ALASKA HIGHWAY OPEN AGAIN THROUGH B.C. FIRE ZONE (EnergeticCity.ca) A huge lightning-caused forest fire in northern British Columbia that has frustrated firefighters and closed the Alaska Highway intermittently for the past week continues to grow but at a somewhat slower pace. Stranded travelers were given emergency overnight accommodations at the high school in Fort Nelson last night, reports radio station CJDC. Though the highway was reopened this morning, closures and delays are still likely between the Liard River crossing and Fireside, B.C., just south of the Yukon border. At last report, the fire had burned 80 square miles (about the size of the Anchorage Bowl) and was only 15 percent contained. Fire status updates, including photos and maps (in B.C., the Alaska Highway is Highway 97), are available from the B.C. Wildfire Management Branch office.
REP. YOUNG'S LEGAL FEES RUN TO $1.3 MILLION (The Hill): "An investigation into Alaska Rep. Don Young's relationship with an oil services corporation in his home state has cost the 18-term congressman more than $1.3 million, according to records made public this week. ... Fishing and construction corporations dominate the list of donors to Young's legal defense network."
SALMON BYCATCH RISK FORCES POLLOCK FISHERMAN TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS (KUCB, Unalaska/APRN): As the pollock "B" season starts in the Bering Sea, many in the fishing fleet say they'll head out early looking for less-mature fish - and accept a lower processor price -- rather than go out later and risk accidentally catching too many salmon. They say they're also being hurt financially by having to travel farther to find the higher-quality fish. Western Alaska villagers say salmon bycatch by pollock fishermen is a big reason for poor salmon runs in the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers.
KODIAK CREW MAKES DEBUT ON ‘DEADLIEST CATCH' (Kodiak Daily Mirror): "Their eight minutes of fame came and went - for this week, at least. Tuesday night's ‘Deadliest Catch' introduced the all-Kodiak crew of the F/V Incentive. ... Crewmen Larry Ryser and Doug Dawson were in Kodiak to quietly watch their big national-television premiere. There was no red carpet - just a few phone calls and text messages from family and friends excited to watch them. And lots of jokes about which footage was used and what ‘really happened.' "
THE GATEKEEPER: BILL McCALLISTER'S LONG, STRANGE YEAR AS PALIN SPOKESMAN (Anchorage Press): "Cancer wasn't the only battle McAllister fought during his year as the governor's spokesman, a position he left recently. ... Between Troopergate, the brief and controversial tenure of Public Safety Commissioner Chuck Kopp, the vice presidential run, the barrage of ethics complaints, and the national spotlight on Palin, McAllister had his hands full, and his relationship with the press turned antagonistic overnight."
PALIN SALUTES TROOPS ON ‘COLBERT REPORT' (Colbert Nation): Gov. Palin asks the troops in Iraq to say hi to her son Track ("He'll be the soldier out there on the snowmachine") in a recorded video greeting.
LETTERMAN DEFENDS JOKES ABOUT PALIN AND HER DAUGHTER (Alaska Politics blog, ADN): David Letterman spent eight minutes on his "Late Show" last night addressing Gov. Sarah and Todd Palin's angry response to jokes about her and her family. Meanwhile, the Palins said they won't give Letterman a ratings boost by accepting his invitation to appear on his show. ALSO:
> Dave fouled, but it's time for Palins to quiet the outrage (Julie Mason, Washington Examiner)
> Palin is right about Letterman (Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune)
> In defense of Dave (Jason Zengerle, The New Republic)
> Palin has a point (Eric Deggans, St. Petersburg Times)
WEB SITE IS WATCHDOG FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN RURAL ALASKA (The Tundra Drums): "Fish with strange spots. Sinkholes in the tundra. Crumbling river banks. The scenes appear in a handful of photos posted at Nunat.net, a fledgling Web site created to provide a record of changes linked to global warming, subsistence resources and village life."
POWER PLANT FIRE WILL BOOST FAIRBANKS ELECTRIC BILLS (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner): "Electric bills will rise this fall because of the fire last week at the downtown power plant, a spokeswoman for the Golden Valley Electric Association said Wednesday. Whether it's by dollars or cents is unclear. The cooperative is burning diesel at a plant in North Pole to make up for the electricity shortfall with Aurora Energy's plant temporarily off-line."
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM RECENT NEWSREADERS:
Sardines, salmon or something else? The seafood eater's conundrum (The New York Times)
Voles take toll on Fairbanks gardens, lawns (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
UAF students survives Outback train ordeal (Sunday Mail, South Australia)
Waterless Talkeetnans finally get shower, laundry facilities (KTNA)
Base camp chronicles from Denali (Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman)
Southcentral's natural gas dilemma (Anchorage Press)
He shall be Levi (GQ)
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