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Sullivan Maintains Fundraising Momentum
Liz Ruskin, APRN – Washington DC
Republican senate candidate Dan Sullivan has kept up his fundraising momentum. Sullivan’s campaign reports he raised $1.3 million in the first quarter of the year. That’s a bit more than Sullivan, the former state attorney general and natural resources commissioner, raised during the prior quarter. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Begich also reports raising more than a million dollars during the first quarter. Other challengers in the race haven’t yet announced their totals, which aren’t due until next week.
Little Progress Made In Dealing With Looming Retirement Problem
Alexandra Gutierrez, APRN – Juneau
The legislature has made little progress on Governor Sean Parnell’s goal of addressing the state’s looming retirement problem. Parnell hopes to change that by filing a bill that reintroduces his plan to deal with Alaska’s $12 billion unfunded liability.
Inuit Circumpolar Council Discussing Food Security
Anna Rose MacArthur, KNOM – Nome
The Inuit Circumpolar Council is holding a meeting in Nome next week. The topic is food security, and the goal is to create a framework to understand the issue from an Inuit perspective.
Delta Western Workers Approve Union Membership
Lauren Rosenthal, KUCB – Unalaska
After two months of protests, Delta Western fuel workers in Unalaska have voted to unionize. The Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific got the support of a slim majority in an election on Thursday night.
The Alaska Innocence Project Challenging 1987 Murder Conviction
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
Evidence used to get a conviction for a 1987 Fairbanks murder trial is in question. The Alaska Innocence Project is pursuing post conviction relief for Michael Alexander, who was imprisoned for the March 23, 1987 kidnapping and killing of Fairbanks teenager Kathy Stockholm. The Innocence Project request challenges biological evidence that helped convict Alexander, and the group’s Director Bill Oberly says the FBI has concurred it could be suspect.
Fire Season Likely To Start Early In Southcentral Alaska
Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks
Wildland firefighters are gearing up for the upcoming 2014 fire season. According to the Bureau of Land Management’s Alaska Fire Service, fire season could come fast to parts of the Tanana Valley and Southcentral Alaska.
HAARP Research Facility To Shut Down
Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage
Gakona’s High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, better known as HAARP, is slated for the junk pile. But a group of University of Alaska researchers are trying to stave off a Department of Defense move to scuttle the often-misunderstood scientific facility.
AK: Puppet Town
Margaret Friedenauer, KHNS – Haines
Haines seems like a quintessential Southeast Alaska town. There are eagles, bears, salmon, big mountains and rough water. It’s a picture-book no stoplight, no movie theater, low crime type of community. But there’s a seedier and eclectic side of Haines that emerged late this winter: the underground puppet scene.
300 Villages: Kasaan
This week, we’re heading to Kasaan, located in Southeast Alaska on Prince of Wales island. The coastal Native village is home to the oldest Haida building in the world. Frederick Otilius Olsen Junior is from Kasaan.
