Alaska news

• Alaska Is on Track for an Absurdly Hot Year - Gizmodo

  06-05-2016 23:44
  
  Gizmodo
  Alaska Is on Track for an Absurdly Hot Year
  Gizmodo
  We've reached the point where weird weather is really the new normal. But even in a world full of strange occurrences like El Niño ice blizzards, unstoppable wildfires, and mega-droughts, the warm weather in Alaska right now is quite alarming. NOAA ...
  
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• Alaska boy flown to Seattle for treatment after firework explodes in hand - KTUU.com

  06-05-2016 23:30
  
  KTUU.com
  Alaska boy flown to Seattle for treatment after firework explodes in hand
  KTUU.com
  SAXMAN, Alaska (KTUU) A 12-year-old boy suffered extensive injuries to his right hand in a fireworks mishap Thursday night in Southeast Alaska, troopers say. The boy had been shooting off fireworks at a rock pit in Saxman, a community of about 400 ...
  Saxman boy medevaced to Seattle after firework explodes in his handAlaska Dispatch Newsall 3 news articles »
  
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• Made of Salmon: Alaska Stories from The Salmon Project - Alaska Public Radio Network

  06-05-2016 22:41
  
  Made of Salmon: Alaska Stories from The Salmon Project
  Alaska Public Radio Network
  Alaskans have strong, wide-ranging opinions on just about any topic, but one thing most agree on is a love of the state's most iconic fish – salmon! A new book brings the stories of 50 Alaska writers together to celebrate what many will be doing this ...
  
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• Made of Salmon: Alaska Stories from The Salmon Project

  06-05-2016 22:40
  
  “Made of Salmon” book cover. (Image from the Salmon Project)Alaskans have strong, wide-ranging opinions on just about any topic, but one thing most agree on is a love of the state’s most iconic fish – salmon! A new book brings the stories of 50 Alaska writers together to celebrate what many will be doing this summer-casting nets and lines, hoping for a good story and a great meal.
  HOST: Lori Townsend
  GUESTS:
  Willy Hensley, writer
  Julia O’Malley, write
  
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• Managing Global Insecurity

  06-05-2016 22:30
  
  Dr. Stephen Stedman analyzes the threats that surround us, but does not yield to the temptation to despair. He rightly points out that in a world of problems without passports, our security and prosperity depend on unprecedented international cooperation, and that such cooperation is within our reach. By accepting that sovereignty incurs responsibilities and by strengthening international institutions, governments can create an international order in which all can be safe and thrive.P
  
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• 49 Voices: Tim Pominville of Eagle River

  06-05-2016 22:00
  
  This week we’re hearing from Tim Pominville from Eagle River. We caught up with Tim in downtown Anchorage where he works at the Glacier Brewhouse.
  Tim Pominville of Eagle River (Photo by Zoe Sobel, KUCB – Unalaska)I’ve been here just over a year and a quarter, but I love it.
  I grew up in the mid-west – Minnesota, Wisconsin – went to Nashville for four years did some music industry stuff there. Loved it. And then I kind of wanted to just do some stuff where maybe lea
  
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• Victoria's Secret is coming to Alaska - Alaska Dispatch News

  06-05-2016 21:46
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Victoria's Secret is coming to Alaska
  Alaska Dispatch News
  A Victoria's Secret store in the Briarwood Mall, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dwight Burdette via Wikimedia Commons. Alaska's retail reputation just got another boost. Lingerie chain Victoria's Secret will open this fall at the Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall. It ...and more »
  
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• Valley residents named to represent Alaska at GOP convention - Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

  06-05-2016 21:10
  Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman
  Valley residents named to represent Alaska at GOP convention
  Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman
  WASILLA — At least one part of the contingent of Alaska Republicans bound for the national convention in Cleveland, Ohio could be the set-up for a classic buddy comedy. Larry DeVilbiss, the Mat-Su borough's ex-mayor, is a grizzled veteran of two past ...
  
