WASHINGTON (AP) — The speaker of the Alaska House said he believes there will be a rising up of opposition if a mine proposed near the headwaters of a world-class Alaska salmon fishery advances. Rep. Bryce Edgmon represents the Bristol Bay region, where the Pebble Mine project is located. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and…
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Alaska counters lack of fresh veggies with greenhouse guide
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Greenhouses have long been an option for increasing the limited growing season in Alaska, but they’re too expensive to operate for many remote communities that rely on costly imported diesel fuel for their power source. Now the state has released a handbook that shows schools and community groups how to build…
Earthquake hits part of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands chain
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Earthquake Center reports that a magnitude 4.9 earthquake hit part of the Aleutian Islands chain. The center says the quake struck about 12:43 p.m. Saturday Alaska time in the Fox Islands region of the Aleutians. The epicenter was 69 miles (110 kilometers) east of the Amukta Pass. The quake…
Southeast Alaska secure land trade with approved bill
KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) — A recently approved U.S. Senate bill secures a long-awaited land trade. The Ketchikan Daily News reports the $1.1 spending bill approved by the Senate Thursday will permit a land trade between the U.S. Forest Service and the Alaska Mental Health Trust. The bill is heading to President Donald Trump’s desk for…
Winners of Alaska spring guessing contest to split jackpot
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Organizers of Alaska’s favorite guessing contest say 42 winning tickets will split this year’s $267,444 jackpot. Nenana Ice Classic manager Cherrie Forness says tickets represent correct guesses on when the ice on the Tanana River moved. The ice went out at 1 p.m. Monday. For contest purposes, that means the official…
Interior releases list of national monuments to be reviewed
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Interior Department has released a list of 27 national monuments it is reviewing under a presidential order, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah and Katahdin Woods and Waters in Maine. A list released Friday includes 22 monuments on federal land in 11 states and five marine monuments in the…
Small earthquake hits Alaska peninsula; no damage reported
TYONEK, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Earthquake Center says a magnitude 3.3 earthquake hit a peninsula in the southern part of the state. The center says the earthquake struck the Kenai Peninsula region at 1:32 p.m. Sunday. Its epicenter was 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Tyonek, a coastal village of about 200 people. The…
Fairbanks woman gets 23 years for husband’s shooting death
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A 51-year-old Alaska woman charged with killing her husband who was missing for weeks before police found his body buried under snow on their property in Fairbanks has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports Monica Dee Forbes was sentenced Friday for the 2015 death of…
Alaska approves $3.5M for legislature office building
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska lawmakers have approved $3.5 million in renovations to be spent on renovations for their new office building in Anchorage. KTUU-TV reports the Legislative Council approved the funding proposal on Thursday. The committee chairman, Democratic Representative Sam Kito III, says the money will be used to update the facility and bring…
Bethel sales tax plan rejected by city council
BETHEL, Alaska (AP) — The mayor of Bethel has failed at getting city council members to agree with his plan to lower the southwest Alaska city’s sales tax. KYUK-AM reports Mayor Rick Robb had proposed lowering the sales tax from 6 percent to 5.75 percent in response to the council’s 2014 decision to increase water…