Court OKs AML-Northland Services Shipping Merger
An Anchorage superior court judge has approved a deal allowing Lynden Inc. to buy out its shipping competitor, Northland Services.
Salvage Crews Move Sunken Tender Lone Star
The salmon tender Lone Star is still submerged in at the mouth of the Igushik river near Dillingham, but salvage crews have successfully moved it. The Coast Guard says that Resolve-Magone crews on Monday pulled the vessel 200 feet to the east shore of the river.
New Youth Environmentalists Hail from all Parts of Alaska
Alaska Youth for Environmental Action have appointed new Youth Organizers for the 2013-14 year.
The 16 students are from all over the state and have a deep passion for keeping Alaska's environment healthy.
Read more. F-16s Will Remain At Eielson Air Force Base
The Air Force’s proposal to relocate a squadron of F-16s from Eielson Air Force Base south to Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson has been scrapped. Members of Alaska’s congressional delegation received the news midday Wednesday.
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New F-35 Fighter Jets May Be Based At Eielson
The Air Force’s decision to retain an F-16 squadron at Eielson F-16 could bode well for it basing a squadron of the new F-35 fighter jet. Eielson is one of two bases in the Pacific region under consideration for getting the new stealth aircraft.
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State’s National Parks Close Due To Shutdown
The shutdown of much of the federal government has closed National Parks. In Interior and Northern Alaska, that means just a few staff remaining on to carry out essential work.
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Municipal Elections Held Across State
Municipalities across the state held elections Tuesday. Homer’s ban on lightweight plastic shopping bags went into effect January 1st but nine months later, the ban appears to be history. Homer residents voted to repeal the ban in yesterday’s municipal election.
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Circle Still Recovering From Spring Floods
Circle has made progress rebuilding after this past spring’s break up flood. Yukon River water and ice damaged homes, other buildings and roads in May. The state reports that sink holes have been filled. Village corporation president Charles John says the clinic is being operated out of trailers brought in this summer, and he’s one of three who’ve had new homes put up.
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Solace International Helping Syrian Refugees
An Alaska based non-profit that does international aid work is running a school for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Nate York is Executive Director of Solace International. He founded the small organization after the September 11th attacks and started building girls schools in Afghanistan. Now the non-profit works on a wide range of small projects in South and Central America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
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High Web Traffic Cripples Federal Health Insurance Marketplaces
A day after the launch of Alaska’s health insurance marketplace, it’s still impossible to sign up for plans on the website. The federal government says higher than expected web traffic has hampered all of the federally run marketplace sites, like the one in Alaska. They are working to add more server capacity to address the problem.
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Arctic Agriculture Conference Draws Researchers
Researchers from circumpolar countries are meeting in Girdwood this week for an agricultural conference sponsored in part by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service. Food policy and food safety are increasingly urgent issues in Arctic nations, and many of those represented at the conference have come up with innovative programs to encourage local production and distribution.
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Despite Shutdown, Alaska WIC Recipients Should Still Get Food Aid
Even though the federal government is shut down, poor women and children can still get food vouchers through the State of Alaska. The Women, Infants, and Children Supplement Nutrition -- or "WIC" -- program should be able to operate until the end of the month, according to the Alaska Department of Health.
Mat-Su District 1 Race Too Close To Call
Voter turnout in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough was thin on Tuesday, but the handful of voters that did show up at the polls upset the status quo for what has been until now a pro-development Borough Assembly.
Haines Voters Opt To Change Boroughs Charter Preamble, Bill of Rights
Three write-in campaigns slowed the ballot counting in the Haines Borough on Tuesday. But when results did come in, just after midnight, it was clear Haines voters do not support so called corporate-personhood.
Incumbent Rowland Leads Write-Ins For Unalaska City Council
Unalaska mayor Shirley Marquardt ran unopposed and secured a fourth term in office. That was the first time in over 20 years that a mayoral election has been uncontested in Unalaska.
Austerman, Peterson Join Kodiak Assembly as Voters Approve Proposition One
Preliminary results from yesterday’s election are in, with 2,204 people casting their votes at Kodiak’s nine precincts.
Troll Leads Peters In Juneau’s Only Contested Municipal Election Race
In Juneau, there was really only one race to pay attention to on Election Day. Out of three Assembly seats and two School Board seats on the ballot, only one was contested.
Fairbanks Voters Approve 2 School Bond Propositions
Proposition 1 asked voters to OK the sale of about $37.2 million in bonds to replace Ryan Middle School. According to unofficial results, 60 percent of voters said yes, passing the measure by nearly 2,000 votes. Prop 2 passed by an even wider margin, with 65 percent of votes cast in favor, unofficially. That measure will raise $19.4 million to repair and renovate five other district schools.
2 Fairbanks Assembly Members Retain Seats
The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly will welcome only one new member to chambers this year. Janice Golub won Seat C, over Larry Morris. Both Karl Kassel and Presiding Officer Diane Hutchison will return to serve second terms on the Assembly.
Wrangell Voters Decide Against Sales Tax Decrease
About 600 voters took to the polls in Tuesday’s elections. Incumbent mayor David Jack will keep his position for another year after receiving three-quarters of the vote.