News

British Columbia environmental officials have approved a new route to the Tulsequah Chief Mine that avoids several traditional Native use areas and eliminates the need for Taku River barging. A Canadian company hopes to re-open the old mine by 2015.

A fire broke out in Downtown Talkeetna in the early hours of Thursday morning. The fire burned one small structure to the ground and caused extensive damage to two other buildings. Talkeetna Fire responded a little after 2 a.m. to a blaze that had consumed the My Little Dumpling food trailer and was quickly spreading to the adjacent structures, including Denali Dry Goods, built in 1930, and the Denali Zipline Tours building.

A Federal court is trying to determine how much money a former director of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission needs to repay after embezzling funds and spending it on gambling trips and luxury items. Maggie Ahmaogak pleaded guilty to stealing more than $420,000 from the federally-funded commission in May.

Shell Oil wrapped up its exploratory drilling season in the Arctic today. As promised, not a drop of oil was spilled in the process – but not a drop was drilled either.

Long lasting mega storms, like Hurricane Sandy, are likely tied to a warming Arctic. Dr. Jennifer Francis, a researcher with the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University, says rising Arctic temperatures have changed the jet stream that drives weather in the northern hemisphere.

Redistricting has many incumbents facing incumbents for the Alaska legislature this election. And that’s true of two House races in the Fairbanks area. House district two includes Two Rivers and House District 38 represents Nenana and Tanana.

People from around Alaska are gathered in Fairbanks to talk about biomass energy. The conference is geared toward helping smaller communities replace high cost oil fired energy with wood fueled systems.

There was volcanic ash in the air over the Shelikof Straight and parts of Kodiak Island yesterday. While the Alaska Volcano Observatory showed all was normal, it turned out that a volcano had erupted, though it wasn’t yesterday – it was almost exactly 100 years ago.

Since the start of the year, at least four stores have closed in downtown Sitka. Fewer visitors are coming aboard cruise ships, sales tax revenues are declining, and business owners have long expressed concerns about the financial health of Lincoln Street.

The Haunted Ship is back in Sitka. After a several-year hiatus, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Maple is inviting everyone to weave through its dark, narrow hallways Thursday and Friday evening.

Thousands of spawned out salmon create an eerie sight on many Alaska river banks this time of year. Haines author Rosalie Lowen calls them Zombie Fish and brings us this Halloween story from the Chilkoot River.

Incumbent Charlie Huggins, a Republican with a strong military background and a Vietnam veteran, is being challenged for the Senate E seat representing Wasilla, Big Lake, and Point Mackenzie, by a woman who is a professional therapeutic masseuse with long roots in early childhood education. Democratic opponent Susan Parsons Herman, says she'll work across party lines, while two term Senator Huggins says he'll stick to a party agenda. KSKA's Ellen Lockyer has more.

A newcomer to the Matanuska Valley political scene is challenging House District 6 incumbent Republican Eric Feige for his seat in the legislature. Feige, a professional airplane pilot with one House term under his belt, is a self-styled "conservative voice" for the district. His Democratic opponent, Jamey Duhamel, has spent the last year working for an anti-coal citizens' group. But both candidates agree: energy is the big issue. KSKA's Ellen Lockyer reports

Petersburg is far from the presidential swing state circuit and does not even have any contested state legislative races to weigh in on this fall. However, yard signs are up around town showing a political campaign of a different sort heating up this fall. Supporters and opponents of the creation of a new Petersburg borough are making their case through mailings and on the airwaves, editorial page and online.

The Anchorage Police Department is seeking more help from the public to find witnesses to Sunday morning's fatal shooting that took place outside of the downtown club Platinum Jaxx.