E-mails obtained by The Associated Press reveal a fissure that turned into a divide between federal and state wildlife managers over a plan to kill wolves in a national refuge in Alaska. The state and federal governments have a long history of working cooperatively behind closed doors to manage the state's vast wildlife resources. But the dispute over the caribou herd on Unimak Island ended in a public showdown in court, with the state losing.

A request from Alaska state Sen. Albert Kookesh to dismiss subsistence fishing permit violation charges has been denied, setting the stage for a trial next month in Sitka. The Juneau Empire reported that Superior Court Judge David George ruled the state has jurisdiction over the navigable waterways and tidelands where the alleged violations occurred. Kookesh and co-defendants Rocky Estrada Sr., Stanley Johnson and Scott Hunter had argued subsistence fishing in Kanalku Bay is protected by federal law under Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.

A request from Alaska state Sen. Albert Kookesh to dismiss subsistence fishing permit violation charges has been denied, setting the stage for a trial next month in Sitka. The Juneau Empire reported that Superior Court Judge David George ruled the state has jurisdiction over the navigable waterways and tidelands where the alleged violations occurred. Kookesh and co-defendants Rocky Estrada Sr., Stanley Johnson and Scott Hunter had argued subsistence fishing in Kanalku Bay is protected by federal law under Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.

Former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens has been remembered as a fierce defender of Alaska and its way of life at the funeral for the Senate's longest serving Republican. Wednesday's service marked the end of three days of remembrances that began Monday when several hundred people attended a Catholic Mass in Anchorage. Mourners filed past a closed casket Tuesday as Stevens' body lay in repose at an Episcopal church. Stevens died along with four others when their plane crashed Aug. 9 north of Dillingham.

An independent audit that examines Anchorage's financial matters during former Mayor Mark Begich's last months in office faults both Begich and the assembly. The audit, first reported by the Anchorage Daily News, concludes that the administration did not provide key reports and the assembly did not demand them. The reporting came under scrutiny because in late 2008, the national economy crashed and city investments lost millions. Begich press secretary Julie Hasquet (HASS'-ket) says the report makes it clear that hysterical allegations of misconduct or violations of law have no basis.

Authorities are awaiting test results to determine how an inmate from Alaska being held in a private prison in northern Colorado died. The Weld County coroner's office says 44-year-old Wesley Shandy of Ninilchik, Alaska, died Aug. 15 at the Hudson Correctional Facility, 35 miles northeast of Denver. Chief Deputy Coroner Mark Ward says the autopsy didn't reveal any obvious cause of Shandy's death. Ward says the coroner's office is waiting for results from toxicology tests. The private prison houses several inmates from Alaska.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Alaskans are saying their last good-byes to former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, who was killed in a plane crash. A steady stream of mourners filed past a closed casket Tuesday as Stevens' body lay in repose at All Saints Episcopal Church in Anchorage. Tuesday's daylong procession is to be followed by funeral services Wednesday at the Anchorage Baptist Temple. Stevens died along with four others when their plane crashed in southwest Alaska last week. Four others survived.

A 4-month-old Juneau girl taken from her home with injuries has died at a Seattle hospital. Juneau police were notified Monday night that Rian Orr had died of her injuries. Police are investigating the case as a possible homicide. The state Office of Children's Services contacted police Aug. 9 and said the child had been taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital with injuries. The girl had both new and old injuries. She eventually was moved to Seattle. Police interviewed the girl's 20-year-old mother and her 21-year-old boyfriend shortly after the initial report.