The Aleutians East Borough, the Aleutian Region, and the Pribilof School Districts are all seeking waivers that would allow them to allocate less than 70 percent of their budgets to instruction-related costs.
The state has 54 school districts, and 23 of them are looking for relief from the Alaska Board of Education's “70-30 rule.” If they exceed the 30-percent budgetary threshold, districts must show that non-instructional expenditures are beyond their control.
King Cove and Cold Bay are the latest communities to be certified as ‘Tsunami Ready’ by the National Weather Service. The program recognizes cities that have planned extensively for tsunamis.
“They have signage, they have evacuation routes, they have a tsunami shelter, they have sirens and they also have awareness to recognize what the natural warning signs are when a tsunami is coming," says coordinator Cindi Preller.
In 2010, voters passed an initiative requiring minors to inform a parent 48 hours before getting an abortion. This week, the Anchorage Superior Court upheld most of that law, and even okayed portions that were initially viewed as too burdensome. But while the court determined the law was constitutional, it didn’t endorse it as good public policy. KUCB’s Alexandra Gutierrez explains.
Back in June, a tiny harbor seal, barely a week old, was found near a seafood processing plant in Unalaska. The pup was scrawny, and she had clearly been attacked by another animal.
“With the condition that she was in, being skinny, having all those puncture wounds, she would not have lasted more than a couple more days,” says Tim Lebling, the stranding coordinator with the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward.
Last winter, Nome made national news when thick sea ice put it at risk of running out of fuel. Now, the island community of St. George has quietly avoided the same fate.
This time, the problem wasn’t caused by extreme weather but economics.
With fuel stores dwindling and temperatures already dropping below freezing, St. George spent last week anxiously awaiting a resolution to a potential energy crisis. The city’s supplier, Delta Western, had reached the end of a 20-year agreement with village Native corporation Tanaq to deliver fuel to the remote island, and it was unclear how residents were going to heat and power their homes.
A magnitude 6.9 6.4* earthquake struck near Adak Wednesday afternoon. City manager Layton Lockett says it felt like the earth was moving in circles underneath him.
“Middle of the day, everybody’s working and all of sudden it just hit. And it was long. It wasn’t a short earthquake, I want to say it was around 15-20 seconds.”
As the closest deepwater port to the Arctic, Unalaska is set to play a major role in the region’s economic development. Now, the city is positioning itself to influence Arctic politics, too.
The State Legislature announced its appointments to the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission, and three of the 13 civilian members have lived in Unalaska at one point or another. City Manager Chris Hladick was appointed to the seat reserved for a local government representative. Previously, he served as a member of the Northern Waters Task Force. Former resident Stephanie Madsen will be representing the fishing industry on behalf of the At-Sea Processors Association. Pete Garay, who was based in Unalaska until this year, will act as a delegate for the marine pilots.
Two hikers who went missing on Akutan Island have made it back to town. The Oregon natives set off for Akutan’s volcano Tuesday morning, equipped only for a day hike. When they didn’t report for work at Trident Seafoods on Wednesday, the company sent out ground search parties and contracted with PenAir to do flyovers. The State Troopers and Coast Guard joined the search later in the day.
Search and rescue teams are looking for two missing hikers on Akutan Island. Both men are seafood-processing workers at the Trident plant. State Trooper Robin Morrisett says they left Tuesday morning to summit the island’s snow-capped volcano, but didn’t appear to be equipped to spend the night outside.
Trident and PenAir are assisting in a ground and air search. Morrisett says if they aren’t located soon, the Troopers will step in.
