Woman Killed in Anchorage Pedestrian Crash
Anchorage police say a woman died when she was struck by a vehicle as she walked on a rural municipal street.
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Court Overturns State Regulation Deeming Kodiak’s Bison Feral
Friday the Alaska Supreme Court overturned an Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulation from 2007 that declared domesticated livestock, specifically Kodiak's bison herds, were feral if they stayed outside of their designated state grazing lease areas for too long. As feral animals, they would be fair game, and could be hunted like any other wild animal, subject to Fish and Game regulations.
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Pat Pitney Prepares To Address State’s Budget Issues
OMB's new director Pat Pitney says she wants Alaskans to be involved in the conversation on how to trim the state budget as the price of oil falls. Pitney is a former vice chancellor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She says budget cuts are necessary, but the Walker administration wants to be strategic about where they happen.
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Avalanche Survivor Returns to Rainbow Ridge, Recovers Bodies of Companions
The survivor of the Dec. 6 avalanche at Rainbow Ridge returned to the site in the Eastern Alaska Range last week to recover the bodies of his friend and dog. Michael Hopper says he had to go, because Alaska State Troopers had ruled out a recovery mission until the danger of avalanche in the area subsided. That could’ve taken months.
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As Federal Case Proceeds, State Drops Charges Against Dutch Harbor Asia Owners
State prosecutors have dropped their case against two Unalaskans accused of running a major drug operation out of their home and business. Now, it's up to a federal court to determine the outcome.
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Spay and Neuter Clinics Improve Village Safety
A team of veterinarians brought spaying, neutering, and vaccinations to two YK Delta villages last week. Alaska Native Rural Veterinary, a Fairbanks-based nonprofit visited Tuntutuliak and Kongiganak for the free clinic.
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Alaska News Nightly: December 29, 2014
$41,000 Raised for Victims of Christmas Day Crash; One Dead, One Injured in Koyuk House Fire; Woman Killed in Anchorage Pedestrian Crash; Court Overturns State Regulation Deeming Kodiak's Bison Feral; Pat Pitney Prepares To Address State's Budget Issues; Avalanche Survivor Returns to Rainbow Ridge, Recovers Bodies of Companions; As Federal Case Proceeds, State Drops Charges Against Dutch Harbor Asia Owners; Spay and Neuter Clinics Improve Village Safety
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Alaska News Nightly: December 26, 2014
Legislators Urge Governor Walker To Rein In Budget; $1 Million Loan to Buy Sitka Hospital ‘Breathing Room’; Fire Marshals say PATC Fire Cause ‘Undetermined’; Incoming DNR Commissioner Prepares For New Position; AK: Exploding History
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Legislators Urge Governor Walker To Rein In Budget
Alaska lawmakers sent a letter to Governor Bill Walker this week urging measures to rein in budget items. Incoming Senate President Kevin Meyer, a Republican from Anchorage and House Speaker Republican Mike Chenault of Nikiski signed the letter, along with the chairs of the finance committees for both chambers. The letter lays out suggestions such as a hiring freeze for all state departments, limiting agency travel and requesting department budgets for the first six months of 2015.
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$1 Million Loan to Buy Sitka Hospital ‘Breathing Room’
Sitka Community Hospital will get a $1-million infusion of cash from the Sitka assembly, in order to meet short-term expenses. A long-term solution for the hospital’s cash woes is still on the horizon.
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Fire Marshals say PATC Fire Cause ‘Undetermined’
A report from the State Fire Marshals’ office has ruled the cause of a fire that burned the new alcohol treatment center in Bethel as ‘undetermined’. The building is owned by the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation and was fully insured.
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Incoming DNR Commissioner Prepares For New Position
Mark Myers is preparing to become Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources on January 16th. He is currently Vice Chancellor of Research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Myers has also worked for the oil industry as a petroleum geologist and for the federal government- leading the United States Geological Survey.
And he was the director of the division of oil and gas when Frank Murkowski was Governor. Myers says he made a difficult decision to resign from that job.
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AK: Exploding History (Archive)
It’s been more than 70 years since Unalaska came under attack during World War II, but you don’t have to look hard to find the remnants. The community is littered with old gunnery installations, battered Quonset huts and bunkers – some of which are being preserved for posterity.
But there’s history, and then there’s hazard, and the shells and bombs that keep washing up on Unalaska’s shores fall somewhere in between.
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The Year Gone by and Prospects for the Year to Come
From the Pebble mine order to the election to the sale of our largest newspaper to a website, 2014’s news had a lot of unexpected developments. What do you think was the big news of the year gone by? Was it the National Guard scandal? The death of the HAARP (harp) Project? The beginning of same-sex marriage? Or something else?
APRN: Tuesday, 12/30 at 10:00am
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Homer Residents Take Part In Christmas Bird Count
The birders met at 8:30 in the morning Saturday at the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center to take part in a decades-old tradition of Christmas bird counting.
Alaska News Nightly: December 24, 2014
Officials Warn of Botulism Outbreak; Investor Pulls Out of BC Mine; LNG Exports Hits Bumps; Lights Return in Ft. Yukon; Maybe No White Christmas in Aleutians; Volunteers Pitch in Haines; Fish Skin Appearing in Modern Fashion
Officials Warn of Botulism Outbreak in Twin Hills
Health officials are warning of a botulism outbreak from a batch of seal oil produced recently in the Bristol Bay village of Twin Hills, near Togiak. A state investigation into the outbreak says more than 25 people may have consumed the seal oil, and they're working quickly to track them down.
Investor Pulls Out of Tulsequah Mine in BC
The company trying to re-open the controversial Tulsequah Chief mine in British Columbia announced a setback this week. It says a big investor is pulling out of the project. Chieftain Metals Company says it will use a bridge loan to repay a $10 million advance from Denver-based Royal Gold. Chieftain had been counting on another $45 million from Royal Gold to develop the mine.
Alaska LNG Export Project Hits A Couple of Bumps in D.C.
Gov. Bill Walker on Tuesday announced an agreement that could help sell Alaska liquefied natural gas in Japan, but the effort to build a trans-Alaska gas pipeline is meeting some resistance in Washington, D.C. Lack of political support there is forcing the federal coordinator for the Alaska gas pipeline to close up shop. Also, opponents of gas exports are raising their voice, and their targets include the pipeline Walker and many Alaskans pin their economic hopes on.
Generators Going Again; Lights Back on In Ft. Yukon
The lights are back on in Fort Yukon, including the Christmas trees, now that three of the village’s four electrical generators are functioning again. A couple of weeks ago, the holidays didn’t look so happy for the remote Yukon River community, when all but one of its generators broke down.