ANCHORAGE — Alaska health officials say it’s a good idea to wear a helmet if you climb aboard a motorcycle on state roads.

A decade of motorcycle crash data indicates that people hospitalized after a crash were 70 percent more likely to suffer a traumatic brain injury and 2.3 times more likely to die if they were not wearing a helmet.

“It does provide protection to the head,” said Deborah Hull-Jilly, an injury epidemiologist for the Division of Public Health. “It can also help reduce some of the fatigue with the windshield.”

ANCHORAGE — Alaska officials on Friday hailed a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit decision that will open up drilling at the Point Thomson petroleum field, creating hundreds of jobs and providing key infrastructure that could advance prospects for a large-scale natural gas pipeline.

The Corps issued a permit, and its Record of Decision explaining it, to ExxonMobil Corp. and PTE Pipeline LLC allowing the companies to fill 267.1 acres of North Slope waters and tundra wetlands to construct the drilling project.

ANCHORAGE — The stars lined up — almost — for Shell Oil to drill exploratory wells this year in waters off Alaska’s north coast.

The Arctic Ocean was on record pace for low sea ice. The Obama administration gave a qualified green light to drilling. Two drill ships and a flotilla of support vessels were staged off prospects.

ANCHORAGE — Shell Oil Co. is limiting Arctic offshore drilling off Alaska in 2012 to preparation work after suffering several setbacks, but company President Marvin Odum said Monday that remains a significant accomplishment.

Royal Dutch Shell PLC announced earlier in the day that a containment dome required to be in place before drills can enter oil-bearing rock in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas was damaged Saturday during testing off Bellingham, Wash.