Alaska news

• Trail Mix: McGrath’s Iditarod auction

  10-03-2016 23:45
  
  
  Volunteers welcoming Dallas Seavey, the first musher into McGrath. (Photo by Zachariah Hughes/KSKA)Trail Mix is Alaska Public Media reporters’ inside look at life on the Iditarod trail.
  Iditarod is far more than dog racing. Small Alaska communities celebrate the arrival of longer days and the people in the community. McGrath hosts an auction fundraiser each year when the Iditarod rolls through to raise money for a local organization and a family in need.
  KNOM’s Emily Schwing stopped
  
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• Benja scratches in McGrath

  10-03-2016 23:21
  
  Charley Benja, pictured here at the Willow restart, has scratched from Iditarod 44. (Photo by Ben Matheson/Alaska Public Media)Charley Bejna has scratched from the 2016 Iditarod. The veteran from Addison, IL pulled out of the race at 11:50 a.m. Thursday at the McGrath checkpoint.
  According to a press release from the Iditarod Trail Committee, Bejna made the decision to scratch due to concern for his race team.
  He had 11 dogs in his team when he left the race. Benja is the fifth musher to scratch
  
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• Jeff King rolls into Yukon River checkpoint of Ruby

  10-03-2016 23:13
  
  Denali musher Jeff King at the 2016 Iditarod start on Sunday, March 6. (Photo by Ben Matheson/Alaska Public Media)Four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King has arrived at the Yukon River checkpoint of Ruby. He pulled in just after 1:00 Thursday afternoon. He told KNOM’s Emily Schwing prior to the race that he plans to rest a while there.
  The last winning musher to successfully take a 24-hour break in Ruby was Emmitt Peters “The Yukon Fox” in 1975. King in 2014 pushed to Ruby and le
  
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• I Am A Stone Cold Curler | INDIE ALASKA

  10-03-2016 22:39
  
  Vicky Persinger comes from four generations of Fairbanks curlers. She grew up riding the rocks at Alaska’s oldest curling club–which just happens to be older than the state. She someday hopes to toss those rocks down the ice in the winter olympics
  
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• Brent Sass arrives in Cripple, then takes off toward Ruby

  10-03-2016 22:25
  
  Brent Sass grabs snacks on his way through Nikolai. (Photo by Emily Schwing/KNOM)
  Eureka musher Brent Sass has made it to the Cripple.
  Sass checked in shortly after noon Thursday, making him the first musher who has taken the mandatory 24-hour layover.
  According to Iditarod Insider writer Sebastian Schnuelle, Sass stayed in the checkpoint just long enough to check in and pick up a few supplies before heading back out on the trail toward Ruby.
  Four-time champion Jeff King, who last won in 2006, l
  
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• Thursday’s Three to Read: catch up on Iditarod 44

  10-03-2016 21:18
  
  Denali musher Jeff King at the 2016 Iditarod ceremonial start in Anchorage on Saturday, March 5. (Photo by Patrick Yack/Alaska Public Media)Halfway to Nome, teams’ locations on the map are just dots, or perhaps more appropriately, asterisks. The question this morning is not “where are the mushers?,” but rather “when are the mushers?”Hugh Neff is hustling back into the mix after taking his 24-hour rest in Nikolai. Jeff King is pushing all the way to the Yukon River b
  
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• Obama, Trudeau announce plans to fight Arctic oil, gas pollution; Alaskans criticize lack of input

  10-03-2016 20:23
  
  Obama, Trudeau announce plans to fight Arctic oil, gas pollution; Alaskans criticize lack of input President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a joint plan to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas industry and a suite of plans to protect the Arctic environment. Alaska's congressional delegation wasn't happy. March 10, 2016
  
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• Obama, Trudeau announce plans to fight Arctic oil and gas pollution; Alaskans criticize lack of input

  10-03-2016 20:23
  
  Obama, Trudeau announce plans to fight Arctic oil and gas pollution; Alaskans criticize lack of input President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a joint plan to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas industry and a suite of plans to protect the environment in the Arctic on Thursday. Alaska's congressional delegation wasn't happy. March 10, 2016
  
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• Obama, Trudeau announce plans to cut oil and gas pollution, protect Arctic environment

  10-03-2016 20:23
  
  Obama, Trudeau announce plans to cut oil and gas pollution, protect Arctic environment President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a joint plan to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas industry and a suite of plans to protect the environment in the Arctic on Thursday. March 10, 2016
  
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• Alaskans slam Obama on U.S.-Canada Arctic plan

