Alaska news

• Walker to name new Supreme Court Justice within the week

  10-05-2016 22:46
  
  Governor Bill Walker will name someone to a seat on the Alaska Supreme Court within the next few days.
  Former Chief Justice Dana Fabe. Fabe’s seat on the court is currently vacated and four people have been nominated to fill it. (File photo by Skip Gray/360 North)Four people have been nominated to fill the seat vacated by retiring Justice Dana Fabe.
  They include Susan Carney of the Office of Public Advocacy in Fairbanks, Superior Court Judge Andrew Guidi of Anchorage, private attorney
  
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• Ore. woman accused of sex abuse aboard Alaska Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Portland - KATU

  10-05-2016 18:05
  KATU
  Ore. woman accused of sex abuse aboard Alaska Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Portland
  KATU
  Port of Portland Police say a 26-year-old woman was arrested on sex abuse charges after allegedly inappropriately touching another woman aboard an Alaska Airlines flight Sunday night. Heidi McKinney of Banks was arrested when the plane, which was ...
  No charges for woman arrested on Alaska Air flightkgw.com
  Oregon woman accused of sex abuse on Alaska Air flightCBS News
  Heidi McKinney charged
  
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• Alaska Airlines Welcomes Japan Airlines as newest Mileage Plan and Codeshare Partner - PR Newswire (press release)

  10-05-2016 12:04
  
  PR Newswire (press release)
  Alaska Airlines Welcomes Japan Airlines as newest Mileage Plan and Codeshare Partner
  PR Newswire (press release)
  SEATTLE, May 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines and Japan Airlines (JAL) have announced plans for a codeshare agreement and frequent flier partnership, which will provide seamless travel and mileage earning opportunities between Alaska's ...
  Why Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. Dropped 14% in AprilMotley Fool
  Alaska Air to form codeshare deal wi
  
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• In public-health win, number of Alaska teen births hits record low - Juneau Empire (subscription)

  10-05-2016 10:10
  In public-health win, number of Alaska teen births hits record low
  Juneau Empire (subscription)
  The number of Alaska teens giving birth has reached a record low, according to a new analysis from the Alaska Division of Public Health. In a bulletin dated May 3 and published by the Alaska Section of Epidemiology, the division reported 27.8 teen ...and more »
  
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• Alaska crime bill debate reveals values of punishment and redemption - Alaska Dispatch News

  10-05-2016 07:34
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Alaska crime bill debate reveals values of punishment and redemption
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Sometimes the Legislature works. That's what's happening in the tough, detailed debate on a bill that would transform the criminal justice system. With partisanship taking second place to policy research, the usual scripts have been discarded ...and more »
  
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• Alaska tribe establishes Sitka lab to test shellfish for biotoxins - Food Safety News

  10-05-2016 07:01
  
  Food Safety News
  Alaska tribe establishes Sitka lab to test shellfish for biotoxins
  Food Safety News
  The Sitka Tribe of Alaska has set up an environmental research and testing lab in Sitka and plans to begin testing local shellfish for biotoxins this spring. There has reportedly been some concern about the distance and turnaround time to have locally ...
  
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• Shell gives up on all but one Chukchi Sea lease - Alaska Dispatch News

  10-05-2016 06:56
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Shell gives up on all but one Chukchi Sea lease
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Royal Dutch Shell has decided to give up all but one of its federal offshore leases in the Chukchi Sea, bringing what appears to be an anticlimactic end to its multibillion-dollar effort to turn those icy Arctic waters off northwestern Alaska into a ...and more »
  
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• Peace Corps recruiting new volunteers in Alaska - KTVA.com - Alaska News and Weather

  10-05-2016 06:46
  
  Peace Corps recruiting new volunteers in Alaska
  KTVA.com - Alaska News and Weather
  If you've ever want to volunteer abroad for two years, now is your chance. Congress recently approved increased funding for the Peace Corps. Kaysie Ellingson, 28, told KTVA she knew she wanted to do something meaningful after graduating college.
  
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• If Alaska Legislature doesn't fix broken oil taxation before tapping Alaskans, they should start packing - Alaska Dispatch News

  10-05-2016 06:40
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  If Alaska Legislature doesn't fix broken oil taxation before tapping Alaskans, they should start packing
  Alaska Dispatch News
  The central shame of this session of the Alaska Legislature is the failure of legislative leadership to take any of the most obvious steps, eventually inevitable, to rein in the deficit. Continued dithering will promote an early and deep recession. The ...and more »
  
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• Moda's exit from Alaska insurance market reflects what ails Affordable Care Act - Alaska Dispatch News

  10-05-2016 05:14
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Moda's exit from Alaska insurance market reflects what ails Affordable Care Act
  Alaska Dispatch News
  OPINION: The deeper we get into the Affordable Care Act, the less affordable health care becomes in Alaska. 401(K)2013 / cc via flickr. Alaskans have seen time and time again the negative impacts the Affordable Care Act is having on our state. I have ...and more »
  
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• Ban on in-session fundraising could help prod Alaska lawmakers into action - Alaska Dispatch News

