Alaska news

• House fire in Chefornak results in the death of Catholic priest

  13-10-2016 22:57
  
  The village of Chefornak woke up to a Wednesday morning fire that killed one person. Officials are investigating the cause.
  Jesuit Father Theodore Kestler was a Catholic priest who divided his time between villages in the area. (Photo courtesy of Diocese of Fairbanks)Alaska State Troopers say that they received a call around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday saying that a house was engulfed in flames and that one person, identified as 72-year-old Jesuit Father Theodore Kestler, died in the fire. Efforts to
  
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• The numbers are in on Juneau’s economy

  13-10-2016 22:03
  
  In 2015, Juneau gained more young people and seniors, cost of living fell slightly, unemployment remained steady and the housing market was still tight.
  Those are highlights from a report compiled by the Juneau Economic Development Council on changes to Juneau’s economy between 2014 and 2015.
  In the housing market, prices rose and turnaround times for single-family homes and condominiums were still quick. According to the JEDC, home sales went up 10 percent last year.
  City Manager Rorie Wa
  
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• New Southeast atlas identifies valuable habitat and threats

  13-10-2016 20:04
  
  (Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)Audubon Alaska recently released an atlas showing where the most valuable salmon streams and bird habitat are located in Southeast. It also identifies the biggest threats to those areas.
  Spread across 200 pages, the ecological atlas of the region includes a lot more than maps. Melanie Smith, the director of conservation science for Audubon Alaska, said the organization wanted to create something both policymakers and regular people could use.
  I
  
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• Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016

  13-10-2016 04:13
  
  
  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
  Listen NowSupreme Court declares Dean Westlake winner of House District 40 Primary race
  Rachel Waldholz, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage
  The Alaska Supreme Court has reinstated Dean Westlake as the winner of the Democratic primary in House District 40, which covers the North Slope and Northwest Arctic.
  Fairba
  
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• Building Fires in The Snow

  13-10-2016 03:35
  
  Stories and poetry that celebrate the urban wilderness interface in Alaska through the lens of LGBTQ writers is brought together in a new anthology called Building Fires in The Snow. Authors and editors Lucian Childs and Martha Amore helped bring it all together.
  AMORE: Pretty much immediately I saw it would be a lot of work and so I turned to my old friend Lucian and asked him if he would be interested in co-editing the collection.
  CHILDS: I had to think about 20 seconds before I said yes becau
  
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• Supreme Court declares Dean Westlake winner of House District 40 Primary race

  13-10-2016 03:08
  
  Dean Westlake, after a lower court deemed his opponent Benjamin Nageak the winner for the House District 40 Democratic Primary, was deemed the winner by the Alaska Supreme Court in a ruling Oct.12, 2016. (Photo by Rachel Waldholz, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage)The Alaska Supreme Court has reinstated Dean Westlake as the winner of the Democratic primary in House District 40, which covers the North Slope and Northwest Arctic.
  The decision came in a ruling late this Wednesday af
  
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• Search commences for missing Fairbanks man

  13-10-2016 02:54
  A search is being conducted for a Fairbanks man missing since last week. Alaska State Troopers report 64 year old James Hutchison last spoke to family members on October 3rd. Trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters says a search for Hutchison is focused on the area around his home at mile 13.5 Chena Hot Springs Road.   Peters said the local search dog group PAWS was doing a ground search and checking the river.
  
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• Fairbanks advocates file another lawsuit against EPA over air quality

  13-10-2016 02:52
  
  Fairbanks area air quality advocates have filed another lawsuit aimed at forcing the Environmental Protection Agency to adhere to Clean Air Act deadlines. Areas of the North Star Borough suffer from regular wintertime fine particulate pollution episodes as emissions from wood, coal, oil and other burning are trapped at ground level by inversions. Patrice Lee, a coordinator with Citizens for Clean Air, says the suit filed against the EPA is specific to a missed deadline requiring reclassification
  
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• SEARHC acquires Wrangell based AICS

  13-10-2016 01:38
  
  The Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium announced Wednesday that it would be acquiring Wrangell based Alaska Island Community Services.
  AICS CEO Mark Walker said the Wrangell operation will retain its name and continue operating out of its existing locations.
  “All employees will retain their job. No employee will have any kind of reduction in their salary,” Walker said. “Services will continue under the same local management, and we don’t expect any immediate chan
  
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• Southeast weather: exceedingly beautiful and very unusual

  13-10-2016 01:29
  
  Boats lined up in Harris Harbor on a sunny, clear day Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016 in downtown Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Rashah McChesney, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Juneau)The weather has been beautiful in Southeast Alaska for two weeks straight.
  That is very unusual. September and October are normally the rainiest months in the region.
  Brian Brettschneider is a climatologist in Anchorage who closely tracks Alaska climate data and trends. Alaska’s Energy Desk is checking in
  
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• Aggressive bears concern Sitka Police

  13-10-2016 00:27
  
  Sitka Police Lt. Lance Ewers urges residents to keep their garbage indoors until the day of pickup. (Photo by KCAW)The Sitka Police Department is on a bear hunt.
  There’s been a recent spike in bear sightings around town and even a few close calls.
  It’s not uncommon for bears roam neighborhoods in search of trash, especially in the months leading up to hibernation, but all the usual tricks for keeping Sitka’s bears at bay haven’t been working.
  It’s safe to say it&rsq
  
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