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• Marijuana legalization in Alaska

  06-05-2016 21:00
  
  Personal recreational marijuana use and possession became legal in Alaska on February 24, 2015, as determined by voters through the passage of Ballot Measure 2. This requires the State to develop regulations regarding the sale and use. On this Line One program we will discuss where the State is in the development of regulations and what we know about the effects of marijuana and it’s legalization in other states.
   
  HOST: Dr. Thad WoodardGUESTS:
  Cindy Franklin
  
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• Alaska schools can make own rules on transgender athletes - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

  06-05-2016 20:49
  Alaska schools can make own rules on transgender athletes
  Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Alaska's governing body for high school activities says it is leaving it up to schools to decide what teams transgender students can compete on. Billy Strickland, executive director of the Alaska School Activities Association ...and more »
  
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• Reporter’s roundtable: Liquor stores, detox centers and marijuana

  06-05-2016 20:42
  
  
  Bethel saw the opening of its first liquor store since the 1970s. Opioid detox centers were a hot topic in the headlines this week. And as always, the struggle behind commercial marijuana continues throughout the state. On this week’s Alaska Edition, we go behind the headlines with a group of reporters covering stories on drugs and alcohol.
  Listen Now:
  HOST: Zachariah Hughes
  GUESTS:Anne Hillman, Urban Affairs Reporter, Alaska Public Media
  DJ Summers, Reporter, Alaska Journal of Commerce
  An
  
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• How you can help grant wishes for kids in Alaska - KTUU.com

  06-05-2016 20:42
  
  KTUU.com
  How you can help grant wishes for kids in Alaska
  KTUU.com
  ANCHORAGE (KTUU) Hannah Moderow, Communications and Marketing Coordinator for Make- A-Wish and Tim Thompson with Alaska Airlines appeared on the Morning Edition to talk about how people can help make wishes come true for kids in Alaska.
  
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• US Army Helps Set up Base Camps on Alaska's Denali - Military.com

  06-05-2016 20:32
  
  Military.com
  US Army Helps Set up Base Camps on Alaska's Denali
  Military.com
  This photo taken April 24, 2016, on the Kahiltna Glacier in Alaska, shows Capt. Corey Wheeler, front, commander of B Company, 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen). Associated Press | May 06, 2016 ...
  US Army helps set up base camp on Alaska's DenaliEconomic Times
  Pre-Cruise Alaska: Dramatic DenaliMD Magazineall 11 news articles »
  
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• Now trending among Alaska's congressional delegation: #AnyoneButHillary - Alaska Dispatch News

  06-05-2016 19:00
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Now trending among Alaska's congressional delegation: #AnyoneButHillary
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses his supporters during a rally at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum on April 27, 2016 in Indianapolis. Ricky Carioti / Washington Post. WASHINGTON -- Alaska's all-Republican congressional delegation ...
  Alaska congressional delegation offers reluctant support of TrumpFairbanks Daily News-Miner
  Alaska Republican Party reacts to
  
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• Legislature passes bill limiting who can teach sex education

  06-05-2016 17:21
  
  Legislature passes bill limiting who can teach sex educationThe Alaska Legislature has passed an education bill limiting who can teach sex education in public schools.May 6, 2016
  
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• House approves sweeping criminal justice overhaul

  06-05-2016 17:12
  
  House approves sweeping criminal justice overhaulAfter dozens of hours of testimony and debate, lawmakers in the state House voted overwhelming in favor of a massive overhaul of the criminal justice system.May 6, 2016
  
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• Alaska Highway partially reopens in Canada as nearby wildfires merge - Alaska Dispatch News

  06-05-2016 16:44
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Alaska Highway partially reopens in Canada as nearby wildfires merge
  Alaska Dispatch News
  A stretch of the Alaska Highway in Canada that was closed due to major wildfires Thursday has been partially reopened Friday, as British Columbia fire crews continue to fight the merged blazes. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported that the highway ...
  Alaska Highway closed in BC by wildfireJuneau Empire (subscription)
  Wildfire closes Alaska Highway in British ColumbiaFairbanks
  
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• Alaska schools can make own rules on transgender athletes - Education Week (subscription)

