News

Gakona's High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, better known as HAARP, is slated for the junkpile. But a group of University of Alaska researchers are trying to stave off a Department of Defense move to scuttle the often - misunderstood scientific facility. Download Audio

This week, we’re heading to Kasaan, located in Southeast Alaska on Prince of Wales island. The coastal Native village is home to the oldest Haida building in the world. Frederick Otilius Olsen Junior is from Kasaan. Download Audio

Sullivan Maintains Fundraising Momentum; Little Progress Made In Dealing With Looming Retirement Problem; Inuit Circumpolar Council Discussing Food Security; Delta Western Workers Approve Union Membership; The Alaska Innocence Project Challenging 1987 Murder Conviction; Fire Season Likely To Start Early In Southcentral Alaska; HAARP Research Facility To Shut Down; AK: Puppet Town; 300 Villages: Kasaan Download Audio

The Alaska State House opened debate on a bill putting limits on state Medicaid payments for abortions on Thursday, only to shelve it and delay a final vote to Sunday.

State Attorney General Michael Geraghty testified before a legislative committee this week to respond to a national report that singles out Alaska for its high rates of violence against Alaska Natives, especially Native women. The Indian Law and Order Commission report was deeply critical of Alaska’s law enforcement and judicial system. But the state’s Geraghty says the Indian Law and Order Commission is trying to impose lower 48 solutions that won’t work in Alaska. Download Audio

The Army has a new protocol for live ordnance training during times of high wildfire danger. Army artillery practice sparked the Stewart Creek 2 wildfire that burned east of Fairbanks though much of last summer. The 87,000 acre blaze forced evacuations and cost more than $20 million to fight. Download Audio

Graduation time is just around the corner and for most seniors that means walking a stage and accepting a diploma. But a few students a year in Petersburg do not receive a diploma because they don’t pass a test. A bill making its way through the state Legislature would change that. House Bill 220 would repeal the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam. Download Audio

The Sitka Assembly passed a controversial amendment Tuesday night, tightening the city’s anti-smoking laws. The question before the assembly was whether children should be prohibited from entering any business that allows smoking — even for a non-smoking event. The decision came down to different interpretations of what voters intended nearly a decade ago. Download Audio

The City of Fairbanks will help fund a new mental health drop in center. Earlier this week, the city council approved $58,000 for the Northern Door Clubhouse. Download Audio

Retired Anchorage Detective Glen Klinkhart has written a true crime memoir called Finding Bethany. The story reveals the years of work it took Klinkhart and others within APD to find the killer of Bethany Correira, a young woman from Talkeetna who had moved to Anchorage for college and in 2003 was murdered by Michael Lawson, the man who managed the apartment building where she lived. Klinkhart says he also wanted to tell the stories of the dedicated people who helped solve the case in big and small ways. Download Audio

House Debates Limiting Medicaid Funding For Abortions; Sponsor Wants Vote On Judicial Council Issue; Geraghty Testifies On Tribal Law And Order Commission Report Findings; Army Sets New Protocols During Fire Season; Exit Exam Bill Could Bring Diplomas To More Students; Assembly Passes Anti-Smoking Law; Fairbanks Will Help Fund New Mental Health Drop In Center; Retired Detective Discusses ‘Finding Bethany’ Download Audio

FEMA administrator Craig Fugate met with Matanuska Susitna Borough officials on Friday, April 4, to discuss changes in federal emergency assistance legislation. Those changes could smooth the flow of reimbursment dollars to the Borough for local emergency response and to homeowners who suffered flood damages in the fall of 2012

After rejecting a request that oil industry experts be required to testify under oath, the Senate Resources Chair cut off microphones when the Minority Leader attempted to explain why he thought the request was appropriate.

While a minimum wage bill that could pre-empt a ballot initiative is on the fast track in the Alaska State House, Senate leadership says the idea unlikely to get traction in their body.

Two pilots are dead after a fiery plane crash Tuesday night just outside Bethel. Alaska State Troopers have identified the pilots who were onboard the Hageland Cessna 208 Caravan as Derrick Cedars, 42, of Bethel and Greggory McGee, 46, of Anchorage. Download Audio

Leaders in the Bristol Bay area say they’re upset U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has co-sponsored a bill that would undo their biggest regulatory success in fighting the Pebble Mine project. Download Audio

The State is looking into the legality of using money earmarked for building repairs to construct a new tennis complex in Anchorage. The multi-million-dollar grant was suspended after Mayor Dan Sullivan’s opponent in the lieutenant governor’s race called the decision into question.