Alaska news

• Volcano Observatory repairs seismic monitors in Southwest Alaska

  15-10-2015 22:54
  AVO seismologists work to repair a seismic station on Little Sitkin Volcano in the western Aleutians Islands. (USGS photo)
  This summer, Alaska Volcano Observatory scientists embarked on an ambitious project to repair seismic monitoring equipment at active volcanoes around Southwest Alaska. Now 176 of the Observatory’s 216 seismic stations are in working order.
  A backlog of deferred maintenance and a lack of funding, coupled with the extreme nature of the environment, have caused some of th
  
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• Sun sets on Shell Oil’s Arctic quest

  15-10-2015 17:28
  The sun sets on the Polar Pioneer in Unalaska’s Broad Bay on Monday. (Photo by John Ryan, KUCB – Unalaska)
  Shell Oil’s Polar Pioneer rig left Alaska’s Dutch Harbor for Port Angeles, Washington, on Wednesday.
  The energy giant’s other Arctic rig, the Noble Discoverer, left Dutch Harbor for Everett, Washington, on Monday.
  Other ships in Shell’s Arctic fleet are expected to leave Alaska over the next couple of weeks, and the company has not disclosed the fate of t
  
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• Village council rejects election results replacing members

  15-10-2015 17:15
  
  An Alaska village city council has thrown out unofficial election results that would have replaced all five members.
  Anchorage television station KTVA reports the Ambler City Council on Monday refused to certify last week’s municipal election and declared it flawed.
  Council members said no absentee ballots were available at the city office.
  The council in the Kobuk River community of 250 instead voted to conduct another election.
  Ambler resident Brian Visocsky says the results of the elect
  
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• Oil company deal postpones North Slope drilling

  15-10-2015 16:29
  Two oil companies say they are shifting their ownership split on an oil field development project in Alaska and will delay work planned for this winter.
  The Alaska Dispatch News reports that putting off drilling this winter means delaying 500 jobs for Slope contractors.
  The agreement between Spanish energy company Repsol and Denver-based Armstrong Oil and Gas Inc. gives Armstrong the majority ownership in the project, which they say will involve a big new oil field in the Colville River Delta ar
  
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• US, Alaska says will not seek additional $92 million from Exxon for Valdez spill - Reuters

  15-10-2015 08:14
  Reuters
  US, Alaska says will not seek additional $92 million from Exxon for Valdez spill
  Reuters
  U.S. and Alaska state officials announced on Wednesday they will no longer seek an additional $92 million from Exxon Mobil Corp. to pay for environmental cleanup and restoration stemming from the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill nearly three decades ago.
  Alaska, feds won't pursue $92M Exxon Valdez spill damagesAl Jazeera America
  Alaska, US Won't Seek Additional Damages in Exxon Valdez SpillVoice of Am
  

• Analyst Rating Update on Alaska Air Group, Inc. - Money Flow Index

  15-10-2015 07:56
  Analyst Rating Update on Alaska Air Group, Inc.
  Money Flow Index
  Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) has received a short term rating of buy from research analysts at Zacks with a rank of 2. The company has been rated an average of 1.75 by 12 Wall Street Analysts. 8 analysts have added the shares in their list of ...
  Large Inflow of Money Witnessed in Alaska Air Group, Inc.Insider Trading Report
  Morgan Stanley Reiterates "Overweight" Rating for Alaska Air Group (ALK)Dakota Financial News
  Evercore
  

• Woman arrested after nude rampage at East Anchorage Subway, APD says - Alaska Dispatch News

  15-10-2015 06:21
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Woman arrested after nude rampage at East Anchorage Subway, APD says
  Alaska Dispatch News
  The door and windows are covered as a cleanup crew works following a Tuesday evening rampage at the Subway shop at Chugach Square on Wednesday morning. Erik Hill / ADN. A woman was arrested at an East Anchorage Subway restaurant Tuesday ...
  High on spice, Alaska woman strips naked and destroys SubwayNew York Daily News
  Naked Woman, Allegedly High on Spice, Lays Waste to an Alaska
  

