Anchorage news

• The freshmen: Two new Mat-Su Republicans prepare for their first session

  14-01-2026 23:48 via ktoo.org
  Republican Reps. Garret Nelson, left, and Steve St. Clair pose for a photograph during a swearing-in ceremony in Anchorage on Dec. 30, 2025. (Alaska House Republicans)
  The Alaska House of Representatives will have two new faces when lawmakers return next week for the start of the legislative session. Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed Mat-Su Republicans Steve St. Clair and Garret Nelson to fill two open seats in the state House.
  So, who are these two new lawmakers, and what do they hope to accomplish
  
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• A Juneau-born athlete is headed to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games

  14-01-2026 21:23 via ktoo.org
  Maxime Germain during a World Cup Biathlon relay in Oberhof, Germany, on Jan. 11, 2026. (Photo by Nordic Focus Photo Agency)
  A Juneau-born athlete is headed to Italy next month to represent Team USA’s biathlon team in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. 
  Last month, 24-year-old Maxime Germain made the team for the event that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. 
  This week, Germain spoke to KTOO from Germany, where he’s racing in the Biathlon World Cup. He said he&rs
  
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• Why Juneau’s warming shelter moved multiple times during the avalanche advisory

  14-01-2026 03:39 via ktoo.org
  Juneau’s emergency warming shelter on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  Avalanche risk rose over the weekend as more snow and then rain pounded Juneau. Meanwhile, staff at the city’s emergency warming shelter for unhoused residents relocated operations three times in two days.
  When the city issued evacuation advisories for high risk areas of town on Friday, it said the shelter along Thane Road was too close to historic avalanche paths to stay put, said St. Vincent de Pau
  
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• Newscast – Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026

  14-01-2026 03:00 via ktoo.org
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/20260113-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:An evacuation advisory remains in effect for Juneau’s Behrends avalanche path downtown for a fifth day, but now the City & Borough of Juneau’s evacuation alert is using more urgent language,
  The cost to move Juneau’s City Hall is coming in millions of dollars higher than expected,
  A 10-year-old Bethel cold case murder spotlights faults in Alaska justice system,
  The United States Supr
  
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• Afro Mermaids: Healing our relationship with water

  14-01-2026 02:24 via ktoo.org
  Culture Rich Conversations show aired on January 13, 2026Dive into an enchanting episode of Culture Rich Conversations featuring Dr. Jalondra Davis, Mermaid scholar, and Blixunami from the hit Netflix series Merpeople.  Discover the transformative power of African spirituality, wellness, and unity in the captivating world of Afro Mermaids.  Prepare to explore the deep waters of fantasy, the symbolism behind the aquatic world, and how these trailblazers are helping the Black Cultur
  
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• Alaska pollock processors drop foreign worker program, citing uncertainty

  14-01-2026 02:23 via ktoo.org
  The UniSea processing plant in Unalaska in Jan. 2019. (Berett Wilber/KUCB)
  Some of Alaska’s largest pollock processors are abandoning a foreign worker visa program that once supplied up to half their workforce, citing rising costs and uncertainty under stricter immigration policies.
  Tom Enlow is the president and CEO of UniSea Seafoods, Unalaska’s largest seafood processor. He said the company is moving away from the H-2B visas to save money on an inconsistent system.
  “The H-2B
  
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• Juneau’s City Hall move will cost millions more than expected

  14-01-2026 00:29 via ktoo.org
  The Michael J. Burns Building, which houses the Permanent Fund offices on 10th Street, on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  The cost to move Juneau’s City Hall is coming in millions of dollars higher than expected.
  According to the city administration, it’s expected to cost $20.5 million to purchase, renovate and move into two floors of the Michael J. Burns building, which houses the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation downtown. The floors are slated to become Junea
  
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