News

The small village of Mekoryuk sits on the north side of Nunivak Island in the Bering Sea. The remote community often experiences harsh weather that prevents planes from coming or going. But this holiday season, the village got a special early visit from a certain famous North Pole resident.

A new book by Judy Kleinfeld of Fairbanks explores a mythology often lived out in Alaska. “The Frontier Romance” looks at why people head north to carve out an existence off the beaten track.

This week we’re heading just northeast of Sitka, to another island community-Angoon. The village is home to about 450, most Tlingit, residents. Richard George is the mayor of Angoon.

It was anticipated that the U.S. House would vote on a so called Plan B on Thursday that would have raised taxes on those who make a million dollars per year. The President had forwarded an idea to raise taxes on those who make $400,000 per year. The House has now put off the vote because of a lack of support to pass it. APRN’s Peter Granitz tells us the hold up in Congress is not unusual.

A war of words has erupted between two oil and gas industry players over who exactly was responsible for paying workers on Buccaneer Energy’s jack-up rig “Endeavour.” While the rig sits idle at the Homer harbor more than four months after its arrival in Alaska, a lawsuit between Buccaneer and the “Endeavour’s” former operator – Archer Drilling – has been filed in Texas court.

State lawmakers today heard an update on a proposal to get natural gas from the North Slope to Southcentral Alaska. The project concentrates on in-state delivery, and involves a slightly larger gas line than previous plans. House Speaker Mike Chenault and Representative Mike Hawker have been pushing a pipeline in recent years and say they plan to reintroduce a gas pipeline bill this session.

The “Bristol Bay Forever” citizen initiative cleared the Lieutenant Governor’s Office on Thursday, which means the initiative’s sponsors can start collecting the necessary signatures to put the initiative on the ballot.

It’s been eight years since the Selendang Ayu cargo ship lost control and split in half outside Unalaska, spilling hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil and killing six crewmembers.

Work has begun on the gas field at Point Thomson on the North Slope. The Exxon-Mobil Corporation is working to connect the field to an existing pipeline, twenty-two miles away.

The former owner of an Anchorage road and parking lot painting and striping business has been sentenced for illegally disposing of hazardous waste.

Fairbanks is on track for the worst December air quality on record. Cold stagnant conditions combined with emissions from heating and other sources are resulting in fine particulate pollution in excess of federal standards. With more extreme cold in the forecast, the prognosis isn’t good.

An evacuation order for FedEx's sorting facility on Postmark Drive in Anchorage was issued by the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Police and Fire Department at about 3 p.m. on Thursday after between one and three employees reported experiencing an unknown illness.

For veterans without military ID cards, several pieces of documentation were required to visit the Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs located on the Joint Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, including a driver's license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance. That's no more, now that the office has moved off the base.

Watch Christmas at Belmont - Preview on PBS. See more from Christmas at Belmont - 2011.

Taped at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee, nearly 700 student musicians join host Laura Bell Bundy, the Belmont School of Music faculty and the Nashville Children’s Choir to present this annual production of traditional carols, classical masterworks, world music and light-hearted seasonal favorites. The program features the University Symphony Orchestra, Belmont Chorale, Percussion Ensemble, Musical Theatre, Jazz Ensemble and Bluegrass Ensemble. This seasonal celebration also features a mass choir. TV: Friday, 12/21 at 9:30pm

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is one step closer to finalizing a management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve on Alaska’s North Slope. Salazar signed off today on the preferred alternative for the reserve and released the full details on what’s included in the plan.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it has no timetable for completing its review of the impacts of large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay region.

Doyon is seeking permits to mobilize for oil and gas exploration work in the Yukon Flats and Nenana Basin. The permits for cross country travel are out for public comment.

It looks like Petersburg-area voters have approved the formation of a Borough, but the count is not yet final. The mail-in election wrapped-up on Tuesday.

Salmon and halibut on a school lunch menu? It’s been happening across Alaska as schools look for healthier and more local foods for kids.