Programs

As Girdwood's Nicolas Petit, Norwegian Joar Leifseth Ulsom and defending champ Mitch Seavey lead a chase pack to Unalakleet and the Bering Sea coast, we talk to Alaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes about how the 2018 Iditarod shaped up like this and how that chase pack got so bunched up. Also on today's Iditapod, we have a report from KCAW's Katherine Rose about a way for Iditarod fans around the world to get connected to the race: fantasy mushing.

With the Iditarod leaders on the mighty Yukon River and through the village checkpoint of Grayling, we hear about how weather prevented flying supplies to Eagle Island and caused the checkpoint to be downgraded to a mere "hospitality stop." That's why mushers scrambled to get mandatory rest in earlier and why they had to load up on supplies before one of the most formidable overnight trips of the race. Plus, back in Takotna, the village reflects on why it's been so steady as a checkpoint over the years, and we hear from KYUK's Johanna Eurich about what it used to be like covering the Last Great Race.

Zulkosky takes seat as House District 38 representative; House bill to declare state of emergency for Alaska Native languages passes committee; Following alcohol complaints, governor's office proposes meeting with Napaskiak leaders; Larsen Bay residents fear losing school; Bad weather all but shuts down critical Iditarod checkpoint; Musher chases bison off trail, with an ax; AK: Juneau shamanism retreat leader’s financial, cultural and spiritual legitimacy challenged; 49 Voices: Richard Hensley of Kotzebue Listen now

Alaska is still in recession- and the state's economic engine is significantly smaller than it was three years ago. But job losses have slowed.  So is there an end in sight for the first state recession in three decades? And what will it take to stage a real recovery? LISTEN HERE

This week we're hearing from Richard Hensley in Kotzebue. Hensley lives in an assisted living facility now, but used to live with his sister and brother-in-law. Listen now

KSKA: Thursday, January 18, at 2 & 8 p.m. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re talking about a key part of the body for your outdoor explorations, the brain. I’m Charles Wohlforth. New research shows that being active can make you smarter, growing parts of the brain, and keep your brain healthy as you age. But we’re also going to talk about brain injuries. We’re learning the serious impact they can have on every aspect of life and how important it is to protect your head when you are doing outdoor sports. LISTEN HERE

Sealaska Heritage Institute says the Dance of the Deer Foundation exploits shamanism. Listen now

KSKA: Wednesday, March 14, 2 pm and 8 pm. Voters will decide over the coming weeks if Anchorage will have one electric utility or two. On the next Hometown Alaska, join us as we explore the reasons behind the proposed sale of Municipal Light and Power to Chugach Electric Association and ask your questions, including the impact on rates, taxes, jobs and energy. LISTEN HERE

KSKA: Tuesday, March 12 at 2pm. On the program this week we get to learn about the Alaskan Consular Corps. We’ll answer some questions like “who are consuls?” “why do we have them in Alaska?” and “what do they do?” This was a panel discussion featuring some very experienced consuls sharing with us what their jobs entail and what to expect when traveling to their home countries. LISTEN HERE

Monday, March 12, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. In his best selling book, Feeling Good​, Psychiatrist Dr. David Burns highlights how our automatic negative thoughts, cultivated by years of practice, cause nearly all depressive episodes. How do we develop these automatic negative thoughts and how can we change our thinking to shift our internal dialogue, improve our self esteem, and increase motivation? On the next Line One: Your Health Connection, co-host, Prentiss Pemberton welcomes back Dr. David Burns for a more in depth look at specific strategies and techniques aimed at changing our thinking and improving our mood. LISTEN NOW

Friday morning saw Girdwood musher Nicolas Petit charge ahead leading the 2018 Iditarod to Anvik after passing teams resting in the ghost town checkpoint of Iditarod. As the first to reach the Yukon River, Petit is treated to a five-course meal. The main course is bison, which is an animal Whitehorse's Marcelle Fressineau encountered very much alive and not on a dinner plate farther back on the trail. We talk to Fressineau about how she fended off the bison with an axe, as well as some of the Alaska Native mushers in the race.

Trump official says Interior aims to move ‘pretty quickly’ on Arctic Refuge oil development; Sweeney Interior nomination in limbo; State, hospitals seek funds to prevent payment emergency; Trump administration sued over Pacific walrus; For this expat mom, raising healthy girls means going to prison; Rep. Guttenberg taken to hospital for ‘unknown medical emergency’; As Iditarod has changed, so has its relationship with its Native roots, mushers say Listen now

As Iditarod mushers decide when and where to take their mandatory 24-hour layovers, the leaders are in to the ghost town of Iditarod. And our trail reporters are breaking into their snack packs! Also, we hear from a Takotna elder about the moose he shot and fed at the village checkpoint.

Interior Department officials visit North Slope to talk ANWR; Sullivan knocks Trump tariff as bad for Alaska; Lawmakers add funding for public defenders; Recall election fails to oust Unalaska’s mayor; Army tanker truck wrecks, spills fuel near Harding Lake; New dog doping drama emerges on the Iditarod trail; Seavey reaches Takotna first, declares 24-hour layover; New documentary highlights mismanagement of Native trust money by feds; Scientists don’t know why ice seals are appearing in ice-free Unalaska Listen now

Beau Gibb and Cambria Houtte shared similar dreams of building a home in Alaska, but they wanted to do it using energy efficient principles....

A lot has happened since the last podcast: Willow musher DeeDee Jonrowe has scratched in her 36th Iditarod, which she said would be her last. Meantime, front-of-the-pack mushers are taking their 24-hour layovers, so this is a good time to talk about how times are adjusted to correct from the staggered, every-two-minute race starts. Plus: More off-trail drama related to dogs and drugs! Sheesh! We talk to a fellow Iditarod reporter about what has been described as a confrontational encounter between the race's head toxicologist and a musher right before the official start on Sunday.

USGS nominee inclined to show data to Interior bosses; State regulator pushes for stronger laws to deal with abandoned oil wells; Juneau police end policy of flagging flying weed; Aleutians East Borough votes to join feds in battle over King Cove road; DeeDee Jonrowe second musher to scratch in 2018 Iditarod; Some mushers deck out in "full body armor" to tackle Dalzell Gorge; Snowier year makes for smoother run to Nikolai; Alaska Railroad's first black conductor celebrates unprecedented 50 years with company; To feed elders, traditional foods take untraditional route Listen now

Things get pretty technical for Iditarod mushers heading out of the Rainy Pass checkpoint and into the Dalzell Gorge before Rohn and Nikolai. Plus, we hear from animal-rights activist and documentary filmmaker Fern Levitt, and we get four-time Iditarod Jeff King's take on criticism of dog mushing.

Here’s the Sunday, March 4th, 2018 edition of Algo Nuevo con Dave Luera — Something New with Dave Luera. If you have questions, comments or music requests for host Dave, send email to algonuevo@alaskapublic.org or post your comment at the bottom of this post.