Sorted by date Results 751 - 775 of 793
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — One of the most powerful Republicans in the Alaska Senate is bucking the Senate president’s call to meet in Juneau on Monday, as legislative factions barrel toward trying to hold special sessions in two different cities, hundreds of miles apart. Senate Majority Leader Mia Costello, in an opinion piece published by her hometown Anchorage Daily News, said Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a legitimate call for lawmakers to convene in Wasilla and she will heed that call. “It doesn’t matter how we feel about the governo...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska officials closed some forest lands to all uses as a wildfire approached the Chugach National Forest, a report said. Smoke from the growing Swan Lake wildfire pushed into Anchorage Sunday, The Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday. Air quality was listed as unhealthy in Anchorage as of 11 a.m. Sunday. The fire on the Kenai Peninsula in south-central Alaska was ignited by a lightning strike June 5 and has been burning in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The fire had stretched to about 144 square miles (373 square...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Coast Guard is searching for a commercial fisherman missing near Bristol Bay. A crewman from the vessel Pail Rider went overboard at approximately 3 a.m. Monday in Nushagak Bay. The man was not wearing a life jacket. Remaining crew members fired flares and other vessels arrived to help search but the man has not been found. The Coast Guard says the man was wearing orange and it’s hoped the bright-colored clothing will help him be found. A Jayhawk helicopter and a C-130 Hercules aircraft from Kodiak is searching alo...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Gov. Mike Dunleavy slashed the University of Alaska system budget by $130 million on Friday, part of more than $400 million in vetoes he characterized as difficult but necessary amid an ongoing state deficit. Critics called the cuts disappointing and dangerous for an economy that’s shown bright spots after a prolonged recession. Dunleavy, a Republican, also cut state support for public broadcasting, reduced spending for Medicaid and eliminated a program that provides mon...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A Juneau man who suffered a stab wound to his abdomen two weeks ago has died at a Seattle hospital. Juneau police say 61-year-old Gregory Bowen died Saturday at Harborview Medical Center. Police on June 17 took a call from a woman reporting that a man was bleeding from a stab wound. Emergency responders found Bowen on the floor of a home. He was rushed to Bartlett Regional Hospital and later flown to Seattle. Police arrested 42-year-old Sonya Taton that night on a felony assault charge and seized a fillet knife as e...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska state government says it will not delay implementation of a new boat registration law. The Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Wednesday that the statement came in response to a request by United Fishermen of Alaska. Beginning this year, all vessels longer than 24 feet (7.32 meters) are required to be registered with the state Department of Motor Vehicles. A United Fishermen official says very few fishermen are aware of the regulation and stand to be prosecuted for non-compliance. Earlier this month, UFA requested a d...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- A former Superior Court judge ousted by voters after accepting a plea deal in an assault case that some saw as too lenient has joined former Gov. Bill Walker’s law firm. The Anchorage firm of Brena, Bell and Walker said Michael Corey is expected to handle complex civil matters and help resolve disputes outside of court. Corey lost a judicial retention vote last year after accepting the plea deal for Justin Schneider. Schneider was accused of attacking and masturbating on a woman in 2017. Schneider pleaded guilty to f...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska lawmakers have rejected Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s location of his hometown of Wasilla for a special session that starts next month. The Alaska Legislature will instead convene in Juneau on July 8 and then hold a majority of its meetings in Anchorage, House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, an independent from Dillingham, and Senate President Cathy Giessel, an Anchorage Republican, said in a joint statement. “The majority of legislators in both bodies considers it our right to determine the location and venue best equipped to co...
SITKA, Alaska (AP) — A health care business group plans to rename five southeast Alaska facilities. The Daily Sitka Sentinel reported Monday that Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium will change the name of the facilities in Sitka as part of a new association with Sitka Community Hospital scheduled to be completed August 1. Sitka Medical Center Express Care Clinic will be renamed Mountainside Urgent Care, Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital will be renamed Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center, Sitka Community Hospital will become Sitka Long-Term Care, M...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s unemployment rate fell to 6.4 percent last month, which would be its lowest level in more than a decade. The figure is preliminary and could still change; the state’s unemployment rate had stood at 6.5 percent since August. Federal labor statistics show the last time Alaska’s unemployment rate was 6.4 percent was December 2007. The state labor department says Alaska gained 900 jobs between May 2018 and last month. Construction added the most jobs during that time, followed by the oil and gas sector. Manufac...
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) — Stitching, padding, and layers of fabric are what can be seen and felt when touching a quilt, but the colors and patterns in combination with the effort and gratitude symbolize much more. When seven former members of the Armed Forces of the United States were called upon by members of the Rainy Day Quilt Guild June 15 in the Honey-Do Lounge at the Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 3113, they were met with applause from the community followed by a token of appreciation, a “Quilt of Valor,” for the lifelong sacrifices they hav...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) _ The developer of a proposed mine in southeast Alaska is moving ahead with exploration following a favorable court decision. That decision, however, is being appealed by critics of the project, which is located near Haines. Liz Cornejo, vice president for community and external affairs with Canada-based Constantine Metal Resources Ltd., told the Juneau Empire she believes mines, eagles and fish can co-exist. The next phase of exploration involves tunneling into a mountain to get a better sense for how substantial the minera...
