News

Fairbanks North Pole area air quality is degraded due to winter like weather, and emissions from heating and vehicles. The fine particulate pollution is happening unusually early.

The City and Borough of Juneau is appealing a decision by the state’s Local Boundary Commission on the northern boundary of a proposed Petersburg borough.

State troopers report that two adult men were shot at an apartment complex in the University West area of Fairbanks last night. One man shot the other before turning the gun on himself. Both were transported to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital for immediate treatment. The investigation is ongoing. No identities have been released.

Bristol Bay red king crab is a major moneymaker for Alaska, and this year it’s expected to bring fishermen about $60 million. Industry players say that amount could be even higher if pirate fishing weren’t distorting the international market.

Governor Sean Parnell says a plan for trucking North Slope natural gas to Fairbanks is moving in the right direction. On Monday and Tuesday the governor met in Fairbanks with a range of players seeking state money for the gas project.

Opening arguments are planned for Wednesday morning in the state's case against John N. Marvin, Jr. The 47-year old Marvin is accused of killing Hoonah police officers Matt Tokuoka and Tony Wallace in August 2010.

Anchorage Police have identified the woman who was found dead in a van in east Anchorage on October 21 as 52-year-old Anchorage resident Barbara Jean Thomas. The case is still under investigation.

A search is underway for a Haines fisherman that went overboard today near Skagway.

King Cove and Cold Bay are the latest communities to be certified as ‘Tsunami Ready’ by the National Weather Service. The program recognizes cities that have planned extensively for tsunamis.

Illegal fishing in Russian waters could negatively impact crab prices this year. The advance price for Bristol Bay red king crab was set last week at $7.25 per pound, putting the early value of the fishery at $57 million. Last year, the advance price was slightly higher and was revised to more than $10 a pound. Meanwhile, the advance price for St. Matthew Island blue king crab is $3.75 per pound. It was $4.25 in 2011.

Alaska Natives from the North Slope are meeting with Obama administration officials this week. They hope to sway officials to support subsistence rights in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

State Fish and Game officials are attempting to fill in some blanks in knowledge about Chinook Salmon. Poor returns all over Alaska this year have sparked questions about the abundance and reproductive success rate of Alaska’s chinook. Fish and Game has released a draft analysis,“Alaska Chinook Salmon Knowledge Gaps and Needs” to the public, and today in Anchorage, the department opened its Chinook Salmon Symposium to get some questions answered. But there seemed to be few answers and a lot of questions.

The family and friends of a missing Sitka woman have urged anyone with information to come forward as local authorities continued their search Monday.

A liquefied natural gas trade group launched what it calls a major campaign to promote LNG exports. The initiative aims to sway public support behind exporting LNG, something Alaska has done for decades, but the rest of the country is just beginning.

The annual Alaska Federation of Natives convention closed on Saturday after passing 40 non-binding resolutions, some in response to recent events.

Anchorage Police Department detectives spent the weekend searching for a missing woman from Fairbanks. Thirty-three year old Mary Anne Alexie arrived in Anchorage on Oct. 9 and was last heard from at about 3 a.m. on Oct.