Health officials are seeking information on dogs and veterinary care in rural Alaska to create a base of data that could be used to pursue funding. KYUK-AM reports there were 982 recorded dog bites in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta in the last 10 years. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium considers this a public health…
Recent News
Alaska House passes bill to designate Indigenous Peoples Day
Columbus Day would be known as Indigenous Peoples Day in Alaska under legislation that passed the state House Friday. House Bill 78, from Democratic Rep. Dean Westlake, passed 31-7. It next goes to the Senate. Bills seeking to designate Indigenous Peoples Day in Alaska failed last year. One of the bills, like Westlake’s proposal, would…
Alaska’s busy volcano: Seawater, magma figure in eruptions
An underwater volcano in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands has erupted more than two dozen times since mid-December and may keep going for months. Geologists at the Alaska Volcano Center continue to monitor Bogoslof Volcano because its ash clouds threaten aircraft. Most of the 6,000-foot volcano is underwater. The summit forms tiny Bogoslof Island 850 miles southwest…
Iditarod says 2017 race could start in Fairbanks
The official start of this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race could take place in Fairbanks because of poor conditions on key parts of the nearly 1,000-mile route from Anchorage to Nome. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the Iditarod Trail Committee announced Wednesday that a decision on the location of the restart, which marks the…
Alaska lawmakers mull spending cap amid deficit
Many Republican legislators are pushing for a tighter cap on state spending than the limit enshrined in Alaska’s constitution more than 30 years ago. It’s being billed as a way to restore public confidence in lawmakers’ ability to responsibly manage state dollars. But not everyone thinks it’s a good idea. Under the existing cap, which…
Suspect in fatal Anchorage shooting appears in court
A man is facing charges in the shooting death of a 19-year-old man in Anchorage. Bail was set for 23-year-old Christopher Birotte on Saturday after he turned himself into authorities the day before. Prosecutors say Birotte shot at a vehicle with four people inside on Tuesday and killed Tiwan Johnson Jr. Court documents say a…