• Santa Claus joining City Council in North Pole, Alaska - WPXI Pittsburgh

  15-10-2015 05:32
  WPXI Pittsburgh
  Santa Claus joining City Council in North Pole, Alaska
  WPXI Pittsburgh
  NORTH POLE, ALASKA: This North Pole, population 2,200, is 12 miles from Fairbanks; it was officially named in 1953. The Santa Claus House includes a gift shop, Santa and real reindeer. "Every year we receive thousands of letters to Santa from kids all ...
  'Santa Claus' Elected to North Pole, Alaska City CouncilWKEF ABC 22
  Man named Santa Claus wins North Pole, Alaska, council seatFusion
  Santa Claus elect
  

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• Hunters can target musk oxen stranded on western Alaska ice floes - Alaska Dispatch News

  15-10-2015 05:25
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Hunters can target musk oxen stranded on western Alaska ice floes
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Musk oxen stranded on Triangle Island, a small island about 2 miles offshore of Nunivak Island, in 2009. They were stranded when the sea ice between the two islands was moved by the wind. Patrick Jones / ADF&G. If an Alaska resident spots a musk ox ...and more »
  

• Alaska law enforcement could use a few more good women - Alaska Dispatch News

  15-10-2015 04:09
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Alaska law enforcement could use a few more good women
  Alaska Dispatch News
  I have held a lot of jobs in my life -- car hop, piano teacher, bartender, muffler installer, to name a few. But I have only had one career: law enforcement. For me, it wasn't a calling. I still remember when the lieutenant who interviewed me asked why ...
  

• Photos: Fresh apple juice, pressed right here in Alaska - Alaska Dispatch News

  15-10-2015 03:43
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Photos: Fresh apple juice, pressed right here in Alaska
  Alaska Dispatch News
  John Cotenas grinds the apples to then add to the press for juicing on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015. Ira Edwards and friends pressed over 85 gallons of juice or just about twenty-five bushels. Many of the heirloom apples were cultivated from apple trees ...
  

• Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015

  15-10-2015 03:43
  
  
  Stories are posted on the APRN news page. You can subscribe to APRN’s newsfeeds via email, podcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @aprn.Download Audio
   
  State, feds won’t pursue $92M more in ’89 Exxon Valdez spill
  Associated Press
  The state and federal governments have decided not to pursue $92 million in additional damages from Exxon Mobil Corp., citing the recovery of ducks and sea
  
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• Aleknagik celebrates new 440-ft bridge over the Wood River

  15-10-2015 03:41
  
  
  On a bluebird fall day, it was the youngest residents of Aleknagik who took the first steps across the newly-opened Aleknagik Wood River Bridge as they raced one another across it.
  Download Audio
  The 440-foot Aleknagik Wood River Bridge connects the south and north shore communities.
  KDLG NEWS
  Fitting, as it’s the youth of Aleknagik who have faced daily crossings for decades, just to get to school.
  “I remember as a child in ’56 when I started school the only transportation we h
  
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• With $3B budget deficit, lawmakers eye oil tax credits

  15-10-2015 03:37
  
  
  With the state facing a deficit next year of more than $3 billion, lawmakers face the always vexing question of what can be cut. One option on the table is reducing tax credits for oil and gas companies.
  Download Audio
  This week, lawmakers gave a preview of the debate coming in January.
  The Senate Oil and Gas Tax Credit Working Group has the kind of name that puts anyone but the most hard core policy wonk to sleep. But, as with so many things in state government, behind that patina of boring is
  
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• Murkowski raises big cash, expects a fight

  15-10-2015 03:36
  
  
  Sen. Lisa Murkowski (File photo: KTOO – Juneau.)
  U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is raising serious money for her re-election bid next year, despite having no serious challenger yet.
  Download Audio
  Campaign coordinator Scott Kendall said today that total contributions for the previous three months were close to a million dollars.
  “In the third quarter of the year we raised over $920,000,” he said.
  All told, Murkowski has raised more than $3 million for the 2016 election, and has more
  
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• APD chief Mew turns the baton to incomer Tolley

  15-10-2015 03:34
  
  
  Anchorage has a new police chief.
  On Monday, former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Chris Tolley took over from Chief Mark Mew, who had been with the city in various positions for since 1983, including five years at the helm of the Anchorage Police Department. Mew presided over the department during one of its most politically embattled periods, and is handing the force off with clear guidance on where it needs to go.
  Download Audio
  A large part of Mew’s legacy, and one he&rsqu
  
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• Walker convenes tribal advisory council

