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Resources Committee Opens Hearings On Oil Tax Bill

Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau

The Senate Resources Committee late Friday afternoon opened a series of hearings on a bill changing the state’s oil tax regime. Revenue Commissioner Brian Butcher has been before the Committee explaining the oil production downturn that he says began about the time the legislature passed the current tax on company profits as worldwide oil prices began to increase.  The Senate Finance Committee begins informational hearings Monday morning comparing Alaska to other oil-rich parts of the world.

Senate Votes To Increase School Funding

Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau

The Senate today passed the bill increasing funding for local schools by $30-million in next years’ budget.   During both Education Committee and Finance Committee hearings,  school boards and administrators have said that they need much more than that to avoid laying off teachers and cutting programs.      In floor debate, Education Co-chair Joe Thomas – a Democrat from Fairbanks – called it a modest increase of about two percent on an annual basis.    He said the cost of not funding education is too expensive.   He pointed to the correlation between education and corrections,  saying that the money spent on the new Goose Creek Prison would be equal to a $1-thousand per student increase.  And operating it wil equal a $200 per student increase – every year.

State Working To Implement Affordable Care Act Requirements

Annie Feidt, APRN – Anchorage

Alaska is one of several states suing to overturn the Affordable Care Act- President Obama’s health care overhaul. But behind the scenes, state agencies are quietly working on implementing various requirements in the law. One of those requirements is an exchange, which will work kind of like Expedia, but for health insurance plans. While the state studies its options, a bill moving through the legislature would also establish an exchange.

Alaska is not anywhere close establishing a health insurance exchange. But the Parnell administration has taken the first step in that direction. Last month, the state hired a Boston consulting firm, Public Consulting Group to look at options for setting up an exchange. Josh Applebee is the state’s deputy director for Health Care Policy.

“The biggest problem I think is we don’t have enough information to decide are we going to do a state exchange, are we going to do a partnership with the federal government, are we going to let the federal government run the exchange themselves? If we do the state exchange, what does it look like? What kind of form is it going to take? How much is it going to cost? All of these questions need to be answered,” Applebee said.

The exchange will allow consumers to easily find and compare health insurance plans on line. Public Consulting Group is helping 13 other states decide how to implement an exchange. Applebee says the state will benefit from that experience, but the company will also have to take Alaska’s unique characteristics into account.

“Certainly we deliver health care farther than any other state and in different ways than any other state. So they can bring their experience with them, but they also need to apply that to whatever happens here in the state,” Applebee said.

Alaska is the only state that did not accept a $1 million planning grant from the federal government. And the state is paying Boston Consulting Group $200,000 for their work. A few states have exchanges in place and more than a dozen have made significant progress. Applebee says Alaska is benefiting from taking a slow approach.

“We’re learning from other state’s mistakes and we’re taking advantage of other state’s successes. And I think that’s an advantage we have in our timeline,” Applebee said.

If the state hasn’t made reasonable progress towards setting up an exchange by early next year, it may set the stage for the federal government to do it instead. That’s why Senator Hollis French- a Democrat from Anchorage, is hoping to convince other lawmakers to pass his bill establishing one.

“Once you realize you’re going to get an exchange imposed upon you from Washington, it only makes sense to try to create one that works for Alaskans,” French said.

Governor Parnell does not support French’s bill. And Senator French does not support the administration’s work.

“I think the Governor is making a mistake by circumventing the legislature and going without our input,” French said.

It’s unclear how much support French has among his colleagues in the legislature. He expects to bring his bill to the Senate floor for a vote soon. Senator Cathy Giessel – a Republican from Anchorage, will not vote for it. She agrees with the administration’s approach studying exchange options. Asked to speculate on how the bill will fare, she says the focus right now in Juneau is on just one thing: oil taxes.

“Wow, it’s really sucking the air out of the room, so I don’t know what chance this has of actually getting all the way through the process,” Giessel said.

But Senator French is optimistic. He says other aspects of the Affordable Care Act are controversial, but the health care exchange is not.

“This is really about just trying to find an affordable insurance policy for the citizens of the state, and most people can agree that’s a good thing. they may disagree about how you get there, but it’s a pretty rare person who doesn’t want to see more people covered by insurance,” French said.

The administration expects the consultant’s study and recommendations to be ready by the end of March or early April. But Applebee says the state will wait until the Supreme Court rules on the Affordable Care Act in June to decide how to move forward.

Koenig’s Father Plans Vigil, Says Stands Not Safe

Daysha Eaton, KSKA – Anchorage

It’s been more than a week since Samantha Koenig went missing in Anchorage. For several days now, her father, James has been camped out inside a motor home next to the coffee stand where his 18-year-old daughter worked. He says the stands are not safe.

“You know, you can put all the silent alarms on it all you want but If it had an air raid horn it, I guarantee you the  guy woulda run off. Because from what I’ve heard in the video there were men walking out of the Alaska club when this was taking place. You know these coffee stands do not need house windows in em that can fit a human body through. All you need is enough to fit a 20 ounce cup a coffee through it,” Koenig said.

Koenig’s father added that there should have been a buddy system in place at the coffee stand and that his daughter should not have been required to close up shop alone. Photos of the petite brunette have appeared on billboards and bulletin boards across the state and on the Internet since Koenig went missing on Feb. 1. Police say security footage shows her being led away from the coffee stand by an armed man in a hoodie. The man allegedly entered the Common Grounds Espresso hut in the parking lot of the Alaska Club on East Tudor, then walked away with her toward the Old Seward Highway, and she hasn’t been seen since. Cash was also reported missing. The case has been classified as an abduction based on Koenig’s demeanor and the man’s actions. A candlelight vigil is set for 6:30pm Saturday night in Town Square in downtown Anchorage. Koenig is 5 foot 5 and 140 pounds with Brown Hair and Brown Eyes. Anyone with information leading to her whereabouts is asked to contact the Anchorage Police Department.

Bill Moves Quickly To Slow Down Electronic Reports For Candidates

Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau

A bi-partisan  bill that’s on a fast-track to the governor’s desk got through the House today and will be heard in the Senate Monday morning.   The measure delays current law requiring candidates to file their campaign finance reports online.   Those reports go to the Public Offices Commission which has had problems getting the computer system to work for everyone who has tried it.

Mushers Begin To Leave Dawson City

Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks

The top 3 Yukon Quest leaders are running  tight, but the group behind is not giving up as teams head over the next 500 miles of trail toward the finish in Whitehorse.

As KUACs Emily Schwing reports from Dawson, Quest rookie Jake Berkowitz is sandwiched right in the middle of accomplished veterans at the front of this year’s race.

Fire Consumes St. Paul’s Trident Warehouse

Alexandra Gutierrez & Stephanie Joyce, KUCB –Unalaska

Firefighters in St. Paul stayed up through the night trying to put out a large blaze in the middle of town.

Anchorage television station KTUU first reported that a warehouse owned by Trident Seafoods erupted in flames at about 10:30pm Thursday. While the fire has continued to smoke through the afternoon, a group of 25 responders, including Coast Guard personnel, have been able to keep it from spreading to nearby buildings.

Because of the fire’s central location, area residents were evacuated to city hall. According to Fire Chief KC Alberg, no injury reports or missing persons notices have been filed with the St. Paul Department of Public Safety. He adds that the building is expected to be a total loss, and that clean-up could be tricky, given the materials inside.

“There was a large volume of chemicals stored there,” says Alberg. “We have been told that there were oils and possibly some fuel and some other hazardous materials.” Alberg adds that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The Trident warehouse was built during the 1940s, and lies in the middle of 400-person St. Paul. According to Trident President Paul Padgett, the company stopped using it as a plant about 15 years ago and has long since removed any valuable equipment. Now, Trident mostly uses it to store salt and fiber, and they lease some of the warehouse space to the Native corporation TDX.

Padgett adds that the loss of the building should not have an effect on their operations, since they had other processing materials stored in their main plant.  It’s also not nearly as disruptive as the sea ice that’s recently enveloped St. Paul and prevented fishing vessels from coming into the harbor.

“It’s not going to cause any problem whatsoever, says I think the only problem we’ve got right now is still a little bit of ice out front.”

Trident is the largest seafood company in America, and its St. Paul facility processes much of the snow crab harvested in the United States.

UAF Replacing Community and Technical College Dean

Tim Ellis, KUAC – Fairbanks

University of Alaska Fairbanks administrators have placed the dean of the school’s Community and Technical College on paid leave and will search to replace her. Susan Whitener is being removed after a little more than six months on the job.

