Anchorage news

• Alaska US senators supporting marijuana states’ right bill

  18-06-2018 02:42 via ktoo.org
  Marijuana grown at a Juneau warehouse leased by THC Alaska on March 6, 2018. (Photo by Jacob Resneck/KTOO)
  FAIRBANKS — Alaska Republican U.S. senators are supporting a bipartisan bill that seeks to ensure states’ ability to regulate legal marijuana industries.
  The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Friday that Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts originally co-authored the bill.
  It looks at a number of areas in which state and federal marijuana laws c
  
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• Former head prison doctor replaces Anne Zink as Alaska’s chief medical officer

  04-05-2024 05:18 via ktoo.org
  
  Dr. Robert Lawrence is a family medicine doctor and previously worked as the chief medical officer for the Department of Corrections. (Image courtesy of Alaska Division of Public Health)
  Dr. Robert Lawrence started as Alaska’s new chief medical officer on Monday. Lawrence replaces Dr. Anne Zink, who served as chief medical officer for five years and led the state’s health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  Lawrence, a family medicine doctor who began his work in rural Alask
  
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• Newscast – Friday, May 3, 2024

  04-05-2024 03:11 via ktoo.org
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/20230503-News-Update.wav
  In this newscast:Gov. Mike Dunleavy is calling on lawmakers to pause their efforts to address a court ruling that threatens the state’s homeschool system. But, the Superior Court judge ruled Thursday evening that the ruling would remain on hold only through this June. The court also rejected Dunleavy’s broad interpretation of his ruling.
  Sitka’s Tourism Task Force adopted cruise tourism recommendations
  
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• Garden Talk: Good pruning technique can help your trees and bushes reach their potential

  04-05-2024 00:25 via ktoo.org
  
  A cherry tree in blossom by the stairs behind Fireweed Place in Juneau on April 24, 2024. Buyarski says the cherry trees downtown are “severely, really thick,” and that pruning would help a lot. (Will Mader/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Garden-Talk-4-Pruning.mp3
  If you’ve taken a walk outside in Juneau lately, you’ve probably noticed the smell of growing things. Maybe you’ve also noticed the budding and blooming trees and bushes.
  Master Gard
  
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• Scientists welcome new rules on marijuana, but research will still face obstacles

  03-05-2024 23:17 via ktoo.org
  
  For decades, researchers in the U.S. had to use only marijuana grown at a facility located in Oxford, Mississippi. A few other approved growers have been added in recent years. (Brad Horrigan/Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
  As the Biden administration moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, scientists say the change will lift some of the restrictions on studying the drug.
  But the change won’t lift all restrictions, they say, neither will it decrease
  
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• Deer are expanding north. That could hurt some species like boreal caribou

  03-05-2024 19:05 via ktoo.org
  
  (Jim Cumming/Getty Images)https://play.podtrac.com/npr-510351/traffic.megaphone.fm/NPR4930940066.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1007&p=510351&e=1198909932&size=8645948&d=540&t=podcast&ft=nprml&f=1198909932
  White-tailed deer have expanded their range in North America over many decades. Since the early-2000s, these deer have moved north into the boreal forests of western Canada. These forests are full of spruce and pine trees, sandy soil and freezing winters with lots of snow.
  
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• Homeschool ruling is on hold — but only through the end of June, judge rules

  03-05-2024 17:58 via ktoo.org
  
  Pedestrians pass the Nesbett Courthouse, located in downtown Anchorage on August 31, 2022. (Valerie Kern/ Alaska Public Media)
  A ruling that declared two laws key to Alaska’s homeschool system unconstitutional will be put on hold — but only through the end of June.
  It’s the latest development in the landmark case. One of the statutes in question outlines a system of cash payments to families of homeschooled students, known as “allotments.” The other authorizes &ldqu
  
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• Dunleavy says lawmakers shouldn’t pass bills to address homeschool decision. Lawmakers say that’s risky.

