Alaska news

• Legislative leaders say budget work is progressing behind scenes

  20-04-2016 22:30
  
  Legislative leaders say budget work is progressing behind scenes Alaska lawmakers Wednesday weren't planning hearings on either of the two big deficit-related problems still facing them on their third day of overtime.April 20, 2016
  
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• ShoreZone photographers shoot thousands of photos to map changing coasts

  20-04-2016 22:27
  
  How many photos do you figure you shoot out the window when you take a trip?  5? 10? 20? How many of you take a picture every three seconds?
  KUCB’s Zoe Sobel caught up with a helicopter crew of modern mapmakers who shoot 3-5,000 photos a day.
  The ShoreZone flight crew (Photo courtesy of Pipa Escanlante)Imagine looking out a helicopter window taking pictures as you’re traveling 60 miles an hour and you’re only 300 feet over the Eastern Aleutian Islands.
  That’s a typic
  
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• Haines bear mauling victim was attacked by brown bear sow

  20-04-2016 21:05
  
  A man who was injured in a bear mauling near Haines early this week was attacked by a brown bear sow with at least one cub. That’s according to Alaska Fish and Game Biologist Stephanie Sell, who is tasked with gathering information about the incident.
  Forest Wagner. (Photo courtesy of UAS)“We suspect that this was kind of a surprise situation and the sow was acting defensively,” said Sell.
  University of Alaska Assistant Professor Forest Wagner was leading a five-day mountaineer
  
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• Murkowski's energy bill passes Senate after months of delays

  20-04-2016 20:44
  
  Murkowski's energy bill passes Senate after months of delays Sen. Lisa Murkowski scored a big win Wednesday as the Senate passed the nation's first major energy bill in nearly a decade, and it was loaded with Alaska-focused provisions.April 20, 2016
  
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• Murkowski's energy bill finally soars through Senate after months of delays

  20-04-2016 20:44
  
  Murkowski's energy bill finally soars through Senate after months of delays Sen. Lisa Murkowski scored a big win Wednesday as the Senate passed the nation's first major energy bill in nearly a decade, and it was loaded with Alaska-focused provisions.April 20, 2016
  
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• Plane crashes in Birchwood, 4 fatalities reported

  20-04-2016 20:26
  Investigators are heading out to a plane crash site at Beach Lake road in Birchwood.
  Clint Johnson, with the NTSB, says little more information is available at this time.
  KTUU-TV reports that there four fatalities in the crash.
  Anchorage police and fire department personnel are responding to the crash.
  This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
  
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• Leaf Lake fire under investigation

  20-04-2016 19:31
  A 25-acre wildfire along the Kink River is the latest indication that the state’s forest fire season is getting a head start. Norm MacDonald, an fire management officer with the state division of forestry in Palmer, says the fire, reported late Saturday, is about 10 percent contained as of Monday morning.
  “It’s human caused. It is still under investigation exactly how, but it is definitely a human caused fire.”
  The Leaf Lake fire is inaccessible by road, MacDonald says. T
  
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• U.S. Senate passes Murkowski’s energy modernization bill

  20-04-2016 17:40
  
  Sen. Lisa Murkowski addresses a joint session of the Legislature on Feb. 17 (Photo: Skip Gray/KTOOThe U.S. Senate this morning passed Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s energy modernization bill, by a vote of 85-12.
  It’s a coup for Murkowski, the chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, who says she included the policy priorities of 62 senators, Republican and Democrat.
  20Energy: “Moving forward with this act will help America produce more energy. And at the same time it
  
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• Reuniting families with community support

  20-04-2016 16:00
  
  
  Princess Taala (center, orange shirt), Crystal Stone (front left) and their family. (Hillman/KSKA)For most children who enter foster care, the ultimate goal is to reunite them with their families. But getting to that point takes a lot of work. Parents have to follow case plans set up by the Office of Children’s Services and meet requirements like getting substance abuse treatment.
  Parents also need to maintain relationships with their kids. And sometimes, that requires a little community s
  
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• 5 Hotels and 5 Tours for the Eco-Conscious Traveler

  20-04-2016 14:00 via nytimes.com
  Foraging in Belize, biking in Iceland and other trips help you commune with nature.
  
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• Crucial cargo point only ‘marginally adequate’ say officials

  20-04-2016 04:40
  
  
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• After recall, 2 candidates sign up to fill North Slope Borough mayor seat

  20-04-2016 03:51
  
  After recall, 2 candidates sign up to fill North Slope Borough mayor seat Former five-term Mayor George Ahmaogak and Assembly member Vernon Edwardsen are officially signed up for the June 7 election to replace ousted North Slope Borough mayor Charlotte Brower. April 19, 2016
  
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• Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, Apr. 19, 2016

  20-04-2016 03:34
  
  
  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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  Budget talks are quiet as Walker projects optimism
  Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO – Juneau
  Progress on the state government budget has slowed to a crawl this week. But Governor Bill Walker remains hopeful the Legislature can reach an agreement on an oil
  
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• Wildfire season getting an early start

  20-04-2016 03:00
  The season’s first wildfires are getting attention.  The Alaska Interagency Coordination reports a 25-acre blaze in the Palmer being worked by 13 firefighters, with smaller blazes in the MatSu, on the Kenai, and in the Fairbanks area, drawing responses or being monitored in recent days.
  The early season wild fires are attributed to human causes. Division of Forestry spokesman Tim Mowry said burning of brush and trash are common in the spring, and often start wildfires.
  ”We&rsquo
  
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• Senate authorizes funding for FAA air carrier services to Diomede

  20-04-2016 02:49
  
  For decades, Diomede has scrambled to fund reliable air carrier service. On Tuesday, the small island community got one step closer to a long-term solution for passenger travel and mail delivery. The US Senate voted to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration with a new amendment that would guarantee federal funding for the island of Diomede.
  The native village of Little Diomede sits on the border of Russia and the United States. (U.S. Coast Guard Photo by Petty Officer Ric
  
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• Fourth whale harvested by North Slope Borough this year

  20-04-2016 02:36
  
  Subsistence hunters in Alaska’s North Slope Borough have harvested a 41-foot bowhead whale, marking the fourth animal that has been captured during the borough’s spring whale hunt.
  Bowhead whales in the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Sea . Alaska holds one of the world’s five stocks of the bowhead whale. (Photo courtesy of NOAA)KTUU-TV reports Benjamin Frederick Tagarook and his crew brought in the whale on Saturday in Wainwright. The captain’s father, Terry Tagarook, says migra
  
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• Budget talks are quiet as Walker projects optimism

  20-04-2016 02:28
  
  Progress on the state government budget has slowed to a crawl this week. But Governor Bill Walker remains hopeful the Legislature can reach an agreement on an oil and gas tax bill that’s at the center of budget talks.
  Gov. Bill Walker at a press availability, January 28, 2016. Walker has remained hopeful about the passing of an oil and gas tax bill. (File photo by Skip Gray, 360 North)Walker says there are good ideas for reaching an agreement, including provisions in the Senate version. Th
  
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• Audit: Skagway misspent CPV taxes on playground equipment

  20-04-2016 02:12
  
  Alaska charges cruise ships that stay three or more days in state waters a $34.50 tax per traveler. It’s called the Commercial Passenger Vessel Tax. The tax brings in millions of dollars each year, much of which the state distributes to cruise ship port communities. An audit of the CPV program found some towns need to tighten standards for how they spend the money. And, it alleged that Skagway misspent some CPV funds on school playground equipment.
  Cruise ships loom over Skagway’s Br
  
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