AK: Love

Jennifer Canfield, KMXT – Kodiak

Valentine’s Day honors the most wonderful feeling in the world. It’s overwhelming, enchanting, frightening and empowering. It can be salty or sweet and sometimes it’s both. There really isn’t anything better.

Love is what we’re after in this life and any one of us are lucky to find just one person to share it with. In celebration of this most venerable emotion, we travel to Kodiak where KMXT’s Jennifer Canfield met a group of five friends whose hearts are filled with music.

300 Villages: Ambler

Now it’s time for the segment we call 300 villages. This week, we’re heading to the arctic community of Ambler, near Kotzebue. That was Don Thurman, a teacher in Ambler.

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Timelines Proposed for Impact Statement on Steller Sea Lion Regulations

Alexandra Gutierrez, KUCB – Unalaska

The decline of the western stock of Steller sea lions has been a source of controversy for more than two decades now. Now there’s a new development in a lawsuit that pits the State of Alaska, fishing industry groups, and Aleut Enterprise against the National Marine Fisheries Service.

No-Texting Bill Would Override Court Rulings

Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau

Courts on the Kenai Peninsula and in Fairbanks have recently ruled that an existing law forbidding drivers from looking at devices with screens – such as computers and DVD players – does not forbid a driver from using a cell phone to send a text message.  Lawmakers are afraid that legal opinion will spread to other jurisdictions, and are talking up a bill that would make certain that texting while driving is not legal.  The House Judiciary Committee Wednesday heard a bill on the matter. The bill by Anchorage Democrat Les Gara would specifically define and forbid texting by a driver while the vehicle is moving.  Gara told the committee that texting is the new drunk driving.

Study Shows Drinking Goes Down in ‘Housing First’ Facilities

Daysha Eaton, KSKA – Anchorage

Recent studies show that housing street alcoholics is cheaper than letting them fend for themselves. But a new study shows that’s not the only benefit — they’re finding that tenants also drink less. KSKA’s Daysha Eaton takes us inside Karluk Manor in Anchorage … where we meet one tenant who has already stopped drinking and is trying to turn her life around.

Allen Moore First Musher To Reach Dawson City

Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks

Allen Moore of Two Rivers was first musher to reach the halfway point of the Yukon Quest. The first musher to pull into Dawson, and then finish the race, wins four ounces of gold.  Moore was followed in closely by Lance Mackey and Hugh Neff early this morning.

‘Tlingit Superman’ Series Uses High-Tech Materials For Traditional Crafts

Ann Kaiser, APRN Contributor

Tlingit weaver Teri Rofkar normally works on traditional ravens tail ceremonial pieces using natural wild fibers like mountain goat, buffalo, cedar and spruce roots. But thanks to a national grant, the Sitka artist will take her weaving in a new direction, using hi-tech materials like Kevlar and programmable fiber optics. She’s calling it her Tlingit Superman Series.

Park Service May Plow Road Further Into Denali National Park

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

The National Park Service has proposed plowing more of the road into Denali National Park. Park spokeswoman Kris Fister says keeping more of the road open in winter will allow for better visitor access.

Fister says keeping the additional miles of road open will increase viewing opportunities and provide improved jumping off points for non-motorized backcountry travel. Fister says the park service is looking at impacts of keeping the additional road miles open in winter.  Public comments are being accepted through March 9.

‘Northern Justice Project’ Assisting Low-Income People In Court Cases

Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage

Navigating the legal system alone can be daunting for average citizens but expensive if you must hire a lawyer, who starts running the meter with the first call. For lower income people it can be impossible to scrape together a retainer, much less pay an hourly fee that can be hundreds per hour. But there are organizations in Alaska that can help. The Northern Justice project is one such entity. As part of an occasional series on Alaskans who believe in service to others, I spoke with the founders, Jim Davis and Goriune Dudukgian, who since 2005 have been assisting Alaskans with civil rights cases. Goriune starts by describing who needs their help.

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Judge Orders Stevens Case Report Be Made Public

Associated Press

A report detailing prosecutorial mismanagement during the Ted Stevens case will be made public.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered today that the 500-page report into the Justice Department’s botched corruption case against Stevens be released March 15.

The special prosecutor who investigated the case, did not recommend criminal charges against any of the federal prosecutors despite finding widespread misconduct, at least some of it intentional.

In 2008, a jury convicted Stevens of lying on financial disclosure documents to hide hundreds of thousands of dollars in home renovations and gifts from wealthy friends. A few days later, Stevens lost re-election to the seat he’d held for 40 years.

Sullivan dismissed the conviction after the Justice Department admitted misconduct in the case, including withholding from the defense evidence favorable to Stevens. He wrote: “The government’s ill-gotten verdict in the case not only cost that public official his bid for re-election, the results of that election tipped the balance of power in the United States Senate.”

Court Hears Arguments On Point Thompson Case

Steve Heimel, APRN – Anchorage

Wednesday the state Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the Point Thompson case — which could be critical for the future prospects of a natural gas pipeline and for the state’s ability to compel oil and gas lease holders to produce.

Potential Cook Inlet Gas Leading To ‘Wild West Mentality’

Shaylon Cochran, KDLL – Kenai

High energy prices, new technology and a favorable business climate are all contributing factors to a resurgence of natural resource development along the Cook Inlet.  However, the race to get to those untold quantities of oil and gas has led to what some are calling a Wild West mentality among developers.

State Could Save Billions With Pension Reserve Fund, Analyst Says

Casey Kelly, KTOO – Juneau

The state could save more than $5 billion in future payments to the Alaska Public Employees’ Retirement System by immediately putting $2 billion into a pension reserve fund, according to Legislative Fiscal Analyst David Teal.

Over the past five years, the state has contributed about a billion dollars to the retirement system, which has an unfunded liability estimated at $11 billion. Teal told the Senate Finance Committee today (Wednesday) that if nothing is done, yearly payments in the millions of dollars will continue through at least 2030.

“If we were to contribute an additional $2 billion now, it would allow us to stop making state assistance payments in the future,” Teal says. “Another way to look at it is: The cumulative contributions without a deposit would be $8.3 billion. Well, the cumulative contributions with the deposit are $3 [billion], for a savings of $5.3 billion over the life of this model.”

Senate Bill 187 – sponsored by the Finance Committee – would set up the $2 billion reserve fund, which could be used to supplement PERS as needed. The money would come from state savings, which currently total more than $10 billion.

Because the fund would be separate from the retirement system, Teal says the state could eventually get its money back once the PERS deficit disappears. But he says that won’t be for several years.

“One way you could look at this bill is that it’s a loan to the retirement system, and that we get our money back. But it’s a very long-term loan. You’re not talking about ten years and you get your money back. You’re talking about somewhere out there in 2050 or 2060,” says Teal.

That prompted Sitka Republican and Senate Finance Co-Chair Bert Stedman to ask, “Mr. Teal, do you plan on being here to make sure we get our money back?”

“I plan on getting my own money out by then, Mr. Chairman,” Teal responded.

This was the first hearing for the bill, which was set aside for further review. Stedman said the committee will take public comment at the next hearing.

The amount municipalities pay into the retirement system is currently capped at 22 percent of their payroll. Under SB 187 that number would stay the same.

Governor Sean Parnell has said he’s opposed to the idea of creating a reserve fund to help supplement PERS. The governor says he’d rather not create another pile of money that’s off-limits in case of an emergency, which also would be subject to the whims of the stock market like the retirement system.

PERS’ unfunded liability has been attributed to market woes, the rising cost of health care, and the extended life expectancy of retirees.

Native Groups Oppose Expanded Otter Pelt Sales

Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska – Juneau

Several Alaska Native organizations oppose parts of a legislative measure backing more sea otter harvests. But they support efforts to get Alaskans more involved in federal management of the once-rare marine mammals.

Alaska Delegation Introduces Legislation To Prevent Moving Eielson F-16s

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

Alaska’s U.S. Senators have introduced legislation to prevent the Air Force transfer of aircraft from Eielson in North Pole to joint base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.  Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski’s bill blocks funding for the movement of a 21 jet F-16 fighter squadron.  Senator Begich, who sits on the Armed Services Committee, says the measure is aimed at what he calls an unjustified move by the Air Force prior to the start of an upcoming Base Realignment and Closure Commission review.