  03-05-2024 17:54 via ktoo.org
  
  Gov. Mike Dunleavy reads from a book of Alaska laws at a news conference on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
  Gov. Mike Dunleavy is calling on lawmakers to pause their efforts to address a court ruling that threatens the state’s homeschool system, saying they should wait for a ruling from the Alaska Supreme Court.
  “This is literally a disaster, potentially, an emergency because of its magnitude,” he told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.
  The de
  
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• For one Utqiaġvik family, spring bowhead whaling marks an important milestone

  03-05-2024 17:45 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Quincy Adams slices through bowhead whale meat to distribute to his family and community members in Utqiaġvik on April 24, 2024. (Valerie Lake/Alaska Public Media)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/01292024-News-Update.mp3
  For the Aaluk Crew, last Wednesday was cooking day.
  The night before, the whaling crew, captained by Bernadette and Quincy Adams, had landed the first bowhead whale of Utqiaġvik’s spring season. The crew flag, featuring a harpooned bowhead tail f
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, May 2, 2024

  03-05-2024 03:05 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/01292024-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:Dozens of child-sized Ravenstail robes were danced for the first time at an event in Juneau on Tuesday. It’s the largest collection of new Ravenstail weaving in decades.
  KTOO’s Katie Anastas investigated Juneau’s varying gas prices for this week’s Curious Juneau Episode.
  
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• Ravenstail weaving comes to life at historic Juneau event

  02-05-2024 23:06 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Students from Harborview Elementary’s Tlingit Culture, Language and Literacy Program dance on stage during a Ravenstail robe ceremony on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/02robeMP3.mp3
  There’s a story behind every Ravenstail robe. 
  “Up here we have the northern lights with the Chilkoot mountains,” said fifth-grader Aurora Southerland, describing a robe she was wearing. “And then down here are bear pr
  
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• Forest Service seeks public input in revising its long-term plan for the Tongass

  02-05-2024 22:54 via ktoo.org
  
  
  A view of the Tongass National Forest near the U.S. Forest Service’s Raven’s Roost Cabin on Mitkof Island. (Angela Denning/CoastAlaska)
  The Tongass National Forest is a 17 million-acre temperate rainforest covering most of Southeast Alaska. It’s managed by the U.S. Forest Service, which is revising its long-term plan for the Tongass. The previous plan is 25 years old and was revised in 2016. It’s 516 pages long.
  The agency will spend the rest of this year gather
  
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• Sitka Indian Village recognized as endangered historic place

  02-05-2024 21:21 via ktoo.org
  Sitka Indian Village pictured circa 1878. (Photo provided by Alaska State Library Historical Collections)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/01CLANNOM.mp3
  Sitka Indian Village was once home to over forty Lingít clan houses. Today, only eight of those are still standing, and even fewer serve as active clan houses. Now, the area has been recognized as one of 11 endangered historic places in the US. Organizers are hoping that the attention will inspire efforts to creatively con
  
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• With an unexpected ship, Thursday will be Sitka’s biggest day of the summer cruise season

  02-05-2024 21:13 via ktoo.org
  Sitka began closing Lincoln Street to traffic in 2022, when 383,000 passengers visited the town. 2024 brought Sitka’s first 10,000-passenger day, which many agreed was not optimal. (Tash Kimmell/KCAW)
  There will be three ships in port on Thursday in Sitka — rather than two — with a total passenger capacity of 9,300.
  The latecomer is the Nieuw Amsterdam, which notified Sitka’s port director about a week ago that it was making an unscheduled call. Combined, the three ships
  
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• Why is gas cheaper in Auke Bay? And why is it cheaper to fly to Seattle than Ketchikan?