  10-03-2016 20:23
  
  Alaskans slam Obama on U.S.-Canada Arctic planPresident Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a joint plan to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas industry and a suite of plans to protect the Arctic environment. Alaska's congressional delegation wasn't happy. March 10, 2016
  
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• Bethel council mulls mailed ballots to raise local election turnout

  10-03-2016 19:51
  
  Bethel council mulls mailed ballots to raise local election turnout To increase voter turnout for local elections, the City of Bethel is looking into replacing voting at the polls with voting by mail. The thinking behind the shift is more people would vote if ballots were cast more conveniently through the postal service rather than at a poll at a specific time on a specific date, according to a story on KYUK Public Media.March 10, 2016
  
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• Walker orders cooperation between 3 state-backed agencies

  10-03-2016 18:45
  
  Walker orders cooperation between 3 state-backed agencies Alaska Gov. Bill Walker has directed the Alaska Housing Finance Corp., Alaska Energy Authority, and Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority to work toward consolidation and efficiency.March 10, 2016
  
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• Walker orders 3 state-backed agencies to look at opportunities for consolidation

  10-03-2016 18:45
  
  Walker orders 3 state-backed agencies to look at opportunities for consolidation Alaska Gov. Bill Walker has directed the Alaska Housing Finance Corp., Alaska Energy Authority, and Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority to explore the possibility of working toward consolidation and efficiency.March 10, 2016
  
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• Trudeau, Obama issue joint statement on Arctic, climate, energy

  10-03-2016 18:05
  
  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)
  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is visiting Washington Thursday.
  He and President Barack Obama on Thursday morning issued a joint statement on Arctic leadership, climate and energy.
  The statement says the two countries plan to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as each agreed to do in the Pari
  
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• Some Iditarod leaders pushing race pace

  10-03-2016 17:53
  
  Denali musher Jeff King at the 2016 Iditarod ceremonial start in Anchorage on Saturday, March 5. (Photo by Patrick Yack/Alaska Public Media)
  Mushers seem to be pushing their dogs a little farther down the trail this year before they opt to take their mandatory 24-hour rest.
  It’s a move Jeff King predicted at the ceremonial start of the race in Anchorage.
  “I would just about bet the farm that if significant changes don’t occur in the weather and snow, there will be all kinds of
  
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• Jeff King takes Iditarod lead mushing toward Ruby

  10-03-2016 17:37
  
  Four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King. (Alaska Public Media photo)
  Denali musher Jeff King, so far, is the lone musher to push through Cripple toward the Ruby.
  The 4-time Iditarod champion spent four hours in the Cripple checkpoint, before heading down the trail at 3:05 a.m. today.
  Six mushers remain in Cripple, including reigning champion Dallas Seavey, Noah Burmeister, Robert Sorlie and John Baker.
  Seavey was first into the checkpoint at 3:31 p.m. Wednesday.
  Over a dozen mushers are on th
  
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• Iditarod race plans take shape as mushers take 24-hour layovers

  10-03-2016 17:11
  
  
  Mitch Seavey was the first in a large group of mushers finishing their 24s late Wednesday night and early thur morning. (Photo by Zachariah Hughes/KSKA)
  Long before the race ever starts, mushers pack their drop bags with gear and food to so that they have options for where and when to take their 24-hour mandatory rest along the Iditarod Trail.
  This year, some of them tried something new, while others are doing what they know.
  It’s only a matter of time before it becomes clear who has the w
  
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• Alaska Girls Basketball POY: Ruthy Hebard - USA TODAY High School Sports

  10-03-2016 14:03
  USA TODAY High School Sports
  Alaska Girls Basketball POY: Ruthy Hebard
  USA TODAY High School Sports
  The Gatorade State Girls Basketball Players of the Year were selected based on athletic production and impact in the 2015-16 fall season. Each winner also demonstrated high academic achievement and exemplary personal character, including volunteerism ...and more »
  

• My Turn: Your Alaska driver's license and the REAL ID - Juneau Empire (subscription)

  10-03-2016 10:02
  My Turn: Your Alaska driver's license and the REAL ID
  Juneau Empire (subscription)
  My research began trying to determine if the DMV was actually using facial recognition software for the new Driver License (DL) photograph and if so, why? To me, this would be a violation of privacy rights if confirmed. Apparently, DMV chooses to call ...
  

