Iditapod: The all-Indigenous Iditarod podium
Alaska Native mushers took the podium in the 2023 Iditarod, with the Knik Kid, Ryan Redington, winning his first championship and Bethel's Pete Kaiser and Aniak's Richie Diehl mushing into second and third place. The race's top 10 were all into Nome by Wednesday morning, and we have an update on Rookie of the Year honors, as well as three Dogs of the Day, two listener questions and a story about collecting dog pee. Also: This'll do it for Season 7 of the Iditapod. Thanks for coming along with us on this thousand-mile journey!
Eddie Burke Jr. wins Iditarod Rookie of the Year
The former amateur boxer and garbage truck driver had the best rookie finish since Jessie Holmes in 2018, finishing in seventh place.
Conservation groups sue to block Biden-approved Willow oil project on Alaska’s North Slope
A day after President Biden approved the controversial North Slope oil development, opponents sought to stop it from moving forward.
After years of contentious fights, Alaska’s state budget is advancing smoothly in the House
House subcommittees made few changes to a proposal authored by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
Ketchikan’s Tallie Medel has ‘surreal’ Oscar night after co-starring in Best Picture winner
Medel co-starred in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which took home a total of seven Oscars, including Best Picture.
Kaiser and Diehl round out ‘almost unheard of’ all Alaska Native Iditarod podium
After Ryan Redington’s win, Richie Diehl and Pete Kaiser say they’re showing that rural mushing isn’t dying.
Iditapod: An Iditarod champ from the founding family
The 40-year-old Ryan Redington has won his first Iditarod and the first championship for the Redington family, on his 16th try (and after six previous scratches). "I've just been on pins and needles," said his mom, Barb, at the finish line. We'll hear Redington's finish itself in this episode, and from Alaska Public Media's Lex Treinen about the finish and how Redington arrived there first. The dog friends that did the leading into Nome -- Sven and Ghost -- are our obvious picks for Dogs of the Day. And we have a listener question about dog-human friends, with a fun answer from a friendly musher.
Redington notches family’s first Iditarod victory, a childhood dream
The grandson of the “Father of the Iditarod” won his first Iditarod Tuesday on his 16th try.
Sven and Ghost, the Iditarod champions
Sven and Ghost led Ryan Redington to his first Iditarod victory on Tuesday.
Interior secretary rejects Izembek Refuge land exchange but commits to new process to get a road for King Cove
The move opens another phase of King Cove's long quest for road access.
State SNAP backlog hits close to home in Homer
An attorney suing the state says the backlog in food assistance — and the burden of reapplying for aid — falls unequally on rural Alaska.
Questions about Biden’s approval of Arctic drilling of Willow? We’ve got answers.
What we know about the permit ConocoPhillips won in the National Petroleum Reserve and the new limits Biden is imposing on drilling there.
Iditapod: Hanging onto a lead and an Iditarod dream
Ryan Redington has a secure hold on first place in the 2023 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, heading into the final 100 miles of trail. Meanwhile, one rookie musher had some trouble holding onto his dog sled, after falling asleep, falling off and getting a fortuitous lift. We have a listener question, not about losing a dog team, but about losing stuff along the Iditarod Trail. And it's a twofer of Dogs of the Day: Riley Dyche's smart and mellow Elway and Mike Williams Jr.'s smart and hyper Viper.
Alaska’s working-age population on decline since 2013 peak, and recovery chances seen as dim
Alaska’s working-age population peaked 10 years ago, and the rate of loss since then is among the nation's highest, according to state officials.
The day after her 100th birthday, an Anchorage centenarian is back in the pool
"I come every Monday, Wednesday and Friday," said Maurine Loopstra. She has been a member of the Y since the day it opened over 50 years ago.
When this Iditarod rookie lost his dog team, his top competitor helped him out
Eddie Burke Jr. said he dozed off on his sled along the Yukon River and lost his team 18 miles from the nearest checkpoint. His closest competitor for rookie of the year gave him a lift.
Ryan Redington in command of Iditarod as ‘childhood dream’ comes alive on Bering Sea coast
Ryan Redington arrived in Unalakleet early Sunday after a monster run from Kaltag to the coast, putting more distance between him and his rivals.
Two young mushers take aim at Iditarod Rookie of the Year honors
Eddie Burke Jr. and Hunter Keefe will need to face the windy Bering Sea coast before final placings get within reach.
Reigning Iditarod champ Brent Sass drops out of race over health concerns
Sass said he had been sick the entire race with a bad cold and also had three cracked teeth.
Iditapod: The champ has scratched. Long live the champ.
Reigning Iditarod champion Brent Sass has scratched from this year’s race, due to what race officials described as “periodontal health” issues. So 31 teams remained in the race Saturday, and in this episode we hear from the chase pack-turned lead pack about how they were feeling about heading up the Yukon River, plus more from the top rookies in this year’s race. We have a powerhouse Dog of the Day with a funny, uh, pungent name, and a listener question about sled dog breeds that led us to the famous poodle musher.