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.

Alaska signs brief supporting same-sex marriage bans

Alaska's Attorney General has signed on to an amicus brief to the US Supreme Court that says same-sex marriage bans should be upheld. Download Audio

Promise and Hazards of Arctic Oil Outlined at D.C. Forum

With two of Shell’s rigs now crossing the Pacific in hopes of drilling in the Chukchi Sea this summer, officials and energy experts gathered at a forum in Washington this week to review the rewards and challenges ahead for Arctic oil development. Jan Mares, an energy policy advisor, says the prize is within the industry’s technical reach. Download Audio
Rescuers are still looking for 15 missing crew members in the Sea of Okhotsk. (Credit: Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations)

Russian Trawler Capsizes Near Kamchatka

More than 50 fishermen have died after a Russian factory trawler sank in the Sea of Okhotsk on Wednesday. Download Audio

House Passes Bill About Municipal Role In Marijuana Regs

Alaska lawmakers took a step toward clarifying who will regulate the budding marijuana industry. Download Audio

Proposed Budget Cuts Could Hit Rural Broadband For Schools

Middle school and high school students all over the state are participating in the Alaska Measures Progress tests this week. This is the first year the test are being completed completely online. The cuts by the state legislature to broadband services could limit rural schools ability to administer these mandated state tests. Download Audio

Restrictions Planned For Northwest Alaska Caribou Hunters

For the first time in 30 years, hunting restrictions are planned for Northwest Alaska caribou. The Western Arctic and Teshekpuk herds lost half their numbers in the past decade. But this caribou crisis has spurred a unique collaboration, where user groups across the state chose to share the burden of hunting reductions. Download Audio

Teen Play Explores The Complexities Of Date Rape

Five Juneau teens star in a play about the complexities of date rape. The show is called “Hush,” but the teens hope the audience do exactly the opposite. Download Audio

Alaska News Nightly: April 2, 2015

Senate Finance Committee Passes Budget With $700 Million In Cuts; Surveillance Video Shows Former Bethel Police Officer Slamming Man to Ground; Promise and Hazards of Arctic Oil Outlined at D.C. Forum; Russian Trawler Capsizes Near Kamchatka; State Signs Onto Amicus Brief To Uphold Same-Sex Marriage Bans; House Passes Bill About Municipal Role In Marijuana Regs; Alaska House Passes Measure Stopping Reimbursement Of School Bonds; Anchorage Community Members Protest Education Budget Cuts; Proposed Budget Cuts Could Hit Rural Broadband For Schools; Restrictions Planned For Northwest Alaska Caribou Hunters; Teen Play Explores The Complexities Of Date Rape Download Audio

Two former middle school teachers vie for ASD School Board Seat F

Two former middle school teachers are vying for Anchorage School Board Seat F. Incumbent Tam Agosti-Gisler and opponent David Nees both spent more than two decades in the classroom and want to use their first-hand knowledge to shape district decisions.

Refugees in Alaska

Every year, over one hundred refugees set foot on American soil for the first time in Alaska. Many are fleeing war or persecution in their home countries, and all of them face a new set of challenges as they adapt to life in Alaska.

Herring Eggs and Seal Grease Off-the-Grid | INDIE ALASKA

Fifteen minutes outside of Wasilla, the Little Su River calmly rushes by the small, off-the-grid cabin of Ben Schleifman and Meda DeWitt-Schleifman. The Schleifman family has lived in the cabin for two years and despite the endless list of chores (splitting firewood, hauling fuel, etc.), they have become adept at preparing feasts for friends and family who make the short trek out to their land.

Surveillance Video Shows Former Bethel Police Officer Slamming Man to Ground

Surveillance video shows a former Bethel city police officer repeatedly slamming a man to the ground in the parking lot of a grocery store during an arrest last summer. The man eventually pleaded guilty to harassing the officer. But with the new evidence, an attorney is trying to bring the case back to court. Download Audio

Anchorage community members protest education budget cuts

About 60 community members gathered outside of the Legislative Information Office in Anchorage Wednesday evening to protest proposed cuts to education funding. Download audio

Conservative Mayoral Candidates Compete With Each Other to Run Against Lone Liberal

With less than a week until the election, Berkowitz has tens of thousands more in cash than anyone else, suggesting he is budgeting for a runoff while conservative candidates fight just to be part of one.

House OKs Timber Payments, But Alaskans Can’t Count on It

A federal revenue-sharing program called Secure Rural Schools has been a million-dollar boon to some Alaska cities and boroughs, mostly in Southeast. Despite the name, the money doesn’t just go to schools, and these days it’s not at all secure. But a two-year extension of Secure Rural Schools has advanced in Congress. Download Audio

Proposal Would Reject Pay Increases For Public Employees

The Senate Finance Committee has included in its version of the state budget language rejecting monetary terms included in contracts for more than a dozen units for the upcoming fiscal year. Download Audio

Legislature Votes To End School Bond Reimbursements, But Uncertainty Lingers For Anchorage

The Legislature has passed a bill that would put its school bond reimbursement program on hiatus. But the big question is whether it will affect Anchorage’s $60 million bonding proposition. Download Audio

Medicaid Expansion Bill Clears First Hurdle

Governor Walker's Medicaid Expansion bill has passed it's first committee in the House. HB 148 was approved by the House Health and Social Services Committee Tuesday night with a 6 to 1 vote. Download Audio

NOAA Report Shows Slight Increase In Cook Inlet Beluga Population

A new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a slight increase in the Cook Inlet Beluga whale population. But, the whales haven’t bounced back as fast as scientists hoped when they were placed on the endangered species list in 2008. Download Audio

Youth Courts of Alaska Students Train to be Leaders

The United Youth Courts of Alaska is notable for encouraging youth leadership in the legal system and students' own communities. Branches from across Alaska flew into Kodiak last Thursday for the 20th Annual United Youth Courts of Alaska Conference. Download Audio