Stephanie Joyce/KUCB After decades of lobbying and planning, a project to overhaul the boat harbor on St. George Island is finally moving forward. The state is accepting bids for the project design, and hopes to have fully developed construction plans by 2015. St. George mayor Pat Pletnikoff says the sooner, the better. Despite being in the middle of the Bering …

Stephanie Joyce/KUCB Several dozen people gathered on the beach in Unalaska yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon to watch as Shell Oil’s damaged drill rig Kulluk was towed into Dutch Harbor. Four local tugs helped maneuver the round, 277-foot Kulluk into Captain’s Bay, while the tugs that towed the rig from Kodiak stood by. The Kulluk will tie up at its specialized dock …

Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska Most rural Alaska communities use diesel generators to create electrical power. But fuel is expensive, so they’re trying out alternatives.Yakutat, on the eastern Gulf of Alaska, wants wave power. A project in the works for several years just won a key permit. But it still faces substantial barriers. CoastAlaska’s Ed Schoenfeld reports. Enthusiasts from around the world have …

Casey Kelly/KTOO Alaska Senate Education Committee Chairman Gary Stevens will hold hearings on school vouchers, even after Senate leaders pulled a resolution dealing with the issue out of his committee. Senate President Charlie Huggins, a Wasilla Republican, caused a stir last week when he removed Senate Joint Resolution 9 from the Education Committee and referred it to the Judiciary and …

Peter Granitz/APRN U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski says in light of the Kulluk’s grounding, the government needs to look at all aspects of Shell’s Arctic drilling operations. Speaking on Talk of Alaska yesterday, Senator Murkowski called the grounding a “marine incident.” The oil and gas industry, and its supporters in Washington D.C., have labeled the grounding a transportation issue. But yesterday, …

Peter Granitz/APRN President Barack Obama nominated REI chief executive Sally Jewell to lead the Department of the Interior today. It’s a Cabinet position with incredible influence over Alaska. And by virtually every account, the pick surprised everyone. APRN’s Peter Granitz has reactions to the unexpected nominee from Washington.

Alexandra Gutierrez/APRN The summer cruise ship season is like Christmas for a lot of coastal retailers, and they depend on the tourist income to stay open. But because the stakes are high, business has the potential to get dirty. For the first time, the State of Alaska is cracking down on third-party contractors that are allegedly treating local stores unfairly. …

Lauren Rosenthal/KUCB The Northern fur seals that breed on the Pribilof islands have been on the decline for decades, a smaller colony just 200 miles away is thriving. As KUCB’s Lauren Rosenthal reports, a new study of these colonies is challenging scientists’ assumptions about what marine animals need from their environment — and how they get it. The National Marine …

Alexandra Gutierrez/APRN 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 < ![endif]--> < ![endif]--> About a million people visit Alaska by cruise ship every year, creating floating cities along the state’s coastline. A bill that would change just how the waste they produce is regulated is moving rapidly through the legislature, and is scheduled to appear on the House floor today. APRN’s Alexandra …

Peter Granitz/APRN Senator Mark Begich is introducing a bill that would grant the state a share of revenues from off-shore drilling. APRN’s Peter Granitz reports. The concept is nothing new. The Alaska delegation has long sought the chance to reap royalty payments from oil producers drilling off Alaska’s shore. Senator Begich’s bill would grant the state 37 and a half …