Last week we fell, this week we’re on the rise. We meet a man who’s risen from poverty in Latin America to park service in the Great Land and a flute player who’s rising past the challenges of FASD. Plus, going up, up and away with a weather balloon in Nome and taking a look at Anchorage’s ascending skyline. Those stories and more on the next AK, on APRN stations statewide starting today.
Up, Up and Away
Every day at 3 a.m. and 3 p.m., a large weather balloon rises over the Nome airport, beaming down data for the southern Seward Peninsula’s forecast. Amy Flaherty tags along with the National Weather Service’s Wes Adkins as he gears up for the second launch of the day.
Rising to the Occasion
September 9th was International FASD Day: at 9:09 a.m., activists rang bells and honked horns to represent 9 months of pregnancy sans alcohol. Alaska has the highest rates of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in the U.S., and as Scott Burton tells us, this year’s FASD Day was particularly significant to flute player Morgan Fawcett in Juneau.
- Break: “Blue Skies” performed by Itzhak Perlman & Oscar Peterson from Side By Side
Movin’ On Up
Mauricio Escobar is a modern American immigrant who rose from poverty to a better life… and from Central America to Skagway, where he works summers at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park. As John Hunt tells us, getting there has been quite a journey.
- Music Button: “Lindas Caderas” by Bobby Rivas from Doble Sentido
Anchorage’s Rising Profile
Limited land availability has halted Anchorage’s outward growth, so high-rises are springing up like mushrooms after rain. AK’s Ellen Lockyer wondered how this vertical construction might shape the skyline in future years. She spoke with developer Derrick Chang, the Planning Department’s Tom Nelson, Anchorage mayor Mark Begich and midtown resident/concerned citizen Mary Pignalberi to find out.
300 Villages: Hyder and Bristol Bay Borough
Early to Rise
What’s floury, yeasty, yummy and needs to rise in order to taste good? Bread! AK listeners weigh in on ways to make bread dough go up when the temperatures outside go down.
- Break: “Shortnin Bread” performed by The Hollywood Strings from Discotheque
Shortest Day
Arlitia Jones’ poetic panegyric to baking bread on winter solstice, from her 2001 collection The Bandsaw Riots.
Rise & Shine
This summer, Alison Arians and Dan Schwartz opened Rise & Shine, a whole-wheat sourdough bakery, in their South Anchorage home. AK host Rebecca Sheir visits the couple to observe, learn… and taste.
Your Comments & Letters
A semi-regular segment featuring your two cents about the show. To send in your comments and letters, email us at ak@aprn.org. (Music: “Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me” played by John Pizzarelli from One Night With You – The John Pizzarelli Collection)
- Calendar of Events (Song: “Movin’ On Up: theme to The Jeffersons” from Karaoke – TV Themes, Vol. 1) 1:10
Rising to Recovery
For years, Alaskan youth have been sent south for mental health and dependency treatment. The recent trend is to bring them home. Juneau Youth Services offers a mobile crisis emergency unit, a drop-in shelter, and several residential treatment homes, like Montana Creek Residential Treatment. Scott Burton spoke with 18-year-old resident Macaela.
- Closing: “House of the Rising Sun” performed by Synthesonic Sounds from The Easy Project – 20 Loungecore Favourites
