With the country’s financial health in trouble, people are looking for ways to save money, so AK takes a look at alternatives to spending. We’ll find out why some Alaska Natives are moving into the big cities, look at one community’s effort to produce cheaper power and dole out a little nifty thrifty advice for penny pinchers.
All that and more this week on AK, heard statewide on local APRN stations statewide.
Download Audio (MP3, 60 min)
Host: Ellen Lockyer
Hoonah Memories
AK Contributor Ann Kaiser with Jessica Cochran
Some of us remember tough times, like Hoonah’s Mamie Williams, who made sure folks were eating after a fire destroyed almost the entire town.
CK and Wolfgirl
AK contributor Julia O’Malley, Essay
CK is a guy who lives a rugged lifestyle, living hand to mouth in an abandoned RV. O’Malley is a good Samaritan with a lot of dog food on her hands.
- Music Button: “Bottom Dollar” by Mike Auldridge from Dobro/ Blues and Bluegrass (Reissue)
Native Outmigration
AK’s Ellen Lockyer, Story
High energy costs are pushing some Alaska Natives out of their villages and into the big cities, where living could be cheaper. So there are a lot of new kids in Anchorage schools this year, and they are adjusting to the new pace, with the help of the Anchorage School Districts Indian education staff and a new Native Culture Charter School. Lockyer speaks with Doreen Brown of the Anchorage School District and Martha Gould-Lehe of the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School.
- Break: “After The Gold Rush” instrumental version by William Coulter from The Road Home
Port Armstrong Hatchery
AK’s Bonnie Sue Hitchcock, Story
Salmon hatcheries are non-profits, and funding them does not come easy. When hatchery runs are thin, the hatchery’s cost recovery salmon harvests are not enough to keep operations afloat. So Hitchcock spoke with Ben Contag and John Thorington, the hatchery’s manager and maintenance director, about how they are doing.
- Music Button: “Fish” by David Carter from Two Hands are Enough
State Pensions
AK’s Ellen Lockyer , Interview
A rocky stock market and the credit bailout have made a lot of people nervous about their retirement income accounts. Lockyer speaks directly with Gary Bader, chief investment officer with the state Department of Revenue to get the good and bad news.
Nanwalek
KBBI’s Kathleen Gustafson, Story
The village of Nanwalek is trying to raise money for its pre-school language immersion program by selling a new CD. Producers and teachers Rhoda Moonin and Sally Ash talk about the project.
- Calendar of Events (“Buddy Can you Spare A Dime” by Rhodes Spedale Trio from Touchstones and Torch Songs)
- Break: “Buddy Can You Spare a Dime”, continued
Gustavus Electric
AK’s Scott Burton, Story
Dick Levitt’s effort to build a small hydro-electric plant to power Gustavus has gone way over-budget and grown in foot-print. And the environmental impacts are hard to take for some, like Tom Mills of the Hoonah Tlingit tribe.
- Music Button: “Electricity (Hannett/Cargo Studios version)” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Buying Art
AK’s Bonnie Sue Hitchcock, Interview
It may seem like a strange time to buy art, but Sitka Gallery owner Eugene Salavio says it makes more sense than the stock market, and local painter Steve Lawrie is finding plenty of locals to buy his.
Nifty Thrifty Hints
AK’s Ellen Lockyer, Story
Ellen Lockyer hit the library, the hair salon and consignment shops in search of bargains.
- Closing: “No Cheap Girl (Instrumental Version)” by Big Tunes featuring Muzzi G. from Dirrty Green, Vol. 5 – EP
