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.
Mat-Su blaze ignites in dry grass, grows to 120 acres
Firefighters are working to contain a wildfire that started in dry grass Wednesday in the Point MacKenzie area of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, southwest of Wasilla.
Alaska wildfire officials preach prevention, with pandemic limiting out-of-state help
Alaskans saw huge impacts from wildfires last summer that required thousands of Outside firefighters to come to the state. But this year, Alaska-based fire managers are expecting less help from out of state due...
Ravn files plan to liquidate, as bankruptcy proceeds
The liquidation plan still needs to be approved in court, but it is a signal that Ravn, once Alaska’s largest rural airline, is ready to call it quits.
LISTEN: Anchorage dog daycare limping along, for now, though bitten by pandemic shutdown
A doggie daycare in Anchorage called Dog Tired has had a rough go during the pandemic, like a lot of businesses.
LISTEN: Mat-Su School Board book ban draws ire after vote with no public comments
The school board in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough voted 5-2 Wednesday night to ban a list of five books deemed “controversial,” as well as high school journalism curriculum from the New York Times.
LISTEN: Alaska river forecasters continue to keep a close eye on breakup
Spring breakup across Alaska has the potential to cause severe flooding in riverside communities, especially after a cold, snowy winter this year across much of the state.
LISTEN: With doors closed for now, Anchorage toy store turns to online orders and curbside pickup
The experience of strolling through a toy store's aisles for action figures, games and other items of delight is, like a lot of things, on hold during the pandemic. But at least two locally owned Anchorage stores are continuing to sell toys.
LISTEN: Stuck in Alaska, Iditarod champ hopes old plane bound for Norway museum can get him and dogs home
Waerner has been living with friends near Fairbanks in Ester, all because of cornavirus-related, international travel restrictions, coupled with the normal difficulties and rules around flying dogs internationally.
LISTEN: Anchorage barber optimistic a month into shutdown, ‘but some weren’t in a position to weather this’
Hundreds of hair care and beauty industry businesses in Alaska have had to shut down in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
A barbershop in Anchorage called Hair Science is just one of them. Hair Science’s...
LISTEN: Cordova mayor says salmon season can still be safe amid pandemic, but it’ll likely be different
The Alaska fishing communities conflicted about the idea of an influx of out-of-town commercial fishermen and processing plant workers include the Prince William Sound city of Cordova. Hundreds of Cordova residents have signed a petition asking Mayor Clay Koplin to restrict most travel to the community.
LISTEN: Denali lodge owner weighs economics and ethics of late opening amid coronavirus uncertainty
Camp Denali and the North Face Lodge are naturalist-oriented accommodations in the heart of Denali National Park. The business is just one many in the Denali area depending on tourism income that, for the foreseeable future, is nonexistent due to coronavirus related travel restrictions.
LISTEN: Digging in to the Ravn bankruptcy case
RavnAir Group is in bankruptcy, with $91 million in debt and lenders who want a fire sale of the company’s assets. Alaska Public Media's Nat Herz has been following the case and talked to Alaska News Nightly host Casey Grove about it.
Ask a Climatologist: Our ‘cold’ winter would’ve been balmy back in the ’70s
While it felt cold to Alaskans, that's not really saying much, says University of Alaska Fairbanks Climatologist Brian Brettschneider. That's because the last few years have also included some of the warmest winters ever in Alaska.
LISTEN: Anchorage meal program seeks to feed hungry, including some recently out of work
With more people needing help feeding their children and themselves, Children’s Lunchbox has launched a new initiative to raise money for what they call “pantry packs.”
Alaska’s largest private employer, ASRC, cuts jobs after coronavirus causes oil price collapse
Alaska’s largest private-sector employer, Arctic Slope Regional Corp., has laid off employees and cut charitable giving due to the collapse in oil prices and the economic shutdown caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.
Amid pandemic, Alaska courts order no jail for most misdemeanors, new pathway for bail
Police around Alaska are under temporary, coronavirus-related orders to not jail anyone on misdemeanor charges except for domestic violence or stalking. And for inmates seeking release from jail, it is now possible to request a bail hearing due to concerns over coronavirus.
Alaska National Guard calls up 65 members for state coronavirus response, hundreds more on standby
The Guard’s planes and helicopters could be key to moving sick people from rural Alaska to advanced medical care.
Fairbanks is now considered Alaska’s coronavirus ‘hot spot’
Alaska health officials are now calling the Fairbanks area the “hot spot” for coronavirus in Alaska. That’s despite more total cases in Anchorage, where there’s also been two deaths, and a higher percentage of cases in Ketchikan relative to that city’s population.
Alaska News Nightly: Monday, March 30, 2020
A new study shows the current "hunker down" mandate could be necessary for months. And Alaska lawmakers passed a budget that doesn't include a stimulus payment.
Anchorage patient first to die from COVID-19 in Alaska
The first person to die in Alaska after testing positive for COVID-19 passed away Friday at Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage.