In this newscast:
- Alaska’s top Forest Service official is retiring: Regional Forester Beth Pendleton will retire in April after eight years in the position. She oversaw the U.S. Forest Service’s Alaska region during development of a controversial Tongass Land Management Plan that’s being challenged in Congress.
- Superstore chain Fred Meyer to stop selling guns, ammunition: The Portland, Oregon-based chain in an announcement Friday says it made the decision after evaluating customer preferences. The company has more than 130 stores in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska.
- Two Iditarod mushers seek aid due to weather conditions: Race marshal Mark Nordman says veteran dog mushers Jim Lanier and Scott Janssen requested aid in an area between the checkpoints of White Mountain and Safety known as “the Blowhole.” The two men required emergency help Friday because of bad weather during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
You can hear these stories and more at ktoo.sandbox.5mts.com/listen.
In other news:
This halibut hook is an innovation for the past, present and future
The Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame recently inducted its first indigenous tool. Few people still use the hand-carved halibut hook, once popular with Southeast tribes. But there’s a push to make sure the tradition sticks around for future generations.
The Alaska State Committee on Research gives credit to people and inventions which have made a lasting impact in the state.
Oil revenue is up in state’s spring forecast
In December, the Alaska Department of Revenue predicted that the price of oil would be $56 per barrel this year. This new forecast says it will be $5 higher at $61 and go up even more next year.
Even at that price, the state will still have a gap of $2.3 billion between what it spends and what it raises. And the state doesn’t have that much money in the savings account it’s used in the past, the Constitutional Budget Reserve.
