Programs

U.S. House candidate Mary Peltola goes home to Bethel as she waits for tomorrow's election results. Also, Juneau police collect DNA samples from people with certain past convictions. And childhood vaccinations for things like polio and measles are on the decline in Alaska.

Orienteering is the sport of using a map and compass to navigate in the outdoors. On this Outdoor Explorer we feature orienteering with guests Olympian Scott Patterson, author Jen Jolliff, and Mike Robinson of the Arctic Orienteering club.

High rates of substance abuse and addiction have long plagued Alaska, but in recent years, fentanyl has greatly increased the number of overdose deaths.

A former top-level employee at Juneau’s hospital faces felony theft charges. Also, a Ketchikan City Council candidate pleads guilty to violating an 18-year-old's restraining order. And a village's laundromat and source of treated water is sinking into the tundra.

Anchorage police shoot an armed man who tried to cover himself with a child. Also, Kuskokwim River residents ask state managers to reopen the river to fishermen. And a battle of the buds gets underway within Alaska's unique cannabis industry.

So, here’s one new thing: This fall, UAA, our hometown university campus, is offering its first marijuana information class, open to students and community...

This week on Addressing Alaskans we'll hear how the Anchorage economy has been progressing and what issues lie ahead. Speakers include AEDC President and CEO Bill Popp, Mayor Dave Bronson and University of Alaska President Pat Pitney.

Anchorage's assembly and mayor remain at odds over a winter homeless shelter. Also, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District deals with its bus driver shortage. And a volunteer DJ spins Gospel music every Sunday in Kotzebue.

For this Outdoor Explorer, our guest is Jen Aschoff, a geology professor who recently became the tenth person and second woman to complete the Chugach 120. The Chugach 120 is the 120 peaks in the Chugach State Park with a prominence of 500 feet or more.

The risk of a major rock slide is causing cruise ships to skip Skagway. Also, biologists plan to study how kelp farms could boost the economy and impact fish. And two rescued harbor seal pups get ready to go back into the ocean.

More than a year after voters approved them, Anchorage police still don't have body cameras. Also, Gov. Mike Dunleavy says Alaska is the best place to mine for critical minerals. And the end of a federal free lunch program is leaving some parents confused.

This week on State of Art we're hearing from O'Hara Shipe. She took over as managing editor of the Anchorage Press in March after being a long-time contributor to the alt-weekly. She is also the state director for cannabis magazine Alaska Leaf and has her own photography business Shipe Shots. We discuss her professional hockey career, her work as a journalist and her goals for the paper.

The last remaining private company with a lease to drill in ANWR has pulled out. Also, local opposition builds against Donlin Gold's proposed mine. And the unusual bet that motivated a Bristol Bay high school student to graduate.

Children in Alaska are sometimes affected by unique pediatric endocrine disorders like rickets, precocious or delayed puberty, short stature, thyroid dysfunction and pituitary gland disorders.

As homeless campers in Anchorage try to stay out of the rain, advocates say the city needs to plan for winter. Also, scientists say tundra fires in Alaska could become more frequent. And a new app helps people in Sitka track landslide warnings.

What is it like to be an avalanche specialist? A conservationist? A wilderness traveler? A Buddhist? Brad Meiklejohn is a long time Alaskan who has written a new book titled The Wild Trails that explores these topics and more. Join host Paul Twardock and Brad for this great conversation.

After two years of pandemic interruptions, many districts are hopeful for consistent in-person instruction. But a shortage of teachers, bus drivers and other staff is creating a stressful start to the school year for administrators and parents alike.

This week on State of Art we're diving into what's been happening at Cyrano's this month. We hear from the theater's Producing Artistic Director Teresa K. Pond about the play "5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche" and how social repression and dread of nuclear war in the 1950s helps influence the period comedy. We also hear from painter Elizabeth Belanger about her work on display in the theater's gallery and how a cancer diagnosis helped her start painting again.

Alaska State Troopers arrest a man connected to an AMBER alert sent last night. Also, firefighters tackle late-season wildfires in the Interior. And it's the first day of school on a military base in Anchorage.

Suicide has scarred families and communities across the state, but it is possible to heal. It’s also possible to talk about mental health in a way that prevents people from considering suicide in the first place.