Casey Grove, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Casey Grove is host of Alaska News Nightly, a general assignment reporter and an editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cgrove@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Casey here.
Iditapod: A joyful, more normal Iditarod start
The 2022 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race kicked off Saturday in Anchorage with its usual fanfare, after not holding a ceremonial start in 2021. Alaska Public Media reporters Casey Grove, Tegan Hanlon, Lex Treinen and Jeff Chen were out in the snow with the mushers, dogs and race fans, including plenty of kids and other trailgaters.
Iditapod: Iditarod gets back on track
Iditapod is back for the 50th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Host Casey Grove and fellow Alaska Public Media reporters Tegan Hanlon, Lex Treinen and Jeff Chen discuss last year's pandemic-altered Iditarod, some of the mid-distance sled dog races this season, as well as COVID-19 protocols (and already a scratch/switcheroo), scary moose encounters and the heartwarming story of an unlikely Iditarod dog.
Hatcher Pass avalanche closure could last another two weeks or more
The state transportation department closed Hatcher Pass Road on Feb. 14.
An Alaska legislator for 30 years, friends remember Johnny Ellis as caring and a coalition builder
As a Democrat representing districts in Anchorage, Ellis served in the state House from 1986 to 1992, when he was elected to the state Senate, and he served there until 2016.
Alaska avalanche survivor and winning essayist spent years digging out of PTSD
Joe Yelverton says the most formative moments of his life, and the story of his survival, began on a day in April 1984 with his friends Steve and Barry, as they approached the top of Eagle Peak.
Alaska love shines through in champion skier Kikkan Randall’s Olympic commentary
One of Alaska's most beloved athletes, Olympic champion cross-country skier Kikkan Randall, is participating in this year's Winter Olympics, not as a competitor, but as a commentator for NBC, covering the Beijing games from NBC's studios in Connecticut.
Years after Anchorage police fatally shoot Black man, dashcam video prompts new questions
The fatal Anchorage police shooting of 31-year-old Somali American Bishar Hassan in 2019 is under renewed scrutiny after the public release of police dashcam footage by a lawyer representing the man’s family in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Why NASA’s new space telescope is pointed at the Big Dipper
Hint: It has to do with calibrating the telescope's ultrasensitive mirrors.
Alaska Native and Native American tribes reach proposed settlement in opioid litigation
The proposed settlement was announced this week following litigation by more than 400 tribes, whose lawyers argued opioid misuse and death have disproportionately affected Native people.
So many Alaskan skiers at the Olympics means busy watching
There's a strong Alaska contingent among the U.S. Olympians starting to arrive in China for the Bejing Winter Olympics.
Alaska permafrost thaw is clue in mystery of Arctic methane explosions
Arctic methane explosions and the scientists who love to study them are the focus of the newest episode of the public television program Nova.
Alaska’s unique election year includes uncertainty about campaign contribution limits
Compared to most other states, Alaska historically had lower limits on how much an individual could give to a political candidate’s campaign. That changed last summer when a federal appeals court tossed out the state’s limit of $500 per person per year, saying it limited free speech.
Alaska lawmakers discuss possible punishment for Rep. Eastman over Oath Keepers membership
Some members of the Alaska Legislature are considering a possible punishment for Wasilla Republican Rep. David Eastman because of his membership in a far-right paramilitary group, the Oath Keepers, whose leaders have been indicted in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Anchorage nordic skier Rosie Brennan heads to Beijing Olympics with high hopes for herself — and the next generation of athletes
Anchorage resident and U.S. cross-country ski team member Rosie Brennan says she's helped by her experience, not just in Olympic or World Cup racing, but in having already navigated the first year of a global pandemic as an athlete.
Anchorage skier Scott Patterson’s US championship was a Hail Mary. Now he’s headed to the Olympics.
Scott Patterson and his sister Caitlin grew up skiing in Anchorage. And now both compete at the highest level of the sport.
Anchorage’s rapid warm-up caused temperature to jump 11 degrees in one minute, turning streets to ice rinks
Snow melted this weekend. Puddles formed. Streets iced over. And jackets were ditched, as one day in the 40s stretched into four in a row.
Anchorage cold case took detectives from bloody clothes to genetic profile to accused killer’s chopsticks
In yet another cold case involving genetic genealogy, an Idaho man is now jailed in Alaska on charges he allegedly murdered a cab driver nearly 40 years ago.
Alaskan kids ‘do everything except pull the trigger’ in class moose hunt
The outdoor exploration class is not unique in Alaska, just as hunting for food is a normal way of life here. But to many readers of the New York Times, which recently published a story about the class's successful hunt, it was a surprising and unfamiliar topic.
Anchorage ER doctor says omicron presents a whole new set of challenges
While those infected with omicron tend to have milder symptoms, the sheer number of cases — more now than at any previous time in the pandemic — means hospitals are bracing for an influx of sick patients needing specialized care.
‘A long time coming’: Brent Sass bags first Copper Basin 300 win in 10 tries
Despite temperatures down to 60 below in this year's Copper Basin 300, Sass says it was a smooth race.