• Komets drop overtime thriller in first Alaska game - News Sentinel

  10-03-2016 08:18
  News Sentinel
  Komets drop overtime thriller in first Alaska game
  News Sentinel
  Photo courtesy of Skip Hickey/Alaska Aces Komets center Paul Crowder battles Alaska forward Stephen Perfetto during the first period Wednesday night in Anchorage. This was Fort Wayne's first-ever game in Alaska. Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
  Komets' 1st Alaska game ends in OT lossFort Wayne Journal Gazette (blog)all 9 news articles »
  

• Rising folk artist Brenda Xu making first Alaska appearance - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

  10-03-2016 06:56
  Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
  Rising folk artist Brenda Xu making first Alaska appearance
  Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
  FAIRBANKS — Brenda Xu did not set out to intentionally tour Alaska. Now that she's here, though, she is planning on making the most of it. “It's pretty amazing that Alaska is part of the United States because it seems like such a different place,” Xu, ...
  

• Alaska nursing board endorses easier access for detox centers - Alaska Dispatch News

  10-03-2016 06:49
  Alaska nursing board endorses easier access for detox centers
  Alaska Dispatch News
  A Wednesday decision by Alaska's nursing board could translate into improved, and sorely needed, access to drug and alcohol detox, public health officials say. Amid a recent push by care providers and a coalition of Anchorage churches, the Alaska Board ...and more »
  

• Alaska to host multinational cold weather training - Stars and Stripes

  10-03-2016 06:38
  Stars and Stripes
  Alaska to host multinational cold weather training
  Stars and Stripes
  The weak winter sun struggles to warm up a frozen landscape near Black Rapids Training Site, Alaska. Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes. Buy a print · 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. Soldiers assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th ...
  

• Alaska House makes first move on budget bill - KTVA.com - Alaska News and Weather

  10-03-2016 06:34
  KTVA.com - Alaska News and Weather
  Alaska House makes first move on budget bill
  KTVA.com - Alaska News and Weather
  The House Finance Committee moved out its final versions of the state operating and mental health budgets Wednesday and onto the House floor. Lawmakers spent more than two and a half hours reviewing the legislation Wednesday morning, after working ...
  Committee advances state budget for Alaska House voteFairbanks Daily News-Miner
  Alaska budget director raises issues with House
  

• Trail Mix: At an Iditarod checkpoint, the snowbank is the studio

  10-03-2016 06:33
  
  Trail Mix is Alaska Public Media’s trail reporters inside look at covering the Iditarod sled dog race.
  Emily Schwing knows a lot more than I do about reporting on thousand-mile sled-dog races. Like, vastly more. At all kinds of levels. So I’m trying my best to heed her recommendation that the best place to voice the audio for a radio story is outside. In the quiet cold. Preferably behind a snow bank, to absorbs all those extra sounds.
  Bush planes parked Wednesday on the river near th
  
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• House Finance Committee restores public broadcasting money

  10-03-2016 05:31
  
  House Finance Committee restores public broadcasting money The amendment restored $2.7 million to public broadcasting and will help keep the doors open at rural radio stations, supporters said. March 9, 2016
  
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• PFD cuts could mean big ripples in Alaska economy

  10-03-2016 04:52
  
  
  It’s PFD application time in Alaska; the deadline is March 31. And if nothing changes, this year’s check, like last year’s, will total about $2000.
  But as lawmakers grapple with a mammoth budget deficit, it’s becoming increasingly likely that the solution will require tapping Permanent Fund earnings — and reducing the dividend.
  Experts say that will have ripple effects throughout the economy. Meanwhile, as Alaska considers scaling
  
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• Legislature pursues more big cuts to campaign finance regulators

  10-03-2016 04:45
  
  Legislature pursues more big cuts to campaign finance regulatorsProposed legislative cuts would leave the Alaska Public Offices Commission with less than half the funding it had two years ago.  March 9, 2016
  
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• Three-time champion Seavey in lead halfway through Alaska's Iditarod - Yahoo News

  10-03-2016 04:43
  Yahoo News
  Three-time champion Seavey in lead halfway through Alaska's Iditarod
  Yahoo News
  JUNEAU, Alaska (Reuters) - Three-time Iditarod sled-dog racing champion Dallas Seavey became the first to reach the halfway point of the near 1,000-mile race on Wednesday. Seavey, winner in three of the last four years and looking for his third ...
  His injured son weighing on his mind, Buser's Iditarod is more camping trip than raceAlaska Dispatch News
  Mushers compete in Alaska's Iditarod raceDeutsche Wel
  

• Campus Carry Passes in Alaska Senate Committee - Breitbart News

  10-03-2016 04:37
  Breitbart News
  Campus Carry Passes in Alaska Senate Committee
  Breitbart News
  Campus carry legislation passed out of Alaska's Senate judiciary committee March 7 and is next expected to be taken up by the Senate's finance committee. The legislation, Senate Bill 174, is sponsored by Sen. Pete Kelly (R-Fairbanks). NRA-ILA reports ...
  

