Alaska News Nightly: October 10, 2012

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1 Injured In Sitka Coast Guard Boiler Explosion

Anne Brice, KCAW – Sitka

A civilian contractor was injured Wednesday at Coast Guard Air Station Sitka when a biomass boiler exploded in the station’s main hangar.

Human Remains Discovered In South Anchorage

Daysha Eaton, KSKA – Anchorage

Police are investigating human remains found in a wooded area near Dowling road in south Anchorage. Anchorage Police Department Spokesman Lieutenant Dave Parker says the body was discovered about 11 a.m. Wednesday morning. A man taking a shortcut home after dropping his car at a nearby garage discovered the remains. The body was not immediately identifiable as male or female, police say. Historically, there have been homeless camps in the area, but officials say there are no active camps there now.

Board of Game Denies Wolf Protection Request

Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks

The Alaska Board of Game will not honor a request to reconsider an emergency regulation to protect wolves along the eastern border of Denali National Park and Preserve. A handful of Wildlife advocacy groups and individuals have fielded a second petition asking to close state lands to hunting and trapping wolves near the park.

Kivalina May Run Out Of Fresh Water This Winter

Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks

The Arctic Village of Kivalina may run out of fresh water this winter.  Governor Sean Parnell declared a disaster in the village last month after heavy rainfall flooded the Wulik River and washed away some of the city’s surface water piping.

By the time the state Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management had shipped a new high speed pump and pipe to the community, it was too late according to City Administrator, Janet Mitchell.

Slush clogged the pipes and the crew gave up. It’s not clear how much water made it into the tanks.  Mitchell, who grew up in Kivalina, says residents have always tried to conserve water.

But the majority of Kivalina’s 436 residents don’t have boats or snowmachines to access large quantities of fresh drinking water. So they use the local washeteria. It’s unlikely to remain open through the winter.

Resetarits Brothers To Be Released On Bail

Michael Armstrong, Homer News

Two Homer men accused of sexual assault at a large house party last month have had their bail set. Michael Armstrong of the Homer News reports that, in a crowded courtroom Tuesday afternoon, Judge Margaret Murphy set bail at $5,000 for 20-year-old Anthony Resetarits and his 18-year-old brother, Joseph Resetarits. Both men will have to be under a 24-hour third-party custodian.

State Upholds Parental Notification Law

Alexandra Gutierrez, KUCB – Unalaska

In 2010, voters passed an initiative requiring minors to inform a parent 48 hours before getting an abortion. This week, the Anchorage Superior Court upheld most of that law, and even okayed portions that were initially viewed as too burdensome. But while the court determined the law was constitutional, it didn’t endorse it as good public policy.

No Major State Action Planned In Response To Fairbanks Heating Vote

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

The state doesn’t have any major action planned following approval of a Fairbanks ballot proposition that bans the North Star Borough from regulating heating devices. The yes vote has shifted the responsibility for reducing winter air pollution from wood and coal burning.

NPFMC Approves Halibut Quota Plan

Marcia Lynn, KBBI – Homer

For two decades commercial fishermen and charter operators in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska have been embroiled in a battle over how much halibut each sector should be allowed to catch. In an effort to end the ongoing fish fight, a new plan was approved by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council at its meeting in Anchorage last week.

‘Stewardship’ Workshops Continue As Tonka Timber Sale Awarded

Matt Lichtenstein, KFSK – Petersburg

The U.S. Forest Service has awarded the contract for a major logging project on Kupreanof Island near Petersburg. The agency made the announcement last week during its latest “collaborative stewardship” workshop. That series of public meetings is aimed at bringing forest stakeholders together to come up with local uses for revenue from the sale. The discussions have been tense at times.

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