Alaska News Nightly: April 3, 2015

Stories are posted on the APRN news page. You can subscribe to APRN’s newsfeeds via emailpodcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @aprn.

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Alaska Senate Debates State Operating Budget

Alexandra Gutierrez, APRN – Juneau

The Alaska Senate is moving an operating budget that reduces state spending by $220 million over the previous year. Debate on the budget is still happening on the Senate floor, but APRN’s Alexandra Gutierrez joins us for this update.

Bill To Reinstate State Income Tax Introduced In Alaska House

Alexandra Gutierrez, APRN – Juneau

A pair of lawmakers in the Alaska Househave filed legislation to reinstate an income tax.

Murkowski Optimistic About Eielson’s F-35 Prospects

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

Alaska posts are among dozens nationwide being considered for force reductions by the Army, but the Air Force is looking at beefing up its presence at an interior Alaska base. A plan to station the Pacific region’s first F-35 squadrons at Eielson Air Force base near North Pole is under review. Senator Lisa Murkowski, who visited Fairbanks Thursday is optimistic about the prospect.

Obama’s ANWR Wilderness Protection Plea Enrages Alaska Delegation

Liz Ruskin, APRN – Washington DC

President Obama today sent letters to Congressional leaders formally requesting wilderness protection for parts of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, including the coastal plain. The letters follow through on a plan the White House announced in late January, enraging Alaska’s governor and congressional delegation, who want the area opened to oil exploration.

Hyder Residents Concerned Over Nightly Border Closure

Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska – Juneau

Residents of the small Southeast Alaska town of Hyder no longer have nighttime access to emergency medical care.

Fairbanks Clean-Air Advocates: Slow Regulatory Startup Encourages Opponents

Tim Ellis, KUAC – Fairbanks

Clean air advocates say they’re disappointing that local and state regulators haven’t made more progress in getting the Fairbanks North Star Borough’s air-quality program up and going.

Community Support Surges For Sudanese Refugees Targeted By Vandalism

Zachariah Hughes, KSKA – Anchorage

A weekend incident in the Anchorage neighborhood of Spenard has left a group of refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan unsure over their safety. It also brought neighbors and police out to show support.

AK: Resetting The Stage

Lisa Phu, KTOO – Juneau

Ricci Adan is a performing artist in Juneau. Locals know her as an actor, dance teacher and choreographer, most recently of Perseverance Theatre’s “Chicago.”

What people may not know is that in 1981, her husband Richard Adan was killed, stabbed on the streets of New York City by a released convict who was a protégé of Pulitzer Prize winning writer Norman Mailer.

The murder trial was highly publicized. But, Adan is just beginning to tell her side of the story.

49 Voices: Edna Grass and Betty Morehouse of Anchorage

This week we’ll hear from two Anchorage residents. Edna Grass and Betty Morehouse are neighbors in the Adelaide building downtown. They both live in small, one-person apartments. An unusual common interest brought them together, and Edna Grass says, it saved her life.

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