Programs

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.

Alaska has one of the nation’s most diverse populations which results in an equally diverse restaurant and service industry. However, that doesn’t make the industry immune to the state’s current recession.

Walker seeks to deepen trade ties with China; Governor Walker pushes for fiscal solution: "The worst plan is no plan"; Public testimony backs stable or increased state budget; House majority down two members; Murkowski backs bill to ID school threats; Iditarod ceremonial start kicks off in Anchorage; Fans participate in trailgate parties to celebrate Iditarod start; Redington, Pettersson and Seavey first into Skwentna checkpoint; Zoya DeNure scratches in Skwentna, first scratch of 2018 Iditarod; Kodiak oil response crew cleans up spill; Trying to solve a moose-sized mystery in the tundra near Nome Listen now

In less than 24 hours, the Iditarod front-runners have made it to the Finger Lake checkpoint, 123 miles into the 1,000-mile race. But not before checking in at Yentna and Skwentna, the first two checkpoints after leaving Willow. And, even before that, KNOM's Davis Hovey caught up with two top candidates for Rookie of the Year: Two Rivers' Matt Hall and Nenana's Jessie Holmes.

Mushers in the 2018 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race are officially on course for the 1,000-mile trek to Nome after the restart in Willow. We take a rather, uh, unique question from a listener, and Alaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes does whatever it takes to get an interview.

The 2018 Iditarod kicks off with the ceremonial start in Anchorage and an 11-mile jaunt through downtown and the city's trails, past race revelers that call themselves "trailgaters." We introduce KNOM News Director and trail reporter Davis Hovey, and hear from DeeDee Jonrowe, Nicolas Petit and some of the folks along the trail.

Alaska SB 92 would crack down on derelict boats; Starting positions set for 2018 Iditarod; 67 mushers to depart from Willow on Sunday; Jeff King on PETA and past Iditarod protests; Roll reversal: Anchorage Iditarod prep means dumping snow on city streets; State House to hear public testimony on budget in Anchorage-- the same day as Iditarod start; Response crews reach Shuyak spill; Body of snowboarder caught in avalanche recovered; Why don’t you see people-sized salmon anymore?; AK: How an Arkansas duck tagger became a champion musher; 49 Voices: Bede Trantina of Anchorage Listen now

Politicians on both sides say we need to tap into the Permanent Fund in order to close the state's multi-billion dollar budget gap. But how would that draw on the $66 billion dollar fund be structured? And how might it affect the longevity of the state's largest investment account? LISTEN HERE

"New Arrivals" is Alaska Public Media's profiles of people who recently moved to Anchorage. Every Tuesday, we meet a New Arrival from another country, another state, or another part of Alaska. This week we meet a number of different students from Bartlett High School. LISTEN HERE

KSKA: Thursday, Jan. 11, at 2 & 8 p.m. We have some fun people to introduce you to on the next Outdoor Explorer: twin brothers came in to talk with us. They're beer brewers, who are fanatic for snow machine-assisted backcountry skiing. This is where you ski or board remote powder slopes, but without spending the sweat to get there on foot or the money to get there on a helicopter--you ride out on a snow machine. There’s a ton of skill involved and a lot to learn, and these guys are great at talking about it. LISTEN HERE

This week we're hearing from KSKA’s long-time program director Bede Trantina. Bede is retiring today after 39 years of public radio service. Listen now

The Iditarod is upon us, and those who follow the race know that dog mushing is home to many colorful characters. It might seem strange that one of Alaska's top mushers has a southern accent - but, when one reporter from Arkansas heard Allen Moore's southern drawl, she immediately recognized one of her own. Listen now

KSKA: Friday, March 2 at 2:45p.m. It's 1934 and the world's most famous stage director, Max Reinhardt, is directing the film version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream when two of the characters from the play (Oberon and Puck) suddenly materialize and want to be in the show. If that sounds like a classic set up for a Ken Ludwig Farce, you're correct. Anchorage Community Theatre is presenting Ludwig's Shakespeare in Hollywood March 2-25 and Director Jocelyn Paine with actors Scott Rhode and ShaeLisa Anderson drop by Stage Talk this week to talk about it. LISTEN HERE

KSKA: Wednesday, March 7, 2 pm and 8 pm. Hometown Alaska will address choices voters will soon make on the future of Anchorage in our next two shows. Coming up first, we'll have both an advocate and opponent of Proposition 1, an ordinance that would regulate gender in public bathrooms by birth certificate rather than identity. It is a divisive topic, but we're planning on a civil and informative discussion and welcome your calls. LISTEN HERE

KSKA Tuesday, March. 6 2018, at 2:00 p.m. This show is all about the Iditarod National Historic Trail. This isn’t your average Iditarod dog mushing show though, this is also a celebration. 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the national trail system, which includes the Iditarod trail. The Iditarod Trail is the only winter trail in the National Trails System and the only Congressionally-designated National Historic Trail in Alaska. LISTEN HERE