Alaska news

• 2 more bankruptcies hit Alaska energy sector, and more employees may be seeking protection too - Alaska Dispatch News

  17-06-2016 23:32
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  2 more bankruptcies hit Alaska energy sector, and more employees may be seeking protection too
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Two oil and gas companies with operations in Alaska have recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the latest in a string of such filings involving Alaska businesses. But while low oil prices have crushed state revenues and led to widespread ...
  
  Read more

• Alaska's adjusted unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in May - Alaska Dispatch News

  17-06-2016 23:22
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Alaska's adjusted unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in May
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Alaska's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in May was 6.7 percent, up slightly from 6.6 percent in April, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development said on Friday. That compares to a national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of ...
  Alaska Unemployment Rate at 6.7% in MayAlaska Native Newsall 263 news articles »
  
  Read more

• Drones in Alaska

  17-06-2016 23:21
  
  Phantom 3 Standard, photo courtesy of Engadget.Mention the word drones, and what comes to mind? Privacy is a big one. Safety in the air is another.
  I mention this topic to friends, and immediately they start talking about their concern over being spied upon, or their fear that an inexperienced drone operator might accidentally fell a major aircraft in the skies (not to mention the possibility of an intentional effort.) The unknown—and drones are still very unknown—scares people a lot
  
  Read more

• Following seabird die-off, citizen science project expands in Alaska - Alaska Public Radio Network

  17-06-2016 22:21
  
  Alaska Public Radio Network
  Following seabird die-off, citizen science project expands in Alaska
  Alaska Public Radio Network
  Earlier this year, dozens of dead seabirds washed up on beaches in Haines and Skagway. It wasn't an isolated event. An estimated hundreds of thousands of dead common murres were found on shores across the West Coast. Dead murres on the beach in ...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Following seabird die-off, citizen science project expands in Alaska

  17-06-2016 22:16
  
  Earlier this year, dozens of dead seabirds washed up on beaches in Haines and Skagway. It wasn’t an isolated event. An estimated hundreds of thousands of dead common murres were found on shores across the West Coast.
  Dead murres on the beach in Haines on Jan. 12, 2016. (Photo by Tim Ackerman)To help keep track of incidents like this, a citizen science program is expanding its footprint in Alaska.  The University of Washington Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team will be Ha
  
  Read more

• 2 die during guided river rafting trip in Arctic Alaska - Alaska Dispatch News

  17-06-2016 21:59
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  2 die during guided river rafting trip in Arctic Alaska
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Two women died Wednesday after their raft capsized on a river trip in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge but eight people were rescued, according to North Slope Borough officials. Borough spokesman John Boyle identified the victims in a statement ...
  2 dead after raft capsizes during guided Alaska river tripFairbanks Daily News-Minerall 7 news articles »
  
  Read more

• National HIV Testing Day and preventing the spread of HIV

  17-06-2016 21:00
  
  HIV infected H9 T cell; from WikiCommonsDue to the remarkable success of the treatment of HIV/AIDS efforts are now being increased to prevent infection. Knowing if you may be infected allows the use of effective treatment to prevent spread. June 27 is designated National HIV Testing Day to encourage people to learn their HIV status. This program will focus on how HIV transmission to others can be dramatically decreased.
   
  HOST: Dr. Thad WoodardGUESTS:
  Rebecca Morrissey,
  
  Read more

• 49 Voices: Onya Enkhbat of Unalaska

  17-06-2016 20:51
  
  This week we’re hearing from Purevdulam “Onya” Enkhbat. She recently graduated from Unalaska High School where she was valedictorian.
  Purevdulam “Onya” Enkhbat (Photo courtesy of Purevdulam “Onya” Enkhbat)ENKHBAT: I came from Mongolia about three years ago as a sophomore here. I was thinking that it would probably be colder and when I think of Alaska, I just think of dog mushing and ice. But when I get here in Unalaska it was so different. Ther
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Billionaire David Rubenstein's wife broke Alaska-sized promise, editor says - Newsweek

