Kick the Bucket: Health implications of Third World conditions in Alaska
You don't have to go to a foreign country to find Third World conditions. You can find more than six percent of Alaskans living in those conditions - without modern running water or sewer systems. The so-called "honey bucket" situation has frequently been deplored and millions of federal and state dollars have been devoted to dealing with it. But the reality remains that people in 3,300 households in the state live without running water and flush toilets and have much higher rates of hospitalization for respiratory and skin infections. Are there solutions? Maybe? Are we getting closer to those solutions? Maybe not. Today we begin a five-part series entitled "Kick the Bucket," in which we'll get a closer look at the water and sewer situation in rural Alaska. In part one, we look at the public health implication of inadequate water supplies.
UAF To Play Central Role In US-Led Arctic Council
Now that the United States has assumed chairmanship of the Arctic Council, the University of Alaska Fairbanks will play a central role in carrying out the U.S. agenda in the region, UAF’s top two administrators said Friday.
Report Tallies Tourism’s Economic Impact
A new report from the National Parks Service says Alaska parks brought over 2.5 million visitors, $1.1 billion and 17,000 jobs into the state economy last year.
Record Cruise Ship Season Starts Sunday in Unalaska
Unalaska will get a big population boost this weekend, with the first cruise ship of what’s shaping up to be a busy summer.
Shell seeks injunction against Arctic drilling protesters
A federal judge on Tuesday will consider a request by Royal Dutch Shell PLC for an injunction against illegal boarding of Arctic-bound drilling equipment by activists from Greenpeace Inc.
Alaska Legislature Passes Child Support Bill
Alaska lawmakers have passed legislation to bring state child support law into line with an international treaty under which the United States and other nations enforce child-support orders for one another.
Togiak Herring Meets Threshold, Fishing Opens
Alaska’s largest herring fishery opened Monday at 8 p.m., after Fish and Game staff documented a threshold biomass of herring around Togiak.
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After Legislature Adjourns, Walker Calls For Special Session
Eight days after the statutory deadline, the Alaska State Legislature has adjourned. But as soon as the gavel dropped, Gov. Bill Walker issued a proclamation calling them into a special session.
Lawmakers Could Gavel Out
Lawmakers may gavel out this evening after a week long stalemate on the budget.
Alaska News Nightly: April 27, 2015
Lawmakers May Gavel Out; Law Enforcement Battles Bootlegging In YK Delta; Anchorage Nepalese Community Reacts To Quake; BOEM Explains Arctic Oil Spill Risk Estimate; Trident To Open New Fishmeal Plant In Naknek; Strong Tourist Season Is Forecast For Alaska; House Bill 147 Gives Pets Special Legal Considerations.
BOEM Explains 75% Chance of Arctic Oil Spill
Inside a thick government report on the impact of off-shore oil leasing in the Chukchi Sea is a phrase that grabs the attention. It says there's "75% chance of one or more large spills." Today, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management put out a fact sheet to clarify what it means by that 75 percent figure.
Anchorage Nepalese community reacts to quake
Anchorage's 80-member Nepalese community is trying to reach out to family members still in Nepal.
A Moving Target: WAANT Pursues Bootleg Liquor
Citizens in Bethel are weighing a decision on a proposal for the for the first liquor store in decades. In the shadow of the debate is a powerful and elaborate bootlegging economy across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
Industry Forecasts Strong Tourist Season For Alaska
With a little over a week until the first ship arrives in Juneau, the head of a cruise industry group in Alaska says 2015 should be strong year for tourism in the state.
Law and Rover: HB 147 Would Give Pets Special Legal Considerations
Most people don’t want to think of their pets as property. But in court, they are. A bill by Rep. Liz Vazquez likely be back in next year’s legislative session aims to give pets special considerations in the law when it comes to divorce, protective orders and animal seizures.
Trident’s New Fishmeal Plant To Go Online Soon In Naknek
The newest processing plant in Bristol Bay is about to go online this month. Trident Seafood's multi-million dollar fishmeal plant should get a test run with Togiak herring. Trident agreed to build the plant as part of a 2011 settlement over alleged EPA Clean Water Act violations, and now the company, and residents, should get to see (and smell) it if works as intended.
Red Chris Mine Gets Closer To Full Production
A British Columbia mine upriver from Wrangell and Petersburg is one step closer to full production after reaching a benefits agreement with a First Nation group.
After Weekend Moves On Budget, Legislative Session Continues On
After a week of lots of gridlock and little accomplished, the Alaska State Legislature lurched into some fits of action on the budget this weekend.
With Budget Negotiations Stalled, Republicans Consider Partially Funding Government
A three-quarter vote is needed to access the state's rainy day fund, and the House’s Democratic minority has made their support conditional on a few priorities, like increased education funding and Medicaid expansion. The Republican majorities in the House and Senate are now considering ways to avoid that vote.
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After Five-Month Break, More National Guard Records Released
The 4142-page file was sent to news organizations at 3p.m. on Friday afternoon. Alaska Public Media and the Alaska Dispatch News requested the materials nearly a year ago, during the Parnell administration, but were denied access until a superior court judge ruled for their release in October.
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