Alaska News Nightly: November 14, 2012

Individual news stories are posted on the APRN news page. You can subscribe to APRN’s newsfeeds via email, podcast and RSS.

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Coast Guard Rescues 5 From Tug, Pollution Now A Concern

Alexandra Gutierrez, KUCB – Unalaska

Five crewmembers from the Polar Wind were rescued after the tug and the barge it was towing went aground.

Thick Billed Murre Recovering After St. Lawrence Oil Incident

Annie Feidt, APRN – Anchorage

The Coast Guard and other agencies are still working to determine the source of oil that’s coating birds and seals near St. Lawrence Island. In the meantime, the only living bird recovered in the incident – a juvenile thick billed murre – has been cleaned up and is recovering at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center in Anchorage.

UAF Faces NCAA Fines

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is initiating a major infractions case against the University of Alaska Fairbanks.  As KUAC’s Dan Bross reports, the case involves failure to meet athlete eligibility requirements.

Akutan Builds Harbor First, Access Later

Stephanie Joyce, KUCB – Unalaska

While Akutan’s new airport has received considerable attention and scrutiny for being expensive and inaccessible, another large infrastructure project on the island that suffers some of the same problems has mostly flown under the radar.

New Calista Board Makes Changes At First Meeting

Angela Denning-Barnes, KYUK – Bethel

A lot is changing with Calista, the Native corporation that represents more than 12,000 shareholders from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Shareholders voted in two new board members at their annual meeting and the new board has continued to seek change.

Anchorage Assembly Approves $475 Million Budget

Daysha Eaton, KSKA – Anchorage

The Anchorage Assembly unanimously passed the 2013 budget Tuesday night – with a few amendments.

Glass Recycling Returns To Anchorage

Daysha Eaton, KSKA – Anchorage

You’ll have to drop it off yourself, but glass recycling is back in Anchorage, starting Wednesday after a more than three-year hiatus. Donna Mears is the recycling coordinator at solid waste services with the municipality of Anchorage. She says there are drop off bins at the Anchorage recycling center ready to take glass from residents.

Food Bank Director Reflects On Time In Anchorage

Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage

In 11 years as executive director at the Food Bank of Alaska, Susannah Morgan has helped feed more than 800,000 people. Despite her hard work, the hunger problem in Alaska has only gotten worse. When she started about 9 percent of the state’s residents needed the food bank’s services. Now that figure has increased to 14 percent.

Morgan is leaving the state to become CEO of the Oregon Food Bank. She says it was a difficult decision to take the new job. And she will be very missed in Alaska.

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