlet Oil, Gas Lease Sale Nets Over $6.8 Million
State officials say Wednesday’s Cook Inlet oil and gas lease sale netted more than $6.8 million. Preliminary results indicate the sale is the second largest in Cook Inlet in a dozen years. Bill Barron, state Department of Natural Resources oil, says an gas division director, says five groups bid on 44 tracts.
Naknek Residents Take On Logistical Recycling Endeavor
Recycling in rural Alaska can be an expensive logistical endeavor. And as recyclable material makes its way to local landfills, some electronics can threaten groundwater supplies. As part of our ongoing series on recycling across the state, KDLG’s Dave Bendinger looks at one Naknek resident’s effort to establish an economically viable means to recycle electronics in Bristol Bay.
Shell Oil Hopes To Begin Exploratory Drilling This Summer
Shell Oil officials are hoping to begin exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea this summer, searching for off shore oil and gas. Environmental organizations have filed suit throughout the permitting process, claiming not enough is known about the fragile arctic ecosystem. But Shell leaders say there is a substantial amount of science from numerous sources that has been compiled over at least four decades. Michael Macrander is the lead scientist for Shell Arctic research. Shell is using acoustic monitoring to better understand how whales respond to noise. This is a sample of the whale calls they’ve recorded.