Alaska news

• Santa Claus spotted en route to Skagway

  11-12-2015 23:57
  Santa Claus is taking time out of his busy schedule for a train ride in Skagway. The annual Santa Train rolls down the tracks this Saturday. White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad employees organizing the event say they expect a record turnout.
  The 2014 Santa Train. (Emily Files)
  “We have a nice relationship with Santa, he thinks it’s a cool way to travel, coming into town on the train,” said White Pass Marketing Manager Allison Haas. “Plus, we treat him well. We feed him co
  
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• Alaska draw permit deadline looms - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

  11-12-2015 23:46
  Alaska draw permit deadline looms
  Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
  Dozens of Alaska hunts for moose, bear, caribou, musk ox, bison, elk and sheep are only open to people who apply for and win an annual lottery organized by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Most hunts are available to Alaska residents and ...
  

• 49 Voices: Donna Erickson of Unalakleet

  11-12-2015 22:53
  
  
  This week we’re hearing from Donna Erickson, who lives in Unalakleet. She remembers learning tv and radio skills growing up  in Barrow.
  Listen Now
  
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• Alaska teen lured to Texas for sex trafficking has been found, authorities say - KTUU.com

  11-12-2015 22:41
  KPRC Houston
  Alaska teen lured to Texas for sex trafficking has been found, authorities say
  KTUU.com
  An Alaska teenager brought to Texas by human traffickers has been located after a joint effort by Anchorage and Texas law enforcement officers, police say. More from KTUU. With fate of 'Fairbanks Four' unclear; demonstraters... Man sentenced to 45 ...
  Human trafficking victim from Alaska found in Houston areaKPRC Houstonall 3 news articles »
  

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• Alaska congressional delegation rejects Trump's plan for Muslims - Alaska Dispatch News

  11-12-2015 22:27
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Alaska congressional delegation rejects Trump's plan for Muslims
  Alaska Dispatch News
  WASHINGTON -- Members of Alaska's all-Republican congressional delegation say they do not support temporarily barring all Muslims from entering the United States, as suggested this week by the party's presidential front-runner, Donald Trump. Sens.and more »
  

• Born in Sleetmute, raised in Anchorage

  11-12-2015 22:00
  Animal advocates brought this pup, two siblings and her mother to Southcentral Alaska from the rural Y-K Delta area. All four found homes. (Photo by Kathleen McCoy)
  Alaska’s dog mushing legacy is romantic and historic. But it is not without problems. Rural Alaska has few veterinarians and, at least in some areas, abundant dogs.
  That’s Kiska in the photo. This is my second time bringing a personal animal story forward to Hometown Alaska listeners. Almost 18
  Clare at 14, a few months b
  
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• Alaska contractor fined $560000 after worker dies during rescue attempt - Business Insurance

  11-12-2015 21:39
  Alaska contractor fined $560000 after worker dies during rescue attempt
  Business Insurance
  An Alaska contractor is facing a $560,000 fine from state regulators after an employee died during a botched rescue attempt following a trench collapse. The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development issued eight citations against ...
  Construction Firm Fined $560K after Worker's Death in AlaskaInsurance Journalall 7 news articles »
  

• Alaska priest who visited parishes by plane and by kayak dies at 46 - CatholicPhilly.com

  11-12-2015 21:31
  CatholicPhilly.com
  Alaska priest who visited parishes by plane and by kayak dies at 46
  CatholicPhilly.com
  PHOENIX (CNS) — The Diocese of Juneau, Alaska, is mourning the loss of a young priest, an outdoorsman who spread the Gospel in tiny Alaskan communities as well as online. Father Thomas L. Weise Jr. died Dec. 6 in San Luis Obispo, California, after ...
  

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• The business of marijuana

  11-12-2015 21:00
  
  (Creative Commons photo by Brett Levin)
  What will it mean to have legal marijuana in Alaska? State and local governments are working right now on regulations for licensing marijuana retail businesses and growers. What kind of shops will be allowed? Who will be able to grow for commercial sales and where? What are the security implications?
  HOST: Lori Townsend
  GUESTS:
  Zachariah Hughes, reporter, KSKA 91.1FM
  Bruce Shulte, marijuana control Board
  Participate:
  Post your comm
  
