Lori Townsend, Alaska Public Media

Yupik carver Drew Michael and painter Elizabeth Ellis created 5 foot tall masks in an exhibit called ‘Aggravated Organisms’ to represent the 10 most prevalent diseases impacting Alaskans. After 3 years of touring the masks to Alaska communities across the state and a showing in Seattle, Michael has decided to end the educational journey of these masks through the traditional method of burning. The ceremony will be held on the lawn of the Anchorage museum. At the same time, Michael plans to put out a statewide call to promote healing through community cohesiveness and mutual support. Listen now

What was the original intent of the Alaska Permanent Fund? A rainy day savings account for Government funding after oil was depleted or a fund to pay citizens a dividend and subsidize programs? What happens if the fund is drawn down to help shore up budget shortfalls? We’ll discuss a UAF course designed to answer these questions with former state government officials who were there during the early days.

Alaska's bears haven't changed in the last two decades, but scientific understanding of them has. Back country enthusiast and writer Bill Sherwonit has released an updated version of his book Alaska's Bears. Listen now

More than two dozen murders have taken place in Anchorage since the beginning of the year. APD reports that of the 15 homicides since June, six were engaged in drugs or other criminal activity. Four were domestic violence killings. Five were in isolated areas of the city in the late evening/early morning hours, prompting APD to caution citizens to “Be extra aware of their surroundings and to report any suspicious person or activity to police.” The long message also says, “If you plan to be out late at night, make sure you travel with several friends and not alone.” Listen Now

Alaska's new Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth is no stranger to litigation. Lindemuth has been practicing law in the state for nearly 20 years and has argued cases before the Alaska Supreme Court and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Lindemuth also represented clients pro bono, including one of the men known as the Fairbanks Four, helping to secure the release of the men after 18 years in prison. Listen now

The pinch of state budget cuts is being felt across the state. How will these impacts affect Alaska University system campuses, especially the smaller campuses? What can the university system do to build in sustainability and long term fiscal stability? Listen Now

There's a lot of former Midwesterners in Alaska, and if you lived in Minnesota or Wisconsin in the 1970s and got your news from KSTP in Minneapolis, then Barry ZeVan the weatherman was a celebrity you knew. Listen now

There was a lot of concern about a big fire season this summer after a winter of very low snow fall and a dry spring. There were some burns but the season was not remarkable for fire, it was more of note for hot temps, then rainfall, mudslides and flooding. El Nino is getting to the geriatric stage and La Nina may be moving in. What will that mean for the next 6 months? We’ll talk to the climate experts and find out. Listen Now

Alaskan author Bill Streever likes to tackle big topics in his writing. His best selling book Cold, covers everything from avalanches to expeditions into the world's most frigid places. His next book, Heat was a similar examination of the science and stories of the world's hottest places. His newest work seems like the biggest challenge yet, a fascinating focus on moving air. Streever's -And Soon I Heard a Roaring Wind- is a look at the natural history of wind through science, stories and his own narrative as he and his wife sailed the Gulf of Mexico. Listen now

Wind impacts everything from seed distribution to powering light bulbs. In the fascinating, deep dive tradition of his first two best-selling books ‘Cold’ and ‘Heat’, author Bill Streever examines all aspects of moving air in his latest book, ‘And Soon I Heard a Roaring Wind.’

Opioid abuse and addiction is a national crisis and Alaska is suffering the impacts of prescription and illegal drug problems right along with the rest of the country. An upcoming summit on opioid abuse will take place in Palmer next week and the nation’s top Health and Veterans officials will be here for it. Listen Now

Governor Walker’s plans for overhauling the system of funding state government has met with resistance from lawmakers and the public. Lawmakers are unhappy with his vetoes and cuts to the PFD but they haven’t mustered an override and they haven’t passed a fiscal plan. What can possibly break the divide between the Governor’s plans and the desires of lawmakers and the public? Listen Now

After nearly 30 years on the bench, former Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Dana Fabe has retired. She was the first woman to serve on and lead the state's high court. Fabe spoke with APRN's Lori Townsend earlier this summer and reflected on the changes she's seen since she first became a judge in 1988. Listen now

Alaska is a paleontological candy store. Those are the words of Texas-based scientist Anthony Fiorillo. He's spent the last 19 years studying dinosaurs in Alaska. Listen now

Is Donald Trump considering Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan for vice president? A piece by People magazine speculating the senator may be on the list of potential VP picks was ricocheting around social media yesterday. So, what does the senator say? Listen now

Tribes in Alaska can move forward with petitioning the federal government to take lands into trust. A federal appeals court today dismissed the state of Alaska's challenge in the trust litigation. Download Audio

The loss of high paying oil industry jobs has economic impacts that ripple throughout the state’s economy. From industry support service jobs to engineering firms and even the local coffee shop, further job losses are not only possible, but likely. How are Alaskans dealing with these cuts and how much might industry job loss affect the broader economy? Download Audio

Words have power. Recently the federal government quit using certain words to describe ethnic groups. Words like Eskimo and Aleut. Young Alaska Native people are increasingly using their Native names on social media and professionally. There's also a push by some to return to the original Native descriptors for places and landmarks.