• With less freight, Alaska Railroad wants to start renting out its locomotives - Alaska Dispatch News

  10-03-2016 04:31
  Alaska Dispatch News
  With less freight, Alaska Railroad wants to start renting out its locomotives
  Alaska Dispatch News
  In response to declining freight in recent years and in search of new revenue, the Alaska Railroad Corp. is seeking bids for rentals of its locomotives. The railroad on Friday put out a request for proposals for a new locomotive leasing program ...and more »
  

• Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, Mar. 9, 2016

  10-03-2016 04:27
  
  
  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
  Cuts to PFD could ripple across the economy 
  Rachel Waldholz, APRN – Anchorage
  It’s PFD application time in Alaska. The deadline is March 31. And if nothing changes, this year’s check will be about the same size as last 
  
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• Proposed criminal justice reform bill under scrutiny

  10-03-2016 04:23
  
  
  Senators are working on a bill that would overhaul Alaska’s criminal justice system. The measure would reduce arrests and prison time for nonviolent offenses. It also would help prisoners re-enter society.
  But victim’s rights advocates and some legislators have raised concerns about the legislation.
  Download Audio
  The bill draws on recommendations from the 13-member Alaska Criminal Justice Commission. It spent more than a year considering ways to reduce recidivism while taking pressu
  
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• Budget proposal sent to House floor

  10-03-2016 04:17
  
  
  The House Finance Committee sent its budget proposal to the House floor Wednesday. Including some late changes, the budget would cut spending by 280 million dollars. It also spends 225 million in funds left from the current budget.
  There were some intense exchanges between committee members before the final vote.
  Download Audio
  Wasilla Republican Representative Lynn Gattis questioned why the leftover funds from the current budget only emerged recently.
  “Folks in my district are saying, &ls
  
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• Alaska Air adjusts flight plan so fliers can see eclipse - USA TODAY

  10-03-2016 03:53
  USA TODAY
  Alaska Air adjusts flight plan so fliers can see eclipse
  USA TODAY
  In the early hours of Wednesday morning, parts of Indonesia and the Central Pacific experienced a total solar eclipse as the moon passed between the Sun and the Earth, plunging the areas along its path into near darkness. Although hundreds of eclipse ...
  Alaska Airlines Changes Flight Path so Passengers Can Witness Solar Eclipse at 35000 FeetKTLA
  WATCH: Alaska Airlines flight intercepts Tuesday evening solar eclip
  

• Tax me, please, for Alaska is well worth the price of admission - Alaska Dispatch News

  10-03-2016 03:52
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Tax me, please, for Alaska is well worth the price of admission
  Alaska Dispatch News
  OPINION: Alaska's aging baby boomers got the benefit of a free ride, but rising generations are ready and willing to pay their own way. I am a 38-year-old Alaskan. I was born five months after the first barrel of oil hit Valdez, and my family moved to ...
  'Glass-half-full' governor confronts oil-driven fiscal crisisEnvironment & Energy Publishingall 15 news articles »
  

• Takotna provides respite for weary dogs and mushers

  10-03-2016 02:47
  
  
  It’s the fourth day of the Iditarod, and dozens of teams are in the middle of their mandatory 24 hour rests. Mitch Seavey was the first to declare his rest in Takotna, and is cleared to leave just before 11 o’clock Wednesday. The elder Seavey is a regular in Takotna, and says there are plenty of reasons for that.
  Download AudioJessie Royer, left, eats in Takotna with Mark Sass, Brent Sass’s father, as well as Richie Diehl and Pete Kaiser. (Photo by Zachariah Hughes/ Alaska Publ
  
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• Learning about poetry by making some ‘Noise’

  10-03-2016 02:32
  
  
  Ms. Becker’s fifth grade class. (Hillman/KSKA)A couple times a week Emily Becker’s 5th graders get to spend time apart from their 6th grade classmates at Airport Heights Elementary and focus on creative projects, like writing comic books about inventors. This week learned about poetry and radio while making a lot of ‘Noise.” Hear their rendition of the poem by Jessie Pope.Download Audio.
  Independent radio producer Jessica Cochran helped with the production.
  