During a BRAC round in 2005, Eielson was downsized, but spared the loss of the F-16’s, a move which would include the transfer of thousands of personnel to Anchorage.  Senator Murkowski says it was just a week ago that the Air Force petitioned Congress for permission to pursue BRACC rounds in 2013 and 2015.

Begich says the Eielson move is one of many proposed for Air Force bases around the country, to save money.

Emergency Responders Participate In ‘Alaska Shield 2012’

Aaron Selbig, KBBI – Homer

Emergency responders are getting some practice this week in responding to a statewide disaster in Alaska. KBBI’s Aaron Selbig reports on how “Alaska Shield 2012” could lead to improved response in the event of a real-world disaster.

Yukon Quest Leaders Expected In Dawson City Tonight

Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks

The first musher to the race’s halfway point at Dawson City is expected tonight.  Mushers have been out of touch, on the remote 150 mile stretch of trail between Eagle and Dawson since last night when four-time champ Lance Mackey led Hugh Neff, Allen Moore, Brent Sass, Jake Berkowitz and Sonny Lindner out of the checkpoint. KUAC’s Emily Schwing reports on what the frontrunners were thinking in Eagle.

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Fuglvog Sentenced To Five Months In Prison

Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

Arne Fuglvog was sentenced in federal court this morning.  The former North Pacific Fishery Management Council member and former fisheries aide to Senator Lisa Murkowski who was convicted of illegal fishing will receive five months in federal prison.

Both Sides Appealing Redistricting Ruling

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

Both sides are appealing a Superior Court Judge’s ruling in the Alaska redistricting suit.  A mixed decision issued last week by Judge Michael McConahy remanded four districts proposed by the Alaska Redistricting Board back for re-working.  That includes House Districts 37 and 38, which incorporate western Alaska and interior communities in an attempt to protect the strength of the Alaska Native vote, as required by the federal Voting Rights Act.  The Alaska Redistricting Board voted today to seek review of Judge McConahy’s ruling that the sprawling districts should be re-worked to better comply with state and federal law.   Redistricting Board Executive Director Taylor Bickford says appeals are part of the redistricting.

The redistricting maps are drawn with public input by a Governor appointed board.  Allegations of partisan manipulation are standard, but Judge McConahy rejected gerrymandering claims in his decision. Plaintiffs disagree.  Attorney Mike Walleri, who represents two Fairbanks-area voters who sued to block the plan, says their appeal is based on concerns about fair representation for Fairbanks.  Walleri says the proposed plan protects local Republican legislative incumbents, while pitting two Fairbanks Democrats against one another in a new District.

Walleri says his clients are getting financial and in kind legal assistance in the case from the Fairbanks North Star Borough.  The Alaska Supreme Court has blocked out time in mid March to hear the appeals in the redistricting case.  A finalized map of voter districts has to be ready for the June first candidate filing deadline.

Haines Requesting Assistance For Displaced Residents
Tara Bicknell, KHNS – Haines

A Southeast town continues to watch five acres of residential land slowly migrate downhill toward the ocean.  As Tara Bicknell reports from Haines, the emergency situation is growing to involve state and federal assistance.

Legislators Anticipating Fresh Look At Oil Taxes

Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau

The Senate plans to take a fast, but completely fresh look at oil taxes when it begins work later this week on changes to the state’s tax regime.  A new bill that will be used to set up the plan will be introduced Friday morning and is already scheduled for a hearing in the Resources Committee that afternoon.

Resources  Co-Chair Joe Paskvan of Fairbanks, says the bill will not present a specific plan – but will leave the details open for public debate and decisions.

“Friday, I’m hoping to have the Department of Revenue spend its time defining what they perceive as the problem,  hoping they will not address their solution to the problem, but use their time to define the problem so you don’t bury a problem in a solution,” Paskvan said.

Finance Co-chair Bert Stedman says the deliberations will hit high gear next week as Resource Members are invited to join the Finance Committee in joint, daylong meetings.

“On Monday and Tuesday in Finance we’re going to have Pedro Van Meurs spend two days morning and afternoon – about an hour and a half each session — to go over Alaska’s fiscal regime and where we fit in and how the arctic fits in around the globe,” Stedman said.

Pedro Van Meurs is an international expert on oil and gas economics who consults for governments putting together tax regimes.   He has worked for former governors Tony Knowles and Frank Murkowski and presented material to legislators during the interim.

Stedman says that the state’s consultants and representatives from the oil companies tell him that the main issue that needs to come from any new bill is a realignment of what’s called the “progressivity” element.   That’s a variable tax rate that pays the state more as the price of oil increases.   He says the Finance Committee will deal with some of the finer fiscal points leading to a final version.

Senate President Gary Stevens says he expects to have the bill through both Senate committees in time to leave the House thirty days to deal with the measure before the statutory end of the session.

New Fuel Prices Set In Nome

Ben Matheson, KNOM – Nome

Bonanza fuel in Nome has raised prices after last month’s delivery through the ice.  Gas is selling at $5.94 a gallon and diesel at $6.19.  That’s up from $5.43 and $5.93 a gallon.  Sitnasuak Board Chair Jason Evans says the company was waiting until the icebreaker Healy and Russian tanker Renda were safely out of the ice before setting prices.

The slow trip through 400 miles of ice did not have a significant impact on the final bill to Sitnasuak.  Evans says much of the agreement with Vitus Marine was decided before the month-long journey. Even with the unconventional delivery, Evans says Bonanza’s new prices are close to what they expected with a scheduled barge shipment.

The recent weeks of 30 below temperatures have led to Bonanza selling around 30 percent more home heating fuel than during a normal winter.

To meet the higher demand for home heating fuel, Evans says a portion of the 1 million gallons of diesel from the Renda is being sold as heating fuel after being blended with existing inventories.   Even with greater demand, Evans says local inventories should be adequate.

The two vessels involved in the operation are finishing up the extended working season.  The icebreaker Healy arrived in Seattle Sunday morning.  Evans says the Renda is scheduled to arrive in Vladivostok this Friday.

Citgo Giving 200 Bethel Homes Free Heating Fuel

Angela Denning-Barnes, KYUK – Bethel

Two-hundred households in Bethel will be receiving free heating fuel through Citgo. That’s just a fraction of homes that received the donation last year.  But the program has gone through a lot of changes the past five years, that it’s been giving free fuel to Bethel.

AMF Granted Permit For Moose Feeding Stations

Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

Unusually heavy snows in Southcentral Alaska this year are hurting moose populations.  Gary Olsen is executive director of the Moose Federation. He says snow conditions are forcing moose into dangerous situations.

Normally, feeding moose is illegal, but yesterday, state Fish and Game Department officials issued Olsen’s group permission to divert moose away from dangerous situations. Olsen says his group is working with large landowners to plow trails for moose and to find places to set up feeding stations for the ungulates.

The moose federation plans to plow moose trails to feeding areas to keep the animals away from dangerous roadways.

Lance Mackey Takes Yukon Quest Lead

Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks

Lance Mackey has taken the lead in the Yukon Quest sled dog race. He arrived at Eagle Checkpoint at 2:08 this afternoon, with Hugh Neff one minute behind. Allen Moore and Brent Sass are also resting at Eagle.   Meanwhile, a second musher has dropped out of the race. Rookie Jason Weitzel of Two Rivers scratched back at Circle.

Mushers in the race are logging a lot of miles on the Yukon River. As KUAC’s Emily Schwing reports from the Yukon Quest trail, the river offers its own set of challenges.

New Tlingit Encyclopedia Baffling To Scholars, Speakers

Robert Woolsey, KCAW – Sitka

A new encyclopedia of the Tlingit language has teachers in Sitka scratching their heads. The massive work by New Zealand scholar Sally-Ann Lambert is extraordinarily detailed, and the product of years of effort.

The problem is: The language in the book is not recognizable by contemporary scholars, or Native Tlingit speakers.

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FAA Reauthorization Passes Senate

Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage

By a vote of 75 to 20, the U.S. Senate passed the bill that re-authorizes the Federal Aviation Administration for four years. Before the vote, Democrat Mark Begich spoke of the importance of money for runway improvements, upgrades to air traffic control systems and the vital nature of air travel in Alaska where he said, more than 80 percent of communities are off the road system.

Senator Murkowski joined Begich in supporting the bill.

The legislation passed the house last week. Today’s passage by the Senate is significant. Begich says since 2003 there have been 23 short term extensions for the FAA. The reauthorization runs through 2015 and allocates $15.9 billion annually for all sorts of runway and airport improvements, construction projects and modernization of the air traffic control system.

Begich denounced controversial rules that were added to the legislation that affects the ability of unions to organize. Now 50 percent of a company’s employees would have to want a vote on union representation rather than 35 percent. Begich says the language had no place in the bill, but he said it was time to move on and get the reauthorization passed.

EPA Investigating Fairbanks Coal Power Plant

Tim Ellis, KUAC – Fairbanks

The Environmental Protection Agency is investigating a coal-fired power plant in downtown Fairbanks to determine whether it’s the source of a messy and possibly hazardous dust that blankets the area. The investigation could lead to a designation as a federal Superfund cleanup site.

Two Sentenced To 104 Years In Killing Of Hooper Bay Man

Angela Denning-Barnes, KYUK – Bethel

Jeffrey Hout of Bethel and Harry Williams of Kwethluk will never be free men again, after receiving life sentences Friday in Bethel Superior Court.

Both men were sentenced to 104 years without parole for torturing and killing 19-year-old Benjamin Kaiser of Hooper Bay. As a warning to our listeners, this story includes a graphic description of the crime.

Lawmakers Hear About Coastal Management Initiative

Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau

Legislators Monday looked at an initiative likely to be on the ballot later this year that would re-establish a Coastal Management Program. The previous program was allowed to close last summer as lawmakers and the administration could not agree on the terms of extending it.

Initiative Sponsor, Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho,  told a joint meeting of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees that – with the measure – coastal communities are recognizing that the federal law that set up the state program gives Alaskans a voice over the federal government.

He said the state currently does not have the right to review any federal activity – and that federal agencies are not now submitting its plans to the state.   He also said that the program is important to local landowners and developers because of its role in coordinating permitting activities.  He says that accelerates rather than delays projects that come before it.

“That function has been paramount to the program and it’s been incorporated into our intiative as well.  That is to make sure that an individual developer does not have to be in a situation where he or she or it has to go to each agency individually, try and sort out the regulatory scheme for that agency, work that time line, go to the next agency and do the same thing,” Botelho said.

The hearing was held as a requirement for all initiatives and no decision or action was necessary.  The legislature may take action on the same subject, however.   If a bill that is “substantially similar” passes this year, voters would not need to act on it.

Director of Elections Gail Fenumiai told the joint committee that she expects to have a decision on whether to certify the initiative in two weeks.

Legislators Discuss DNR Mission Statement Change

Daysha Eaton, KDLG – Dillingham

This week legislators will meet to discuss mission statements.  One topic will be changes to the Department of Natural Resources’ mission statement in January.

UAA Gets Funding For Corrosion And Mechanical Integrity Lab

Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

The University of Alaska Anchorage is one million dollars richer Monday thanks to a gift from BP.

The money is for the UAA School of Engineering to establish a corrosion and mechanical integrity laboratory, something that has been lacking in the state up until now.

Judge Issues Preliminary Injunction Against Sheraton Hotel Operator

Daysha Eaton, KDLG – Dillingham

Anchorage hotel workers are celebrating after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against Remington Hospitality, the Texas-based operator of the city’s Sheraton Hotel. The injunction comes after a three-year legal battle. It requires the Sheraton take steps to restore the terms and conditions of employment as they existed prior to the hotel’s decision to stop union negotiations in 2009. Fay Gavin, a Banquet Server with 24 years with the Sheraton says she joined the lawsuit after management started doing things like cutting lunch breaks, increasing workload and giving away hours to temp workers.   The injunction, she says, is a step in the right direction.

Yukon Quest Leaders Leave Circle

Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks

The early leaders in this year’s Quest headed out of the Circle City checkpoint over 200 miles into the race, onto the frozen Yukon River this morning.  Veterans Hugh Neff, Brent Sass, Abbie West, Allen Moore and Sonny Lindner, and rookie Jake Berkowitz hit the trail within about two hours of one another between 8 and 10:15 this morning.  From Circle, the trail runs 160 miles up the Yukon to the next checkpoint at Eagle, but there are several cabins and the Slaven’s Dog drop to rest at in between.

Fairbanks Man Receives Silver Star

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

A Fairbanks man has been awarded the military’s 3^rd highest honor.  Retired Staff Sergeant Paul Taylor was decorated with the Silver Star at a ceremony Saturday at Ft. Wainwright.  As KUAC’s Dan Bross reports, the medal is in recognition of Taylor’s bravery during a battle 45 years ago in Vietnam.

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Missing Anchorage Woman Case Being Treated As Possible Abduction
Heather Aronno, APRN – Anchorage
A young woman working as a barista in an Anchorage coffee stand has been missing since Wednesday night. Few details are available, but the Anchorage Police Department is treating it as a possible abduction.

18-year-old Samantha Koenig has been missing since Wednesday evening. A barista at the Common Grounds coffee stand near the Old Seward Highway and Tudor Road, Koenig was supposed to close up the shop at 8:00pm. But, Lieutenant Dave Parker with the Anchorage Police Department says she never made it home.

“Ultimately yesterday, we got information from the family that she was a missing person, and the detectives in the homicide unit started working that case. They work our missing persons cases. Ultimately they determined she had been kidnapped or abducted from her work. And so now we’re working that case as an abduction,” Parker said.

Lieutenant Parker says the only detail being released at this time is the suspect is male.

“If there was anyone in the area of Old Seward Highway and Tudor Road, right in front of the Alaska Club there, on Wednesday night between 8pm and 8:30pm, and saw anything like a man and a woman walking from the area. We know that they left on foot. They should call the police department right away and share what they know,” Parker said.

Due to the critical nature of an abduction, he says many detectives from all kinds of units have been pulled in to look for Samantha.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call 786-8900.

Subsidized Air Travel In Alaska Included in FAA Reauthorization Bill

Steve Heimel, APRN – Anchorage

Federally subsidized air travel in Alaska is no longer under the threat of congressional budget cutting.  Friday, the U.S. House passed a compromised version of the Federal Aviation Administration re-authorization bill.  It keeps the Essential Air Service subsidy in place for rural Alaska communities, and it funds a number of airport improvements.  Representative Don Young was one of the “yes” votes.

The bill ran into opposition from organized labor because it would hasten the automation of air traffic control systems.

The FAA bill puts $3.5 billion per year into airport improvements.  Senator Mark Begich expects quick Senate action on the bill.  When he appeared on the public radio call-in show “Talk of Alaska” this week he had just come out of a caucus meeting where they decided to take it up first thing next week.

The FAA re-authorization bill also exempts shipments of hospital oxygen from security regulations that would have barred them flying, and it calls for more use of remotely piloted research aircraft.

Veteran Employment Measure Passes House, Senate

Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska – Juneau

Alaska’s House and Senate have passed bills aimed at easing veterans’ chances of getting jobs.

The measures direct the state to consider military training and experience when granting professional licenses. Alaska licenses about 40 professions, from barbers to contractors to nurses.

House sponsor Bill Thomas, a Haines Republican, says about 1,200 Alaska-based service-members leave the military every year. And the unemployment rate among young veterans is about 22 percent.

“Many have already received quality training through the military. I use an example of mechanics who have the ability to perform the duties and then have to go through the process of being certified at the local level. The other one is a plumber who’s been in the Navy for 20 years,” Thomas says.

“There’s no reason for them to come back and start over again. It’s a way to help them come out, get a job and go forward,” he says.

The bills also tell officials to grant temporary, six-month, professional licenses to qualified veterans. They also direct the University of Alaska to consider military training and experience as credit toward degrees.

House Bill 282 passed without opposition February 1st.

A similar measure, Senate Bill 150, passed the Senate the same day.

Senate sponsor Bill Wielechowski, an Anchorage Democrat, says the measure recognizes veterans’ knowledge.

“There’s no special treatment here. What this bill does is it eliminates the need for duplicative education, classes and training. These service-members have already received this training,”

Wielechowski says. “They’ve already received this education. This will help them more quickly integrate and it’s very likely to lower the unemployment rate for veterans.”

The two bills are very similar. But they have some differences, such as the effective date. That means the House will have to approve the Senate’s version, or the other way around. Sponsors also could compromise and ask both chambers to approve a revised measure.

There’s no word yet on how or when that would happen.

Iditarod Trail Altered To Avoid ‘Happy River Steps’

Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race organizers are deciding to make a change in the route for the 2012 race.   This year’s race marks the 40th run, and it follows the Northern route.

Race Marshall Mark Nordman says the race route will be altered somewhat to avoid the section known as the Happy River Steps.  That area is notorious for being a deal breaker for both rookie and veteran mushers, because of its steep terrain.   Erin MacLarnen is the Iditarod’s new spokesperson.  MacLarnen says there’s reasons for the change.

The alternate route has been made available because of a mining road constructed in 2010 that runs parallel to the Iditarod trail. The race route will use the mining road as an alternative to the Steps.

The 2012 Iditarod starts Saturday March 3 in Anchorage.  The race restarts in Willow on Sunday, March 4.  Sixty eight dog drivers are signed up for the annual trek to Nome.

Brevig Mission Man Arrested After Shooting At House

Ben Matheson, KNOM – Nome

State Troopers have arrested a man who was firing shots at a house in a Brevig Mission.  Nome Trooper Ann Sears says that 53-year-old Roy Henry of Brevig Mission fired three shots Wednesday night at around 10:30 into his neighbor’s home.

Sears says there were three adults and three kids inside the house at the time of the shooting, which lasted a half hour.  One adult in the house was nearly hit.

One bullet passed through two walls in the house and exited.   Another penetrated the door and became lodged in the wall.

Troopers in Nome were unable to respond Wednesday night due to ice fog.

Troopers flew in Thursday morning and arrested Henry.  The officers say alcohol was a factor.

Final Yukon Quest Preparations Taking Place

Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks

Mushers are finalizing their plans, and race officials are checking on trail conditions as Saturday’s start of 2012 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race fast approaches.  This year’s race starts in Alaska.  KUAC’s Emily Schwing caught up with rookie and veteran mushers as they gathered for informational meetings in Fairbanks Thursday.

Weather Advisory In Place Over Steese Highway, Part of Yukon Quest Trail

Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks

There is a winter weather advisory in effect over the Steese Highway, including Eagle Summit and over 100 miles of the Yukon Quest trail until early morning, Saturday.

Dog teams are anticipated to start climbing over Rosebud and then Eagle Summit sometime early Sunday.  The weather advisory includes three checkpoints along the race trail: milepost 101, and the villages of Central and Circle.

Officials Urge Anchorage Residents to Stay Off Roads

Associated Press

State transportation officials are urging motorists in the Alaska’s largest city to stay home if they can so roads can be cleared as another winter storm blasts Anchorage on Friday.

DOT officials say crews can better manage snow removal if people aren’t driving on the streets.

It says resources are being sent to Anchorage from around the state to help remove the snow.

The storm is predicted to drop 6-10 inches of snow in Anchorage, with up to 10-15 inches on the upper hillside.

Newly Discovered Ledgers Offer Insight Into Aleutian History

Alexandra Gutierrez, KUCB – Unalaska

Today, AC Value Centers are ubiquitous in rural parts of the state, selling everything from groceries to sporting gear to bedding. But a hundred years ago, the Alaska Commercial Company was a force that played a major role in the early development of Alaska. There are plenty of detailed records about their early operations in Kodiak and Cook Inlet, but information about their Aleutian outposts has been scarce, up until now. KUCB’s Alexandra Gutierrez has this story about a newly discovered trove of primary source material from Unalaska Island.

AK: The Science of Ice

Stephanie Joyce, KUCB – Unalaska

If you’ve been following the news about the fuel delivery to Nome or the Bering Sea snow crab fishery’s hiatus you may recognize the name Kathleen Cole.  She’s a sea ice forecaster for the National Weather Service in Anchorage and her services have been in high demand this winter.

300 Villages: Anderson

And now it’s time for 300 Villages, our weekly trip around the state.  Folks in this community once took a ferry to get to Fairbanks, and if you listen closely, you’ll get a tip about how to win the Nenana Ice Classic.  If you guessed Anderson, you’re right. We got a change to speak with Randy Witte in Anderson.

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US Attorney’s Office Recommends Reduced Sentence For Fuglvog

Stephanie Joyce, KUCB – Unalaska

The U.S. Attorney’s office is recommending a reduced sentence for Arne Fuglvog.

The former fisheries aide to Sen. Lisa Murkowski pleaded guilty in August to falsifying records for his sablefish catch in 2005. That year, illegal fishing earned Fuglvog an estimated $100,000. Court documents estimate the total value of Fuglvog’s illegal harvests between 2001 and 2006 at $1 million.

The terms of Fuglvog’s plea agreement included a $50,000 punitive fine, a $100,000 community service payment and a public apology in National Fisherman’s Magazine.

The plea agreement also recommended 10 months in jail, but in a sentencing memorandum released this week, the U.S. Attorney’s office reduced that recommendation to 5 months, citing Fuglvog’s cooperation during the investigation.

Sentencing is scheduled for 8 a.m. on Tuesday.

Bethel Cab Driver Found Dead

Angela Denning-Barnes, KYUK – Bethel

A Bethel cab driver went missing earlier this week, and was later found dead.

Northern Waters Task Force Report: Opportunities and Challenges

Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau

The Alaska Northern Waters Task Force has given the legislature its findings and recommendations on the effects of climate change in the Arctic – and how the state fits into national and international interest in the region.

January Sets Cold Records Across State

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

January 2012 will have a place in the weather record books. National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Brader says locations across the northern half of the state bested or came close to records.

January 2012 was the coldest month ever at Galena.  The average temperature at Galena -32.6, and there were four consecutive days at the end of the month with minus 60 degree lows, including -65 this past Sunday.  Other communities breaking cold records were Nome, McGrath, Tanana and Bettles.  It was the 5^th coldest January on record at Fairbanks, with an average temperature of -26.9. Brader says the extreme cold was the result of a very persistent pattern in the upper atmosphere or jet stream.

February has seen an end to the cold weather pattern.  Brader says the jet stream has shifted.

Brader says it’s unclear how long the new pattern will hold, but it appears thing will stay on the warm side into next week.

Bethel Experiences Record Cold

Mark Arehart, KYUK – Bethel

Bethel also saw weather records broken. January shaped up to be on average the coldest in history there.

Geological Crack Threatens Haines Homes, Roads

Tara Bicknell, KHNS – Haines

A geologic phenomenon scientists are calling a “slow creeping event” is threatening homes and vital roadways in the Southeast Alaska town of Haines.  And warm weather in the forecast is only causing more concern.

Tara Bicknell has this update from Haines, where a large swath of residential land is slowly separating from the mainland.

Enstar Sold to AltaGas

Steve Heimel & Josh Edge, APRN – Anchorage

Enstar, the natural gas utility in the Cook Inlet area, is being sold to a Canadian corporation. Enstar belongs to Semco Energy, which in turn was owned by Continental Energy Systems in Michigan. The company that is buying Semco is AltaGas, of Calgary, which already owns other natural gas distribution systems in the north and a hydro-electric project on the Iskut River in British Columbia. It is paying 1.135 billion dollars for a U-S presence.

Enstar spokesman John Sims says customers should see no change.

“It’s important to understand, or for customers to understand that this will have immediate impact on base rates. There won’t be an adjustment in rates until 2014, which our next scheduled rate case is, so, you know, from that perspective, to customers, it should be seamless,” Sims said.

Sims also says Enstar’s president and management team have been retained and it’s largely unionized staff’s contracts will be honored by AltaGas.

The transaction is expected to be closed in the third quarter of 2012.

Some Customers May Get Refund From Fairbanks Utility

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

A Fairbanks utility and the state have come to resolution in a long running rate dispute that will  result in customer refunds.  The settlement between the Regulatory Commission of Alaska and Fairbanks Sewer and Water will see about 8,500 past and present customers of Golden Heart and College Utilities repaid nearly $4.5 million as a result of rates the commission has determined were too high.  The Utilities Director of Administration Tiffany Van Horn says the settlement covers 2004 through 2006.

Van Horn says there’s no estimate on how much the average customer will get. She says some of the revenue from the effected years was set aside in an escrow account while the R.C.A. considered the rates. She says the refunds will come out of that account. The utility has maintained it needs higher rates due to increased operating costs, infrastructure replacement and lower water usage by customers. Meanwhile, the R.C.A. is considering a 2010 rate hike.  A decision on those rates is scheduled for September.

Push For New Information On Old Fairbanks Murder Gains Momentum

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

An effort to uncover new information about an old murder in Fairbanks is gaining momentum. Blogging and social networking are being employed in an attempt to exonerate four local men imprisoned for the 1997 killing of a Fairbanks teenager.

Anchorage Receives $13.2 Million To Help Start Small Businesses

Daysha Eaton, KSKA – Anchorage

The city of Anchorage has received a $13.2 million allocation from the Department of Commerce. The money is meant to help people start small businesses.

