Alaska news

• Brent Sass leads Yukon Quest mushers out of Eagle

  09-02-2016 22:59
  
  Frontrunners in the Yukon Quest are running toward the race’s halfway point at Dawson City, Yukon.
  Defending Quest champion Brent Sass continues to lead the race. The Eureka musher was in an out of the Eagle checkpoint first this morning, after 4 hours of mandatory rest.
  He only briefly shared the dog yard with chasers, Allen Moore and Hugh Neff, who arrived 2 hours after Sass.
  Fellow veterans Matt Hall and Ed Hopkins are also in the mix near the front of the race.
  (Photo by Molly Rettig)
  
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• President Obama transfers Port Clarence land to Bering Straits Native Corporation

  09-02-2016 22:35
  
  A map of the Point Spencer allotment shows the BSNC portion in green, the Coast Guard portion in purple, and the State of Alaska portion in checkerboard. (Image: Office of Rep. Don Young, Google)
  President Obama signed the Coast Guard Authorization Act last night, transferring 2,500 acres of federal land at Port Clarence to local, state, and federal stakeholders. Located 120 nautical miles northwest of Nome, Port Clarence has long been left out of discussion as the location for the nation’
  
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• Obama transfers Port Clarence land to Bering Straits Native Corporation

  09-02-2016 22:35
  
  
  A map of the Point Spencer allotment shows the BSNC portion in green, the Coast Guard portion in purple, and the State of Alaska portion in checkerboard. (Image: Office of Rep. Don Young, Google)
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  President Obama signed the Coast Guard Authorization Act last night, transferring 2,500 acres of federal land at Port Clarence to local, state, and federal stakeholders. Located 120 nautical miles northwest of Nome, Port Clarence has long been left out of discussion as the location for th
  
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• Grand jury indicts Juneau murder suspect

  09-02-2016 22:33
  
  A former Juneau resident arrested last month in the Palmer area has been indicted on murder charges.
  A Juneau grand jury handed up an indictment on Friday charging Nora Edith Thomas, 28, with two counts of second degree murder.
  Christopher Kenney, 50, died from stab wounds in November 2014. Thomas was Kenney’s live-in girlfriend at the time.
  One of the counts alleges that Thomas knew her conduct would cause either serious physical injury to Kenney or his death. The other count alleges that
  
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• U.S. Marine Mammal Commission visits Nome to share new research

  09-02-2016 22:30
  
  A bearded seal was stranded in a Nome parking lot in December. (Photo: Emily Russell, KNOM)
  Alaska’s marine mammal population is stressed, according to the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission. One member of the federal agency will share new research on marine mammal health and discuss how the commission is helping conserve animals like walrus and seals on Monday in Nome.
  “I’m going to focus mostly on harmful algal blooms and the effects that we know they have on marine mamm
  
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• Tribal, non-tribal voices discuss VAWA across jurisdictions

  09-02-2016 22:28
  
  Lucy Williams, Tribal Court Administrator for Akiak, talking with tribal and non-tribal entities about VAWA. (Photo by Dean Swope / KYUK.)
  The first day of the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, training began Monday in Bethel.
  The three-day session marks the first VAWA training in the state since Alaska’s Attorney General, Craig Richards, issued an opinion last summer that law enforcement must uphold tribal protection orders the same as state orders.
  Tribal and non-tribal judi
  
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• Crew maps polar bear dens on Alaska’s North Slope

  09-02-2016 22:22
  
  When the tundra freezes, the North Slope gets busy. It’s the travel season, the time of year when oil producers can put in ice roads and move heavy vehicles over the frozen ground.
  But before any of that can happen, one task comes first: looking for polar bears.
  On the North Slope, bears have the right of way.
  (Photo courtesy Justin Blank)
  Each winter, pregnant females den in snow drifts to give birth – and federal regulations requires any activity to remain at least a mile away thr
  
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• Alaska, Oregon lift Moda suspension - Corvallis Gazette Times

  09-02-2016 21:42
  Corvallis Gazette Times
  Alaska, Oregon lift Moda suspension
  Corvallis Gazette Times
  Moda can continue to operate under agreement with regulators to inject new cash. (Jeff Manning | The Oregonian/OregonLive,Staff). 2016-02-09T12:00:00Z 2016-02-09T12:25:04Z Alaska, Oregon lift Moda suspension Corvallis Gazette Times. 4 hours ago.
  Regulators lift Moda suspensions in Oregon, AlaskaStatesman Journal
  Agreement allows Moda to keep selling health insurance in AlaskaAlaska Public Radio Network
  Oregon, A
  

