Associated Press

KENAI, Alaska (AP) — ConocoPhillips is preparing to fully shut down its Kenai liquefied natural gas plant while it continues to find a buyer for it.

The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports ConocoPhillips spokeswoman Amy Burnett said Wednesday that the company is preparing to put the plant into long-term shutdown mode this fall. Burnett says the closure will focus on preserving the plant for future exports.

The Kenai facility has been idle for nearly two years, with its last export having been in fall 2015.

The company began marketing the plant for sale in January, but a deal has yet to materialize either with a state-owned corporation that showed interest or a private party.

Burnett says discussions with potential buyers are ongoing.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A semi-trailer carrying groceries crashed on the Alaska Highway, scattering groceries down a steep embankment along the road.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the crash occurred early Friday near the Northway Junction.

A tribal secretary for the Northway Village Council, Eliza Jimmie, says people from area communities and drivers on the Alaska Highway were still working to salvage the fruits, vegetables and other groceries about 12 hours after the crash.

Jimmie says she had heard the driver of the truck was not badly injured in the crash, although she arrived at the scene hours after the incident and didn’t see the driver herself.

Fred Meyer Oregon spokesman Jeffery Temple says the truck was carrying groceries to the superstore, but was operated by a third-party trucking company.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Many Juneau residents enjoyed taking a stroll along the newly-opened Seawalk after driving past the downtown construction site for the past couple of years. But that joy will be short lived.

The Juneau Empire reports after opening the Seawalk Thursday, the city announced it will close off the island and Bridge Park portions soon for further construction.

Contractors will be working in both locations through August, planting grass, shrubs and trees on the island and building a fountain at Bridge Park.

Portions of the Seawalk will remain open, with access points through the parking lot at the Department of Fish and Game building and from the sidewalk on Egan Drive across from Glacier Avenue.

Project manager Skye Stekoll says the exact timeline for completion of the project is unknown.

An Alaska mother is cherishing cellphone photos of her wide-eyed 6-month-old baby in the arms of former President Barack Obama.

Jolene Jackinsky says she was looking for an airline at Anchorage International Airport on Monday when she ended up in a waiting area for private flights where a man she thought looked like Obama was sitting. As she got closer, she realized it really was him.

Jackinsky says he walked up to her and asked, “Who is this pretty girl?” She says she chatted with him about how fast children grow while he carried baby Giselle.

Obama told Jackinsky he was going home from a vacation.

Jackinsky says when Giselle’s father approached, Obama joked “I’m taking your baby.”

The encounter lasted about five minutes. But Jackinsky says she’ll always remember the moment.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A walrus calf found last month outside Nome, Alaska, is being nursed to health with the help of 24-hour massage therapy.

A spokeswoman for the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward says the center’s recuperation plan for the walrus includes touching, massaging and cuddling.

Jennifer Gibbins says walrus spend two years with their mothers. She says calves need constant contact and part of the caregiving at the center is providing tactile interaction.

The male calf weighed 120 pounds (54 kilograms) when it arrived. Gibbins says the animal was severely dehydrated and lethargic.

It’s now feeding from a bottle seven times per day and weighs 143 pounds (65 kilograms).

Gibbins says the calf can’t be taught to fend for itself and will not be released into the wild.

JUNEAU — Alaska’s marijuana industry has brought in more than $1 million in tax revenue since commercial sales began in October.

June 30 was the due date for Alaska cannabis growers to pay taxes collected in May, Juneau Empire reported.

The state’s May revenue was $272,600, which is the highest of any month since October and pushed overall tax revenue to $1.2 million.

The Department of Revenue predicted earlier this year that the state would collect $2 million in the fiscal year that ended July 1. The revenue will miss that mark, but sales are on the verge of increasing.

Kelly Mazzei of the department’s tax division said outdoor growing operations have not yet made their first harvest. She said when that happens the state’s tax revenue might soar.