QUINHAGAK, Alaska (AP) — Accelerating erosion is forcing villages in western Alaska to begin making plans to move, officials said. Erosion caused by climate change threatens village infrastructure and could force the relocation of communities such as Quinhagak, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported Monday. A 2012 state report listed Quinhagak’s sewer lagoon and multipurpose building as top priorities for replacement or repair because of erosion and thawing permafrost. Erosion now threatens Quinhagak’s airstrip, water treatment plant and water and sew...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Senate failed Monday to revive a bill that would pay residents a full dividend of about $3,000 from the state’s oil-wealth fund this year, a sign of the struggle lawmakers are having in reaching agreement on one of the special session’s last issues. Instead, senators narrowly voted to create a working group with the House to make recommendations on future use of Alaska Permanent Fund earnings. The House approved the measure Sunday. Some suggested existing committees could buckle down on the issue and quest...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A state labor department report says recent job gains after three years of losses could signal the end of Alaska’s recession. The report says the state saw year-over-year job growth for seven straight months, starting in October. This followed revisions to 2018 figures. The Anchorage Daily News reports the department revises job numbers after releasing initial estimates. While the growth was small, department economist Karinne Wiebold says it strengthens the case that the economy is recovering. The numbers remain sub...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska has awarded a contract to study whether the state can become the first in the nation to change its Medicaid program into a block grant system. Alaska Journal of Commerce reported Wednesday that the state Department of Health and Social Services issued a notice May 29 of its intent to award the contract to analyze the prospect of implementing block grants for federal Medicaid payments, work requirements for Medicaid enrollees, and shifting some Alaska Medicaid recipients to private insurance. The $100,000 c...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska officials are reconsidering whether special events like outdoor concerts are a responsible use of state park land. The Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday that a concert in Chugach State Park was cancelled following complaints about potential negative environmental impacts. The manager for folk band Blackwater Railroad Company says the proposed concert at Williwaw Lakes was intended to provide an intimate, outdoor experience encouraging conservation. He says the band expected attendance would be no more than 2...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard is expected to take possession of a new heavy icebreaker within five years and Alaska’s junior U.S. senator would like to see it spend time in U.S. waters. Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan said Antarctic policy likely will shift the future icebreaker away from the Arctic missions it should be used for, the Alaska Journal of Commerce reported . “I think we’re too focused on Antarctica and not focused on our own sovereign interests here,” Sullivan said. The country’s only heavy icebreaker, the 43 year-old...
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska senator has written to the U.S. trade representative asking for Alaska fish species to be removed from a list of goods facing tariffs, a report said. Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer last week, The Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Tuesday. As part of an ongoing trade dispute with China, earlier this month the Trump Administration announced an increase in tariffs from 10% to 25% on $200 billion worth of products and tariffs on an additional $300 billion worth o...
SITKA - Aaron Phillips of Petersburg was the $1,000 Sablefish tag recovery drawing winner. Other drawing winners of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game 2019 annual tag recovery incentive drawing for stable fish tag returns are: 1. Dick Curran, Sitka, $500 2. Stephen Rhoads, Sitka, $500 3. Jason Hammer, Port Townsend, WA, $250 4. James Hubbard, Seward, $250 5. Frank Balovich, Sitka, $250 6. Michael Erb, Anchorage, $250 All persons who return an ADF&G sablefish tag receive a tag reward (i.e....
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) —The Alaska Senate on Tuesday narrowly voted down a full dividend payout from the state’s oil-wealth fund this year, with a prominent supporter of the proposal absent. The 10-8 vote came after the Senate, by the same tally, adopted an amendment calling for a full payout with checks to qualified residents estimated to be around $3,000. The initial bill proposed $1,600 checks. At least 11 votes were needed for the bill to pass. Sen. Mike Shower, a Wasilla Republican who has supported a full payout, posted on Facebook Sat...
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Supreme Court has ruled against a military couple seeking permanent fund dividends because they were out of state during required periods, a report said. The court denied an appeal by Donald Jones and Annette Gwalthney-Jones, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Monday. The couple sought permanent fund dividends for 2014 and 2015 even though they were not physically present in Alaska for several years prior due to Donald Jones’ Air Force assignment. In the ruling released Friday, the court upheld an adm...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Legislature, locked in a fight with Gov. Mike Dunleavy over education funding, moved one step closer Tuesday to a lawsuit over the issue. The House and Senate voted to give the committee that handles legislative business, the Legislative Council, authority to sue. Sen. Gary Stevens, the Legislative Council chair, told reporters a lawsuit could be filed if the money for K-12 schools is not released. Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, said the council composed of House and Senate members would have to vote to move f...
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The wettest region in Alaska is experiencing the first extreme drought recorded by the U.S. Drought Monitor, officials said. Scientists say the southernmost portion of Southeast Alaska has been in a drought for the last two years, The Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday. The drought was upgraded last week to an extreme, or D3, drought, according to climatologists at the Fairbanks-based Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy. The designation is the second-highest category measured by the U.S. Drought Monitor ...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A fishing boat captain who dumped sandblast waste into southeast Alaska waters was ordered to pay $10,000 and perform 40 hours of community service. Federal prosecutors say 32-year-old Brannon Finney of Bellingham, Washington, dumped waste to avoid a $1,460 disposal fee. U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Scoble on Wednesday also ordered 18 months of probation for Finney and a public apology. Prosecutors say Finney’s boat had been sandblasted for repainting. On June 15, 2017, she and crewmembers left Wrangell for Pet...
