StoryCorps’ mission is to share and preserve humanity’s stories to build empathy and a more compassionate world. As part of their Military Voices Initiative, StoryCorps partnered with us at Alaska Public Media to record veterans, active members of the armed forces or their families to document their stories. On this episode of Hometown Alaska, producer Ammon Swenson discusses the Military Voices project with the CEO of StoryCorps and learns about the women's veteran organization Operation Mary Louise.

Despite the May snowfall, it is definitely growing season in Anchorage. On this episode of Hometown Alaska host Dave Waldron and two master gardeners discuss the challenges and rewards of gardening in our northern climate, answer some listener questions and do a little gardening trivia. Later in the show we visit an apple orchard with the president of the Alaska Pioneer Fruit Growers Association to find out what goes into the growing process this time of year.

Nearly 61 thousand households in Anchorage have pets. That works out to about 105 thousand dogs and 88 thousand cats. That’s a lot of animals — and a lot of animal waste. And pet ownership doesn’t just impact the people who live with the creatures. Caring for pets is both challenging and rewarding for veterinarians and their staff, too. This week on Hometown, Alaska, we’re talking to veterinarians about their mental health and pet care basics as well as taking a trip to the dog park to see how your actions affect everyone downstream.

Since 2007, OLÉ! has existed in Anchorage as a non-profit organization aimed at providing older Alaskans aged 50 and up an opportunity to continue their education in creative and engaging ways. This week on Hometown Alaska host Justin Williams dives into what the organization is, how it works and more.

It's finally starting to feel like spring. And with that comes the birds. On this Hometown Alaska we meet some of the people that make up the Bird Treatment and Learning Center (Bird TLC). We find out what they do, what keeps them so busy this time of year and how their operation works. We also get to meet one of their avian ambassadors in the studio.

Nationally, a record number of bills that attack LGBT rights, especially those of transgender youth, have been making their way through state legislatures nationwide. According to the ACLU, there are currently over 400 proposed bills that cover everything from limiting preferred pronouns to banning drag performances. Drag queens have become a lightning rod for the justification of much of the proposed anti-LGBT legislation. Both locally and nationally, drag performers are working to demystify the art form and set the record straight.

This week on Hometown Alaska we'll learn how to drink, pair, and even cook with sake as part of sake week: a six day event taking place in Anchorage and Girdwood.

This week on Hometown Alaska we're joined by Erin Baldwin Day, lead organizer of Mutual Aid Network of Anchorage, to find out about the grassroots, community-minded organization filling gaps other groups cannot meet.

Anchorage's Assembly and Mayor make decisions that affect your everyday life, from how much you pay in taxes to when your streets might be plowed. Their decisions influence what services are available, where developments happen, and how the city's money is spent. On this episode of Hometown, Alaska we'll learn more about how the city government works and how you can affect it. We'll also go on an audio tour of the Anchorage Election Center to learn about what happens to your ballot after you send it back in.

There’s only one place you will find JT West on Monday nights—in the ring. Or, more specifically, in a warehouse, turned pro wrestling gym that represents two decades worth of dreams. Once a pro himself, the Arkansas-born West fell in love with the flamboyant sport as a child. But he wasn’t alone. Pro wrestling, the perfect anecdote to the blue-collar lifestyle of its fan base, exploded in popularity in the 70s. 50 years later, the 907 Pro Wrestling Academy emerged in Alaska and amid bruises and broken bones, the school is changing lives for the better.