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.
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.
As COVID cases skyrocket, Alaska health officials closely watch hospitalizations, staffing
In the last week, the coronavirus’s omicron variant has pushed Alaska’s daily case counts higher than the fall delta variant surge and sidelined health care workers at an alarming rate.
More Alaska health care workers are out sick or in quarantine as omicron hits
The head of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association says it’s unclear whether omicron will cause as many hospitalizations as delta did. But, already, it's forcing health care workers off the front lines.
Our Washington, DC, correspondent reflects on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot
It’s the one-year anniversary of a dark day in America’s political life — the storming of the U.S. Capitol, by a mob of former President Donald Trump supporters trying to keep him in the White House despite his election loss.
Alaska’s courts set to resume in-person jury trials
ave been put on hold sporadically since April 2020. The pauses led to a backlog of cases and concerns about defendants’ right to a speedy trial. It also put pressure on judges and lawyers to resolve criminal cases in other ways, like plea deals.
Alaska economists are pondering the state’s labor market churn
"It is the strangest, most chaotic, mysterious, and often seemingly contradictory trends that are going on in the labor market all at the same time," said state economist Neal Fried.
In gun-loving Alaska, some ammo is scarce
In a state where hunting is a way of life — not to mention a way to put food on the table — that's a problem.
Fairbanks is riding a weather roller coaster, from freezing rain to snow and frigid cold
Department of Transportation crews are battling a thick coating of ice on roads, and the local utility, Golden Valley Electric, continues working to restore electricity to pockets of customers.