The Department of Environmental Conservation’s contaminated sites program found contaminated groundwater near an injection well at North Star Paving and Construction’s property.

Other parties defending the exemption include the city of Craig, statewide and Southeast chambers of commerce, electric utilities, shipping companies and resource development advocacy groups.

Cruises are still effectively banned in the U.S. — the federal Centers for Disease Control have yet to issue rules necessary for cruise lines to resume calling on U.S. ports

The interest in kelp farming is there. Lease applications nearly doubled last year, and a recent training attracted hundreds of participants.

Hilcorp purchased several blocks of federal leases in Cook Inlet in 2017, but before it can even think about exploring for oil and gas there, the company has to survey for potential geological hazards in the area.

The private access Ambler Road would run roughly 211 miles from the Dalton Highway to the Ambler Mining District in the Northwest Arctic Borough. The funding from the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, or AIDEA, was matched by Ambler Metals, the company that hopes to use the road to access mineral deposits in the Ambler Mining District.

The raffle is the first of its kind in Alaska. But other states like Arizona and Wyoming have similar systems. In Wyoming, the raffle raised more than a million dollars this year.

The mussels could infiltrate local ecosystems if people dump their aquariums into lakes and rivers. They can wreak havoc on personal property, too.

Ben Stevens’ last day in the governor’s office was Friday, Feb. 26, and he started work as vice president of external affairs and transportation at ConocoPhillips the following Monday.

Last year’s climbing season was canceled due to COVID-19. Now climbing is returning, along with its boost to businesses in the Northern Susitna Valley.