  17-06-2016 20:40
  Newsweek
  Billionaire David Rubenstein's wife broke Alaska-sized promise, editor says
  Newsweek
  The relationship that reshaped Alaska journalism in the 21st century began and ended with deals inked on napkins. Tony Hopfinger, the reporter who founded the Alaska Dispatch website, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the wealthy publisher who bought ...and more »
  
  Read more

• AK: Summer ski jumping

  17-06-2016 20:32
  
  Last week, the Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage (NSAA) was able to have summertime ski jumping at the Hilltop Ski Area. This is the first summer ski jump facility in the state.
  One of the skiers looks out at the ski jump facility from the top of the 40-meter hill. (Photo by Ammon Swenson, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage)The NSAA is a group that helps kids learn and compete in various winter sports. Among them ski jumping. For many young Alaskan jumpers, the only time they have to practi
  
  Read more

• Carrying a father's influence and his ashes to Alaska - azcentral.com

  17-06-2016 17:25
  
  azcentral.com
  Carrying a father's influence and his ashes to Alaska
  azcentral.com
  The shore near Ketchikan, Alaska, in front of the home where the family left most of the ashes. Brandon Loomis/The Republic. Fullscreen. Fireweed along the shore near Ketchikan, Alaska, July 2015. Brandon Loomis/The Republic. Fullscreen. High tide at ...
  
  Read more

• A way out of Alaska's fiscal hole - The Hill (blog)

  17-06-2016 16:25
  
  The Hill (blog)
  A way out of Alaska's fiscal hole
  The Hill (blog)
  The Alaska legislature currently finds itself with the unenviable task of addressing a $3.8 billion deficit caused by plummeting oil prices this past year. While those of us in the Lower 48 may wonder how the price of oil can have such a catastrophic ...
  Protecting Alaska's Economic And Energy FutureForbes
  Interior Department hears conflicting cries over offshore Arctic drillingAlaska Dispatch News
  Group Pushes To Keep Lease Sale
  
  Read more

• Gov. Walker's Permanent Fund bill faces defeat in House - Alaska Dispatch News

  17-06-2016 07:00
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Gov. Walker's Permanent Fund bill faces defeat in House
  Alaska Dispatch News
  JUNEAU — A top House Republican's compromise bid to restructure the Permanent Fund and reduce the state budget deficit failed Thursday, leaving Gov. Bill Walker's hopes of comprehensive financial reforms hanging by a thread. The new version of ...
  Alaska governor signs bill to increase fish and game feesFairbanks Daily News-Miner
  Alaska lawmakers review compromise permanent fund billKFQD
  
  Read more

• Those who mourn Alaska's good old days might get to see them again - Alaska Dispatch News

  17-06-2016 06:56
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Those who mourn Alaska's good old days might get to see them again
  Alaska Dispatch News
  In 1943 the journalist Joseph Driscoll traveled Alaska reporting for several newspapers on World War II's affect on the territory. His later book, "War Discovers Alaska" (New York: J.B. Lippincott), elaborated on his findings. As would other writers ...
  Only one good choice for Alaska: Legislators should give up partisan opposition to revenue measureFairbanks Daily News-Minerall 3 news a
  
  Read more

• Former Alaska Dispatch News president and editor sues ADN owner - Alaska Dispatch News

  17-06-2016 06:02
  
  Former Alaska Dispatch News president and editor sues ADN owner
  Alaska Dispatch News
  The former president and editor of Alaska Dispatch News has filed a lawsuit against Alaska Dispatch Publishing LLC and its owner, Alice Rogoff, asserting she failed to pay money he says was promised to him. Tony Hopfinger now lives in Chicago and hasn ...
  
  Read more

• In France, a new exhibit marks first collection of contemporary Alaska Native art in Europe - Alaska Dispatch News

  17-06-2016 05:46
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  In France, a new exhibit marks first collection of contemporary Alaska Native art in Europe
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Eaton looks over fabric art by Alison Bremner included in the upcoming exhibit, “From One Culture to Another” in the Boulogne-sur-Mer Museum in France June 25. (Photo courtesy Perry Eaton). On June 25, an exhibit of work by 29 leading Alaska Native ...
  
