News

Six passengers and their pilot are safely in Talkeetna today after three nights weathered in at the foot of Denali. John Nealon was flying a DeHavilland Beaver belonging to Talkeetna Air Taxi on a flightseeing tour Tuesday afternoon, when the weather forced him to make an unscheduled landing on the Ruth Glacier. Download Audio

A large timber sale in the Tongass National Forest called Big Thorne was announced Monday, combining old and second growth areas of Prince of Wales Island. Download Audio

The State has given the go ahead to a coal lease sale for the Skwentna area. The division of mining, land and water released its final decision Friday on the Canyon Creek coal lease. Download Audio

Yup’ik artist Apayo Moore, from Dillingham, is leading a mural project at Anchorage's Covenant House, a shelter for homeless youth. She's painting the mural with the help of Covenant House residents over the next few weeks at the shelter's new location at 8th Avenue and A Street. The project was commissioned by the Bristol Bay Native Corporation in part because nearly half the youth the Covenant House serves are Alaska Native, and Moore's work often speaks to that identity. The mural features both salmon and caribou. Moore says these animals represent a subsistence way of life that prioritizes community, family, and Mother Nature. Download Audio

After the 78’ tender Lonestar went down Sunday morning, fishermen at the mouth of the Igushik River were told to pull in their nets. Igushik fishermen are predominantly from the village of Manokotak. The three-week season provides the sole income for many of them and the closure came just as the fishing was getting good.

Infrared flights have shown that a fire south of Two Rivers is about half the size previously believed because the fire is burning in "fingers" instead of one solid block. The Stuart Creek fire on military land east of Eielson Air Force Base is burning on about 30,000 acres, or about 46 square miles. Firefighters were unable to get a flight above the fire until late Wednesday.

The annual Mount Marathon race in Seward was muddy this year but that didn't stop a rookie from taking the women's title. The Anchorage Daily News reported Palmer resident Christy Marvin clocked in at 53 minutes, 20 seconds, winning by nearly two minutes. Allison Barnwell a 21-year old Seward resident took second at 55 minutes 11 seconds and 18-year old Ann Spencer of Anchorage came in third at 56 minutes 15 seconds.

State Sen. Bert Stedman has added his name to the list of Alaskans hoping to repeal the state’s new oil tax structure. The Sitka Republican signed a petition on Tuesday against Senate Bill 21. Supporters of the measure, which was signed into law by Governor Sean Parnell, say it will spur more development in Alaska. But opponents, like Stedman, call it an oil giveaway.

National Education Association Alaska President Ron Fuhrer says representatives from all 50 states believe they have as much if not more information about how to reform public education than lawmakers do. Fuhrer says in light of recent school shooting tragedies there is a heightened concern over school safety, but he says that doesn't mean teachers should be armed. “The last thing that an educator should be concerned about is trying to shoot someone, " Fuhrer said.

The United States Geological Survey has been conducting research on the amounts of sea ice present in the Chukchi Sea. And they've identified that the lifestyles of walruses are changing.

Haines and Skagway should be in the same election district as Juneau. The Capital City’s Mendenhall Valley wants to stay on its own. Petersburg doesn’t want to be split up. And the whole redistricting process has been a boondoggle. That’s some of what Southeast Alaska residents – plus a few others – told the Alaska Redistricting Board during a hearing Tuesday at the Capitol.

The U.S. Forest Service says it’s speeding up Tongass National Forest’s transition from an old-growth management plan to a second growth plan. Download Audio