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.

Emperor goose harvest: More than a memory for Kodiak subsistence hunter

Subsistence hunters want to eat the foods traditional to Kodiak Island, and that includes one bird that’s been off-limits since 1987 due to low numbers: the emperor goose. Download Audio

Denali Commission ekes back into the spotlight

After being on life support for the past few funding cycles, The Denali Commission is full of muscle again with an expanded mission to help rural Alaska. The Commission, created by the late Senator Ted Stevens to fund village energy projects saw yearly funding up to $150 million at its peak. Currently the Commission's budget is around $10 million, but a mandate by the White House to help combat the effects of climate change on remote communities may help it garner more federal dollars. Download Audio

Judge rules against road between King Cove, Cold Bay

A U.S. District Court judge in Anchorage has ruled against a group from King Cove seeking an emergency road to Cold Bay. Download Audio

Shots fired in chase, stand-off with Troopers near North Pole

Alaska State Troopers and Fairbanks Police exchanged fire with two men following a vehicle chase on the south side of Fairbanks on Wednesday morning. Download Audio

UA president: More downsizing on the horizon

The process of downsizing the University of Alaska continues. Decreased state tax revenue because of low crude oil prices has resulted in less money for the university and there’s no sign of that changing. The focus of the university’s reorganization is shifting. Download Audio

At GLACIER, nations urge caution in opening the Arctic to fishing

As the Arctic opens, several countries are eyeing what may be a virgin commercial fishery in the central Arctic Ocean. How to regulate those new potential fishing grounds was on the table for discussion at the State Department’s GLACIER conference in Anchorage last week. Several nations urged caution and the need for more science before opening the fishery. Download Audio:

Getting to know a volcano, starting with its plume

A group of scientists from around the country are on a three-week expedition studying volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands. As part of that project, Tobias Fischer with the University of New Mexico is using instruments on helicopters to measure the gas composition of volcanic plumes. The work is aimed at improving volcano monitoring. Download Audio:

President Obama’s Alaska visit yields little regarding Arctic Ocean drilling

Throughout President Obama’s tour of Alaska last week, he spoke at length about efforts to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. He spoke very little about his support for Arctic Ocean drilling. The drilling policy could affect the global climate much more than any of Obama’s climate-friendly initiatives. Download Audio:

Yukon River coho harvest sets record

This year’s harvest of coho salmon on the Yukon River is the largest on record, with over thousand fish caught. That’s almost twice as much as Fish and Game’s preseason projection. The record-breaking harvest comes out of a run that managers do not know much about, including how many fish are returning to their spawning grounds.

Chignik Lagoon adjusts to life on 94% hydropower

Chignik Lagoon’s hydroelectric project has been running since spring, but it officially cut the ribbon last week. The system now provides 94 percent of the community’s energy needs, saving the town about $500 a day on fuel costs.

President Obama’s Alaska visit yields little regarding Arctic Ocean drilling

Throughout President Obama’s tour of Alaska last week, he spoke at length about efforts to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. He spoke very little about his support for Arctic Ocean drilling. The drilling policy could affect the global climate much more than any of Obama’s climate-friendly initiatives. Download Audio:

Walker may call gas line special session in October

Gov. Bill Walker may call a special session of the Legislature next month to consider the Alaska LNG Project, and a possible state purchase of TransCanada's share in the gas pipeline. Download Audio:

In historic visit, president dodges Alaska press

In the wake of President Obama's visit, Alaskans are still sorting out the significance of new climate initiatives, cultural recognition, and more. But there's lingering frustration among one particularly vocal group, who found that all the president's messages came from the same place: His staff. Download Audio:

With rising heroin use, Peninsula doctor lobbies for an antidote

Nationwide prescription opioid pain relievers are killing twice as many people as heroin. A Southern Peninsula doctor is advocating an antidote for opioid overdose that she says will save lives if used correctly. Download Audio:

In historic visit, Obama sidesteps Alaska press

During an eventful visit emphasizing climate change, Obama did not take a single question from the press. Download Audio:

Rep. Young Ducks POTUS Hoopla

Alaskans of all stripes came out this week for a chance to shake hands with President Obama, or glimpse his motorcade, but one person not on hand was Don Young, Alaska’s only member of the U.S. House of representatives. Download Audio

Obama wraps up tour on climate’s front lines: the Arctic

President Obama ended his three-day tour of Alaska on Wednesday along the western coast—first in Dillingham and then Kotzebue—where he officially unveiled new initiatives aimed at helping Alaska’s rural villages cope with climate change in the fast-thawing Arctic. Download Audio

Uber to pay state $78K for misclassifying drivers

The ride-sharing services settles with the state and agrees not to operate in Alaska until they classify their drivers as employees instead of independent contractors. Download Audio

Obama shares smiles, salmon and dance moves in Dillingham

President Obama began his tour of Western Alaska with a stop in Bristol Bay, landing in Dillingham just before noon. While Obama had sparkling clear weather for his tour around Seward yesterday, it was drizzly and a little chilly for the duration of the Dillingham stop. No mind, say residents: that’s what fishing weather is usually like in the region, and fishing was the main thing locals wanted the President to know more about while he was in salmon country. Download Audio

In Kotzebue, excitement is high as president ventures north

Air Force One landed in Kotzebue just before 5 p.m. President Obama is now the first sitting president to visit the U.S. Arctic. Download Audio