Lisa Phu, KTOO - Juneau
Lisa Phu is a reporter at KTOO in Juneau.
Final Days To Enroll In Health Insurance
The deadline to enroll for health insurance is March 31. If you’re still uninsured after that, you’ll likely not be able to enroll until November. And you’ll also have to pay a tax penalty.
Download Audio
Choose Respect Campaign Marches Across State
Senator Peter Micciche was leading the crowd at Juneau’s Choose Respect march that started on the steps of the State Capitol on Thursday. Governor Sean Parnell’s Choose Respect campaign is geared towards eradicating domestic violence and sexual assault in the state.
Download Audio
Why Mental Illness Is The ‘No-Casserole’ Illness
Mental illness is usually a personal matter, the type of sickness that doesn’t receive much attention. The National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, wants to change that.
Download Audio
What Alaska Natives Need To Know About The Affordable Care Act
For most Americans, the deadline to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act is March 31. For American Indians and Alaska Natives, the process is a little different.
Download Audio
Juneau School Board Unmoved By Travel Ban Task Force, Public Testimony
The Juneau School Board will not reconsider the ban on middle school sports travel, at least for the rest of the school year.
Download Audio
Shakespeare Is Alive In The Capitol City, 24 Hours A Day
If he were alive today, William Shakespeare would be 450 years old in April. In honor of the event, the capitol city is celebrating with its first Bard-A-Thon, 24 hours of Shakespeare readings for eight consecutive days. The non-stop Shakespeare kicked off on Saturday.
Download Audio
Home Depot’s Hiring Initiative Doesn’t Mean Much To Alaska
The Home Depot is touting a nationwide initiative seeking 80,000 “new hires” this spring and summer, including 270 in Alaska — but that’s nothing new. The home improvement retailer is looking to hire 45 seasonal employees in Juneau, 45 in Fairbanks, and 180 in Anchorage.
Empire Reporter Fired Following Disagreement With Publisher
A former Juneau Empire reporter says she was fired when she refused to set up a meeting between the publisher and a legislator on a bill that affects newspapers.
Jennifer Canfield left her job as state capital reporter last week.
Listen Now
From Paying $1,000 A Month For Health Care To $100
A Juneau woman says getting insurance under the Affordable Care Act means she’ll take better care of herself. Prior to January 1st, Bonnie Berg was paying up to $1000 a month for health insurance. Now, she’s paying less than $100.
Download Audio
New Science Released On How Human-Made Sounds Impact Marine Mammals
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is asking for public comment on guidelines updating the effects of human-made sounds on marine mammals.
Download Audio
With Loss Of Dock, Gustavus Residents Worry About Tourist Season
Tuesday’s storm in Southeast caused a state-owned breakwater in Gustavus to dislodge from its pilings and wash ashore on the beach. The 200-foot steel structure also serves as a popular floating dock facility for local residents running charter fishing and whale watching boats. Gustavus residents are wondering what this means for their tourist season.
Download Audio
Juneau Businesses Take The Bitcoin Lead
Bitcoin is a digital currency not backed by any country’s government. The currency only exists on the Internet and has been growing in popularity over the past year and a half. Now, a few businesses in the capital city are starting to deal in bit coin and accept it for payment.
Download Audio
Why The Capital City Isn’t As Likeable As It Should Be
The City and Borough of Juneau has yet to join the more than one billion users on Facebook, though other governments use social media regularly. While city employees may be personal users, most don’t use it in a professional capacity to push information or interact with the public. But the city of Juneau is beginning to develop a social media policy.
Download Audio
Juneau Dogs Suffer From Kennel Cough
Suspected cases of kennel cough in dogs have recently spiked in Juneau. An animal shelter has cancelled its daily dog daycare and is quarantining its kennel.
Preventing Language Loss: A 3-Step Process
Indigenous languages throughout North America are teetering on extinction. In Southeast Alaska, less than 200 people can speak Tlingit, Haida, or Tsimshian. But a Tlingit language expert suggests indigenous language loss can be prevented by addressing it at three levels.
Download Audio
CNN To Spotlight Alaska’s High Rape Numbers
CNN will examine Alaska’s struggle with sexual assault and domestic violence in its Change The List project, propelling the issue to the national stage. The news agency sent a reporter to the state to start exploring the problem.
Download Audio
What Would You Do With 9 Tons Of Salmon You Can’t Sell?
Juneau’s soup kitchen and shelter recently received a donation of salmon with an estimated retail value of more than $100,000.
Download Audio
Governor Continues 100-Year-Old Holiday Tradition
Russian tea cookies, white chocolate coconut clusters, and star-shaped butter cookies are just a small sampling of what was available Tuesday afternoon at the Governor’s Annual Christmas and Holiday Open House.
Download Audio
Participants Voice Hopes And Realities At Domestic Violence Prevention Summit
The Second Annual Prevention Summit kicked off Tuesday in Juneau. Sponsored by the stateCouncil on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, the three-day summit at Centennial Hall brings together teams from 19 communities with the goal of exchanging ideas about prevention.
Download Audio
How To Save An Endangered Language
Speaking an endangered language at home is the essence of language revitalization, according to author Leanne Hinton. She’s written the book Bringing Our Languages Home and was recently in Juneau for the Tlingit Tribes and Clans Conference.
Download Audio