  Read more

• Major change for Alaska vets as TriWest steps aside - Alaska Public Radio Network

  17-06-2016 04:28
  
  Major change for Alaska vets as TriWest steps aside
  Alaska Public Radio Network
  A major change is coming in the way Alaska veterans get medical care. Congressional leaders announced Monday that TriWest, the subcontractor acting as an intermediary between veterans and medical providers, will no longer be responsible for booking ...
  
  Read more

• Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, June 16, 2016 - Alaska Public Radio Network

  17-06-2016 04:28
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, June 16, 2016
  Alaska Public Radio Network
  Former Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan is dropping out of the race for U.S. Senate. He made the announcement just 15 days after he filed to challenge Lisa Murkowski in the Republican Primary. Democrats say Murkowski sinks bill with riders. Liz Ruskin ...
  Ex-Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan drops out of Senate raceAlaska Dispatch News
  Dan Sullivan Drops Out of Alaska Senate RaceMorning Consultall 15 news
  
  Read more

• Alaska to the Department: We'll Take Your Money, But Not Your Oversight - EdCentral

  17-06-2016 04:19
  
  EdCentral
  Alaska to the Department: We'll Take Your Money, But Not Your Oversight
  EdCentral
  Alaska Governor Bill Walker has a big decision ahead of him. On his desk sits a piece of legislation that, if he choses to sign, may have serious consequences for Alaskan students, not to mention students in states across the nation that may look to ...
  
  Read more

• Major change for Alaska vets as TriWest steps aside

  17-06-2016 04:18
  Department of Veterans Affairs flag.A major change is coming in the way Alaska veterans get medical care. Congressional leaders announced Monday that TriWest, the subcontractor acting as an intermediary between veterans and medical providers, will no longer be responsible for booking appointments.
  Download Audio
  Veterans in Alaska have criticized the appointment process as a major bottle-neck in accessing critical care. Many see the change as a small potential improvement within a larger web of
  
  Read more

• Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, June 16, 2016

  17-06-2016 03:53
  
  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
  Former Mayor Dan Sullivan drops out of senatorial race
  Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
  Former Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan is dropping out of the race for U.S. Senate. He made the announcement just 15 days after he filed to challenge L
  
  Read more

• Dividend checks would drop, but not by as much, under revised bill

  17-06-2016 03:10
  
  
  Alaskans’ Permanent Fund dividends would still be cut, but not as much, under a new version of a bill to restructure fund earnings.
  Download Audio
  The House Finance Committee introduced a new version of Senate Bill 128 today. Dividend checks would drop by about $500, instead of the $1,000 cut included in the Senate’s version of the bill.
  After two years, the dividend would depend on the price of oil. It’s currently projected to fall to $1,000 per year. But it would rise to as m
  
  Read more

• Former military leaders fight on the side of lease sales in the Arctic

  17-06-2016 03:03
  
  
  More than a dozen former military leaders jumped into a fight over offshore drilling in the Arctic yesterday, asking the Department of the Interior to allow lease sales in Alaska’s Arctic.
  Download Audio
  Shell’s Polar Pioneer leaving Dutch Harbor on Oct. 12, heading for Washington state. (Photo by John Ryan, KUCB – Unalaska)The deadline is Thursday for groups to weigh-in on the interior department’s plan.
   
  The military leaders said the U.S. is lagging behind other n
  
  Read more

• Fairbanks man gets 17 years behind bars in murder-for-hire

  17-06-2016 02:56
  
  A former Fairbanks chiropractor and gun dealer has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for soliciting the murder of federal officers and others involved in an investigation against him in a separate murder-for-hire plot.
  Download Audio
  The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that Guy Christopher Mannino was sentenced Wednesday after being found guilty of trying to kill a witness and two federal officers while behind bars in 2014.
  Prosecutors say Mannino tried to hire a fellow inmate to kill thos
  
  Read more

• How much money the Alaska delegation receives from gun rights groups - KTUU.com

