News

Portrayals of Peacemaker’s militia members as dangerous men plotting to kill federal employees were juxtaposed with characterizations of the men as hapless big mouths who exaggerated a lot but were harmless – during this morning’s opening statements in day two of the Schaeffer Cox, Lonnie Vernon and Barney Coleman federal trial in Anchorage.

Lawmakers held their first meeting in Washington DC Tuesday to decide how to pay for the nation’s roads, bridges and highways for the next few years. Money for tribal roads could increase, but some fear the money won’t be distributed equally to the state’s tribes.

Anchorage police now believe an airman missing for three weeks was the victim of foul play. Police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker says detectives are releasing little information about what led them to that conclusion Tuesday. Parker adds that the missing Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson airman, Clinton Reeves, appears to be an innocent victim.

Alaska State Troopers and Fairbanks police are on the lookout for two men who walked away from a privately operated halfway house in Ester over the past 10 days. The state corrections official who oversees the NorthStar Community Residential Center and seven other facilities says the public has little to fear from the escapees, who are serving time for lesser offenses. But a Fairbanks police spokesman says the escapees divert officers from more serious cases.

The former executive director of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission has pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and misapplication of $475,000 in commission money.

Bethel Native Corporation had big news for its shareholders over the weekend when it announced it will partner with Omni Corporation to build a brand new Swanson’s grocery store and a two-screen movie theater in Bethel. For the city and surrounding villages, the prospect of seeing a blockbuster on the big screen will be well worth the wait.

Ocean Beauty Seafood's still plans to run its Petersburg plant this summer despite this week's ferry accident. According to Vice president of Marketing Tom Sunderland, the company hopes to make repairs in time for the summer or find a way to work around the damage.

Governor Parnell last week signed a bill setting standards that allow naturally occurring asbestos to be extracted and used in construction projects around the state. It also protects owners of contaminated gravel, construction companies, landowners, workers and communities from any legal responsibility if health hazards develop.

Searchers found a missing teenage girl on Prince of Wales Island Tuesday. 13-year-old Makayla McRoberts was apparently uninjured. Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters got word shortly after noon.

An Alaska-based soldier from California has been killed in Afghanistan. U.S. Army Alaska says in a release that 30-year-old Staff Sgt. Thomas Kent Fogarty of Alameda, Calif., died Sunday when the vehicle he was commanding hit a roadside bomb.

The president of the University of Alaska's largest faculty union is asking members to document examples of "questionable and seemingly counterproductive decisions" by university President Pat Gamble.

The search continues on the northern part of Prince of Wales Island for Makayla McRoberts, 13, of Port Protection. She has been missing since Sunday when she took off on a hike from the end of the road. McRoberts is new to Alaska, and unfamiliar with Southeast conditions. An air and ground search went through the day Monday, including search dogs.

Jury selection got underway in Anchorage federal court Monday in preparation for the trial of Fairbanks resident and Alaska Peacemaker’s militia leader Francis Schaeffer Cox. Cox is charged along with Coleman Barney and Lonnie Vernon of plotting to kill government employees. Cox founded the Second Amendment Task force and claims he is a sovereign citizen. The trial is expected to last at least a month.

The State Ferry Matanuska collided with a seafood processing dock in Petersburg early Monday afternoon. There were no reported injuries, but there was substantial damage to the Ocean Beauty Seafood facility. There were also some dents in the bow of the ferry above the waterline, though she tied up safely at the terminal shortly after the incident.

The snow crab fleet is in a race against time. The Bering Sea has been covered in record-setting ice since the season got underway in January and with just a few weeks left, fishermen still have millions of pounds of snow crab to catch. As KUCB’s Stephanie Joyce reports, boats are going to extremes to finish in time, with a little help from a tugboat stationed on St. Paul Island.

Changes to the J-1 Visa program were announced Friday by the State Department. While some changes take effect immediately, Alaska’s seafood processors- which rely heavily on the workforce the program provides- won’t be affected until November. It’s a relief for the processors and fishermen who are preparing for salmon season, but it’s not great news for local cannery workers in Kodiak who are struggling to make ends meet.

A Fairbanks man who helped protect natural resources in Afghanistan, is heading up a similar program for polar regions. Longtime University of Alaska Fairbanks faculty member Harry Bader recently completed three years in Afghanistan, serving as co-leader of a counterinsurgency cell for the U.S. Agency for International Development. Bader, who won a heroism award for his work preventing enemy exploitation of natural resources, is back at UAF heading up a new Polar Security Center. Bader says the Defense and Homeland Security funded program is scientific research focused.

Thursday morning, Alaska's Supreme Court will hear arguments on which voting district map will be used for this year's elections. Earlier this month, the...

Researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks are studying invasive plants in Alaska and how they could be affecting native tundra berries. The invasive plants can be found across interior Alaska. And while they likely have not yet spread off the road system to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, some believe it’s only a matter of time.