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.

After inventor Mike Williams lost his business and his marriage, he ended up homeless. Then he found himself in the hospital after he was attacked and beaten in a California park. Dr. Jong Chen helped Williams back to health and back on his feet. Now they're working together on another invention.

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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.

Recent update on the dogs-shot-with-arrows case in Haines.

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Haines Police
PRESS RELEASE Haines Police have continued to actively and aggressively investigate the two dogs that were shot by arrows on January 15th. We continue to go door to door talking with residents and following up on every lead that is given to us. This week, we served two search warrants and recovered items related to this incident, including the bow that is believed to have been used. All of these items, along with the arrows previously recovered, have been sent to the Crime Lab for forensic analysis. There are multiple rumors going around town regarding the involvement of specific persons or that an arrest has been made in this case. At this point, no arrests have been made and I do not anticipate an arrest until such time as the forensic examination of the evidence has been completed. We are still encouraging members of the public to call us with any information they may have. Several donors have added to the amount of the reward which now stands at $800.00. The investigation of this case has brought up the possibility that a homeowner was defending his/her property by shooting the dogs. If that is in fact the case, I highly encourage the people involved to come forward and clarify that action. The dogs were shot in the wooded area north of View Street, between Lynnview and 4th Avenue. If there are any homeowners in this area that have seen neighbors outside with a bow, please call the Haines Police. We will continue to pursue this investigation until we can determine without a doubt who was involved and why the dogs were shot. Haines Borough Police 766-2121 Gary Lowe Chief of Police

Join us for Talk Around Town this morning. We're talking about changes to the Alaska Class Ferry project and how it affects Haines and Skagway. 10 a.m. this morning on KHNS.