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.
Threatened by melting sea ice, polar bears’ status up for review under Endangered Species Act
The review, which the Fish and Wildlife Service conducts every five years, could result in polar bears being "uplisted" to endangered, with further protections, de-listed altogether or they might stay listed as threatened.
Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, October 14, 2021
Alaska's decline in COVID-19 cases stalls. Also, former Anchorage Assembly members weigh in on the current, fraught mask debate. And the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service begins its next review of polar bears' status under the Endangered Species Act.
First Alaska Native woman trooper, now retired, reflects on two decades in law enforcement
Anne Sears' 22-year career in law enforcement took her all over the state — from Southeast, to Southcentral, the Interior and, eventually, back to Northwest Alaska, where she's from.
Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, October 13, 2021
After days of fraught testimony, the Anchorage Assembly passes a mask mandate. Also, rural Alaskans ask federal fisheries managers to crack down on salmon bycatch. And the first Alaska Native woman to serve as an Alaska State Trooper retires.
Alaska could see another La Niña winter, but early season snow and temps don’t mean much
That's according to National Weather Service climate researcher Brian Brettschneider, back for our Ask a Climatologist segment.
Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, October 12, 2021
City and tribal leaders in Skagway agree to an archaeological study at the site of a former boarding school. Also, new affordable housing is set to open in Anchorage's Spenard neighborhood. And it's looking like another La Niña this winter.
Alaska News Nightly: Monday, October 11, 2021
Conservative officials pressure the state Pharmacy Board to fill Ivermectin prescriptions. Also, Anchorage's chief equity officer believes mayor Bronson fired him illegally. And a 6.9 earthquake struck near Chignik early Monday morning.
Alaska Supreme Court decision gives joint custody to non-biological mom in same-sex couple that split
The decision is the first of its kind in Alaska involving a same-sex couple. It relies on legal precedent from similar child custody battles between men and women, in which the non-biological parent is deemed a "psychological parent” and retains custody.
Alaska News Nightly: Friday, October 8, 2021
The Anchorage Assembly hears another long night of testimony over a proposed mask mandate. And Alaska legislators are in their fourth special session, with no sign of progress. Also: The University of Alaska Fairbanks is getting the famous "Into the Wild" bus ready for exhibit.
Conflict erupts between Bronson and Assembly on sixth night of combative mask testimony
A stark conflict between Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and Assembly leadership marked the sixth day of chaotic public testimony on a proposed mask mandate for the city.
Two birds migrating from Alaska represent thousands threatened by California oil spill
Two birds that nested this summer in Alaska, where they were banded with lightweight GPS trackers, are now in the area of an oil spill off the coast of California.
Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, October 7, 2021
Alaska doctors say they’re worried about a difficult winter in pediatric hospital wings. Also, a Ketchikan resident discovers more racist vandalism near a school. And two birds that nested in Alaska have been tracked to the area of an oil spill off the coast of California.
Anchorage Assembly mask testimony has gone on as long as any in recent memory, with more to come
Thursday marks the Anchorage Assembly's sixth session scheduled for public testimony on an ordinance that would introduce a mask mandate for the city. Testimony has been heated, with people arrested at meetings and concerns about anti-Semitic behavior and homophobic remarks.
Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she won't cross party lines to vote to increase the debt ceiling. Also, an Anchorage pastor knows he should get a COVID-19 vaccine but can't bring himself to follow through. And a mom in Petersburg gets a difficult diagnosis for herself and her daughter.
Over the last 4 years, 74 people living outside in Anchorage have died, many of hypothermia
More than 70 people experiencing homelessness have died outside in Anchorage in the last four years, according to reporting by Anchorage Daily News reporter Michelle Theriault Boots.
Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, October 5, 2021
Sen. Dan Sullivan proposes a hardline approach to regulating teens' use of social media sites like Facebook. Also, a local reporter delves into the unseen deaths of the unhoused in Anchorage. And Tom Kizzia returns to McCarthy to mine stories for his latest book.
Alaska News Nightly: Monday, October 4, 2021
The Dunleavy administration has released few details on extensive cyberattacks on state government. Also, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation’s top executive asks whether trustees are committed to the corporation’s independence. And a theater company in Skagway prepares for a season when tourists return.
Inside Alaska’s deciduous trees’ decision to drop leaves
The process is called senescence and it's the topic of Ned Rozell's latest column for the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute's Alaska Science Forum.
Alaska News Nightly: Friday, October 1, 2021
Out-of-state healthcare workers settle into hospitals in Alaska. And Alaskans participate in a day honoring the troubled history of Indigenous boarding schools. Also: How and why some trees lose their leaves.
Anchorage’s mayor says masks don’t work. Many experts say they do. Here’s how they know.
Scientific research has shown masks to be a very effective, low cost, low impact way to reduce COVID-19 transmission. That's according to many studies, and Anchorage-based infectious disease specialist Dr. Ben Westley has been reading them.