Anchorage news

• Senators question Dunleavy’s budget proposal

  19-02-2019 03:23 via KTOO
  The Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, meets on Monday. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  Legislators are pushing back on elements of Gov. Michael Dunleavy’s budget proposal. That includes the effect on public schools.
  The Senate Finance Committee on Monday gave state budget director Donna Arduin a sense of how concerned they are about Dunleavy’s proposed budget.
  Fairbanks Republican Sen. Click Bishop asked about the proposed $312 million reduction in the s
  
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• Trump’s wall could drain money from Alaska military projects

  17-02-2019 03:08 via KTOO
  Construction is underway at Clear Air Force Station on a $347 million Long Range Discrimination Radar complex. (2018 photo by John Budnik, U.S. Army)
  President Trump on Friday declared a national emergency to get money for a border wall that Congress refused to fund. He plans to divert $3.6 billion from military construction accounts, and that could drain money from Alaska projects.
  This was exactly the scenario Sen. Lisa Murkowski was worried about when Trump first floated the idea of an emerge
  
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• Proposed budget cuts a ‘disaster’ for Sitka schools, education leaders say

  17-02-2019 02:57 via KTOO
  University of Alaska campuses like UAS Sitka could face major cuts under Governor Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budget. (Photo by Emily Kwong/KCAW)
  The cuts Governor Mike Dunleavy proposed to education funding Wednesday are deep. His proposed budget does away with about 25% of K-12 funding and cuts the University of Alaska system’s funding by 41%. Those numbers have caused education leaders in Sitka to worry.
  The cuts to education funding are especially worrisome for the University of Ala
  
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• Storms erode Bering Sea ice pack; caution is urged

  16-02-2019 23:08 via KTOO
  Sea ice near Nome on Jan. 29, 2018. (Photo by Zoe Grueskin/KNOM)
  Winter storms and blustery weather buffeting the Bering Sea this month have reduced sea ice coverage by almost 25% since late January. That’s according to climate specialist Rick Thoman.
  Thoman works for the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) at the University of Alaska–Fairbanks. He says in the last two weeks, more areas of open water have popped up all around Western Alaska.
  “As of February
  
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• Fashion faux pas? MLM company LuLaRoe sued in Alaska over sales taxes.

  16-02-2019 04:55 via KTOO
  Karena Perry models a pair of leggings she purchased from a LuLaRoe representative. (Photo by Matt Miller/KTOO)
  LuLaRoe clothing is known for soft, stretch knit items like leggings and skirts. It’s also a multi-level marketing company, like Mary Kay or Herbalife, and customers can buy clothing from their friends who are LuLaRoe representatives or from online sellers outside Alaska.
  A lawsuit has been filed in Alaska claiming that the company unfairly collected sales taxes. But LuLaRoe does
  
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• Multi-partisan House majority takes shape

  16-02-2019 04:47 via KTOO
  Rep. Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, speaks to members of the Alaska House of Representatives immediately after being elected speaker of the House for the 31st Legislature on Thursday. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  The shape of the Alaska House of Representatives became clearer Friday, a day after newly-independent Dillingham Rep. Bryce Edgmon was elected speaker. And it looks like there will be 25 members in a multi-party majority, and 15 in an all-Republican minority.
  It’s unusual across th
  
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• Legislative Finance gets ready to release its version of Dunleavy’s new budget

  16-02-2019 04:20 via KTOO
  Legislative Finance Director David Teal testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on April 3, 2017. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  Imagine having a to-do list so complicated, so meticulous that you need an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of it.  
  That’s what Division of Legislative Finance budget coordinator Amanda Ryder and her boss, director David Teal, pulled up out of the sea of open tabs on Teal’s computer to talk about their process of reviewing Gov. Michael
  
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• Juneau, cruise industry make nice at regional conference as decision to appeal lawsuit lingers

  16-02-2019 03:39 via KTOO
  Juneau City Manager Rorie Watt looks on as CLIAA President John Binkley speaks at the Southeast Conference Mid-Session Summit in Juneau on Feb. 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy Heather Holt/Southeast Conference)
  The Southeast Conference Mid-Session Summit brought community leaders together in Juneau this week to talk about the region’s economy.
  Tourism has been a major driver of growth lately. While that’s good for local economies, it’s also strained the relationship between Juneau an
  
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• Dunleavy offers Alaska National Guard support to Trump’s emergency declaration

  16-02-2019 03:10 via KTOO
  Gov. Michael Dunleavy prepares to speak about offering Alaska National Guard support for President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration, Feb. 15, 2019. (Screen capture from Vimeo of Gov. Dunleavy’s statement)
  Gov. Michael Dunleavy issued a short video statement Friday offering the state’s support to President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency.
  “Today, I notified the White House that Alaska and our National Guard, if called upon, stand ready
  
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• Newscast – Friday, Feb. 15, 2019

  16-02-2019 03:03 via KTOO
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2019/02/20190215-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:A lawsuit has been filed in Alaska against LuLaRoe clothing.
  The governor’s budget proposal includes a plan to stop sharing fish taxes with coastal communities.
  The City and Bureau of Juneau and the cruise ship industry tell SE Alaskans that they will continue to work together to resolve their differences.
  
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• Innovation Summit focuses on Alaska’s future

  16-02-2019 02:50 via KTOO
  Sheli DeLaney hosts on Tuesday, February 19, 2019.The Juneau Economic Development Council will preview Wednesday and Thursday’s Innovation Summit focusing on designing Alaska’s future. The Marie Drake Planetarium will highlight its presentation “Galaxies: Engines of the Universe.” The Southeast Alaska Land Trust will tell us about a snowshoe race, and we’ll check in with the Juneau School District.That’s Juneau Afternoon on Tuesday: 3 p.m. on KTOO 104.3 FM, an
  
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• Presidents’ Day

  16-02-2019 01:47 via KTOO
  In lieu of Juneau Afternoon on Monday, Presidents’ Day, we’ll play an episode of Intelligence Squared that explores the relationship between comedy and the presidency.
  That’s Juneau Afternoon on Monday: 3 p.m. on KTOO 104.3 FM, and repeated at 4 p.m. on KRNN 102.7 FM.
  
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• ‘Devastating’ and ‘significant’: Educators react to Dunleavy’s budget proposal

  16-02-2019 01:35 via KTOO
  University of Alaska Fairbanks neurobiology and anatomy professor Abel Bult-Ito speaks at a rally in front of the Capitol in Juneau on Feb. 13, 2019. About 80 people participated in the rally organized by the University of Alaska to advocate for support of state funding. It was held on the same day Gov. Michael Dunleavy released the latest version of his proposed state budget. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  One of the areas most affected by Gov. Michael Dunleavy’s budget proposal is educat
  
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• Young sponsors bill to bring back deported vets

  16-02-2019 00:19 via KTOO
  Alaska Rep. Don Young. (Photo by Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media)
  Congressman Don Young is co-sponsoring a bill that would reverse the deportation of non-citizens who served in the U.S. military.
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2019/02/ann-20190214-05.mp3
  The bill’s prime sponsor, Rep. Vicente González, D-Texas, estimates that hundreds or maybe thousands of veterans have been deported, often after committing crimes involving drugs or alcohol. González has attributed so
  
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• Alaska court strikes down ‘medically necessary’ abortion law

  15-02-2019 23:16 via KTOO
  The seal of the state of Alaska hangs behind the dais where Alaska Supreme Court justices hear cases in the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska. April 19, 2018. (Photo by Jeremy Hsieh/KTOO)
  The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday struck down as unconstitutional a state law and regulation seeking to define what constitutes medically necessary abortions for purposes of Medicaid funding.
  The court, in a 4-1 decision, upheld a 2015 lower court ruling that had also barred the measures from being en
  
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• More than 130 Calista shareholder women voice dissent over Donlin mine

  15-02-2019 22:53 via KTOO
  The site of the proposed Donlin gold mine would make it one of the biggest in the world (Photo credit KYUK).
  More than 130 Calista shareholders signed a letter sent to the Calista Native Corporation protesting the proposed Donlin gold mine, and they are all women. Calista owns the subsurface rights to the mine, and is the regional corporation for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2019/02/190214-Calista-Shareholder-Letter.mp3
  The letter starts like this: “We
  
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• Curious Juneau: Why do Norah Jones tickets cost over $500?

