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Subsistence hunters in Alaska's North Slope Borough have harvested a 41-foot bowhead whale, marking the fourth animal that has been captured during the borough's spring whale hunt. Download Audio

Progress on the state government budget has slowed to a crawl this week. But Governor Bill Walker remains hopeful the Legislature can reach an agreement on an oil and gas tax bill that’s at the center of budget talks. Download Audio

Alaska charges cruise ships that stay three or more days in state waters a $34.50 tax per traveler. It’s called the Commercial Passenger Vessel Tax. The tax brings in millions of dollars each year, much of which the state distributes to cruise ship port communities. An audit of the CPV program found some towns need to tighten standards for how they spend the money. And, it alleges that Skagway misspent some CPV funds on school playground equipment. Download Audio

House Bill 126 - updating the Alaska Code of Military Justice - has passed the Legislature and is on its way to Governor Bill Walker's desk. Download Audio

A Fairbanks man and University of Alaska assistant professor was airlifted to an Anchorage hospital from Haines on Monday afternoon after being mauled by a bear nine miles west of town. Download Audio

State workers wouldn’t see pay hikes based on experience until oil prices rise sharply, under a bill introduced Monday in the House. Download Audio

Foster kids who don't feel like they belong act out. The solution? Foster parents are working harder to make kids into family. Download Audio

Legislators go past the 90 day session to bring budget together; man mauled by a grizzly bear near Denali Highway; middle Kuskokwim villages predict earliest river breakup on record; search for remains of Tuluksak resident halted as Kuskokwim ice continues to shift; number of foster kids at record high, caseworkers overloaded; budget cuts could leave communities without health care; moose population increases in the Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve; Togiak herring fishery opens on earliest date on record; body of deceased fisherman recovered in Carl E. Moses harbor Download Audio

The Togiak herring fishery opened Sunday, the earliest date on record. The herring showed up unexpectedly last week and have already begun to spawn all over Bristol Bay's northern coast. As KDLG's Dave Bendinger reports, Fish and Game, processors, and the fleet got caught flatfooted and are hustling out to try and make a season. Download Audio

Natural factors are credited with growing the moose population in the Yukon Charley Rivers National Preserve. Preserve wildlife biologist Mat Sorum said the latest data from moose population surveys conducted every 3 years, show more moose in a 3,000 square-mile corridor along the Yukon and Charley Rivers. Download Audio

A man was attacked by a bear near the Denali Highway over the weekend. Alaska State Trooper spokesman Tim DeSpain says 77-year-old Glenn Bohn of Wasilla was bear hunting Friday afternoon near mile 68, when he was mauled by a grizzly. Download Audio

As the Kuskokwim river ice continues to shift and rot, Search and Rescue volunteers have suspended recovery efforts for the remains of 26-year-old Tuluksak resident Dillon Lamont. Download Audio

Divers recovered the dead body of a fisherman Tuesday evening, less than 12 hours after his captain realized the crewman was missing. Download Audio

Lawmakers blew through their 90 day session end last night and are back at work today, trying to bring a budget together that all sides can agree to. APRN's Juneau correspondent Andrew Kitchenman joins me now to talk about about the big stumbling blocks are. Download Audio

As lawmakers finish off their spending plan for state operations, a wide variety of programs are considering the impacts of budget cuts. One is the state public health center system, where reductions could leave communities without some types of care. Download Audio

Middle Kuskokwim River villages reported that river ice is beginning to move out in what is expected to be the earliest river breakup on record for those villages. Download Audio

The Southeast Alaska king salmon quota for 2016 is out and it’s already looking better than last year. In 2015, no final harvest limit was ever announced, which left commercial fishermen in the dark as to how many fish they were targeting.

In Western Alaska, the options for socializing are limited. Most communities have a basketball court, some have a bingo hall, but there isn’t usually a place to just hang out, unless you’re in Koyuk. There’s one shop in the small village where people can rent movies, indulge in junk food, and simply pass the time, but ownership of the Koyuk haven is about to change hands.

The Legislature didn’t finish its work in time for the scheduled end of the session Sunday, but it became clear that the largest stumbling block is how much and how quickly to scale back tax credits for the oil and gas industry.

Nearly 3,000 kids are in foster care in Alaska. The system is overburdened. The first of five parts looks at what's going on at the Office of Children's Services. Download Audio