Author: kfskadmin

Six Petersburg High students travelled to Barrow this summer….for a workshop on Jurassic genetics. The program is part of a larger initiative to interest more Alaskan students in the fields of biomolecular science and genetics. Melati Kaye talked to participating students and their teacher, about this rare Genetics 101 course above the Arctic circle.

US and Canadian scientists are trying to pinpoint the source of lead that’s caused a mysterious die-off of trumpeter swans from Alaska. Researchers say the swans have been ingesting old lead shot when they migrate south for the winter. Signifcant numbers of the birds have been found dead on both sides of the border in southern British Columbia and northern Washington state. Lead shot is no longer allowed in waterfowl hunting, but researchers say a lot remains in the environment from before the ban. The Petersburg Humane Association is sponsoring a talk on the issue tonight. The presenter is Doctor Victoria Bowes, a diagnostic avian pathologist with the Ministry of Agriculture in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Matt Lichtenstein spoke with Bowes about the swan mortality study

Petersburg’s City Council this week voted down a measure that could have paved the way for more businesses to set up shop in residential neighborhoods. The majority of councilors thought the change left too much open to interpretation.

The candidates vying for the District Two House seat squared-off briefly before an audience in Petersburg last week. Democrat Reber Stein and Republican Peggy Wilson joined several other candidates for a question and answer session at the Southeast Conference, a gathering of community and business leaders in Petersburg.