Kirsten Swann, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Kirsten Swann is a producer and reporter for Alaska Public Media.
LISTEN: Alaska’s heath care workforce shortage threatens the growing industry. How are communities working to meet the demand?
Alaska's health care industry is growing, and the need for nurses and other health care professionals is on the rise. Studies warn of a looming nursing shortage. How are communities around the state working to meet the healthcare workforce demand?
Can a new housing development help pave the way for commercial growth in Downtown Anchorage?
Elizabeth Place, named after Alaska Native civil rights champion Elizabeth Peratrovich, is the first major downtown housing development to open its doors in more than a decade.
Feds to change food assistance rules, providers worry more Alaskans will go hungry
Those affected by the changes could include Alaskans living in rural communities with weak cash economies and few jobs, and people experiencing homelessness, mental illnesses, substance abuse disorders and more.
Samoa is fighting a deadly measles outbreak, and Alaska public health officials are paying attention
Alaska’s measles immunization rate remains below the national average, and below the level necessary to fully protect a community from the disease.
Following flu season spike, Anchorage public health officials on track to quadruple immunizations
The municipal health department worked with the Anchorage School District to host dozens of free public immunization clinics at schools throughout the city.
As Anchorage grapples with homelessness, ConocoPhillips grants $150k to community housing program
The Community Housing Project provides families facing homelessness with rapid rehousing, short-term rental assistance and case management, and since launching in 2016, it's served nearly 100 households.
LISTEN: A growing number of Alaska kids have health insurance. Here’s why that’s good for adults, too.
About nine percent of Alaska children are currently uninsured — nearly twice the national average.
How to keep teens safer? This Anchorage group says the solution starts with Friday nights.
Research illustrates the powerful positive impact regular extracurricular activities can have on teens' well-being.
Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019
With winter closing in, whalers in Utqiaġvik haven't landed a single bowhead whale. Also: Unalaska residents brace for at least another 10 days with no scheduled air service. For one mom,that means being separated from her kids.
Alaska News Nightly: Friday, Oct. 18, 2019
A passenger describes what it was like on board the plane that crash landed in Dutch Harbor yesterday, killing one person. Also: Corporate leaders express support for the effort to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy on day two of the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention in Fairbanks.
Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019
In Fairbanks, a protest erupts on the first day of the AFN convention. Also: Sen. Lisa Murkowski responds to the latest revelations regarding the President and Ukraine.
Brian Smith, jailed for murder filmed in an Anchorage hotel, charged in second killing
The new charges are connected to the death of 53-year-old Veronica R. Abouchuk, whose remained were discovered near the Old Glenn Highway in April.
After summer of record heat, Alaska health officials see spike in scombroid poisoning from fish
Caused by eating fish that has not been properly chilled, symptoms can last up to 48 hours and include severe headaches, palpitations, blurred vision and abdominal cramps.
Overcrowded for years, Anchorage’s domestic violence shelter is about to expand
The $4.6 million expansion project will increase shelter capacity from 52 beds to 67 beds.
Alaska nonprofit, businesses pledge $40M to combat homelessness in Anchorage
The investment will fund supportive housing, transitional programs, shelters and various other services, guided by Anchorage’s strategic plan for ending homelessness in the community.
Anchorage’s sewer system is full of debris. Now there’s a giant vacuum to clean it out
Instead of paying $11 million to hire an outside company to clean just a portion of the city's pipes, the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility invested $2.6 million in the equipment to do the job itself.
Heavy rain triggers Anchorage flood advisory
The flood advisory warned that heavy rainfall could affect small creeks, urban areas, roadways and other low-lying areas.
Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019
Coastal Alaska communities are bracing for higher ticket prices and big reductions in ferry service. Also: It's time to stock up on your supply of reusable grocery bags — Anchorage's plastic ban bag goes into effect Sept. 15.
Alaska communities used to have plenty of fresh water. Then came severe drought
After an unprecedented summer drought drained reservoirs and wells across Alaska, hundreds of people face immediate water shortages — and lingering questions about the future.
Renewable energy in Alaska
From hydropower to solar energy, renewable and alternative energy projects are taking root statewide. What are the challenges -- and emerging opportunities -- when it comes to developing new power sources in the Land of the Midnight Sun?