From left and right, Young finds fault with ACA replacement bill
To repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, U.S. House leaders are straining to overcome dissension in the Republican ranks. As many as two dozen conservatives oppose the bill on grounds that it doesn’t repeal enough of the ACA. A smaller number of Republican moderates say it doesn’t replace enough. Alaska Congressman Don Young is a little in both camps. Listen now
Huge fine issued for dangerous incident at Anchorage power plant
The state is fining three companies a combined $882,000 for violations that led to a dangerous incident last September at a power plant in East Anchorage. Listen now
Military officials discuss REAL ID urgency, other issues
Time is running out for Alaskans who work on military bases to get IDs like passports that comply with federal law ahead of an early June deadline. Alaska National Guard leader Major Gen. Laurie Hummel spoke about the effect of federal REAL ID Act requirements during the state’s military leaders’ annual visit to the Legislature Thursday (March 23). Listen now
Palmer man faces federal charges in 2016 double homicide
A Palmer man faces federal charges in a Wasilla double homicide last summer, and the defendant, 30-year-old John Pearl Smith II, could face the death penalty. Listen now
Will a Texan-Australian partnership bring the ‘shale revolution’ to the North Slope?
Amid a wave of new oil discoveries in Alaska, other companies are hoping to get lucky, too. And in pursuit of the next billion-barrel find, two companies from Texas and Australia are trying something a little different. Listen now
Police on lookout for Fairbanks library shooter
A man was shot in a Fairbanks North Star Borough library. A press release from Fairbanks Police says fire fighters initially responded to the Noel Wien Library on Airport Way at about 1:15 PM Wednesday (March 23), after receiving a call about a patron being injured by an exploding cell phone battery. Listen now
White House budget proposal cuts legal services for low-income Alaskans
For the past 50 years, Alaska Legal Services Corporation has offered free legal help to low-income Alaskans. Cases have ranged from private matters, like guardianship designations and protective orders, to statewide issues such as building high schools in rural Alaska. President Donald Trump’s budget blueprint eliminates federal funding for legal services programs nationwide, which would have a direct impact on Alaskans. Listen now
Longtime leader Rosita Worl to leave Sealaska board
One of the Sealaska regional Native corporation’s longest-serving leaders is stepping down. Listen now
Differences over future divide Alaska Legislature
Philosophical differences between members of the House and Senate are raising the risk that the Legislature ends the session without resolving the state’s ongoing budget crisis. Listen now
Senate lifts ban on predator killing in Alaska refuges
The U.S. Senate today voted to overturn an Obama Administration rule that banned certain methods of killing predators on national wildlife refuges in Alaska. The repeal resolution now goes to the White House for signature. Listen now
Murkowski at odds with Trump’s call to end NEA funding
President Trump’s budget calls for ending funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA has been a frequent target of Republicans, but U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski supports the endowment, and Tuesday she won an award for it. Listen now
House Majority Leader Chris Tuck pushes reforms to improve voter turnout
In the last Legislature, a Democrat-sponsored bill aimed at increasing voter turnout in Alaska, especially in the Bush. It didn’t get a single hearing in the Republican-led House of Representatives. Now, Rep. Chris Tuck, an Anchorage Democrat, is in a powerful position leading the new House majority, and has reintroduced the legislation and the bill is making some progress. Listen now
State health commissioner, Rep. Young concerned about health care bill
Alaska’s top health official said the federal health care bill scheduled for a vote on Thursday would devastate the Medicaid program in the state. The bill’s effect on Alaska has prompted U.S. Rep. Don Young to say today he won’t vote for it in its current form. Listen now
Feed Me Hope culinary school teaches skills for life beyond the kitchen
A new culinary school that teaches more than the difference between saute and simmer opened in Anchorage last fall to provide classes for people who are homeless or are leaving prison. Instructors at Feed Me Hope go beyond teaching cooking skills to teach life skills. Listen now
Citizen scientists monitor North Pole air
Fairbanks and North Pole have suffered numerous Clean Air Act violations again this winter due to fine particulates from wood, coal and other burning. Smoke pollution persists despite long term government efforts to assess and remedy the problem, and a local group has taken air quality monitoring into their own hands. Listen now
Nome Finishers’ Banquet marks end of Iditarod 45
The 2017 Iditarod Sled Dog Race is over. The 45th running, rerouted from Fairbanks to Nome, came to an end Sunday night with the Finishers’ Banquet held at the Nome Rec Center. Listen now
Italian company submits plan to drill for oil in the Arctic
Italian energy company Eni this month submitted an exploration plan to drill for oil in federal waters in the Beaufort Sea. Listen now
House passes deep cut to per diem allowances
The House voted to cut the money to pay for lawmakers’ daily expenses during the legislative session by three-quarters. Listen now
Feds worry oil pipeline near leaking Cook Inlet gas line also at risk
Federal regulators are raising concerns about a second pipeline in Cook Inlet. Listen now
AK: How genetics changed mush dogs of the past
The huskies running today’s Iditarod bear little resemblance to the bulky sled-dogs Alaskans used to rely on year-round. As breeding programs have refined genetic lines to create dogs designed to excel at the thousand-mile winter-time race, the cost of specialization has been a lack of versatility. Listen now