News

Talkeetna residents are wondering what is going on after two buildings caught ablaze on two separate nights. On Saturday night an aluminum-sided trailer was destroyed on I street. On Sunday night, a second blaze ignited in a house across the street from that site. That brings the number of unexplained fires in Talkeetna to three in the last two weeks. Both properties were unoccupied and no injuries were reported. The Talkeetna Volunteer, Willow and Houston Fire Departments responded.

A woman died after a vehicle accident near the Seward and Sterling Highway interchange on Sunday. No identity has been released yet. There were two people in the southbound vehicle when it left the road, according to State Troopers.

A man was found dead in a midtown Anchorage business park Saturday. Initial police reports say he and his girlfriend were drinking and passed out. The man, said to be in his 30s, did not wake up.

Another Democrat has joined the Senate's Republican-led majority. Sen. Donny Olson of Nome will remain a member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. Olson joins Sen. Dennis Egan of Juneau as Democratic members of the majority, which also has 13 Republicans. The GOP seized power in the Senate after last week's elections, which broke the 10-10 split between Republicans and Democrats in the chamber.

Watch The Suicide Plan Preview on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

You have an incurable illness, you want to die and you want help dying — what can you do? The terminally ill who live in Oregon or Washington can openly ask a doctor for help, but in the rest of country, where physician-assisted suicide is illegal, people who are suffering turn in secret to friends, family and even activist organizations. FRONTLINE explores this shadow world of assisted suicide, where the lines between legality and criminality are blurred, taking viewers inside one of the most polarizing social issues of our time — told by the people choosing to die, and by their “assisters,” individuals and right-to-die organizations at risk of prosecution for their actions. TV: Tuesday, 11/13 at 8:30pm

Watch Salute to Veterans Preview on PBS. See more from National Salute to Veterans.

Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise host the inaugural broadcast of the NATIONAL SALUTE TO VETERANS, celebrating all our American heroes who have served throughout our country’s history. TV: Sunday, 11/11 at 7:00pm

A military jury has found an Army sergeant guilty on one of three charges in the hazing-related death of Pvt. Danny Chen. The 19-year-old private killed himself in October 2011 during deployment in Afghanistan with Fort Wainwright’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

Construction workers uncovered human remains near McGrath last month during work on an erosion control project along the Kuskokwim River. An investigation revealed their Athabascan origins. Results from scientific analysis are still very preliminary, but the findings could shed new light on the origins and history of interior Alaska’s Native people.

Hunters on St. Lawrence Island have reported oiled wildlife – the most recent report this Monday. Responders from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Coast Guard planned on arriving at the island – to the communities of Gambell and Savoonga – this evening.

The Republican-dominated majority of the Alaska House of Representatives has organized with a familiar face in the speaker’s chair. A majority announcement says Nikiski Representative Mike Chenault will return for a third term as speaker.

A report was released today on the peer review process of the EPA’s assessment of the Bristol Bay watershed. One of the central critiques offered by the panel of experts is that the draft document is lacking a clear purpose and objective. The input from the reviewers will be added towards a final version of the Assessment, which is intended to guide EPA’s decision making process about large-scale mineral developments in Bristol Bay.

Surviving winter in Alaska is not easy for us humans, and for honeybees, it’s even harder. Honeybees don’t naturally exist in North America. And in northern climates the flowering season is too short and the winter is too long. But a few dedicated beekeepers in the state are working on ways to keep their hives alive, despite the obstacles.

This week, were heading to Savoonga, one of two communities on the northern edge of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. Pearl Annogiyuk is city clerk in Savoonga.

Juneau Senator Dennis Egan is the first Democrat to join the new Alaska Senate majority. He’ll chair the Senate Transportation Committee, according to a press release from the majority caucus.

The bipartisan coalition as it’s currently known is done, and as a result Unalaska may lose some pull when it comes to getting projects funded. Ten Republicans gathered at an Anchorage office building on Wednesday to announce that the bulk of the party had organized a majority. They also announced leadership roles. Charlie Huggins, of Wasilla, is the new Senate president, and John Coghill, of North Pole, is the majority leader. Both had been a part of the Senate’s tiny 4-person minority until this point.

State Sen. Bert Stedman will chair the Senate Health and Social Services committee when the Legislature convenes in January. The Sitka Republican, who sailed to an easy re-election on Tuesday night, had been co-chairman of the powerful Senate Finance committee since 2007. But he lost that position when the new Senate Majority formed on Wednesday.

Shell’s Noble Discoverer drill rig is docked in Unalaska and the Kulluk is on its way after a series of delays. Popular Mechanics reports that detaching the Kulluk from its mooring system and getting it under tow was delayed. The drilling season ended last week, but because of deteriorating weather conditions in the Beaufort Sea, the company hadn’t been able to refuel the Aiviq - an icebreaking tug that will tow the Kulluk - and below-zero conditions were keeping helicopters grounded.

Democrats lose seats in the Alaska legislature. What’s likely to happen in the unfinished race between Hollis French and Bob Bell? Republicans Click Bishop, Pete Kelly and John Coghill win key Interior Alaska Senate seats. Don Young handily wins reelection. All Southcentral Alaska judges are retained. What happened with the Constitutional Convention ballot question? KSKA: Friday, 11/9 at 2:00pm & Saturday, 11/10 at 6:00pm TV: Friday, 11/9 at 7:30pm & Saturday, 11/10 at 5:00pm