Lori Townsend, Alaska Public Media

60,000 Americans died in the Vietnam war. Thousands more died in the following years. A new documentary by filmmaker Ken Burns examines the era. In the first of a series of discussions on the war, we'll hear from Alaska Vietnam veterans about how they're doing today, decades after their service and what we've learned as a nation. Listen Here

Some runs were outstanding, some were terrible. On the next Talk of Alaska, we're discussing the state's iconic species-- salmon. Whether you fish for sport, subsistence or make your living as a commercial fisherman or woman, the summer season is wrapping up. Listen Here

Alaskans volunteer to help victims of flooding in Texas; Soldotna retailer sentenced for illegal sales of synthetic marijuana; Marijuana tax revenue trended higher in July; New plan for air quality in Fairbanks gets EPA approval; Wind farm owner takes utility to court over purchase refusal; Alaska student tests show dismal results; Legislation signed into law aims to boost vocational opportunities; Local officials worry about rockslide potential near busy Skagway port; Self taught 18 year old student fluent in multiple languages; Return of Chilkat robe celebrated by southeast tribes

State rejects Exxon's plan for Point Thomson; Governor Walker bullish on gasline but lawmakers have doubts; Anchorage syringe exchange program overwhelmed by demand; Anchorage leaders see uptick in new businesses; Hunting guides charged for illegal hunts; Golden Valley Electric Association approves funding for Healy 2; Battling opioid addiction in Alaska's fishing community; AK-This week: Family Cabin

Walker calls for a fourth special session; Walker lends support to Trump in lawsuit over arctic drilling; Tillerson proposes scrapping arctic and climate envoys; Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz files for re-election; Details of kidnapped Anchorage man's beating emerge as suspects still sought; State budget cuts cause uncertainty for court system positions; State ferry Taku bid process extended; After nearly two decades Bristol Bay Native Corporation reopens quarry;

Federal Appeals court throws out one convictions of former Fairbanks militia leader Schaeffer Cox; Health Care Authority could save state government millions of dollars; Alaska Soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan; Investigators drop inquiry dropped in Zinke calls to Alaska Senators; Sitka Coast Guard members deploy to Texas; St Paul ramps up reindeer program to improve food security; Mat Su fish meeting causes tension for Cook Inlet commercial and sport fishing; The second lives of eagles;

Violent crime spree leaves one dead, another wounded; two inmates that escaped Bethel's jail have been recaptured; The state of Alaska is considering whether it should sue the manufacturers of powerful painkillers; Hurricane, now tropical storm Harvey won't affect Alaska oil prices; One in seven Alaskans are food insecure, the SNAP program helps them; traveling to Sleetmute where two women run a fishwheel; Climate change is affecting Kodiak bears relationship with an important food source, berries; "Lineage: Tlingit Art Across Generations" premieres tomorrow night (Tuesday 8/29) on 360 North.

Fake news. Lame stream media. Journalism these days is getting a really bad rap. In an era when you can find a constant stream of information on the internet 24 hours a day, how important are news organizations? Listen Here

Congress has so far been unsuccessful in attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. There's a lot of debate about how to best contain spiraling health care costs and some Americans say it's time for a national health care plan. Listen now

Alaska is an oil state, but will that be true forever? The state is confronting low oil prices and declining production. Several companies are betting on new production. Others think Alaska needs to grow a different kind of economy. Listen Here

State lawmakers called themselves into a third special session to pass a scaled back capital budget. It was a long time in the making, but does the compromise signal that lawmakers can come together on a longer term budget plan for the state? What sticking points remain? Listen Here

Malcolm Ribot is a transgender man from Illinois who's been traveling around the U.S. for the past nine months helping trans men connect with one another. When his journey started, he just wanted to meet some of his many social media followers. He soon realized his network could support people as they go through gender transition and increase the visibility of the trans community. Now he's in Alaska -- his 49th state. Listen now

This spring, a controversy erupted when an extreme environmentalist launched an online attack on a teenage whaler from St. Lawrence Island. Listen now

State lawmakers called themselves into a third special session in order to pass the smallest capital budget in 17 years. Legislators reached compromise -- but still don't have a long term budget plan for the state's future. Will they call a fourth special session? Listen Here

This morning the president declared that transgender individuals will no longer be allowed to serve in the U.S. military, but thousands already do. That includes service members based in Alaska. Alaska Public Media's Lori Townsend spoke with Air Force Staff Sergeant Emma Horner, who came out as transgender to her fellow military members in October. Listen now

Disability claims for veterans can take up to five years to process. Why? The VA has been plagued with problems for decades. Funding shortages, poor coordination, and a range of complex health issues faced by service members have all created barriers for vets seeking care. Amid increased attention on the problems, are improvements on the horizon? Listen Here

Environmental groups lost their fight to stop the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. But along the way they brought to light an obscure bit of federal code that requires intense scrutiny of every major construction project. Listen Here

In Kotzebue, An aging trove of Inupiat photographs, books and recordings at risk of deteriorating are being assessed in the hope they can be digitized for future use. Listen now

Alaska lawmakers avoided a state government shut down by passing an operating budget, but the deal doesn't address long term stability and both Republicans and Democrats expressed disappointment over things they had to give up. The political divisions remain. Listen Here

40 years ago, the first barrel of oil started flowing down the trans-Alaska pipeline. Completing the pipeline was an epic, three-year saga that required tens of thousands of workers, great feats of engineering and perilous work on mountain passes. On the next Talk of Alaska, we'll explore that pipeline history as part of the series Midnight Oil, from Alaska's Energy Desk. Listen Here