49 Voices: Laurie Fernandes of Anchorage
This week we’re hearing from Laurie Fernandes. Laurie moved to Anchorage with her husband and children last June from Houston, TX. "People do a lot outside in Houston, but I think we just felt it was a great opportunity with work to come up and a great opportunity for the family to see a different side of life and explore and have so many different experiences." Download Audio
How safe is Alaska’s drinking water?
How safe is your drinking water? Most communities can be confident that their supply is fine, but Flint Michigan showed the nation that bad things can happen.
APRN: Tuesday, 2/16 at 10:00am
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Legislative Council seeks advice on downtown Anchorage office
The Legislative Council is seeking advice from an independent finance expert on what to do about the controversial lease on the Legislative Information Office in downtown Anchorage.
Quintillion plans to deliver fiber optic cable, high-speed internet by early 2017
After delays last year, Quintillion Networks has an update on the fiber optic cable project that will bring high-speed internet to western Alaska.
Small commercial fishing boats need life rafts this month
Fishermen in Southeast Alaska are learning about new safety requirements for life rafts that take effect later this month. The changes are included in past Coast Guard re-authorization bills and will mean smaller fishing boats will have to have a life raft to go three miles offshore.
“Hero dog” dies after battle with cancer
Buddy, the “hero dog” that led an Alaska State Trooper to a structure fire in the spring of 2010 has died after a battle with cancer.
The push to hire locally in AK
The number of nonresident workers in Alaska surpassed the number of residential workers in 2014. What's causing this statistic and what can be done to encourage local hiring within the state? This week's Alaska Edition tackles these questions and looks at the legality of policies aiming to increase the number of Alaskan workers.
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ConocoPhillips looks west, to the National Petroleum Reserve
Despite oil prices hovering around $30 a barrel, ConocoPhillips is plowing ahead with projects in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska. The company invited Alaska journalists on a tour this week of CD5, its newest drill site -- the first to produce oil from the NPRA and, the company hopes, the gateway to more development. Download Audio
Fainting aside, Air Force says F-35 is OK
President Obama’s 2017 Air Force budget would slow the pace of buying F-35s. That’s the new fighter jet slated for Eielson Air Force Base. But top Air Force officials still speak highly of the plan to station them at the Fairbanks base. Never mind that one general lost consciousness when discussing the F-35's budget. Download Audio
Scientists find prevalence of algal toxins in the Arctic
For the first time, scientists have documented the prevalence of two biotoxins in Alaska’s marine mammal population above the Arctic Circle. That’s according to a new study out Thursday in the Journal Harmful Algae. But it’s not clear if algal toxins have always existed in the Arctic, because scientist never looked before now. Download Audio
Gara proposes tax on S-corporations
Anchorage Democratic Representative Les Gara wants to make sure that these cuts don’t fall too heavily on working-class and low-income people. Gara has instead proposed a bill that would apply a 6 percent tax on the owners of businesses that aren’t currently taxed by the state. These businesses are called S-corporations and their owners report the business income as personal income. Download Audio
Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016
Obama slows pace of F35s; scientists find prevalence of algal toxins in the Arctic; Gara: don't let budget cuts fall too heavily on working class, poor; ConocoPhillips plows ahead in NPR-A; agreement expected soon on railroad right of way; Mt. Edgecumbe proud of tradition; Sass running strong in Yukon Quest. Download Audio
Agreement expected soon between state and Ma-Su Borough on railroad right of way
An agreement between the state and the Matanuska Susitna Borough is soon to be finalized regarding state land the Borough wants for a railroad right of way. The Borough had purchased several agricultural parcels from the state in the Point MacKenzie area for a right of way for the rail spur between Port MacKenzie and Houston. But agricultural covenants on the land didn't allow industrial use. Download Audio
Breakwater project funded in Port Lions
Port Lions just obtained federal funding for a breakwater construction that will help ease the wear and tear on its harbor. The project will be completed through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which works on the construction and maintenance of water resources and other forms of infrastructure. Bruce Sexauer is the chief of the civil works branch at the Alaska District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and says additional breakwater is necessary to provide complete protection for Port Lion’s harbor.
“Hero dog” dies after battle with cancer
Buddy, the “hero dog” that led an Alaska State Trooper to a structure fire in the spring of 2010 has died after a battle with cancer.
Future of heavy fuel oil in Arctic waters challenged
A group of nongovernmental organizations recently sent a letter to the US Department of State calling for a ban on heavy fuel oil, or HFO, in Arctic waters. HFO is hard to cleanup, but the widespread use of HFO throughout the Arctic makes the ban an especially hard sell. In the Arctic, HFO is used in both big and small ways. It fuels large cargo ships and helps heatand power homes in Canada and Russia. It’s banned in Antarctic waters and in northern Europe,partly due to its dirty emissions. It’s also hard to clean up.
Sass leads Yukon Quest mushers into Dawson
The top Yukon Quest teams are in Dawson City, Yukon, settled in for a mandatory 36-hour layover at the race’s halfway point. Brent Sass was first into Dawson yesterday. Download Audio
Shotgun shooting leaves man wounded in Anchor Point
Alaska State Troopers are investigating a shooting on the Kenai Peninsula that left a man wounded.
Low snow causes havoc again with Iditarod
Another low snow year in Alaska is playing havoc with the world's most famous sled dog race, at least for the start.
Assault at Wildwood Correctional Center leaves Dillingham man hospitalized
A fight between inmates at the Wildwood Correctional Facility in Kenai has left a Dillingham man hospitalized in Anchorage. KDLG News has learned that Vaughn Clark, who was sentenced last December to four years in jail on drug dealing charges, was one of two involved and was medevaced with serious injuries Tuesday night.