Lisa Phu, KTOO - Juneau
Lisa Phu is a reporter at KTOO in Juneau.
Juneau man lowers damages sought from hiker who sprung his traps
A Juneau trapper has lowered the amount of damages he's seeking in a lawsuit against a hiker who sprang his traps last December.
For middle schoolers to love Shakespeare, they must know Shakespeare
Thanks to a national program called Any Given Child, every Juneau eighth grader got to see Perseverance Theatre’s “Othello” before it closed on Sunday. To help prepare students, the theater’s education director went into the classrooms and had the students act it out.
Download Audio
‘I thought he was safe,’ brother says of man found dead in wetlands
John Knudson, 56, is one of at least eight people who have died outside in Juneau over the past three years. His body was found in the Mendenhall Wetlands in mid-September.
Download Audio
UAS student gov’t votes to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Students at the University of Alaska Southeast will recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Oct. 12, a day otherwise known as Columbus Day. The student government recently passed a resolution to do this on the second Monday of every October.
Download Audio
Broken partnership puts Juneau senior housing project in limbo
A partnership that was going to bring 41 units of low-income senior housing to Juneau has ended, leaving a Seattle-based developer with $9 million in funding and no land to build on.
Download Audio
UAS to offer marine transportation degree program
Students and mariners will soon be able to get formal marine transportation education without leaving the state. The University of Alaska Board of Regents last week approved a new marine transportation degree program at the University of Alaska Southeast.
Juneau Empire to lay off 5 employees, consolidate with other newspapers
The Juneau Empire and Capital City Weekly recently told five of its employees they were being laid off. Three people in the business office and two graphic designers are losing their jobs by the end of the year. Those duties will be done either in Anchorage or outsourced to another country.
After 18 years of bagels, Juneau’s Silverbow Bakery to close Oct. 4
The Silverbow Bakery in downtown Juneau is closing. For 18 years, the eatery has been a popular gathering spot for locals and visitors. It’s known for its cookies, soups and sandwiches and, of course, its bagels.
Download Audio
State to provide language assistance to Yup’ik, Gwich’in voters
In a historic settlement, the state has agreed to provide increased language assistance for voters who speak Yup’ik and Gwich’in.
Download Audio
After amputation, the mobility of a sea kayak beckons
A spinal cord injury or amputation doesn’t have to stop someone from being active on the water. A few Juneau instructors now have the know-how to modify kayaking equipment for people of all abilities after a training that wrapped up Tuesday.
Download Audio
‘What the pink!?’ Has breast cancer activism veered off course?
Karuna Jaggar wants to provide a counter narrative to the pink ribbon culture, also known as the “tyranny of cheerfulness.” Jaggar is executive director of Breast Cancer Action, a national education and advocacy organization. She was part of a panel that toured Alaska called “What the Pink?!”
Download Audio
Mendenhall Glacier ice caves on Smithsonian Magazine’s ‘bucket list’
Smithsonian Magazine has listed Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier ice caves on a list of “25 Great New Places to See.” It’s number six on the “life list” or “bucket list,” beaten out by the largest cave located in Vietnam, gorilla trekking in East Africa and the Alma Telescope in Chile.
State ferry LeConte rescues six men from overturned skiff
The LeConte state ferry recently rescued six men that were stranded in the water.
Juneau hiker who freed eagle and sprung traps sued by trapper
The woman who freed a trapped eagle and was cited for springing other traps is heading back to court. In January, the State of Alaska dropped its case against Kathleen Turley. Now, the trapper is suing her for damages in small claims court.
Download Audio:
Juneau Library to launch Alaska Native stories project
The Juneau Public Library system embarks on an oral history project this spring collecting Alaska Native stories on educational experiences. The capital city’s library is one of ten picked from more than 300 national applicants to bring StoryCorps to the community.
Download Audio
Judge strikes down law restricting Medicaid-funded abortions
The Alaska Superior Court today struck down a state law that would have limited Medicaid coverage of abortions for low-income women. The judge found the law, which imposes a strict definition of "medically necessary abortion” violates the equal protection guarantees of Alaska’s constitution.
Download Audio
Juneau protest looks to give BC mines a classic Alaska ‘boot’
Xtratuf boots are ubiquitous in Southeast Alaska and often associated with fishing. On Wednesday, about a hundred pairs of the brown rubber boots along with photos of Alaskans were on the steps of the Capitol building to protest mines in British Columbia.
Download Audio
Comrades fondly remember Iraq War veteran ‘Eskimo Joe’
Earlier this month, 49-year-old Joseph Murphy died at Juneau’s prison 12 hours after being booked on noncriminal charges. Among other things, Murphy was an Iraq War veteran. His squad commander says it changed him forever.
Download Audio
Parents feel sticker shock at rising price of high school activity fees
Classes in Juneau are just starting on Thursday, but some high school activities have been underway for weeks. This school year, the district has drastically cut funding for activities and athletics, leaving some parents paying hundreds of dollars more for their kid to participate.
Download Audio
AK: Saving a life by leaving it behind
It’s been a year since Juneau resident Jennifer Fletcher started to publicly present herself as a woman, less than two years since she first started to shed her male identity and rebuild herself as female. But the inner journey to get to that point started long before then.
Download Audio: