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- [00:00]
Shane Iverson
Support for Alaska Public Media on Demand.
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Casey Grove
Comes from Siri, an Alaska native corporation with operations and investments spanning five continents, 45 states and two US territories. If Venezuela starts attracting additional investment dollars, you can see a scenario where Alaska might get fewer investment dollars when what the President's push for oil companies to invest in Venezuela could mean for Alaska. From Alaska Public Media, this is statewide news on Alaska News nightly for Tuesday, January 6th. Good evening. I'm Casey Grove. Also tonight, some Alaska Airlines flyers got sticker shock last week after issues with their loyalty program.
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Shane Iverson
I was sitting there with a ton of boxes and luggage when they told.
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Casey Grove
Me they were gonna have to charge me for most of it. Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly.
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Avery Elphelt
The PFD application is open. Just a small amount of your PFD will help share local news and stories about Alaskans with Alaskans across this great state. When you choose Alaska Public Media through.
- [01:12]
Casey Grove
Pick Click Give President Trump is trying to convince oil companies to invest billions of dollars in Venezuela's oil industry to boost production from that country. If he succeeds, industry analyst Brad Keithley foresees two ways it might impact Alaska's oil production. One is competition for capital. If Venezuela starts attracting additional investment dollars, you can see a scenario where Alaska might get fewer investment dollars than it otherwise would have. In the absence of the opportunities in Venezuela, Keith Lee emphasized that any impact would be years in the future. He says it's not going to affect ongoing Alaska developments like Willow. That's ConocoPhillips big Arctic project, or Pica, where Santos is expected to begin production early this year. But Keith Lee says if Venezuela has a stable government, he expects Conoco would consider returning to that country. And there is only so many investment dollars available for oil in the world. ConocoPhillips has told news outlets that it's premature to speculate on where it might invest, but that it's monitoring developments in Venezuela. Another impact of concern to Alaska is on oil prices. And Venezuela is said to have the largest known oil reserves in the world. If Venezuelan oil floods the market, prices would plummet. But Keith Lee says it's not as simple as that. Even if Venezuela goes back to 2.5 million barrels a day in 10 or 15 years, you can't absolutely say, well, that's going to degrade price because you don't know what OPEC's response to that's going to be. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries strives to maintain prices. Keithley says OPEC could offset the addition of Venezuelan oil by cutting production from Other parts of the world. A judge recently ordered the state to pay more than a half million dollars in a lawsuit over a controversial predator control program in southwest Alaska. The Department of Fish and Game program involved shooting bears from aircraft in an effort to reduce the predator population and boost the Molchatna caribou her which is important to hunters in the region. The Alaska Wildlife alliance sued in 2023, and on December 31, a Superior Court judge ordered the state to pay up. Anchorage Daily News reporter Zachariah Hughes wrote about the decision and says it looks like the state will continue to pursue so called intensive management of predators in the region.
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Zachariah Hughes
In the case of the molchatna program, the state since 2023 has sent aerial teams in spotter planes and a helicopter and targeted shot bears from the helicopters to remove them. In the. In the state's telling, this is a program that's really designed to protect and boost the Molchatna caribou herd in the region. That's a herd that's been really flagging for many years now. And the first year they took out more than 90 bears. The second year it was in the 80s. The third year, a court injunction was issued and that halted the predator control program after about three days. But altogether, we're talking about just shy of 200 bears from that region of southwest Alaska.
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Casey Grove
The Alaska Wildlife Alliance's lawsuit is not just about the science of it or whether or not predator control should happen, but the part that they won on is about that public notice. Tell me more about that.
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Zachariah Hughes
Well, this was decided in the spring, back earlier in 2025. The lawsuit was filed, I believe, in 2023. And these things take a while to wind their way through. But it was not really about the, you know, is predator control good or bad? Is this, you know, a, a worthwhile action? It was more about the board of Game and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. According to the plaintiffs, did not public notice this in a way that is statutorily required. They didn't give the public enough time to weigh in on this. It was a rushed process. And two different superior court judges sided with them and said they're right. This was not adequately noticed. The state got in a little bit of hot water because they said, okay, well that rule's not valid. But they then quickly passed an emergency order that basically did the same thing. They decided that that was legal, sufficient legal cover to launch the third season going after Bears in 2025. And that's what led to a kind of hasty injunction.
