Alexandra Gutierrez, APRN - Juneau
agutierrez (at) alaskapublic (dot) org | 907.209.1799 | About Alexandra
With Seven Maps, Many Options Before Redistricting Board
In the coming weeks, the Alaska redistricting board will be reviewing seven different political maps, on top of a handful that have been submitted by third-party groups.
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Proposal To Make Petition Signatures Confidential Raises Questions Over Privacy, Transparency
A state lawmaker is raising privacy concerns about signing petitions, but signature gatherers are calling it a scare tactic that could affect next year's ballot.
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Marijuana Initiative Gets Closer To Ballot
An initiative to set up a legal market for marijuana has cleared a hurdle for getting on the ballot. Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell certified that the initiative language conformed with Alaska statute this afternoon, just one day short of his deadline. That means initiative sponsors can start circulating petitions to show that a sufficient number of Alaskans want to vote on the issue.
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Anti-Referendum Groups Get Pass On Financial Disclosures
Ballot propositions can be expensive fights, with hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars spent. The Alaska Public Offices Commission, or APOC, is the group that tracks all that money.
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Congressional Delegation Split On Taking Meetings With Fuglvog
Arne Fuglvog pleaded guilty to illegal fishing and had to spend five months in jail. It was a mighty fall for a man who was then serving as an advisor to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and who had once been considered for the top fisheries management post in the country. Now Fuglvog is back as a lobbyist, but Alaska's senators don't plan on giving him access.
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Fisheries Regulators Take Steps Toward Conservation Of Bering Sea Canyons
Carved into the Bering Sea shelf are some of the ocean's largest underwater canyons. The bigger ones run more than a mile deep, and in spots they're dense with corals and sponges. They're also home to some commercial fisheries, and factory trawlers will often go there to catch pollock. Now, fisheries regulators have charted a path for managing this habitat, which allows for future conservation measures.
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Gulf of Alaska Trawlers Face New Cap On Chinook Bycatch
This weekend, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to put new restrictions on the Gulf of Alaska trawl fleet in an effort to curb chinook salmon bycatch.
Redistricting Board To Begin Work On New Map
Following a sharp rebuke from a superior court judge, the Alaska Redistricting Board has decided to start redrawing the state's political boundaries. The process has been going on for almost three years, and the lines can have a serious impact over who ends up in the legislature.
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Parnell Looks To Europe For Insight On Oil Tax Policy
In April, Gov. Sean Parnell traveled to Europe for what he described as a "fact-finding mission" on international oil tax structures. On Thursday, the governor shared his conclusions from that trip with the Juneau World Affairs Council.
ConocoPhillips Fighting $45,000 Fine
ConocoPhillips is fighting a $45,000 fine for allegedly failing to report pressure levels in the Kuparuk field in a timely fashion. The fines also cover a missed a mechanical integrity test. The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Conservation is scheduled to have a hearing on the matter in August.
Democratic Legislators Want Intervention In Redistricting Process
Last week, a superior court judge scolded the redistricting board, saying that it was unnecessarily holding up the redrawing of the state's political boundaries. Now, Democratic lawmakers are calling for non-partisan "masters" to step in and guide the redistricting process.
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BP To Increase Number Of Rigs On North Slope
On Monday, BP committed to spending at least a billion dollars in Alaska over the next few years. The oil giant plans to use that money to bring two drill rigs to Prudhoe Bay and to potentially expand into undeveloped parts of that field. The announcement comes on the heels of a major change to the state's oil tax system.
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Field Work For Gas Line Expected To Start Next Week
In an update to legislators on Thursday, Frank Richards with the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation explained that they're in the process of trying to figure out the safest places to lay down the pipe, which should stretch down from the North Slope to Southcentral Alaska.
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Timber Communities Worry Over Fate Of Secure Rural Schools Program
Alaska's congressional delegation have expressed outrage over the requirement that timber communities pay back a chunk of their Secure Rural Schools subsidies as part of sequestration. But in the affected areas, there's mostly a mood of anxiety as towns worry about what the move signals for the future.
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Alaska Lawmakers Pushing Back Against Federal Royalty Cuts
When resources are extracted from federal lands, states are usually entitled to 50 percent of the royalties. But because of sequestration, their portion is being reduced by 5 percent. Alaska is now joining 10 other states in opposing these cuts to federal royalty payments.
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Haines Celebrates Alaska’s Craft Beer Culture
Alaska has one of the most vibrant beer scenes in the country: Despite its small population, it has more breweries than denser states like Connecticut, Maryland, South Carolina, and Kentucky. Every year, most of Alaska's breweries descend on tiny Haines for their annual brew fest. This year, they celebrated their 21st birthday, and had their highest turnout yet.
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How Safe Are Alaska’s Bridges?
On Thursday, a section of Interstate-5 fell into the Skagit River in Washington after a truck reportedly knocked into the steel framework. No one died, but the collapse did send cars did hurtling into the water. The bridge was built in 1955, and was considered to be outdated by federal standards. In Alaska, there are over a hundred bridges that fall into that obsolete category.
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Anchorage Man Charged With Stealing Drugs While Serving As A Pennsylvania Judge
Last year, Paul Pozonsky resigned from his position as a hearings officer for the state Department of Labor following an inquiry his residency status. The situation was odd for a number of reasons. For one, there were questions about whether Pozonsky landed the job because of his family's political connections in Alaska. Then, there was the fact that he was being investigated by a grand jury in Pennsylvania for actions he took while he was a judge there. Now, that investigation is complete, and Pozonsky is facing trial for allegedly stealing cocaine that was being used as evidence in cases that the presided over.
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Governor Signs Budget
Gov. Sean Parnell approved the state's budget today, and he was light with his veto pen.
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Alaska Gets Relief From No Child Left Behind
More than 30 states across the country have gotten waivers from No Child Left Behind. That lets them judge schools with their own measures instead of the federal standards. Today, Alaska joined that group.
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