Whale Earwax Offers Opportunity For Unique Insight
A biologist from Baylor University in Texas has discovered a unique way to determine changes in hormone and contaminant levels in baleen whales – through their ear wax. Stephen Trumble is a whale biologist who studied at UAF. He says museums have collected these earwax plugs for a century and the Smithsonian alone has more than 500. They are commonly used to determine a whales’ age – like tree rings.
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Bethel’s Megan Leary Takes First Runner-Up At Miss Indian World
Bethel’s Megan Leary is the 2014 first runner up of the Miss Indian World competition, which concluded Saturday night at the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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Forestry Trainees Brush Up On Essential Fire Suppression Skills
It’s only April, and already a dozen brush fires have erupted in the Matanuska Susitna area. State foresters are looking ahead to a busy fire season, and fire suppression trainees are brushing up on essential skills – including driving the fire truck.
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Alaska News Nightly: April 28, 2014
Crews Work To Refloat Skagway Ferry Dock; Wildfire Threat Increases As Snow Melts; River Watch Teams Prepare For Breakup; Breaking Ice Pack Sets Kwigilngok Hunters' Snowmachines Adrift; Whale Earwax Offers Opportunity For Unique Insight; Bethel’s Megan Leary Takes First Runner-Up At Miss Indian World; Forestry Trainees Brush Up On Essential Fire Suppression Skills; Alaskan Brewing Co. Now Selling Beer In Cans
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Alaskan Brewing Co. Now Selling Beer In Cans
Alaskan Brewing Co. is entering the growing canned microbrew market. Starting Monday, the Juneau-based beer maker will sell its flagship Amber Ale and its Freeride American Pale Ale in 12-ounce cans. In recent years, consumers have become more accepting of craft beer in cans. But is it as good as bottles?
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Birch Syrup Season
Today we’re making birch syrup. Peter’s Creek resident Erik Johnson never misses a chance to harvest Alaska’s bounty, and recently he expanded his gatherings to birch sap.
Johnson says now is the perfect time to start.
Breaking Ice Pack Sets Kwigilngok Hunters’ Snowmachines Adrift
Thin ice caused a scare for many seal hunters from Kwigilngok when about a dozen snowmachines began floating into the Bering Sea after a large chunk of ice broke off and began drifting away.
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I Am A Surfer
There isn't a whole lot of surfing going on in Alaska, but Homer based Scott Dickerson aims to change that.
http://youtu.be/6ziJN3lJ5Xs
Court Rules In Favor Of Same-Sex Couples In Property Tax Case
State Supreme Court on Friday justices decided in favor of two same sex couples in a property tax case that could have wider implications for the state.
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Jury Convicts Alaska Man In Coast Guard Killings
A federal jury in Alaska has convicted a man of murder in the shooting deaths of two of his co-workers at a Coast Guard communications station on Kodiak Island.
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Surprise Inspection Finds High Radiation Levels At Acuren Facility
A testing and inspection company with facilities in Kenai is in trouble with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A surprise inspection of Acuren’s facility earlier this month revealed high levels of radiation outside the building.
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Alaska Legislature Gavels Out
Friday, the Alaska State Legislature gaveled out, five days after they were supposed to. It’s the end to a grueling session that involved legislation on education and a major gasline project.
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Three To Try Out For Juneau Symphony Conductor
Three different conductors will direct the Juneau Symphony next season. They hope to replace Kyle Wylie Pickett, who will lead the Topeka, Kansas Symphony, and the Springfield, Missouri Symphony Orchestra, after 14 years in the capital city.
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AK: Cats
Ten years ago, Wrangell was crawling with feral cats. They roamed the streets, getting into trash and nesting in condemned buildings. Now, it’s hard to even find a cat downtown. That dramatic turnaround is due to the hard work of one woman who noticed the problem and decided to fix it. Dolores Klinke runs the St. Frances Animal Rescue, a non-profit that has saved hundreds of strays.
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300 Villages: St. Michael
This week, we’re heading to St. Michael, a primarily Yup’ik community of almost 450 people near Nome in Western Alaska. Bobbi Ann Andrews is the mayor of St. Michael.
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Alaska News Nightly: April 25, 2014
Jury Convicts Alaska Man In Coast Guard Killings; Court Rules In Favor Of Same-Sex Couples In Property Tax Case; Surprise Inspection Finds High Radiation Levels At Acuren Facility; Alaska Legislature Gavels Out; Three To Try Out For Juneau Symphony Conductor; AK: Cats; 300 Villages: St. Michael
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Seward’s Icebox
What was William Seward thinking when he pushed the purchase of Alaska from Russia? What would most surprise him if he could see Alaska now? Seward’s Day is a state holiday; a town and a highway are named after him; but who was he? Two historians will help us understand why we’re not part of Russia, on the next Talk of Alaska.
APRN: Tuesday, 4/29 at 10:00am
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Southcentral Foundation Reaches Historic Settlement With IHS
Anchorage based Southcentral Foundation announced a settlement with the Indian Health Service over contract payments that at $96 million represents the largest IHS settlement in history.
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Alaska Food Policy Council Hosts Bethel Town Hall Meeting
Members of the Alaska Food Policy Council hosted a town hall meeting in Bethel last week to gather information they’ll use to guide statewide food policy.
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More Tourists Expected In Petersburg This Year
More tourists are expected to visit Petersburg this summer than in recent years. Located on Mitkof Island, the small town cannot accommodate large cruise ships because of the shallow channels. But that’s just the sort of thing that some visitors are looking for.
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