North America's liquefied natural gas industry is gearing up to shift into reverse.

Normally a business in reverse connotes retreat and possibly doom. But LNG ports hope just the opposite will be true, that they will find their future and salvation.

A decade ago the industry was certain North America would be importing billions of cubic feet of gas a day to slake consumers' growing thirst for the fuel in an era of declining domestic production.

Right now as I write this I'm looking out the window. It's nighttime and pitch dark. A winter storm out of the Gulf of Alaska is battering my house; the wind making the eaves shake and groan. I can't see outside, but I can hear the spruce and hemlock trees out there getting thrashed, branches being warped and pointing the direction of the blow. The whooshing sound of the woods getting blasted is loud, making me alert to the conditions. I'm glad to be inside hunkering down.

The “lamestream media,” as Sarah Palin calls it, may have written her off now that the former vice presidential candidate and tea party favorite has lost her principal media voice as a well-paid commentator on Fox News.

But there’s no indication that Ms. Palin will go back to life in Alaska as the former mayor of a small town and then governor for two years, fishing and hunting with her family before Sen. John McCain picked her out of relative political obscurity to be his running mate in 2008.

Kivalina may have gotten an unconventional Christmas present this year, but a welcome one nonetheless.

In the midst of the holidays, six 275-gallon water tanks arrived in the northwestern village via air carrier. They were donated by Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 367 of Anchorage, and transported at half-cost by Ryan Air and Northern Air Cargo.

Once more, the weather gods have driven Minnesota adventurer Lonnie Dupre back from the 20,320-foot summit of Mount McKinley. Dupre had hoped to this year become the first climber to solo the mountain in January, the cold heart of the Alaska winter. It was his third try; twice before the wind and cold had turned him back. He was optimistic this year as the weather cooperated on the long, uphill slog from the Kahiltna Glacier landing strip near 7,200 feet to where the 14,200-foot camp sits during the normal May to July climbing season.

As plans for offshore drilling in Russia’s Arctic materialize, the nation is revisiting Cold War-era nuclear test sites to survey potential radiation hazards around areas of oil and gas exploration, the BBC reports.

Oakley Airwave ski goggles come with a little screen built into the visor. The screen displays your speed, altitude, and the air time of your last jump.

The sports accessories company dived into application-powered apparel early on. For several years, Oakley has made a pair of shades with built-in earphones and gear that can wirelessly connect to phones.

The Airwave steps deeper into science fiction.

The Cook Inlet Risk Assessment Advisory Team is asking for public comments and ideas on ways to reduce the chances of accidental oil spills or to reduce spills' impact on the area's waters.

The U.S. Coast Guard, Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation created the Cook Inlet Risk Assessment to look into spill risk reduction measures, like policies, rules, equipment, systems and services, among others, according to a press release.

The Inuit Circumpolar Council says it is pleased with progress made in efforts to reduce global mercury levels.

Early this week, more than 140 countries adopted a global mercury treaty at the United Nations Environment Programme meetings in Geneva, Switzerland.

The treaty includes legally binding and voluntary measures to regulate mercury emissions, the related health aspects and other concerns.