Lori Townsend, Alaska Public Media
Lori Townsend is the chief editor, senior vice president of journalism and senior host for Alaska Public Media. You can send her news tips and program ideas for Talk of Alaska and Alaska Insight at ltownsend@alaskapublic.org or call 907-550-8452. Read more about Lori here.
Alaska News Nightly: Friday, July 3, 2015
Wade Hampton Census Area Gets A New Name; Coast Guard Cutter Sherman Returns To Port To Address Engine Trouble; Computers Aid Firefighting Efforts; State Fish And Game Officials Warn Of 'Rabbit Fever' Outbreak; Haines Assembly Approves Lower Cruise Ship Moorage Fees; UAF Addresses Water Quality Concerns; AK: Seward's Mount Marathon Race Hits The Century Mark
Polar Bear Recovery Plan
New reports are painting a grim picture for the future of polar bears. Studies looking at climate change impacts clarify that without ice, polar bears will have difficulty surviving. Polar bears in Alaska are particularly vulnerable and at risk of disappearing. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have just released a polar bear conservation management plan that identifies arctic warming as the largest threat to the bear’s survival.
KSKA: Tuesday, July 7, at 10:00 a.m.
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Alaska’s shoreline erosion rate among highest worldwide
Alaska has some of the most aggressive rates of shoreline erosion in the world. These findings are part of a new study released Wednesday by the U.S. Geological Survey.
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Study: Climate Change Is A Chief Threat to Polar Bears
A new federal study shows Alaska's two polar bear populations could be greatly decreased in a decade. The research also shows global warming is by far the biggest threat to polar bear populations across the arctic compared to other stressors like hunting and pollutants.
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Alaska: On the Cusp of Recession?
With oil prices stuck in the gutter, Alaska is staring down the possibility of economic recession. Combine that with declining federal dollars and jobs, military reductions and a weakened fishing industry and it all adds up to a perfect storm. It's an uncomfortable question: what will our economy look like without a booming oil sector?
APRN: Tuesday, 6/30 at 10:00am
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Economic Report Assesses Potential for A Recession in Alaska
The state released a report last week with the ominous title, "The Great Alaska Recession." It's written by Juneau economist Greg Erickson, who was commissioned by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority to produce a report on the economic impact of Medicaid Expansion.
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Anchorage Protesters Demonstrate Against Shell’s Arctic Drilling Plans
Two protests against Shell's plans for drilling in the Arctic this summer took place Thursday in Alaska. The first was in Juneau during the early afternoon and later in the day a second protest was organized on a street corner in Anchorage.
Kids Gather in Tanana to Learn Some Basketball and Life Skills
Kids from several villages and Fairbanks are gathered in the Yukon river community of Tanana this weekend for a basketball camp that seeks to do more than just help young people brush up on their bucket skills.
2015 Alaskan Wildfire Tally is Below Normal
So far this year, about 78,000 acres have burned in 280 fires in Alaska. That may sound like a lot, but it's actually below normal. That's according to Pete Buist, a public information officer for the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center. Buist has worked on fires in Alaska and the rest of the country for 48 seasons.
Fire totals, acreage burned lower than predicted, so far
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.
Suicide Prevention
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
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Going Undercover With APD Vice’s Kathy Lacey
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.
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Alaska News Nightly: Monday, May 25, 2015
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.
Budget Battle: Republicans Search for Workaround In Lieu of Courting Democratic Support
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.
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The Legislative Special Session
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
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Staying safe in bear country
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
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‘Republic of the Arctic’ Proponent And Native Rights Activist Charles Etok Edwardsen Dies
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.
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Legislative gridlock
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
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Alaska News Nightly: May 1, 2015
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
Heroin in Alaska
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
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