Ben Anderson

An Associated Press story Tuesday pointed out the double standard in the way the U.S. government treats energy companies when it comes to the inadvertent killing of birds as a result of their operations. In particular, the report notes that wind farms responsible for the killing of federally-protected bird species struck by quick-spinning turbines get a free pass from prosecution, where more traditional energy companies like oil and electric face hefty fines for birds killed by flying into power lines or mired in waste pits...

Even as the White House took a step forward on Arctic policy by signing its National Strategy for the Arctic Region on Friday , the U.S. lags behind other Arctic nations in taking advantage of its northernmost borders. Icebreaking capability is one area where the U.S. is lacking, and a new icebreaker commissioned by the Russian government and expected for delivery early next year may put America even further behind the curve...

Goose Creek Correctional Center, that $240 million prison facility on a lonely road in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough , is now serving its intended purpose, housing Alaska prisoners previously kept out of state at facilities in Colorado.

Officials had originally said those out-of-state inmates were set to arrive in April of this year, but about 200 inmates landed back in Alaska in February, with more in May. Eventually, all of the approximately 1,000 prisoners kept outside of Alaska will occupy the facility about 30 minutes outside of Wasilla. There are currently 673 prisoners at the complex, enough to occupy about half of Goose Creek's 1,280 beds for prisoners...

A 5-year-old girl from the Southwest Alaska community of Mountain Village was shot and killed by her 8-year-old brother on Monday, Alaska State Troopers reported. The two young children had been left home alone when the shooting took place, troopers said.

Few details were available Tuesday, but the 8-year-old was reportedly playing with a .22-caliber Ruger rifle when the weapon discharged, fatally shooting his sister at about 2:20 p.m. Monday. It was not immediately clear if the shooting was accidental or intentional, and the girl's body was sent to the State Medical Examiner's office in Anchorage for an autopsy. The boy was familiar with the weapon and had used it the previous day to go hunting, according to Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters...