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A bill that would symbolically make 20 Alaska Native languages official state languages is heading to the House floor for a vote. Download Audio

The Kachemak Bay Critical Habitat Area just became a little bit smaller. Governor Sean Parnell signed a bill into law Tuesday that excludes the Port and Harbor of Homer from the habitat area.

The first responders in any disaster like the Good Friday Earthquake will likely be the firefighters and emergency medical technicians. But even the routine fire or medical call can be physically taxing and rely on months, perhaps even years of training. Capital City Fire and Rescue and the International Firefighters Association recently held a unique event in Juneau designed to demonstrate the rigors of the job to those unfamiliar with their routine. Download Audio

This week, Alaska commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Great Alaska Earthquake. The calamity destroyed whole towns, took lives and still stands as the largest earthquake to ever rock North America. KSKA will take a look at how one Alaska Community, Seward, rose to the challenge of rebuilding after the quake and seven tidal waves flattened most of the town. That's on A Closer Look, on KSKA . KSKA: Tuesday, March 25, at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Listen now:

The three day Cama-i festival wrapped up Sunday in Bethel. More than 20 dance groups from up and down the Yukon and Kuskowkin rivers and across north America came together to dance, celebrate, and this year, to heal. Download Audio

You might not expect an ancient Aboriginal instrument from Australia to find its way to Alaska. But walk around downtown Ketchikan on a warm day and you may hear 15-year-old Kinani Halvorsen playing her didgeridoo. She’s played the unusual instrument for three years. And she hopes to bring the didgeridoo into the mainstream band practice. Download Audio

The state is planning an aerial survey this spring to figure out how much new debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami has arrived on Alaska's shores. Environmental groups spent much of last summer cleaning up debris. But the state's vast and rugged coastline has made it a slow and costly project. Download Audio

Alaska Senate passes legislation that seeks to advance a liquefied natural gas pipeline. Download Audio

Last weekend, hundreds of skiers descended on Talkeetna for the Oosik Classic Ski Race and Tour. Some come to compete, and others wear costumes. Everyone comes to have a good time. Download Audio

The 2014 Arctic Winter Games officially got underway Sunday, with a gala opening ceremony before a standing-room-only crowd at the Carlson Center. A full slate of competition – and a weeklong array of cultural events – begins today. Download Audio

Manufacturing – like everything else – is becoming more computerized, but instead of replacing craftsmanship, digital technology is opening up possibilities for students to create things in ways that simply weren’t practical five or ten years ago. Three kids at Sitka High School are building a tool – really just a customized piece of metal – to do an unsung, but important, job in the community. And their collaboration points toward a future where we’ll make stuff differently. Download Audio

This year’s Iditarod is not only record-breaking, it may have broken some mushers as well. The 42 annual race will not soon be forgotten. It’s being called on of the toughest in the race’s history.

This past weekend, the second annual Mike Sterling Memorial Bike Race was held in Talkeetna. Unlike summer events like the Clean Air Challenge or the Big Wild Ride, this race featured a type of bike specially built for ice and snow.

At the culmination of an exciting couple of days of racing, Dallas Seavey has claimed his second Iditarod win after overtaking Aliy Zirkle at the Safety checkpoint. Two Rivers musher Aliy Zirkle slid into Nome 2 minutes and 22 seconds after Seavey to take second place for the third-straight year.

UPDATE: Dallas Seavey overtakes Aliy Zirkle for the lead, checking out of Safety at 1:16 a.m. Denali musher Jeff King scratched near Safety at 11:50 Monday evening as he closed in on front-runner Aliy Zirkle - who remains in the checkpoint. King told race officials he was having difficulty navigating the trail due to severe wind in the area.

The northern Southeast city of Yakutat is gearing up for a wave-energy experiment. If it’s a success, the community of about 650 residents could lower its high, diesel-fueled power costs. The system could also be a model for some other isolated Alaska cities. Download Audio

Iditarod teams remain large. Most mushers are still running teams of 14 or more dogs. Mushers are surprised at how many dogs fared well through some of the roughest trail they’ve seen in the race’s history. Download Audio

Iditarod teams are making their way across the Interior region where the trail is soft, smooth and covered in snow – a far cry from the rough and rocky trail that took many mushers out of the race earlier this week. Download Audio

In the aftermath of Tuesday’s rough run through the Dalzell Gorge and into Nikolai, many Iditarod mushers have had to act fast to change their race plans.