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Lawmakers look at making health costs more transparent
Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO – Juneau
When Alaskans buy candy bars, they know how much they’re going to pay before they make the purchase. The same isn’t true for healthcare. Lawmakers are looking to change that.
Proposed legislation to criminalize police sexual contact with sex workers during investigations
Anne Hillman, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
Law enforcement officers in Alaska can legally have sexual contact with people they are investigating for crimes. Proposed legislation seeks to change that. A new survey shows that most Alaskans didn’t know the practice was legal and do not support it.
State reduces Hilcorp fine for worker safety incident
Annie Feidt, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage
The state is fining oil and gas company Hilcorp $200,000 for a 2015 incident that nearly killed three workers on the North Slope. The final order amount, which was released today (Mar. 3), is a significant reduction from the $720,000 penalty the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission proposed last year.
Two rescued after emergency island landing
Associated Press
Two people were rescued Friday after their small plane made an emergency landing near an Alaska island.
Ryan Redington will be first musher on 2017 Iditarod Trail
Ben Matheson, KNOM – Nome
Ryan Redington will be the first musher to hit the trail Monday morning in this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The grandson of Iditarod race founder Joe Redington, Sr., the younger Redington pulled bib #2 from a mukluk at the Iditarod Mushers’ Drawing Banquet Thursday night.
Arctic shrubberies unlikely to affect bird populations until fully grown study says
Associated Press
A federal study says more shrubs growing on Arctic tundra likely will have little effect on the abundance of most bird species until the vegetation grows tall.
The long and winded process of bringing F-35’s to Alaska
Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
The F-35 stealth fighter has faced a lot of challenges over the years. The aircraft is already the most expensive military project in the Defense Department’s history, with costs expected to ultimately total 1.5 trillion dollars. The program got yet another prominent critic when then-president elect Trump went after it on Twitter. But communities like Fairbanks that have spent years trying to lure the military into basing new fighter squadrons nearby aren’t feeling nervous. In fact, they’re already seeing some economic benefits.
AK: Model Arctic Council simulates impending actual Arctic Council meeting
Matt Miller, KTOO – Juneau
The Arctic Council returns to Alaska with meetings in Juneau next week (March 7-10) and in Fairbanks in May. Representatives from eight Arctic countries and six indigenous groups work on shaping Arctic policy. To understand the work of the Arctic Council first-hand, a group of university students met in Fairbanks last spring to form a model council with real-world impacts.
49 Voices: Ivan Simonek of Wrangell
Aaron Bolton, KSTK – Wrangell
This week we’re hearing from Ivan Simonek in Wrangell. Simonek emigrated from Czechoslovakia in the 60s.
