Anne Hillman, Alaska Public Media
Anne Hillman is the healthy communities editor at Alaska Public Media and a host of Hometown, Alaska. Reach her at ahillman@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Anne here.
Elementary students learn an Hour of Code
Susitna Elementary students joined over 52 million others around the world to learn about computer programming through the Hour of Code.
NAACP to host peaceful rally remembering Mike Brown, Eric Garner
The Anchorage NAACP is hosting a peaceful rally on Saturday in memory of two unarmed African-American men who were killed by police in the lower 48 over the summer. NAACP President Wanda Laws says Alaskans need to be part of the national dialogue about race relations and police actions.
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AK: Drumline
Imagine you're in middle school. You don't love math or history or any other subject. But there's this thing you look forward to everyday after school. It's called drumline. And a teacher at Clark Middle School thinks it can help kids learn about music and teach them some other skills too.
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Traditional gut sewing at the Anchorage Museum
The Anchorage Museum is hosting three Alaska Native artists this week. They are teaching students and others about gut sewing, a traditional skill still used today to make rain gear. They're also learning about the craft from each other and from historical items in the museum's collection. Mary Tunuchuk talks about the process.
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ASD seeking solutions to staff morale, hiring and retention problems
Anchorage charter schools seeking facilities, school board discussing solutions
The Anchorage School District is considering ways to help charter schools find permanent facilities. ASD has six facility-based charter schools and one more that’s petitioning for creation. Most of them are have difficulty finding and paying for adequate building space, especially the German immersion program, Rilke Schule, and the proposed math, science, and arts middle school.
Alaskan Writers Push to Finish a Novel in a Month
Nearly 500 Alaskans are trying to write a novel this month. An entire novel. They’re participating in November National Novel Writing Month, a worldwide movement aimed at getting people writing. Some of the writers gathered at Anchorage’s Loussac Public Library.
Anchorage Residents Demonstrate in Solidarity with Ferguson, MO
About 25 people stood on the corner of C and 7th in downtown Anchorage holding signs reading "Black lives matter" and "His name was Michael Brown." They gathered to stand in solidarity with the people of Ferguson, Missouri. The white police officer who shot an unarmed black teenager in August was acquitted earlier this week.
Design Challenge encourages innovative solutions for Cabin Fever
As the state is cloaked in darkness and cold, cabin fever starts to set in. But some Alaskans think they can fight winter's scourge by reinventing the spaces we inhabit. The Alaska Design Forum is hosting a challenge to get community members and designers to reconsider the cabin of the future.
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“Frost” Brings Art Seekers into Anchorage Parks
ASD budget surplus indicator of unfilled positions
The Anchorage School District spent less money than they planned during the first quarter of this year. If that trend continues, they'll have an extra $22 million left over by the end of June 2015. Much of the savings come from the district's difficulty in hiring and retaining highly-experienced teachers and staff. ASD is spending less than planned on salaries and benefits.
Community gives input on Anchorage plan to end homelessness
The municipality is developing a new community plan to end homelessness in Anchorage. During a listening session held Wednesday evening, about 20 people gathered to discuss possible solutions to the decades old problem, including involving more local government and making services more efficient.
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Weatherization program brings energy savings and safety
The state's weatherization program began in 1978, during the energy crisis, and continues to help families deal with ever-rising energy costs. Weatherizing means making heating systems more efficient and plugging up the holes in a home to keep the heat inside. But it's not just about economics, it’s about safety.
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Students call for action, public comment on U-Med Access Road
Students at the University of Alaska - Anchorage are trying to motivate their classmates and the community to get informed about a controversial proposed infrastructure project -- the U-Med District Northern Access Road. They say the public still has a chance to shape the project's future because it's not a done deal.
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ENSTAR rates to hold nearly steady for 7 months, prices similar to last winter
Enstar gas prices won't change much for the next 7 months. Rates will hold steady at just under 78 cents per hundred cubic feet starting in January. That's 5 and half cents over current rates and about the same as last winter. For an average household on an average month, that's a $6.70 increase.
Claman increases lead in House District 21 race
Democrat Matt Claman has pulled further ahead of his opponent, Republican Anand Dubey, in the House District 21 race. The Division of Elections started counting absentee and question ballots Tuesday afternoon. Claman is now ahead by 86 votes.
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ASD asks state legislators for new education funding formula
The Anchorage School District made their case for increasing state education funding to legislators during a luncheon Thursday. With the current funding formula, the district projects they will cut 720 jobs over the next three years. Class sizes will increase to about 10 more students per class than evidence-based research recommends.
Election signs find new homes under flooring, in chicken coops
Election day is over and political signs are disappearing from yards and intersections. But where do they go? To be reused or recycled.
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Anchorage Voters Repeal AO-37, Return Many Incumbents
Anchorage voters repealed AO-37, the controversial labor law, during Tuesday's election. They returned many incumbents and also sent some new Republicans to the state legislature as well.
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Anchorage voters overturn AO-37, support most incumbents
Anchorage voters repealed AO-37, the controversial labor law, during Tuesday's election. They returned many incumbents and also sent some new Republicans to the state legislature as well.