Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, February 21, 2023
After last week's fatal roof collapse in Anchorage, residents are wondering if they should shovel. The implications of a shipping boom in the Arctic. Plus, during a recent drug bust in Southeast, the drugs themselves were found in an usual package.
Inspectors investigate cause of fatal Anchorage roof collapse
There is a lot of concern that heavy snow loads may have contributed to the collapse, said Anchorage Fire Department Assistant Chief Alex Boyd.
Alaska looks to obscure accounting quirk to turn old federal funds into new ones for state ferries
Alaska is set to get $285 million to modernize its ferry fleet. But to spend the windfall, the state needs to put up money, too.
Earthquakes last longer and feel stronger in parts of Interior Alaska, research finds
It’s all about the reverberation.
Talk of Alaska: Updates to Alaska’s Sexual Assault Laws
Alaska has long ranked at or near the top in the nation for rates of violence and sexual assault. Over the summer of 2022, lawmakers updated Alaska’s sexual assault laws, including a new definition of what defines consent. The law went into effect on January 1st, 2023. Why did it take decades to update the statutes and how might the changes affect prosecutions? Better legal tools to prevent assaults and help survivors is our discussion on this Talk of Alaska.
Alaska House votes unanimously to support Willow oil project
The Biden administration could decide the project’s future as soon as March 6.
20 pounds of meth, hidden in tortillas on a state ferry, seized by law enforcement in Southeast Alaska
It's one of the largest drug busts in Southeast Alaska in recent years.
As Anchorage School Board prepares to approve budget, lawmakers consider increasing state education funding
While the Anchorage School Board follows its timeline for approving its budget — big uncertainty still looms.
Alaska News Nightly: Monday, February 20, 2023
Local school districts are making difficult and uncertain choices with next year's funding levels in limbo. New research shows particular species of kelp absorb pollutants in the environment around them. Plus a ceremony at Elizabeth Peratrovich's alma mater celebrates her legacy.
1 person killed in South Anchorage roof collapse
The roof collapsed at a South Anchorage gym during a fitness competition.
New study provides snapshot of increase in maternal deaths in Alaska
Twice as many pregnant or recently pregnant women died in 2021 compared to recent years, according to the study.
Alaska News Nightly: Friday, February 17, 2023
Some lawmakers remain wary as the Governor's budget amendments seek to address the state's food stamp backlog. Mary Peltola praises the state's reputation for bipartisan work in her first address to Alaska's legislature. Plus, difficult decisions as Tuluksak passes a week without running water.
Anchorage police say 8-month-old baby found safe; father arrested on murder charges
State emergency officials had issued an AMBER alert for Ahmiri Chaney on Friday afternoon.
Shining a light on eating disorders | Alaska Insight
A new documentary from the Alaska Eating Disorder Alliance, AKEDA, shines a light on the prevalence and types of eating disorders, especially among young athletes.
Air Force investigators lay out lapse after lapse that led up to Eagle River ROTC cadet’s death in Humvee crash
Untrained cadets were given unsupervised access to old humvees intended only for use as bombing targets that were improperly put into service.
In homecoming address to state legislators, Peltola praises the ‘Alaska model’ of bipartisanship
Bipartisanship is U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola's motto, and her first address to the Alaska Legislature was on-brand.
Tuluksak educators plead for help after a week without running water
They say they're on the verge of closing the school.
Kodiak seafood processing vessel fined $200K for sanitation and safety violations
The violations include murky, brown water in the ship’s drinking tanks and serving expired food to crew.
Launch of campaign to repeal ranked choice voting draws a crowd in Anchorage
A few hundred people met at a south Anchorage church Thursday night to kick off a signature drive aiming to get rid of ranked choice voting and go back to the way Alaska used to elect candidates.
Alaska’s new elections director, a Trump donor, stays quiet on 2020 election fairness nationally
Carol Beecher doesn’t have elections experience, but Lt. Gov. Dahlstrom cites her administrative background, impartiality as reasons for the pick.