Tribal Summit On Suicide Problem Wraps Up In Anchorage
Suicide prevention was the focus of about 100 tribal representatives attending the 13th Alaska Tribal Leaders Summit in Anchorage Thursday and Friday. Alaska has the nation’s second highest suicide rate. In rural Alaska, suicide rates are four times the national average, and involve disproportionately high numbers of young Alaska Native men.
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Grand Jury Indicts Driver in Deaths of Two Girls
A 31-year-old Anchorage man accused of driving drunk and killing two teenage girls walking along a street has been indicted by a grand jury. The state Department of Law said today in a statement that Stacey Graham was indicted on two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of manslaughter. He also was earlier charged by the state with driving under the influence.
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Memo Cites Concerns with Proposed Abortion Regulations
A legislative attorney says a proposed new regulation that would further define what constitutes a "medically necessary" abortion for purposes of receiving Medicaid funding would likely be found unconstitutional.
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State Considers New Same Sex Partner Benefits
The Alaska State Personnel Board is considering including Same-sex partners in the definition of "immediate family." The proposed change in rules would allow state employees to take family leave due to a serious health condition of a same-sex partner.
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Premera Braces For Upheaval In Health Insurance Market
The largest health insurer in Alaska is likely to get a lot bigger next year. Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield is one of two insurance companies that will offer plans on the new federally run marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. The company is expecting to serve thousands more customers in the state, but that growth will come with the kind of uncertainty the insurance industry has never had before.
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Alaska Education Leaders Tepid to Obama’s Education Plans
President Barack Obama wants to tie college rankings to how affordable they are and whether students are landing in the workforce after graduation.
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Alaska Tries To Curb Cruise Ship Kickbacks
Every summer, a million tourists pass through Southeast Alaska. It's a boon to local retailers, who rely on the extra customers to make up for slower winter months. But with lots money being spent, business can get dirty.
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Millennium Passengers Call 911, Worried About ‘Riot’
The Celebrity cruise ship Millennium returned to Ketchikan Sunday night after mechanical problems. Police responded to the ship late Tuesday night following reports of unruly passengers.
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Man Suspected of Shooting at Police Arrested
A 31-year-old man suspected of shooting at an Anchorage police officer has been arrested. James John Nick was arrested on a warrant this morning.
State Eyes Arkansas Plan As Model For Medicaid Expansion
Does Arkansas have a health care solution that would work in Alaska? The state’s Health and Social Services Commissioner, Bill Streur, is looking into that. Arkansas wants to use federal Medicaid expansion money under the Affordable Care Act to enroll people in private plans on its health insurance exchange.
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Coast Guard Plans Arctic Spill Test
The Coast Guard icebreaker Healy is on its annual mission in the ice pack north of Barrow. Next month a group of technology specialists will come aboard with drones and submersibles to test arctic oil spill response capabilities.
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Inuit Circumpolar Council Meets In Kotzebue
The Inuit Circumpolar Council met in Kotzebue last week. It was the first meeting there since a general assembly in 1986. Members from Russia, Greenland and Canada joined their Alaskan counterparts to discuss ongoing concerns for indigenous people in the north.
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Oil Prices Surge As Alaskans Stockpile for Winter
Global unrest is forcing oil prices to rise just as rural Alaskans are purchasing heating oil for the coming winter.
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State Considering New Abortion Regulations
This spring, state legislators considered a controversial bill that would define what counts as a "medically necessary" abortion for the purpose of Medicaid reimbursement. Now, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services is considering regulations tackling the same issue. The proposed rule would require doctors to get specific on why they think the state state should cover the procedure.
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Anchorage Police Crack Down On Drunk Driving
The Anchorage Police Department says it arrested 34 people for driving under the influence during the first weekend of an expanded effort to crack down on drunken drivers. There have been five drunk driving deaths in the city in the last two months.
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USCG Admiral Talks Arctic Strategy
The highest ranking leader in the United States Coast Guard stopped in Unalaska today to talk about Arctic strategy.
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Wet Weather Likely Too Little, Too Late For Alaska Farmers
The severe drought that's gripped the Interior for most of the summer finally broke over the weekend. Rains fell throughout the region for the first time in some areas since early July. But it's probably too little and too late for most farmers, especially those who own livestock, who've have had to resort to costly measures like irrigating and importing hay from Canada and the Lower 48.
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Juneau Clinic On The Chopping Block
Juneau’s Front Street Clinic is in danger of shutting down due to fiscal reasons. The public health facility, run by the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, caters to the capital city’s homeless and low-income residents.
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Hunting Guide Rescued From Brooks Range After Bear Mauling
Friday morning the Alaska Air National Guard used some special tactics and equipment to successfully pull off a rescue in the Brooks Range north of Anaktuvuk Pass, where a hunting guide was mauled by a brown bear.
More Moisture Finally Forecast For Interior
The hot dry weather pattern that’s predominated much of this summer is forecast to end.
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