With AG Confirmation Pending, Same-Sex Marriage Ban Brief Causes Rift With Democrats
Last week, Alaska Attorney General designee Craigs Richards joined 15 other states in asking the Supreme Court to uphold their bans on same-sex marriage. This comes just as legislators are deciding whether to support his confirmation in a vote later this month. The action has left some Democratic lawmakers in an uncomfortable spot.
With One-Cent Spill Levy, Alaska House Passes First Tax Bill In Years
Since the Murkowski administration, the Alaska House of Representatives has not passed a taxation bill where the levy goes beyond the oil industry. That changed on Wednesday, when the House narrowly passed a surcharge on refined fuel.
Gov. Walker Issues Disaster Declaration For Dalton Highway Flooding
Governor Bill Walker has declared a disaster in response to flooding that’s making the far northern end of the Dalton Highway impassable. The road is used to supply the Prudhoe Bay oil fields. It's been closed south of Deadhorse since Sunday because an expanding area of overflow from the Sag River and recent blizzard conditions that have hampered Department of Transportation crews. The disaster declaration will amp up efforts to open the road.
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Ethan Berkowitz, Amy Demboski Heading For Mayoral Runoff Election
Unofficial results show Ethan Berkowitz leading the mayoral race with 37 percent of the vote. But because Berkowitz didn't take 45 percent, he'll be in a run off with Amy Demboski, who, with about a quarter of the total votes, was the second place candidate.
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Long After Civil War’s End, Rebel Raiders Fought On in Bering Sea
One hundred and fifty years ago, on April 9, General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va. Textbooks typically say this event signaled the end of the Civil War. But a few historians make the case that the last shots of the war were actually fired from a Confederate ship off Alaska’s coast, in the Bering Sea.
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Rural Subsistence Hunters No Longer Need Federal Duck Stamps
It took a few years and an act of Congress, but today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced rural subsistence hunters don’t need to purchase federal duck stamps.
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Rie Muñoz Leaves A Legacy Of Delight, Joy And Laughter
Beloved artist Rie Muñoz passed away Monday night at Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau after a stroke. She was 93. Muñoz was active until the end, a prolific artist and traveler who drew inspiration from everyday Alaskans.
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Alaska News Nightly: April 8, 2015
Attorney General's Action On Same-Sex Marriage Leaves Democratic Lawmakers In Uncomfortable Spot As Confirmation Looms; State House Passes Surcharge On Refined Fuel; Gov. Walker Issues Disaster Declaration For Dalton Highway Flooding; Ethan Berkowitz, Amy Demboski Heading For Mayoral Runoff Election; Long After Civil War's End, Rebel Raiders Fought On in Bering Sea; Rural Subsistence Hunters No Longer Need Federal Duck Stamps; Rie Muñoz Leaves A Legacy Of Delight, Joy And Laughter
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WAANT Makes Arrests for Alleged Bootlegging
Investigators from the Western Alaska Alcohol and Narcotics team arrested two people in seperate incidents Monday. They say 23-year-old Olivia Guest was contacted as she attempted to fly to Chefornak with five bottles of alcohol in her luggage and purse. They say she became confrontational and pushed the investigator away from her luggage. Guest is being charged with alcohol importation and disorderly conduct.
Division of Forestry Stresses Being ‘Firewise’ This Season
2015 will likely be a year with higher than usual fire risk on the peninsula. Conditions this year are reminiscent of last year, before the Funny River fire.
Bethel Woman Faces Manslaughter Charge in Heroin Death
A Bethel woman has been indicted on a charge of manslaughter for allegedly fatally injecting her father with heroin. 35-year-old Shannon Cooke faces the charges for an incident from September 29th, 2014.
2015 Anchorage Municipal Election
With over 97 percent of the precincts reporting in, the winner has yet to be determined in Anchorage's mayoral race. Leading the pack of 11 candidates is Ethan Berkowitz, with 36.84 percent of the vote. Amy Demboski and Andrew Halcro trail Berkowitz with 24.31 percent and 21.60 percent, respectively.
Juneau Prison Deals With Overcrowding By Housing Women In A Tent
Alaska’s prison population is the third fastest growing in the country, and the prisons are over capacity. The crowding problem is especially evident at Juneau’s Lemon Creek Correctional Center where half the female inmates live in a tent outside. Some of them actually like it, but it’s an indication of a problem one state senator is trying to fix.
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Seaton Suggests Income Tax for Diversification of Revenue Sources
Peninsula Representative Paul Seaton, a Homer Republican, filed a bill Friday to bring back an income tax to Alaska. Representative Bryce Edgmon, a Dillingham Democrat, co-sponsored the bill.
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Villages Seek Yukon, Kuskokwim Salmon Management Change
The Federal Office of Subsistence Management is holding a series of public hearings on requests for expanded federal control of salmon fishing on the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers.
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Greenpeace Protestors Board Arctic Rig
Shell’s Arctic drill rigs have picked up some unwelcome guests on their trip across the Pacific Ocean. On Monday, six activists from Greenpeace boarded the Polar Pioneer rig.
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Bethel Faces Big Decision on Local Liquor Licenses
Bethel residents are urging the city to protest a package store license that's before the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. The Bethel Native Corporation’s Bethel Spirits LLC application was officially filed Monday morning.
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Co-op Herring Fishery Means Fewer Boats, Quiet Year In Sitka
Most years, the sac roe herring fishery in Sitka means boats filling the harbor, crew members filling the bars, seiners jostling for position within sight of town, and spotter planes in close formation overhead. But this year fishermen voted to abandon the competitive fishery in favor of a co-op. That meant a much smaller footprint, with fewer boats, crewmen, tenders, and spotter pilots. The reason? Low prices for roe, for starters. And a strong US dollar that makes all American exports more expensive.
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Alaska Artist Rie Muñoz Dies At 93
Alaska artist Rie Muñoz has died. She was 93. A statement from her family says Muñoz was “active and independent until her last hours.”
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Historic Auk Totem Pole Being Restored
A 74-year-old totem pole that once stood at the Auke Recreation Area in Juneau is being restored for a second time. The Yax té pole had to be taken down in 2010 after it was damaged by woodpeckers and heavy rains. Now after being in storage for five years, it’s getting a new life.
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