  17-06-2016 02:48
  
  KTUU.com
  How much money the Alaska delegation receives from gun rights groups
  KTUU.com
  ANCHORAGE (KTUU) On Wednesday, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) stood on the senate floor for almost 15 hours, a filibuster designed to the make senate leadership vote on two gun control amendments. The term #filibuster was a trending topic for most of ...
  Senator's 15-hour filibuster gains 'path forward' on gun controlAlaska Dispatch Newsall 1,132 news articles »
  
  Read more

• Michael Johnson to be new commissioner of education and early development

  17-06-2016 02:41
  
  
  Dr Michael Johnson will be the new commissioner of education and early development. In a state release today, Governor Bill Walker said he was pleased to have Dr Johnson begin his new appointment on July 1st.
  Download Audio
  Johnson most recently served as superintendent for the Copper River School district.
  
  Read more

• Woman dies in boating accident near Elfin Cove

  17-06-2016 02:29
  
  An Elfin Cove woman is dead after a small boat struck a piling near the community late Wednesday night.
  Elfin Cove, Sept. 6, 2006. (Creative Commons photo by Jim Liestman)Alaska State Troopers identified the victim as 44-year-old Elizabeth Eskelin. She was wearing a life jacket.
  “It appears to be something pretty straightforward,” said troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters. “The information we have is two adults and three juveniles were in the boat together driving around. And it a
  
  Read more

• Troopers reveal victims in Atka crash were from Anchorage

  17-06-2016 02:28
  Alaska State Troopers say the three men killed Tuesday in a traffic crash on a remote Aleutian island were all from Anchorage.
  Download Audio
  Troopers said 43-year-old Ray McCullough Jr., 51-year-old Mike Tunohun Jr. and 57-year-old Paul Nicholas Nesbit died in the single-vehicle crash of a passenger van in the village of Atka.
  Atka is a fishing village of 68 people located 1,200 miles southwest of Anchorage and 350 miles west of Unalaska.
  Investigators have not been able to reach Atka because o
  
  Read more

• Numerous wildfires hit Interior and St. Lawrence Island

  17-06-2016 02:16
  There were 9 new wildfires reported in Alaska on Wednesday, including 6 on a machine gun training range on Ft. Wainwright in Fairbanks. The range fires each burned well less than an acre before being put out by military personnel. Alaska Fire Service spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said the Army works with the agency to minimize wildfire risk.
  Download Audio
  “There’s a pretty strict process and protocol military members have to go through to conduct the training, so we’re pretty we
  
  Read more

• Democrats say Murkowski sinks bill with riders

  17-06-2016 02:15
  
  
  File photo: Liz Ruskin/APRNU.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, through her  assignment on the Appropriations Committee, is charged with writing a bill that funds the Interior Department and a wide swath of the federal government. It is a major opportunity to direct money to agencies important to Alaska. The committee passed her bill today, but a Democratic leader says it’s unlikely to see the full Senate.
  Download Audio
  Murkowski, in a phone call with reporters, ticked off the agencies
  
  Read more

• We Are Super Cub Pilots | INDIE ALASKA - Alaska Public Radio Network

  17-06-2016 02:06
  
  We Are Super Cub Pilots | INDIE ALASKA
  Alaska Public Radio Network
  Each year pilots from around the state show off their piloting chops in the Valdez fly-in short takeoff and landing competition. For these pilots flying isn't just means of transportation, it's a way of life. These skills aren't just used for bragging ...and more »
  
  Read more

• We Are Super Cub Pilots | INDIE ALASKA

  17-06-2016 02:06
  
  Each year pilots from around the state show off their piloting chops in the Valdez fly-in short takeoff and landing competition. For these pilots flying isn’t just means of transportation, it’s a way of life.These skills aren’t just used for bragging rights, they’re essential for flying in Alaska–whether they’re landing on a remote beach or taking off of a glacier. Meet four talented pilots with one big thing in common, their love of flying their super cub pl
  
  Read more

• Former Mayor Dan Sullivan drops out of senatorial race

  17-06-2016 02:01
  
  Former Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan is dropping out of the race for U.S. Senate. He made the announcement just 15 days after he filed to challenge Lisa Murkowski in the Republican Primary. In a press release, Sullivan said conservative leaders, who he did not name, asked him to run just 1 day before the filing deadline. He said there’s “significant” financial support for a conservative candidate, but he said it would be best for him to work on other politica
  
  Read more

• Copper River King salmon run slower than anticipated

  17-06-2016 01:19
  
  The Copper River King salmon run is coming in weaker than anticipated. Alaska Department of Fish and Game Glennallen area management biologist Mark Somerville said run measures, including a weak commercial king harvest on the delta, and sub-par in river counts and catches all point to the same thing.
  “We’re looking at some of the lowest projections for this time. Below the escapement goal of 24,000 fish into the river,” Somerville said.
  Despite a slight uptick last year, Somerv
  
  Read more

• Some must leave home to get help

  17-06-2016 00:57
  
  For all its prevalence in Alaskan communities, drug addiction can be a difficult health care problem to manage. Proper treatment depends on timing and access to services, which aren’t always available in small-town Alaska. Limited options mean it can be hard to beat addiction at home — forcing some people to leave all they know to find the help they need.
  Lael Grant (Image from “Help Find Lael Grant” Facebook page)33-year-old Lael Grant was last seen in a Sitka grocery st
  
  Read more

• Copper River superintendent chosen as Alaska's next education commissioner - Alaska Dispatch News

  17-06-2016 00:53
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Copper River superintendent chosen as Alaska's next education commissioner
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Michael Johnson, superintendent of the Copper River School District, was selected Thursday as Alaska's next education commissioner. (Courtesy Alaska Department of Education and Early Development). The Alaska Board of Education and Early ...and more »
  
  Read more

• Woman killed, 4 hurt in Southeast Alaska when skiff hits piling - Alaska Dispatch News

  17-06-2016 00:52
  
  Alaska Dispatch News
  Woman killed, 4 hurt in Southeast Alaska when skiff hits piling
  Alaska Dispatch News
  A 44-year-old woman died in a Southeast Alaska skiff crash Wednesday evening, according to Alaska State Troopers and the Coast Guard. According to troopers, Elizabeth Eskelin was one of five people — two adults and three children — in the skiff ...
  Woman, 44, killed in Southeast Alaska boating accidentKTUU.com
  Elfin Cove woman dies in boating collisionFairbanks Daily News-Minera
  
  Read more

• Living Alaska: A fear of Alaska's high giardia rate - KTVA.com - Anchorage, Alaska

  17-06-2016 00:42
  
  KTVA.com - Anchorage, Alaska
  Living Alaska: A fear of Alaska's high giardia rate
  KTVA.com - Anchorage, Alaska
  A couple weeks ago, a beaver swam right next to my kayak as I paddled around Little Campbell Lake in West Anchorage. All of two seconds passed before my inner hypochondriac came bursting to the surface. I thought about all of things that could have ...
  
  Read more

• Opportunity to comment on Alaska Safe Children's Act implementation - KTUU.com

  17-06-2016 00:20
  
  KTUU.com
  Opportunity to comment on Alaska Safe Children's Act implementation
  KTUU.com
  ANCHORAGE (KTUU) An Alaska Department of Education and Early Development task force released its first draft of recommendations on how to teach students about sexual abuse and abuse prevention and dating violence. The Alaska Safe Children's Act ...
  
  Read more

• Bethel elders could be spending more time alone once ONC closes Senior Center

  17-06-2016 00:16
  
  Bethel’s Senior Center is closing its doors to seniors. Orutsararmuit Native Council, or ONC, runs the program and will keep many of its services. But starting next month, it will no longer offer a space for seniors to gather, talk, and eat. Seniors will remain fed and supported, but they could be spending a lot more time alone.
  Catherine Peters, age 82, playing bingo at the ONC Senior Center. (Photo by Dean Swope, KYUK – Bethel) 
  It’s 9:30 in the morning at the ONC Senior
  
  Read more

Follow @News_Alaska on Twitter!