The Best of Town Square 49 Radio 2013
Today we’re looking back at the top five Town Square 49 Radio stories of 2013.
How did we pick our top five stories? We tallied up your Facebook “likes” for each of our stories and came up with this list.
Now, let’s catch up with some of our favorite people.
Read more.
I am a Ski Builder
Will Spears is a dedicated ski bum. After growing up on the slopes of North Carolina, Spears decided to look for something a little steeper and shortly found himself in Alaska.
Woman Dies From Cold Exposure In Anchorage
Anchorage Police say a 57-year-old woman was found dead after spending the night in a tent in Anchorage.
Thousands of Alaskans to Lose Unemployment Benefits Saturday
About 6,500 Alaskans will see their emergency unemployment benefits come to an end on Saturday, according to the state Department of Labor.
Download Audio
Budget Pressure Mounts On Senate Appropriations Committee
It’s quiet in the U.S. Capitol these days, but the pressure is on one groups of lawmakers – the appropriators – among them Alaska’s two senators, Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich.
Download Audio
Interior Alaska Temperatures Dip To 50 Below
Interior low temperatures dipped into the 50 below range again today, as a cold snap that began Monday, deepened across the interior. Among the coldest readings this morning were minus 55 at Eagle and 54 below at Ft. Yukon. A strong inversion has kept hilltop temperatures in the 10 to 15 below range, while sinking the deepest cold into valleys. The Fairbanks bowl has also suffered from accumulated emissions.
Download Audio
Appeals Court Reinstates Overfishing Charges Against Kookesh, Two Others
The Alaska Court of Appeals has reinstated over-fishing charges against former State Senator Albert Kookesh and two other men. In 2009, Kookesh and three others were fishing for sockeye salmon at Kanalku Bay near his hometown of Angoon. A state wildlife trooper observed them catching more salmon than allowed under their subsistence permits.
Download Audio
Human Skeletal Remains Exhumed From Cable House
Human skeletal remains discovered in KCAW’s basement in 2011 were removed from the Cable House on Friday. The bones were identified as Alaskan Native and are now in the custody of the Sitka Tribe of Alaska.
Download Audio
Chena River Getting Cleaner
The Chena River is getting cleaner. The waterway that winds through the heart of Fairbanks had been plagued by oil and sedimentation from runoff, but local efforts have turned things around.
Download Audio
AK: Hair
Hair is important, especially in high school, but that didn’t stop a few dozen students at Bethel’s Kuskokwim Learning Academy boarding school from shaving off their hair in support of a teacher undergoing chemotherapy. It was also a chance for some students to remember family who died from the disease.
Download Audio
300 Villages: Port Heiden
This week, we're heading to Port Heiden, a community of about 100 people on the Alaska Peninsula. Scott Anderson is mayor of Port Heiden.
Download Audio
City Parks Plan Could Rebuild Mulcahy Stadium
An 18 million dollar project is on the drawing board for a midtown Anchorage ballfield. The city's Mulcahy Stadium, long the home field for the city's college baseball teams, could be moved to make way for a parking lot, if a city Parks and Recreation plan gets approval.
Download Audio
The Big News Stories of 2013
One year ago Shell Oil’s drilling rig had not gone aground and changing the state’s oil tax regime was just the Governor’s dream. Nobody expected Congress to be so gridlocked that budget sequestration would kick in, and the prospects for the Affordable Care act were not good. A lot has changed.
APRN: Tuesday, 12/31 at 10:00am
Arctic Sea Ice Volume Up 50%
In October 2013, the European Space Agency satellite CryoSat measured 9,000 cubic kilometres of sea ice on the Arctic Ocean, said an ESA news release Monday. At the same time of year in 2012, it measured just 6,000 cubic kilometres — a record low.
Appeals Court Reinstates Charges In Fishing Case
The state appeals court on Friday reinstated charges of excessive fishing against a former state senator and two others.
Woman Seeks To Have Arrest Scrubbed From Records
A woman is suing the Municipality of Anchorage, claiming she was falsely arrested for drunken driving after she refused to give her phone number to a police officer.
State Issues Air Quality Advisory For Fairbanks
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports cold air and temperature inversions are behind the poor air quality.
ATM Stolen From Palmer Restaurant
The Anchorage Daily News reports the machine was taken from RW's Hamburger House Saturday morning.
Sitka Hospital CEO Announces Retirement
Sitka Community Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Hugh Hallgren, will retire in June after more than four years of service in Sitka. The hospital’s Board of Directors announced Hallgren’s retirement on Monday.
State Announces Pacific Cod Harvest Level for 2014
There will be about 17.86 million pounds of cod available for harvest, both in the Aleutian Islands state-waters fishery and in the new Dutch Harbor subdistrict.