Weak Chinook Returns Expected For Yukon River
Another weak Yukon River Chinook salmon return is forecast for this summer. It would be the latest in a decade’s long trend of below normal returns, and fishery managers anticipate another season of harvest restrictions.
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Crowley, UIC Form Joint Venture In Arctic
Long time marine transport providers Crowley Marine Services and Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation or UIC Bowhead have formed a joint venture to help meet the growing demand for services in the Arctic.
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Canister Containing Toxic Compound Washes Ashore Near Kodiak
A series of aluminum canisters have been washing up on the shores of Southeast Alaska, and more recently in the Kodiak Archipelago. Two were discovered on Afognak Island earlier this month and last week another was found on Queer Island, near Kalsin Bay.
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EPA Releases ‘Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment,’ Opens Public Comment Period
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a revised assessment today on the Bristol Bay watershed. The report says building the Pebble Mine near the headwaters of a world-class salmon fishery could wipe out as many as 90 miles of streams and alter stream flows. EPA regional administrator Dennis McLerran said the document generally affirms conclusions reached in the initial report last year.
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Weather Service Cuts Could Hurt Emergency Forecasting
Alaska’s National Weather Service workforce is facing a political storm on two fronts. While sequestration has frozen hire on vacant positions, an upcoming furlough will further reduce staff in offices already barely able to cover the workload.
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Ester Man Faces Charges After Killing Moose In Yard
An Ester man is facing charges for killing a moose in his yard. Alaska State Troopers report that Michael Baldwin shot the animal in January to protect his dog, but never reported the incident, and left the moose carcass to rot.
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Bucher Glass Investing In Equipment, Workforce Development
Wall panels formerly manufactured in China will be produced in Fairbanks. Fairbanks based Bucher Glass has invested in machinery and employees to fabricate curtain walls used to façade buildings. The company has installed wall skins imported from China on many large buildings both outside and in Alaska, including the new Tanana Chief’s Health clinic in Fairbanks.
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Anchorage Co-op Combining Ancient Qayaq Design With Education
An Anchorage-based co-op is raising money to begin after-school training that combines ancient techniques of qayaq design with education.
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Prince of Wales-Ketchikan Ferry Loses State Subsidy
Southeast’s Inter-Island Ferry Authority will soon be short on cash. The authority sails between Prince of Wales Island and Ketchikan. Officials say what’s known as the IFA has only about four-fifths of the money it needs for the next budget year, which begins in July.
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Ailing Bering Sea Fisherman Medevaced by Coast Guard
A Kodiak-based Coast Guard helicopter crew hoisted a 52-year-old man from the fishing vessel Katie Ann yesterday afternoon. He was reportedly suffering from symptoms of internal bleeding.
Ruling Favors One Of ‘Fairbanks 4’
The Alaska Supreme Court has issued a ruling that could lead to a new trial for one of the Fairbanks Four. The high court turned down a state appeal of a decision allowing Eugene Vent a hearing to argue his attorney did not adequately represent him during his murder trial. Vent and three other local men are serving multi decade prison sentences for the 1997 beating death of Fairbanks teenager John Hartman on a downtown street.
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Students At Alaska Pacific University Research Big Fisheries Questions
There are more questions than answers about the problems facing fisheries in Cook Inlet. And scientists working on those problems are chronically short on time and funding. But a new fisheries program at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage has students tackling some important research questions. And it isn't just graduate students doing the work, under grads are getting their feet wet doing real science too.
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Anchorage School District Dissolves Girls Hockey Program
The Anchorage School District has opted to dissolve its girls hockey program after 10 years, citing low participation numbers as the primary reason.
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Greenpeace Searching For Arctic Whistleblowers
Greenpeace is trying to coax would-be whistleblowers to come out against the Arctic oil companies they work for. The environmental group launches a website today called Arctic Truth.
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Senators Dine with President, Enjoy Alaska’s Finest
It turns out, a sitting U.S. Senator can't simply bring home-state halibut into the White House.
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Repsol Says Colville Delta Leases Showing Promise
The Spanish oil company, Repsol is reporting it has found oil on state leases in the Colville Delta at three of its wells on the North Slope. In a short press release the company calls the prospects "promising" and says changes in the state's oil tax will improve development prospects.
Hoonah Responds To Lawsuit By Slain Officer’s Widow
The city of Hoonah has responded to a lawsuit by the widow of one of the two police officers slain by John Marvin by saying Marvin was the responsible party and the other officer's conduct was not negligent.
First Case Of Rabies Reported In Interior Alaska
The state reported the first case of rabies in Alaska’s interior today. A trapper killed a wolf in the Chandalar Lakes area south of the Brooks Range in late March.
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Senate Mulls Renaming Mount McKinley, Again
A Senate subcommittee is yet again debating a measure to label Mount McKinley as Denali, the traditional name.
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Ferry System Phases Out Nature Interpreters
As the Alaska Marine Highway System approaches its 50th anniversary, the ferry is struggling with its identity. Under intense pressure to cut costs, the ferry’s managers are trying to get back to basics -- transporting Alaskans and their freight.
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