Alaska divided as Shell halts Arctic drilling: heartbreaking news or a miracle?

The company's exit has 'lifted a burden' on villagers who depend on marine mammal meat, says one Alaska Native, but a state representative bemoans the decision after residents 'stood on the cusp of another boom'

Like many villagers of Barrow, Alaska, Rosemary Ahtuangaruak woke up on Monday morning and prepared to set out for another day of whaling. Then she checked her phone. She had dozens of unread text messages.

The news was shocking: Shell was shutting down, friends from other time zones said. The company would cease offshore oil drilling operations in Alaska's Chukchi Sea.