Riding The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad
Stephen Caulfield is a veteran railroad man who has worked in Skagway for years. He took us on a trip this summer and told us about his long and colorful days as a brakeman with the White Pass and Yukon Route. Better known as "Leprechaun" by his colleagues, Caulfield says he has met visitors from all over the world.
Pamyua Double Album: A Soundscape of Identity
Pamyua has a new album. The group, made up of three Yup'ik men and one Inuit woman from Greenland have been performing together since the 90s. Their music is based on traditional chants and drum songs. Their new double album “Side A Side B” offers traditional songs on one side mirrored by modern versions on the other.
Oil Tax Reform May Play Big Role In National Debt Discussions
It’s been a slow week on Capitol Hill with lawmakers out for Thanksgiving. But talks are ongoing between Congressional leaders and the White House about working to stave off the fiscal cliff and establishing the frame work for a deficit reduction package. Tax reform could play a significant part of the debt package, and the oil and gas industry is making sure it keeps its tax breaks.
Company Pushes For Rail Link To Export Oil Sands
A Canadian company is pushing a rail link from Alberta to Delta Junction. Vancouver based Generating for 7 Generations or “G-7-G” wants to build the 1,600 mile railroad to export oil sands through the Trans Alaska Pipeline.
State Labor Department Official David Stone Dies Unexpectedly
Former Juneau Assembly Member and Deputy Mayor David Stone died unexpectedly Tuesday evening after collapsing at home. He was 55 years old. Former Mayor Bruce Botelho served with Stone for nine years on the Juneau Assembly, starting in 2003. He described him as a bridge builder, who would often mentor new members.
Leone Part 3: ‘Come Back Right Now’
When Coast Guard helicopter 6017 crashed in 2010 on its way to Sitka, co-pilot Lt. Lance Leone was the only member of the four-person crew to survive. Lt. Sean Krueger, Petty Officer 2nd Class Brett Banks and Petty Officer 1st Class Adam Hoke, died in the crash. This week we’ve been bringing you a three part interview with Leone.This third and final part begins in a Seattle hospital, where Leone was recovering from a broken collarbone and other injuries in the days after the crash.
Final HD 34 Ballots In: JKT 4,123; Thomas 4,091
Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins appears to have won a seat in the Alaska House of Representatives. The 23-year-old Sitka Democrat remained ahead of Haines Republican incumbent Rep. Bill Thomas after the final absentee ballots were counted today.
French Keeps Senate Seat in Close Race
Democrat Hollis French has retained his state senate seat by just 54 votes. The Division of Elections released the final vote tally Wednesday. French's race against Republican businessmen Bob Bell for a seat that represents southwest Anchorage attracted the most campaign spending for state races this election.
2 Killed In Single-Vehicle Crash, 2 Survive
Two people are dead and two taken to the hospital after a single-car accident on South Tongass Highway. Deputy Police Chief Josh Dossett says the Ketchikan Police Department received a call at 9:05 Monday night reporting an accident just south of the Coast Guard Base.
Groups Submit Reviews Of Susitna-Watana Dam Studies
National and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and individuals have submitted their reviews of studies designed to show what will happen to the Susitna River if the 800 foot-high Susitna Watana hydroelectric dam is built. And many national agencies have expressed concerns with the speed of the process the Alaska Energy Authority has undertaken as it prepares to apply for the license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Report Says Lower Kenai River Violates Water Standards
A report commissioned by the State Department of Environmental Conservation shows water quality on the lower Kenai River violates state standards. The report has not been released by DEC.
Alaska Officials Report Increase Of Flu, Pertussis
Alaska health officials are reporting a sharp increase this year of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, as well as a recent spike in influenza cases. Officials say more than 200 cases of pertussis have been reported in Alaska this year. That’s significantly up from the yearly average of 42 from 2009 to 2011.
Leone, Part Two: ‘A Rapid, Liquid Stop’
This is the second of our three-part conversation with Lt. Lance Leone, the only survivor of a fatal helicopter crash in 2010, in which three people from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka died. Leone was the co-pilot aboard Coast Guard helicopter 6017 as it flew back to Sitka from Astoria, Ore.
State Mulling Medicaid Expansion
With the election come and gone, the consensus in Washington is that the healthcare overhaul will remain law. The Supreme Court decision over the summer granted states the choice to expand their Medicaid roles or not. Alaska still needs to decide whether it will.
Anchorage Assembly Faces Accusations of Open Meeting Law Violations
Members of the Anchorage Assembly may have broken state open meeting law. Three members of the Assembly allegedly drafted redistricting plans in private, meetings with no public notice. The assembly passed a version of the plan at the end of their regular meeting Tuesday.
Seaton Named Chair of Fisheries Committee
With the next session of the Alaska State Legislature approaching, Homer Representative Paul Seaton has been named to a handful of key positions in the House.
A New Paradigm: Salmon Task Force Meets In Soldotna
The Task Force organized in October to address issues related to the Department of Fish and Game’s king salmon management plan met for the first of four meetings Friday at Kenai Peninsula College.
Slow Vehicle Turnouts Planned For Sterling Highway Between Soldotna, Homer
The state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is developing a Highway Safety Improvement Program project that will construct Slow Vehicle Turnouts on the Sterling Highway. The project would add 22 of the turnouts to reduce injuries and fatalities between Soldotna and Bay Crest Hill in Homer.
BBNC Board Member Charged With Sexual Assault
A board member for the Bristol Bay Native Corporation has been charged with sexually assaulting a female. 45 year old Sergie Chukwak, of Naknek, is accused of assaulting the woman on Nov. 5. This morning, he appeared before the magistrate in Dillingham telephonically from the courthouse in Naknek.
Lend Lease Program Has Long-Lasting Impact
It’s the 70th anniversary of the start of the Lend Lease program. The World War 2 era U.S. aid effort included the transfer of thousands of American made planes to Russia from Fairbanks. Lend lease has had a lasting impact on the interior city and fellow air hub communities in the Russian Far East.