House District 9 Race
An airplane pilot and a heavy equipment operator face off in this year's District 9 race in Wasilla. Republican Lynn Gattis and Democrat Blake Merrifield, are both newcomers to state politics in a new district, and their race may pinpoint how Matanuska Valley politics is changing. KSKA's Ellen Lockyer has more.
AK: Breathe
Elections, stormy weather, the impending winter darkness, we all need to take a deep breath this time of year. Luckily, our bodies can’t forget to breathe. But we have all forgotten when and how breathing originated. But scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks may have discovered the origins of the process. And they have found the answer in a primitive fish that still swims Alaska’s rivers.
Alaska News Nightly: November 2, 2012
Anthropologists Studying Subsistence-Based Economies; Application Period Begins For Big Game Permits; AISES Convention Draws 2,000 To Anchorage; Police Seek Identities Of Costumed Revelers; Hoonah Murder Trial Goes To The Jury; Questions Remain As Campaign Season Comes To A Close; AK: Breathe; 300 Villages: St. George
Hunting Alaska’s Wild Chickens
While much of Alaska’s summer bounty is coming to an end - the salmon runs are done, moose season is wrapped up, berries are frozen on the ground - there are still some harvests to be had.
As we sit in the limbo of fall and winter, our lovely state bird becomes a stand out target on the landscape.
More on harvesting the birds.
Voters To Decide On $433 Million In Bond Projects; Campaign Season Wrapping Up
Legislators asking voters to approve $433 million in bond projects, including $50 million for the Port of Anchorage. How are Alaskans affected by Hurricane Sandy? Three subsistence fishermen found guilty of fishery law violations. Campaign season wraps up as the Nov. 6 election draws near. The Anchorage Assembly eyes reapportionment. Social conservatives target Judge Sen Tan, who is up for retention on this year’s ballot
KSKA: Saturday, 10/27 at 6:00pm
TV: Saturday, 10/27 at 5:00pm
Alaska News Nightly: November 1, 2012
Group Targeting Superior Court Judge Up For Retention; Legislator Concerned About Outside Funds In Campaign Advertising; Lawyers Argue Over Where The Money Went; Bell Challenges French For Senate Seat; CEAAC To Acknowledge Settlement Of Education Lawsuits; Downtown Talkeetna Fire Destroys 1 Building, Damages 2 Others; Officials Approve New Route To Tulsequah Chief Mine
Autumn in New York (Playing the Ponies at Belmont)
When I was a little girl, my father promised me a trip to the racetrack when I turned twenty-one, which never occurred as he suddenly died. Fast forward forty years and I’ve been researching the lower East Side of the late nineteenth century and discovering that off-track betting was the poor man’s stock market.
So, I finally made my trip to Belmont Park, named for a Rothschild cousin, who moved to America to manage family holdings.
Read more. Alaska News Nightly: October 31, 2012
Shell Wraps Up Exploratory Arctic Drilling; Environmental Groups Say Drilling Season Was A Failure; Media Scrutiny Of Port Project Puts Officials On The Spot; Mega Storms Likely Tied To Warming Arctic; A Week Before Election, State House Candidates Sharpen Rhetoric; Wood Energy Conference Takes Place In Fairbanks; Katmai Ash Whipped Up By Strong Winds; Group Wants Input To Improve Sitka’s Downtown; Beware…The Haunted Ship Awaits!; Halloween Story: Chilkoot Zombie Fish
Senate E: Huggins – Herman
Incumbent Charlie Huggins, a Republican with a strong military background and a Vietnam veteran, is being challenged for the Senate E seat representing Wasilla, Big Lake, and Point Mackenzie, by a woman who is a professional therapeutic masseuse with long roots in early childhood education. Democratic opponent Susan Parsons Herman, says she'll work across party lines, while two term Senator Huggins says he'll stick to a party agenda. KSKA's Ellen Lockyer has more.
House District 6: Feige – Duhamel
A newcomer to the Matanuska Valley political scene is challenging House District 6 incumbent Republican Eric Feige for his seat in the legislature. Feige, a professional airplane pilot with one House term under his belt, is a self-styled "conservative voice" for the district. His Democratic opponent, Jamey Duhamel, has spent the last year working for an anti-coal citizens' group. But both candidates agree: energy is the big issue. KSKA's Ellen Lockyer reports
Video: Bush Pilot Bear Viewing
Italian filmaker and bush pilot Massimo Uberti visited Alaska in August, 2012. Uberti documented his trips to both Homer and Talkeetna, creating new additions to his collection of short documentaries.
This video features a bear viewing trip out of Homer to Katmai National Park.
More.
U.S. Energy and Tax Policies: Implications for Alaska’s Economy
Senior VP & Chief Economist for the American Council for Capital Formation, Margo Thorning was recorded speaking on "U.S. Energy and Tax Policies: Implications for Alaska’s Economy" at the Alaska World Affairs Council on October 26, 2012 as part of the Northrim Oil & Gas Series.
Alaska News Nightly: October 30, 2012
First 3 Subsistence Fishermen Found Guilty. Ancient Marine Reptiles are Topic of Recent Norwegian Journal and Fairbanks Scientist’s Research. Task Force to Gather Testimony on Sex Trafficking in Alaska. Homer Residents Express Growing Frustration with Endeavor Oil Rig. Fairclough Challenging Davis in Redrawn District. Senate E Challenge.
Photojournalist Ruth Gruber Retrospective Opens
“Ruth Gruber, Photojournalist,” on view Nov. 2 through Jan. 6, 2013 at the Anchorage Museum, celebrates the 101-year-old’s remarkable life and heroic tenacity through her photographs, filmed interviews and mementos. Images include some of the earliest color photographs of the Last Frontier.
Learn more. Alaska News Nightly: October 29, 2012
Municipality Has Port Study, Holding Until After Bond Vote; Drug, Alcohol Abuse Costs Alaska’s Economy $1.2 Billion; Oil Taxes Key Issue In Fairbanks-Area Elections; Whales & World Problems – Combining Culture & Academics; Interview: New Book Highlights Life Of Statesman Vic Fischer
Homemade Bird Suet Cakes
The cold and frost came upon us hard and fast this year. I felt lucky that the clouds lifted for long enough to get the fall yard chores wrapped up before it hit.
This time of year, I am careful to keep my bird identification book handy, because sometimes an unusual bird will make a stop at the feeder while passing through, even if it doesn't live nearby.
Click for the recipe.
Skwentna Coal Project Subject of Public Hearing
Skwentna residents asked to weigh in on coal exploration.
Point Thomson Project Gets The Green Light
The Point Thompson project moved a step forward today, when the US Army Corps of Engineers issued Exxon Mobil Corporation and PTE Pipeline LLC a wetlands permit allowing construction of three drill pads in the Arctic Coastal Plain off the Beaufort Sea. The move could spell good news for the state's long-awaited gasline plan. KSKA's Ellen Lockyer has more. [:20]
AK: Ghosts
Haunted buildings and ghost stories are popular around Halloween, but a newer tradition that combines the two has made its way to Anchorage. For the past two years one man has undertaken the chilly task of leading ghost tours of Anchorage.
Alaska News Nightly: October 26, 2012
Army Corps of Engineers Issues Wetlands Permit For Point Thomson; Proposal Would Require Legislative Mine Approval; Congress Waving Wind Energy Tax Credit Goodbye?; Testimony Continues In Hoonah Murder Trial; Wrangell Borough Settles With Selle-Rea And Former Board Members; AK: Ghosts; 300 Villages: Alakanuk