  10-05-2016 04:58
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Ban on in-session fundraising could help prod Alaska lawmakers into action
  Alaska Dispatch News
  South Anchorage Rep. Bob Lynn has a message for any of his constituents who are thinking about attending an upcoming campaign fundraiser scheduled by his Republican primary challenger, Chris Birch, for Tuesday evening. “It's going to rain,” said Lynn, ...and more »
  
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• Assembly hears measures on public safety, liability, and a Steinway piano

  10-05-2016 04:18
  
  Spending and appropriations for public safety measures go before the Assembly during its Tuesday meeting.At its Tuesday meeting, the Anchorage Assembly is taking up several measures concerned with public safety, and finalizing major bond appropriations.
  Public testimony is scheduled for a slate of issues that Anchorage voters approved in elections last month, including tens of millions in bonds as well as a five percent tax on commercial cannabis. Testimony is largely a procedural formality, wit
  
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• Alaska News Nightly: Monday, May 9, 2016

  10-05-2016 03:39
  
  
  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
  New bill seeks to insure families of deceased law enforcement and firefighters
  Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO – Juneau
  When law enforcement officers and firefighters die in the line of duty, their survivors may be left without health insurance. Three fam
  
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• Complications arise in translating ballots to Yu’pik

  10-05-2016 03:37
  
  
  The state’s Division of Elections is required to translate ballots and create an elections glossary in six dialects of Yu’pik and also Gwich’in. Those are the terms of a lawsuit settled last year by Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott. But as Alaska Public Media’s Anne Hillman learned – that process isn’t easy.
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  Yup’ik and English”I Voted” stickers from Bethel’s municipal election. Photo courtesy of Anna Rose MacArthur / KYUK.Think abo
  
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• Challenges and joys of crafting a Yu’pik ballot

  10-05-2016 03:37
  
  
  The state’s Division of Elections is required to translate ballots and create an elections glossary in six dialects of Yu’pik and also Gwich’in. Those are the terms of a lawsuit settled last year by Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott. But as Alaska Public Media’s Anne Hillman learned – that process isn’t easy.
  Download Audio
  A group of Yup’ik translators meet to develop a glossary of election terms in Yup’ik. (Hillman/KSKA)Think about these words – candi
  
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• Worker with wrench sparked fire that shut down Alaska oil pipeline, company says - Alaska Dispatch News

  10-05-2016 03:36
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Worker with wrench sparked fire that shut down Alaska oil pipeline, company says
  Alaska Dispatch News
  The trans-Alaska oil pipeline was shut down for nine hours Wednesday, April 20, 2016, prompted by a fire at Pump Station 5 near Coldfoot. The fire occurred when a worker using a wrench caused a spark near a vent that releases fumes from a large oil ...
  Wrenched: Trans-Alaska pump station blaze in April sparked by worker's toolPetro Global Newsall 3 news articles »
  
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• New bill seeks to insure families of deceased law enforcement and firefighters

  10-05-2016 03:18
  
  
  When law enforcement officers and firefighters die in the line of duty, their survivors may be left without health insurance. Three families of state troopers who died in the past three years have been covered under orders issued by Governors Sean Parnell and Bill Walker. But a future administration could change this. The families are looking for a permanent solution that will cover themselves and other survivors in the future.  But there’s a debate over how that should happen.
  Downlo
  
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• Bill seeks to insure families of deceased law enforcement and firefighters

  10-05-2016 03:18
  
  
  When law enforcement officers and firefighters die in the line of duty, their survivors may be left without health insurance. Three families of state troopers who died in the past three years have been covered under orders issued by Governors Sean Parnell and Bill Walker. But a future administration could change this. The families are looking for a permanent solution that will cover themselves and other survivors in the future.  But there’s a debate over how that should happen.
  Downlo
  
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• Fishermen’s Memorial seeks new home

  10-05-2016 03:07
  
  
  More than a hundred people gathered Saturday at the Alaska Commercial Fishermen’s Memorial Saturday for the Blessing of the Fleet and to pay tribute to the people whose names are engraved on the memorial.
  Download Audio
  More than a hundred people gathered May 7, 2016 for the Blessing of the Fleet in Juneau. (Photo by Jennifer Canfield, KTOO – Juneau)Eight names were added to the memorial — Charlie Polk, Ronald John Jr., William Newman, Gordon Hallum, Walter Baldwin, Joe Bennett
  
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• Alaska's governor reports receiving array of interesting gifts - CBS News

  10-05-2016 03:04
  
  CBS News
  Alaska's governor reports receiving array of interesting gifts
  CBS News
  JUNEAU, Alaska -- When you're governor, you get swag -- gifts that are protocol from other government officials or pleasantries from people you meet as part of your travels or duties. Since taking office, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker has reported receiving ...
  Governor Walker Signs Alaska Wild Salmon Day Bill into LawAlaska Native News
  Alaska's governor reports receiving interesting giftsMount Pleasant Daily Tribun
  
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• Tarmac meet & greet for Saab 2000

  10-05-2016 03:01
  
  
  Friday was a day of speeches, fanfare and cockpit tours at the Dutch Harbor Airport. Peninsula Airlines – or PenAir – flew in its new Saab 2000 plane for a tarmac meet-and-greet with the community. At last a bigger, faster plane will be running daily flights to the island halfway through the Aleutian chain.
  Download Audio
  Unalaskans got to inspect PenAir’s new Saab 2000 on Friday.
  (Photo courtesy of Chrissy Roes)For years now, residents and visitors to the i
  
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• Wrangell students explore Southeast Alaska's 'Great River' - Alaska Dispatch News

  10-05-2016 03:00
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Wrangell students explore Southeast Alaska's 'Great River'
  Alaska Dispatch News
  WRANGELL — The kids came stomping down the gangway wearing life jackets and rubber boots, carrying backpacks containing lunches, rain gear, and in some cases, binoculars. Teachers deftly organized the 15 fourth-graders from Wrangell's Evergreen ...and more »
  
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• No charges for woman arrested on Alaska Air flight - kgw.com

  10-05-2016 02:56
  
  kgw.com
  No charges for woman arrested on Alaska Air flight
  kgw.com
  PORTLAND, Ore. -- A woman who was arrested late Sunday evening after a report of a sexual crime on an Alaska Air flight from Las Vegas to Portland is not facing immediate charges for the incident. About 9:20 p.m. Port of Portland police were dispatched ...
  Heidi McKinney charged with sexual abuse on Alaska Airlines from Las Vegas to PortlandDaily Mail
  Oregon woman accused of sex abuse on Alaska Air flightCBS News
  Ore. woman accu
  
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• McClatchy Sued Over Alaska Newspaper Sale - Courthouse News Service

  10-05-2016 02:20
  McClatchy Sued Over Alaska Newspaper Sale
  Courthouse News Service
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CN) — Alaska Dispatch Publishing claims McClatchy Newspapers misrepresented key points of the sale of the Anchorage Daily News, including an "onerous" 2-year contract with the AP that was $50,000 rather than $340,000 as ...
  
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• Alaska's favorite ice guessing game has 44 winning tickets - U.S. News & World Report

  10-05-2016 02:07
  Alaska's favorite ice guessing game has 44 winning tickets
  U.S. News & World Report
  NENANA, Alaska (AP) — Alaska's favorite guessing game didn't appear to be too hard to predict this year. There were a whopping 44 winners of the Nenana Ice Classic, evenly splitting the $300,000 jackpot. The annual game is a prediction of when the ice ...and more »
  
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• Alaska Tilth program hopes to feed those in need - Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

  10-05-2016 02:05
  Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman
  Alaska Tilth program hopes to feed those in need
  Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman
  Megan Talley, left, and Joshua Faller pause for a photo in the greehouse at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Matanuska Experiment Farm on Friday, May 6. The pair founded Alaska Tilth in 2015, a variation on the community-supported agriculture model ...
  
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• Two marine mammal specialists conduct Kodiak’s first whale survey of 2016

  10-05-2016 01:12
  
  Last summer, a mass die-off of at least 40 whales under unknown circumstances caused NOAA to declare an “unusual mortality event.”  Many of those whales, the majority of which were fin or humpback whales, were spotted on or around the Kodiak Archipelago.
  On Friday, KMXT’s Kayla Desroches boarded a float plane with two marine mammal specialists who were conducting a whale survey along Kodiak’s east side. Bree Witteveen with the University of Alaska Fairbanks said they
  
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• Nearing graduation, musician Byron Nicholai looks to college and new challenges

  10-05-2016 00:38
  
  Byron Nicholai began posting fun, silly music videos on Facebook when he was 14 years old. Now, the Toksook Bay musician is 18, and his drumming and singing is celebrated for sharing traditional Yup’ik culture.
  Byron Nicholai sings and drums at the 2016 Cama-i Dance Festival in Bethel. (Photo by Laura Kraegel, KNOM – Nome)Between releasing his first album and performing across the country, Nicholai has accomplished a lot in the last few years. But with high school graduation fas
  
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• Walrus hauling out at new Bristol Bay spot north of Ugashik

  10-05-2016 00:28
  
  A fairly large number of Pacific Walrus have been spotted hauling out a new spot in Bristol Bay.
  These walruses are hauled out at Cape Grieg, a spot in between Egegik and Ugashik on the Alaska Peninsula. This appears to be a new haul out spot, and biologist aren’t sure why it was picked or how long the walruses will stick around. (Photo courtesy of USFWS)This spring, pilots and residents who fly frequently over the Alaska Peninsula coast north of Ugashik started noticing walrus hauled
  
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• US will not support ban on international trade of polar bear products

  10-05-2016 00:05
  
  The United States recently announced it will not support an international ban on the trade of polar bear products at an upcoming meeting on endangered species.
  A polar bear keeps close to her young along the Beaufort Sea coast in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy of Susanne Miller, USFWS)In a statement released last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it remains concerned about the commercial use of polar bear hides, but it won’t encourage the ban.
  “We are pu
  
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