State introduces first witnesses in Fairbanks 4 hearing
The state has begun calling witnesses in the Fairbanks Four evidentiary hearing. As the proceeding stretches into its 4th week, the focus has shifted from witnesses summoned by attorneys representing exoneration petitioners to those offered by state lawyers trying to uphold the men’s convictions for the 1997 murder of John Hartman.
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Release of new state test scores hits unexpected delay
School districts across the state are waiting on standardized test scores that were scheduled for release in early October. Third through 10th graders took the Alaska Measures of Progress tests for the first time last spring. State education officials say the test is more rigorous than the previous assessment. But finding out how students did on the new exams is taking longer than expected.
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Grant poised to bring Oscarville well back from the grave
Over a decade ago, Oscarville’s community well broke down. Then, this summer, the school well failed too. Residents in the small Kuskokwim village have reverted to using rain and river water. Last week the community landed a major grant to fix that.
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The Alaska LNG project explained
Not sure what the Alaska LNG project is? Check out this explainer video.
On ‘Dance Battle America,’ Wasilla dancers shoot for the stars
Dance Team Alaska lost their battle round on national television, but they caught the attention of commentators and audience alike.
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Port MacKenzie gas project one step closer
A Japan-based energy company is eyeing an export opportunity for Cook Inlet natural gas.
Crew breaks though ice clot in Bethel’s frozen well
The ice blocking an essential well for Bethel schools has finally cracked. Officials discovered the frozen well in September and spent almost a month thawing the impasse. Water is now pumping, but the well still isn’t in the clear.
New bridge dedicated to Alaska Native Brotherhood
State transportation officials and Juneau Native leaders dedicated a new bridge crossing the Mendenhall River as the Brotherhood Bridge Saturday.
Vacant Sitka Hotel gets new owner, remodel
You’ve probably noticed the construction happening downtown on Lincoln Street. The Sitka Hotel has a new owner with big plans for the iconic building.
ARCS TV stations are going digital
The Alaska Rural Communication Service, which provides free TV programming in much of rural Alaska, is switching its stations from analog to digital in the coming months.
Lawmakers scrutinize risks, rewards of TransCanada buyout
Buying out TransCanada puts the state on the hook for $7 billion more in construction costs if the Alaska LNG project ends up going forward. But the governor and his team argue it’s worth it to get more control -- and perhaps more revenue down the line.
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The North Slope puzzle: more gas means less oil
A presentation from the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission reminded lawmakers that taking natural gas from Prudhoe Bay will mean producing less oil.
Alaska News Nightly: Monday, Oct. 26, 2015
Deep-draft Arctic port study in Nome gets shelved; To buyout, or not to buyout? A Legislature debates; Park Service bans controversial methods of hunting bear, wolves; Walker appoints attorney general to Permanent Fund board; Wasilla lawmaker: Keep education spending in check, cut rural schools; Marvin Roberts testifies at Fairbanks 4 hearing; Former Dutch Harbor fisheries observer missing at sea off Peru; Writer Nick Jans captivates audience with tales of Romeo the wolf
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Deep-draft Arctic port study shelved for at least a year
A highly anticipated study looking into a deep-draft Arctic port for Alaska is being shelved for at least a year by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—due to what the Corps calls the changing economic picture of the Arctic.
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To buyout, or not to buyout? The Legislature debates
The Legislature is meeting in Juneau this week for a special session on the Alaska LNG project -- that’s the proposal to build a giant natural gas pipeline from the North Slope. The big question before lawmakers this session is whether the state should take a larger stake in the project, by buying out one of its partners.
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Park Service bans controversial methods to hunt wolf, bear
The National Park Service has published its final rule on hunting in Alaska’s national preserves, turning a corner in a long-running tussle with the state. Park Service is now enacting a permanent ban on several controversial hunting practices allowed under state law, like using artificial lights to shoot black bears in the den, and using bait to hunt bears.
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Walker appoints attorney general to Permanent Fund board
Gov. Bill Walker has appointed state attorney general Craig Richards to the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. board.
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Wasilla lawmaker: Keep education spending in check, cut rural schools
It started as a rumor. Democratic lawmakers and some education advocates have heard about it. That there are new ideas for changing how the state pays for education isn’t a surprise. That this cost-saving proposal could close 60 schools across the state is.
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Marvin Roberts testifies at ongoing Fairbanks Four hearing
Another one of Fairbanks men seeking exoneration from murder convictions has testified to his innocence. Marvin Roberts is the last of the so called Fairbanks Four, to address the court in an ongoing hearing to re-consider the 18-year-old case in light of new evidence.
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Former Dutch Harbor fisheries observer missing at sea off Peru
With crab season under way in the Bering Sea, some 70 crab boats are bobbing around Alaska's Bristol Bay and the Aleutian Islands. About a dozen of those boats have a fisheries observer on board. The observers keep tabs on what the boats haul up from the deep. Keith Davis was supposed to be one of those observers, but he went missing in September while working on a boat off the coast of South America.
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