5,000 Alaskans Sign Up On Healthcare.gov
More than five thousand Alaskans have signed up for health insurance on the federal marketplace. The new numbers released today include enrollments through the beginning of the month and show a 30% jump since the end of the December.
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Fairbanks Chamber Works To Keep Flint Hills Open
The Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce isn’t giving up on the Flint Hills refinery. Flint Hills announced last week that it plans to cease crude oil processing at the North Pole Plant, and turn the facility into a distribution depot for fuel shipped in from other facilities. Fairbanks chamber board chair Steve Lundgren says the organization will work with the state to try to find a new owner-operator for the refinery.
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Tok Biomass Boiler Heats School, Funds Music Teacher
In late 2010 the Tok School fired up its new biomass boiler to heat the school. By 2013 it was providing electricity as well and saving the school district about $350,000 per year. Now, those same scrubby trees will help grow fresh vegetables for the district’s students.
Budget Cuts Shrink AVO’s Seismic Network
The ability to monitor several volcano’s in Alaska is being diminished due to funding constraints. The Alaska Volcano Observatory confirms that all of the monitoring instruments and stations at the Fourpeaked Volcano on the Alaska Peninsula have failed.
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Empire Reporter Fired Following Disagreement With Publisher
A former Juneau Empire reporter says she was fired when she refused to set up a meeting between the publisher and a legislator on a bill that affects newspapers.
Jennifer Canfield left her job as state capital reporter last week.
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Drumming and Healing at Beans Café
At midday, huge crowds of homeless men and women filter inside Beans Café in downtown Anchorage for meals and socializing. It can be noisy and chaotic. For many, it's their only respite from the cold and dust outside on the city streets. But once a week, volunteers recently began serving up more than a hot meal. KSKA's Daysha Eaton has the story.
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Parnell Warns Ketchikan of Lawsuit Repercussions
Governor Sean Parnell is warning that Ketchikan’s lawsuit against the state over school funding might make him and lawmakers reluctant to fund Ketchikan projects. In a visit to the community Thursday, Parnell discussed the Ketchikan Gateway Borough’s lawsuit, which argues that municipalities in Alaska should not have to pay a local contribution for public education. If the suit is successful, it could hold the state accountable for hundreds of millions more in education spending and Parnell predicted potential repercussions.
Parnell’s Ketchikan Comments Draw Response
Governor Sean Parnell’s candid comments regarding Ketchikan's lawsuit against the state over school funding drew some response. Sen. Bert Stedman, a Republican from Sitka, listened to the interview and said he believes it’s the right of every citizen to petition the government.
Stedman added he didn’t believe there will be any backlash against Ketchikan in the Legislature.
Fairbanks School District Planning for Funding Shortfall
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Fairbanks district is planning for a major funding shortfall. The district is anticipating cuts even if requested state and local funding increases come through.
Arctic Port Project Delayed Indeterminably
The release of the Arctic Deep Draft Port feasibility study has been put on hold, indeterminably. The Alaska U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had said the study would be issued for public review the first week of March. However, in a recent Joint Transportation Committee meeting, Lorraine Cordova, Project Technical Lead, said the entire port project is being pushed back a “few months.”
Shishaldin Volcano Emits Ash Cloud; Scientists Keeping Watch
Scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory are going to be keeping a close eye on Shishaldin Volcano over the weekend. The volcano emitted a small ash cloud that was identified early Friday morning. AVO geologist Chris Waythomas said the cloud drifted south of the volcano and dissipated.
Parnell: Don’t Blame State for Refinery Shutdown
Governor Sean Parnell said the state is not to blame for Flint Hills decision to close its North Pole refinery. Costs related to the cleanup of sulfolane groundwater contamination, from historic spills of the industrial solvent at the refinery, are identified by Flint Hills as a factor that went into the decision to stop production. The state recently set a strict sulfolane contamination threshold for ground water cleanup, but speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Parnell downplayed the significance of state regulation in the refinery’s shutdown.
Alaskans Among Medal Hopefuls in Sochi
The winter Olympics in Sochi Russia began today with qualifying rounds in some sports. Seven athletes competing in the games call Alaska home or have roots in the state. The most talked about are the cross country skiers from Alaska Pacific University, Kikkan Randall, Holly Brooks, Sadie Bjornsen and her brother Erik. The winter Olympics in Sochi Russia began Thursday with qualifying rounds in some sports.
Managers Give Updates on DOD Cleanup Projects
The annual Alaska Forum on the Environment is underway at the Dena'ina Convention center in Anchorage. On Thursday, federal project managers gave updates on cleanup projects across the state within national parks, on Federal Aviation property and at defense sites. The Defense Department has 537 formerly used defense sites or FUDS. Of those 70, remain active for cleanup.
Senate Passes Farm Bill
The U.S. Senate passed a four-year farm bill Tuesday that includes Payments in Lieu of Taxes. The so-called PILT program sends some $26 million a year to Alaska communities adjacent to non-taxable federal lands. The bill also renews Alaska’s Village Safe Water program, which gets some $30 million a year from the federal government.
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Richardson Highway Reopens After Avalanche Debris Removed
The wait is over for residents in Valdez. The Richardson Highway is now completely open to motorists ahead of schedule. The announcement comes after avalanches buried and flooded the roadway nearly two weeks ago.
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2 Minors Charged In Illegal Musk Ox Killings
In January, two minors were charged in the Nome Court House with 11 counts of wanton waste of big game. The case comes from an incident a year-and-a-half ago near Brevig Mission in which a herd of musk ox were illegally killed and not harvested. At the time of the incident the defendants were 13 and 10-years-old.
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Troopers Identify Body In Quinhagak
Alaska State Troopers have identified the body that was found in Quinhagak Monday afternoon as that of 25-year-old Lisa Johnson. She had been a missing person since Feb. 2.
Yukon Quest Leaders Race Into Dawson City
A fast pace at the front of the pack has Yukon Quest teams spread out over nearly 200 miles of trail. Cody Strathe who’s running in 4th place isn’t expected into Dawson City until the early evening, roughly 18 hours after the first team arrived at the half way point.
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North Pole Crude Refinery Shutting Down
Officials with Flint Hills Resources Alaska announced today they will halt processing crude oil at the company’s North Pole refinery over the next few months.
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