Alaska News Nightly: September 17, 2009

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Fuel Barge Runs Aground Near Quinhagak
Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage
The Coast Guard is reporting a Crowley fuel barge is grounded near the village of Quinhagak on the Kanektok River. The village is located south of Bethel on the eastern shore of the Bering Sea.

Biologists Spot Dead Walruses on Northern Coast
Annie Feidt, APRN – Anchorage
Biologists have spotted as many as 200 dead walruses at a haul out site on Alaska’s northern coast. The grim scene could be another sign the species is struggling as global warming melts the Arctic Ocean sea ice. The federal government is currently working to determine whether the walrus should be listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Rabid Wolf Attacks Hunter
Shane Iverson, KYUK – Bethel
A Moose Hunter is considering himself lucky to be alive after being attacked by a rabid wolf.   Rodrick Phillip, age 35 of Kongignak was hunting on the Kuskokwim River when the predator made a surprise visit to his camp.

Adak Fisheries Files for Bankruptcy
Anne Hillman, KUCB – Unalaska
Adak Fisheries, the lone fish processing plant in the western Aleutians, officially filed for bankruptcy on September 11.

Kookesh Wants Federal Court to Hear Fishing Case
Robert Woolsey, KCAW – Sitka
State Sen. Albert Kookesh, a Democrat, hopes to take his recent subsistence violation to a federal court. Kookesh and three other Angoon residents were cited by state troopers on July 12th for catching more sockeye salmon in a beach seine than allowed under subsistence permit rules. Kookesh now says he’ll oppose the violation on grounds that the state has no jurisdiction over subsistence on federal lands.

Parnell Pushes Oil and Gas in DC
Libby Casey, APRN – Washington
Governor Sean Parnell used his first trip to Washington DC as Alaska’s Republican governor to advocate for offshore drilling and promote a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope.

Federal Government Teams with State to Attract More Doctors
Mike Mason, KDLG – Dillingham
The State of Alaska is teaming up with the federal government to create a new program designed to lure more doctors and other health care practitioners to work in Alaska.

Kenai Professor Wins University Award
Ben Stanton, KDLL – Kenai
A Kenai Peninsula College professor is the recipient of an annual award from the University of Alaska Foundation.  Alan Boraas teaches anthropology at the Kenai River Campus in Soldotna and was selected for the Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence.

Students Graduate from Correctional Center
Ellen Lockyer, APRN – Anchorage
Graduation day took on new meaning on Wednesday, when 18 young women –  inmates of Hiland Mountain Correctional Center – stepped forward in blue gowns and mortarboards to receive that all important high school diploma.

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