Alaska news

• Gov. Walker signs bill restricting access to court records

  27-02-2016 05:09
  
  Gov. Walker signs bill restricting access to court records A bill that removes online access to criminal case records involving defendants who have been acquitted of crimes, as well as dismissed or dropped cases, was signed into law by Gov. Bill Walker on Friday.February 26, 2016
  
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• Climate, costs, convenience drive mushing onto the road

  27-02-2016 04:53
  
  To be competitive in the Iditarod, more mushers are migrating onto Alaska’s road system.
  Though the sport was born on the Seward Peninsula, factors like money, climate, and convenience are pushing it further onto the Railbelt. And with serious sled-dog races getting faster and more specialized, many mushers are leaving the bush behind to train.
  Richie Diehl drives his team over groomed trails towards Aaron Burmeister’s property during training ahead of the 2016 Id
  
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• House subcommittee proposes slashing checks for thousands of seniors

  27-02-2016 04:27
  
  House subcommittee proposes slashing checks for thousands of seniors A House subcommittee deepened cuts to health care services already proposed by Gov. Bill Walker, eliminating senior benefits for thousands and cutting a youth detention facility in Nome.  February 26, 2016
  
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• Alaska News Nightly: Friday, Feb. 26, 2016

  27-02-2016 04:23
  
  
  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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  Alaska Democrats announce finalists to fill Gruenberg seat
  Associated Press
  Anchorage Democrats have announced three finalists to fill the vacancy left by the late state Rep. Max Gruenberg.
  Hundreds of millions more in budget cuts recommended 
  And
  
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• In rural Alaska, building wind power means building people power

  27-02-2016 04:13
  
  
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  Earlier this week, we brought you the story of a pioneering wind system in Western Alaska, where the four villages of the Chaninik Wind Group are aiming to replace half their diesel use with wind power.
  But when it comes to energy innovation in rural Alaska, technology is only half the story. The real necessity is people power.
  Mike Wassallie climbs a wind turbine in Kwigillingok to check the blades after a blizzard. Photo: Rachel Waldholz/APRN
  In Kwig, the sun is shinin
  
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• Hundreds of millions more in budget cuts recommended

  27-02-2016 02:51
  
  
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  The Legislature completed the first stage of its annual budget process today. House Finance Subcommittees recommended more than $120 million more in cuts on top of the 100 million that Governor Bill Walker proposed.
  Health and Social Services was the department that received the deepest cuts. They include eliminating $5.18 million in cash assistance to seniors, and three million in behavioral health grants.
  Representative David Guttenberg, a Fairbanks Democrat, opposes the cu
  
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• Republican presidential campaigns gear up in Alaska for Super Tuesday - Alaska Dispatch News

  27-02-2016 02:39
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Republican presidential campaigns gear up in Alaska for Super Tuesday
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Voters signed in to cast ballots in the Alaska Republican Party presidential preference poll on March 6, 2012 at Anchorage Christian School. Erik Hill / Anchorage Daily News file photo. Alaska Republicans will head to the polls next Tuesday to decide ...
  Alaska Republicans prepare for Super TuesdayFairbanks Daily News-Miner
  Alaska Republicans Prep for Super TuesdayKBBIall 13 news arti
  

• Alaska Democrats announce finalists to fill Gruenberg seat

  27-02-2016 02:38
  
  
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  Anchorage Democrats have announced three finalists to fill the vacancy left by the late state Rep. Max Gruenberg.
  They are Taylor Brelsford, Kendra Kloster and Ivy Spohnholz. The Alaska Democratic party, in a release, said Gruenberg’s widow, Kayla Epstein, withdrew her application.
  By law, the appointee must be a member of the same political party as the predecessor, and in this case, would be subject to confirmation by House Democrats.
  Walker has 30 days from the vacancy to
  
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• Republican presidential campaigns gear up in Alaska for Super Tuesday

  27-02-2016 02:36
  
  Republican presidential campaigns gear up in Alaska for Super Tuesday Alaska Republicans will head to the polls next Tuesday to decide on a Republican nominee for president, one of 13 such contests being held around the country on “Super Tuesday.”February 26, 2016
  
