The Sheldon Community Arts Hanger is hosting the Far North Conservation Film Festival this Saturday. Although the Festival is in its 6th year, it’s only the second time the films have made it all the way south to Talkeetna.
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The Alaska Volcano Observatory reports that as news agencies on the East Coast and around the lower 48 connected viewers to their website, their website crashed early Friday morning. Mt. Redoubt is being watched 24 hours a day. As of Friday afternoon, there were no signs of ash emission, but there is significant steaming from a new melt depression at the mouth of the summit crater, near the vent of the 1989 eruption.
News reports of Mount Redoubt’s possible eruption were featured on Yahoo, Google, CNN and other websites, all of which included the link to the Alaska Volcano Observatory website. The agency was expecting internet traffic, since they experienced the same thing with St. Augustine several years ago. The scientists had a low bandwidth version in place for the extra traffic, but the system still crashed.
Basic information is now available on the simplified website, but it doesn’t have the fancy maps, wind trajectories and cameras it had previously. Technicians are working on distributing the higher bandwidth to other servers.
Emergency responders in Willow found a man in his cabin Thursday, dead of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning. Responders found 50 year-old Kirk Kousal in the loft of his cabin, just south of Willow. A neighbor reported that Kousal had not been feeling well for about a week.
Trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters said, “carbon monoxide levels inside the cabin were through the roof.” The resident had apparently hooked propane bottles inside the cabin to a propane wall heater and water heater. Peters says because everything pointed to carbon monoxide poisoning, she believes there won’t be any further investigation by the Troopers.
Troopers have sent out press releases asking Alaskan residents to check carbon monoxide detectors in their homes, and to be careful of homemade propane heaters and other devices that could leak and cause poisoning. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to flu symptoms… nausea, headaches, sleepiness and dizziness.
The Don Bowers Memorial Sled Dog race is off and running. A number of people dropped out before the race start due to several issues, one presumably being the nasty warm weather a week ago that had race officials wondering if there was even going to be a race. Follow the race here.
The Talkeetna Historical Society has a dilemma. A kiosk will be placed at the end of main street as a memorial to the historical Belle’s Barn, but not much is left of the structure. The Society’s Board has discussed what the future of the remaining pieces might be.
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Mount Redoubt’s status was lifted to orange today (wed). Government geologists are watching the volcano in the Cook Inlet area full time and are anticipating a possible eruption within the next few days.
According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, a typical Redoubt eruption features a large explosion that can shoot ash clouds 40,000 feet high. During the last eruption, in April 1990, the ash plume disrupted air travel and sent ash across the state.
The Alaska Energy Authority has released its final report on the analysis of combining all railbelt energy utilities into one electrical authority.
The study looks at the feasibility of combining all six railbelt utilities into one entity called the Railbelt Electrical Grid Authority, whose purpose would be to manage and dispatch electric power to all consumers on the grid. Currently there are four utility cooperatives and two municipal utilities providing electric power to consumers and businesses along the railbelt.
Governor Sarah Palin recently included consolidation of railbelt utilities in her energy plan. She plans on asking the legislature this session to combine the railbelt utilities into one authority so all consumers along the railbelt will pay the same rate.
The governor’s energy plan also has a goal for Alaska to provide 50% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2025, from sources to include the Susitna River hydroelectric project. Currently that project is under evaluation. In their last session the legislature passed House Bill 336, which gave the Alaska Energy Authority $2 million to study the feasibility of the hydro project and provide a report to the legislature by the end of June 2010. Other projects included in the renewable energy plan are the start-up of the Healy clean coal power plant and the in-state natural gas pipeline.
The US Cross Country Ski Championship races that were cancelled during the cold spell in Anchorage have been rescheduled for the end of March in Fairbanks.
The U.S. Ski Association and the Fairbanks Nordic Ski Club finalized the details on Tuesday. The classic technique and the team sprints, both cancelled in Anchorage will be held prior to the already scheduled US Distance National Championships.
According to the US Ski Association, the schedule now consists of 5 K and 10 K classic races on March 24, the freestyle team sprint on March 25th and then the pursuit races on March 27th and marathon classic on the 29th. Prize money is close to 17 thousand dollars.
The Fairbanks Nordic Ski Club hosts the races at Birch Hill Recreation Area.
Talkeetna residents Wendy Battino and Rick Schreiber talk about the Reinventing Schools Coalition and their new book, Delivering on the Promise: The Education Revolution. Tonight at 6:30 PM on KTNA, repeating Sunday morning at 11:30.
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