  06-05-2016 15:45
  
  Alaska schools can make own rules on transgender athletes
  Education Week (subscription)
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska's governing body for high school activities says it's leaving it up to schools to decide which teams transgender students can compete on. The Alaska Dispatch News reports (http://bit.ly/1WcZ3Uf ) Executive Director ...and more »
  
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• Lee delivers in clutch as Rain or Shine repulses Alaska for 1-0 Finals lead - Inquirer.net

  06-05-2016 15:44
  
  Inquirer.net
  Lee delivers in clutch as Rain or Shine repulses Alaska for 1-0 Finals lead
  Inquirer.net
  Paul Lee, all-tournament long in search of his old form coming from an injury, showed up as the Paul Lee of old in the opener of the 2016 PBA Commissioner's Cup finals, leading Rain or Shine to a 105-97 win over Alaska Milk at the Smart Araneta ...
  Rain or Shine trumps Alaska to seize Game 1GMA News
  PBA: Rain or Shine overcomes Dozier's 41, beats Alaska in Game 1CNN Philippines
  Lee's clutch sho
  
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• Tourists Use Alaska Homeless Shelter to Grab Coffee, Snack - U.S. News & World Report

  06-05-2016 12:35
  
  U.S. News & World Report
  Tourists Use Alaska Homeless Shelter to Grab Coffee, Snack
  U.S. News & World Report
  Cruise ship passengers have been hanging out at an Alaska homeless shelter, but few have bothered making a donation. May 5, 2016, at 5:03 p.m.. MORE. LinkedIn · StumbleUpon · Reddit; Cancel. Tourists Use Alaska Homeless Shelter to Grab Coffee, ...
  Cruise ship tourists use Alaska homeless shelter to grab coffee, snackCBC.caall 38 news articles »
  
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• The Party's Over in Alaska - Bloomberg

  06-05-2016 11:15
  
  Bloomberg
  The Party's Over in Alaska
  Bloomberg
  On an early morning in late March, a Beechcraft turboprop plane takes off from Juneau, Alaska, the only U.S. state capital not accessible by road. As the aircraft heads north over America's largest national forest to Fairbanks, 700 miles away, Alaska ...
  Alaska News Nightly: May 6, 2016Alaska Public Radio Network
  Alaska House pursuing appeal of Medicaid suit decisionFairbanks Daily News-Miner
  House attempts to carry Alaska Medicaid expansion lawsui
  
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• VA Health Care

  06-05-2016 11:00
  
  Department of Veterans Affairs flagThe problems of the VA in providing community-based care have gotten a lot of attention lately. On the next Hometown Alaska, we’ll have a top VA official visiting from Washington to talk about how VA care is supposed to work for Alaskans, and what the agency is doing about fixing the problems. This will be an opportunity for listeners to contact the VA near the highest level.
  HOST:
  Charles Wohlforth
  GUEST:
  Baligh Yehia, Chief Medical Officer for Community
  
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• Slain Alaska officers remembered this month - Juneau Empire (subscription)

  06-05-2016 10:05
  Slain Alaska officers remembered this month
  Juneau Empire (subscription)
  The Capital City Chapter of Alaska Peace Officers will host a service to remember Alaska law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. The service will begin at 1 p.m. on May 13 at Centennial Hall. Light refreshments will follow and the event ...
  
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• Agency fines Hilcorp Alaska, says company disregards Alaska oil field regulations - Alaska Dispatch News

  06-05-2016 05:29
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Agency fines Hilcorp Alaska, says company disregards Alaska oil field regulations
  Alaska Dispatch News
  In a strongly worded decision that accused Hilcorp Alaska of an “endemic” disregard for Alaska regulations, a state agency has fined the oil and gas producer $20,000 after it used a blowout preventer to control a well at a North Slope field last year ...and more »
  
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• Art of an avant-garde Arctic in downtown Anchorage

  06-05-2016 04:06
  
  
  “Subsistence,” a sculpture by Marek Ranis from old military maps suspended on metal fish racks, part of the Anchorage Museum’s “The View From Up Here” exhibit. Photo: Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media.
  Download Audio
  When people imagine Alaska’s Arctic, experimental art isn’t typically first thing that comes to mind.
  But a new exhibit at the Anchorage Museum is getting visitors, urbanites, and art-lovers to connect to the Arctic in different ways. &
  
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• Teacher turnover affecting rural schools

  06-05-2016 03:53
  
  
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  The Yupiit School District is possibly the smallest in Alaska.  It is operated by residents and serves around 660 students living in three Yupik villages in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta — Akiachak, Akiak and Tuluksak.  This is a region where the indigenous language is still commonly spoken.  The three villages formed the Yupiit Nation in a bid to assert their autonomy.  Elders are deeply involved in the schools.
  Residents of the Yupiit school district have g
  
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• Alaska House passes sweeping crime reform bill, 28-11 - KTUU.com

  06-05-2016 03:51
  
  KTUU.com
  Alaska House passes sweeping crime reform bill, 28-11
  KTUU.com
  JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) Alaska just took a big step toward getting smarter on criminal justice by reducing the number of people serving lengthy jail terms, or maybe, the state is now on the precipice of letting criminals off easy. It all depends who you ...
  Alaska House passes criminal justice overhaulKTVA.com - Alaska News and Weather
  Alaska House votes to overhaul state's criminal justice systemAlaska Public Radio Network
  K
  
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• For first time, Cook Inlet oil and gas lease sale has no bidders

  06-05-2016 03:44
  
  
  The state has received no bids during lease sales in the past, but never in Cook Inlet. Photo: Paxson Woelber, Wikimedia creative commons licenseDownload Audio
  Cook Inlet has apparently lost some of its charm – for the oil and gas industry.
  State officials announced this week that, for the first time ever, they received no bids for the annual oil and gas lease sale in Cook Inlet.
  The state Division of Oil and Gas blamed low oil prices – and difficult access to the trac
  
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• Alaska House votes to overhaul state’s criminal justice system

  06-05-2016 03:33
  
  
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  The House voted 28-11 on Thursday to adopt one of the largest overhauls ever to Alaska’s criminal justice system. It would allow some low-risk nonviolent offenders to avoid jail time. It also would establish a new pretrial services program with a goal of reducing recidivism. And it would allow those in treatment programs to receive credit for time served instead of imprisonment.
  Both sides displayed passion over four days of debate.
  Anchorage Republican Rep. Gabrielle L
  
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• Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, May 5, 2016

  06-05-2016 03:24
  
  
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  Coast Guard: Pilot injured in Era helicopter crash at Norris Glacier
  Jeremy Hseih, KTOO-JuneauThe Coast Guard is reporting that a helicopter has crashed near the Norris Glacier and the pilot, who was the only person on board, is injured.
  Alaska House votes to overhaul state’s criminal justice system
  Andrew Kitchenman, APRN/KTOO-JuneauThe House voted 28-11 on Thursday to adopt one of the largest overhauls ever to Alaska’s criminal justice system.
  In a first, s
  
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• Borough ban angers cannabis council

  06-05-2016 03:20
  Cannabis vendors in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough have been put on hold for the time being. A contentious ordinance approved by the Mat-Su Assembly this week restricts all marijuana business activity, with one exception, until after an October Borough election. The moratorium is not to the liking of entrepreneurs banking on the Valley’s potential customer base.
  Two weeks ago, Mat-Su Borough Assemblyman Randall Kowalke introduced an ordinance placing a temporary ban on marijuana establishme
  
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• Firefighters contain Sunrise wildfire north of Wasilla

  06-05-2016 02:29
  
  
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  The 30-acre Sunrise wildfire north of Wasilla is now 100% contained. Mop-up operations are underway, according to state fire information officer Norm McDonald. About 30 firefighters are on the job and will remain there through the night.
  Crews and heavy equipment will work to extinguish hot spots.
  The fire erupted Wednesday afternoon in grass, moved into trees and grew to about 30 acres by nightfall. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
  
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• Coast Guard: Pilot injured in Era helicopter crash at Norris Glacier

  06-05-2016 02:15
  
  
  (Map Courtesy of Google Earth.)Download Audio
  The Coast Guard is reporting that a helicopter has crashed near the Norris Glacier and the pilot, who was the only person on board, is injured.
  Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Joshua Ryan of District 17 Command said a distress beacon was detected at 2:14 p.m.
  He said Era Helicopters confirmed it was one of theirs that had crashed.
  Authorities have been in radio contact with dog sled tour operators on the glacier near the crash site. Ryan said those w
  
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• Kachemak Bay hydroelectric plant works to meet regulations

  06-05-2016 02:11
  
  Bradley Lake Dam. (Photo by Quinton Chandler/KBBI) CHANDLER/KBBIAbout 27 miles northeast of Homer, there is a hydroelectric project still in its infancy. The plant, which hadn’t changed much since its construction just saw the completion of a major project and another one, could get underway in a few years.
  The Bradley Lake Hydroelectric project is at the head of Kachemak Bay. The basic idea was to dam Bradley Lake and feed its water into power turbines, which in turn spool up generators t
  
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• Walker unveils tribal advisory council

  06-05-2016 01:12
  Governor Bill Walker on Thursday announced the formation of an 11-member tribal advisory council.  The goal is to talk with tribes about issues of concern to both tribes and the state, and to find ways to join forces to address them, Walker said.
  
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• Extended session? Perfect time for Legislature to clear Alaska's air - Alaska Dispatch News

  06-05-2016 00:29
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Extended session? Perfect time for Legislature to clear Alaska's air
  Alaska Dispatch News
  What was once a debated issue is no longer argued—exposure to secondhand smoke is both deadly to workers and patrons of businesses, and costly to those businesses that allow it to occur. Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals and at ...and more »
  
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• Dock updates could interrupt ferry service to Skagway

  06-05-2016 00:28
  Could Skagway go three months without ferry service?
  The Alaska Department of Transportation is planning a $6 million ferry dock refurbishment that would ideally happen this winter. The project would take the dock out of commission for a few months, which DOT says could leave Skagway without marine highway service.
  But DOT and the municipality are trying to work out a solution so that doesn’t happen.
  
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• Fairbanks North Star Borough takes action on hydronic heaters

  06-05-2016 00:25
  The Fairbanks North Star Borough took action on an ordinance Wednesday that targets high polluting hydronic heaters. The special meeting for the vote was after lengthy public testimony on the measure last week. The ordinance the assembly passed, differed significantly from the one offered by its sponsors.
  
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• Solar to help power Northwest Arctic, still diesel dependent

  06-05-2016 00:16
  
  Solar panels in the Northwest Arctic village of Shugnak. (Photo courtesy of Ingemar Mathiasson/NWAB)Solar panels will soon help power three communities in the Alaskan Arctic. The Department of Energy awarded federal funding to install panels in Kotzebue, Buckland and Deering, but decreasing the region’s dependency on diesel is easier said than done.
  Energy costs are notoriously high in rural Alaska, where diesel is often barged up to remote communities. Sonny Adams is the Director of Alter
  
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• Board of Fisheries not expecting more cuts

  06-05-2016 00:11
  As the Legislature finishes its work in Juneau, budgets remain in flux. But so far, there’s one little pocket of state government not anticipating any more cuts – the state Board of Fisheries.
  Glenn Haight is the board’s executive director: “The session isn’t over yet, and so we don’t know what our final budget will be or how things will play out. At this point, we have the same size budget as last year so we haven’t taken any cu
  
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• Sealaska finances improve, but losses continue

  06-05-2016 00:06
  
  Sealaska CEO Anthony Mallott discusses the regional Native corporation’s finances May 2, 2016, (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska News)Sealaska, Southeast’s regional Native corporation, continues its financial recovery. But its operational side is still losing money and even its investments are in the red.
  Sealaska just released its 2015 annual report, which illustrates its financial ups and downs.
  Those affect more than 22,000 shareholders, who receive dividends twice a year. It al
  
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