Associated Press

JUNEAU — Marijuana tax revenue in Alaska fell for the second straight month in December, though a state tax auditor says the slide may be short lived.

The state says it collected about $784,000 in marijuana tax revenue in December.

That compares with about $869,000 in November and about $920,000 in October, which is the most that has been collected in a single month since the collection of marijuana taxes from state-licensed businesses began in October 2016.

The tax is imposed when marijuana is sold or transferred from a marijuana cultivation facility to a retail pot shop or marijuana product manufacturing facility.

Tax auditor Dustin Heintzelman said preliminary reports indicate tax revenue for January will be about $1 million. He declined to speculate on why revenue tumbled in November and December.

KODIAK — Kodiak park officials have plans to discuss whether they should ban a nationwide craze of painting rocks and leaving them to be found by others.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror reports that the Kodiak State Parks Citizens Advisory Board on Feb. 5 will discuss the rocks that began popping up around Kodiak last year.

The discussion is in response to a formal complaint that claims the painted rocks left in Fort Abercrombie should be considered litter and be prohibited.

Kodiak’s acting Chief Park Ranger Ben Shryock said painted rocks are not included by name in the State Parks definition of litter, but he said exactly what constitutes as litter is open to interpretation.

Shryock said the community is largely supportive of the practice.

KODIAK — Little damage was reported in the aftermath of a 7.9 magnitude earthquake that shook Alaska, but at least two communities showed signs of its impact.

Tuesday morning’s quake cracked the walls of the Kodiak City fire station, according to City Manager Mike Tvenge. A Nikiski refinery reported a small oil spill at one of its outdoor tanks near Kenai.

Kodiak Mayor Pat Branson said fixing up the fire hall had already been a priority for the city.

“The governor called this morning to make sure Kodiak was in a good state,” Branson said Tuesday. “We’re going to be responding because the fire hall did receive damage, and replacing the fire hall is the No. 1 priority on our state capital requests list.”

In Nikiski, Andeavor’s Kenai Refinery was able to contain the spill and avoid oil permeating into the ground. Spokeswoman Kate Blair said about 420 gallons spilled.

The spill was the only earthquake-related incident that the Department of Environmental Conservation knew of Tuesday.

“Most of the oil is stuck to the outside of the tank — it ran down the side of the tank,” said Jade Gamble, a department program specialist. “There wasn’t a lot of standing oil on the ground — little tiny puddles, and they were able to vacuum up a few gallons, but most of it is across the side of the tank.”

The tank also spilled oil during the 7.1 magnitude Iniskin Earthquake that rattled the peninsula on Jan. 24, 2016, Gamble said. Since then, she said, Andeavor had dropped the level in the tank about 6 inches to prevent spills in future earthquakes.

JUNEAU — The Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board upended the state’s distilleries by approving new regulations that forbid them from serving mixed drinks.

The board’s decision came Tuesday at the end of a daylong meeting, the Juneau Empire reported.

The state’s nine licensed distilleries have previously testified that mixed drinks served in approved tasting rooms are key parts of their individual business plans. But under the new rules, licensed distilleries may provide mixers, and they may sell alcohol distilled on site, but it will be up to the customer to mix them into a single drink.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” said Brandon Howard, a co-founder of Juneau’s Amalga Distillery. “Here’s your 1.5 ounces of gin, and here’s your cup of tonic. If I dump the gin into the tonic, I’m breaking the law.”

The alcohol board received more than 540 letters from Alaska residents during a month-long public comment period on the issue.

Erika McConnell, director of the state Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office, said “probably into 80 percent or 90 percent of the comments” were in favor of keeping the existing interpretation and allowing distilleries to serve mixed drinks.

But despite public support, members of the board felt constrained by an ambiguous state law approved by the Legislature in 2014. That law states that distilleries “may sell not more than three ounces a day of the distillery’s product to a person for consumption on the premises.”

The two-drink limit at all distilleries will remain in effect.

The new rule goes into effect 30 days after Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott signs the new regulation.

It is not clear when that signing will take place.

ANCHORAGE — An Anchorage woman has died of gunshot wounds suffered two weeks ago, police announced Monday.

Just before 3 a.m. Dec. 30, Anchorage police received a call that shots had been fired near the 100 block of Oklahoma Street about a block north of Turpin Park in east Anchorage.

Officers found shell casings in the street.

About 15 minutes later, Juanita Lolesio, 19, arrived at a hospital with life-threatening gunshot wounds.

She was accompanied by witnesses, whom police questioned.

Police are investigating the case as a homicide but say they have no new information on a suspect.

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Port Authority says a plane heading to Portland, Oregon, struck a parked truck on the taxiway at Boston’s Logan International Airport.

No one was inside the de-icing truck at the time Monday and no one was injured. The Boston Globe reports Alaska Airlines said the 166 passengers aboard the airplane were returned to the boarding gate and were placed on other flights.

The plane sustained minor damage to its left wing and was taken out of service for inspection.

Alaska Airlines says it is investigating the cause.