Alaska news

• State panel advances national check for pot business applicants in Alaska - KTUU.com

  24-02-2016 23:57
  KTVA.com - Alaska News and Weather
  State panel advances national check for pot business applicants in Alaska
  KTUU.com
  A state Senate committee has advanced legislation that would allow regulators of Alaska's up-and-coming legal marijuana industry to obtain national criminal history checks on those applying for marijuana business licenses.
  Alaska Senate passes amended marijuana legislationKTVA.com - Alaska News and Weather
  Alaska regulators to take applications for pot businessesThe San Diego Un
  

• Toksook Bay basketball player to star in ESPN’s “I am Yup’ik”

  24-02-2016 22:56
  
  A short film starring Toksook Bay high school student Byron Nicholai will air on ESPN’s SportsCenter next month. The film,‘I am Yup’ik’ was filmed in Bethel and Toksook Bay.
  A screenshot of the movie title on the GoodFight Media website. (Screenshot by Charles Enoch.)
  Co-Directors Daniele Anastasion and Nathan Golon came to Bethel to film a movie about basketball and the Yup’ik culture in January and August of 2015. Anastasion said luckily they met Byron Nicholai wh
  
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• Ayaprun Yupik Immersion school students move buildings in lieu of a permanent facility

  24-02-2016 22:49
  
  After over 50 days of being split between the District Office and Gladys Jung Elementary, Ayaprun Yupik Immersion school students are set to move to the Kipusvik building next month. Principal Sam Crow said he spoke to the project manager and superintendent who hoped that students could start their first day at the new building on Tuesday, March 15 after their spring break.
  “We’re real glad to have a place at the District Office and at Gladys Young but were really looking foreword to
  
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• Record dividend for Calista: $5.6 million

  24-02-2016 22:41
  
  Calista corporation recently announced their spring dividend for 2016 is a record $5.6 million dollars.
  Shareholders will receive $4.23 per share, increased 11 percent from last year. People with 100 Calista shares will receive $423. The checks are expected to be mailed by April 15th.
  This is the 13th dividend distributed by Calista, all together $38.9 million have been distributed to Calista shareholders.
  The spring dividend is based on business operations. The fall dividend
  
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• Army officials say JBER airborne unit should remain in Alaska

  24-02-2016 21:58
  
  About 500 troops from the 4-25th Airborne Brigade are participating in exercise Talisman Saber in the South Pacific. (Photo: Zachariah Hughes/KSKA)
  Top Army officials on Wednesday gave their clearest statements yet that they intend to stop the proposed reduction of troops from Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, or at least delay it for a year.
  Gen.  Mark Milley said he’s been looking at the decision to cut the 4-25, the only airborne unit in the Pacific, since he was named Army Chi
  
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• Murkowski, Jewell joust over King Cove road

  24-02-2016 21:51
  
  Interior Secretary Sally Jewell visits King Cove in 2013. (Photo by Annie Feidt, APRN – Anchorage)
  U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski chairs the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
  Tuesday, she used that platform to grill Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on a number of issues in – or
  not in – the president’s budget, including the King Cove road.
  “And the fact that today is 26 months to the day that you have rejected this 10-mile, one lane, gravel, non-commer
  
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• Ferry sale on hold, for now

  24-02-2016 21:51
  
  The Matanuska-Susitna Borough’s unused ferry Susitna is approaching Seattle on the end of a tugboat’s tow rope. The beleagured ship is close to being sold, but the Borough Assembly is holding off on approving more money for engine repairs.
  Two weeks ago, the Mat-Su Assembly heard the bad news. Four engines on the MV Susitna need complete overhauls, and the work needs to be done in Seattle, and soon, to beat a March 31 deadline. The sale of the ship to the Phillipine Red Cross is
  
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• ANSEP proposal to re-purpose Mt. Edgecumbe High comes under criticism

  24-02-2016 21:49
  
  While other groups have rallied in support of Mt. Edgecumbe High School, Sitka Tribe of Alaska’s Tribal Council hasn’t yet taken a formal position on a proposal from the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program to take over the school.
  (Photo courtesy Mt. Edgecumbe High School)
  Students from Mt. Edgecumbe visited the Tribal Council at its meeting this month to keep them in the loop about the school’s plans to pushback against the ANSEP proposal.
  Hannah Kimber and Rachel Te
  
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• Alaska lawmakers score low on environmental report card

  24-02-2016 21:45
  
  Alaska lawmakers score low on environmental report cardThe League of Conservation Voters has released its annual “scorecard” of congressional votes, and Alaska’s lawmakers didn’t exactly make the honor roll. February 24, 2016
  
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• Bitumen railway from Alberta to Alaska proposed by Van Horne Institute - CBC.ca

  24-02-2016 21:40
  CBC.ca
  Bitumen railway from Alberta to Alaska proposed by Van Horne Institute
  CBC.ca
  A new study is proposing an alternate way to get Alberta's bitumen to tidewater — through a combination of rail and pipeline. The report released today by the Van Horne Institute studies the feasibility of building a railway from Fort McMurray to ...and more »
  

• House Fish holds tax increase proposal

  24-02-2016 21:31
  
  To help fill the state’s budget gap, Alaska Governor Bill Walker has asked legislators to consider a variety of tax increases – including raising fisheries taxes by one percent. The bill to do so is now on hold in the House Fisheries Committee.
  A proposal on hold in the House Fisheries committee would increase the state’s take of fisheries revenue by increasing a variety of taxes by one percent each. (Photo by Molly Dischner, KDLG – Dillingham)
   At the end of a heari
  
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• Hold off on cutting Alaska troops, Army chief of staff tells Senate panel

  24-02-2016 20:24
  
  Hold off on cutting Alaska troops, Army chief of staff tells Senate panelThe Army should delay plans to cut troops in Alaska because of the state’s strategic location and advancing Russian military activity, Gen. Mark A. Milley said Wednesday. February 24, 2016
  
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• UAF makes efforts to combat failures in sexual assault cases

  24-02-2016 20:07
  
  It’s been more than four months since the University of Alaska Fairbanks announced it failed to follow its own procedures in disciplining students accused of sexual assault. At the time an independent review of the UA system was ordered. UAF said it now has transparent procedures and software in place to prevent similar lapses, but the review is delayed.
  (Creative Commons photo by Jimmy Emerson)
  Last week UAF student and sexual assault survivor Amy Cross testified before University Board o
  
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• Sitka Girl Scouts advocate for safer intersection

  24-02-2016 20:00
  
  Girl Scouts in Sitka are doing more than selling cookies this year. One local troop is concerned about the safety of a heavily-used crosswalk.  The scouts hope to persuade the Alaska Department of Transportation that the intersection is more hazardous than the state thinks it is.
  Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)
  Standing outside the McDonald’s on Halibut Point Road, it’s easy to see the street is busy for any city, especially Sitka.
  Cars and se
  
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• Army chief recommends keeping brigade in Alaska - The Hill

  24-02-2016 19:50
  The Hill
  Army chief recommends keeping brigade in Alaska
  The Hill
  Army Chief Gen. Mark Milley said Wednesday he has recommended that an Army brigade slated to be cut in Alaska should stay another year due to the threat from Russia. "I've concluded, after four, five, six months here of pretty intensive study that ...
  

