NMFS Expands Fishing Near Steller Sea Lion Habitat
The National Marine Fisheries Service will re-open fisheries in the Western Aleutian Islands that have been restricted for years to protect a population of Steller sea lions.
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Judge Temporarily Halts EPA’s 404(c) Process on Pebble Mine
U.S. District Court Judge H. Russel Holland issued a preliminary injunction Monday, temporarily halting the EPA's 404(c) process regarding the Pebble Mine.
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New Activity Seen At Mount Shishaldin
There has been some new activity at Mount Shishaldin. The Alaska Volcano Observatory upgraded the volcano to an orange status several months ago, but Shishaldin started acting differently Sunday night.
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Regional Tribal Government Considered by Calista Regional Committee
A new regional tribal government, new taxes, and a constitutional convention will be considered when theCalista-facilitated Regional Committee meets Monday in Anchorage.
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Another Orphaned Alaska Bear Cub Needs A Home
Another orphaned Alaska bear cub needs a home. The young black bear found near Eagle is the 8th the state has dealt with this year. The other seven cubs, all but one black, including a trio rescued in Galena in September, have been placed in lower 48 wildlife care facilities. The fate of the latest orphaned cub is uncertain.
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NOAA Designates Kachemak Bay a Habitat Focus Area
Ocean acidification and climate change have become more prominent topics of conversation over the past few years, especially in areas heavily dependent on the sea, like Alaska.
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Gov.-Elect Walker Wants To Expand Medicaid. Can It Happen?
On the campaign trail, Bill Walker made expanding the state's Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act one of his top priorities. And he's confident he could make the decision without input from the state legislature.
"It’s up to the Governor to accept that."
But when Walker takes office next month, will it really be so easy to expand a program that has been a tough sell in other conservative states?
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Charlo Greene Facing Subpoena Over Campaign Finance Questions
The case has less to do with marijuana debate than it does with campaign finance rules, and how the state enforces transparency in elections.
Platinum Creek Mine Operator Indicted For Alleged Illegal Mine Waste Water Discharges
XS Platinum and five of its employees and corporate officers have been indicted by a federal grand jury for alleged illegal discharges of mine waste water at the Platinum Creek mine in Southwest Alaska and for making false statements to authorities.
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American Indian, Alaska Native Children Suffering High Rates Of PTSD
American Indian and Alaska Native children see so much violence in their homes and communities that they suffer Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at triple the rate of the general population, akin to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. That’s one of the starting points of a new federal task force report on indigenous children and their exposure to violence.
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BOEM Drafting Environmental Impact Statement For Proposed Cook Inlet Oil, Gas Lease Sale
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is in the process of drafting an Environmental Impact Statement on a proposed Cook Inlet Oil and Gas Lease Sale. It’s could open up the federally-managed waters of Cook Inlet to oil and gas exploration. BOEM held a series of public scoping meetings on the Kenai Peninsula last week.
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Heavy Lift Ship Prepares To Tow Drilling Rig Endeavour To South Africa
A heavy lift ship dropped anchor in Kachemak Bay last Tuesday. The Zen Hua 15 is making preparations to tow offshore drilling rig Endeavour Spirit of Independence to South Africa.
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State Releases Plan To Improve Fairbanks Air Quality
The state has released a long in the works plan for improving Fairbanks air quality. The community regularly falls short of federal fine particulate pollution standards in the winter, but many residents rely on wood burning for heat. There’s opposition to any sort of burn ban, and that’s not part of the plan.
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Anchorage Museum Trying New Ways To Recruit New Museum Buffs
As cultural institutions across the country struggle to stay relevant in a changing financial landscape, many are testing new ways to raise funds and expand membership. The Anchorage museum is trying to recruit the next wave of museum buffs in some unconventional ways.
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Marijuana Entrepreneurs Face Special Business Burdens
Alaskans who hope to operate marijuana businesses will have to defy U.S. drug law, of course. But they’ll also face other federal rules they’re likely to find severely inconvenient and perhaps crippling to their enterprise.
Lights Back on in Tuluksak
After a week without power, the lights in Tuluksak came back on Friday evening. Some families lost hundreds of pounds of meat and fish due to the extended outage during unseasonably warm weather. The community of more than 400 located upriver from Bethel lost power earlier this month.
Virus Suspected in Sea Star Wasting Disease Epidemic
A mysterious illness causing mass die-offs of Pacific starfish has baffled scientists since the epidemic first started in the summer of 2013. But scientists think they may now have an answer. A new study points to a virus as the likely cause of dwindling sea star numbers from Mexico to Alaska.
Bethel Tribe Drops Funding for City Transit
Bethel’s tribe, ONC announced Monday that they will no longer provide funding for the city’s transit system. The announcement came at a joint meeting of the tribe and the city council at ONC’s offices. Gloria Simeon, President of the ONC Council, says uncertainty of federal funding is a big reason they’re pulling the money.
Healthcare.gov Has Smooth Launch in Alaska
Healthcare.gov was working smoothly in Alaska this weekend for the start of open enrollment. Enroll Alaska reported Friday that the site was miscalculating the subsidy amounts for Alaskans looking for health insurance in "window shopping" mode. But the company said it had signed up 40 people on Saturday- the first day the site was live- with no apparent problems.
Murkowski Questions Differing National Guard Investigation Results
Two different Pentagon agencies investigated the Alaska National Guard for allegedly mishandling sexual assault complaints. They came to opposite conclusions, and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski wants to know why.
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