Annie Feidt, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Annie Feidt is the broadcast managing editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at afeidt@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Annie here.
AK: Crab Bait Radio
Alaska is famous for its rough and tumble fishing industry. Some say you’ve gotta be tough to make it as a commercial salmon seiner. But that’s not always the case. Crab Bait Radio witnessed another side of seining last summer.
Part 3: Urban Hospitals in Alaska Reap Huge Profits
A new series of reports from the Alaska Health Care Commission look at the high cost of health care in the state. Private health insurance premiums are about 30 percent higher here than in comparison states.
Part 2: Specialty Care Comes With a Big Price Tag in Alaska
The Alaska Health Care Commission just released a series of reports that try to understand why health care costs so much more in Alaska. One important finding is that the cost for specialty care is much higher here than in other parts of the country.
Part One: Health Care In Alaska
Alaska’s Health Care costs are among the highest in the world. And the state chartered Alaska Health Care Commission has spent the last year trying to figure out why. It’s a complicated problem and finding answers is not easy.
300 Villages: North Pole
Where else would be go right before Christmas but North Pole? The interior community really gets into the spirit of the season. We talk with Kathy Weber, city clerk in North Pole.
AK: Aniak Gets Ready for Christmas
We dug into the archives for this story about a Christmas play in Aniak. The village doesn't have a mall, a movie theater or even a sit down restaurant. But in December a few years ago, there was no shortage of entertainment in the community. Most of the town packed into the high school gym for the show.
Mysterious Seal Disease Gets ‘Unusual Mortality Event’ Designation
The puzzling illness that’s affecting ringed seals in the Arctic is now officially an Unusual Mortality Event – or UME.
Fourth Chinook Predicted in Southcentral
The National Weather Service is predicting another Chinook for Southcentral Alaska starting Tuesday.
Shell Gets Conditional OK to Explore in Chukchi
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today gave its conditional approval to Shell's exploration plan for the Chukchi Sea next summer. The Bureau has already approved a similar plan for the Beaufort Sea. The company is proposing up to six exploration wells for the area.
Randall Ranks First Among World Cup Sprinters
Anchorage skier Kikkan Randall won her second skate sprint World Cup race of the season on Sunday in Davos, Switzerland. She qualified in first place, swept every heat and then won by a commanding 1.7 seconds.
English Class Showcases Anchorage’s Diversity
Anchorage has become a lot more diverse in the past decade. And nowhere is that diversity more apparent than in the city’s adult English language classes. At Nine Star Education and Employment Services, the English as a Second Language- or ESL – Courses have expanded dramatically in the last ten years to handle growing demand.
Randall Wins Two Medals In Weekend Sprint Events
Anchorage Nordic skier Kikkan Randall took home two world cup medals in the skate sprint events this past weekend in Duesseldorf, Germany. She won the individual event on Saturday and got second in the team event on Sunday.
Alaska’s Attorney General Resigning
Alaska’s Attorney General is resigning. John Burns will stay on the job until Jan. 2. In a letter to the Governor, Burns says the decision was “based solely on personal reasons.” He goes on to say he has had to live out of a suitcase, which is not fair to his family in Fairbanks.
Ahmaogak Contesting North Slope Election Results
George Ahmaogak is contesting the outcome of the special run-off election for North Slope Borough Mayor. Charlotte Brower won the election, the final tally was 1,022 to 960.
Some Bears Still Active on Anchorage Hillside
Once the snow flies and the skis come out of storage, most Anchorage residents expect bears to be asleep for the winter. But this winter, at least one brown bear, likely a boar, is still roaming the hillside area. Substantial bear tracks have been spotted on some of the popular cross country ski trails there.
Several Clinics Transforming into ‘Medical Homes’
Several medical clinics across the state are transforming the way they practice medicine. They’re becoming “medical homes.” The idea is to do a better job treating chronic disease at the primary care level, to keep patients from needing more specialized treatment.
AK: Renovating Hilltop’s Ski Jump
Anchorage has always been known for its cross country skiing. Now a group of volunteers are hoping to revive interest in another snow sport in the city- ski jumping. The 40 meter jump at Hilltop Ski Area had fallen into disrepair over the years. But after a flurry of activity this fall- it’s ready for a new generation of jumpers to begin taking flight.
Nome Experiences Minor Coastal Flooding Overnight
The worst of the high winds and snow have diminished in western Alaska but the storm isn't over. The National Weather Service is expecting storm surges to begin affecting communities this afternoon, which could cause flooding. Jerry Steiger is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Nome. He says the community had minor coastal flooding overnight, and some structures sustained wind damage.
Communities Prepare for Storm
Alaska’s Division of Homeland Security has been helping western villages prepare for the storm for the last 24 hours. Bryan Fisher is Incident Commander for the Division. He says most of the communities have been trained in the last few years to respond and prepare for this type of disaster event.
Anchorage Receives Over 10 Inches of Snow Since Saturday
Anchorage has recorded more than 10 inches of snow since Saturday in a series of short but intense storms. Plows around the city are working hard to keep the roads clear. And cross country skiers are excited to have such good coverage early in the season.