Alaska news

• Meet Charles Ndungutse, from Rwanda

  17-02-2017 23:10
  
  
  This time we’ll meet Charles Ndungutse, 24, who is Congolese, but lived in a Rwandan refugee camp for most of his life.
   
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  “New Arrivals” is Alaska Public Media’s profiles of people who recently moved to Anchorage, one of the most diverse cities in the world. Every Tuesday, we meet a New Arrival from another country, another state, or another part of Alaska. The stories air at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesdays during Morning Edition here on KSKA, Alaska Pu
  
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• Real ID in Alaska: Where are we now?

  17-02-2017 23:00
  
  Alaska rolled out updated driver’s license and ID cards in June 2014. They are not REAL ID-compliant. (Courtesy Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles)The Real ID act has been around for more than a decade, but some of its significant deadlines are just now bearing down on Alaskans. They include your ability to enter federal facilities and military bases by this June, and by next January, your ability to fly on commercial aircraft.
  The Real ID act became law in 2005 and sets standards for state
  
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• Last mushers finish Yukon Quest

  17-02-2017 22:11
  
  Matt Hall runs his team toward the finish in Fairbanks Tuesday.
  (Photo: Whitney McLaren / Yukon Quest)The 2017 Yukon Quest is over. The last 5 mushers arrived in Fairbanks Thursday (Feb. 16) and Friday (Feb. 17) morning.
  Healy’s Dave Dalton claimed 10th place, followed by fellow race veterans Rob Cooke of Whitehorse, and Brian Wilmshurst of Dawson City. Rookie Ben Good of North Pole took the number 13 spot early this morning, followed by another first time finisher, Sébastien Dos Sa
  
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• 2017 AEDC Economic Forecast Report

  17-02-2017 21:00
  
  This week we’re hearing the 2017 Economic Forecast for Anchorage, presented by the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation. It’s a look at the changes in Anchorage and it’s economy over the last few years, and what we can expect for the future. We’ll first hear from AEDC President and CEO Bill Popp as he presents the economic forecast. Later in the program, we’ll hear from Anchorage mayor Ethan Berkowitz and Lt. Governor Byron Mallott. 
  SPEAKERS:
  Bill Popp,
  
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• VPA presents Lend Me a Tenor

  17-02-2017 18:21
  
  L-R Mathew Firman, Kelly Lee Williams, Todd BrosteValley Performing Arts is presenting Ken Ludwig’s popular farce, Lend Me a Tenor February 17th-March 5th at their theatre in Wasilla. Dropping by the studio this week to talk about it are Actor Todd Broste and Actor and Director Kelly Lee Williams. Listen to Stage Talk to hear how Williams, as Director, has made some very interesting choices to solve one of the more challenging aspects of the play and also how Broste considers his character
  
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• Adventure is the profit: the economics of dog handling

  17-02-2017 06:36
  
  
  Sean Underwood loads dogs from Jeff King’s kennel into a truck for transport to the Tustamena 200 sled-dog race. (Photo: Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media – Denali)Behind many of the world’s top mushing champions is an army of cheap, semi-skilled labor: dog handlers.
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  Across Alaska, handlers play a pivotal role in competitive mushing. They manage sprawling kennels and help train sled-dogs for competition. It’s a system that thrives on an unconventional
  
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• Bill Would Allow Killing Of Bears And Wolves Again On Alaska Wildlife Refuges - Huffington Post

  17-02-2017 06:31
  
  Huffington Post
  Bill Would Allow Killing Of Bears And Wolves Again On Alaska Wildlife Refuges
  Huffington Post
  WASHINGTON — House lawmakers on Thursday advanced a measure to repeal an Obama-era rule that largely banned the hunting of bears, wolves and other predators on more than 76 million acres of national wildlife refuge land in Alaska.
  US House passes Don Young's bill to repeal Alaska wildlife management ruleAlaska Dispatch News
  US House lifts restrictions on predator hunting in Alaska
  
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• Walker orders state agencies to pursue grants to fight opioid epidemic

  17-02-2017 04:00
  
  Gov. Bill Walker, state Emergency Programs Section Chief Andy Jones, Kara Nelson and state Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jay Butler during the Feb. 16 announcement of Walker’s order on opioid addiction. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/Alaska Public Media/KTOO)Gov. Bill Walker took action this week to try to stem the epidemic of overdose deaths from heroin and other opioid drugs.
  Walker signed a disaster declaration that’s intended to make it easier to give overdose victims the life-saving ov
  
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• Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017

  17-02-2017 03:52
  
  
  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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  Rep. Young joins motley cannabis caucus
  Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media – Washington D.C.
  Alaska Congressman Don Young says he’s never smoked marijuana. But Young says he wants to change federal law to help marijuana entrepreneurs do business. The issue has Young joining forces with congressmen of d
  
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• U.S. House lifts restrictions on predator hunting in Alaska refuges

  17-02-2017 03:27
  
  On Thursday (Feb. 16) the U.S. House approved a bill to lift Obama administration restrictions on hunting and trapping of bears, wolves and other predators on federal wildlife refuges in Alaska.
  The Fish and Wildlife Service said last year the rule will help maintain sustainable populations of bears, wolves and coyotes on national wildlife refuges across the state.
  Alaska Congressman Don Young said the rule undermines Alaska’s ability to manage wildlife on refuge lands- one-fifth of its la
  
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• Yukon Quest rookie mushes in at 7th place

  17-02-2017 03:21
  
  The top rookie in this year’s Yukon Quest crossed the finish line in Fairbanks yesterday. Katherine Keith of Kotzebue arrived just before noon Wednesday (Feb. 15), with ten dogs to claim Rookie of the Year honors. Keith has run the Iditarod three times, but this was her first Yukon Quest.
  “It was much more challenging than my expectations to be honest,” Keith said. “So it really lived up to its reputation. I feel a lot tougher having finished.”
  Keith shares dogs wit
  
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• Rep. Young joins motley cannabis caucus

  17-02-2017 03:14
  
  Reps. Jared Polis, Earl Blumenauer, Don Young and Dana Rohrabacher founded the “cannabis caucus” to ease federal restrictions on marijuana. (Photo: Liz Ruskin – APRN)Alaska Congressman Don Young said he’s never smoked marijuana. But recognizing that his constituents have voted to legalize it, Young says he wants to change federal law to help marijuana entrepreneurs do business. The issue has Young joining forces with congressmen of different stripes.
  They call themselves
  
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• Iditapod: The Yukon Quest

  17-02-2017 02:25
  
  In Episode 2, we talk to:– Molly Rettig about the Yukon Quest.– Brent Sass’s scratch.– Iditarod start moving to Fairbanks.– Economics of dog handling.
  
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• Iditapod: Recapping the Kuskokwim 300

  17-02-2017 02:23
  
  In this episode we talk about:– This year’s Kuskokwim 300 with Ben Matheson.– Mushing’s rural to urban migration with Zachariah Hughes
  
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• Lobbyist tax gets pushback in Alaska state House

  17-02-2017 02:20
  
  Rep. Sam Kito lll addresses the Alaska House of Representatives on April 7, 2014. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)State Rep. Sam Kito III wants to close a $200,000 funding gap at the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC), which oversees the activities of candidates, political groups and lobbyists.
  His solution: a selective income tax on lobbyists. The revenue, he says, would help with accurate and timely oversight of lobbying activities.
  “Over the recent couple of years we’
  
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