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• The Rent Is Too Damn High…for Alaska Lawmakers - Wall Street Journal (blog)

  09-02-2016 18:42
  Wall Street Journal (blog)
  The Rent Is Too Damn High…for Alaska Lawmakers
  Wall Street Journal (blog)
  A fight over Alaska's lease on a state office building in Anchorage is highlighting the impact of falling oil prices on the Last Frontier. Oil's drop has already cost Alaska its top rating from Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, which downgraded the ...
  

• President Obama signs Coast Guard bill that includes Alaska land transfer - Alaska Dispatch News

  09-02-2016 18:18
  Alaska Dispatch News
  President Obama signs Coast Guard bill that includes Alaska land transfer
  Alaska Dispatch News
  WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama signed the 2015 Coast Guard reauthorization bill Monday night, a law that will transfer two tracts of land in Alaska out of the hands of the federal government. The bill authorizes future spending for the Coast ...and more »
  

• FACT SHEET: President Obama Proposes New Funding to Build Resilience of Alaska's Communities and Combat ... - Whitehouse.gov (press release)

  09-02-2016 16:16
  Alaska Dispatch News
  FACT SHEET: President Obama Proposes New Funding to Build Resilience of Alaska's Communities and Combat ...
  Whitehouse.gov (press release)
  When the President visited Alaska in August, he described the urgent and growing threat of a changing climate as “a challenge that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other.” Last year broke the record set by 2014 as the ...
  Obama budget reveals Alaska flashesAlaska Public Radio Network
  Al
  

• Obama's budget shows Alaska's on the president's mind

  09-02-2016 14:04
  
  Obama's budget shows Alaska's on the president's mind President Barack Obama’s latest budget request, due out on Tuesday, will pay homage to Alaska on its cover, with a photo of Denali, and several budget priorities aimed at the state.February 9, 2016
  
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• Alaska News Nightly: Monday, Feb 8, 2016

  09-02-2016 04:01
  
  
  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.
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  House passes resolution to focus on budget
  Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO/APRN – JuneauLegislators have talked about focusing on the state budget  since their session began three weeks ago. But today, they took action to make it official.
  
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• House passes resolution to focus on budget

  09-02-2016 04:00
  
  
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  Lawmakers have talked about focusing on the state budget since their session began three weeks ago. But on Monday, they took action to make it official. The House passed a resolution that limits committees to working on bills that raise or spend state revenue.
  This new rule will remain in place until the House passes a budget.
  House speaker Mike Chenault, a Nikiski Republican, said putting a focus on the budget will allow legislators to be better informed about its details.
  &
  
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• Anchorage to buy ConocoPhillips gas field for $152M

  09-02-2016 03:50
  
  
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  The city of Anchorage is buying up part of a natural gas field in Cook Inlet for $152 million. With approval from the Assembly, the Mayor’s administration and two utility companies announced their intention to purchase a parcel from oil company ConocoPhillips, which they say will benefit energy customers across the city.
  Though it’s uncommon for a municipal utility to own a natural gas source, it isn’t without precedent.
  Mark Johnston, general manager o
  
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• Traveling Music 2-14-16

  09-02-2016 03:16
  
  Traveling Music
  Shonti Elder
  2-14-16
  (Valentine’s Day)
   
  Format:
  Song TitleArtist / Composer
  CD Title
  Label
  Duration
   
  This Love Will Carry
  Dougie MacLean / Dougie MacLean
  Wells for Zoe: Water For Life
  Compass Records
  5:40
   
  Ten Thousand Miles
  The Websters and Scott Nygaard / Traditional
  Ten Thousand Miles
  Lots of Rabbits Records
  6:03
   
  Fishing in the Dark
  Wendy Waldman / Wendy Waldman, Jim Photoglo
  My Time in the Desert
  Longhouse
  5:04
   
  Mountain
  Anne Weiss / Anne
  
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• Dillingham Police get a body cam upgrade

  09-02-2016 03:10
  
  
  Officer Tanner Lowry wears one of DPD’s new body cams. The new body cams are a 2.2-oz unit made by the California-based company WOLFCOM. (Photo by Hannah Colton/KDLG)
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  An independent investigation this week concluded that Kodiak police officers responded “professionally” within the scope of their authority when they pepper sprayed an autistic man September 16 in Kodiak.
  The incident caused uproar this fall, and again last month when Kodiak Police released vid
  
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• Youngsters learning the trapping tradition

  09-02-2016 03:00
  
  
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  There’s a long tradition of trapping fur-bearing animals in Bristol Bay, and one group of Dillingham youngsters has been learning the ropes this winter.
  
