Anne Hillman, Alaska Public Media
Anne Hillman is the healthy communities editor at Alaska Public Media and a host of Hometown, Alaska. Reach her at ahillman@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Anne here.
Community in Unity: Prisoner Re-Entry
Every month about 1,000 people are released from prison in Alaska. Many of them end up returning to prison. Re-integrating into a community can be challenging. In this program, we bring together a diversity of perspectives to explore the topic of what makes prisoner re-entry successful. KSKA: Tuesday, Jan. 5, at 2:00 p.m. Download Audio:
Law Dept. insists Fairbanks Four not ‘exonerated’
The state's Department of Law maintains the Fairbanks Four were not exonerated in the settlement, or completely cleared of blame.
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AK: Finding a home, building a family
More than 2,000 kids in Anchorage are considered homeless by the school district. Research shows that kids who lack stability don't do as well in school, but the support of even just one adult can change that. In the case of teenager Jmari House, an entire family stepped in to make sure she didn't get lost in the shuffle.
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38K Alaska households turn to Food Stamps during tight times
According to a new White House report, 38,000 Alaskan households receive benefits from Food Stamps. Two-thirds of those households have children. Half of them are in deep poverty. The statistics go on and on. But is the program working? Many people say yes, though there are some hiccups.
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Mother of teen shot in face speaks out on gun violence
In the end of October, 19-year-old Caia Delavergne was shot in the head by a new acquaintance. Incredibly, she survived. Now, her mother, Chelan Schreifels is speaking out against gun violence.
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State embraces new justice report with prison reform specifics
New justice reform recommendations say they could save Alaska $424 million in the next decade and improve the state's justice system.
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Alaska boasts 8th highest volunteer rate in US
Thirty-four percent of Alaskans volunteer with organizations. That's the eighth highest rate in the United States, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service.
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UAA, Providence ‘disappointed’ in U-Med road decision
Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz has withdrawn the city's support for the $20 million dollar Northern Access Project, also called the U-Med District Road. The Department of Transportation says without the municipality's backing, work on the controversial project that links Elmore and Bragaw will stop.
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Community in Unity: Prisoner Re-Entry
Every month about 1,000 people are released from prison in Alaska. Many of them end up returning to prison. Re-integrating into a community can be challenging. In this program, we bring together a diversity of perspectives to explore the topic of what makes prisoner re-entry successful. KSKA: Monday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. KAKM: Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 7:00 p.m. on KAKM Channel 7
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AK: After prison, giving back to a community once hurt
Restarting life after prison is full of challenges -- but also successes. In the village of Tyonek on Cook Inlet, one man recreates himself and gives back to the community he once hurt.
Waiting to go home, but tied to Anchorage on parole
People around the U.S. who are leaving prison all face similar challenges. Sometimes it’s harder to find work or a place to live when you have a criminal history. But some people from rural Alaska face a unique barrier: their conditions of parole prevent them from going home.
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Finding work after prison: Persistence pays off
Most people leaving prison have to find a job fairly quickly both to support themselves and to meet their parole requirements. Their job searches can be more complicated than most because of the stigma of having a criminal history, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
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Parole officers: Arm of the law with a human touch
One of the first stops for everyone leaving prison is the Probation and Parole Office in downtown Anchorage. People are required to check in within 24 hours of release. Parole officers have two major roles: law enforcers and social workers. Both help keep the community safe.
First day out: Reconnecting & ordering the perfect eggs at Denny’s
It’s 6:45 a.m. and 43-year-old April Wilson waits inside the entrance of Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River. It’s her first day out after two and a half years in prison. Her long dark hair is perfectly curled, her eye makeup sparkles, and her piles of papers and decorations are gathered in a clear plastic garbage bag. “Let’s blow this joint!” she jokes.
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A Closer Look: Brother Francis Shelter
The scene outside of Brother Francis Shelter in downtown Anchorage can seem like chaos, but walking inside tells a different story. Stay the night at the emergency shelter and learn from some of the people who sleep, volunteer, and work there during this edition of A Closer Look.
KSKA: Friday, Nov. 27, at 2:00 p.m.
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Thanksgiving Blessings offers food, hope and exercise plan
For the 31st year in a row, Central Lutheran Church in downtown Anchorage is providing Thanksgiving dinners for people in need. They started with 39 families -- and now, through a partnership with the Food Bank of Alaska -- they serve 1,400. But it takes a lot to get a complete turkey dinner back home.
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Chanlyut helps men restart, learn to ‘live life on life’s terms’
Sometimes starting over means hitting reset and relearning how to "live life on life's terms." A free, two-year intensive residential program in Anchorage run by Cook Inlet Tribal Council is helping men do just that.
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Berkowitz unveils new plan to end homelessness in Anchorage
Anchorage's new homelessness action plan will focus on providing 300 units of permanent housing scattered through out the entire city for adults living in camps and on the street in the next three years.
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49 Voices: Beckie Etukeok
This week were hearing from Beckie Etukeok, who is Inupiaq, Siberian-Yupik and Tlingit. She makes drums for a living now, but it wasn't an easy skill to learn.
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For seniors with Alzheimer’s, staying busy is key
The number of people living with Alzheimer's in Alaska will increase by 70 percent in the next decade and will require extra services. For people living with the disease now, it's not necessarily the memory loss that defines aging.
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