Kulluk Dislodged and Underway for Kiliuda Bay
At about 10:10 p.m. last night, the Royal Dutch Shell drilling vessel Kulluk was refloated from Sitkalidak Island, where it has sat for a week. The rig went aground after breaking its tow in a severe storm and washed ashore on New Year’s Eve.
Legislators Pre-File Bills For Upcoming Session
Alaska’s 28th legislature meets in Juneau on Jan. 15. Some legislators have already filed bills in advance of the 90 day session. Democratic Senator Bill Wielechowski of Anchorage has pre-filed a bill that allows active-duty military members who have maintained their Alaska residency while outside the state to retain their Permanent Fund dividend eligibility.
American Experience: The Abolitionists
Watch The Abolitionists Extended Preview on PBS. See more from American Experience.
Vividly bringing to life the epic struggles of the men and women who fought to end slavery, THE ABOLITIONISTS tells the intertwined stories of Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Angelina Grimké, Harriet Beecher Stowe and John Brown. Fighting body and soul, they led the most important civil rights crusade in American history. What began as a pacifist movement became a fiery and furious struggle that forever changed the nation. Black and white, Northerners and Southerners, poor and wealthy, these passionate anti-slavery activists tore the nation apart in order to form a more perfect union. The series, which tells the story largely through period drama narrative, airs 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect in January 1863. TV: Tuesday, 1/8 at 8:00pmEarthquake Jars SE Alaska Saturday Morning
Southeast Alaska was jarred by a significant earthquake early Saturday morning just about midnight. The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and originated off the coast of Central Southeast Alaska about 95 miles Northwest of Dixon Entrance. There were no reports of any significant damage or injuries.
AK: Going to Extremes
It’s hard to imagine a person crazy enough to want to climb Denali alone in the depth of winter. But Minnesota adventurer Lonnie Dupre has tried – and failed – twice in the last two years. Earlier this month, heavy winds forced him to abandon his latest attempt and retreat back to base camp.
Shell VP Denies State Property Tax Prompted December Departure
Last night (Thursday) Royal Dutch Shell’s vice president for Alaska and two Coast Guard commanders updated the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly on the response to the grounding of the floating drill rig Kulluk. It was the first public briefing made in Kodiak since the rig went hard aground on Sitkalidak Island in a New Year’s Eve storm.
Congress Passes Superstorm Sandy Relief Bill
Congress has passed the first of two relief bills for Superstorm Sandy. Money for Alaska was not in it. The Senate passed a $60 billion aid package a couple of weeks ago. Included was more than $60 million to study and prevent marine debris. Also included was $150 million for fishery disasters across the country.
Anchorage Apartment Fire Still Being Investigated
Investigators are still trying to figure out the cause of a fire that destroyed a 24-unit apartment building in Midtown Anchorage Thursday morning. Anchorage Fire Department spokesman Al Tagmani says it may take a while because of the scale and intensity of the fire.
Begich Gets Seat On Indian Affairs, Appropriations Committees
When the 113th congress gets to work, Democratic Senator Mark Begich will have some new committee assignments. Begich has secured a seat on the Indian Affairs committee. He will no longer have a spot on the budget committee. Begich also now has a seat on the powerful appropriations committee, he gave up his seat on the Armed Services Committee for the appropriations position.
Veterans Group Appeals Juneau Planning Commission Decision On Indoor Shooting Range
The Juneau chapter of Veterans for Peace hopes to block a proposed gun store with an indoor firing range from being built near the airport. The owners of the facility, which is under construction, plan to allow customers to fire automatic weapons in the range under the supervision of store employees. The veterans group wants the Juneau Assembly and Planning Commission to take a closer look at the proposal.
Beluga Numbers Rise Slightly In Last Year
The annual survey count for the endangered Cook Inlet Belugas has been released and as in years past, it has not changed much. NOAA scientists counted 312 whales last summer and fall, up 28 animals from the 2011 count, but the uptick is not considered significant and scientists say the belugas are still in a slow decline. Kim Sheldon is a biologist with the National Marine Mammal Lab in Seattle. She says although the count continues to show a downward trend over the last decade, they were excited to see belugas in the lower part of Cook Inlet last summer.
Big Fake Apple Bust in Anchorage
Thousands of counterfeit Apple products were recently intercepted at the Anchorage airport. A large shipment of fake Apple computer products was stopped at the Fed Express package handling facility at the Anchorage airport just before the Christmas holiday. Customs and Border Protection officers came across the counterfeit products as they were examining a shipment from China to destinations in the lower 48.
Marine Highway Head Steps Down
The head of the state’s ferry system is stepping down. Capt. Mike Neussl’s last day of work as the Deputy Commissioner for Marine Operations will be next Friday, January 11.
Part 1: Is Regulation of Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling Adequate?
The grounding of the drilling rig “Kulluk” has been pounced on by environmental groups who say we are not yet prepared to deal with the risks of drilling in Arctic Ocean waters. Are they right? We’ll hear what Alaskans have to say about drilling in their own waters on the next Talk of Alaska.
KSKA: Tuesday, 1/8 at 10:00am
Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey – Season 3
Watch Downton Abbey Season 3 Preview on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.
The Great War is over and the long-awaited engagement of Lady Mary and Matthew is on, but all is not tranquil at Downton Abbey as wrenching social changes, romantic intrigues, and personal crises grip the majestic English country estate. Shirley MacLaine joins the much-loved cast, which includes Dame Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Dan Stevens, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Penelope Wilton and many others. “No family is ever what it seems from the outside,” observes Smith’s shrewd character. TV: Sunday, 1/6 at 8:00pm
2 More Teams Assess Kulluk Drilling Rig
Two more assessment teams were put on the Royal Dutch Shell drilling rig Kulluk today (Thursday) to continue determining the extent of damage caused by its grounding on New Year’s Eve near Kodiak Island. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard says it should be able to balance its role in the recovery efforts with its responsibility to assure safety in winter fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea.
Environmental Groups Call For Halt In Issuing Offshore Arctic Drilling Permits
Environmental groups are calling on the Obama administration to stop issuing permits for all offshore drilling in Arctic waters. Shell is leasing wells in the Arctic already, and Conoco’s permits begin in 2014.
Analyst Alleges Mismanagement Of TAPS
A new report by independent oil industry analyst Richard Fineberg alleges mismanagement of the Trans Alaska Pipeline. It centers on recent years incidents in which pigs, mechanical devices used to inspect and clean the inside of the pipeline, failed to show up where operators expected.
Officials Investigate Big Midtown Anchorage Apartment Fire
Investigators are trying to figure out the cause of a fire that burned a 24-unit apartment building in Midtown Anchorage Thursday morning. Officials say the building is uninhabitable and an investigation is underway.
Don Young Sworn In For 21st Term
The 112th Congress has officially ended – a Congress many are labeling the least effective, and most disliked of all time. Representative Don Young swore in as a member of the 113th Congress today. This is Young’s 21st term.APRN’s Peter Granitz sat down with Young in his Capitol Hill office just after he was sworn in, to talk about what Alaska can anticipate in the future. One of the things Young says he’ll push in his next two year term is the Indian Empowerment Act designed to allow more use of Native land and resources for the benefit of Native people.