  02-05-2024 20:11 via ktoo.org
  
  
  The De Hart’s gas station in Auke Bay charged $3.49 per gallon on Feb. 15, 2024. (Katie Anastas/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/12CJgas.mp3
  On a sunny Saturday at the Fisherman’s Bend gas station back in February, Juneau resident Joyce Sepel was filling up her tank. She said the Auke Bay gas station is her favorite.
  “I’ve been going to Fred Meyer because it was cheaper,” she said. “But now I’ll just watch. I like coming here. It&rs
  
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• Dunleavy signals support for $175M one-year education funding boost

  02-05-2024 19:46 via ktoo.org
  
  Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks with reporters on May 1, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
  Gov. Mike Dunleavy signaled Wednesday that he won’t veto $175 million in one-time funding for public schools included in this year’s state budget. That’s roughly equivalent to a $680 increase in base per-student funding.
  He made the comments near the end of a news conference Wednesday discussing the consequences of a recent ruling on Alaska’s homeschool system.
  “I’ve
  
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• Parents petition to recall school board president, vice president in response to district’s consolidation plan

  02-05-2024 03:33 via ktoo.org
  
  Parents Shannon Kelly, Jenny Thomas and Melissa Loggy man the petition table at Safeway (Photo by Anna Canny/KTOO)
  On a recent Sunday afternoon, Shannon Kelly stood in the median at the intersection of Egan Highway and Mendenhall Loop Road, facing a line of heavy traffic.
  She was waving a poster board sign that read “Budget deficit? Con Job,” written in bold marker.
  At a red light, a few passing drivers showed their support by flashing a thumbs up or beeping. 
  “I love the
  
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• Newscast – Wednesday, May 1, 2024

  02-05-2024 03:09 via ktoo.org
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/20230501-News-Update.wav
  In this newscast:Thunder Mountain High School parents want to remove the Juneau school board’s president and vice president.
  The Iditarod’s Burled Arch that marks the finish line of the race fell on Saturday.
  The University of Alaska and a union representing graduate student workers have reached a tentative contract agreement.
  
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• Tidal Network works to meet FCC’s timeline for Hoonah broadband license

  02-05-2024 01:39 via ktoo.org
  
  A wireless tower in Wrangell. (Courtesy of Tidal Network)
  The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida’s broadband service is working to expand access to a federally awarded broadband service in Hoonah, to ensure they can keep the license.
  “It’s important to defend and keep wireless spectrum in Tribal communities to help uphold and preserve sovereignty and infrastructure,” said Chris Cropley with Tidal Network, the broadband service run by Tlingit and Haida. 
  He says tha
  
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• High speed internet is on its way to Hoonah

  02-05-2024 01:39 via ktoo.org
  
  A wireless tower in Wrangell. (Courtesy of Tidal Network)
  The city of Hoonah may have high-speed internet soon, thanks to a federal award and some help building infrastructure. 
  Hoonah Indian Association won a broadband bid from the Federal Communications Commission in 2020, thanks to a program that allowed rural tribes to get licenses. To keep the license, high-speed internet will have to reach 80% of Hoonah’s population in just a couple of years — a timeline set by the FCC.
  Ch
  
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• Entering their final two regular weeks, Alaska legislators are narrowing their focus

  02-05-2024 00:49 via ktoo.org
  
  Reps. Jesse Sumner, R-Wasilla, and Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, talk to Speaker of the House Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, during a break in the Alaska House of Representatives floor session on Monday, April 29, 2024. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
  Dozens of firefighters protested outside the Alaska Capitol last week, waving signs and chanting as they urged the Alaska House of Representatives to advance a long-simmering pension bill.
  They’re likely to be disappointed.
  On Friday, the House failed,
  
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• Entering their final 2 regular weeks, Alaska legislators are narrowing their focus

  02-05-2024 00:49 via ktoo.org
  
  Reps. Jesse Sumner, R-Wasilla, and Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, talk to Speaker of the House Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, during a break in the Alaska House of Representatives floor session on Monday, April 29, 2024. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
  Dozens of firefighters protested outside the Alaska Capitol last week, waving signs and chanting as they urged the Alaska House of Representatives to advance a long-simmering pension bill.
  They’re likely to be disappointed.
  On Friday, the House failed,
  
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• Alaska Native languages at crucial juncture, biennial report says

  01-05-2024 19:16 via ktoo.org
  
  University of Alaska Southeast students in Professor X̱’unei Lance Twitchell’s Alaska Native Studies class. (Courtesy UAS)
  Before Monday evening’s advanced Lingít language class, Raven Svenson and her classmate discussed how to conjugate the verb “boil” in the context of cooking. The University of Alaska Southeast class in Juneau is headed into finals week and students are preparing for dialogues that will test their conversational skills.
  Professor X
  
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• Here’s this year’s list of the most endangered historic places in the U.S.

  01-05-2024 19:04 via ktoo.org
  Built in 1921, the New Salem Baptist Church served Black coal miners and their families in Tams, W.Va. (Cody Straley/WV SHPO/National Trust for Historic Preservation)
  There’s a lonely old church in the mountains of West Virginia that holds a hidden history. Black coal miners in a segregated camp worshipped there starting in the 1920s. Now, the New Salem Baptist Church is listed as one of America’s 11 most endangered historic sites.
  The National Trust for Historic Preservation has rel
  
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• Newscast – Tuesday, April 30, 2024

  01-05-2024 03:10 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240430-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:Alaska gets an infusion of $125 million to build and expand solar energy.
  The Juneau Assembly rejected a symbolic resolution for bilateral peace between Israel and Palestine.
  Malin Babcock, treasurer of the Gastineau Historical Society and a descendent of victims of Juneau’s 1936 landslide, shares her story for Tongass Voices.
  
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• University of Alaska student workers union members protest for contract, after judge bars strike

  01-05-2024 03:01 via ktoo.org
  
  University of Alaska graduate student workers protest in support of a contract in Fairbanks, Alaska, on April 29, 2024. (Photo provided by Alaska Graduate Workers Association)
  Hundreds of University of Alaska graduate students protested in marches on Monday at the Fairbanks and Anchorage campuses to increase pressure on the university system as it negotiates a contract with their union.
  The marches are a step down from a strike the Alaska Graduate Workers Association planned, after a Fairbanks S
  
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• Juneau Assembly rejects resolution calling for peace between Israel and Palestine

  01-05-2024 00:33 via ktoo.org
  
  Assembly member Paul Kelly speaks during a meeting on Monday, April 29, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/30gazares-.mp3
  The Juneau Assembly rejected a symbolic resolution calling for a bilateral peace agreement between Israel and Palestine in a 2-5 vote Monday night. 
  Residents packed the Assembly chambers during the meeting, and more than a dozen testified in favor of the resolution. Many wore the colors of the flag of Palestine and shirts with t
  
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• Feds pinch Southeast Alaska skippers for illegally transporting crab

  30-04-2024 18:57 via ktoo.org
  Commercial Tanner crab in Petersburg, Alaska in 2023. (Photo by Andy Wright)
  Three men are charged in federal court for illegally transporting Alaska crab to sell in Washington. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Alaska says Kyle Potter and Justin Welch caught crab in Southeast Alaska this spring and moved them to Seattle at the direction of Potter’s dad, Corey.
  The federal indictment says Corey Potter owns the two fishing vessels involved, which were run by his son, Kyle, and Welch.
  
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• Lawmakers push to revive Senate-passed pension bill stuck in House committee

  30-04-2024 18:24 via ktoo.org
  
  First responders demonstrate outside the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau on April 23, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
  First responders gathered by the dozens outside the Alaska State Capitol in mid-April. Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, was one of several lawmakers who addressed the crowd.
  “The numbers don’t lie. It’s the right move for Alaskans. So what do we need ’em to do?” Kiehl asked. “Hear the bill!” the crowd replied.
  The bill is Senate Bil
  
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• ‘Mad scientist’: Haines luthier carves out top-quality guitars with local materials

  30-04-2024 18:18 via ktoo.org
  
  Luthier Rob Goldberg lacquers a guitar he made for Burl Sheldon on April 5, 2024. (Lex Treinen/Chilkat Valley News)
  All that exists is the tip of his chisel and a piece of wood.
  The rain battering outside the window, a dog whimpering at the door, a portable radio, and a fire crackling in the corner — all of it might as well be silent.
  The dozens of tools on the sawdust covered work bench — lathes, chisels, sanders, scissors, wrenches and paint brushes — all of them are invisibl
  
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