The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race kicks off this Saturday, as mushers and their teams begin cross a thousand miles of the Alaska wilderness. But this year the event is mired in scandals: Fallout from a dog doping fiasco, a musher mutiny, and unprecedented pressure from protest groups.
Interior
Popular Alaska peak weighs new rules for climbers’ poop
The National Park Service is considering new rules for the disposal of human waste generated by climbers on North America’s tallest mountain, Denali.
Did Russia compromise Alaska election websites or systems? NBC News report says it did
However, Alaska elections officials had said in September that operatives did not compromise the election system. Alaska has asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for any information related to the new news report.
Alaska’s Medicaid and public assistance backlog is 20,000 people deep
The House Finance Committee voted in favor of hiring 41 people to reduce the backlog. “The morale in that department is not good,” said Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage.
Senate president seeks work or volunteer requirement for Medicaid recipients
Leading members of the House majority caucus aren’t in favor of the bill.
Seavey attorney: Report shows musher didn’t drug dogs
An attorney for four-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey released a toxicology report Wednesday that he says proves the musher did not drug his dogs in last year’s race.
Denali National Park plans to adjust poop haul-out rules
Denali National Park plans to toughen poop hauling requirements for climbers on the popular West Buttress route up North America’s tallest peak. The rules are based on research that indicates the Kahiltna Glacier is working more like a slow-moving poop conveyer belt and less like a natural toilet than previously believed. More than 1,000 mountaineers…
House bill will need Senate rewrite to fund schools early
The bill no longer accomplishes its original primary purpose. Senate President Pete Kelly said he thinks House leaders were “knowingly misleading” in saying that the bill would fund all schools early.
Iditarod mushers demand board president resignation, don’t get it
The Iditarod Official Finisher’s Club called for the immediate resignation of Iditarod Board President Andy Baker. The club’s letter to the board, first reported by the Anchorage Daily News, said Baker has “jeopardized the integrity of our whole livelihood through his poor leadership.”
Confidential report paints bleak picture for Iditarod
A confidential report looking into the financial sustainability and leadership of the Iditarod race’s governing body says the race is in trouble. Iditarod officials are planning to implement a series of reforms later this year, but not until after the race wraps up in March.