• Alaska-based airborne brigade could be spared from cuts - ArmyTimes.com

  24-02-2016 19:43
  ArmyTimes.com
  Alaska-based airborne brigade could be spared from cuts
  ArmyTimes.com
  The Army's only airborne brigade combat team in the Pacific theater has been spared — at least for another year. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley on Wednesday testified on Capitol Hill that he wants to defer for “at least one year” any decision to ...
  Milley: 4-25 IBCT To Stay in Alaska for at Least a YearDefenseNews.com
  Hold off on cutting Alaska troops, Army chief of staff tells Senate pa
  

• Sobering center considered as an alternative to prison in Fairbanks

  24-02-2016 19:18
  
  Recent deaths in Alaska prisons have underscored problems with jailing severely intoxicated individuals, pointing to the need for an alternative approach. Bethel operates a sobering center, where care and treatment are the focus, and a similar facility is being explored as an option in Fairbanks.
  State Title 47 requires temporary protective custody of an individual incapacitated by drugs or alcohol in public. It’s motivated by a public safety issue Fairbanks City Mayor John Eberhart says i
  
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• UAF researchers look to bring local fish into Alaska schools - KTUU.com

  24-02-2016 16:56
  KTUU.com
  UAF researchers look to bring local fish into Alaska schools
  KTUU.com
  FAIRBANKS (AP) — University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers are looking to expand a project that seeks to bring locally caught salmon into school cafeterias and classrooms throughout Alaska.and more »
  

• Alaska House subcommittee wants to cut most state funding for public broadcasting - Alaska Dispatch News

  24-02-2016 16:53
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Alaska House subcommittee wants to cut most state funding for public broadcasting
  Alaska Dispatch News
  A House Finance subcommittee on Tuesday proposed zeroing out state operations grants for public broadcasting, part of the effort to help close Alaska's enormous budget deficit. The measure was introduced by Rep. Lynn Gattis, R-Wasilla, chair of a ...
  Alaska's budget crisis likely to take a bite out of food safety unitFood Safety Newsall 6 news articles »
  

• Medicaid and American Indians and Alaska Natives - Kaiser Family Foundation

  24-02-2016 16:52
  Kaiser Family Foundation
  Medicaid and American Indians and Alaska Natives
  Kaiser Family Foundation
  American Indians and Alaska Natives face persistent disparities in health and health care, including a high uninsured rate, significant barriers to obtaining care, and poor health status. Treaties and laws establish the federal government's ...
  

• Aklestad and Johnson earn $10,000 as first Iron Dog racers into Nome

  24-02-2016 16:32
  
  Downtown Nome was buzzing with the sound of snowmachines on Tuesday as the first Iron Dog racers started arriving. Tyler Aklestad and Tyson Johnson claimed the $10,000 prize for the first team to reach the halfway finish.
  Iron Dog racers Tyson Johnson and Tyler Aklestad of Team #8 first into Nome. Photo courtesy of Keith Conger.
  Right after stepping off his Ski-Doo after over one thousand miles of racing, Johnson said he was happy with their results.
  “Well, we’re here
  
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• Law-makers sign $35,000 contract for LIO analysis

  24-02-2016 06:46
  
  Sen. Gary Stevens addresses a joint session of the Alaska Legislature during debate about confirmations of the governor’s appointees, April 17, 2014. (Photo by Skip Gray/Gavel Alaska)
  Law-makers have approved a contract for a global consulting firm to examine whether lawmakers should move offices out of the controversial Legislative Information Office in downtown Anchorage.
  LIO Navigant Contract and Engagement letter
  According to a contract signed Monday, the Legislative Council has decide
  
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• Alaska saw small job growth in third quarter of 2015 - Alaska Dispatch News

  24-02-2016 06:07
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Alaska saw small job growth in third quarter of 2015
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Despite talk of a looming state recession, Alaska showed small year-over-year job growth in the third quarter of last year. The state's average monthly employment grew by 0.4 percent in the third quarter of 2015 compared to the third quarter of 2014 ...and more »
  

• UA president pushes back against proposed budget cuts

  24-02-2016 05:37
  
  UA president pushes back against proposed budget cuts A proposal from Rep. Tammie Wilson would significantly reduce funding for the state's university system and the university's president is speaking out against it.February 23, 2016
  
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• Moody’s slaps ‘recession’ label on Alaska, but are we really there?

