Katie Anastas, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Anchorage parents scramble to arrange carpools amid school bus cancellations
Families are turning to social media in search of carpools and other alternatives after district officials announced there aren’t enough bus drivers to transport all students.
Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Today is Alaska's first-ever ranked choice election, but not all voters like the new system. Three people were stabbed in Ketchikan, and police are searching for a motive. And Anchorage parents scramble to arrange carpools during a district-wide bus driver shortage.
Alaska News Nightly: Monday, August 15, 2022
The federal government could take over management of silver salmon at the lower Kuskokwim River. Also, a former Mat-Su Borough Assembly member says Representative David Eastman shouldn't hold office. And electric vehicle drivers head to the northernmost point on the road system.
‘This is not a gay virus’: Health officials address misconceptions about monkeypox
Outreach about vaccines is currently targeted to gay and bisexual men and transgender people, but monkeypox can spread during any prolonged skin-to-skin contact.
Alaska News Nightly: Friday, August 12, 2022
Three people died and two were injured in a fire at a Bethel housing complex. Conservative gubernatorial candidates go after Gov. Mike Dunleavy's record. And health officials address misconceptions about monkeypox.
Anchorage School District will start school year without mask mandate
If a COVID outbreak occurs within a class, sports team or set of classrooms, district leaders could add additional mitigation measures. Those could include a mask requirement, limited visitor access or a temporary classroom closure.
Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, August 11, 2022
The Anchorage Assembly wants to know how the city's former health director was hired with a fraudulent resume. Republican candidates in the special election are competing for the same pool of voters. Dipnetting brings crowds and their trash to Kenai Peninsula beaches, and volunteers are cleaning up.
Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson launches an investigation into the hiring of the former health director. Also, a new report looks at possible causes of the 2020 plane crash that killed a Soldotna representative and six others. And Denali National Park gets some mid-summer snowfall.
Anchorage students will go weeks without bus service amid driver shortage
The Anchorage School District only has enough drivers to serve 7,000 students out of the 20,000 that use the bus.
Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, August 9, 2022
An investigation shows Anchorage's former health director lied about his education and military experience. Also, federal officials hope to expand broadband access throughout the state. And a rural school district is making it easier for local people to become teachers.
Alaska News Nightly: Monday, August 8, 2022
Cruise passengers say Holland America is sending them home on state ferries if they get COVID. Also, inflation and low salmon runs are leaving Yukon River families hungry. And Anchorage schools compete with fast food restaurants as they struggle to hire cafeteria workers.
Anchorage school meal program faces worker shortage, loss of pandemic funding
District leaders say they’re competing with restaurants and grocery stores for a small pool of food service workers.
Alaska News Nightly: Friday, August 5, 2022
Advocates demand that Anchorage police officers carry the opioid overdose reversing medication Narcan. Indigenous leaders respond after parents sue over a school's use of tribal values. And tourists find a time capsule from 2006 near Juneau's Mendenhall Glacier.
Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, August 4, 2022
Economists say Anchorage has plenty of open jobs, but not enough workers to fill them. A Ketchikan couple sues over a school's use of traditional tribal values. And biologists have a shocking new way to catch an invasive species of crayfish.
Anchorage School District could suspend bus routes due to driver shortage
Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt says the district is currently 75 bus drivers short.
Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, August 3, 2022
Homeless advocates worry as outdoor deaths increase in Anchorage. Community leaders in Southeast say the lack of affordable housing is contributing to a labor shortage. And a 17-year-old stops in Unalaska during his quest to become youngest person to fly solo around the world.
University of Alaska Foundation creates fund for Ukrainian students
The Ukrainian Student Support fund will help students who've resettled in Alaska pay for tuition, textbooks and other expenses at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, August 2, 2022
Sen. Dan Sullivan says he supports Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan. Ukrainian refugees find a new home in a former state ferry. And the death of the Alaska Zoo's lone wolf signals the end of her pack's reign.
Alaska News Nightly: Monday, August 1, 2022
Federal funding is set to boost Internet access in rural Alaska. Without the state's Ocean Rangers program, Glacier Bay National Park turns to independent inspectors. And the Anchorage Assembly now has a process to remove a mayor for a breach of public trust.
New K-12 charter school will serve growing Alaska Native population in Mat-Su Borough
The Knik Cultural Charter School will offer in-person learning, a homeschool program and a blended option. The Knik Tribe has spent the last three years planning the school with the help of a federal grant.