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• Iron Dog approaches its final stage: Johnson, Aklestad in lead

  27-02-2016 02:34
  
  
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  The 2016 Iron Dog Snowmachine Race is approaching its final stage, and Team 8 is cautiously guarding its lead.
  The team of Eagle River’s Tyson Johnson and Palmer’s Tyler Aklestad were the first to reach Tanana this afternoon at 1:47 – 39 minutes faster than their closest competitors.
  Aklestad said that his team is ready to go full throttle if necessary, but for now, they are choosing to play it safe – and not looking over their shoulders.
  “Coming from
  
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• Rep. Young wins lightning round on bears, feds, ANWR

  27-02-2016 02:10
  
  
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  It was a busy morning for Alaska Congressman Don Young. On the floor of the U.S. House, he took on a trio of iconic Alaska issues – polar bears, state sovereignty and what to do with the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge. Young prevailed on all three counts.
  It was the lightning round of Congressional argument, where each side has five minutes to make their case. The subject:  the House Sportsman’s bill. Among its 74 pages was a provision Young has been wor
  
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• Color of Justice strives to involve youth, rural voices with the justice system

  27-02-2016 01:51
  
  Judge Pamela Washington speaks with students during the Color of Justice program. Hillman/KSKA
  For more than a decade, the Color of Justice program has tried to educate students of color about legal professions and how they can give back to their communities by pursuing law. This year, for the first time, Alaska Native Corporations have come together to get rural students involved.
  Judge Pamela Washington sits in a crowded room surrounded by youth who pepper her with questions about why she went
  
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• Years-old Kuskokwim plane crash reports released

  27-02-2016 01:26
  
  Wreckage of the Cessna 208 that killed two pilots in April. (Photo courtesy of Alaska State Troopers)
  Federal investigators have released their reports on two fatal plane crashes that happened in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta in 2014 and 2013. Both crashes, according to the reports involved pilot errors.
  The National Transportation Safety Board released a probable cause report this week on the November 2013 crash near the village of St. Mary’s that killed four people.
  The report says the
  
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• Murkowski urges construction of multiple icebreakers

  27-02-2016 01:23
  
  The Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent makes an approach to the Coast Guard Cutter Healy in the Arctic Ocean. (Photo by Patrick Kelley/U.S. Coast Guard)
  Sen. Lisa Murkowski drilled Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Arctic security on Wednesday. At an Appropriations Committee hearing on the Coast Guard’s Arctic assets, Murkowski urged Secretary Johnson to look beyond the nation’s plan to build just one new icebreaker.
  “We recognize that it is ex
  
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• Muni receives over $1M in restitution from tax fraud case

  27-02-2016 01:12
  
  The U.S. Attorney’s Office has turned over more than a million dollars in seized assets to the municipality of Anchorage tied to a 2015 court ruling.
  At a Thursday press conference, officials announced that the one point one million dollar check [$1,110,559] is connected to an investigation into six individuals participating in a scheme to defraud the municipality over cigarette taxes.
  According to a release, between 2009 and 2012 the convicted retailers purchased whole-sale cigarettes, th
  
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• Revisiting Alaska Native Games

  27-02-2016 01:00
  
  The one arm reach tests athletes’ agility and strength. -EMILY SCHWING / KUAC
  Arctic Winter Games logo
  This week we’re replaying a favorite show on Alaska Native games from 2014. The annual statewide competitions are coming up soon, as well as the international Arctic Winter Games in Greenland.  These games are spectacular, like the high kick, and sometimes require toughness and courage. Their cultural roots are for preparing for outdoor survival and hunting success. We had
  
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• 'Color of Justice' program aims to diversify Alaska's legal system - Alaska Dispatch News

  27-02-2016 00:53
  Alaska Dispatch News
  'Color of Justice' program aims to diversify Alaska's legal system
  Alaska Dispatch News
  More than 70 students from towns and villages across Alaska as well as the Anchorage School District had a chance to ask lawyers and judges questions about their professions Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, during a Color of Justice event. The Color of Justice ...and more »
  

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