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Casey Grove
Gotcha. And so, I mean, what's the state's position on this going forward? I guess. I mean, from reading your story, it sounds like is it just a case of they've maybe tied up the loose ends that this lawsuit brought up and they feel like they're okay to go forward?
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Zachariah Hughes
So as far as I know, the state feels like it does have authorization. It does have a legal recourse to go and do the full bear call in the southwest Alaska around the Malchatna Hertz calving ground again for a fourth season. But we'll see the lawsuit that's in state court, there could be a ruling in that before May when the program is set to launch. But I believe the state is proceeding as they did last year as, as if this is going to happen.
- [06:32]
Casey Grove
And then just last question, Zach, you reached out to the Department of Law, like you said, they defend state agencies in this kind of litigation. What kind of response did you get there?
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Zachariah Hughes
I got a very short response from the state quite late after the story had been published. I have not heard that the state has not vigorously defended these to me. And in these instances, I should say on the Mulchatna predator control program, the the state Department of Law has been pretty assertive in stating its point or the depart the Department of Fish and Games point of view through press releases. But in these latest instances, there was not a lot of comment offered on the litigation and the state paying attorneys fees and costs.
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Casey Grove
That was Anchorage Daily News reporter Zachariah Hughes. Find his full story on the litigation around predator control in the Molchatna caribou herd@adn.com the U.S. coast Guard said in a press release Monday that they rescued nine people from a fishing vessel that ran aground near St. George island in the Bering Sea early that same morning. The agency says no one was injured. As KNBA's Jill Freitas reports, locals say it's a reminder of the importance of emergency responders in the region.
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Jill Freitas
The fishing vessel Arctic Sea ran aground at just 4am along the island's northern shoreline. The boat was taking on water and there were nine people on board. Todd Lestenkopf is a lifelong resident of St George. He says he was made aware of the situation from fellow community members.
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Zachariah Hughes
I first heard about it about 7:30 this morning. Yeah, I guess somebody said that they heard an EPIRB going off at 7:30 and you can't see anything. But you know, you could see the lights coming from the underneath the cliffs there.
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Jill Freitas
The Coast Guard says another fishing vessel, the North Sea was nearby as the situation unfolded. But strong winds and rough seas made it unsafe for the crew to help directly. The agency says winds in the area were near 50 mph with waves around 10ft high. Even so, the crew of the North Sea stayed nearby and shared updates with the Coast Guard over Marine Radio. In response, the Coast Guard sent a helicopter from Cold bay and a C130 military transport plane from Kodiak. The Coast Guard also sent a cutter to the area. The Coast Guard said It took about five hours for crews to reach St. George island because of the weather. Lestenkopf says he saw the C130 about five hours after the initial distress call.
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Zachariah Hughes
The C130 was here about 9, 9, 30 ish in between there, you know, they started orbiting for about, I don't know, an hour, maybe 10, thinking about 10, 10, 30, the helicopter arrived.
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Jill Freitas
The Coast Guard says the helicopter arrived and lifted all nine people off the grounded vessel. They were flown to St. Paul island for medical assistance. This is not the first time a vessel has run aground in the area. The Coast Guard says that nearly 30 years ago, the fishing vessel All American ran aground near St. George Island. No one was hurt in that incident either. Coastal Villages Region Fund, which is part of the Western Alaska Community Development Quota Program, said in a Facebook post Monday that the vessel was part of its fleet. Lestenkopf, the local from St. George, says this rescue shows how important it is to have the Coast Guard closer to the Pribilof Islands. The nearest Coast Guard station is in Kodiak, he says this situation proves they need to bring a Coast Guard station back to the region.
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Zachariah Hughes
I feel there should be one either.
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Casey Grove
On the Pribilofs or Dutch harbor or.
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Zachariah Hughes
You know, somewhere a little closer because, yeah, time is of the essence when it becomes to Bering sea emergencies.
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Jill Freitas
This time, everyone made it home safely. But in a region with a long memory of losses at sea, community members say the rescue underscores the risks fishermen face and the importance of having help closer when emergencies in Alaska happen. Salvage work on the Arctic Sea will be handled by Resolve Marine, an emergency response company that specializes in helping ships when something goes wrong at sea. In Anchorage, I'm Jill Freitas.
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Casey Grove
Still to come on Alaska News Nightly, a missing dog in Girdwood was rescued after nearly two weeks. Weeks in the wild.
- [11:12]
Zachariah Hughes
To find him in good condition was a miracle, truly.
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Casey Grove
His name is Otis, and he's coming up. Stay with us.
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Avery Elphelt
Hi, I'm Avery Elphelt, a reporter with the Alaska desk. That's a joint reporting effort from Alaska.
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Jill Freitas
Public Media, khns, where I work in.
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Avery Elphelt
Haines, and other public radio stations in Anchorage, Fairbanks and the Aleutians.
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Casey Grove
It allows us to connect you with.
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Avery Elphelt
The issues happening in communities all across the state.
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Jill Freitas
You can hear our stories during the.
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Avery Elphelt
Morning news on Alaska News Nightly or online@alaskapublic.org the Alaska Desk is only possible with the support of grants and listeners like you. Thank you.
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Casey Grove
A male student at Nome Belts Middle High School was taken into custody this morning after bringing an unloaded handgun to campus. In a letter to the community, Nome Public School Superintendent Jamie Burgess said the incident occurred around 9:30am after students reported that another student had brought a gun to school. The Nome Police Department was contacted and two officers responded to the school. Officer Dylan Howard says the weapon was found in the student's pants pocket.
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Zachariah Hughes
Nobody got injured. There was no use of force. Between contact between the school, the parents.
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Casey Grove
And the police department.
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Zachariah Hughes
Everything was, you know, as smooth as we could ask for.
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Casey Grove
Howard says the student's parents were notified and that he has since been turned over to a juvenile probation officer and Superintendent Burgess said the district would proceed with disciplinary action in accordance with Alaska State law that potentially includes automatic expulsion for at least one calendar year and criminal charges. Governor Mike Dunleavy has issued a disaster declaration for the community of Nabuskiak for a December power outage that froze pipes and has left the community without running water for a month. Following an ice storm in early December, the Kuskokwim river community lost power to a line already weakened from weather during ex typhoon Ha Long. The outage was repaired after several days, but multiple pipes burst during the cold temperatures and the community still does not have running water. Tribal Chief Sharon Williams says Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation maintenance workers have been trying to repair the damaged water line.
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Zachariah Hughes
Were going to be out for a long time. Our will was heavily damaged, williams says.
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Casey Grove
Chalista Corporation and YKHC have been sending bottled drinking water into the community. YKHC is also working to purchase a truck and a trailer to haul water into the community. The vehicle will belong to Nabuskiak's tribe and was purchased with funds from the Alaska Community Foundation. Residents have also continued to ferry water between Bethel and Nabuskiak and haul ice and snow to assist with things like dishes and cleaning. Williams says during this week's blizzard she melted some of the piled snow to do dishes and mop her floor.
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Zachariah Hughes
I remember when I was younger I was like maybe 11, 12. We had this situation life throughout the Will was out and I remember getting snow from the snowdri for my mom to make water today. It brought back that memory.
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Casey Grove
The disaster declaration will trigger aid from the state's public assistance program. Well, some Alaska Airlines passengers were hit with surprising bills for checked baggage that used to fly for free within the state. As KYUK's Evan Erickson reports, the company says it is working quickly to reverse an issue with its Club 49 program that has affected a baggage benefit that is valuable for many rural residents.
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Evan Erickson
Bethel resident Shane Iverson says he was shocked last weekend when he stepped up to the Alaska Airlines counter at the Anchorage Airport to check in for the flight home.
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Shane Iverson
I had two kids. We each had three items to check in, so nine items. So yeah, I was sitting there with a ton of boxes and luggage when they told me they were gonna have.
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Casey Grove
To charge me for most of it.
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Evan Erickson
For a long time, Alaska Airlines has had a policy of allowing three free checked bags per person within the state. Iverson says maxing out on luggage is something a lot of Bethel residents do.
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Shane Iverson
That's kind of part of the equation of your trip. If you can afford to fly in as well, at least you're gonna, you know, get a little savings on your supplies that you can bring back and.
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Casey Grove
The variety of things you can find.
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Evan Erickson
That policy used to apply to anyone flying wholly within Alaska. But in October, Alaska Airlines announced it would soon be limited to Alaska residents enrolled in its Club 49 loyalty program. For Iverson, the change seemed inconsequential. He's a resident, and he's been a member of the free loyalty program since it launched in 2011. But when he checked in on his phone the night before flying, the app showed he would be charged hundreds of dollars in baggage fees.
