Oil company deal postpones North Slope drilling
Two oil companies say they are shifting their ownership split on an oil field development project in Alaska and will delay work planned for this winter.
Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015
State, feds won't pursue $92M more in '89 Exxon Valdez spill; With $3B budget deficit, lawmakers eye oil tax credits; Murkowski raises cash, expects a fight in 2016; APD chief Mew turns the baton to incomer Tolley; Walker convenes tribal advisory council; Forensic psychologist doubtful of witness testimony at FBX 4 hearing; New drug reduces heroin cravings, may reduce recidivism; Aleknagik celebrates new bridge over the Wood River; Planned totem poles in Douglas mark ‘A Time for Healing’
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Aleknagik celebrates new 440-ft bridge over the Wood River
The Aleknagik Wood River Bridge is complete and was officially opened at a ceremony Tuesday. The long-awaited bridge connects the North Shore residents of Aleknagik with the South Shore, and the 20-mile road to Dillingham.
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State, feds won’t pursue $92M more in ’89 Exxon Valdez spill
The state and federal governments have decided not to pursue $92 million in additional damages from Exxon Mobil Corp., citing the recovery of ducks and sea otters in Alaska's Prince William Sound following a devastating oil spill more than two decades ago.
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With $3B budget deficit, lawmakers eye oil tax credits
With the state facing a deficit next year of more than $3 billion, lawmakers face the always vexing question of what can be cut. One option on the table is reducing tax credits for oil and gas companies.
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Murkowski raises big cash, expects a fight
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is raising serious money for her re-election bid next year, despite having no serious challenger yet.
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APD chief Mew turns the baton to incomer Tolley
This week, former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Chris Tolley took over from Chief Mark Mew, who had been with the city in various positions for since 1983,
Forensic psychologist doubtful of witness testimony at FBX 4 hearing
A perception and memory expert took the stand at the Fairbanks Four hearing on Tuesday. University of Washington psychology professor Jeffrey Loftus’s work focuses on our ability to recognize others at distance and under various conditions, including darkness.
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New drug reduces heroin cravings, may reduce recidivism
The vast majority of people who are incarcerated have substance abuse issues, and that abuse is often a cause for recidivism. One solution? Get them treatment quickly. A new program in Anchorage is trying to do just that using a new, little-used drug called Vivitrol. But not all providers are convinced it's the best option.
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Walker convenes tribal advisory council
Gov. Bill Waker announced Wednesday the creation of an 11-member tribal advisory council.
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Planned totem poles in Douglas mark ‘A Time for Healing’
Savikko Park and Gastineau Elementary School will be the future sites of two totem poles. Plans include interpretive signs in Tlingit and English, explaining the history of the original people of Juneau and Douglas: the Aakʼw Ḵwáan and Tʼaaḵu Ḵwáan. Technology also plays a part in telling the story.
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Congressional panel to hear criticism of EPA’s Pebble process
A U.S. House Committee chairman has announced a hearing to examine whether the EPA unfairly blocked the Pebble Mine in Southwest Alaska with a so-called “pre-emptive veto,” before the mine has even applied for permits.
Alaska Safe Children’s Act task force begins work
The task force created to help implement the Alaska Safe Children’s Act met for the first time in Anchorage on Tuesday.
Biologist interprets crab catch numbers
Last week the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced catch limits for the state’s crab fisheries. On Monday, a Fish and Game biologist explained how the agency determined those catch limits to a group of crabbers in Seattle. Nine local crabbers gathered at Unalaska’s City Hall to tune into the conference call and ask questions.
No emergency listing for Price of Wales Island wolves
A petition asking for emergency Endangered Species Act listing for Prince of Wales Island wolves was essentially denied by the U.S. Department of the Interior office in Anchorage.
IndiGenius: Connecting conference attendees with craft, heritage
IndiGenius — a play on the word indigenous — is an offering of afternoon workshops at the First Alaskans Institute’s Elders and Youth Conference this week.
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Assembly votes for changes to residential construction and design
After months of examination and discussion, the Assembly passed a measure that could change the DNA of housing and neighborhoods across Anchorage.
Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015
Shell oil rigs leave the Arctic, skip Seattle; Why did Shell walk away from Alaska?; FBX 4 investigators testify, point to languishing evidence; Kachemak sea otter deaths under investigation, authorities seek public's help; Juneau trapper, hiker take stand at first day of trial; Study: Alaska's wild berry harvests becoming more variable; IndiGenius: Connecting conference attendees with craft, heritage; ‘Assimilation’ playwright flips the script on Native history
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Shell oil rigs leave the Arctic, skip Seattle
Shell's two Arctic oil rigs pulled into Unalaska's Dutch Harbor on Sunday, some 1,100 miles south of the company's drilling site in the Chukchi Sea.
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FBX 4 investigators testify, point to languishing evidence
Two Alaska State Troopers hired in September 2013 to re-investigate the 1997 John Hartman murder case testified in state court in Fairbanks on Monday.
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