  24-02-2016 05:07
  
  Moody’s slaps ‘recession’ label on Alaska, but are we really there?Moody's Analytics is calling a recession in Alaska as low oil prices drag on the petroleum-dependent economy, but Alaska’s economists aren’t so sure.February 23, 2016
  
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• Moody’s Analytics slaps ‘recession’ label on Alaska, but are we really there?

  24-02-2016 05:07
  
  Moody’s Analytics slaps ‘recession’ label on Alaska, but are we really there?Moody's Analytics is calling a recession in Alaska as low oil prices drag on the petroleum-dependent economy. February 23, 2016
  
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• Alaska House bill aims to protect citizens who sue state from paying attorney's fees

  24-02-2016 04:00
  
  Alaska House bill aims to protect citizens who sue state from paying attorney's fees Rep. Andy Josephson has filed a bill that aims to protect public citizens who sue the state from paying large sums of money for attorney’s fees if they lose their cases.February 23, 2016
  
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• Alaska Air National Guard members deploy to Middle East

  24-02-2016 04:00
  
  
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  A C-130 Hercules from the Alaska Air National Guard’s 144th Airlift Squadron takes off from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on a previous deployment (File photo: David Kurle/US Air Force.)
  More than 100 members of Alaska’s Air National Guard are deploying to the Middle East Tuesday evening. The majority are from the 144 Airlift Squadron within the Guard’s 176th Wing, and will be flying C-130H aircraft as part of intra-theater operations.
  “Instead of ferrying
  
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• Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016

  24-02-2016 03:55
  
  
  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
  Alaska Air National Guard members deploying to Middle East
  Liz Ruskin, APRN and Zachariah Hughes, KSKA – Anchorage
  More than 100 members of the Alaska Air National Guard are deploying to the Middle East this week. The guard says most of them are
  
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• Democrats want to embrace candidates who won’t wear label

  24-02-2016 03:50
  
  
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  The Alaska Democratic Party wants to allow non-partisan candidates to run on the Democratic ballot in Primary Elections, and the party has filed a legal challenge to a state law that restricts the primary ballot to members only. Some Republicans allege the Democrats are trying to pull a fast one.
  State Democratic Party chair Casey Steinau says Democrats want to open their ballot to be more inclusive, to welcome candidates who don’t want to wear labels.
  “This allows fol
  
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• With negotiations delayed, Administration proposes $7M cut to gas line budget

  24-02-2016 03:40
  
  
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  State officials have put a number on how much they will trim from next year’s budget for marketing liquefied natural gas from the proposed pipeline: $7 million.
  Gov. Bill Walker (File photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
  That’s the cut Governor Bill Walker’s administration will make to its budget request. It reduces the number of companies marketing gas to customers in Asia from three to one.
  Deputy Natural Resources Commissioner Marty Rutherford told the House Finance Co
  
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• Legislature to hear bill for Alaskan income tax

  24-02-2016 03:40
  
  
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  A legislative committee will hear a bill that would levy a personal income tax on Alaskans later than anticipated.
  The Senate Labor and Commerce Committee was to have heard the bill Tuesday afternoon, but testimony on another bill before the committee ran long.
  Instead, the committee planned to introduce the bill and take public testimony Tuesday evening.
  The income tax is one of several tax proposals from Gov. Bill Walker intended to address the state’s estimated $3.5 billi
  
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• “The Way Home”­ Healing from Historical Trauma

  24-02-2016 03:34
  
  The impacts of Trauma on an individual are well documented and include; Depression, anxiety, substance abuse, poor attachment and bonding, and numerous other physicaland emotional problems. When large groups of people collectively experience traumatic events such as genocide, oppression, or prolonged war, the impacts can devastate acommunity or an entire culture for generations. Over representation in the homeless population and in correctional institutions, widespread proble
  
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• UA president touts plan to save state money

