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After BP leak report, state calls for review of all North Slope wells
Rashah McChesney, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Juneau
The emergency order comes after BP blamed an April oil and gas spill on a piece of a flawed well design and melting permafrost.
Gov. Walker announces public safety plan
Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO – Juneau
Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth said reducing crime will take enhanced collaboration across different departments.
Congress let CHIP expire; Denali KidCare OK for now
Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media – Washington D.C.
Funding for CHIP, the low-income children’s health insurance program, has expired. Several states are close to running out of money. But the Alaska Division of Health Care Services says the state has enough money to continue funding its CHIP program, called Denali KidCare, until April.
Alaskan soldier killed in Afghanistan helicopter crash
Emily Russell, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage
Chief Warrant Officer Jacob Michael Sims, 36, died on Oct. 28 when his helicopter crashed in the Logar Province of Afghanistan.
Kodiak lab studying how Alaska’s crab may fare as oceans get more acidic
Rachel Waldholz, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage
Ocean acidification could threaten some of Alaska’s most important fisheries. Researchers warn that populations of red king crab in the Bering Sea – made famous by the show The Deadliest Catch – could collapse by the end of the century.
IEP may have a new natural gas supplier
Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
There’s a potential alternative natural gas supplier for the Interior Energy Project. Siemens Government Technologies is proposing to transport Cook Inlet gas via the Alaska Railroad to Fairbanks.
“We Breathe Again” highlights suicide struggle among Alaska Natives
Robert Hannon, KUAC – Fairbanks
A recently premiered film documenting the effects of suicide on Alaska Natives is gaining attention at national film festivals. We Breathe Again aired on PBS last month, and it’s also being sought as a tool to address suicide in Alaska villages.
Alaska Peninsula students and teachers get creative to meet requirements
Avery Lill, KDLG – Dillingham
The Lake and Peninsula School District is piloting a new calendar this year. They’ve dubbed it the “subsistence calendar.” By starting later and ending earlier, the new calendar cuts 77.5 hours of instruction and saves more than $400,000. Classes have been underway for almost two months now.
Coast Guard wraps up seasonal operations out of Kotzebue
Zoe Grueskin, KNOM – Nome
October 31 marks the end of the Coast Guard’s annual operations in the Arctic.
