Tradition, Fellowship and Season’s First Fish
Celebrating the first salmon of the season is a long and important tradition in Bristol Bay. Last Thursday, we turned Hannah Colton around on her way to work because we heard some boys had caught theirs on the beach and were going to take one to an elder. She followed along, and brought this report.
Mixed Feelings On A New Company’s Plans To Drill in Cook Inlet
A Texas-based company will begin drilling for oil in Cook Inlet next year using extended-reach oil wells.
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Maritime Group Approves Aleutian Shipping ‘Buffer Zones’
The International Maritime Organization’s Marine Safety Committee is in the middle of its 95th session in London this week. Included on the committee’s agenda is the adoption of five recommended “areas to be avoided” in the Aleutian Chain. The shipping buffer zones come in anticipation of increased mariner shipping traffic in the region.
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Cameras to remedy observer problems in Alaska?
Smaller boats in Alaska’s offshore fisheries may no longer have to carry human observers in the future, if a plan to deploy cameras proves feasible. At its Sitka meeting this month, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council gave the green light to an inter-agency effort to develop Electronic Monitoring. The council would like to see cameras in action within three years.
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Advocacy Group Puts Setnet Restriction Measure on the Ballot
The Alaska Fisheries Conservation Alliance has handed over enough signatures to the state division of elections to get a voter initiative on the 2016 general election ballot.
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9th Circuit Court rules in favor of Shell’s spill response plans
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday in favor of the Department of Interior’s approval of two oil spill response plans for Arctic drilling put forward by Royal Dutch Shell. The company plans to explore for oil in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas this summer.
Legislature Gavels Out
Nearly two months after its regular deadline, the Alaska Legislature finally gavels out. Both chambers have approved a $5 billion operating budget and agreed on a way to pay for the deficit.
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‘Erin’s Law’ Passes Unanimously In the Senate
As one of its final acts, the Legislature is advancing the Alaska Safe Children’s Act. After passing in the House during the regular session, the bill passed unanimously in the Senate today.
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Murkowski Votes ‘Nay’ on Icebreaker Provision in Defense Bill
In Congress Thursday morning, a U.S. senator proposed adding nearly a billion dollars to a Defense spending bill to acquire an icebreaker – and that senator was not from Alaska. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is normally an ardent advocate for more icebreaking capacity, but she felt compelled to vote against the icebreaker amendment.
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Rep. Young Lobbies To Offer Land Allotments For Alaska Native ‘Nam Vets
Congressman Don Young’s subcommittee on Native affairs took testimony today on a bill to re-open land allotment selections for Alaska Natives who served in the military during the Vietnam War.
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ACA Subsidies For Alaskans May Be In Jeopardy
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide by the end of this month whether Affordable Care Actsubsidies are legal in Alaska and 33 other states that use the federal health insurance exchange.
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Orthodox Cathedral Desecrated During Vandalism Spree In Kodiak
A 21-year-old man is under arrest for allegedly vandalizing one of Kodiak's most historic buildings, the Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Cathedral, and many of its contents.
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Low Oil Prices Haven’t Reached Dillingham
The drop in oil prices has been bad news for Alaska's state budget, but good news for some Alaskans at the pump. But the gas price has been slow to drop in some Bristol Bay communities, especially Dillingham.
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State study shows 60% wolf decline on POW
The number of wolves on Prince of Wales Island and nearby islands has dropped dramatically, according to a draft report from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. A state official said that decline is something to watch carefully, but he’s not concerned yet about the viability of wolves in that area. Conservationists, though, are alarmed and say that number could be too low to maintain genetic health among remaining wolves.
‘Race To Alaska’ Competitors Close In On Ketchikan
Race To Alaska organizer Jake Beattie is in Ketchikan preparing the finish line for the inaugural 750-mile engineless boat race through the Inside Passage. And he better be quick about it.
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House Passes Operating Budget, As Special Session Moves Toward End
The Alaska House of Representatives has passed an operating budget, signaling the end of a stalemate over the state’s multi-billion-dollar budget deficit.
Lawmakers Strike Budget Deal
The stalemate finally ended on Wednesday night, when a conference committee between the two bodies agreed to pay for the contracts this year, but placed limits on future increases.
Village Crime Victims Need Intervention, Senators Told
A U.S. Senate committee today heard pleas for better treatment of crime victims in Native communities. Gerad Godfrey, chairman of an Alaska victims' compensation panel, recommends sexual assault rapid response teams for Alaska villages.
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Key Provision Of Erin’s Law Restored
After holding the bill for three weeks, the Senate Finance Committee has unveiled a new version of the Alaska Safe Children’s Act -- known nationally as “Erin’s Law.” Some controversial riders have been removed.
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Lawyers Say Walker Can Act On Medicaid Without the Legislature
Governor Bill Walker likely has the authority to expand Medicaid without legislative approval, according to two legal opinions written last month.
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