Chickaloon Author Releases ‘The Snow Child’

Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

Chickaloon author Eowyn Ivey has hit the jackpot with her first novel, The Snow Child. Her story about two homesteading Alaskans almost a century ago is capturing the attention of readers from Norway to Australia.  The title was released in the US this week, to glowing reviews by writers and critics.   KSKA’s Ellen Lockyer spoke with the author at Fireside Books in Palmer, where she was signing copies of the novel.

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Governor Opposes Formula Increase for Schools

Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau
Governor Parnell today showed no support for the Senate’s plans to increase the formula that determines how much state money goes to local school districts.  The Senate Education Committee this week approved a bill raising the Basic Student Allocation by $125 in this year’s budget,  $130 next  year and another $135 the year after that.

Parnell says he has told lawmakers that he does not want to increase any formulas that drive state spending.   He says under the current method,  the legislature does little more than write a check.   And he wants the education system to be more accountable and flexible.

“I am willing to consider and fund some fixed cost increases. For example, heat.   If it’s demonstrated – and it is demonstrated–  that heating costs for the next year are up, then we ought to fund that on a fixed basis.  And I’m willing to commit to that with legislators.”

Parnell said he recognizes that such spending could go against his cap on spending in this year’s budget, however he prefers the fixed cost spending approach.  He says the state could become overrun by formulas like he sees with the way federal money is spent.

Fairbanks Democrat Joe Thomas,  the co-chair of the Education Committee that wrote the bill making the spending increase,  says those one-time appropriations the governor likes are seen as cuts to the programs because schools can’t use them for planning their activities in future years.  He says there are unpredictable elements of spending that would have to be considered.

“We talk about pupil transportation, we talk about energy costs,  those are fluctuating numbers.   Generally they go up because everything, the running of the school, the running of the buses, is effected by fuel costs, the weather – things like that that are hard to predict.  We’re  probably  never going to fund education to the amount that is needed even as you review the factors yourself.”

The Senate bill is currently in the Finance Committee.

ANWR Bill Passes Natural Resources Committee

Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage

ANWR legislation is back before U.S. House members. The House Natural Resources committee is offering legislation that, among other things, would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to development.  The language is part of a larger Republican jobs bill.  Congressman Don Young says he’s pleased that it passed out of committee.

The bill claims it will open only 3 percent of the ANWR area to development.  What that refers to is the so-called “footprint” of the actual oil infrastructure, compared to the size of the entire Refuge.

Democratic Senator Mark Begich says if the bill does pass the House and gets to the Senate, he’ll be ready to push for its passage with a companion bill.

Senator Begich says he thinks there is a new tone in Washington that may mark increased cooperation when it comes to domestic energy development. In part because President Obama is pushing for more domestic energy supplies but also because in the past few years, more states are dealing with energy development than they were in the past.

Senator Murkowski’s spokesman Robert Dillon says although Murkowski is in favor of ANWR development and she will continue to push for it, she says the House legislation will again face a tough, uphill battle in the Senate.

Also in the House energy legislation is a provision that would force a lease sale in the North Aleutian basin – the Bristol Bay region.  Congressman Young says although he thinks oil drilling and fisheries can co-exist, he is urging Natural Resources chair Doc Hastings to put this issue off for a while because of the push for drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort.  Shell Oil is investing there now, and was also the main company interested in Bristol Bay, and Young points out there’s only so much equipment and cash to go around.

Congressman Young says he’d like the Bristol Bay area lease sale to be delayed for five years.

The Alaska Wilderness League’s executive director Cindy Shogun released a statement saying the ANWR effort is ‘yet another example of House Republican leadership playing the same old tired political game with our nation’s wildest refuge.’

New Rule Means Little Immediate Change For The Tongass

Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska – Juneau & Steve Heimel, APRN – Anchorage

The Obama administration last week announced a new planning rule for national forests, and today said the Chugach National Forest will be among the first where the new rule will be used.

The Chugach’s current plan was enacted in 2002, and is due for renewal soon anyway.

According to Regional Forester Beth Pendleton, the Tongass National Forest, in Southeast, will be less affected by the new rule because many of its principles are already being applied there – such as watershed protections, and standards for restoring areas that have been logged.  She welcomes the new rule.

“The new real strength of this planning rule is that focus on collaborations and utilization of best science in that revision process,” Pendleton said.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack released the environmental impact statement needed to finalize the rule last week, saying it will mean stronger protections for forests, water and wildlife, while supporting rural economies.

“We know these communities rely on the forest for jobs, clean air and clean water. We believe that this framework will take their concerns into consideration. We also believe that if an amendment or a change is required, it will take less time and less money to accomplish that change than under previous efforts,” Vilsack said.

The Chugach Forest covers about five and a half million acres, including the Copper River Delta, much of the Kenai Peninsula, and wilderness areas in Prince William Sound.  Pendleton says she expects the new rule to be helpful in revising the land use plan for the Chugach:

“We will be doing that under a new, more modern planning rule that I believe is going to better reflect science, public values and knowledge on how to create and implement more effective land management plans,” Pendleton said.

The rule requires planners to address climate change’s impacts on the forests.  The environmental Impact Statement for the new rule is out for public comment.

Emissions Testing Ending March 1 In Anchorage
Daysha Eaton, KSKA – Anchorage
No more emissions tests in Anchorage. That was the decision of the Anchorage Assembly at its meeting Tuesday evening.

The once federally mandated emissions, or IM, program required drivers to pay for a $60 to $70 dollar vehicle emissions test every two years. The Environmental Protection Agency approved ending the program in January, saying it was no longer needed to protect air quality. The Assembly agreed to phase the program out in six months. But mayor Dan Sullivan proposed ending IM testing early.  And he got his wish, when the Assembly voted to end testing at their meeting late Tuesday evening.  But not before testimony from concerned business owners, including Richard Klein.

“We were told that we had six months after the EPA made their answer to Anchorage to end the program. We were told that and I’d like to start off that you promised us, the IM industry, that we would have the six months. You should honor your vote. You should honor what your told us. We’re business people, we have to make decisions ahead of time,” Klein said.

While business owners complained, Mayor Sullivan called the program, “government bureaucracy at its absolute worst,” and claimed if it went six more months it would require 45,000 cars be tested at a total cost of $3 million for drivers. Assemblyman Paul Honeman, who is running against Sullivan for mayor, said Sullivan was merely pandering to voters during an election year. Some questioned the addition of a Municipal tax that was added onto vehicle registrations just as the emissions test was being eliminated. Assembly member Harriet Drummond confirmed the tax had been added.

“70 dollars minimum on an 8-year-old car or older and sliding scale up to $150 for a new car, every two years. This is on top of the IM test (this goes to the city, right). That’s right. The state collects it and then gives it to the city,” Drummond said.

The municipal tax was added to vehicle registrations in January. The assembly voted 6-5 to eliminate emissions testing early. The program ends March 1.

Two Rural Alaskans Named To Federal Subsistence Board

Ben Matheson, KNOM – Nome

Two rural Alaskans have been named to the Federal Subsistence Board.  There is currently just one rural member on the board that manages fish and wildlife for subsistence uses on federal public lands and waters.

State Affairs Committee Hears Testimony On Language Bill

Ben Matheson, KNOM – Nome

The Alaska Senate State Affairs committee heard testimony Tuesday on Senator Donny Olson’s bill to create the Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council.   The council would assess statewide language policy and programs and seek to advance the most cost effective programs.  The council would meet at least twice a year and submit reports to the governor and legislature every two years.

Alaska Film Group, NANA Team Up To Attract Productions

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

A trade group and a Native Corporation are teamed up to promote a program that attracts movie and television productions to Alaska. The Alaska Film Group and Nana Regional Corporation owned Piksik LLC are pushing the state to extend its film incentive program. Film Group board member and Piksik project manager Deborah Schildt says the program is credited with increasing the number of movies and television shows shot in Alaska.

Schildt talked to the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce about the importance of the incentive program yesterday. The program offers tax credits to production companies based on how much they spend in the state, hire locally and shoot in rural Alaska.

The Alaska film incentive program passed during the Palin administration and is scheduled to sunset in 2013. A bill to extend it is being considered by the legislature.  The Associated Press reported last month that Representative Anna Fairclough is concerned that some productions cast Alaska in a bad light, and wants an audit to better determine how the program is benefiting Alaskans.

