Alaska news

• The Changing Face of Education

  23-10-2015 23:00
  Students learn about geology in an Anchorage classroom. Department of the Interior photo.
  Anchorage has the three most diverse high schools in the nation, and an extraordinary mix of cultures in our elementary schools, too. As part of our series on education, Hometown Alaska looks at the opportunities and challengers of diversity and integration. We’ll find out about the make-up of our city’s unique school population, and how educators work with the mix of backgrounds and languages.&
  
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• Statewide public meetings for Alaska LNG offer chance for local input - Alaska Dispatch News

  23-10-2015 22:49
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Statewide public meetings for Alaska LNG offer chance for local input
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Federal regulators are launching a statewide series of public meetings in a dozen communities to take comments on the $55 billion Alaska LNG project that's considered critical to the state's economic future. The meetings will allow the Federal Energy ...and more »
  

• It takes a village: Stories of teaming up, hashing it out, and raising ‘em up

  23-10-2015 22:30
  Every community has a place, where people gather and stories are told. The East Coast has stoops, the South has porches, and in Alaska we have Arctic Entries. Here, Alaskans share their personal stories — funny, sad and sweet. Originally told at the Arctic Entries monthly storytelling event in Anchorage, listen to seven people tell a 7-minute-long true story related to the show’s theme.
  This week, the theme is “It Takes a Village: Stories of Teaming Up,
  
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• Feds ban several controversial hunting practices on preserves in Alaska - Alaska Dispatch News

  23-10-2015 22:25
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Feds ban several controversial hunting practices on preserves in Alaska
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Driving a deeper wedge between state and federal game managers, the National Park Service on Friday banned a handful of controversial hunting practices on the 20 million acres of Alaska's national preserves where sport hunting is allowed. Among the ...and more »
  

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• Writer Nick Jans captivates audience with tales of Romeo the wolf

  23-10-2015 22:01
  Writer Nick Jans calls the years between 2003 and 2009 “a magical and transformative time” in Juneau’s history. It was during those years that a wild black wolf, who came to be known as Romeo, lived in the community, played with dogs and interacted with residents.
  Romeo the wolf. (Photo courtesy Nick Jans)
  Jans spoke at the University of Alaska Southeast last week about his 2014 book “A Wolf Called Romeo.”
  Nick Jans was living in a house near Mendenhall Glacier
  
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• Relive War of the Worlds

  23-10-2015 22:00
  
  Orson Welles shown in rehearsal directing his Mercury Theatre of the Air troupe. 1938 (Photo Courtesy of Photofest, Inc.)
  On Sunday, October 30, 1938, the night before Halloween, millions of Americans gathered around their radios and heard a news bulletin about strange explosions on Mars, followed by other reports that led them to believe an alien invasion was in progress.
  Relive the thrill of Orson Welles’ infamous radio dramatization of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, 75 y
  
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• Is the state finally ready for the gas line?

  23-10-2015 22:00
  For decades, Alaska governors have worked to sign a pipeline deal to sell gas from the North Slope. None have been able to come up with the right formula yet. Current Governor Bill Walker has pushed for gas line development for most of his professional life. Is the time finally right for this massive project?
  HOST: Lori Townsend
  GUESTS:
  Gov. Bill Walker
  Sen. Berta Gardner
  Participate:
  Post your comment before, during or after the live broadcast (comments may be read on air).
  Send email to t
  
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• Wasilla lawmaker: Keep education spending in check, cut rural schools

  23-10-2015 21:58
  It started as a rumor. Democratic lawmakers and some education advocates have heard about it.
  That there are new ideas for changing how the state pays for education isn’t a surprise. That this cost-saving proposal could close 60 schools across the state is.
  “Certainly there has been talk that 10 students is, quite frankly — with the technology that we have today and the options that are available — it’s just too expensive,” Rep. Lynn Gattis said.
  Rep. Lyn
  
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• Bill combating illegal fishing awaits president’s signature

  23-10-2015 21:56
  Congress has passed a bill to combat pirate fishing.
  The bill, called the “Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act” now goes to the president of his signature.
  It puts in law the provisions of an international treaty aimed at denying illegal fishing vessels access to a country’s ports.
  The bill was sponsored by all members of the Alaska delegation and supported by Alaska’s fishing industry. Its passage was also cheered by conservation groups like the
  
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• ‘Head up, heart strong’ — Determination, hope and healing

  23-10-2015 21:00
  
  Dr. Matthew Dudley, DO (photo courtesy Matthew Dudley)
  In the spring of 2013, Dr. Matthew Dudley was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Only 37 years old, with two boys under the age of 6, and in excellent physical condition, Dr. Dudley suddenly found himself in a life or death struggle with a silent killer. Armed only with the support of his wife, family and a community of friends, Dr. Dudley began his fight with the belief that he was an N of 1, and that survival was hi
  
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• Anchorage Opera’s Carmen

  23-10-2015 18:37
  
  
  Audrey Babcock as Carmen
  Stage director David Lefkowich and conductor Brian DeMaris from Anchorage Opera’s production of George Bizet’s once scandalous opera Carmen drop by Stage Talk this week. Carmen performs in the Discovery Theatre October 23, 24 and 25.
  Listen Now:
  Facebook
  HOST:
  Steve Hunt
  GUESTS: 
  David Lefkowich: stage director, Anchorage Opera’s Carmen
  Brian DeMaris: conductor, Anchorage Opera’s Carmen
  ORIGINAL BROADCAST: Friday, Oct
  
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• Polygraph results debated at Fairbanks Four hearing

  23-10-2015 18:17
  One of the Fairbanks Four passed a polygraph.
  The results of the lie detector test taken by Marvin Roberts last year were shared during day 13 of an evidentiary hearing being held to consider whether Roberts, George Frese, Kevin Pease and Eugene Vent, the men convicted of fatally beating John Hartman in 1997, are in fact innocent.
  Polygraph expert David Raskin of Homer administered the test and presented Robert’s answers to key questions like:
  “Did you participate in any way in the a
  
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• Strategies for reducing the Alaska Native prison population

  23-10-2015 18:00
  
  Alaska’s prisons are full, and a disproportionately large number of the people inside are Alaska Natives. The recidivism rate for that population is about 74 percent. But there are solutions. Organizations around the state are using new strategies like joint tribal-state courts and more support for people who are re-entering the community to help reverse the trend.HOST: Anne Hillman
  GUESTS:
  Greg Razo, chair, Alaska Criminal Justice Commission
  Denise Morris, president and CEO, Alaska Native
  
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• After mid-air birth near Alaska, Taiwanese woman might pay - KTUU.com

  23-10-2015 17:26
  KTUU.com
  After mid-air birth near Alaska, Taiwanese woman might pay
  KTUU.com
  TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A woman deported to her homeland Taiwan after giving birth on a flight to the U.S. in an apparent attempt to give her baby American citizenship may have to pay hefty compensation for forcing the plane to divert. The China ...
  Baby born on China Airlines flight diverted to Alaska eligible for US ...ABA Journal
  Taiwanese woman may face hefty bill for childbirth on plane diverted to AnchorageAl
  

• Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015

  23-10-2015 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
   
  BLM approves drilling permit in Alaska petroleum reserve
  Associated Press
  The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has approved a drilling permit that it says will open the way for the first oil and gas production from federal land in the National Pet
  
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• What is the Alaska LNG project? We break it down: Part 1

  23-10-2015 03:35
  
  
  This illustration shows what a proposed liquefaction plant at Nikiski could look like. (Source: Alaska LNG)
  Lawmakers around the state are packing their bags and preparing to head to Juneau for their third special session of the year. This session will focus on one thing: the Alaska LNG project. That’s the giant pipeline the state hopes to build, along with ExxonMobil, BP, ConocoPhillips — and maybe TransCanada — to bring natural gas from the North Slope.
  Download Aud
  
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• Spice hospitalizations on the rise, but users not deterred

