Greenpeace Protestors Board Arctic Rig
Shell’s Arctic drill rigs have picked up some unwelcome guests on their trip across the Pacific Ocean. On Monday, six activists from Greenpeace boarded the Polar Pioneer rig.
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House Passes Bill To Seize Federal Lands
Of the nearly 200 bills that have been introduced in the Alaska House of Representatives, fewer than 20 have been put to a vote. On Monday, a controversial bill that would seize millions of acres of land from the federal government joined that group.
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School District Faces Potential Revenue Loss of $8 Million
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is facing a potential revenue loss of nearly $8 million, if current proposed budget cuts stand.
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Dalton Highway Closed South Of Deadhorse
The far northern end of the Dalton Highway will remain closed until Tuesday morning. The section south of Deadhorse, was also closed for two days last week as overflow from the Sag River continues to impact the only road supply route for North Slope oil fields.
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Update: Hyder Border Closure Keeps Emergency Access
Canadian officials say the small Southeast Alaska town of Hyder will continue to have 24-hour-a-day access to emergency health care.
Report Highlights Huge Cash Flow Problem at Nome’s Utility
Nome Joint Utility is working on a broken budget—a financial plan that is unbalanced and unrealistic. That’s the takeaway from the Rural Utility Business Advisor report, or RUBA—delivered to the Nome City Council and utility board this week.
Troopers Investigate Death of Lower Kalskag Woman
State Troopers are investigating the death of a Lower Kalskag woman. Early saturday morning, troopers received a report that 27-year-old Marcia White was found dead in her home in Lower Kalskag. Megan Peters is a spokesperson for the Alaska State troopers.
Former Seafood Processors Accept Plea Deal in Homicide Case
Two former seafood processors have pleaded guilty to fatally beating their co-worker in Unalaska. Instead of going through another trial, Denison Soria and Leonardo Bongolto, Jr., will serve 40 to 70 months in prison for the death of Jonathan Adams. He passed away after a fight at the Bering Fisheries bunkhouse in 2012.
Alaska Senate Debates State Operating Budget
The Alaska Senate is moving an operating budget that reduces state spending by $220 million over the previous year. Debate was ongoing at press time, but APRN’s Alexandra Gutierrez joins us for this update.
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Bill To Reinstate State Income Tax Introduced In Alaska House
A pair of lawmakers in the Alaska House have filed legislation to reinstate an income tax.
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Murkowski Optimistic About Eielson’s F-35 Prospects
Alaska posts are among dozens nationwide being considered for force reductions by the Army, but the Air Force is looking at beefing up its presence at an Interior Alaska base. A plan to station the Pacific region’s first F-35 squadrons at Eielson Air Force base near North Pole is under review. Senator Lisa Murkowski, who visited Fairbanks Thursday is optimistic about the prospect.
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Obama’s ANWR Wilderness Protection Plea Enrages Alaska Delegation
President Obama today sent letters to Congressional leaders formally requesting wilderness protection for parts of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, including the coastal plain.
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Promise and Hazards of Arctic Oil Outlined at D.C. Forum
With two of Shell’s rigs now crossing the Pacific in hopes of drilling in the Chukchi Sea this summer, officials and energy experts gathered at a forum in Washington this week to review the rewards and challenges ahead for Arctic oil development. Jan Mares, an energy policy advisor, says the prize is within the industry’s technical reach.
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Russian Trawler Capsizes Near Kamchatka
More than 50 fishermen have died after a Russian factory trawler sank in the Sea of Okhotsk on Wednesday.
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House OKs Timber Payments, But Alaskans Can’t Count on It
A federal revenue-sharing program called Secure Rural Schools has been a million-dollar boon to some Alaska cities and boroughs, mostly in Southeast. Despite the name, the money doesn’t just go to schools, and these days it’s not at all secure. But a two-year extension of Secure Rural Schools has advanced in Congress.
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Proposal Would Reject Pay Increases For Public Employees
The Senate Finance Committee has included in its version of the state budget language rejecting monetary terms included in contracts for more than a dozen units for the upcoming fiscal year.
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Legislature Votes To End School Bond Reimbursements, But Uncertainty Lingers For Anchorage
The Legislature has passed a bill that would put its school bond reimbursement program on hiatus. But the big question is whether it will affect Anchorage’s $60 million bonding proposition.
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Medicaid Expansion Bill Clears First Hurdle
Governor Walker's Medicaid Expansion bill has passed it's first committee in the House. HB 148 was approved by the House Health and Social Services Committee Tuesday night with a 6 to 1 vote.
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Study Says Terrestrial Foods Can’t Replace Polar Bears’ Energy-Dense Diet
As sea ice continues to retreat and polar bears spend more time on shore, one question lingers - can the world's largest species of bears survive on land-based food? A new study says, "no."
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Feds Move Shell Closer to Chukchi Drilling this Summer
Shell’s effort to resume exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea has cleared another hurdle. The Interior Department today approved the 2008 Arctic lease sale where Shell spent more than $2 billion to purchase drilling rights.
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