News

The legislature released a new set of bill this morning, in advance of the coming session. Nearly 20 bills were filed. One big ticket item would help finance a natural gas liquification plant on the North Slope, and it would authorize a loan of up to $275 million. Another would create a Chinook salmon research endowment.

Anchorage police are seeking witnesses to learn more about what happened when an SUV pulled out of a midtown parking lot and hit and killed pedestrian Hymie James Castro, 64. They have released the identity of the driver now - Virginia Jacober, 68, of Anchorage - and they have filed no charges. They say they need to know more about how Castro got in the street at the corner of C street and Northern Lights Boulevard.

Vice President Joe Biden says he will deliver recommendations for new gun control measures to President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Mr. Biden says he will call for both legislation and executive order from the White House.

Wax buildup caused by low oil throughput is continuing to cause problems for Trans Alaska Pipeline operators. The wax is at the heart of recent trouble with mechanical pigs used to clean the inside of the pipeline.

Pollution from two outdoor wood boilers in Fairbanks has resulted in the state filing suit against the operators. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is suing Andrew and Gloria Straughn to halt operation of the boilers at rental properties they own in a neighborhood near Wood River Elementary School.

It looks like there was a spill from the Kulluk grounding after all. One of four life-boats dislodged and washed ashore as the huge rig grounded off Sitkalidik Island has at least two damaged fuel tanks. The rig itself has been towed to more sheltered waters and responders discovered the empty tanks while assessing materials washed to the the shoreline during the New Year's Eve grounding. The spill is estimated as under 270 gallons of diesel fuel. That estimate may rise as more tanks are examined on the four lifeboats.

The Parnell administration is poised to introduce oil tax reform legislation again. Previous attempts have failed to gain enough support to pass the state legislature. The new bill was previewed for the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Tuesday. It incorporates some ideas raised in recent year’s discussions.

Democrats in the legislature’s minority haven’t offered a counter proposal, but they have introduced bills that handle some of their concerns about oil tax reform in a piecemeal fashion.

Congress failed to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act last year. It’s unclear if and when the new, recently sworn in Congress will pick the measure up. Victim service providers in Alaska are worried about future funding without a reauthorization.

The Tram at Alyeska Ski resort won't be running again for at least another month. One of the tram cars was damaged in an accident on New Year's Eve when a wind gust blew it into the tram tower. One guest suffered a minor injury in the incident.

An Anchorage man died Tuesday after he was struck by a car pulling out of a parking lot on a midtown street. James Castro, 64, initially appeared uninjured but later died in the hospital. Police have not yet released the identity of the 68-year-old woman who drove the SUV that hit him.

The top oil lobbyist in Washington DC says Shell Oil should not be hampered by the grounding of the Kulluk. The American Petroleum Institute says Shell Oil should move forward with its Arctic Ocean plans this year.

Services are planned for this afternoon for a Juneau defense attorney who unexpectedly passed away on New Year's Day. Fifty-seven-year old Robert Francis Meachum was a public defender who had worked most recently out of the Dillingham and Juneau offices.

A list of nearly 60 bills and resolutions was released today in preparation for the upcoming legislative session in Juneau. The pre filed bills...

Alaska’s 28th legislature meets in Juneau on Jan. 15. Some legislators have already filed bills in advance of the 90 day session. Democratic Senator Bill Wielechowski of Anchorage has pre-filed a bill that allows active-duty military members who have maintained their Alaska residency while outside the state to retain their Permanent Fund dividend eligibility.

Southeast Alaska was jarred by a significant earthquake early Saturday morning just about midnight. The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and originated off the coast of Central Southeast Alaska about 95 miles Northwest of Dixon Entrance. There were no reports of any significant damage or injuries.

Last night (Thursday) Royal Dutch Shell’s vice president for Alaska and two Coast Guard commanders updated the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly on the response to the grounding of the floating drill rig Kulluk. It was the first public briefing made in Kodiak since the rig went hard aground on Sitkalidak Island in a New Year’s Eve storm.