Interior

But the Alaska Trucking Association supports a similar increase on fuel for cars and trucks.

An ice rink might seem like an unlikely place to try out a new wood energy system…especially an ice rink in Fairbanks, which has a serious air pollution problem.

House Bill 1 would give people the option to permanently vote by mail and allow for same day registration, among other things. It’s intended to help rural Alaska especially — which tends to vote blue — which could help Democrats in statewide races.

North Pole routinely violates federal air quality standards during the winter months. Jeanne Olson says a monitor on her property once registered a fine particulate level that was more than seven times the EPA threshold of 35 micrograms per cubic meter.

The House voted to cut the money to pay for lawmakers’ daily expenses during the legislative session by three-quarters. These per diem allowances are nearly $300 for the first 30 days of the session, then drop to close to $200 a day. They would fall to $50-$75 a day. But the proposal faces a big hurdle in the Senate.

It’s not clear whether the House and Senate will agree on changes to the Permanent Fund.

It’s been a relatively cool and snowy winter here in the Interior, compared with the past couple of winters. But climate experts say the Arctic has been warmer than average. They say that’s why it appears this year’s maximum Arctic sea ice cover, measured near the end of winter, is likely to set another record for the smallest maximum on record.

While Governors Sean Parnell and Bill Walker have ordered that survivors continue to receive coverage, lawmakers want to make it permanent.

Iditarod teams have left the Yukon river and reached the Bering Sea coast. Mushers are shedding equipment, dropping slow dogs, and looking to make a move in the final 300 miles of the Iditarod.

Iditarod mushers face a grueling next few days. Not just those fighting tooth-and-nail at the top of the pack but, also, everyone else with competitive ambitions jockeying for spots in the top 10, 20 and 30.