Programs

This week on State of Art we're talking about the Sundown Solstice festival. The three-day concert features a mix of well-known, up-and-coming and local artists whose music ranges from hip-hop, electronic and rock. The festival starts Friday, June 16 and runs through Sunday at Cuddy Park. We're joined by Hellen Fleming, co-owner of Showdown Productions, the organizers of the festival. She tells us about the artists, what it takes to put on an event this big and being caught up in city drama.

NOAA tells southeast troll fishermen that they might still get a king salmon season this summer. Plus, the Mat-Su school board adopts controversial policies aimed at transgender students, despite some opposition.

Anchorage's summer clearing of homeless camps starts at a park set for an upcoming music festival. Plus, Sen. Dan Sullivan warns of alleged Chinese spies on Alaska military bases.

The Mat-Su school board prepares to vote on a pair of policies that would impact transgender students and sex ed. Plus, scientists study how the highly pathogenic bird flu withstood the winter in Alaska.

Alaskans like to pack in as much fun as possible during our gloriously long summer days and extended bouts of backyard, beach, boat and campsite time is made all the better when you have a great book to relax with. Readers know how books create magical doorways into other worlds and other worldviews that enhance your imagination in ways that scrolling online will never match. If you want to stick to home grown books, Alaska has many great authors and a wide range of selections from thrillers to romance to science. We’ll talk with Alaska writers and librarians to hear about their book recommendations on this Talk of Alaska.

Teens use a healthy kind of peer pressure to warn each other about the dangers of vaping. Plus, renewable energy projects are expanding, above the Arctic Circle, in Kotzebue.

This week on State of Art we're take a trip downtown to the Anchorage Museum to learn about their new exhibit "All Aboard: The Alaska Railroad Centennial." It covers the history, impact and people that made the railroad what it is today. We're joined by The Anchorage Museum's Aaron Leggett, senior curator and of Alaska history and indigenous cultures, who gives us a tour of some of the exhibits highlights. We hear about contributions of indigenous workers, Leggett's personal connections to the railroad and more.

If you happened to be driving down Tudor Road in Anchorage last weekend you may have noticed a throng of people dressed in armor, medieval gowns and maybe even a dragon suit. That’s because we are in the midst of the Three Barons Renaissance Fair which runs through this weekend. On this episode of Hometown, Alaska host Dave Waldron speaks with a long-time board member about the fair and moderates a debate between the three Barons as they vie for the public's support to rule the realm of Hillshire.

The governor wants to ramp up development of fossil fuels and renewable energy, even if that's a contradiction for some. Plus, Girdwood's only childcare facility is running out of space.

Southcentral Alaska is facing a looming energy crisis as natural gas contracts are set to run out. Utilities aren’t sure how to replace it, but foreign imports seem likely.

Geographic advantage helped Anchorage's airport claim its new title. To keep growing, it needs to market the shape of the Earth.

Sen. Dan Sullivan argues for more military spending amid a looming federal debt default. Plus, the Anchorage airport has become the third-busiest cargo airport in the world.

People come to Alaska for a variety of reasons. Award-winning photographer Mark Kelley came with the hopes of meeting a whale, and almost 50 years later, he’s still here. On this episode of Outdoor Explorer host Martha Rosenstein and Kelley talk about the challenges of photographing wildlife in Alaska, turning his passion into a career and what it’s like to return to a special spot year after year to observe and photograph bears.

A former pro-family policy advisor to the governor stands by his offensive podcast, a day after resigning. Plus, a new center in the Mat-Su aims to reduce opioid overdoses and disease transmission.

Emergency Departments are known for management and stabilization of critical patients, but the transition to inpatient hospital care and later discharge are another critical part of the process. Hospitalist and emergency department physicians collaborate to provide 24-hour care to patients in emergency situations. On this Line One, Host Dr. Jillian Woodruff unlocks the secrets of emergency care.

An aide to the governor resigns ahead of reports on his extreme viewpoints. Plus, Rep. Mary Peltola came out in favor of a compromise to raise the nation's debt ceiling.

This week on State of Art we talk about a creative competition for students to see the hit musical "Hamilton" and speak with John Damberg, founder of the Alaska Jazz workshop and a recent winner of a Governor's Arts and Humanities Award.

Lawmakers have gone home but a lot of state business still needs addressing. Also, Anchorage workers clear a homeless camp, even with no shelter space to send people. And an Alaska Native soldier gets recognition on Memorial Day, decades after his death.

A looming federal debt default could hit hard in Alaska. Plus, utilities try to meet Alaskans' energy needs despite a steady decline in Cook Inlet natural gas.

On this Outdoor Explorer, host Lisa Keller is joined by Tom Walker, author of the book "The Wanderer." In less than 6 months, Wolf 258 traversed almost 3000 miles in Alaska and Canada. His amazing journey, documented through his GPS tracking collar, is the subject of a story that mixes what we know about his movement with speculation on what he was doing during his travels.