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• Bill would mandate repaying scholarships if recipients don’t graduate quicker

  09-02-2016 02:46
  
  Lawmakers are considering a bill that would require students to repay state scholarships and grants if they fail to graduate within six years of starting their programs. Members of the House Education Committee on Monday questioned Rep. Tammie Wilson (R-North Pole/Fairbanks) about her bill.
  The measure would put the time limit requirements on students who receive money from an Alaska Performance Scholarship or an Alaska Education Grant. Wilson says students who accept the state’s
  
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• New, easy tool to check SNAP eligibility could help Alaska’s economy

  09-02-2016 02:34
  
  Texting ‘food’ to 907-312-2300 lets you find out your SNAP eligibility in minutes.
  Applying for food stamps, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, requires a 28-page application. But thanks to a new tool, finding out if you’re likely to be eligible takes only 10 text messages.
  About 126,000 Alaskans are eligible to receive food stamps. But 27 percent of them — that’s 34,000 people — don’t because they haven’t applied. Anchorage resident
  
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• Sass takes Yukon Quest lead

  09-02-2016 02:31
  
  Brent Sass takes Yukon Quest lead. (File Photo by Patrick Yack/Alaska Public Media)
  Brent Sass is leading the Yukon Quest. He is followed by Hugh Neff, Ed Hopkins, Allen More and Matt Hall.
  The next section of trail takes teams along the Yukon River to the community of Eagle.
  Quest mushers made the daunting traverse of Eagle Summit on Sunday.
  
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• Instead of budget cuts, Juneau school district asks ‘What can we add?’

  09-02-2016 01:38
  
  The Juneau School District is facing a sixth year of budget cuts, and it’s handling the budget process a little differently than in recent years.
  The Juneau School District held a public forum on the budget Feb. 2 at the Juneau-Douglas High School library. (Photo by Lisa Phu, KTOO – Juneau)
  Superintendent Mark Miller laid out the challenge at a public forum on the school budget last week.
  “If we rolled our current budget over into next year with nothing different, just rolled t
  
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• Feds fight fish fraud with new recordkeeping rules

  09-02-2016 01:37
  
  The National Marine Fisheries Service announced last week that it is implementing a new tracking program for seafood imports to help combat illegal fishing and seafood fraud.
  The seiner Jaime Marie sails past other fishing vessels at City Pier 2 in Kodiak on June 6, 2013. (Creative Commons photo courtesy of James Brooks)
  Importers will have to track where fish were caught, the type of gear used and where it was landed.
  Director of the Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspections
  
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• Time running out for Obama administration to act on Bristol Bay mining

  09-02-2016 00:49
  
  Time running out for Obama administration to act on Bristol Bay mining The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will not likely take action to pre-emptively block the massive Pebble Mine proposed in the Bristol Bay watershed, because of delays caused by a series of lawsuits, a top agency official said Monday.February 8, 2016
  
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• Air Station Kodiak Helicopter Pilot Earns Distinguished Flying Cross

  09-02-2016 00:49
  
  The Distinguished Flying Cross is America’s oldest military aviation award and none too easy to earn – it’s only awarded for remarkable acts of heroism.
  Hess (left) with Capt. Mark Morin, commanding officer of Air Station Kodiak. ( Photo courtesy of Lauren Steenson, U.S. Coast Guard)
  South of Cape Cod, Massachusetts one February morning in 2015, a helicopter team from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod hovered above a fishing vessel stranded in nine foot seas and 40 mph winds wit
  
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• Sitka residents celebrate grand reopening of library

  09-02-2016 00:20
  
  The renovated and enlarged Sitka Public Library is now open for business, with thousands of books having been moved back from temporary quarters on the Sheldon Jackson campus. Residents showed up in force to check out the new digs Thursday  night.
  Librarian Brooke Schafer begins unpacking reference books. (Photo by Emily Kwong, KCAW – Sitka)
  Before the new Sitka Public Library opened its doors it was just a big building full of books.  A beautiful building, bu
  
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