Alaska News Nightly: March 16, 2010

Photo by Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

Lance Mackey holds up replica of check for winning Iditarod on Tuesday. He led Hans Gatt and Jeff King in to Nome.

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Mackey Wins 4th Consecutive Iditarod
Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage
Lance Mackey won an unprecedented fourth consecutive Iditarod on Tuesday. He arrived in Nome ahead of Hans Gatt and Jeff King.

Court OKS Parent Notification Ballot Initiative
Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau
An Anchorage Superior Court on Tuesday said an initiative requiring parental notification before young women can get abortions can remain on this year’s ballot. But he ordered the Lieutenant Governor to rewrite some of the descriptive information that voters will see before they vote.

Railroad Exec Chosen to Run University of Alaska System
The Associated Press
Patrick Gamble, the chief executive of the Alaska Railroad Corporation has been chosen to serve as the University of Alaska system’s next president.

AK Among States Getting Federal Funds for Electronic Medical Records
Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage
Alaska is among 16 states receiving federal dollars to assist in developing better methods for doctors and hospitals to share electronic health records. Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius made the announcement.

Salcha Trying to Keep Open Public Water Source
Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau
Residents of Salcha, a community of about a thousand people, 33  miles southeast of Fairbanks, are trying to keep open a public water source. The community has no public water distribution or treatment system, leaving residents to fend for themselves
to get water – usually from private wells or by hauling it in from Fairbanks.

Four SE Communities Looking for Solution to Garbage Problems
Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska – Juneau
Four Southeast Alaska communities are working toward a regional solution to their garbage problems. They say they’re considering a variety of options. But first, they need more members.

Togiak Has Presence at Boston Seafood Show
Mike Mason, KDLG – Dillingham
For the first time ever the community of Togiak has a presence at the Boston Seafood Show, which wraps up today.

Most in Anchorage Say It’s a Good Place to Live
Len Anderson, KSKA – Anchorage
Ninety-four percent of Anchorage residents think the city is a good place to live.  At the same time, slightly over 30 percent of the population went without a basic need sometime during 2009.  Those are just two results from a recently released, in-depth community profile.

A Tie in High School Contest – Good Enough Say Contestants
Robert Woolsey, KCAW – Sitka
The state’s top small schools Drama, Debate and Forensics student says a tie was a “great way to go out.” Sitka High School senior Berett Wilber was the top-scorer at this year’s state DDF tournament in Anchorage earlier this month. Her 15-member team shared the overall title with perennial DDF powerhouse Whitestone in their first-ever head-to-head matchup in the small schools division.

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