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• Foot and ankle problems

  11-12-2015 20:47
  December 14, 2015
  Dr Ken Swayman will be taking your questions about any problems you might be having with your feet or ankles. He is a consultant and speaker to many groups and organizations in Alaska, and is an Affiliate Professor and Consultant Team Physician for the University of Alaska, Anchorage.
  HOST:  Dr. Thad Woodard
  GUEST: 
  Ken Swayman, DPM. Dr. Swayman joined Alaska Podiatry Associates (Alliance Foot & Ankle) in 1993. His primary office is on the campus of Alaska Regiona
  
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• Alaska Family Lets Anyone on the Internet Control Their Christmas Lights - ABC News

  11-12-2015 20:21
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Alaska Family Lets Anyone on the Internet Control Their Christmas Lights
  ABC News
  An Alaska family has bravely turned over control of their Christmas lights to people on the Internet, who with the click of a button, are able to turn areas on and off at all hours of the day and night. For the sixth year in a row, Ken Woods, an ...
  Fairbanks couple's Internet-controlled Christmas lights are backAlaska Dispatch Newsall 4 news articles »
  

• Dillingham DA office to close next year amidst Dept. of Law cuts

  11-12-2015 18:51
  Dillingham’s one remaining state prosecutor and one paralegal work out of an office at the Bristol Inn, which the Dept. of Law said Wednesday will be closed next fiscal year. (KDLG photo)
  Alaska’s Department of Law will close the Dillingham district attorney’s office at the end of this fiscal year, according to a budget plan submitted this week. It’s unclear if the one attorney and one paralegal positions will be cut or relocated.
  The department also said it will be closi
  
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• Borough battle cost Petersburg nearly $70,000

  11-12-2015 18:50
  The Petersburg Borough with its final boundaries.
  Petersburg spent close to $70,000 fighting to keep its borough boundaries after Juneau contested them in court. Petersburg won a Dec. 4 Alaska Supreme Court ruling, but it’s not getting much of its money back.
  Alaska’s Local Boundary Commission approved Petersburg’s petition to change from a city to a borough about three years ago.
  That came over the objections of Juneau’s municipal government, which filed a competing
  
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• Alaska ferry system could face more budget cuts - Alaska Dispatch News

  11-12-2015 18:45
  Alaska ferry system could face more budget cuts
  Alaska Dispatch News
  KODIAK — The head of the Alaska Marine Highway System says he expects a $5 million cut to the organization's operating budget next year. The budget will likely drop from $96 million to $91 million for next fiscal year, said Mike Neussl, deputy ...and more »
  

• Construction Firm Fined $560K after Worker's Death in Alaska - Insurance Journal

  11-12-2015 18:05
  Construction Firm Fined $560K after Worker's Death in Alaska
  Insurance Journal
  A construction company will have to pay $560,000 in connection with the death of an employee who officials say was fatally injured when other workers tried to rescue him from a collapsed trench at a work site in Anchorage, Alaska. The Alaska Department ...
  Alaska contractor fined $560000 after worker dies during rescue attemptBusiness Insuranceall 7 news articles »
  

• Reporter’s roundtable: the permanent fund protection plan

  11-12-2015 18:00
  
  
  On Wednesday, Gov. Bill Walker introduced a budget proposal. It includes taxes, changing the structure of the Permanent Fund, and further cuts to services across the state. And all of this just a few weeks ahead of the next session.
  This week on Alaska Edition, Zachariah Hughes sits down with three reporters to breakdown the budget plan.
  Listen Now:
  HOST: Zachariah Hughes
  GUESTS:Austin Baird, Reporter, KTUU
  Nathaniel Herz, Reporter, Alaska Dispatch News,
  Rachel Waldholz, Energy Reporte
  
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• A History of Alaska's Iditasport Bike Race - Bicycling

  11-12-2015 17:32
  Bicycling
  A History of Alaska's Iditasport Bike Race
  Bicycling
  The Iditasport ultramarathon bike race has 100k,100 mile, and a 200 mile events. Photograph by Billy Koitzsch. Subscribe. X Close. First Name. Last Name. Address. City. State. State, AL, AK, AS, AZ, AR, AA, AE, AP, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, GU, HI ...
  

