Emperor goose harvest: More than a memory for Kodiak subsistence hunter
Subsistence hunters want to eat the foods traditional to Kodiak Island, and that includes one bird that’s been off-limits since 1987 due to low numbers: the emperor goose.
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Denali Commission ekes back into the spotlight
After being on life support for the past few funding cycles, The Denali Commission is full of muscle again with an expanded mission to help rural Alaska. The Commission, created by the late Senator Ted Stevens to fund village energy projects saw yearly funding up to $150 million at its peak. Currently the Commission's budget is around $10 million, but a mandate by the White House to help combat the effects of climate change on remote communities may help it garner more federal dollars.
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Judge rules against road between King Cove, Cold Bay
A U.S. District Court judge in Anchorage has ruled against a group from King Cove seeking an emergency road to Cold Bay.
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Shots fired in chase, stand-off with Troopers near North Pole
Alaska State Troopers and Fairbanks Police exchanged fire with two men following a vehicle chase on the south side of Fairbanks on Wednesday morning.
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UA president: More downsizing on the horizon
The process of downsizing the University of Alaska continues. Decreased state tax revenue because of low crude oil prices has resulted in less money for the university and there’s no sign of that changing. The focus of the university’s reorganization is shifting.
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At GLACIER, nations urge caution in opening the Arctic to fishing
As the Arctic opens, several countries are eyeing what may be a virgin commercial fishery in the central Arctic Ocean. How to regulate those new potential fishing grounds was on the table for discussion at the State Department’s GLACIER conference in Anchorage last week. Several nations urged caution and the need for more science before opening the fishery.
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Getting to know a volcano, starting with its plume
A group of scientists from around the country are on a three-week expedition studying volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands. As part of that project, Tobias Fischer with the University of New Mexico is using instruments on helicopters to measure the gas composition of volcanic plumes. The work is aimed at improving volcano monitoring.
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President Obama’s Alaska visit yields little regarding Arctic Ocean drilling
Throughout President Obama’s tour of Alaska last week, he spoke at length about efforts to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. He spoke very little about his support for Arctic Ocean drilling. The drilling policy could affect the global climate much more than any of Obama’s climate-friendly initiatives.
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Yukon River coho harvest sets record
This year’s harvest of coho salmon on the Yukon River is the largest on record, with over thousand fish caught. That’s almost twice as much as Fish and Game’s preseason projection. The record-breaking harvest comes out of a run that managers do not know
much about, including how many fish are returning to their spawning grounds.
Chignik Lagoon adjusts to life on 94% hydropower
Chignik Lagoon’s hydroelectric project has been running since spring, but it officially cut the ribbon last week. The system now provides 94 percent of the community’s energy needs, saving the town about $500 a day on fuel costs.
President Obama’s Alaska visit yields little regarding Arctic Ocean drilling
Throughout President Obama’s tour of Alaska last week, he spoke at length about efforts to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. He spoke very little about his support for Arctic Ocean drilling. The drilling policy could affect the global climate much more than any of Obama’s climate-friendly initiatives.
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Walker may call gas line special session in October
Gov. Bill Walker may call a special session of the Legislature next month to consider the Alaska LNG Project, and a possible state purchase of TransCanada's share in the gas pipeline.
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In historic visit, president dodges Alaska press
In the wake of President Obama's visit, Alaskans are still sorting out the significance of new climate initiatives, cultural recognition, and more. But there's lingering frustration among one particularly vocal group, who found that all the president's messages came from the same place: His staff.
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With rising heroin use, Peninsula doctor lobbies for an antidote
Nationwide prescription opioid pain relievers are killing twice as many people as heroin. A Southern Peninsula doctor is advocating an antidote for opioid overdose that she says will save lives if used correctly.
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In historic visit, Obama sidesteps Alaska press
During an eventful visit emphasizing climate change, Obama did not take a single question from the press.
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Rep. Young Ducks POTUS Hoopla
Alaskans of all stripes came out this week for a chance to shake hands with President Obama, or glimpse his motorcade, but one person not on hand was Don Young, Alaska’s only member of the U.S. House of representatives.
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Obama wraps up tour on climate’s front lines: the Arctic
President Obama ended his three-day tour of Alaska on Wednesday along the western coast—first in Dillingham and then Kotzebue—where he officially unveiled new initiatives aimed at helping Alaska’s rural villages cope with climate change in the fast-thawing Arctic.
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Uber to pay state $78K for misclassifying drivers
The ride-sharing services settles with the state and agrees not to operate in Alaska until they classify their drivers as employees instead of independent contractors.
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Obama shares smiles, salmon and dance moves in Dillingham
President Obama began his tour of Western Alaska with a stop in Bristol Bay, landing in Dillingham just before noon. While Obama had sparkling clear weather for his tour around Seward yesterday, it was drizzly and a little chilly for the duration of the Dillingham stop. No mind, say residents: that’s what fishing weather is usually like in the region, and fishing was the main thing locals wanted the President to know more about while he was in salmon country.
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In Kotzebue, excitement is high as president ventures north
Air Force One landed in Kotzebue just before 5 p.m. President Obama is now the first sitting president to visit the U.S. Arctic.
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