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’s budget woes and the effects on public safety
Budget cuts are creating stress for communities trying to keep their citizens safe with fewer dollars for law enforcement. In a state with staggering statistics for violence and sexual assault, how can municipalities, cities, and villages keep the peace amid jail closures, fewer troopers and local police.
APRN: Tuesday, 7/28 at 10:00am
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Alaska News Nightly: Friday, July 17, 2015
Wings of Alaska Flight From Juneau to Hoonah Goes Down, Survivors Confirmed; President Obama Will Attend Glacier Conference In Anchorage in August; Shell Rigs Leave Dutch Harbor For Chukchi, To Wait; Former Permanent Fund CEO Dies; Mississippi Flag To Be Removed From Downtown Juneau; Aniak Fire Base Battles Stubborn Fires: Fatal Plane Crash Wreckage Awaits Removal; AK: Nimbus Sculpture and 49 voices visits Chuck Sassara
Variability of Alaska’s salmon runs
Salmon runs in Alaska have been defying expectations this season, in both good and bad ways. Why has it been so difficult to meet escapement for some runs while seeing bounty in others? From closures on the Kuskokwim to a puny run on the Yukon, salmon fishing in Alaska is changing and the reasons why remain elusive.
APRN: Tuesday, July 21 at 10:00am
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Bethel Democrat to Lead PNWER Arctic Caucus
Representative Bob Herron, a Democrat from Bethel was elected the chairman of the Arctic Caucus during the 25th summer summit of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, or PNWER.
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Chuck Sassara on Propellers, Politics and People
Chuck Sassara first arrived in Alaska in a VW bus in 1955. He and his wife Ann built a life that encompassed a career in aviation, government and business. Sassara witnessed the beginnings of statehood and the growth of the Alaskan community. His new book is "Chuck Sassara’s Alaska - Propellers, Politics and People."
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APRN: Tuesday, July 14, at 10:00 a.m.
Alaska Ablaze: Fires Activity Puts State On Track For A Record-Setting Year
More than 300 wildfires are burning across Alaska right now- mostly in a wide swath of the interior and Southwest part of the state. More than 3 million acres of the state have burned so far this summer, which is on pace to beat the record setting 2004 season.
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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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