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Shane Iverson
So I was like, it's probably just a computer snafu. Pretty understandable. I'll just go early because probably other people are going to be dealing with this too.
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Evan Erickson
Iverson says he was initially told that he would need to re enroll in Club 49 and that it would take a week or more to process. But after some back and forth, he says a ticket agent agreed to waive the fees. But he says he's still not sure what happened. In an emailed statement on Monday, Alaska Airlines spokesperson Tim Thompson confirmed that some, but not all, Club 49 members have been incorrectly charged bag fees since a new baggage policy went into effect on January 3rd. Current Club 49 members do not need to re enroll in the program. Thompson says the problem may be resolved as early as Wednesday. Meanwhile, customers can get bag fees waived at ticket counters by showing they have Club 49 status in the mobile app or by showing proof of Alaska Residency Club 49 members who were incorrectly charged bag fees should contact customer service for assistance. Iverson says he has been disappointed to find that other Bethel residents affected by the error also had little idea of what to make of it.
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Shane Iverson
Whoever's in charge of communicating really needs to do a better job because in rural Alaska we follow this closely really affects our lives.
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Evan Erickson
Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines new baggage policy means non club 49 members without other special statuses are on the hook for new fees. According to reporting by knom, non members without an Atmos Rewards credit card or Elite status now need to pay at least $230 to check three bags within Alaska. On top of the three free bags, Club 49 membership offers two free checked bags for flights to and from Alaska. You can confirm enrollment in Club 49 online by opening your profile, drop down menu, clicking Account Overview and navigating to membership card on the mobile app. Click the Account tab and scroll down to Atmos Rewards and Member Card in Bethel.
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Casey Grove
I'm Evan Erickson and a note to listeners. Shane Iverson is KYUK's former general manager. The Alaska Department of Transportation is planning to begin replacing a bridge north of Healy on one of the state's main highways this summer. That's after the department moved forward the start date for construction by a couple of years, KYC's Patrick Gilchrist reports.
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Shane Iverson
The Rex Bridge is over 60 years old. It crosses the Nenana river at milepost 276 of the parks highway, which is the main corridor connecting Fairbanks and Anchorage. Angelica Stobbs is a spokesperson for the Transportation Department. She says the department had slated construction to get underway in 2028, but the start date got bumped up to this summer, with design and bidding now set to happen over the next few months. Stubbs says the bridge has exceeded its 50 year service life and that modern designs aim for a lifespan of 75.
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Avery Elphelt
Years instead of continually going out and maintaining it. It's just easier, safer and cheaper for us to go out and replace it.
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Shane Iverson
The project is funded at roughly $66 million, according to the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, or that's the federally required plan for highway, bridge, ferry and public transit projects. The state plan shows the Federal Highway Administration will provide about $60 million for the Rex Bridge replacement, with the state covering the rest. The project didn't appear in the original version of the Stip, which spans years 2024 to 2027, but the Alaska Department of Transportation added it in an amended version of the four year program, and the Federal Highway Administration approved that update last July. The State Department in September also implemented new precautionary restrictions on the bridge due to signs of wear and tear. Those rules allow only one long combination vehicle or large tractor trailer to drive on it at a time. Stubbs says this coming summer the department is looking to build a temporary two lane bridge next to the existing bridge Parks. Highway Traffic will use that temporary structure to cross the river once it's in place while crews replace the permanent bridge. Stobbs says the department hopes to complete the entire project by 2028.
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Avery Elphelt
We're also constrained to whichever contractor gets this project, so keep in mind that, you know, a three year timeline is what we're shooting for, but that's not necessarily set in stone.
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Shane Iverson
In a 2024 letter of support to the U.S. department of Transportation, Denali Borough Mayor Chris Null described the replacement as essential for the community and important for tourism, freight and military traffic. He also wrote that the current state of the bridge is deeply concerning. Null said by email Monday that he's surprised to see how fast the project is coming together. He said he does have some concerns about possible impacts while construction is underway. That's because of how many residents depend on shopping and services in Fairbanks and of course, the large number of summer visitors who arrive or depart by bus. But he said he hopes the temporary bridge will function well for the flow of traffic throughout construction in Fairbanks.
