Anchorage Daily News

Ouch! The tourism decline shuts down a Fairbanks business. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports a 20 percent decline in crossings from Canada compared to this time last year. The numbers look like this: this year, 7,050 vehicles with 16,000 people; last year, 8,747 vehicles with 19,668 people.

The guy watching them go by, the port of entry director, says many are military and moving up. Fewer are tourists in motor homes on a travel adventure. The end result is businesses catering to tourists are struggling. Chena Marina RV Park, operating for 18 years, closed its doors Aug. 9.

KTUU reports that Whittier is feeling it too, with half the number of drivers passing through the Whittier Tunnel this year compared to last.

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Alaska has highest death rate for teens, second highest for children under 14. KBBI and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner covered the just-released Kids Count databook.

Among the findings:

> Boys outnumber girls by 6 percent, true in every age category.

> We graduate 2/3 of high school seniors compared with a national average of ¾.

> The seasonal nature of jobs in Alaska, the highest in the country, means many workers aren't covered by health insurance, and the whole family suffers.

The alarming death rate numbers are attributed to special challenges Alaska children face from living remotely, extended periods of darkness, dangerous winter roads and lots of very cold weather. Some 41 percent of child deaths in the state are accidental, including car crashes, falls, drowning, fire and guns.

Because Alaska is small populationwise, and data can fluctuate year-to-year, figures are averaged over five years to give a more stable picture.

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Imagine a parking lot, where every raven knows your face. The New York Times reports on a study out of the University of Washington that has determined that crows and their relatives - ravens and magpies too - can recognize individual human faces.

Wearing a caveman mask, students trapped and banded crows. Later, when they walked through campus, the crows reacted and scolded them; they hadn't forgotten their capture.

These birds are well-known for their ability to flourish in human-dominated landscapes. That ability may have to do with their cross-species socialization skills.

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Fluor Corp. comes back to Alaska. Marketwatch.com reports that Fluor Corp., which built the pump stations, remote valves and the marine terminal for the trans-Alaska pipeline, is back with 50 employees and a new office in Anchorage.

"Fluor has a long history of executing some of the most complex projects in the most challenging regions of the world," said David Seaton, Fluor's group president of Energy and Chemicals. "We will continue to serve the needs of our clients in the region, expand our resource base and work with the local community in Anchorage and throughout Alaska."

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Yes, you vote today. If you want a little warm-up before you step into the booth, here's a few links that summarize what's on our plate today in Alaska, with the rest of the country looking over our shoulders.

> Stevens keeps the faith (Roll Call)

> Pivotal vote; Republicans have until mid-September to replace Stevens on Nov. 4 ballot (Washington Post)

> Election is about political trust (Associated Press)

> Alaska gets to choose (opinion) (The New York Times)

> Primary election today (Matt Moon) (The Next Right)

> Alaska underscores GOP troubles (USA Today)

> U.S. House seat the one to watch (CQ Politics)

> Charges pose little threat to Stevens (Associated Press)

> Comparing the political booths at the state fair (Mudflats)

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Video and photos from Alaskans in Denver. Alaska has at least four Alaska bloggers there as the Democratic National Convention revs up. At Celtic Diva, find video of Michelle Obama's speech and photos from the floor Monday. Alaska Real writes about the many delegates she's met who have a fixation on Mark Begich. Also, Bent Alaska, a news and events site for Alaska GLBT, has Alaska delegate Kimberly Pace blogging from the convention.

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Officials and voters confront the realities of a 90-day session. The Juneau Empire reports that Alaska's first year under a mandated time limit for legislators didn't pan out so well. The Alaska Legislature met for 150 days.

Rep. John Coghill, R-North Pole, says the shorter time frame gives legislators less time to deliberate on bills and may force chances in how the Legislature operates, including the possibility of reducing committees and placing limits on the number of personal bills legislators can introduce.

Coghill said he fears the shorter sessions will increase the power of Alaska's already strong governor. "We ceded a lot of authority to the governor," he said.

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Federal workers in Alaska are looking at a reduced COLA. Federal Times reports that the Office of Personnel Management is proposing a drop in cost-of-living adjustments for those in Fairbanks, Anchorage and Juneau from 24 percent to 22 percent in December 2009. Rural federal workers will maintain a 25 percent COLA.

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New permits would allow developers to "disturb" eagles. The Juneau Empire reports that the federal government took the step after taking bald eagles off the endangered species list and monitoring how the birds did. The change is designed to balance protecting eagles with "the flexibility necessary for people to manage their land and business." Alaska has between 50,000 and 70,000 eagles, said Fish and Wildlife spokesman Bruce Woods.

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Canadians flex their military muscle in the Arctic. CTV.ca reports that more than 500,000 sea, air and land troops are practicing Arctic scenarios:

> An outbreak of disease on a cruise ship

> A hostage-taking on a cruise ship

> A fuel spill and fire on a Russian cargo ship

Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson said Sunday the government views the recent actions of Russia in the Far North "with great concern." Bloomberg.com reports that Prime Minister Stephen Harper will hold a cabinet meeting in Inuvik this week, a town 2,500 miles from Ottawa.

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In other headlines of interest to Alaskans:

> Peninsula bear deaths reach 24 (Peninsula Clarion)

> FAA wary of joint power plant in Anchorage (KTUU)

> Cell phone tower in Fairbanks cemetery is upsetting (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

> Salmonberries are plentiful in the Y-K Delta (Delta Discovery)

> Kenai wants its own sports dome (Peninsula Clarion)

> See the video: Land Rover crosses Bering Sea (jalopnik.com)

> As tundra thaws, greenhouse gases reinforce global warming (Christian Science Monitor)

> The U.S. Coast Guard wants to avoid a “Titanic of the north” (All American Patriots)

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