News

All news stories, regardless of topic (local, statewide + national news stories, as well as Talk of Alaska, Alaska News Nightly, Alaska Insight, Alaska Economic Report). Some news stories may also have other categories marked, which will also put them on a subpage. Not all news stories will fall into a subpage.

Corps. of Engineers Recommend Expanding Nome’s Deep-Water Arctic Port

The U.S Army Corps of Engineers is set to unveil its first steps toward expanding deep-water Arctic ports, and Corps officials say the main focus will be expanding the existing Port of Nome. Download Audio

Haines Police Department Faces Serious Shortfall In State Budget

The Haines Borough Police Department and dispatch services could face a dramatic funding loss under Gov. Bill Walker’s proposed budget. It would eliminate funding the state Department of Corrections, or DOC, gives each year to law enforcement in 15 small communities. That funding is meant to help communities run local jails, but in Haines it supports more than that. Download Audio

Cuts Could Cost Fairbanks Schools Over 60 Jobs

The Fairbanks North Star Borough Schools superintendent says the district is facing a budget shortfall of up to $11 million in the coming school year. Karen Gaborik says that will require the district to eliminate more than 60 jobs. Download Audio

Some Yukon Quest Teams Surprised To Find Themselves Among Top-10

There are three Yukon Quest teams currently running among the top-10 that did not plan on racing with the front-runners when they left Whitehorse. In fact, none of them were able to complete the race last year, so they returned simply to finish what they started. Download Audio

From Frozen To Cover Girl, Drag Queen Style Hinges On Hair

James Hoagland is in the business of wigs. Not just your ordinary costume and fashion wigs – his are specifically for drag queens. He spends hours styling hair and stitching it into wig caps. Last year, he sold 300 mostly to clients in the Lower 48 and internationally. Download Audio

300 Villages: Nondalton

This week we're heading to Nondalton, an Athabascan village on the edge of Lake Clark National Park: William Evanoff is president of the Nondalton Tribal Council. Download Audio

Alaska News Nightly: February 13, 2015

Murkowski Turns Sec. Kerry's Gaze North; Corps. of Engineers Recommend Expanding Nome's Deep-Water Arctic Port; Haines Police Department Faces Serious Shortfall In State Budget; Bill Clarifies Alaska Attorney General’s Power To Settle Oil, Gas Litigation; AVTEC Nursing Programs Cut; Cuts Could Cost Fairbanks Schools Over 60 Jobs; Some Yukon Quest Teams Surprised To Find Themselves Among Top-10; From Frozen To Cover Girl, Drag Queen Style Hinges On Hair; 300 Villages: Nondalton Download Audio

Ocean Acidification And How It Affects Alaska’s Fisheries

Shellfish are particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification, and colder waters are becoming more acidic than warm waters. What does this mean for Alaska and its fisheries – especially crabs and oysters? Or for the food chain that feeds other species in the ocean? The answers are beginning to come in from the scientific world, and we’ll learn more about ocean acidification on the next Talk of Alaska. APRN: Tuesday, 2/17 at 10:00 a.m. Download Audio

Brent Sass Extends Yukon Quest Lead

The first two Yukon Quest dog teams had smooth runs up and over American Summit and arrived safely in Eagle, the sixth checkpoint on the trail. Download Audio

How Could Potential Military Drawdowns Impact Alaska’s Economy?

Today we’re discussing possible troop drawdowns in Alaska, part of the military’s broader reduction in overall size. Later this month, officials from the Defense Department and U.S. Army are visiting Anchorage and Fairbanks for listening sessions, to get a sense of what Forts Richardson and Wainwright mean to nearby communities. As well as how they fit into the broader mission of the American Armed Forces. KSKA: Friday, 2/13 at 2:00pm and Saturday, 2/14 at 6:00pm KAKM: Friday, 2/13 at 7:30pm and Saturday, 2/14 at 4:30pm Download Audio

Facing First Cuts In Years, Alaska Lawmakers Tackle The Budget

Right now, the Legislature is facing a deficit that some leaders are describing as a “$4 billion problem.” With oil prices half what they were a year ago, lawmakers are having to cut agency budgets for the first time in years. Today, the finance committees in the House and the Senate held their first hearings on the operating budget. APRN’s Alexandra Gutierrez was there, and joins us to talk about the Legislature’s approach. Download Audio

Child sex abuse survivor wants to shatter the silence with Erin’s Law

Alaska raised writer David Holthouse has told his story of being sexually abused as a child before. It’s appeared in newspapers, on the radio and on stage in New York City. But when he spoke in the Alaska Capitol building today, it was to support Erin’s Law, a bill that would require public schools statewide to provide age-appropriate K-12 sexual abuse education. Download Audio

Sullivan Stands With House on DHS Funding

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security will run out February 27, unless Congress can resolve an impasse over immigration policy riders the House included in its funding bill. Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan today stood with conservative lawmakers, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, calling on the Senate to pass the House bill. Download Audio

BOEM Assessment Suggests Shell’s Chukchi Leases Remain Intact

Federal regulators are recommending that Shell’s disputed oil leases in the Chukchi Sea be left intact. That’s the conclusion of a new assessment of Lease Sale 193 – the 2008 auction where Shell picked more than $2 billion worth of Arctic drilling prospects. Download Audio

Alaska Delegation Seeks New Limits On National Monuments

For over a hundred years, presidents have used the Antiquities Act to order permanent protections for federal land and resources at sea. Now, Alaska’s congressional delegation is looking to curb that authority. Download Audio

As The Iditarod Start Shifts North, So Does The Economic Boon

This year’s Iditarod restart will be in Fairbanks for only the second time in the race’s 43-year history. Poor trail conditions prompted the move, and many some mushers are happy with the change. For businesses in the Susitna Valley, however, there will be a significant economic impact. Download Audio

Learning to Sew With Seal Guts

Recently, about a dozen students gathered at the Cultural Center in Bethel to learn the traditional art of ‘gut sewing’. Seal intestines were prized throughout Yup’ik history for their waterproof performance before modern materials took hold. And now culture bearers are trying to bring back the skill. Download Audio

Story49: Love Series – Coffee and Rolls

This is the tale of two people who had given up on the idea of soul mates until they met each other on an island in the middle of the Bering Sea. Download Audio

Alaska News Nightly: February 12, 2015

Facing First Cuts In Years, Alaska Lawmakers Tackle The Budget; Alaska Writer David Holthouse Shows Support For Erin's Law; Sullivan Stands With House on DHS Funding; BOEM Assessment Suggests Shell's Chukchi Leases Remain Intact; Alaska Delegation Seeks New Limits On National Monuments; As The Iditarod Start Shifts North, So Does The Economic Boon; Learning to Sew With Seal Guts; Story49: Love Series - Coffee and Rolls Download Audio

AVTEC Nursing Programs Cut

AVTEC, the state's vocational and technical school with campuses in Seward and Anchorage, will be losing programs due to the budget ax. Download Audio