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• Dallas Seavey leads Iditarod pack into Cripple

  10-03-2016 02:07
  
  
  Dallas Seavey, pictured here arriving first into McGrath, has pushed all the way to Cripple. (Photo by Zachariah Hughes/KSKA)
  Dallas Seavey has pushed his team at the front of Iditarod pack into the old gold mining settlement of Cripple. 400 miles into the race, the three-time champion is joined by seven others out of Ophir, including Jeff King, Norwegian Robert Sorlie, and Noah Burmeister. With 14 dogs in harness, Dallas Seavey wins the Dorothy G. Page Halfway Award: $3,000 in gold nuggets.
  Dow
  
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• State of the Leaf: Montana Dispensaries Going Dark, Alaska Considers Punishing Villages, and Jamaica Readies for ... - Leafly

  10-03-2016 01:47
  Leafly
  State of the Leaf: Montana Dispensaries Going Dark, Alaska Considers Punishing Villages, and Jamaica Readies for ...
  Leafly
  Major changes are afoot! Alaska wants to regulate retail cannabis shops by jurisdiction, and Idaho and Utah have hit speedbumps in their fight to legalize medical cannabis. Montana's medical program could be in serious jeopardy, and West Virginia has ...
  

• Aging Southeast: Bunking with the family in Petersburg

  10-03-2016 01:40
  
  
  Elizabeth Tyner, 92, lives with her granddaughter Melinda Cook, left, and great-granddaughter Shawnee Cook, right. Tyner is among Southeast seniors aging at home. (Photo by Angela Denning/KFSK)
  Some Southeast Alaska families have stayed with the tradition of helping loved ones age in place. Elders live at home, with children and grandchildren, instead of moving into assisted living or a nursing home.
  It’s a friendlier and lower-cost option for older residents of the region, whose numbers a
  
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• Arctic science summit gets underway at UAF

  10-03-2016 01:36
  
  
  The first of dozens of events to be held as part of the 18th annual Arctic Science Summit Week gets under way Wednesday on the University of Alaska-Fairbanks campus.
  Download Audio
  UAF Vice Chancellor for Research Larry Hinzman said this year’s summit is the first to be held on U.S. soil. And it’ll be the biggest yet.
  “You typically have like just five or six groups getting together. And so what we’ve done this time is essentially we’re inviting almost eve
  
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• UK musher Franklin's dogs get loose; search underway - Alaska Dispatch News

  10-03-2016 01:32
  Alaska Dispatch News
  UK musher Franklin's dogs get loose; search underway
  Alaska Dispatch News
  NIKOLAI — A search is on Wednesday morning for Iditarod musher Kim Franklin's sled dog team, which got loose somewhere between Nikolai and Rohn. Jim Davis, the race judge at Nikolai, said he got word Tuesday night that Franklin, a 50-year-old musher ...and more »
  

• Runaway Iditarod dog team reunited with British musher Franklin - Alaska Dispatch News

  10-03-2016 01:32
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Runaway Iditarod dog team reunited with British musher Franklin
  Alaska Dispatch News
  NIKOLAI -- After a long night spent walking the Iditarod trail and worrying about her lost dog team, Iditarod musher Kim Franklin was reunited with her team Wednesday afternoon and appeared to be back on the trail and headed to Nikolai. Once the ...
  Wednesday's Three to Read: catch up on Iditarod 44Alaska Public Radio Networkall 37 news articles »
  

• Sullivan says JBER troop cut not reversed yet

  10-03-2016 01:15
  
  The battle to keep the 425 Airborne Brigade Combat Team at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson may seem all but won. The top uniformed officer of the Army, Gen. Mark Milley, said at a hearing last month he wants to postpone the troop cut for at least a year, citing national security interests.
  But Sen. Dan Sullivan says it’s not a done deal yet. He is still talking about the value of the 425 at hearings of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to build support.
  “We’ve been
  
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• Committee advances state budget for Alaska House vote - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

  10-03-2016 01:01
  KTUU.com
  Committee advances state budget for Alaska House vote
  Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
  JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A state House committee has finalized its version of the state operating budget, clearing the way for a vote on the House floor this week. The bill advanced from the House Finance Committee Wednesday. Members spent part of the ...
  Alaska budget director raises issues with House proposalsAlaska Dispatch News
  Alaska Chamber: Lawmakers should focus on spending cutsKTUU.comall
  

• Watch An Astronomer Totally Freak Out at 35000 Feet During Tuesday's Solar Eclipse - Slate Magazine (blog)

  10-03-2016 00:06
  Slate Magazine (blog)
  Watch An Astronomer Totally Freak Out at 35000 Feet During Tuesday's Solar Eclipse
  Slate Magazine (blog)
  On Tuesday, the moon passed in front of the sun, casting a shadow over remote sections of the Pacific Ocean: a total solar eclipse. Since not many people live in the middle of the ocean, to the rescue came Alaska Airlines, whose regularly scheduled ...
  A front row seat at 37000 feet for the solar eclipseKOMO News
  March 8, 2016 – March 9, 2016 — Total Solar E
  

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