  15-10-2015 03:32
  
  
  Gov. Bill Waker announced Wednesday the creation of an 11-member tribal advisory council.
  Download Audio
  Gov. Bill Walker addresses the fourth annual Alaska Federation of Natives and National Congress of American Indians conference at the Egan Center in Anchorage. (Photo by Jennifer Canfield/KTOO)
  “We need to do things differently. We need to do things collaboratively. We need to have the vehicle to have a discussion and bring things to us, and so when we have an issue we have a mechanism
  
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• State, feds won’t pursue $92M more in ’89 Exxon Valdez spill

  15-10-2015 03:00
  
  The state and federal governments have decided not to pursue $92 million in additional damages from Exxon Mobil Corp., citing the recovery of ducks and sea otters in Alaska’s Prince William Sound following a devastating oil spill more than two decades ago.
  Assistant Attorney General Kaci Schroeder informed legislators of the decision today (Wednesday) in an email, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. A department spokesman wouldn’t confirm the decision, saying an ann
  
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• New drug reduces heroin cravings, may reduce recidivism

  15-10-2015 02:45
  The vast majority of people who are incarcerated have substance abuse issues, and that abuse is often a cause for recidivism. One solution? Get them treatment quickly. A new program in Anchorage is trying to do just that using a new, little-used drug called Vivitrol. But not all providers are convinced it’s the best option.
  Vivitrol is a monthly injection that stops a person’s cravings for opiates and for alcohol. If you use heroin or drink liquor while you’re on it, you won&rs
  
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• Planned totem poles in Douglas mark ‘A Time for Healing’

  15-10-2015 02:41
  Savikko Park and Gastineau Elementary School will be the future sites of two totem poles. Plans include interpretive signs in Tlingit and English, explaining the history of the original people of Juneau and Douglas: the Aakʼw Ḵwáan and Tʼaaḵu Ḵwáan. Technology also plays a part in telling the story.
  A tentative design of the Native plaza at Savikko park. (Photo courtesy of Corvus Design)
  In 1956, the site of the Douglas Indian Cemetery was pave
  
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• A Closer Look: Brother Francis Shelter

  15-10-2015 02:04
  
  
  The scene outside of Brother Francis Shelter in downtown Anchorage can seem like chaos, but walking inside tells a different story. Stay the night at the emergency shelter and learn from some of the people who sleep, volunteer, and work there during this edition of A Closer Look.
  As one guest said, “There’s a lot of people in here just fallin’ on hard times.” They’re looking for their 30th chance at life and learning to make the most of it.
  Download Audio:
  The
  
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• Congressional panel to hear criticism of EPA’s Pebble process

  15-10-2015 01:00
  A U.S. House Committee chairman has announced a hearing to examine whether the EPA unfairly blocked the Pebble Mine in Southwest Alaska with a so-called “pre-emptive veto,” before the mine has even applied for permits.
  The Science, Space and Technology Committee, chaired by Republican Lamar Smith of Texas, has invited consultant William Cohen as a witness. Cohen, a former Defense secretary hired by Pebble, says the EPA’s actions suggest the agency may have rigged the process to
  
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• FISH FACTOR: Alaska pollock vs. Russia; crab season underway Oct. 15 - Alaskajournal.com

  15-10-2015 00:54
  FISH FACTOR: Alaska pollock vs. Russia; crab season underway Oct. 15
  Alaskajournal.com
  When it is listed as such by the Food and Drug Administration, which governs what every seafood product will be called in U.S. commerce. For pollock, one of the most widely eaten seafoods in the U.S., the FDA applies the “Alaska” moniker to all fish of ...and more »
  

• Murkowski raises cash, expects a fight

  15-10-2015 00:50
  
  Sen. Lisa Murkowski (File photo: KTOO – Juneau.)
  U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is raising serious money for her re-election bid next year, despite having no serious challenger yet.
  Campaign coordinator Scott Kendall said today that total contributions for the previous three months were close to a million dollars.
  “In the third quarter of the year we raised over $920,000,” he said.
  All told, Murkowski has raised more than $3 million for the 2016 election, and has more than $2 million
  
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• American Alpine Club Sponsors Alaska Climbing Festivals - Outside Magazine

  15-10-2015 00:48
  Outside Magazine
  American Alpine Club Sponsors Alaska Climbing Festivals
  Outside Magazine
  The American Alpine Club (AAC) became the new title sponsor of two major climbing festivals in Valdez, Alaska, the Outdoor Industry Association announced on Tuesday in a press release. The AAC will work with local nonprofit sports commission Levitation ...
  

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