Associated Press

A state judge has denied an attempt to prolong litigation challenging Gov. Bill Walker’s authority to unilaterally expand Medicaid.

The Friday action stems from a lawsuit filed by the Alaska Legislative Council against Walker last summer. The case was dismissed by a state court judge in March.

The Alaska House subsequently gave notice it planned to keep challenging Walker’s authority for the expansion. In early May, attorneys representing the council filed a notice of appeal on behalf of the House and said they planned to seek an order substituting the House for the council in litigation.

In Friday’s ruling, Superior Court Judge Frank Pfiffner said the council had not presented any evidence that it transferred its interest to the House.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly will continue to begin every meeting with a prayer after tabling an ordinance that would end the practice.

The Peninsula Clarion reports the issue arose at the borough’s Tuesday meeting after members of the community had mentioned earlier this year that the invocation made them uncomfortable.

Borough code allows local religious leaders to offer a prayer before the assembly meeting. Those interested apply to the borough and are selected by the assembly president.

Peninsula community members have said they are concerned about religion appearing in government proceedings, and that a prayer of a particular religion could offend those of different or no faith.

Assembly president Blaine Gilman proposed an ordinance that would end the practice, but several members of the assembly felt it wasn’t even worth a vote.

Denali National Park says staff members are searching for a young grizzly bear that charged at visitors and vehicles in a parking lot and on a trail.

Park officials say in a statement that the grizzly bear approached humans and vehicles Wednesday and earlier in the week.

The officials say that early this week, the bear charged vehicles near the Primrose area and chased visitors in the Savage River area along Denali Park Road. They add that on Wednesday, the same bear approached and charged several hikers on Savage Alpine Trail.

Officials say Savage Alpine Trail, the Savage River Loop Trail and both Savage River parking lots are closed to keep the area free of visitors while park wildlife technicians try to find the bear and teach it not to approach humans.

Police will remain at the Alaska Pride Festival after officers broke up an altercation between participants and Westboro Baptist Church protesters.

The Anchorage Police Department said in a statement that officers provided extra security Saturday during the Alaska Equality Parade in downtown Anchorage following the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida.

Officers resumed their regular patrol duties after the parade ended at 1 p.m. However, police returned after reports of an altercation with protesters, identifying with the Westboro Baptist Church, who had assembled with pickets and a megaphone. Authorities say they received multiple calls of about 20 people pushing and shoving.

No one was injured and no charges were pressed.

The Alaska Zoo in Anchorage has welcomed a new male wolverine to join a female already on exhibit.

KTVA-TV reports that Jumbo, a 3-year-old male from Sweden, arrived at the zoo on Wednesday but is currently being quarantined from his partner Olga.

Zookeeper Kora Isakson says Jumbo and Olga will hopefully breed together, though at the moment, Olga doesn’t seem to like her new partner.

The two wolverines were supposed to arrive at the same time. Olga came from a zoo in Russia last fall, but permitting for Jumbo took longer than expected.

A man suspected of fatally shooting another man outside a Fairbanks bar last year has been arrested in Ohio.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports that detectives with the Fairbanks Police Department went to Cleveland, Ohio last week to arrest 23-year-old Patrick Dale Burton on a warrant for first-degree murder.

Burton is suspected of shooting 23-year-old John Kavairlook Jr. after having an argument in the Rock ‘N’ Rodeo bar in May 2015. Police say Burton and three other men continued the fight outside the bar and escalated to throwing rocks before the shots were fired.

In June 2015 police arrested three men in connection to the shooting but officials say they suspect Burton to be the actual shooter.