Alaska Cultural Connections: Limiting Technology
First up, we start with a common intergenerational complaint. – kids don’t go outside any more. They’re too interested in video games, or TV or the Internet. APRN’s Anne Hillman spoke with people in rural and urban Alaska who are trying to limit the impact of technology on young people.
Despite Setbacks, Dupre Believes Solo Winter Summit Of Denali Can Be Done
Lonnie Dupre says cold weather is his forte. And it’s a good thing too. The mountaineer has spent the last three winters trying to become the first person to summit Denali solo in December and January. He’s failed all three times and encountered harsh storms, temperatures well below zero and death defying ice along the way. But the Minnesota explorer – who now spends part of the year in Homer, says he’s still optimistic the climb can be done.
Oil Taxes Remain Top Priority In Legislature
Oil taxes remain the legislature’s top issue this week, with six hearings scheduled on Gov. Sean Parnell’s bill to bring them down. But there’s also plenty else going on in Juneau, from consideration of education and home energy bills to visits from state dignitaries.
Allen Moore Claims Yukon Quest Crown
A light snow fell on a small crowd gathered on the Chena River in Fairbanks as Allen Moore’s eleven-dog team pulled the musher across the Yukon Quest finish line early this morning. The win is fitting after a narrow miss last year.
Anchorage Fire Department Responding To Trailer Court Fire
View Larger Map According to Anchorage Fire Department officials, 14 units are responding to a single-wide trailer fire in the Glacier Terrace Trailer Court at 4110 Debarr Road. There are no road closures reported due to the fire at this time.
Expelled GOP Leader Files Appeal
The recently ousted leader of the Alaska Republican Party is fighting his removal. Russ Millette, who was elected chair in April, is appealing his dismissal on a technicality. In a letter e-mailed to the party’s executive committee, Millette alleges that the committee “illegally met … to prevent [him] from becoming Chairman” and that the group was wrong to have him expelled before he was actually seated as chair.
Half The Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity For Woman Worldwide
Watch Women Are Not the Problem, They Are the Solution on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.
A landmark series based on the book by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide follows six actress-advocates including Diane Lane, America Ferrera, and Olivia Wilde as they travel to six countries and meet inspiring, courageous individuals who are confronting oppression and developing real, meaningful solutions through health care, education, and economic empowerment for women and girls. Monday 2/11 @ 9:00 & 10:00 p.m.
Annie Moses Band: Pilgrims & Prodigals
The enthusiasm continues to spread for the Annie Moses Band! There has never been strings played anything like this! Six siblings, all classically trained musicians, offer a fresh fusion of sounds, incorporating pop, jazz, bluegrass and classical.
Saturday 2/9 @ 9:00 p.m.
President Obama Proposes Plan To Delay Sequester
The across the board government spending cuts go into effect three weeks from Friday. This week President Barack Obama proposed a short term mix of spending cuts and tax increases to delay the sequester, but Republicans on Capitol Hill called it dead on arrival.
Bethel Police Officer Named In October Shooting
The conclusion of the investigation into the shooting death into the shooting death of 24-year-old Sam Alexie Jr. has spurred the Bethel police department to release the name of the shooting officer. It is Andrew Reid, who is still with the department. He had only been on the force for three months at the time of the shooting although he had been an officer in Massachusetts for four years prior to that.
Bethel Finalizes Tobacco Tax Ordinance
The Bethel City Council has finalized an ordinance to impose a tax on all tobacco products sold in the city. The tax is similar to one found in Anchorage. The tax has the backing of many in the community, but one retailer is taking a stand against it.
Assessor Says State Taxes Don’t Apply To Kulluk Drill Rig
After the grounding of Shell’s Kulluk drill rig in January, reports circulated that the company had been moving it from Unalaska to Seattle in order to avoid Alaska’s oil and gas property tax. But this week, as the Kodiak Daily Mirror first reported, the state decided that tax doesn’t actually apply to the offshore rig. That’s despite the Kulluk being grounding in Alaskan waters on Jan. 1, when the state’s oil and gas property tax rolls were drafted.
Expedition To Mark 100th Anniversary Of Conquest Of Denali
A group of descendants of the first men to summit Denali plan to climb the mountain on the 100th anniversary of their forbearers historic ascent. This week they announced the project with a press conference at St. Mathews Episcopal Church in Fairbanks, the same location where the 1913 expedition was launched.
Alyeska Tram To Reopen Saturday
Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood says the tram will be running Saturday afternoon for the first time in six weeks. One of the tram cars was severely damaged New Years Eve, when a wind gust blew it into the tram tower. The tram car was impaled in the incident, and the five people aboard, including the tram operator had to be evacuated on ropes by ski patrol. One guest suffered a minor head injury.
AK: Repair
There are thousands of miles of fiberoptic cables snaking along the ocean floor. They bring telephone service, television, and the Internet to much of world. When an earthquake struck off the coast of Southeast Alaska in January, the cables that provide Internet to Wrangell were damaged. And a cable repair ship, called the Wave Venture, was called in to help. KSTK’s Shady Grove Oliver went onboard the unique ship to get a closer look at cable repair.
300 Villages: Akutan
This week, we’re heading out the Aleutian chain to the community of Akutan, on a small island just east of Unalaska. April Pelkey is the manager at the Akutan Corporation.
First ASD, Teachers Union Proposals Far Apart
The Anchorage School District and the Anchorage Education Association began bargaining on a new contract this week. The district and the teacher's union are discussing salaries, benefits and more. The initial proposals are far apart.
Baby Skates Identified As Bering Sea Research Priority
In isolated spots in the Bering Sea, there are fields of so-called ‘mermaids’ purses.’ Any beachcomber would recognize them -- small rectangular pods with pointy corners. They’re the protective casing that surrounds the fertilized eggs of skates, and in some underwater nurseries there are hundreds of thousands of them.
USPS To Scale Back Hours At Douglas And Auke Bay Post Offices
The United States Postal Service will scale back hours at two Juneau post offices next month. Notices went up at the Douglas and Auke Bay post offices earlier this week. Starting March 4th, the Douglas station will only be open 1 to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays, and 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Auke Bay will be open from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays, and noon to 3 p.m. Saturday. That’s a reduction of three and half hours every weekday at Douglas, and an hour and a half at Auke Bay.
Vigils Planned To Mourn 13-Year-Old Kake Girl’s Death
As the investigation into her death continues, candlelight vigils are planned across Alaska tonight (Friday) in memory of Mackenzie Howard. The 13-year-old Kake girl is believed to be a victim of murder in the small, Southeast village on Kupreanof Island.