Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska - Juneau
Ed Schoenfeld is Regional News Director for CoastAlaska, a consortium of public radio stations in Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg and Wrangell.
He primarily covers Southeast Alaska regional topics, including the state ferry system, transboundary mining, the Tongass National Forest and Native corporations and issues.
He has also worked as a manager, editor and reporter for the Juneau Empire newspaper and Juneau public radio station KTOO. He’s also reported for commercial station KINY in Juneau and public stations KPFA in Berkley, WYSO in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and WUHY in Philadelphia. He’s lived in Alaska since 1979 and is a contributor to Alaska Public Radio Network newscasts, the Northwest (Public Radio) News Network and National Native News. He is a board member of the Alaska Press Club. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, he lives in Douglas.
He primarily covers Southeast Alaska regional topics, including the state ferry system, transboundary mining, the Tongass National Forest and Native corporations and issues.
He has also worked as a manager, editor and reporter for the Juneau Empire newspaper and Juneau public radio station KTOO. He’s also reported for commercial station KINY in Juneau and public stations KPFA in Berkley, WYSO in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and WUHY in Philadelphia. He’s lived in Alaska since 1979 and is a contributor to Alaska Public Radio Network newscasts, the Northwest (Public Radio) News Network and National Native News. He is a board member of the Alaska Press Club. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, he lives in Douglas.
Public Broadcasting Budget Cut Almost 25 Percent
Alaska’s public broadcasters dodged a bullet when the legislature’s regular session ended Monday. House and Senate negotiators decided on a 23.5 percent budget reduction. A proposed cut more than twice that size could have forced at least five stations off the air. It also would have dramatically reduced programming at other outlets.
Gov. Walker Proposes Larger Ferry Budget
Gov. Bill Walker says the state ferry system needs more money to avoid “crippling cuts” during the next fiscal year.
Some Alaska Ferry Trips On The Chopping Block
More than 9,000 people are booked for Alaska Marine Highway sailings that will likely be cut due to budget reductions.
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Update: Hyder Border Closure Keeps Emergency Access
Canadian officials say the small Southeast Alaska town of Hyder will continue to have 24-hour-a-day access to emergency health care.
Hyder Residents Concerned Over Nightly Border Closure
Residents of the small Southeast Alaska town of Hyder no longer have nighttime access to emergency medical care. Canadian officials began closing the road linking Hyder with nearby Stewart, British Columbia, on April 1.
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USFS Celebrates Big Thorne Decision As Environmental Groups Weight Options
The U.S. Forest Service says a Friday court decision allowing a timber sale will help speed changes in Tongass National Forest logging. But opponents say it will damage other Southeast Alaska industries.
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Alaska Ferry Rates Rising For Commercial Customers
You’ve probably heard that state ferry fares are going up in May. The Alaska Marine Highway System also plans to increase commercial rates later this year.
Campbell To Serve as Interim Director of DOT Southcoast Region
A Department of Transportation insider is the new manager of the agency’s division overseeing Southeast Alaska. Commissioner Marc Luiken on Tuesday announced Rob Campbell will fill in as interim director of DOT’s Southcoast Region. That includes Southeast, plus coastal Southcentral and Southwest Alaska. Campbell already directs the department’s Central Region, which includes Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
Rupert Delegation Lobbying for Continued Connections
Prince Rupert leaders are in Juneau this week to lobby for continued connections with Southeast Alaska. Budget cuts threaten to reduce state ferry sailings to and from the British Columbia port city. And policy differences have blocked construction of a new ferry terminal there. Rupert Mayor Lee Brain says the marine highway link helps economies on both sides of the border.
“Scrubbers” to Cut Cruise Ship Pollution
Cruise lines that sail Alaska waters are installing new pollution-control equipment. It’s aimed at clearing the air — and meeting new regulations. But it’s also dodging some stronger, more expensive measures. The stuff that comes out of cruise ship smokestacks can cloud the air, leaving a haze over port cities, and plumes along their routes.
Fast Ferry Engine Damage Could Affect Service
One of the Alaska Marine Highway’s new ferry engines is down. That could affect service in Southeast and Prince William Sound. Department of Transportation spokesman Jeremy Woodrow says a gear tooth broke Saturday on one of four engines powering the fast ferry Fairweather. Sunday’s sailing was cancelled. The ship, which is temporarily based in Cordova, sails to Whittier and Valdez, though not always on the same day.
Feds Turning Tongass Land Over To Sealaska
Sealaska Corp. gets its new land on Friday. The federal Bureau of Land Managementwill sign paperwork that day turning over 70,000 acres of the Tongass National Forest to the corporation.
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State Considers B.C. Mines As Promoters Plan Visit
The Walker-Mallott administration announced Wednesday that it’s set up a working group to address the transboundary mining boom near Southeast Alaska. The news comes as British Columbia’s mine-regulation agency plans meetings with Alaska fishermen and tribal groups.
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Update: Tlingit-Haida OKs Same-Sex Marriages
Southeast Alaska’s largest tribal organization has authorized its courts to perform same-sex marriages. The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska announced its new policy Monday.
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Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska OKs Same-Sex Marriage
Southeast Alaska’s largest tribal organization has authorized its courts to perform same-sex marriages. The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska announced its new policy Monday.
300 Villages: Douglas
This week, we're heading to Douglas- a former gold mining town that's now part of the Juneau Borough but still maintains it's unique character. Ed Schoenfeld is News Director for CoastAlaska. He's also a musician who's written half a dozen songs about his community.
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Mine Dam Collapse Report Cites Bad Design
Poor design led to last summer’s catastrophic failure of a British Columbia mine tailings pond. That’s the conclusion of an investigation ordered by provincial officials and released Friday.
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Walker Says Rupert Terminal Will Be Rebuilt
Gov. Bill Walker says he’ll continue pushing for construction of a new ferry terminal in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. His administration cancelled project bidding Jan. 21 due to a dispute over construction materials.
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Business Leaders Meet For Innovation Summit
More than 200 business leaders, researchers and policy-makers gather in Juneau this week for the 2015 Innovation Summit.
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Walker Names Transportation Commissioner
There’s a new boss at the state agency overseeing, roads, airports and ferries. Gov. Bill Walker on Friday named Marc Luiken as his commissioner of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.
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