The Associated Press
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Alaska Permanent Fund Hits All-Time High
Alaska’s oil wealth portfolio has hit an all-time high: $45 billion. The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. announced the fund hit the mark Tuesday.
Tugs in Kulluk Response Effort Collide
Two tugs scheduled to tow a damaged Royal Dutch Shell PLC drill barge collided while maneuvering in a bay off Kodiak Island. KTUU-TV reports the collision happened Friday when the tug Corbin Foss hit the other tug, the Ocean Wave.
Suspect In Shooting Deaths Pleads Not Guilty
The defendant in the double slaying at a Coast Guard communications station in Kodiak made his first court appearance Tuesday. James Wells pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in U.S. District Court in Anchorage.
Wife Says Husband Innocent of Shooting Deaths on Kodiak Island
The wife of an Alaska man arrested Friday in last year’s shooting deaths of two employees at a Coast Guard air station on Kodiak Island says her husband is innocent.
Agency Declines to Continue Research Investigation
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management says it has found no misconduct in research by an Alaska scientist who wrote a 2006 paper on drowned polar bears and was subsequently investigated.
Department Of Defense Inspector General Questions Report On F-22 Crash
The Anchorage Daily News reports that a federal Department of Defense inspector general is questioning an Air Force report on the cause of an F-22 Raptor crash in Alaska. The Air Force’s Accident Investigation Board report indicated that the pilot of the plane, which crashed in November of 2010, ” failed the recognize and initiate a timely dive recovery, due to unrecognized spatial disorientation. ” But in a report released this week, the inspector general says the AIB’s opinion is not supported by the facts.
Anchorage Assembly OKs Landing Of Big Jet
The Anchorage Assembly has given the go-ahead for a large jet to land at the city airfield. The 100,000-pound Boeing 727 has been donated by FedEx to the University of Alaska Anchorage, which wants it for its aviation technology program based at Merrill Field. The busy airfield for small planes is just a mile from downtown.
Keyes Mistakenly Issued A Razor
Confessed serial killer Israel Keyes was mistakenly issued a razor before he committed suicide, according to a report released today by the Alaska Department of Corrections. The report also says “it appears that razor was not retrieved.”
Bill Defines ‘Medically Necessary’ Abortions
Medically necessary abortions would be defined as those needed to avoid serious risk to the life of the woman under a bill introduced in the Alaska Senate.
EPA Plans Final Bristol Bay Assessment This Year
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to issue a final report this year on the impacts of large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay region. That’s according to regional director Dennis McLerran.
Cold Halts Minn. Man’s Denali Solo Climb
Extreme cold has thwarted Minnesota climber Lonnie Dupre’s third attempt to become the first person to summit Denali solo December or January. The 51-year-old told his support crew early Sunday that it was 35 below zero in a snow cave he had built at the 17,000 foot level of the mountain. His crew says Dupre is making his way down the mountain and will proceed as the weather permits.
Witnesses Tell NTSB Missing Pilot Was Drunk
Witnesses have told the National Transportation Safety Board that a pilot who disappeared in mid-October was last seen intoxicated at the Soldotna airport.
Agency Proposes Recovery Plan For Rare Right Whale
Federal marine mammal authorities have proposed a recovery plan for a rare large whale, the North Pacific right whale. The National Marine Fisheries Service published the proposal today for the marine mammal that has been listed as endangered since the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973.
Officials Assess Drill Barge Hull
Divers and remotely operated underwater vehicles have completed a review of the hull of a Royal Dutch Shell drill barge that ran aground two weeks ago on a remote Alaska island.
Judge Vacates Polar Bear Habitat Designation
A federal judge in Alaska has set aside a plan designating more than 187,000 square miles as habitat for threatened polar bears. U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline said in a written order that the purpose behind the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designation was admirable, because it is important to protect the polar bear. But he said such protection must be done correctly, and found the current designation went too far and was “too extensive.”
Redistricting Board Wants High Court To Reconsider
The Alaska Redistricting Board wants the state’s highest court to reconsider its decision requiring Alaska’s political boundaries be redrawn. Attorneys for the board, in a petition filed this week, say the court misconstrued or overlooked important facts in the case. They say the court ignored its duty in failing to answer whether the plan adopted by the board was constitutional.
Militia Leader Sentenced To Nearly 26 Years
The leader of an Alaska militia convicted of conspiring to murder federal officials will spend nearly 26 years in prison. Judge Robert Bryan on Tuesday sentenced Schaeffer Cox during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Anchorage.
Lonnie, Karen Vernon Sentenced In Militia Trials
An Alaska militia member will serve nearly 26 years in a federal prison after being convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and to amass weapons. Lonnie Vernon was sentenced today during a combative session in U.S. District Court in Anchorage, at which he denied the authority of the court, the judge and prosecutors.
2 Winters Wide Apart
When it comes to snowfall, this winter and last winter in Anchorage are wide apart. So far the difference is more than 45 inches when comparing last year’s bounty and this year’s skimpy amounts of the white stuff.
Autism Bill, Other Measure Take Effect Tuesday
Starting Tuesday, health insurance policies in Alaska will be required to cover treatment of autism spectrum disorders. A portion of that bill, setting up a task force to study such things as the state providing insurance coverage for autism, took effect earlier.
