Energy bill fails; Murkowski blames House
It was two years in the making, but it seems Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s energy bill is now dead. Murkowski says House leaders stopped negotiating on the bill, which included Republican and Democratic priorities. Listen Now
Accusations of fake news and Islamophobia fill Anchorage Assembly
An online controversy spread to the halls of city government in Anchorage on Tuesday, with accusations flying about fake news, liberal media bias, and a militant Islamic training camp in Wasilla that does not exist.
Money management at Mental Health Trust raises concerns
Congress set up the Alaska Mental Health Trust in 1956 to make sure the state could provide mental health care programs to its residents far into the future. But the Trust has had a tumultuous history, and now, some state leaders fear it could be in danger once more. Legislators are considering a special audit of the Trust and how the trustees are investing its money.Listen Now
How much oil is really in ANWR?
The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ranks as one of the most controversial chunks of land in Alaska. Since Congress set it aside for more study in 1980, environmental groups, politicians and the industry have battled over whether to explore for oil there or to protect the wilderness forever. Listen Now
Trump taps petroleum industry ally for top EPA job
President-elect Donald Trump has selected a friend of the oil and gas industry to be EPA administrator: Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. Sen. Dan Sullivan says he'll curtail EPA "overreach." Environmentalists say Pruitt disagrees with the EPA mission. Listen Now
State moves to update its petroleum spill guidelines
Alaska’s petroleum-based economy means there are many opportunities for toxic petroleum-based spills. At least 80 percent of the contaminated sites that the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation deals with have petroleum products in them. Now, the Department is making moves to update the decades-old protocols it uses when petrochemicals leak into the soil and water. Listen Now
Plugging in could become cheaper for Juneau’s electric vehicle owners
The price to plug in could become a little cheaper for electric vehicle owners in Juneau. That’s because the city’s privately-owned electric utility is trying to expand a program, aimed at shifting when those drivers juice their cars. Listen Now
State unemployment data shows the bleak reality of an oil crash
As oil prices dropped, Alaska’s jobs have dwindled. The state’s oil and gas industry shed nearly 2,400 jobs in the first half of the year. That’s according to new data from the state’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Listen Now
Why doesn’t Anchorage have a pot shop yet? Dumpsters and parking lots.
After store openings in Fairbanks, Juneau and Valdez, Anchorage is still weeks away from having an open retailer.
AK: Orca ‘swims again’ thanks to Homer skeleton builders
Knowing how to assemble a whale skeleton is a rare skill. For a small group of students at Kachemak Bay Campus of Kenai Peninsula College in Homer, rebuilding skeletons is all in a day’s work. Listen Now
Local corporation sues City of Utqiagvik to halt name-change
Just one day ahead of the official name change, a local corporation filed a temporary restraining order to halt the measure's implementation, alleging a flawed process and fiscal risk. Listen Now
ACLU sues state on abortion regs
The ACLU of Alaska Wednesday filed suit against the state challenging restrictions on second trimester abortions. Planned Parenthood Votes of the Great Northwest and Hawaii and the Center for Reproductive Rights joined ACLU as plaintiffs. Listen Now
Ask a Climatologist: Bitter cold makes a comeback in Alaska
Alaska has settled into a notable stretch of seriously cold weather. Communities around the state are enduring low temperatures they haven’t seen in a few years. And for more than a week, the average statewide temperature index has registered below normal- by far the longest stretch this year. Listen Now
Former Attorney General Richards joins Bering Straits Native Corp.
Alaska’s former attorney general has a new job. Craig Richards will be the vice president and general counsel for the Bering Straits Native Corporation. Listen Now
Armstrong Oil and Gas has high hopes for another North Slope find this winter
As the amount of oil flowing through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System declines, big new finds on the North Slope are kindling a lot of excitement in Alaska. Speaking at a recent conference in Anchorage, Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Andy Mack called out one find in particular. Listen Now
Deadline nears for Murkowski energy bill
Time is running out on one of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s top priorities: a far-reaching energy bill. And she says, despite the election results, the bill will only be harder to pass next year. Listen Now
Trump, Congress and Southeast timber, what are the possibilities?
Could President-elect Donald Trump and the incoming Republican-led Congress change logging plans in Southeast Alaska? Changes to the Tongass forest plan amendment, a contentious Forest Service regulation, are possible. Listen Now
Rural lawmakers wield power without recent precedent
Dillingham Democrat Bryce Edgmon will be the first speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives from off the road system or outside of Southeast Alaska since Nome’s Howard Lyng in the Territorial Legislature of 1941. Listen Now
4 percent: Anchorage may get a sales tax
Fiscally conservative Assembly member from South Anchorage hopes to diversify city revenues while staying below the "tax cap." Listen Now
Mental Health Trust leadership change official
Though many community members and advisory members expressed concern, the change in leadership at the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority was made official on Thursday.