• AK: A hunter’s wallet lost, and found 40 years later in Sitka

  11-12-2015 17:30
  
  
  Late last summer, walking below a fresh rockfall on Harbor Mountain, a hiker found a mucky old wallet. It contained all the things you expect to find in a wallet — bank cards, an ID. The leather was wet from Southeast’s damp climate, but still in good shape. The owner was glad to get it back, but he wasn’t easy to find. He dropped it on a trail near Sitka 40 years ago.
  Download Audio:
  Photo: Chantal Cough-Schulze.
  People lose things all the time. After a while, y
  
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• A different Hansel and Gretel for Alaska

  11-12-2015 17:30
  
  
  Allison Polowy and Kira Eckenweiler
  UAA Department of Music Professor Mari Hahn had an idea of creating an all-new version of the classic tale Hansel and Gretel using Englebert Humperdinck’s music with a new libretto that set the story in Alaska. Her efforts have come to fruition with the production of Aklaq and Nayak, An Alaskan Native Adaptation of Hansel and Gretel performing this weekend at the UAA Fine Arts Building Recital Hall. Aklaq and Nayak is a co-production between the UAA
  
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• Alaska Fish Board backs Anchorage salmon meeting despite governor's appeal - Alaska Dispatch News

  11-12-2015 17:29
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Alaska Fish Board backs Anchorage salmon meeting despite governor's appeal
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Rebuffing requests from Gov. Bill Walker and local officials, the Alaska Board of Fisheries this week rejected a bid to move a contentious salmon regulation meeting to the Kenai Peninsula. The meeting, scheduled for February 2017 to discuss Upper Cook ...and more »
  

• Alaska ferry system could face more budget cuts - seattlepi.com

  11-12-2015 17:07
  Alaska ferry system could face more budget cuts
  seattlepi.com
  KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — The head of the Alaska Marine Highway System says he expects a $5 million cut to the organization's operating budget next year. The budget will likely drop from $96 million to $91 million for next fiscal year, said Mike Neussl ...and more »
  

• Alaska hockey looks to continue Gov's Cup dominance - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

  11-12-2015 09:38
  Alaska hockey looks to continue Gov's Cup dominance
  Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
  FAIRBANKS—Last season, the Alaska Nanooks put themselves in a hole after dropping the first two games of the Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup to Alaska Anchorage. The Nanooks came back to win their sixth straight Cup last season but would like to not be ...and more »
  

• What end to military's glass ceiling means in Alaska - Alaska Public Radio Network

  11-12-2015 04:55
  Alaska Public Radio Network
  What end to military's glass ceiling means in Alaska
  Alaska Public Radio Network
  Starting next year, all positions in the military will be open to women–everything from tank drivers to Navy SEALs. The decision by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter ends gender prohibitions on about 10 percent of all military jobs. And it could have a ...and more »
  

• Proposed deal to free the Fairbanks Four challenged by judge - Alaska Dispatch News

  11-12-2015 04:54
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Proposed deal to free the Fairbanks Four challenged by judge
  Alaska Dispatch News
  An unprecedented deal to free the Fairbanks Four, who have been imprisoned for most of their adult lives on murder convictions, is being questioned by the judge overseeing the case. Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Paul Lyle on Thursday abruptly canceled ...
  

• New cookbook touts Alaska-grown eats for kids - Alaska Public Radio Network

  11-12-2015 03:46
  Alaska Public Radio Network
  New cookbook touts Alaska-grown eats for kids
  Alaska Public Radio Network
  Alaska cooks now have a new resource: the “Make it Local” cookbook released this month by the Alaska Child Nutrition Program. It's a compilation of kid-friendly recipes that feature Alaska-grown ingredients. But as one Bristol Bay contributor says, it ...
  

• Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015

  11-12-2015 03:40
  
  
  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
   
  12 indicted in FBI-led bust of Fairview Bloods gang
  Zachariah Hughes, KSKA – Anchorage
  Federal officials announced a massive gang bust in Anchorage today.
  State embraces new justice report detailing prison reform 
  Anne Hillman, KSKA &
  
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• 12 indicted in bust of Fairview Bloods gang

  11-12-2015 03:37
  
  
  Federal officials announced a massive gang bust in Anchorage on Thursday.
  Download Audio
  Acting U.S. attorney Kevin Feldis announces the first indictment in Alaska that alleges the presence of a nationally recognized gang. Photo: Zachariah Hughes/KSKA.
  Delano Williams of Anchorage is still being sought. Photo: U.S. Department of Justice
  The sprawling indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s office details allegations of drug trafficking, money laundering, illegal firearm possession, and vi
  
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• State embraces new justice report with prison reform specifics

