Programs

This is a gallery of photos I took during long walking breaks from an editing project I worked on this fall. I was especially interested in taking photos on these walks because we had such clear, crisp weather for much of autumn with very few dustings of snow. See the gallery.

Anchorage looks to spend marijuana tax revenue to create more childcare options. Plus, what exactly is a charter school?

People waiting for trial often sit in jail for days or weeks just because they can't make bail. Starting this month, that system is changing. The state is launching a new effort to reduce the amount of time people spend locked up before they've gone to trial. It's part of SB91, Alaska's criminal justice reform law. LISTEN HERE

There was a major shakeup at the front of the 2018 Iditarod on Monday, when Joar Leifseth Ulsom slipped past previous leader Nicolas Petit while Petit lost the trail on the Bering Sea coast between Shaktoolik and Koyuk. The table is now set for Ulsom, first to White Mountain and only 77 miles from the finish in Nome, to win his first Iditarod championship and the first for a Norwegian -- or anybody else not originally from the U.S. -- since 2005. But, as we hear in this episode, a lead and a long rest at White Mountain hasn't always translated to a win. Meantime, many of mushing's old guard are happy to pass the mantle to the next generation of elite mushers (not including defending champ Mitch Seavey, still mushing near the front in third place).

From Texas to Colorado to Scotland, ANWR drilling opponents take their case to CEOs; State to ship water to Yakutat following PFAS contamination at well; Negotiations over Alaska Tribal Child Welfare Compact break down between state and tribes; Pink salmon fisherman still waiting for federal relief funding after season disaster; Alaska man given Coast Guard medal years after girl's rescue; Two bridges named after fallen Interior State Troopers; Scientists find 1,800-year-old footprint near Fairbanks; Author, radio host honored as Alaska’s ‘Distinguished Artist’ for 2019

Marijuana has been legal in Alaska since a voter initiative passed in 2014. Retail businesses and commercial growers are operating and paying millions in taxes to the state, but one of only three testing facilities recently shut down and there's still no decision regarding on-site consumption. LISTEN HERE

James Hoagland is in the business of wigs. Not just your ordinary costume and fashion wigs – his are specifically for drag queens. He spends hours styling hair and stitching it into wig caps. Last year, he sold 300 mostly to clients in the Lower 48 and internationally. Download Audio

A Fairbanks food entrepreneur pitches a farmers market on wheels. Plus: Officials try to manage changes for halibut charter fishing. And, Anchorage officials weigh different tax measures to address years of budget cuts.

This week we're hearing from Mike Humphrey who spent 20 years in Fairbanks but reluctantly relocated to Anchorage two years ago. Download Audio

How do you tell when perfectionism becomes unhealthy, and what can you do to prevent it from becoming a harmful influence?

Since the Iditapod left off, after Brent Sass's epic first Iditarod victory, teams have continued to arrive in Nome, including a fun race for 3rd and 4th place, two Yukon-Kuskokwim mushers in 5th and 6th, an impressive 7th place finish for a second-year musher and a Nome local coming home to finish in 8th before stepping away. We're also going to step away, but not before we answer another listener question and bring you one last Dog of the Day.

A peek into Anchorage classrooms as students experience their first day of school entirely remotely. And, how a shortened Census count could affect Alaskans? Plus, a Bethel-based pilot's positive COVID-19 test puts villages on high alert.