Governor and Alaska House members discuss new oil tax

Tue, September 18, 2007

The Palin Administration sat down with members of the state House today to discuss its proposal for revising Alaska’s oil tax structure. It was the first chance for lawmakers to peak behind the scenes to see how the plan was created. And the presentation spurred a lot of questions.

Annie Feidt, APRN - Anchorage

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Kott defense takes helm of corruption trial proceedings

Tue, September 18, 2007

The defense began presenting its case today in the federal corruption trial of former Alaska legislator Pete Kott. APRN’s David Shurtleff has been following the trial and joins us from the federal courthouse in Anchorage.

David Shurtleff, APRN - Anchorage

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Senator Cowdery plans to skip special session in wake of Kott trial allegations

Tue, September 18, 2007

Anchorage Republican Senator John Cowdery today announced he will not take part in next months’ special legislative session dealing with oil taxes. In a statement released late this afternoon, Cowdery says he does not want his presence at the session to be a distraction. Cowdery was named in court last Friday by former VECO vice-president Rick Smith as one of the legislators that VECO bribed during last years’ consideration of the new profits based petroleum tax.

Dave Donaldson, APRN - Juneau

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Epidemiologists in Kotzebue investigating possible infant virus outbreak

Tue, September 18, 2007

State department of health epidemiologists were in Kotzebue last week to investigate the cause of nine similar cases of respiratory illness in babies. State epidemiologist Dr. Beth Funk says the infants had a number of similar symptoms.

Lori Townsend, APRN - Anchorage

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Red king crab fishing off-limits in Southeast this fall

Tue, September 18, 2007

The southeast red king crab fishery will be closed again this fall. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced on Friday that the state’s estimate of the red crab abundance was far too low to have a commercial harvest.

Matt Lichtenstein, KFSK - Petersburg

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30-day public comment period opens on Tulsequah Chief mine

Tue, September 18, 2007

The public will get its chance to comment on the controversial Tulsequah Chief mine proposal over the next 30 days. But an environmental group says that’s not enough time to give people a chance to assess new information.

Leonard Linklater, CBC - Whitehorse

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Alaska Native groups gathering in Kake to discuss economics, health

Tue, September 18, 2007

Southeast Alaska’s oldest Native organizations will hold their annual meeting next month. The Alaska Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood’s Grand Camp Convention will take place the first week of October in Kake. Delegates will hear about economic and health issues and vote on officers and resolutions.

Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska - Juneau

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Kwethluk men building first bear/caribou skin boat in 15 years

Tue, September 18, 2007

On the Kuskokwim River, building a bear skin boat is a job traditionally performed in the spring. But last week it was happening at the Cultural Center in Bethel. Two men from Kwethluk, a village located 14 miles upriver, are creating a boat for the first time in 15 years.

Shane Iverson, KYUK - Bethel

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Homer scientists look back on 20 years of research with celebrated vessel

Tue, September 18, 2007

Officials are preparing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of an important research vessel — the Tiglax — for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge in Homer.

Mike Mason, KBBI - Homer

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Alaska News Nightly: September 18, 2007

Tue, September 18, 2007

Alaska House lawmakers today got their first peek behind the scenes at what went into the Governor’s new oil tax proposal. Plus, the defense began presenting its case today in the corruption trial of former legislator Pete Kott. Those stories and more on tonight’s Alaska News Nightly, broadcast statewide on APRN stations.

Individual news stories are posted in the Alaska News category and you can subscribe to APRN’s news feeds via e-mail, podcast and RSS.

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Talk of Alaska: Mystery! Alaska Style

Tue, September 18, 2007

Alaska’s many mystery writers must be doing something right, because a whole lot of their colleagues are about to come visiting. A national convention of mystery writers happens this month, and many of those writers are also headed out to villages across the state. What’s your guess on why Alaska is such a popular setting for mysteries?