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Casey Grove
I'm Patrick Gilchrist Ski patrollers at Alyuska Ski Resort in Girdwood rescued a dog from a deep ravine last week that had been missing for 13 days. Otis, who's described as a friendly Bernese mountain dog who loves snacks, was reported missing on December 17 from his home in Girdwood. Bain Sammon is the mountain communications manager at Alyeska. He says a staff member heard a faint bark as they were heading up the Ted's Express lift for an early morning shift last Tuesday.
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Zachariah Hughes
Later that day, another patroller on staff heard another bark while they were heading up the same chairlift and upon further review, looked into the canyon and and noticed a brown fuzzy dog deep in the canyon.
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Casey Grove
Salmon says a team of five patrollers grabbed rescue gear, found an entrance to the ravine and after coaxing Otis with treats, were able to harness him and lift him out. Salmon says the dog then walked down to the aid room with his tail wagging, where he got water and lots of love from the rescuers. Salmon says ski patrollers weren't professionally involved with locating Otis until the day of the rescue, but he says the team was thrilled to find him. After multiple days of below freezing temperatures.
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Zachariah Hughes
It's really positive, you know, jovial. Everyone was thrilled to find him and just hard to believe how long Otis had been out there. And to find him in good condition was a miracle, truly.
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Casey Grove
Salmon says instances like this are unusual because dogs aren't allowed on the ski hill in the winter. The spot Otis was found in is extremely steep, technical terrain from start to finish. He says the rescue took about two hours. Salmon was not directly involved in the rescue, but it sounds like Otis was a good patient.
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Zachariah Hughes
He was not enthusiastic about wearing the dog evac harness, but I think his exhaustion from his long cold adventure led him to mostly just be still and calm as we raised him out of the canyon. Overall, he's a good boy.
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Casey Grove
Salmon says he's heard Otis lost some weight but is happy to be back home. Boxes of food, mail and late Christmas presents arrived by plane to the small southeast Alaska fishing town of Pelican on New Year's Day. The goods came after the isolated town went more than a month without access to outside services. KTOO's Clarice Larson has more.
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Avery Elphelt
From late November till New Year's Day, the Chichikov island town of Pelican relied completely on itself. Extreme weather this winter prevented any seaplanes or ferries from visiting during that period, leaving its roughly 90 residents cut off from the rest of the region and the services many rely on. However, that all changed on New Year's Day last week when Alaska seaplanes sent five planes loaded with goods. So we have kind of like a shot in our arm just like to make it. That's Heather Bryant. She lives in Pelican Year round and co owns the Pelican General Store with her husband. It's the town's only grocery store. She says the flights on New Year's Day were a lifeline. But definitely more and more people have been just coming into the store just because they're, you know, mining their pantries and I, I think are running out of stuff. Pelican is off the road system and relies exclusively on planes and boats visiting from Juneau and other parts of Southeast to bring outside resources and services. But in recent weeks, southeast Alaska has been pummeled with record breaking snow and cold temperatures. An Allen Marine catamaran was supposed to head from Juneau to Pelican on Tuesday but was canceled due to hazardous conditions. Another flight from Alaska seaplanes made the trip instead. Bryant says the deliveries, which included milk and eggs, produce and mail will help them make it through for the time being. I mean, we'll be okay for a little bit and hopefully long enough to make it to the, you know, the next plane or the next catamaran or I hope. I'm just trying to be positive. Bryant says the town is resilient despite all the cancellations. The one thing I really like about out here is people are just, they just keep going. Carl Ramseth is the general manager of Alaska Seaplanes. He says the recent weather has prevented many flights from visiting Pelican and other float plane destinations in southeast Alaska, like Angoon, Elfin Cove and Henneke Springs. But pilots and operators fly when they can, like on New Year's Day when the company typically doesn't operate.
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Zachariah Hughes
As long as we have the minimum temperature that we need to do that, with float planes and good visibility, we'll be operating. We're just kind of at the mercy of Mother Nature at this point.
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Avery Elphelt
And Allen Marine vessel is slated to arrive at the end of the month. In Juneau, I'm Clarice Larson.
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Casey Grove
And that's all for this edition of alaska news nightly. We had reports tonight from liz ruskin in washington, d.c. jill freitas and ava white in anchorage, ben townsend in nome, samantha watson and evan erickson in bethel, patrick gilchrist in fairbanks and clarice larson in juneau. Our audio engineer is crystal hyde, madeline rose is our producer. And I'm casey grove. Good night. This is statewide news on Alaska Public Media.