  24-02-2016 03:14
  
  
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  University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen is touting a restructuring plan called “Strategic Pathways” as a way to save the state money.
  UA president Jim Johnsen (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
  The plan, presented to the Board of Regents last week, would reorganize the system into three “lead” universities, but it lacks specifics about how much money it would save, or which programs might be on the chopping block.
  Johnsen told reporters today it’s in the
  
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• State’s first wildfire burns open tundra

  24-02-2016 03:00
  
  
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  A lack of snow in interior Alaska helped the state’s first wildfire of 2016 burn open tundra. The Alaska Division of Forestry says in a statement that the fire started and was extinguished Monday on military land about 10 miles south of Delta Junction.
  The agency says the fire was started by live-fire training. Firefighters from the Fort Greely Fire Department extinguished the fire.
  Officials didn’t know how many acres were burned, and planned to travel to the sit
  
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• Report details Inter-Island Ferry System’s economic impacts

  24-02-2016 02:59
  
  
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  An independent southern Southeast Alaska ferry system contributes about $50 million a year to the region’s economy. The Inter-Island Ferry Authority just released a report showing its impacts on tourism, seafood, health-care and other industries.
  The Inter-Island Ferry Authority, or IFA, has been sailing for about 15 years It runs between Hollis, on Prince of Wales Island, and Ketchikan. And it’s separate from the much larger Alaska Marine Highway System.
  Dennis Watson
  
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• 2016 Iron Dog snowmachine racers start to arrive in Nome

  24-02-2016 02:40
  
  Competitive Iron Dog teams started to arrive in Nome Tuesday.  Team Number #8, Tyler Ecklestad of Palmer and Tyson Johnson of Eagle River, arrived at the 1000 mile halfway point along the Iron Dog trail just after 3:30 Tuesday afternoon. They won $10,000 for their effort, but they weren’t the first team to arrive in Nome.
  The very first team driving this year’s IronDog trail arrived more than two hours earlier, though with little fanfare.
  The crowd was tiny b
  
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• $7 million of next years budget cut from liquid natural gas

  24-02-2016 02:32
  
  State officials have put a number on how much they will trim from next year’s budget for marketing liquefied natural gas from the proposed pipeline: $7 million.
  Gov. Bill Walker (File photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
  That’s the cut Governor Bill Walker’s administration will make to its budget request. It reduces the number of companies marketing gas to customers in Asia from three to one.
  Deputy Natural Resources Commissioner Marty Rutherford told the House Finance Committee Tuesday
  
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• IFA releases report on effects of Southeast Alaska ferries

  24-02-2016 02:18
  
  An independent southern Southeast Alaska ferry system contributes about $50 million a year to the region’s economy. The Inter-Island Ferry Authority just released a report showing its impacts on tourism, seafood, health-care and other industries.
  The Inter-Island Ferry Authority, or IFA, has been sailing for about 15 years It runs between Hollis, on Prince of Wales Island, and Ketchikan. And it’s separate from the much larger Alaska Marine Highway System.
  Dennis Watson of Craig is th
  
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• Lawmakers to pay up to $35,000 for LIO analysis

  24-02-2016 01:40
  
  Lawmakers to pay up to $35,000 for LIO analysis A legislative committee has hired a consulting firm under a contract capped at $35,000 to compare the costs for lawmakers to stay in their renovated Anchorage offices, buy the building, or move to the state-owned Atwood Building elsewhere downtown.February 23, 2016
  
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• Cannabis deadline means beginning of applications, but not sales

  24-02-2016 01:10
  
  Wednesday is an important date in the state’s long process of licensing commercial cannabis in Alaska: The deadline for the state to have a permit application up and running.
  (Marie Richie/Flickr)
  “From the stand-point of somebody that wants to go into the industry, February 24th is actually the starting point, it’s not a deadline at all, it’s really just the first date,” said Bruce Schulte, Chair of the state’s Marijuana Control Board.
  For anyone ex
  
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