News

Today we’re gearing up for the birding season. Townsquare 49 contributor and bird enthusiast Zac Clark says Anchorage will see a big flux of birds in the next two to six weeks. He calls this time of year the glory days, but it wasn’t long ago when Clark couldn’t have cared less about birds.

All session, legislative leadership has promised to gavel out early, to be home in time for the Easter holiday. That didn’t happen. In fact, the Legislature did not gavel out at all. With the House and Senate struggling to make a deal on education, lawmakers are forced into extra innings.

After winning Food Network's "Cupcake Wars," Kastle Sorensen and her "Kastle's Kreations" food truck have turned Alaska's cupcake scene upside down. http://youtu.be/NPWl8zViBTY

After wrestling with how to approach the state’s massive unfunded liability for months, the Alaska Senate unanimously agreed to put $3 billion toward the public employee pension system just hours after their plan was released.

In Juneau, the latest version of the education funding bill emerged today, and it isn’t what school advocates were hoping for. Senate Finance co-chairman Kevin Meyer says it’s a comprehensive bill that would add $100 million to education, and he says the Republican majority is committed to keeping that money in the budget for each of the next three years. Download Audio

Representatives from the "Recall Lindsey Holmes" group and Alaska's Division of Elections met in State Superior Court on Thursday. Download Audio

The National Transportation Safety Board has published a preliminary report about the crash that killed two pilots near Three Step Mountain. Download Audio

At most major airports someone is paid to chase birds off the runway, but at Sitka’s airport that job is especially challenging. That’s because three-fourths of Sitka’s runway is surrounded by water. Fish spawn along its banks, attracting hungry birds. That problem was highlighted four years ago when two Alaska Airlines jets collided with eagles on takeoff. KCAW’s Emily Forman spoke with the expert who came in afterward to make sure the runway is safe. Download Audio

Taking phone calls from all over the largest congressional district in the nation can be a challenge, but it also makes for quite a radio show. Alaska Congressman Don Young is back in his district for the spring recess, and ready to talk with you on the next Talk of Alaska. APRN: Tuesday, 4/22 at 10:00am Download Audio

Legislation allowing medevac membership programs to continue is on its way to Gov. Sean Parnell for his signature. The Alaska House unanimously approved Senate Bill 159 on Tuesday. It sailed through the Senate in late February.

The state House voted Thursday to sunset the Alaska Film Tax Credit in 2016. The provision was part of a bill requiring state agencies to report to the Legislature on so-called “lost revenue.” That’s the millions of dollars in revenues the state doesn’t collect each year due to various fee exemptions and tax credits. The bill adds sunset dates to some of them, meaning those programs would expire if lawmakers don’t intervene before then.