Anchorage judge sets Sept. 26 as the date for arguments
An Anchorage judge has set Sept. 26 for arguments in the lawsuit against Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and Elections Director Gail Fenumiai over an emergency order that allowed two candidates for governor to merge their campaigns. Democratic nominee Byron Mallott is running for Lt. Gov. with independent candidate for Governor Bill Walker.
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Western, Interior Alaska Native groups ask for protection of king salmon from North Pacific Pollock trawlers
As the Pollock trawling season wraps up in the Bering Sea, the Association of Village Council Presidents and the Tanana Chiefs Conference, regional Native non-profit corporations for Western and Interior Alaska, want immediate action to protect declining Chinook, or king salmon in their regions.
As KYUK's Daysha Eaton reports, the non-profit regional corporations filed a joint petition for emergency regulations with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which manages offshore fisheries. They're asking the Council to crack down on king salmon bycatch in the fishery for the rest of the 2014 season and that bycatch limits be reduced by 40,000 fish. TCC attorney Natasha Singh says the Council needs to make the Pollock fleet conserve the same way families along the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers are. Federal officials says the trawling fleet has reached 99% of its available quota and will be shut down in a week or so, making an emergency closure redundant.
Scientists say many factors may be behind the population decline, such as reduced food supply, climate change, ocean acidification, and bycatch. Tribal leaders say the state of Alaska shuts down fisheries on the rivers due to population declines, and the same policy should apply to the Pollock trawling fleet.
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State of Alaska proposes a $570 million road linking Juneau to main highway system
The road the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is proposing would not be a direct link between Juneau and highways out of Skagway or Haines. Motorists would still have to hop a ferry for part of the trip. Critics say the money would be better spent on critical infrastructure upgrades and maintenance throughout the state.