Lori Townsend, Alaska Public Media
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.
Download Audio
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
Download Audio
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.
Download Audio
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
Download Audio
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.
Download Audio:
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.
Download Audio:
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
Download Audio
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
Download Audio
‘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.
Download Audio:
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
Download Audio
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
Download Audio
Alaska News Nightly: April 30, 2015
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
Alaska News Nightly: April 29, 2015
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
‘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.