Lori Townsend, Alaska Public Media

So far this year, about 78,000 acres have burned in 280 fires in Alaska. Pete Buist, a public information officer for the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, says that's lower than normal.

Spring is a time of new growth and renewal but it is also too often a time that an increase in suicide occurs. Why does Alaska continue to lead the nation in rates of self harm? What's being done to help Alaskans choose to live rather than end their lives? APRN: Tuesday, 6/2 at 10:00am Download Audio

Busting drug dealers, sex traffickers and prostitutes is a tough job. Recently retired Sergeant Kathy Lacey did that dangerous work for 20 years as the head of Anchorage Police Department's undercover vice unit. Lacey says when she first started in law enforcement, prostitution and drug crimes were more visible, out on the street. Now though, she says trafficking is more covert. Download Audio:

As Negotiations Continue, Little Public Action From Legislature; Repair Work To Begin On Dalton Highway; Body Found in Bethel Park Identified; Alaska Native Medical Center Starts Construction Of Patient Housing; Tyonek Tribe Grateful For Land Donation; Eielson Air Force Base Investigates Ground Water Contamination; Scientist Maps Spill Potential For Seabirds; Klukwan Seniors Graduate In Class Of Two.

For weeks the Legislature has been at a stalemate over its budget deficit. The Republican majority has been trying to secure a three-quarter vote to tap the state's rainy day account, but they need Democratic support to do that, which means increasing education funding and expanding Medicaid. Download Audio:

Lawmakers have gaveled out of the Governor's special session without acting on his requests of fully funding the state budget, expanding medicaid and passing sexual abuse prevention legislation, known as Erin's law for schools. Legislators have now called themselves into special session. What changes when lawmakers make the call? APRN: Tuesday, 5/26 at 10:00am Download Audio

Everywhere is bear country in Alaska, even the urban areas. From encounters on the trails and along fishing streams, to bears raiding trash cans and chicken coops, it’s spring and bears are awake and on the move. How do we keep ourselves and them safe? APRN: Tuesday, 5/19 at 10:00am Download Audio

A life devoted to whaling and land rights has come to an end. Charles Etok Edwardsen passed away in the place he loved best, a whale camp. Download Audio:

The state is in a serious revenue shortfall. But lawmakers are far from agreement about how to address it. What's driving the stalemate? What can be done to bring all sides together to get the work done? The 90 day session is over, the special session is on and little has been accomplished to address the deficit. APRN: Tuesday, 5/12 at 10:00am Download Audio

Urban Set Net Ban Proposed; To Plan Port's Future, City Looks To Current Users; Walker Restores Sexual Violence Prevention Funding After Senate Cut; Anchorage Senior Wins National Poetry Out Loud Competition; Memoir Arctic Daughter, Re-released For A New Generation; National Maritime Refuge Considers All Options For Feral Cattle; APOC Expediting Complaint Against Berkowitz; AK: Long Distance Alutiiq Boat Restored From Past

Law enforcement officers say heroin use is on the rise in Alaska and communities are struggling to keep the drug out of their neighborhoods. How is it getting here and what’s being done to stop heroin from entering the state. It's not just an urban problem. Rural residents are speaking out to try to stop it. APRN: Tuesday, 5/5 at 10:00am Download Audio

Legislature Votes To Allow Hearings Outside Of Juneau; Mat-Su Gets First Look at Borough's FY16 Budget; ASD's revised budget cuts 57 filled positions; Death Toll Now at 2 in Shooting Near Talkeetna; U.S. House Panel Advances Fisheries Law; UAF Steps Into Spotlight Amid Arctic Council Transfer; Kick The Bucket: With Fleeting Funding, Projects Die; Campaign Silent On Revelations Of Military Service, Divorce; Red Chris Mine Inches Forward After Settlement; YWCA Alaska Holds Summit On Gender Pay Gap

Walker Denies Request To Move Special Session To Anchorage; As PAC Money Pours Into Runoff, Some Numbers Still Missing; EPA Head: Alaska 'Uniqueness' Could Mean Immunity From CO2 Rule; Bethel City Council Votes To Deny Liquor Licenses; A Moving Target: Postal Inspectors Root Out Liquor By Mail; Kick The Bucket: Lack Of Funding Hampers Development Of Modern Sanitation In Rural Alaska; Anchorage Men Arrested For Stabbing Moose To Death; 'Story Map' Reveals Hidden Lives Of Anchorage Bears

A new map from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game offers a bear's eye view of Anchorage. The "story map" draws on data and video collected from nine bears- six black and three brown- who wore cameras on special collars in 2012 and 2013. The videos capture bears playing with lawn art, slurping up barbecue grease and running across busy intersections.

The Coast Guard wants cutters before icebreakers; Lawmakers ask for a break and relocation for special session; Marriage equality advocates ask Governor to stop gay marriage challenge; Akiak's approach to stopping the flow of alcohol; Health implications for third world conditions in rural Alaska; Unalaska prepares for cruise ship season; The U.S. Army 'Sugar Bears' fly supplies to Denali

Lawmakers May Gavel Out; Law Enforcement Battles Bootlegging In YK Delta; Anchorage Nepalese Community Reacts To Quake; BOEM Explains Arctic Oil Spill Risk Estimate; Trident To Open New Fishmeal Plant In Naknek; Strong Tourist Season Is Forecast For Alaska; House Bill 147 Gives Pets Special Legal Considerations.

Alaska tribes can now ask the Interior Secretary to take land into trust, a legal designation called Indian Country. What would this mean for the future of tribal sovereignty? How would Indian Country status affect Alaska Native Corporations and the relationship between tribes and the state? APRN: Tuesday, 4/21 at 10:00am Download Audio

The Army Corp of Engineers are gearing up for the summer season of projects around the state. Download Audio

A kayak trip in Glacier Bay in 2006 inspired an engineer to research the impact of glacial run off in the Gulf of Alaska. David Hill is an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Oregon State University. For the study, he used decades of state and USGS stream flow data, combined with calculations on land characteristics and watershed size to create an analysis for the entire area. He found glacier melt makes up about 10% of the overall precipitation added to the Gulf. The annual amount is measured in multiple feet of water. Hill says he worked to model how quickly rain and snow melt started to flow. Download Audio