News

An Alaska company wants to help reduce the cost of producing oil on the North Slope. Alaska Natural Gas to Liquids, based in Anchorage, is pitching a plan to construct a gas-to-liquids facility that could save the producers between $50 million and $100 million a year.

A federal judge issued an order to the State of Alaska in a voting rights case Monday. In her 8-page order, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason said the state must take additional steps to provide voting materials to Alaska Natives with limited English. Listen now:

The state has filed an administrative complaint alleging unfair or deceptive practices by the vendor it hired to implement a new Medicaid payment system. Listen Now:

The federal government has agreed to a deadline of the end of next year for an endangered species review for wolves in Southeast Alaska. Listen now:

More than 160,000 official public comments have been received by the EPA regarding their proposed restrictions on the controversial Pebble Mine. But it’s expected that once the final numbers are tallied, there will be hundreds of thousands of comments, both pro-and-con. Listen now:

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, along with beer-makers around the country, is celebrating a recent clarification from the Food and Drug Administration about spent grains. Listen now:

Academics and researchers have been meeting in Anchorage to bring together studies looking at what sustainability means in the arctic. Andrey Petrov is lead investigator and director of Arctic Frost. He has studied the arctic in Russia, Canada and Alaska for 15 years. He says there is a lot of discussion about environmental changes, but social changes in arctic communities can be even more dramatic. His work looks at human capital and community innovators. Listen now:

State Ordered to Improve Voting Materials for Alaska Natives; Senate Candidates Vie for Rural Support; State Files Complaint Against Medicaid Payment Vendor; Deadline Set for Southeast Wolves ESA Review; KTVA Reporter Quits on Air, Dedicates Time to Pot Initiative; EPA's 404-C Public Comment Period on Pebble Closes; NTSB Report Yields Few Clues In Fatal Soldotna Plane Crash; Murkowski Presses FDA To Clarify Spent-Grain Rule for Brewers; Arctic Researcher Says The Social Changes Are As Drastic as Climate Changes Download Audio:

One man is reported safe after his fishing boat sank in Lynn Canal on Sunday night. Twenty-five-year-old Woody Paul of Haines was rescued by another fishing boat in William Henry Bay north of Juneau after his boat the 36-foot, Kyra Dawn began taking on water and then capsized.

National Park Service officials say charges are pending in connection with two hunters who illegally shot a moose at Denali National Park and Preserve.

The University of Alaska Board of Regents gave thumbs down to a proposal to boost tuition by 4 percent. UA President Pat Gamble proposed the increase for the 2015-16 academic year, saying the move would raise about $4 million as the system navigates tight budgets.

A plan to vacate agricultural rights on a parcel of Matanuska-Susitna Borough land is running into opposition. At a Borough Assembly meeting Tuesday night, residents spoke out against an ordinance aimed at approving a gravel mine on farmland. Download Audio

The Anchorage School Board is developing a plan for drastic budget cuts in the years ahead. They discussed some of the options with the Anchorage Assembly during a joint meeting on Friday morning, including expanding best practices and possibly reducing the number of school buildings.

Brigadier General Jon Mott will lead a team charged with implementing recommendations for restoring confidence in the leadership and structure of the Alaska National Guard. Download Audio