Erin McKinstry, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Erin McKinstry is Alaska Public Media's 2018 summer intern. She has an M.A. from the University of Missouri's School of Journalism and a B.A. from Knox College. She's reported stories for The Trace, The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, Harvest Public Media, the IRE Radio Podcast, KBIA and The Columbia Missourian.
Ten-year-old organizes kid’s bike race to promote healthy lungs
The organizer of a kid's bike race in Anchorage Saturday wants to raise awareness for the importance of healthy lungs.
Cooks and dishwashers left behind in new statewide tipping regulation, restaurants say
For years the federal government has been grappling with who owns tips and whether employers can tell servers what to do with them. To clarify, the Alaska Department of Labor implemented a new regulation last month that prohibits restaurant owners from requiring servers to give tips to back-of-house staff like cooks and dishwashers. Listen now
Spruce beetles take flight in search of new host trees
Spruce beetles may be native to Alaska, but they can still devastate a spruce forest. Over the last two years, an outbreak concentrated in southcentral Alaska’s Susitna River drainage and northwest Kenai Peninsula has affected more than 500,000 acres of forest.
Alaska Botanical Garden celebrates 25 years
Garden executive director Mike Monterusso says the Garden aims to do two main things: to operate as a museum that preserves, labels and catalogs plants and to teach the public about plants and their connection to them. Listen now
Junior runners battle heat at Seward’s 91st Mount Marathon Race on Wednesday
David Norris and Jessica Yeaton won the men’s and the women’s races today at Seward’s 91st Mt. Marathon Race. The course has been touted as one of the most difficult races in the world. Runners brave heat, slippery slopes, falling rocks and a 3,022-foot elevation gain. And it’s not just adults in their prime.
AK: Two runners, an Alaskan and a Spaniard, run for bone marrow donation awareness
Sometimes all it takes is a cotton swab to save someone's life. For a little over 30 years, the National Marrow Donor Program through the Be the Match registry, has been collecting cheek swabs from potential donors. But the registry still lacks diversity and numbers and many of the patients who require a transplant, never receive it. Listen now
Climate change may have sparked human migration into Interior Alaska, UAF study finds
Climate change may have spurred the first humans to move into interior Alaska. A new University of Alaska-Fairbanks study, released on Tuesday, found that around 15,000 years ago, the Bering Land Bridge became much wetter and warmer. That coincides with when people began to leave it. Listen now
Campbell Creek Science Center offers reward for information on stolen mammoth tusk
Someone stole a 10,000-year-old mammoth tusk from the Campbell Creek Science Center in March. They're now offering a $500 reward for information. Listen now
NN Cannery History Project collects stories of former cannery workers
In canneries, the term "Mug Up" means coffee break. It’s also the name of a new effort to share the history of the NN Cannery, a now-closed cannery in South Naknek that functioned almost continuously for 120 years. Listen now
New Anchorage museum exhibit hopes to shed light on pingos
A new sculpture is more than something to look at. It’s an interactive, mixed-reality experience that can educate urban Alaskans about the northernmost part of our state. Listen now
Romig Middle Schoolers present history project at the Smithsonian
Forty-one students from across Alaska headed to Maryland this week to compete in the National History Day contest. They're joining students from across the country and the world. As part of the contest, a team of eighth graders from Anchorage has also been invited to showcase their exhibit about the Berlin Wall at the Smithsonian today. Listen now
Special Olympics Summer Games foster independence and inclusiveness
Around 250 athletes from across the state will compete this weekend at the Special Olympics Summer Games in Anchorage. The games are about competition, but they’re also about bringing together athletes from across the state and fostering independence and inclusivity. Listen now