The Film group attributes recent years’ film productions with employing thousands of state residents and supporting hundreds of Alaska businesses in recent years.  Schildt says supporters are pushing for a 10 year extension to provide long term stability for the industry in Alaska.

United Airlines To Fly Into Fairbanks This Summer

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

Fairbanks will have a 3^rd major air carrier this summer. United Airlines is returning to the Fairbanks market after a several year absence.  United will run daily flights between Denver and Fairbanks June 7^th through August 27^th.  United joins fellow summer flyer Frontier and year round carrier Alaska Airlines in the Fairbanks market. Fairbanks Convention and Visitor’s Bureau CEO Deb Hickock says the additional airline should equate to more seasonal traffic.

Tourism is still recovering from the recession.  Hickock says Alaska is expecting improvement in 2012, but numbers are still forecast to be short of a 2008 peak.

Hickock says competition usually equates to better deals for consumers.  She cites the state’s top carrier, Alaska Airlines recent announcement of its Club 49 member benefit program as evidence of an increasingly competitive Alaska market.  Denver based Frontier joined the Fairbanks summer market in 2010.

Haines School Workers Get Some Social Security Money Returned

Tara Bicknell, KHNS – Haines

Some school workers in Haines are getting retirement investments returned to them early, in checks as large as $22,000, after the district alerted them that Social Security took too much out of their paychecks.

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Jim Browder Selected As Next ASD Superintendent

Daysha Eaton, KSKA – Anchorage

The Anchorage School Board has selected the new superintendent for the Anchorage School District. The Board reviewed more than 150 applications for the position.

New Oil, Gas Bill Expected By End Of Next Week

Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau

The Senate is working on getting final plans in order to have a new oil and gas tax bill before the public by the end of next week.  President Gary Stevens has said he has no intention of working with the tax-rewrite bill the governor introduced – and the House passed. Tuesday morning he said he expects to see the fresh bill ready for hearings before the Resources Committee by Friday of next week.  He says the goal is to get the measure to the House for consideration at least a month before the end of the session.

Anchorage Republican Lesil McGuire is taking charge of rewriting a portion of the bill dealing with progressivity – how tax rates vary as prices rise and fall.  She says consultants and drafters are currently working on three different alternatives.

“Our strategy at this point,  Senator Wagoner and I have talked, is to allow the committee to decide.  There’s a placeholder in the bill as he just referenced – so there will be a placeholder for progressivity, but it would be my intent to offer a couple of different versions of progressivity to allow the conversation to take place in the Senate Resources Committee,” McGuire said.

McGuire says the variable tax rate is the most important element of the bill since it must encourage development of resources that have already been identified.  She says tax credits the state already has in place seem to be encouraging enough new exploration.

Finance Co-Chair Bert Stedman says the bill going to the Resources Committee next week will signal only a starting point.   He says when it gets to his committee members will look at two high profile issues – the effects of progressivity on revenue and the state’s use of tax credits.

“Clearly if oil prices go north of $200, we could be faced with paying over a hundred percent of the capital expenditures in the oil basin.   And that is a not a position the state of Alaska should be exposed to.  So it is a balance between how we stimulate capital costs and how our tax structure is on the other end when there’s high oil prices,” Stedman said.

Stedman said the first goal of the committees is to identify the problems they expect to solve with a new tax structure.   He cautioned against dumping solutions on the table before they are needed if members plan to finish work by the scheduled end of the session.

North Slope to Canada Gas Line Take Place in Fairbanks

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

Fairbanks was the site of the first in a series of public meetings Monday night on the proposed gas line from the North Slope to Canada. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is hosting the meetings as part of the scoping process for an Environmental Impact Statement for the Alaska Pipeline Project.

Kotzebue Jail Remains Closed To Some Prisoners

Matthew Smith, KNOM – Nome

The Kotzebue Regional Jail has been closed since Dec. 1 to all prisoners arrested by state agencies. This is the result of a funding dispute between the City of Kotzebue and the Department of Corrections. The city had hoped to re-negotiate its contract with DOC by Feb. 1. But Kotzebue City Finance Director Keith Greene says funding issues continue, and as a result, the jail won’t re-open Wednesday.

Kotzebue Police Chief Craig Motes says the jail will continue to house local prisoners. But it will remain closed to prisoners arrested by state agencies.

Funding for the Kotzebue jail has been static at an annual $880,000 since 2007. The governor’s 2012 proposed budget increases the jail’s funding to just over $944,000. While that does represent an increase in funding, Greene says it isn’t enough: a city audit for fiscal year 2011 shows jail operating expenses of $1.19 million. With the $944,000 already being used for 2013’s budget, Greene says funding will fall well short of what it costs the city to operate the jail.

DOC Administrative Services Director Leslie Houston says Kotzebue’s audits for the jail differ from their own. Staffing is one area of the jail’s budget that Houston says exceeds what DOC is willing to pay.

Until the Kotzebue jail fully re-opens, state agencies will continue transporting prisoners to Nome’s Anvil City facility for holding, and back to Kotzebue for trial and arraignment. Houston says she doesn’t know the costs associated with such transport, but during the Kotzebue jail’s previous closure from 2003 to 2005, the state spent $1.5 million on similar prisoner holding and transport costs.

In addition to the funding, Greene says there’s also an issue of certification: when the city closed the jail in December, he says the facility’s certification as a regional jail was pulled. Re-opening would mean all liability for prisoners would fall on the city of Kotzebue, and not on the Department of Corrections.

Houston says DOC will meet with representatives of Kotzebue to discuss the future of the jail on Feb. 7.

Parnell, Delegation Respond To Possible Military Base Closures

Steve Heimel, APRN – Anchorage

The Parnell administration and all three members of the state’s congressional delegation were quick to respond to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s announcement last week that President Obama will seek another round of military base closures.  APRN’s Steve Heimel reports that the Secretary’s idea is a non-starter, but there are bound to be Pentagon spending cuts in the future.

ACMP Initiative Verification Marches On

Casey Kelly, KTOO – Juneau

More than 60 percent of signatures collected by the group behind a citizen’s initiative to revive the Alaska Coastal Management Program have been verified by an initial computer review.

K300 Raffle Winner Starting Scholarship Fund

Mark Arehart, KYUK – Bethel

Rohn Buser of Big Lake won the Kuskokwim 300 sled dog race.  But, he’s not the only winner.

Carmen Brown of Aniak won the grand prize in this year’s K300 raffle: a check for $50,000.  She says she won’t be spending it all on herself.

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Senate Committee Approves More Money For Schools

Rosemarie Alexander, KTOO – Juneau & Dave Donaldson, APRN – Juneau

The Senate Education Committee this morning approved an increase to the Basic Student Allocation – or BSA.   The BSA is the amount of money given to cover the cost of educating each student on the rolls – and it is the basis for calculating such things as the difference in operating expenses in different communities.  Last year, instead of an increased BSA,  schools shared in a one-time grant of $20-million.  But that wasn’t automatically renewed and was not money that schools could use in the budgets they’re working on now.

In a hearing last Friday,  the Alaska Council of School Administrators said that schools actually need a $320 per student increase this year – just to keep up.  But Senate President Gary Stevens balanced that figure with an amount that might be possible to get from the House and the Governor.

“There’s a lot of work ahead for all of us in this room.  If you find there’s support for $320, I’d be delighted.  But I don’t think that’s the reality of it.  I think this is the best we can do.  I think this is the wisest approach – maybe not the best – but I do appreciate the fact that we have a bill here and that we have a lot of work ahead of us to make sure it gets through the entire process.”

The bill increases the BSA for each of the next three years — $ 125 for the budgets being written now,  $130 for the following year and $135 for the 2015 budget.

Sunny Hilz, of the Kenai School Board, praised the committee’s decision to provide more than one year of funding.  She said forward funding will allow schools to plan ahead.

What it does in our school district, it changes the morale of the entire place.  It lets us focus on what we know will work.  A program doesn’t work for one year and then start over again. We have to be able to plan ahead.

House Speaker Mike Chenault didn’t make a prediction on the outcome of the increase when it gets to the House.  He told a press conference this morning that he thinks Education needs more state money.  But he says he has a problem with making a commitment to a Formula.

Putting something into law, it can certainly be changed, but sometimes it’s a lot harder to change it once we’ve put it in so I think we’ve got to be careful – could we come uip with something that’s a year or two or three years certainty for Education. We’ve done it in the past, and we can certainly do it in the future. But I think we have to  have those conversations as we look at the budget continuing to grow.

The BSA increase bill,  SB171 is now before the Senate Finance Committee.

In the House, a bill just introduced would inflation-proof education funding. HB 143 would require the administration to increase the Base Student Allocation by at least the annual rise in the Anchorage Consumer Price Index. Anchorage Democrat Rep. Pete Peterson’s bill would provide an additional $187.52 for each student.

Renda, Healy Break Out Of Ice

Ben Matheson & Matthew Smith, KNOM – Nome

The Renda and Healy are out of the ice.  After more than a week of cutting through ice up to 4 feet thick, both the tanker Renda and the Coast Guard Icebreaker Healy crossed into open water around 1:00pm Sunday.

As of earlier today, the tanker was transiting on open water outside of Dutch Harbor. The Renda is now making for her home port of Vladivostok, while the Healy returns to Seattle.

The tanker was escorted to Nome by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy to deliver 1.3 million gallons of fuel earlier this month. After the fuel delivery was completed and the ships began their transit south, the sea ice had grown more than 60 miles.

Ice Conditions Could Affect Fish Stocks

Stephanie Joyce, KUCB – Unalaska

Bering Sea ice came in quickly this year and is at its largest extent since the 1970s.

It has effectively shut down the snow crab fishery, causing problems for boats as far south as the Aleutians.  But some scientists say that while it’s a pain in the short term, the ice is good for the Bering Sea’s valuable fisheries in the long run.

When this winter started, the ice extent in the Bering Sea was looking pretty average, but in the past couple of weeks, that’s changed – the ice is now covering an area roughly the size of Texas.  Andy Mahoney, a sea ice researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, says the thirty-year average is about a third less than that – covering an area more like California.  Part of the reason for the increase is a persistent low-pressure system in the Arctic.

“And that creates a situation where the cold air doesn’t leave the Arctic as frequently and as a result, if the cold air stays in the Arctic, the Arctic stays colder.”

But in other northern waters, the sea ice extent is shrinking. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate scientist Jim Overland says the Bering Sea frequently doesn’t track with the rest of the Arctic.  As average Arctic ice extents have gone down over the last 30 years, the Bering Sea has actually seen a slight increase.  Overland says that’s because despite climate change, the Bering Sea ice is mostly dictated by storms.

“The Bering Sea continues to do its own thing, this year and in the foreseeable future and that’s based on how the North Pacific storm tracks behave.”

Since 2006, the Bering Sea has been in a cold phase.  But before that, from 2000 to 2005, the Bering Sea was at the other extreme – record warm temperatures.  According to Overland, these blocs of temperature are don’t represent any pattern – and they can have a huge impact on the ocean ecosystem.

“You have this random climate extreme and it’s like a hammer hitting the bell.  You just strike the bell a couple of times with the hammer and then you stop the hammer but the bell can continue to ring.  So the biology would be the continuing effect of the shorter, random events.”

Back in the 1970s there was a period of temperatures as cool as the current ones that Overland says caused a major reorganization of the Bering Sea ecosystem.

“The fact that pollock now dominates after the 1970s…perhaps the loss of cod in the 1930s was also related to one of these five year events.

But Overland is less sure what this period of cooler temperatures could mean for ocean ecosystems, especially give the stretch of warmer weather at the beginning of the millennium.

“If we had continued to have a whole decade of warm temperatures we might have precipitated some major extent in the ecosystem, but I think the fact that we’ve have four cold years, we’ve returned back to where we were in the 1980s and 90s.”

Alaska Fisheries Science Center biologist Kerim Aydin agrees that the annual ice extent has a big impact on fish populations, but is cautious about this year’s effects.

“It’s not so much about how much the ice covers at this time of year, but how fast it melts back into the spring and summer.”

Aydin says the biggest impact is on pollock – southwest Alaska’s biggest fishery – but also snow crab.  He says consensus is emerging in the scientific community around the idea that colder springtime temperatures are better for pollock stocks because of how they affect plankton growth.

But he says it’s still unclear whether this year will be one of those years.

“Not so much the past few, but there have been years in the past where we’ve seen very cold winters, but then things have warmed up pretty quickly.”

The ice extent is expected to remain high for at least another month.

Interior Expecting Milder Weather

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

The interior is coming off a weekend during which Fairbanks and several other locations had low temperatures in excess of 50 below zero.  National Weather Service meteorologist Corey Bogel says Galena had the coldest official reading.

There’s some relief in the forecast.  Things began moderating Monday morning with 30 to 40 below readings in Fairbanks, as clouds and light snow moved in.  Bogel says the longer range forecast is also encouraging.

Bogel says there may be a day or two cool down as the low moves out, but the extended forecast generally calls for milder air over the interior next week.  He says the trend will be complimented by the sun.

The interior is ready to say goodbye to January, which will be one of the top 10 coldest in Fairbanks recorded weather history.  Bogel says there have been 16 days this month when the temperatures dipped to 40 below or colder.  That’s only surpassed by 4 other months in Fairbanks history.

Anchorage Beginning to Warm Up

Josh Edge, APRN – Anchorage

Not to be outdone by Fairbanks, this January also ranks as one of the coldest Anchorage has experienced.

With an average temperature of 3.8 degrees Fahrenheit though Jan. 26 at the Ted Stevens International Airport, this month is on pace to be the fourth coldest recorded since 1953.

According to Sam Albanese, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Anchorage forecast office, the frigid temperatures have been a result of an amplified high pressure pattern over the mainland mixed with cold air coming out of the Arctic and Siberia.

But, he says that weather pattern is changing, and that there should be some warmer weather heading towards Anchorage.

“We’re looking at a more active weather pattern. We’re gonna see a low pressure system barreling on up into the Bering Sea, which in turn creates more of a stronger southerly flow over the mainland which brings a lot of warmer marine air over the state,” Albanese said.

Albanese says temperatures are expected to remain above zero tonight and should be getting consistently warmer through the weekend.

“Tomorrow, some places may be as high as 20 degrees. Tomorrow night, zero to five above. But as we get closer to the weekend, we’re looking at temperatures, even on Thursday, where you might actually see some temperatures above freezing around 35 degrees…25-25 there. And, even right through Sunday, 25-35 degrees, so, significant warming compared to what we’ve been having, that’s for sure,” Albanese said.

Click here for a link to a report by the National Weather Service’s John Papineau on Anchorage’s cold weather.

Vets Checking Out Dogs Before Yukon Quest

Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks

Yukon Quest mushers brought their dog teams to a warehouse in South Fairbanks on Saturday to let race veterinarians look over all of the dogs signed up to run.

KUAC’s Emily Schwing was there to find out what a veterinarian looks for and how they decide if a sled dog is race ready.

Pebble Limited Partnership Releasing Research

Mike Mason, KDLG – Dillingham

This week the Pebble Limited Partnership is releasing more than 20,000 pages of research they commissioned and paid for. Since 2004, more than 40 firms have been gathering data in and around the area envisioned for the controversial Pebble Mine.

Alaska Airlines Employees Receiving Hefty Bonus

Tom Banse, NNN

Thousands of Horizon and Alaska Airlines workers will receive hefty bonuses in their paychecks next month. The Seattle-based airline group on Thursday announced a second straight year of record annual profits.

Chief Financial Officer Brandon Pedersen says his company’s planes are flying fuller than ever. It’s also been able to offset high fuel costs with higher fares.

Pedersen says Alaska Air will pay bonuses equal to about 6.5 percent of pay to most staff.

Separately, the airline’s management estimated the cost of last week’s crippling snow and ice storm at $3.5 million.  Most of that is lost revenue due to hundreds of flight cancellations.

The airline group says all 12,782 employees qualified for bonuses. That includes 2,169 Oregon-based Alaska and Horizon Air workers, 318 in Idaho and 6,487 in Washington.

Airline Hoping to Start Anchorage to Russia Flights

Alexandra Gutierrez, KUCB – Unalaska

While the Anchorage airport serves plenty of international cargo flights, there aren’t many opportunities for Alaskans to get their passports stamped without passing through the Lower 48. Now, one Russian Airline is working to make Anchorage a jumping-off point for the Kamchatka Peninsula, and they’ve announced that they’ll start selling tickets next month.

Businessman, Statehood Bell Ringer Derr Passes Away

Casey Kelly, KTOO – Juneau

Longtime Juneau businessman and Chamber of Commerce luminary Romer Derr passed away last week at the age of 75. He’s being remembered not just for his efforts to improve Juneau’s economy, but for his participation in the Capital City’s first ever statehood celebration.