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Southeast Alaska: Charles Clement hired as President/CEO of SEARHC - The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) Board of Directors has hired Charles Clement, MPA, as its new President/CEO.

Charles Clement new President/CEO of SEARHC
Photo courtesy SEARHC

Clement replaces Roald Helgesen, who is leaving SEARHC to become CEO of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC).  Mr. Clement will be based at the SEARHC Juneau Campus. SEARHC General Counsel Ken Truitt will serve as Interim President/CEO during the period between Mr. Helgesen’s departure and Mr. Clement’s arrival in early February.

An Alaska Native of Tsimshian and Athabascan heritage, Clement currently serves as the vice president of operations /chief operating officer for Southcentral Foundation, the regional tribal health care organization based in Anchorage with over 1,400 employees and an annual budget of $200 million. Southcentral Foundation also jointly owns and manages the Alaska Native Medical Center with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), and Clement serves as treasurer on the ANTHC Board of Directors. - More...
Friday AM - December 09, 2011

Alaska: NORTH SLOPE OIL AND GAS LEASE SALE NETS SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF BIDS -The Division of Oil and Gas received a substantial number of bids for its annual oil and gas lease offering for the Beaufort Sea, the North Slope and the North Slope Foothills. The BLM also offered 283 tracts comprising just over 3 million acres in the sale.

The State of Alaska received more than 300 bids from more than 15 bidders for oil and gas lease tracts on the North Slope and the Beaufort Sea, totaling more than $21 million, signifying one of the most successful sales in recent Alaska history. BLM received 20 bids on 17 tracts, totaling over $3 million. - More...
Friday AM - December 09, 2011

Alaska: ADF&G Report Confirms 2010 Wolf Attack Fatality – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) released a report this week presenting findings related to the March 8, 2010, wolf attack that killed 32-year-old Candice Berner near the village of Chignik Lake on the Alaska Peninsula. The report summarizes agency response and subsequent investigation.

“All lines of evidence are consistent with the conclusion that two or more wolves killed Ms. Berner. The tragic encounter occurred as she jogged down the road less than two miles from the village,” said Lem Butler, principal investigator for ADF&G, and one of four authors of the report.

ADF&G’s investigation included on-scene evaluation of wolf tracks, interviews of those first to arrive at the scene, collection of wolves from the nearby area, and analyses of DNA and of other forensic evidence. Wolf DNA was recovered from the victim and her clothing. DNA test results provided by the U.S. Geological Survey lab in Anchorage indicated that two to four wolves were most likely involved, excluded other animals, and connected one of the wolves killed by the department to the incident. - More...
Friday AM - December 09, 2011

Alaska: Five People Injured in Cantwell Explosion – Five people were injured in an explosion and fire at a gas station convenience store in Cantwell Sunday night. At approximately 6 p.m., the Alaska State Troopers dispatch center in Fairbanks received a report that an explosion occurred inside the Chevron gas station at mile 210.3 of the Parks Highway. The force of the explosion blew the windows out of the building and debris into the parking lot. Garbage cans and grocery baskets landed past the gas pump island in front of the store. The gas pumps did not burn in the fire that followed the explosion. The store, however, was fully engulfed in flames when troopers arrived on scene.

Several people, including both employees and customers, were inside the store and in the parking lot when the explosion occurred. One store employee, Samuel Allan, 26, of Cantwell, made several return trips inside the burning store to ensure everyone made it out safely. Allan was eventually transported to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital (FMH) by an ambulance from Nenana Volunteer Fire Department. Another employee, Gale Andersen, 61, of Cantwell, suffered significant burns and was transported by ambulance to Providence Memorial Hospital in Anchorage for treatment. She was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Monday. - More...
Friday AM - December 09, 2011

Alaska: Anchorage Psychotherapist Sentenced To 22 Years For Child Pornography Crimes – United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced this week that an Anchorage psychotherapist was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage to 22 years in federal prison for the production and receipt of child pornography.

On December 5, 2011, Andrew William Young, 48, a resident of Anchorage, Alaska, was sentenced by Senior United States District Judge John W. Sedwick. Upon completion of his prison term, Young must serve a lifetime of supervised release. - More...
Friday AM - December 09, 2011

Alaska: West Virginia Man Sentenced To 30 Years In Federal Prison For Traveling To Alaska With Intent To Engage In Sexual Act With A Nine-Year-Old Girl - United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced this week that a West Virginia man was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage, to 30 years in federal prison for interstate travel with intent to engage in a sexual act with a child under the age of twelve.

On December 2, 2011, Thomas Daniel Niswander, 65, a resident of Princeton, West Virginia was sentenced by Senior United States District Judge H. Russel Holland. - More...
Friday AM - December 09, 2011

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