Alaska News Nightly: June 12, 2014

Individual news stories are posted on the APRN news page. You can subscribe to APRN’s newsfeeds via emailpodcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @aprn.

Download Audio

Newly Forming Permafrost May Not Survive Century’s End

Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks

Scientists are announcing a surprising find from the arctic: new permafrost is still forming. But it is unlikely to survive beyond the end of the century. That’s according to a new study out this week in the publication Geophysical Research Letters. Researchers made the discovery at a lake in Alaska’s Eastern Interior.

Air Quality Permit Raises Ire

Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has given the go ahead for an air quality permit for Usibelli Coal’s Wishbone Hill mine near Palmer.   The move has been met with outrage by members of the Castle Mountain Coalition, an anti-coal group in the Matanuska Valley.

Subsistence Users Criticize Miners And Regulators At Nome Meeting

Zachariah Hughes, KNOM – Nome

Subsistence users in Nome are criticizing gold miners and regulators for failing to take into account the negative impacts mining is having on other resources in the area. Officials from different agencies took public comment on the issue at a community meeting yesterday.

Research Opportunities Abound In Funny River Fire Aftermath

Shaylon Cochran, KDLL – Kenai

The Funny River fire is now considered 60 percent contained, with minimal fire growth over the past few days. As the fire slowly burns out, scientists are excited about new research possibilities in the area.

2,000 Dancers Make Grand Entrance To Celebration

Rosemarie Alexander, KTOO – Juneau

More than two-thousand Southeast Alaska Natives danced their way to Juneau’s Centennial Hall on Wednesday evening for Celebration 2014.

The biennial festival is the largest cultural event in the state. Organized by Sealaska Heritage Institute, it brings multiple generations of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people together to celebrate their culture.

Before The Pipeline: Ritchie Musick

Molly Rettig, APRN Contributor

Fairbanks didn’t attract a lot of young, single ladies in the ‘60s. Ritchie Musick was 24 when she first came to Alaska to escape city life in southern California. She found all the adventure she dreamed of–hauling water, mushing, and moose in the backyard. Fifty years later she has the same frontier spirit, though she finally got plumbing.

Urban Yeti Improv Group Enters Second Season

Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage

How can you tell when a town has matured into a city? You could use sheer population numbers, but that’s boring. How about entertainment offerings? Anchorage can now boast two comedy Improv groups.  Scared Scriptless has been around for several years, and newcomer Urban Yeti Improv is starting its second season.

Previous articleLarge crowd greets Celebration paddlers
Next articleUrban Yeti Improv Group Enters Second Season