Programs

On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by midtown assembly member Felix Rivera and Alexis Johnson, the housing and homelessness coordinator for the Bronson administration, to discuss the reasoning for shrinking the Sullivan, and the city's plan moving forward.

On this Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Sen. Löki Tobin and Stephanie Berglund, CEO of Thread Alaska, to discuss the scope and possible solutions to the child care crisis.

Helping veterans and active duty military members cope with service-related trauma to lead healthy, happy lives, takes normalizing the need for mental health care and connecting with people who know the struggle.

Across Alaska, it’s a challenge to find affordable housing. Home building and vacancy rates are down, while rent, mortgage rates and home prices are up. The lack of affordable housing drives people into overcrowded homes and homelessness, or out of state. Some officials have begun referring to it as a housing crisis. On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Anchorage Assembly Member Dr. Daniel Volland, and Nolan Klouda, Executive Director of the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development, to discuss the causes, and possible solutions, of Alaska's housing crunch.

Nearly 60 years ago, Anchorage became the main point of entry for building materials, consumer goods and military support after Seward’s port was destroyed by the tsunami triggered by the 1964 earthquake. There are many advantages to having the main port in the state’s largest city, but there are also challenges. In this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend speaks with Port Director Steve Ribuffo about the plans to keep the port viable for years to come.

The disruption of the pandemic focused even more attention on a perennial concern for Alaska, our distance from major food suppliers. The future economic health of our state depends in part on having a more robust, local supply of food to reduce reliance on outside producers. In this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Glenna Gannon, an assistant professor of sustainable food systems with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Tikaan Galbreath, technical assistance network director with the Intertribal Agriculture Council, to discuss creating sustainable food systems in Alaska.

The design of a traditional large skin-on-frame boat used by the Unangax people was thought to be lost after Russian colonizers destroyed the last remaining examples in the 1800's, but after decades of work, the design of the niĝilax has been restored. Now, the recreated boats are touching Alaskan waters for the first time in over 200 years. To discuss the process and significance of the restoration, host Lori Townsend is joined by Ethan Petticrew, an Unangax dance instructor, teacher, and Executive Director of Cook Inlet Head Start, as well as Marc Daniels, the boat builder who facilitated the restoration project.

The Yukon River has been a majestic icon of power, beauty, and for generations, a sustainable source of food. Salmon reliably returned to the Yukon to provide a stable source of healthy, wild food for communities along its length. But in recent years, those reliable runs have been beleaguered by warming waters, food scarcity and disease, causing closures that have halted long standing traditions for many families. On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Gabe Canfield, policy coordinator for the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association, and Holly Carroll, in-season manager for the Yukon River for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to discuss the outlook for the years to come, and the steps that can be taken to protect this vital resource.

Quality child care is in limited supply across Alaska, but especially so in rural parts of the state.

On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by Alaska Public Media's Legislative Reporter Eric Stone, and Anchorage Daily News Politics Reporter Iris Samuels to discuss what to expect from this year's session.

Lori Townsend and her guests discuss threats to the health of whales around Kodiak and the rest of Alaska.

On this Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend and her guests discuss the future of the sport of sled dog racing.

Lori Townsend and her guests discuss the ways they incorporate traditional knowledge and culture into practical lessons about biology and outdoor skills.

Lori Townsend and her guests discuss resources for preventing suicide and promoting healing.

Lori Townsend and her guest Kikkan Randall explore what it would take to bring World Cup ski races to Anchorage.

On this Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend speaks with advocates and task force members about proposals to address child care shortages in the state.

Hollywood movies and TV shows have traditionally leaned into stereotypes, too often portraying Indigenous Americans using racist tropes that ripple out from TV screens into society, tainting our perceptions of each other.

On this episode of Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend is joined by John Sims, CEO of ENSTAR Natural Gas, to discuss the future of Cook Inlet gas production.

This Alaska Insight, host Lori Townsend and her guests discuss how realistic a transition to renewable energy is, and how long it could take.

Judy Woodruff joins Lori Townsend to discuss political division on this Alaska Insight.