Jeff Chen, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
New facility aims to improve options for Alaskans with memory loss
https://youtu.be/bqE1Xk6h7e4
Caring for someone with memory loss can be exhausting both physically and emotionally. The number of people with Alzheimer’s or dementia in Alaska is set to almost double by 2030.
Given the growing need,...
Anchorage group rallies for reproductive rights in wake of Supreme Court leak
Roughly 200 people attended the rush hour reproductive rights rally Tuesday in the wake of the release of a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion that suggests justices are poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Her son’s death sparked a mission to save others from fentanyl overdose
Alaska experienced a nearly 70% increase in the number of drug overdose deaths between 2020 and 2021, according to preliminary data from the state health department. That means 245 Alaskans died from an overdose in 2021, including Anchorage resident Bruce Snodgrass. Alaska Public Media’s Jeff Chen brings us a story of his mother who wants to make sure her son is more than a statistic.
Meet 12 Iditarod dogs from Steve, who’s kind of a jerk, to Nala, the peppy cheerleader
We’ve been publishing a “dog of the day” during the Iditarod. Here’s a round-up of who we’ve met so far.
Tempest, who barks at the sparkles in the snow
Tempest is Jessie Holmes’s lead dog. She’s a sweetheart who likes to bark at just about anything, he said. Without a dog like her, he said, “you just can’t pull off what we’re trying to pull off.”
In Unalakleet, pizza orders from around the world give exhausted mushers a boost
“Nice to be in Eskimo country!” said Iñupiaq musher Ryan Redington. He said his mother was born and raised in Unalakleet, and it’s been nice to visit with the community.
This trio of Iditarod mushers teamed up to navigate a heavy snowstorm
The trail and the non-trail looked exactly the same on the way into McGrath. The only way to tell the difference: When they stepped off the trail, they sank into hip-deep snow.
Here’s what McGrath looks like as Iditarod mushers settle into their 24-hour stop
One musher has regrets. Another is focused on canine appetite. And a third is relieved to have survived the "spiciest" trail.
Iditarod teams navigate rough, windblown trail into Nikolai
Hugh Neff said his 54-year-old arms were exhausted by the constant bumping. “I’ve taken a few Tylenols, let’s say,” he said.
Aaron Burmeister and his 13-dog team are first to McGrath
For his first-place arrival, Burmeister won a pair of locally-made musher mitts and a musher hat.
Here’s what some of the first Iditarod mushers remember about the early years of the 1,000-mile race
A couple hundred people packed into the basement of Settlers Bay Lodge last week to commemorate the earlier years of the Iditarod.
Before first light, lead Iditarod teams pull into Finger Lake checkpoint
Finger Lake is about 125 miles into the 1,000-mile race.
Our favorite 30 photos from the snowy 2022 Iditarod ceremonial start
As one race fan put it, the Iditarod felt back to "normal-ish."
Pediatricians say misinformation is a barrier to kids getting vaccinated
In Alaska, only 25% of kids aged 5 to 11 have received at least one shot. Nationally, 31% have.
Home is home: finding a way to stay amid a housing shortage in rural Alaska
Overcrowding is a perennial problem in rural Alaska, but the Covid-19 pandemic has made living with it harder. Cramped conditions offer little space to work from home, conduct virtual schooling, or quarantine, and put many multigenerational households at increased risk of infection. Tackling the problem isn’t easy, but, as Erin McKinstry reports for Alaska Public Media, federal COVID funds are offering some relief in the Bering Straits Region.
How to grow tea at -35°F | INDIE ALASKA
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Alaska, tea connoisseur Jenny Tse takes us on a tour of the world's first geothermal tea farm, hand-rolls a batch of tea leaves, and serves up the freshest cup of hot tea in the heart of winter.
Photos: Operation Santa delivers to Buckland, but weather delays Chevak presents
A camouflaged Santa whirled into Buckland on a funny-looking sleigh this year. As part of its annual Operation Santa Claus, the Alaska National Guard delivered 261 presents to the community in northwest Alaska on December 14. Santa says he'll drop off 360 gifts to Chevak after the holidays and once weather conditions allow.
State hopes upcoming agricultural land sale near Nenana will bear fruit
Alaska is working on its next big effort to promote agriculture -- a large-scale land auction in the Interior.
Healing together: Alaskans share experiences overcoming trauma
Here's how these Alaskans are confronting intergenerational traumas with different ways of healing.
Climbing COVID-19 case rates are affecting young Alaskans too | Alaska Insight
As Alaska leads the nation in Covid case rates, school districts are struggling to keep staff and students safe with in-person learning. What information do parents and guardians need to help keep their families safe?