  15-02-2019 05:07 via KTOO
  Norah Jones performs on tour in 2010 promoting her album “The Fall.” (Creative Commons photo cropped from original by youngrobv)
  Juneau mom Mara Jennings said she was over the moon when she found out Norah Jones was playing a concert in Juneau. Over the years, she’s sung the nine-time Grammy Award winner’s songs like lullabies to her kids at night.
  “Yeah, moms get emotional about the songs they sing to their babies growing up. … I absolutely love her. I actu
  
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• Findings released regarding governor’s bid to fire head of state oil and gas watchdog agency

  15-02-2019 04:35 via KTOO
  Hollis French, center, testifies at a Feb. 8, 2019 hearing regarding whether he should be fired from his post at AOGCC for cause. (Photo by Elizabeth Harball/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
  The state Department of Law has released a “findings of fact” report on whether Gov. Michael Dunleavy has grounds to remove the head of a state oil and gas watchdog agency.
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2019/02/ann-20190214-04.mp3
  The report supports some, but not all, of the gover
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019

  15-02-2019 03:13 via KTOO
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2019/02/20190214-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:The Alaska House of Representatives has a new speaker and can officially begin its work.
  Governor Michael Dunleavy’s power to reduce Alaska’s budget only goes so far.
  Proposed budget cuts to the state’s Department of Corrections includes a plan to send 500 inmates to prisons outside of Alaska.
  The governor’s proposed cut of $134 million would require drastic actions, says University
  
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• Halibut dinner benefits homeless

  15-02-2019 02:30 via KTOO
  Scott Burton hosts on Friday, February 15, 2019.Folks from Family Promise of Juneau, a group that fights homelessness, will outline their annual halibut fundraiser. And Linnea Pearson will preview her Fireside Lecture titled “Growing Up on Ice: How Seal Pups Thrive in Antarctica.”
  That’s Juneau Afternoon on Friday: 3 p.m. on KTOO 104.3 FM, and repeated at 4 p.m. on KRNN 102.7 FM.
  
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• Sweeping budget lowers spending on schools, university, Medicaid, ferries

  14-02-2019 23:50 via KTOO
  Office of Management and Budget Director Donna Arduin helps Gov. Michael Dunleavy explain various aspects of his proposed state budget at a press availability in the Capitol on Wednesday. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  Gov. Michael Dunleavy’s amended budget proposal would cut spending across many state-funded programs. Public schools, the university, Medicaid and the ferry system are among the areas hardest hit.
  Dunleavy said at the budget announcement Wednesday that the changes are needed
  
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• Edgmon returns as House speaker as two Republicans break deadlock

  14-02-2019 23:36 via KTOO
  John Cayce, building maintenance manager at the state Capitol, changes out the speaker of the House sign soon after Rep. Bryce Edgmon was voted into the position on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
  The Alaska House of Representatives has a new speaker and can officially begin its work. Rep. Bryce Edgmon of Dillingham will again be the speaker. He held the title for the last two years.
  This ends a 31-day stalemate that blocked work
  
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• After a month of deadlock, Edgmon selected as Alaska House speaker

  14-02-2019 23:36 via KTOO
  Rep. Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, talks to reporters outside the House chambers shortly after being elected speaker of the House, Feb. 14, 2019. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  The Alaska House of Representatives has a new speaker and can officially begin its work. Rep. Bryce Edgmon of Dillingham will again be the speaker. This ends a 31-day stalemate that blocked legislative work.
  Edgmon said there’s a lot of work to do.
  “I think we can pick up where we left off and make up for lost t
  
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• Dunleavy faces political, legal obstacles to enacting far-reaching budget cuts

  14-02-2019 06:01 via KTOO
  Gov. Michael Dunleavy introduces his amended state budget to reporters at a press availability at the Capitol in Juneau on Feb. 13, 2019. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposed budget cuts Wednesday that could completely remake the state’s government and its education, health care and transportation systems.
  But his power to reduce Alaska’s budget only goes so far — there are legal and political obstacles that stand between the governor and his g
  
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• Marijuana Control Board nominee draws fire from industry

  14-02-2019 05:34 via KTOO
  The Senate Labor and Commerce Committee fields calls from constituents regarding Marijuana Control Board nominee Vivian Stiver, Feb. 12, 2019. From left to right: Sens. Lora Reinbold, R-Eagle River, Click Bishop, R-Fairbanks, and Chris Birch, R-Fairbanks. (Gavel Alaska cropped video still)
  Alaska’s marijuana industry flooded the phone lines during a legislative committee hearing Tuesday to oppose Gov. Michael Dunleavy’s appointment of Vivian Stiver to a state board that regulate
  
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• Jack Coghill, Alaska Constitution signatory, dies at 93

  14-02-2019 03:46 via KTOO
  Jack Coghill in 1989, when he was an Alaska state senator. (Public domain photo by ARLIS Reference)
  Jack Coghill, a former state lawmaker and pivotal figure in Alaska history, died Wednesday morning at the age of 93.
  Coghill’s son, state Sen. John Coghill, said his dad died peacefully at the younger Coghill’s home in North Pole after months of declining health.
  “This is not a big shocker. But, you know, you’re never ready for somebody to leave you,” John Coghil
  
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• Newscast – Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019

  14-02-2019 03:40 via KTOO
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2019/02/20190213-KTOO-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:Gov. Michael Dunleavy unveils his dramatically reduced state budget proposal,
  the military works on Arctic survival skills in Utqiagvik,
  more details on cuts to the Alaska Marine Highway system, and
  Alaska Constitutional Convention delegate Jack Coghill dies.
  
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• The life of a mountain goat

  14-02-2019 02:51 via KTOO
  Scott Burton hosts on Thursday, February 14, 2019.
  Wildlife biologist Kevin White will preview his Juneau Audubon Society presentation about mountain goats. We’ll check in with Discovery Southeast, and outline the weekend’s arts and entertainment happenings with Arts Up.That’s Juneau Afternoon on Thursday: 3 p.m. on KTOO 104.3 FM, and repeated at 4 p.m. on KRNN 102.7 FM.
  
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• How Alaska school districts planned to spend that $20 million

  14-02-2019 02:32 via KTOO
  Explore the table below or the map above to see the amount of one-time funding each school district expected to receive and how some planned to use the $20 million that could be cut from a supplemental budget. Click to expand — Table: How Alaska school districts planned to spend $20 million
  School District
  Amount*
  Plans
  Anchorage School District
  $5,772,609Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
  $2,619,784Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
  $2,016,261
  Equivalent to 18 teachers&rs
  
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• A Brazil Dam Accident Sparks Questions Over The Safety Of Donlin’s Tailings Dam

  14-02-2019 00:55 via KTOO
  The proposed mine could be one of the biggest in the world — if completed. (Katie Basile/KYUK).
  A tailings dam collapsed last month in Brazil, killing more than a hundred and fifty people. That accident raised fears among some residents in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta about the safety of the tailings facility and the dam that Donlin Gold plans to construct for its large gold mine. But Donlin says its design is much safer than the one that collapsed in Brazil.https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com
  
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• U.S. Air Force ‘barren lands’ survival course teaches how to stay alive in Arctic wilderness

  14-02-2019 00:36 via KTOO
  Trainees in an U.S. Air Force barren lands survival course stand next to an igloo shelter that was built as part of the training. Jan. 30, 2019. (Photo by Ravenna Koenig/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
  On any given day, pilots in the U.S. Air Force might be flying in the airspace above any environment on Earth. Desert, open ocean, the tropics… or the Arctic.
  So they have to be prepared to survive in any one of those places in case they get stuck there for some reason — and in the Arctic
  
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• Alaska Native issues feature prominently at hearing on Arctic Refuge oil leasing

  14-02-2019 00:25 via KTOO
  ASRC leaders and supporters held a press conference outside the Anchorage public meeting on oil leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Feb. 11, 2019. (Photo by Elizabeth Harball/Alaska’s Energy Desk)
  At a public meeting in Anchorage on the federal government’s plan to open part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil development, Alaska Native speakers delivered passionate testimony on both sides of the issue.
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2019/02/ANWRANCH.
  
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• House Republican group pitches plan for House

  13-02-2019 23:34 via KTOO
  Reps. Sarah Vance, R-Homer; Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski; David Eastman, R-Wasilla; and Bart LeBon, R-Fairbanks, discuss a plan to conduct House business without a permanent speaker, Feb. 13, 2019. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/KTOO and Alaska Public Media)
  A group of House Republicans has proposed limiting the rules to allow the House to operate until it has a permanent speaker.
  Normally, bills are heard first in committee and then advance to a floor vote.
  But under the proposal, every bill would be
  
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• Dunleavy floats deep cuts, privatization of ferry system

  13-02-2019 21:27 via KTOO
  An Alaska Marine Highway ferry docked in Skagway. (Photo by Emily Files/KHNS)
  The Dunleavy administration is looking at privatizing Alaska’s state-run ferry system, according to Gov. Michael Dunleavy’s budget proposal. That’s on top of a proposed 65-percent cut to the system’s budget.
  The state’s Department of Transportation and Public Facilities will work with an unnamed marine consultant to investigate options to move toward privatization or a public/private partn
  
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• Watch: Dunleavy reveals Alaska state budget proposal

  13-02-2019 19:45 via KTOO
  Gov. Michael Dunleavy unveiled his state budget proposal for the coming fiscal year at a Wednesday morning press conference. The governor appeared alongside Office of Management and Budget Director Donna Arduin to announce the proposal at 10:30 a.m. at the Alaska State Capitol.
  Dunleavy was expected to recommend deep cuts in state spending, along with an increase in permanent fund dividend payments and no additional tax revenue.
  In a recent interview with KTOO and Alaska Public Media reporter A
  
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• Dunleavy reveals Alaska state budget proposal

  13-02-2019 19:45 via KTOO
  Alaska’s schools, universities, health care programs and ferry system all would see huge spending cuts under a new budget proposed Wednesday morning by Republican Gov. Michael Dunleavy.
  The spending plan would overhaul major government functions and eliminate specific programs and services. Dunleavy said the cuts are needed to balance the state budget while paying out larger Alaska Permanent Fund dividend checks under a historical legal formula.
  “I’m going to be bold here for
  
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• House deadlock persists after Knopp votes for himself for speaker

  13-02-2019 03:50 via KTOO
  Rep. Dave Talerico, R-Healy, once again failed to reach the 21 votes necessary to be elected speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives on Feb. 12, 2019. (Gavel Alaska cropped video still)
  The Alaska House of Representatives failed Tuesday to break the deadlock over who will lead the chamber. Some Republicans accused Rep. Gary Knopp of going back on his word, after he voted against Rep. Dave Talerico to be speaker.
  Knopp said on the House floor that he committed to being the 21st vote for a
  
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• Newscast – Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019

  13-02-2019 03:13 via KTOO
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2019/02/20190212-news-update.mp3
  In this newscast:Juneau’s legislative delegation looks to get ahead of potential cuts to state jobs
  Signal detected from missing Guardian Flight plane
  Knopp votes against Republican Talerico for speaker as House stalemate continues
  Donlin Gold says its dam design is much safer than the one that collapsed last month in Brazil
  
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• Signal detected from missing Guardian Flight plane

  13-02-2019 03:04 via KTOO
  Searchers have detected an underwater beacon from the Guardian Flight air ambulance that vanished en route to the Southeast community of Kake, the company said in a statement Tuesday.
  The plane with three crew members aboard departed Anchorage on Jan. 29 but never arrived in Kake. A three-day search turned up a piece of a wing near Kake, but there was no sign of the wreckage or three crew members aboard.
  Randy Lyman, Guardian Flight’s vice president of operations, said a ping from the plan
  
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• Fundraiser honors mountain climbers’ lives

  13-02-2019 03:01 via KTOO
  Sheli DeLaney hosts on Wednesday, February 13, 2019.We’ll preview an event that will honor the lives of mountain climbers Ryan Johnson and Marc-Andrè Leclerc. The Association for the Education of Young Children will preview this year’s Early Learning Symposium. Members of the Baha’i community will preview their fireside discussion themed “Search for the Light in Dark Times.” And we’ll meet some high school cross country skiers.
  That’s Juneau After
  
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• Fundraiser for Juneau Mountain Rescue honors climbers

  13-02-2019 03:01 via KTOO
  Sheli DeLaney hosts on Wednesday, February 13, 2019.We’ll preview an event that will honor the lives of mountain climbers Ryan Johnson and Marc-Andrè Leclerc. The Association for the Education of Young Children will preview this year’s Early Learning Symposium. Members of the Baha’i community will preview their fireside discussion themed “Search for the Light in Dark Times.” And we’ll meet some high school cross country skiers.
  That’s Juneau After
  
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• Juneau’s legislative delegation looks to get ahead of potential cuts to state jobs

  13-02-2019 02:48 via KTOO
  Rep. Sara Hannan, Sen. Jesse Kiehl and Rep. Andi Story (left to right), all Democrats and newly sworn in to represent Juneau, pose for photographers outside the Capitol, Jan. 16, 2019. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  With Gov. Michael Dunleavy’s budget set for release Wednesday, some in Juneau are concerned by what $1.6 billion in cuts to state government could mean for the capital city.
  That includes Juneau’s new legislative delegation. According to the Juneau Economic Development Co
  
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• CBJ Assembly Meeting – Feb. 11, 2019

  13-02-2019 02:27 via KTOO
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2019/02/CBJ-02-11-19.mp3
  
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• Southeast Alaska tribe takes initial steps to create their own tribal court

  13-02-2019 01:18 via KTOO
  A sign welcomes visitors to Yakutat, a northern Southeast community of about 650 residents. (Photo by Ed Schoenfeld/CoastAlaska)
  Yakutat Tlingit Tribe recently was awarded two grants to start their own tribal court system.
  The Southeast Alaska tribe’s executive director Nathan Moulton said it’s a demonstration of the tribe’s self-determination.
  “It really leads to true tribal sovereignty,” he said. “We’re creating a judicial branch within our tribal
  
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• Falcon or Crimson Bear? Despite shrinking enrollment, Juneau students can pick between two high schools.

  12-02-2019 06:12 via KTOO
  Thunder Mountain High School (left) and Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé. (KTOO file photos)
  In most cities big enough to have two or more high schools, you go to the one that’s closest — and you don’t get a say in it. But in Juneau, incoming freshmen get to choose between the town’s two main high schools: Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé and Thunder Mountain High School. But with a shrinking population, some people question whether t
  
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• Update: Knopp votes against Republican Talerico for speaker as House stalemate continues

  12-02-2019 05:32 via KTOO
  Rep. Gary Knopp, R-Kenai, speaks during a House Minority press availability in April 2017. Knopp expressed a willingness to rejoin the Republican caucus, even though he has said it won’t function. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  Update (Tuesday, 11:05 a.m.) — Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO and Alaska Public Media
  Republican House members accused Rep. Gary Knopp of going back on his word Tuesday, after he voted against Rep. Dave Talerico to be speaker.
  Knopp said he had committed to voti
  
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• Knopp ends holdout for bipartisan House coalition, paving way for Republican majority

  12-02-2019 05:32 via KTOO
  Rep. Gary Knopp, R-Kenai, speaks during a House Minority press availability in April 2017. Knopp expressed a willingness to rejoin the Republican caucus, even though he has said it won’t function. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  The Alaska House of Representatives could officially start its work as soon as Tuesday, ending a 29-day stalemate.
  Kenai Republican Rep. Gary Knopp is ending his holdout for a bipartisan majority. He said he’s ready to vote for a Republican speaker to lead the
  
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• Could there be seismic in the Arctic Refuge this winter after all?

  12-02-2019 05:07 via KTOO
  The Canning River, which forms the northwestern border of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo: Lisa Hupp/USFWS)
  During the final public meeting in Alaska on oil leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a top Interior official said there’s still a possibility that some seismic exploration could be done there this winter.
  The statement comes after Interior confirmed last week that the early stage oil exploration effort proposed by company SAExploration was off the table this seaso
  
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• Alaska Native arts teacher asks governor to reconsider proposed budget cuts

  12-02-2019 05:04 via KTOO
  Jack Hudson (left) reacts as his son, John Hudson III (right), talks about his success as a teacher. (Screenshot from 360 North broadcast)
  The Governor’s Arts and Humanities Awards took place last Thursday at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center.
  While Gov. Michael Dunleavy himself did not attend, artists, educators and advocates from around the state received awards from his commissioner of the Department of Administration.
  But this Wednesday, the governor will lay out his budget plan for t
  
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• Dunleavy outlines approach ahead of big budget rollout

  12-02-2019 04:04 via KTOO
  Gov. Michael Dunleavy leaves the House chambers in Juneau after delivering the annual State of the State address to the Alaska Legislature on Jan. 22. Dunleavy will propose a budget on Wednesday with up to $1.6 billion in spending reductions. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)
  Gov. Michael Dunleavy will propose a budget Wednesday morning that could include $1.6 billion in reductions to state government spending.
  https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ktoo/2019/02/11dunleavy-pkg.mp3
  Dunleavy said his adm
  
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