Alaska Edition: April 18, 2014
Patrick Flynn takes over as chair of the Anchorage Assembly. The Alaska Legislature is still addressing major capital projects in the final days of the session. The Loussac Library bond failed by 14 votes. Why? Legislation to raise the minimum wage becomes deeply controversial. Wasilla does a turnaround on regulating the drug spice. The cost of Gov. Parnell's North Slope initiative is ballooning. Two inmates die in Alaska prisons in a week.
KSKA: Friday, April 18, at 2:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 19, at 6:00 p.m.
KAKM: Friday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 19, at 4:30 p.m.
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Reaching My Family After the 1964 Earthquake
It was very hard to stay calm and collected when I was calling home to Anchorage at 5:00 pm on Good Friday 1964, only to hear the chronic phone message, “Unable to complete your call due to transmission interruption in southeastern Alaska,” or something on that order.
I had never heard anything like that before, but then I didn’t make too many calls home from Oregon while I was in college.
Read more. House Approves $3 Billion Transfer To Pension System
The Alaska State House has voted in favor of Gov. Sean Parnell’s plan to shore up the state’s pension system.
Ferry Workers Considering Strike If Contract Negotiations Don’t Move Forward
Contract talks between the state and Alaska’s ferry workers are heating up as each side disagrees on how to make up the gap between revenues and the cost of operating the ferry system. Workers are now considering whether to authorize a strike if negotiations remain stalled.
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Texan Confirmed to Alaska Gasline Board
The Alaska Legislature today confirmed a controversial appointee to the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation board of directors after a debate that centered on whether he has Alaska’s interest at heart.
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Parnell Signs Abortion Bill
The new law puts a set of recently adopted regulations into statute, and takes them a step further It specifies that the state will not pay for elective abortions. It limits the term “medically necessary” to cases where a woman’s life or physical health is at risk.
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State House OKs Refinery Subsidy Plan
The Alaska State House has a OKed a deal to give the state’s refineries – and one fertilizer plant -- up to $200 million in subsidies spread out over five years.
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High Mercury Levels Found In Lake Trout From Lake Clark
A new study shows that lake trout in the Lake Clark National Park and Preserve have mercury levels that exceed the state and national standards for consumption by women and children.
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Alaska Inuit Circumpolar Conference Searches For Food Security Definition
The Alaska Inuit Circumpolar Council met in Nome this week to define food security from an Alaska Native perspective.
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National Weather Service Forecasts Kuskokwim Breakup
The Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center predicts the Kuskowkim will break up at Bethel between May 9th and May 15th. That range is right around the historical average of May 12th. But after a warm winter with little snow, the Forecast Center says this year’s breakup could happen in one of several ways.
Birthday Cupcakes Exempt From Ketchikan Schools’ Nutrition Guidelines
The Ketchikan School Board adopted new administrative regulations last week governing student nutrition and physical activity, in order to meet new federal standards. The standards essentially require that only healthy food be served in schools. There are some exceptions built into the rules and the Ketchikan school board added a few more, including the “cupcake clause.”
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NOMAR Names ‘Alaska Manufacturer Of The Year’
NOMAR Manufacturing in Homer has been churning out gear for fishermen, hunters, oilmen and outdoor enthusiasts for more than 35 years. The company was recognized for its work a few weeks ago, when it was named “Alaska Manufacturer of the Year” by the “Made In Alaska” organization.
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Alaska News Nightly: April 17, 2014
Ferry Workers Considering Strike If Contract Negotiations Don’t Move Forward; Texan Confirmed To Gasline Board; Gov. Parnell Signs Bill Restricting Medicaid Payments For Abortions; State House OKs Refinery Subsidy Plan; High Mercury Levels Found In Lake Trout From Lake Clark; Alaska Inuit Circumpolar Conference Searches For Food Security Definition; National Weather Service Forecasts Kuskokwim Breakup; Birthday Cupcakes Exempt From Ketchikan Schools’ Nutrition Guidelines; NOMAR Names ‘Alaska Manufacturer Of The Year’
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Mat Su Borough FY 15 Budget Outlook
This week, the Matanuska Susitna Borough Assembly got a preview of the Borough's preliminary FY 15 fiscal plan. This year's budget outlook indicates that some cost cutting may have to be done before the Borough Assembly makes a decision on the final spending package.
Drug Discovery at Unalaska School Leads to Four Arrests
Four people were arraigned in court Wednesday morning for allegedly selling marijuana. The cases are the result of an investigation into drug possession that started at the local high school.
House Speaker Adds Agrium to Refinery Assistance Bill
Gov. Sean Parnell’s $150 million-dollar bill to subsidize Alaska’s oil refineries grew to $200 million today, when House Speaker Mike Chenault expanded it to include the Agrium fertilizer plant in Nikiski.
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USDA Files Complaint Against UAF
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has accused the University of Alaska Fairbanks of possible Animal Welfare Act violations in the starvation deaths of 12 musk oxen at its large-animal research station.
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Lawmakers Grapple With UAF Power Plant Funding
At $245 million, the biggest item in the capital budget before the Legislature is a power plant for the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The plant is needed to replace an old one that’s at risk of breaking down. The project is now before the House Finance Committee for review, and lawmakers are less surprised by the price tag than by how the funding package works in the first place.
Bill Arming VPSOs Goes To Governor’s Desk
Village Public Safety Officers will soon be able to carry fire arms if Governor Sean Parnell signs a measure approved this morning in the Senate.
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State House Approves Alaska Native Language Bill
The Alaska House of Representatives approved a bill on Wednesday that would symbolically recognize 20 Alaska Native languages as official state languages. House Bill 216 passed on a 38-0 vote. With less than a week to go in this year’s legislative session, the Senate State Affairs Committee will hear the bill tomorrow.
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