  11-12-2015 03:36
  
  
  Commission Chair Greg Razo talks about the new report at the Captain Cook Hotel. (Hillman/KSKA)
  Unless the state reforms its criminal justice system, all of the prisons will be full by 2017. A new report from the Alaska Criminal Justice Commission details solutions to that problem and could reduce the prison population and save the state money.
  Download Audio
  The commission’s report includes 21 far-ranging, evidence-based recommendations for reforming Alaska’s criminal justice system
  
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• Alaskan hiker falls to her death in New Zealand

  11-12-2015 03:34
  
  
  Nicole Leman (Photo via Facebook)
  A 24-year-old Alaskan died in a hiking accident in New Zealand on Wednesday.  Nicole Leman was the youngest child of former Lt. Gov. Loren Leman. According to news accounts in New Zealand, she and an Austrian hiking partner were on a multi-day trek in Mount Aspiring National Park, on the South Island.
  Download Audio
  Wanaka Police Constable Dean Harbison flew in with a mountain rescue team to recover the body by helicopter. He says Leman and her compani
  
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• What the end of the military’s glass ceiling means for Alaska’s soldiers

  11-12-2015 03:33
  
  
  Starting next year, all positions in the military will be open to women–everything from tank drivers to Navy SEALs. The decision by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter ends gender prohibitions on about 10 percent of all military jobs. And it could have a big impact on the Army in Alaska.
  Download Audio
  First Lieutenant Elizabeth Eldridge holding an M40 Protective Mask inside the NBC Cage at JBER. Photo: Zachariah Hughes.
  “I’m a 74-Alpha, which is a chemical, biological, nuclear and
  
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• What end to military’s glass ceiling means in Alaska

  11-12-2015 03:33
  
  
  Starting next year, all positions in the military will be open to women–everything from tank drivers to Navy SEALs. The decision by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter ends gender prohibitions on about 10 percent of all military jobs. And it could have a big impact on the Army in Alaska.
  Download Audio
  First Lieutenant Elizabeth Eldridge holding an M40 Protective Mask inside the NBC Cage at JBER. Photo: Zachariah Hughes.
  “I’m a 74-Alpha, which is a chemical, biological, nuclear and
  
  Read more

• Petersburg man convicted of driving salmon with explosives

  11-12-2015 02:53
  A Petersburg man has to pay over $15,000 after being convicted of driving salmon with explosives.
  Forty-three-year-old Andrew Kittams was found guilty in court of driving salmon from closed waters while commercial seine fishing. He was fishing at Hidden Falls Hatchery which is on Baranof Island.
  Sergeant Aaron Frenzel is with the Alaska Wildlife Troopers in Juneau and helped investigate the case. He says multiple boats try to fish at hatcheries like Hidden Falls because the f
  
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• Santa bringing a hoverboard? Not on Alaska Air

  11-12-2015 00:34
  NPR Planet Money’s very own hoverboard. Kristen Clark/NPR
  Alaska Airlines joins a growing list of air carriers refusing to transport one of this year’s most sought-after Christmas gifts: the hoverboard.
  It’s like a hybrid between a skateboard and a segway. And contrary to what you saw in “Back to the Future II,” today’s hip hoverboards don’t yet actually hover — they roll.
  Delta, American Airlines, JetBlue and United are also refusing to
  
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• Mat-Su student selected as youth delegate

  11-12-2015 00:21
  
  A Matanuska-Susitna Borough high school student has been selected as one of two delegates to the U.S. Senate Youth Program by state Education Commissioner Mike Hanley.
  Lucas Arthur, a junior at Mat-Su Career & Technical High School, serves as his school’s student body president. He is a two-time state Science Olympiad champion, a state Tsunami Bowl champion, and a National Science Bowl competitor. He is recipient of his school’s Spirit of Youth award, too.
  Arthur says he’s
  
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• Knik postal customers to get holiday mail

  11-12-2015 00:17
  
  After months of disruption, regular mail service will begin Monday for residents of the Knik area near Wasilla.
  Mail room at Knik contract postal facility. Photo: Chuck Spinelli on Sept. 10, 2015.
  A dispute between the owner of a contract postal facility in Knik and the U.S. Postal Service had shuttered the facility this summer. Postal officials cited slow delivery of mail to boxholders at the Knik contract office, while facility operator and owner of the building that houses it, Chuck Spin
  
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