For some teams, Iditarod’s final miles make the biggest difference
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race is 1,000 miles long, but for a couple dog teams, the most competitive stretch of trail came down to the final mile.
Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, March 15, 2016
BP lays of Anchorage workers; Obama OKs draft for offshore drilling; mitigation policies criticized; BLM director tours North Slope; Seavey roars to Iditarod win; Sass disappears from front; drones becoming more popular in Arctic; Juneau goes to the polls; the "Blob" returns; pot petitions duel in Juneau Download Audio
BP to lay off more workers in Anchorage
BP says it is planning to further reduce its workforce in Alaska as the state continues to struggle with low oil prices. BP spokeswoman Dawn Patience told KTUU-TV on Monday that about 4 percent of the company's workforce will be cut. Most of the affected positions are based in Anchorage.
Offshore leasing plan leaves door open to Arctic drilling – for now
The Obama Administration released its draft plan for offshore oil and gas drilling over the next five years. It includes three lease sales in Alaska: two in the Arctic - in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas - and one in Cook Inlet.
Critics call feds’ new ‘mitigation’ a coerced fee
Conoco had to pay $8 million in mitigation for a project in NPR-A. Sen. Lisa Murkowski calls the amount arbitrary, "throwing a dart at the board." Another Republican senator says it's a way for the feds to hold projects hostage.
BLM director visits North Slope
The director of the Bureau of Land Management is visiting the North Slope this week. Over the next two days, director Neil Kornze will meet with Native corporations, local government officials, and community leaders in the region. On Tuesday, Kornze was helping cap two legacy wells south of Barrow. The Simpson Core and Iko Bay were both drilled by the U.S. Navy in the 1950s. They’re among 18 legacy wells the BLM plans to clean up this year.
Drones becoming more popular in the Arctic
U.S. State Department official Julie Gourley told a crowd at the Carlson Center Monday that the use of unmanned aircraft systems has grown widespread in the circumpolar north in recent years because they serve as the perfect platform for surveying the vast expanse of the Arctic for such purposes as research and environmental monitoring.
Juneau goes to the polls to elect a new mayor
Juneau residents are hitting the polls on Tuesday to elect a new mayor. Two candidates are vying for the spot: Ken Koelsch and Karen Crane. The city decided to hold the $35,000 special election after the death of Mayor Greg Fisk. Fisk died of natural causes shortly after winning last year's election. The mayoral candidates have served on the Juneau Assembly before.
Return of the “Blob”
Climate researchers say a giant mass of warm water in the Pacific Ocean may be responsible for unusual sightings of marine life in the North Pacific while also influencing North American weather patterns.
Pot petitions duel in Juneau
Dueling petitions about commercial pot grow houses in Juneau neighborhoods have been making the rounds. The Assembly voted back in November to allow limited cultivation on parts of North Douglas and other low-density areas. After one red public notice went up at the end of a driveway, it caught some in neighborhood off guard.
2016 Iditarod’s top-5 finishers check into Nome
The Iditarod's top-5 finishers are rounded out, and more are on their way to Nome today. Dallas Seavey won his third-straight Iditarod, checking into Nome at 2:20 this morning [Tuesday], followed about 45 minutes later by his father, Mitch Seavey.
Lawmakers hear pushback on bill to bar Planned Parenthood from schools
After clearing the Alaska Senate last month, a bill that would bar “abortion providers” like Planned Parenthood from teaching in public schools has been taken up in the House. Senate Bill 89 would require parents to opt their kids in to sexual education lessons. The public took the opportunity to push back against the bill Monday morning.
BLM director visiting Alaska’s North Slope
The Director of the Bureau of Land Management is visiting the North Slope this week. Over the next two days, Director Neil Kornze will meet with native corporations, local government officials, and community leaders in the region.
Dallas Seavey wins 2016 Iditarod in record time
In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, Dallas Seavey and his dog team came running down front to claim victory in this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and he set a new race record. The younger Seavey finished less than an hour ahead of his father.
Photos: Brent Sass suddenly disappeared from the front
As Dallas Seavey was jogging into Nome, his main rival for much of the race, Eureka musher Brent Sass, hadn’t left White Mountain. After barreling down the trail at the front of the pack, Sass’s dogs had had enough.
Dallas Seavey wins 2016 Iditarod in record time
Dallas Seavey is the Iditarod's newest four-time champion. He crossed beneath the Burled Arch in Nome at 2:20 a.m. Tuesday with six dogs and hugged his family and championship dogs.
His family now owns six titles, including two from his father, Mitch. His grandfather, Dan Seavey, ran the first Iditarod in 1973.
IDITAROD LIVEBLOG: Dallas Seavey claims fourth title in record time
Dallas Seavey, Mitch Seavey, and Brent Sass are racing to the finish of the 2016 Iditarod from White Mountain to Nome. Alaska Public Media reporters will bring you the latest from the final miles of the last great race.
Father and son face off in Iditarod sprint finish
The top three teams in this year’s Iditarod have pulled into White Mountain, the final big stop along the trail. But as KNOM’s Emily Schwing reports, it’s not entirely clear who will finish first. Download Audio
Alaska News Nightly: Monday, Mar. 14, 2016
Father and son face off in Iditarod sprint finish; Sarah Palin shows at Trump rally despite husband’s accident in Alaska; Trump’s take on public land bucks Western trend; $63 million more in cuts voted by Alaska Senate; 'Blob' of warm water threatens marine mammals in the Pacific; Martin Buser deals with blackout pain after fall on Iditarod Trail; Covenant House seeks to help prevent sexual crimes; Sitka High workshop teaches kids to make guitars, among other projects Download Audio
$63 million more in cuts voted by Alaska Senate
The Alaska Senate voted today on a state budget with 63 million dollars more in cuts than the House budget passed last week.
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