  23-10-2015 03:34
  
  
  AFD says most of the Spice-related calls come from downtown along this corridor.Hospitalizations from Spice usage are spiking again. The Anchorage Fire Department has transported about 20 people per day for the past week.Most calls come from the area between 3rd and Karluk and Town Square Park and the Downtown Transit Center. People say they know the drug is dangerous, but some of them choose to keep using it anyway.Download Audio
  Anna Lincoln sits at a table at Bean’s Cafe working on a cr
  
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• Anchorage mayor wants to plug budget gap with better speeding tickets

  23-10-2015 03:33
  AO 111 is an omnibus revision to the fine schedule, adjusting mostly to keep up with inflation while revising how offenses like speeding are handled by APD.
  In an effort to bring in more revenues to balance the budget, Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz wants to update the city’s fine schedule. The minor fiscal move fits within a more contentious conversation about public safety staffing.
  In trying to raise city revenues, the mayor’s administration came up with a fairly simple solution:
  
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• Sitka rolls out welcome wagon for Russian diplomat

  23-10-2015 03:02
  
  
  A band of Russian performers, with their sights set on Sitka, are reportedly still in Moscow awaiting visas. As the mystery of their travel plans deepens, one Russian did make it to the Alaska Day festivities this past weekend.
  Download Audio
  Zlata Lund came down from Anchorage to serve as a translator. Her mother Natalia joined her, presenting Asin a stack of blinis – thin pancakes – on a silver platter. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)
  Though born in Moscow, Khalit Asin lives in the United
  
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• Bill to crack down on IUU fishing goes to White House

  23-10-2015 02:25
  Congress has passed a bill to combat pirate fishing.
  The bill, called the “Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act” now goes to the president of his signature. It puts in law the provisions of an international treaty aimed at denying illegal fishing vessels access to a country’s ports. The bill was sponsored by all members of the Alaska delegation and supported by Alaska’s fishing industry.
  “These significant efforts will help defeat the growing
  
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• Drones vie for role in wildfire fight

  23-10-2015 02:18
  K-MAX helicopters (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
  This year was a near-record fire season for Alaska and the entire Western U.S. In the Lower 48, aircraft fighting fires were repeatedly grounded when gawkers flying their own drones were spotted in the skies. They’re a danger when they intrude on the airspace, but unmanned aircraft can also be an asset in firefighting and efforts are underway to bring more pilotless aircraft to the fight.
  In Idaho last week, Lockheed Martin, the Int
  
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• Ex-FBI agent faults Fairbanks police interrogation tactics

  23-10-2015 02:14
  A former FBI agent says Fairbanks police violated fundamental investigative protocol following the 1997 murder of John Hartman. Gregg McCrarry testified on behalf of petitioners George Frese, Marvin Roberts, Kevin Pease and Eugene Vent, the men known as the Fairbanks Four, convicted of the Hartman killing, who are seeking exoneration.
  Testifying during an ongoing evidentiary hearing, criminal investigation and interview expert Gregg McCrarry faulted former Fairbanks Police detective Aaron Ring f
  
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• Girdwood Trooper post gets a reprieve for now

  23-10-2015 01:52
  The state department of Public Safety announced Wednesday that the Alaska State Trooper post in Girdwood will remain operational until June 30 of next year. Earlier this year, the Girdwood post was slated for a January 1 closure due to state budget reductions. But this week, the Trooper post got a reprieve.
  Colonel Jim Cockrell is the director of the division of State Troopers. He says the post will stay open for a few months more.
  “Essentially the last month or so the administration, our
  
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• BLM approves drilling permit in Alaska petroleum reserve

  23-10-2015 01:42
  The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has approved a drilling permit that it says will open the way for the first oil and gas production from federal land in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.
  The permit is for the Greater Mooses Tooth 1 project, being pursued by ConocoPhillips Alaska. In a release, BLM Director Neil Kornze said it was a collaborative effort to ensure responsible development in the arctic reserve that will provide a new source of oil for the trans-Alaska pipeline.
  A regional mi
  
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