Madilyn Rose

Lori Townsend and her guests discuss the ongoing efforts to clean contaminated former military lands.

Lori Townsend and her guests discuss the reasons behind the long shelter wait list and the broader goals of the winter shelter plan.

On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend and her guests discuss what rural communities need to make child care effective and affordable.

On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend and her guests discuss the life and legacy of Vic Fischer, Alaska's last constitutional delegate.

The Yukon River has been a majestic icon of power, beauty, and for generations, a sustainable source of food. Salmon reliably returned to the Yukon to provide a stable source of healthy, wild food for communities along its length. But in recent years, those reliable runs have been beleaguered by warming waters, food scarcity and disease, causing closures that have halted long standing traditions for many families. On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Gabe Canfield, policy coordinator for the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association, and Holly Carroll, in-season manager for the Yukon River for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to discuss the outlook for the years to come, and the steps that can be taken to protect this vital resource.

The design of a traditional large skin-on-frame boat used by the Unangax people was thought to be lost after Russian colonizers destroyed the last remaining examples in the 1800's, but after decades of work, the design of the niĝilax has been restored. Now, the recreated boats are touching Alaskan waters for the first time in over 200 years. To discuss the process and significance of the restoration, host Lori Townsend is joined by Ethan Petticrew, an Unangax dance instructor, teacher, and Executive Director of Cook Inlet Head Start, as well as Marc Daniels, the boat builder who facilitated the restoration project.

The disruption of the pandemic focused even more attention on a perennial concern for Alaska, our distance from major food suppliers. The future economic health of our state depends in part on having a more robust, local supply of food to reduce reliance on outside producers. In this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Glenna Gannon, an assistant professor of sustainable food systems with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Tikaan Galbreath, technical assistance network director with the Intertribal Agriculture Council, to discuss creating sustainable food systems in Alaska.

Nearly 60 years ago, Anchorage became the main point of entry for building materials, consumer goods and military support after Seward’s port was destroyed by the tsunami triggered by the 1964 earthquake. There are many advantages to having the main port in the state’s largest city, but there are also challenges. In this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend speaks with Port Director Steve Ribuffo about the plans to keep the port viable for years to come.

Across Alaska, it’s a challenge to find affordable housing. Home building and vacancy rates are down, while rent, mortgage rates and home prices are up. The lack of affordable housing drives people into overcrowded homes and homelessness, or out of state. Some officials have begun referring to it as a housing crisis. On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Anchorage Assembly Member Dr. Daniel Volland, and Nolan Klouda, Executive Director of the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development, to discuss the causes, and possible solutions, of Alaska's housing crunch.

More than 500 bills have been introduced nationwide this year that seek to limit the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, including in Alaska. Despite these numbers, advocates in Alaska say there’s been good progress in defending those rights. But what exactly are they? And how are Alaskans celebrating Pride Month despite this national trend? We discuss proposed laws and regulations, and pride month celebrations on this Talk of Alaska.