ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Feb. 20 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska issued the following news release on Feb. 19, 2024: U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska announced her office's priority to prosecute white-collar and financial crimes committed in Alaska. One prong of this effort is the formal establishment of an interagency Covid-19 Fraud Task Force. "White-collar and other financial crimes devastate families, communities and organizations. This task f  more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Feb. 20 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska issued the following news release on Feb. 19, 2024: A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment in October charging an Anchorage businessman with allegedly committing wire fraud related to his application for Covid-19 recovery funds. He was transferred from Texas to Alaska this month. According to court documents, Lloyd Pennebaker, 58, is the owner of The Pennebaker Group, an organization doing b  more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Feb. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska issued the following news release: An Anchorage man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for distributing controlled substances and possessing multiple firearms as a felon. According to court documents, in December 2020, Jack Horsley, 64, sold four ounces of meth and five ounces of heroin to an individual working with law enforcement. When law enforcement executed a search warrant on the defendant's home, t  more

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Feb. 20 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska issued the following news release: The U.S. will collect over $350,000 in treble damages and penalties after a default judgement was ordered in the False Claims Act case of the former co-owner of Arm Rippin Toys, who made false statements on an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application. Michael Hanzuk II, 31, of Anchorage, co-owned Arm Rippin Toys Inc. According to court documents, Hanzuk admitted i  more

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska, Feb. 21 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Alaska District issued the following news release: Lula Cole assumed duties as the equal employment opportunity manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Alaska District in December. In her new position, Cole provides leadership and direction in creating and sustaining a diverse workforce and an environment free of discrimination at the district. She will facilitate the goals of the district's EEO program  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 22 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Western Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 21, 2024, entitled "Alaska Job Openings and Labor Turnover - December 2023": * * * Alaska had 23,000 job openings in December 2023, compared to 26,000 openings in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the job openings rate in Alask  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 23 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Western Regional Information Office issued the following report on Feb. 22, 2024, entitled "Fatal Work Injuries in Alaska - 2022": * * * Fatal work injuries totaled 20 in 2022 for Alaska, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Alaska was unchanged from the previous year. (See chart 1.) F  more

SEATTLE, Washington, Feb. 21 (TNSres) -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: * * * Unprecedented funding from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is transforming communities across the state * * * Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced over $45,509,000 from President Biden's Investing in America agenda for Alaska drinking water and clean water infrastructure upgrades. The funding is part of the over $50 billion investment in water infrastructur  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families issued the following news release on Feb. 22, 2024: * * * Additional Data Will Provide a Better Understanding of American Indian/Alaska Native Children Interacting with the State Child Welfare Systems * * * Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), proposed a rule to increase data collection on Amer  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the following news release: Additional Data Will Provide a Better Understanding of American Indian/Alaska Native Children Interacting with the State Child Welfare Systems Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), proposed a rule to increase data collection on American Indian/Alaska Native children's status and experiences. This proposed  more

EIELSON AFB, Alaska, Feb. 24 -- The U.S. Air Force Eielson Air Force Base (354th Fighter Wing) issued the following statement on Feb. 23, 2024, by Commander Paul Townsend on potential school closure: * * * To our Eielson parents: Facing a budget shortfall, the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District proposed closing Ben Eielson Jr./Sr. High School. While the decision is under review with opportunities to participate in this discussion, I understand the uncertainty this drives for our fam  more

COPPER CENTER, Alaska, Feb. 24 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service issued the following news release on Feb. 23, 2024: Today, the National Park Service announced that 400 national parks reported a total of 325.5 million visits in 2023, an increase of 13 million or 4% over 2022. At Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, visitation numbers increased from 65,236 in 2022 to 78,305 in 2023. The report shows that July was the busiest month, with 28,446 visits, and   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 (TNSres) -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Alaska Regional Office issued the following feature story on Feb. 23, 2024: * * * The State of Alaska Aquaculture report is a first-of-its-kind overview of the aquaculture industry in Alaska, revealing the state's opportunities and challenges to date. * * * NOAA Fisheries continues to direct support towards Alaska's growing aquaculture (also known as "mariculture") industry. Marine aquaculture in Alaska con  more

SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Feb. 22 -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the following news release on Feb. 21, 2024: * * * Funding will advance NOAA's efforts to support Indigenous Knowledge holders and Alaska Natives. * * * Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced the availability of $1 million for multi-year funding opportunities that will be distributed through the Alaska Fisheries Science Center Indigenous Engagement Program to support remote Alaska com  more