Monica Gokey

The next time your head gets filled with the clutter of life, take off for the mountains. Anchorage is unique because you can spend the day stressing out in traffic or at the office, and find yourself de-stressing in the alpine high country an hour later. This week we're revisiting one of our favorite shows from last summer. Tune in while we put together a Chugach trail guide on the air. KSKA: Thursday, August 7, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

Alaska voters have the opportunity to say 'yay' or 'nay' on a higher minimum wage. Ballot Measure 3 would raise the state's minimum wage from $7.75 per hour to $9.75 over the next two years, and then adjust the minimum wage for inflation each year after 2016. What are the potential effects to Alaska's economy? Is this a win for businesses and for workers, or does one side benefit at the other's expense? Hear the minimum wage initiative debated at a public forum hosted by Alaska Common Ground. KSKA: Tuesday, August 5, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

Taxes from oil production pay for a hefty chunk of Alaska's state government. Last year the Legislature narrowly passed Senate Bill 21, which offers tax cuts to encourage more drilling in the wake of declining oil production statewide. On August 19, voters will have the chance to repeal those cuts. Alaska Common Ground brings panelists from both sides of the debate to hash out the details of the oil tax referendum on the table. KSKA: Tuesday, July 29, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Download Audio

Alaska could follow in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington if voters choose to legalize marijuana in November. Ballot Measure 2 would tax and regulate the production, sale and use of marijuana in Alaska. Hear Kristina Woolston and Taylor Bickford debate what that means for the state in a debate hosted by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce. KSKA: Tuesday, July 22, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Download Audio

Seventy percent of all active nicotine users wish they had never started, and about half tried to quit at least once in the last year. The negative health implications of tobacco use are well documented, and the social acceptance of the practice is waning. Despite the awareness and obvious reasons to quit, most who try find it an exceedingly difficult proposition that often ends in failure. Join Line One host Prentiss Pemberton and guest clinical psyclologist Dr. Ron Ohlson as they discuss the psychological challenges of overcoming nicotine addiction. KSKA: Monday, July 21, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Download Audio

Can adverse experiences, and even diet very early in life, predict behaviors and health later in life? Evidence is accumulating that this is indeed the case. And mechanisms to explain these lifelong effects are increasingly being found and studied. How does early life contribute to health in adulthood? Join Line One host Dr. Woodard and guest psychiatrist Dr. Mark Erickson to learn more. KSKA: Monday, July 14, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

What are the biases of medical research? Are the numbers ever tweaked or manipulated to support a particular outcome? Do doctors ever draw on misinformation in the treatment of their patients? On the next Line One, join host Dr. Thad Woodard and guest Dr. Andrew Swartz to talk about the growing field of evidence-based medicine. KSKA: Monday, July 7, at 2:00 and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

Boats returned in March to the newly-rebuilt ANB Harbor in Sitka, but wasn’t until just last week that local officials cut the ribbon on the project. KCAW’s Greta Mart attended the ceremony, to learn what people thought of the finished product. Listen now: 

Southeast Alaska’s largest electric utility has merged with a Washington-based energy company. Alaska Electric Light and Power in Juneau is now a subsidiary of Avista Corporation, headquartered in Spokane. The deal closed on Tuesday. Listen now: