Alaska news

• 7 reasons to collect Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles - USA TODAY

  14-04-2016 23:38
  
  USA TODAY
  7 reasons to collect Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles
  USA TODAY
  Alaska Airlines has always done things a bit differently. It's grown to become a serious competitor to its bigger rivals by providing acclaimed passenger service and forging unique relationships rather than joining one of the major alliances. Because ...and more »
  
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• Alaska House moves tax bills toward floor vote

  14-04-2016 21:25
  
  Alaska House moves tax bills toward floor vote Gov. Bill Walker’s tax proposals Thursday took a big step forward in the House, though the bills still face substantial opposition and a time crunch with just three days left in the legislative session.April 14, 2016
  
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• Alaska House moves Gov. Walker's income tax bill toward floor vote

  14-04-2016 21:25
  
  Alaska House moves Gov. Walker's income tax bill toward floor vote The Alaska House is moving Gov. Bill Walker’s proposed personal income tax toward an up-or-down vote, though the bill appears unlikely to pass as the Legislature nears the end of its 90-day session.April 14, 2016
  
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• Former candidates seek audit of Metlakatla election

  14-04-2016 18:05
  Former candidates seek audit of Metlakatla electionThe plaintiffs in a federal civil rights complaint against the Metlakatla Indian Community and its officials are seeking an audit of the community's general election in November.April 14, 2016
  
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• Delta scales back amid 'poor' demand in Alaska capital - USA TODAY

  14-04-2016 16:41
  
  USA TODAY
  Delta scales back amid 'poor' demand in Alaska capital
  USA TODAY
  Delta Air Lines will discontinue year-round service to Juneau on Aug. 31, switching to a seasonal schedule for its flights between Seattle and Alaska's capital city. Delta apparently did not gain enough traction in that market against Alaska Airlines ...
  
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• Unrelenting Winter Warmth Could Herald Alaska's Future - Climate Central

  14-04-2016 16:09
  
  Climate Central
  Unrelenting Winter Warmth Could Herald Alaska's Future
  Climate Central
  The first 100 days of 2016 were record warm for many spots around Alaska, continuing a pattern of warmth that has gripped the state over much of the last three years and looks to continue for at least the next few months. The prolonged period of ...
  
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• Alaska’s former top cop Monegan, ousted in Troopergate, gets second crack at job

  14-04-2016 10:15
  
  Alaska’s former top cop Monegan, ousted in Troopergate, gets second crack at job The state public safety commissioner is retiring and will be replaced by Walt Monegan, the former Anchorage police chief and public safety commissioner who was ousted in former Gov. Palin’s Troopergate scandal.April 14, 2016
  
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• Rasmuson Foundation report criticizes Walker's budget plan

  14-04-2016 06:57
  
  Rasmuson Foundation report criticizes Walker's budget plan A report issued by the Rasmuson Foundation says Gov. Walker's budget plan would disproportionately hurt poor and middle-income Alaskans because of its reliance on cuts to Permanent Fund dividends. April 13, 2016
  
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• Governor's budget plan would hurt low- and middle-income Alaskans, says new report

  14-04-2016 06:57
  
  Governor's budget plan would hurt low- and middle-income Alaskans, says new report A report issued by the Rasmuson Foundation says Gov. Walker's budget plan would disproportionately hurt poor and middle-income Alaskans because of its reliance on cuts to Permanent Fund dividends. April 13, 2016
  
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• Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, Apr. 13, 2016

  14-04-2016 05:28
  
  
  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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  Oil and gas tax credit debate rages ahead of legislative session end
  Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO – Juneau
  The House spent six hours debating oil and gas tax credits Tuesday night. And they’re not done yet – lawmakers will pick up the bill
  
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• Warm weather to lead to mellow breakup, experts say

  14-04-2016 05:02
  
  
  Warm weather and early snow melt, are conducive to a mellow break up. That was the message of forecasters during a teleconference Tuesday morning.  Alaska River Forecast Center Senior hydrologist Crane Johnson anticipates more of a mush out.
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  Where the Charley River meets the Yukon. (Photo by USGS)“Generally, we’re turning towards a thermal breakup on the Yukon, Kuskokwim and other major interior rivers,” Johnson said. “We can expect that breakup will w
  
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• Sitka broadens commitment to assessing landslide risk

  14-04-2016 04:43
  
  
  At their meeting last night, the Sitka Assembly broadened the city’s commitment to landslide risk assessment. They approved a community-wide mapping project and an analysis of the Gary Paxton Industrial Park. And if their deliberations had a central question, it was this: Given the land shortage in Sitka, does establishing “risk zones” hamper future development? Basically, how much is too much when it comes to landslide research?
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  It’s hard to put into words
  
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• Industry calls Senate oil tax credit bill “bad for Alaska”

  14-04-2016 04:35
  
  
  Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, addresses the Alaska Senate Jan. 27, 2016. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)As the Alaska House continues its marathon debate on the oil and gas tax credit bill, the Senate is moving its own version forward, hoping to beat the clock with just four days left in the legislative session.
  The Senate bill is still a moving target. It was rushed out of the resources committee this week — the Republican leadership released a new version Tuesday evening and
  
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• Skiers survive four days on Kenai Peninsula Glacier, credit GPS locator beacon for rescue

  14-04-2016 04:32
  
  
  Two skiers were whisked off a glacier on the southern Kenai Peninsula Tuesday by an Alaska an Air National Guard helicopter. Crews found the pair after they became stranded for four days.
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  Bear Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park.
  (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)It’s a trip that Jenny Neyman and Chris Hanna of Soldotna had wanted to take all winter – hiking and skiing on Harding Icefield in Kenai Fjords National Park near Seward.
  “We are well aware that the
  
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• Chugiak Sen. Stolze announces he won’t run for reelection

  14-04-2016 04:32
  
  
  Senator Bill Stolze announced on the Senate floor today that he will not seek re-election. The Chugiak Republican cited health concerns, although he clarified that he was not dealing with an immediate health threat.
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  Sen. Bill Stoltze, R-Chugiak, recently announced he won’t seek reelection to the Alaska Senate. Photo taken on Feb. 19, 2015. (File Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)“I’m not dying at any accelerated pace that any of the rest of us are, and I am just not r
  
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• Chugiak Sen. Stoltze announces he won’t run for reelection

  14-04-2016 04:32
  
  
  Senator Bill Stoltze announced on the Senate floor today that he will not seek re-election. The Chugiak Republican cited health concerns, although he clarified that he was not dealing with an immediate health threat.
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  Sen. Bill Stoltze, R-Chugiak, recently announced he won’t seek reelection to the Alaska Senate. Photo taken on Feb. 19, 2015. (File Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)“I’m not dying at any accelerated pace that any of the rest of us are, and I am just not
  
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• Oil and gas tax credit debate rages ahead of legislative session end

  14-04-2016 04:21
  
  
  The House spent six hours debating oil and gas tax credits Tuesday night. And they’re not done yet – lawmakers will pick up the bill again Wednesday.
  The debate reveals a deep divide among lawmakers over how to respond to low oil prices – and the resulting state budget gap.Download Audio
  Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, addresses the Alaska House of Representatives last year. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)The debate on the floor came down to this: Should the state expect oil companie
  
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• Bethel City Council authorizes reimbursements for overcharged property owners

  14-04-2016 04:18
  
  
  Bethel City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Tuesday to authorize reimbursements to Bethel property owners who the city overcharged on real estate taxes for more than a decade, because of an error in the city’s tax code.
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  City Attorney Patty Burley discovered the problem and says the city overcharged about 160 transactions, collecting more than $100,000 in excess charges since 2002. The most the city could have overcharged someone, she says, is $1,200.
  Anyone
  
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• 1,500 outstanding ballots could tip three Anchorage races

  14-04-2016 04:13
  
  At City Hall, election workers haul in results from precincts across the city during the April 5th municipal elections. Hughes/KSKASeveral political races and ballot measures in Anchorage’s recent election are still hanging in the balance, with enough outstanding votes to tip the final results.
  At current count, the decision by Girdwood residents on whether or not to use property taxes to pay for police once the state troopers leave this summer is a dead heat: 395 to 395.
  The area-wide rac
  
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• Traveling Music 4-17-16

  14-04-2016 03:38
  Traveling Music
  Shonti Elder
  4-17-16
   
  Format:
  Song TitleArtist / Composer
  CD Title
  Label
  Duration
   
  As the World Must Turn
  Will Putman and Shonti Elder / Will Putman
  live recording at the Alaska Folk Festival
  Juneau, April 2016
  4:00
   
  My Old Chevy Van
  The Carper Family / Melissa Carper, J. Bell
  Old-Fashioned Gal
  www.carperfamilyband.com
  3:03
   
  Boxcar Blues (Hello Sunshine)
  The Carper Family / V. Wakeman
  Old-Fashioned Gal
  www.carperfamilyband.com
  3:08
   
  Lazy ManWill Putm
  
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• Port expenses rattle Mat Su taxpayers

  14-04-2016 03:20
  
  Ship unloads at Port MacKenzie. Courtesy of Mat Su Borough.Mat Su’s Port MacKenzie is feeling the sting of the state’s budget axe. The Borough’s plans to upgrade the nation’s Northernmost deep water port have been stymied by setbacks. Most recently, state funds to complete a rail spur connecting the port to the main line in Houston have been put on hold, due to the state’s budget fiasco.
  A bid to adopt a Port MacKenzie master plan into Matanuska Susitna Borough code
  
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• Legislature tries again to let voters choose state AG

  14-04-2016 02:29
  
  Rep. Bill Stoltze, R-Chugiak, on the Senate floor, April 6, 2016. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)Proposals to make the state attorney general an elected position have appeared year after year in the Alaska Legislature. This time the measure is sponsored by Sen. Bill Stoltze, R-Chugiak. It faces a high legislative hurdle, but it has moved through three committees and is pending in Senate Rules. Both sides — pro and con — say they want to keep politics out of the AG’s office.
  Stol
  
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• Effort to tighten restrictions on sex ed in Alaska schools added as amendment to different bill

  14-04-2016 00:12
  
  Effort to tighten restrictions on sex ed in Alaska schools added as amendment to different bill Senate Education Committee passes amended version that includes a provision requiring classes on sex education to be taught by a person with a valid teacher license. April 13, 2016
  
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• Bill to ban abortion providers from Alaska schools dies

  14-04-2016 00:12
  
  Bill to ban abortion providers from Alaska schools dies A bill that would have prevented abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from teaching sex education in schools was voted down Tuesday evening. April 13, 2016
  
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