Unhappy Public Speaks For First Time In Special Session
The topics that came up after were varied. Some called for increased education funding, others Medicaid expansion, and then there were comments on a smorgasbord of other cuts. But there was one common theme: frustration.
Budget Battle: Republicans Search for Workaround In Lieu of Courting Democratic Support
For weeks the Legislature has been at a stalemate over its budget deficit. The Republican majority has been trying to secure a three-quarter vote to tap the state's rainy day account, but they need Democratic support to do that, which means increasing education funding and expanding Medicaid.
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State Takes Control of Nursing Facility, Citing Repeated Violations
It's been a week since the State of Alaska took the rare step of assuming control of Prestige Nursing home in Anchorage. State inspectors found dozens of violations during a visit to the facility. And the state says the nursing home had plenty of prior warning that it needed to improve.
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Dalton Flooding: DOT Digs Trenches to Keep Airport Open
The northern stretch of the Dalton Highway is expected to remain closed into next week.
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Y-K’s Facebook Phenom Helps Kick Off Arctic Council Chairmanship
A Tooksook Bay teenager who became a singing sensation on Facebook performed for ambassadors and Arctic VIPs at the State Department in Washington D.C. last night. Byron Nicholai was introduced by Secretary of State John Kerry at a reception to mark the beginning of the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council.
Construction starts on Alaska Native Medical Center housing
Tribal, state, and private sector leaders Wednesday kicked off construction of housing at the Alaska Native Medical Center. They say it will improve services for Alaska Native and American Indian people who travel to Anchorage from across the state for health care. A state Senator who helped get the project financed says it will also save the state millions of dollars a year for decades to come.
Legislature Adjourns Special Session, Only To Call New One
The Alaska State Legislature has gaveled out of special session, without voting on any of the items on the governor’s agenda. But almost immediately, lawmakers called themselves back -- but on their own terms. They have formally relocated to Anchorage, and have set aside Medicaid expansion.
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Utility to Revive Long-Idled Coal Plant In Healy
Golden Valley Electric Association plans to start up a long-idled Healy area coal fired power plant next week.
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Sen. Sullivan: Prepare for Long War
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan is one of five freshmen on the Senate Armed Services committee, and he’s carving out a place for himself among the national security hawks. Today, as the committee heard from two architects of the 2007 surge in Iraq, Sullian said the president should prepare Americans for prolonged war and win their support for ongoing combat.
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National Guard Welcomes New Leadership
Since the start of the year there have been several major changes in leadership at the Alaska National Guard. Laurie Hummel is now Adjudant General, and Col. Joe Streff is heading the more embattled half of the organization, the Army National Guard.
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Wood Bison Bulls to Join Reintroduced Herd
A Nenana-based barge line will soon be hauling some unusual cargo. Twenty-eight wood bison bulls are scheduled to travel on Inland Barge from Nenana to the Innoko River near Shageluk, beginning sometime during the next week.
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Kodiak Man Accepts Plea Deal for Fatal Hit-And-Run in 2008
A Kodiak man will spend at least four years in prison for killing another man in a hit-and-run that occurred on Pillar Mountain Road in 2008.
Delayed ferry heads for Unalaska despite government shutdown threat
The Alaska state Ferry Tustumena spent at least five extra days off the water and missed its first scheduled sailing earlier this month, and it is headed for Unalaska this weekend. But it’s still unclear what a possible state government shutdown could mean if the legislature fails to fund a budget by the start of the next fiscal year.
BlueCrest Energy looking to drill on southern Kenai Peninsula
A new company looking to drill for oil on the southern Kenai Peninsula could begin operations as soon as this summer.
White House Says Veto Likely on Young’s Fisheries Bill
The U.S. House this evening began debate on a bill by Alaska Congressman Don Young to renew the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the nation’s primary fishing law. Actually, lawmakers just debated how they’re going to debate the legislation. Meanwhile, the White House yesterday issued a policy statement criticizing Young’s bill, suggesting the president would veto it.
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Diomede Graduation Speaker Found Dead at Community School
A young woman who traveled to the remote Bering Strait island community of Little Diomede to speak at the school’s graduation was found dead at the community school Tuesday morning.
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Neighbors Aim to Take Concerns Over Halfway House to Court in Juneau
A Juneau neighborhood association is taking its fight against a transitional home for just-released female inmates to court, after exhausting all of its municipal appeal options.
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Salmon Run Leaves Juneau Stream 2 Weeks Early
There is a little creek in the Juneau area that biologists have been consistently counting fish and monitoring for the last 35 years. Last month, the peak of the usual exodus of outgoing pink fry was two weeks early.
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M/V Redeemer Heads for Scuttling, After Decades of Salvage Work
A legendary Western Alaska salvage vessel has reached the end of its life. Salvager Dan Magone is getting ready to sink his old tugboat, the Redeemer. And it means he’s also getting ready for the next phase of his own storied career.
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Hyder-Stewart Border to Re-Open 24-Hour Access
The border between Hyder, Alaska, and Stewart, British Columbia, soon will be open 24-hours a day.