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.

Esther Kennedy of the Resource Protection Department collects water samples every week from Starrigavan. Along with six other tribes in Southeast, the group is working to create an early warning system to protect shellfish diggers from PSP. (Emily Kwong/KCAW photo)

PSP: Tribal Partnership Seeks Modern Solution To An Ancient Problem

Of all the traditional seafoods in Southeast Alaska, none are more shrouded in myth — and genuine risk — than clams and mussels. Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP)killed two people in Southeast in 2010 and dozens more have fallen ill over the recorded history of the state. For subsistence harvesters, there has been no way to measure the risk of clam digging — until now. In part 1 of a two-part series, KCAW reports on a partnership among Southeast tribes to create a regional water monitoring program. Download Audio

Alaska News Nightly: April 22, 2015

With Legislature In Limbo, Walker Calls For Action On Bills; Sen. Sullivan Adds Amendment To Human Trafficking Bill; Rep. Young Advocating For Transfer Of Air Force Land To Galena; The Blind Spot: Harm Reduction at the Transit Center; Unalaska's Geothermal Hopes Stall Without City Backing; Two Face Felony Charges for Alleged $25,000 Theft from Nome Schools; Bethel Team Envisions Greywater Recycling; PSP: Tribal Partnership Seeks Modern Solution To An Ancient Problem Download Audio

As Budget Negotiations Continue, Lawmakers Defend Position On Education Cuts

Outside of a 20-minute Senate floor session, the only scheduled activity that took place on Tuesday was a Senate Finance committee press conference.

Lawmakers Still Searching For Elusive Budgetary Compromise

It is Day 92 of the legislative session, and lawmakers still have not reached a compromise on the state’s budget. APRN’s Alexandra Gutierrez joins us from a very quiet Capitol. Download Audio

Investigators: Suspect Tampered With Slain Troopers’ Guns

Alaska State Trooper investigators say the father of the man suspected of shooting two officers removed the slain officers' handguns from their holsters and cocked them to make it appear as if his son had acted to save his life. Download Audio

Snaring Death Of Denali Wolf Prompts Push For Protection

There’s renewed push for greater protection of declining Denali National Park wolves. The effort follows news that a Park wolf was discovered dead last month from a snare injury. Download Audio

The Blind Spot: A System of Order Over Chaos

This week Alaska Public Media is exploring the Blind Spot – how youth who are part of and outside of the juvenile justice system are getting help for substance abuse. One option is residential treatment, like the kind offered through the ARCH program in Eagle River, which Anne Hillman toured with one young resident. Download Audio

Raven Landing Gets Financing to Expand, Meet Growing Need for Senior Housing

Raven Landing Senior housing facility in Fairbanks will begin work soon on an expansion project. The Retirement Community of Fairbanks has secured a loan to help finance a $7.4 million 35-unit addition to the facility off Airport Way. The expansion is aimed at meeting a growing need for senior housing in the Interior. Download Audio

Town Hall Meetings Tackle Alaska’s Food Security Issues

Since January 2014, representatives of the Alaska Food Policy Council have been crisscrossing the state, getting a taste of local foods, food issues, and food successes. Download Audio

Alaska News Nightly: April 21, 2015

Lawmakers Still Searching For Elusive Budgetary Compromise; Investigators: Suspect Tampered With Slain Troopers' Guns; Snaring Death Of Denali Wolf Prompts Push For Protection; The Blind Spot: A System of Order Over Chaos; Raven Landing Gets Financing to Expand, Meet Growing Need for Senior Housing; Town Hall Meetings Tackle Alaska's Food Security Issues; Cultivating Native Values, NYO Tournament Continues Growing Download Audio

As Spending Talks Continue, House Takes Crack At Capital Budget

After a day of stalled and canceled meetings, the Alaska Legislature made small advances on a capital budget.

Cultivating Native Values, NYO Tournament Continues Growing

500 athletes from across the state were joined for the first time in decades by a foreign delegation from the Yukon Territory in Canada. Organizers say the tournament continues because of more deliberate efforts to promote traditional values across Alaska. Download Audio

Alaska News Nightly: April 20, 2015

The Blind Spot: Spaces Between Statistics; Lawmakers Still Searching For Budgetary Consensus; Bill Establishing Marijuana Control Board Poised To Become Law; Federal Government Proposes Taking Humpback Whales Off Endangered Species List; Migrating Birds May Carry Viral Baggage; Long-Term Weather Models Point Toward A Warm Summer; Homer Road Sloughs After Rain; Erin's Law Stuck In Senate Education Committee; Cama-i Celebrates Tradition For All Generations Download Audio

The Blind Spot: Spaces Between Statistics

In Anchorage, the number of criminal offenses by minors referred to the Department of Juvenile Justice has dropped by nearly half in the past decade for almost every offense type – except severe drug and alcohol offenses. That number has stayed fairly steady. In fact, as a share of the whole, substance abuse cases in Anchorage are up, although as a share of the total they are proportionately small. But the numbers only tell part of the story. Download Audio

Bill Establishing Marijuana Control Board Poised To Become Law

In spite of the session extension in Juneau, the status of new legislation dealing with commercial marijuana for the year ahead is clear. Download Audio

Federal Government Proposes Taking Humpback Whales Off Endangered Species List

The federal government is proposing to remove most humpback whales from the endangered species list. Forty-five years after the whales were first listed, federal scientists say that most humpback populations - including those common in Alaska - are stable and growing. Download Audio

Migrating Birds May Carry Viral Baggage

Right now, a lethal strain of bird flu is wreaking havoc in the Lower 48. It’s clear that migrating flocks have something to do with spreading the illness between farms and across continents -- but exactly what is still fuzzy. A remote spot in Southwest Alaska may hold some clues. Download Audio

Long-Term Weather Models Point Toward A Warm Summer

With the last of the snow melting off, and Alaska headed toward summer, long range forecasts indicate it could be a hot one. Download Audio

Homer Road Sloughs After Rain

A bluff near the Homer waterfront partially collapsed Sunday morning. No one was injured in the slough, but portions of road are now closed indefinitely. Download Audio
Erin Merryn, a victim of sexual abuse as a child, testified last year in the House Education Committee on House Bill 233, also known as Erin’s Law. Rep. Geran Tarr is the bill sponsor. (Photo by Skip Gray/Gavel Alaska)

Erin’s Law Stuck In Senate Education Committee

The House passed a version of Erin’s Law on Saturday. Now, three versions of the child sexual abuse prevention bill are stuck in the Senate Education Committee as the legislature winds down for the year. Majority leadership has indicated there’s no rush to pass the bill. Download Audio