• How well does Juneau recycle, and where does it all end up?

    How well does Juneau recycle, and where does it all end up?
    Signs tell Juneau residents where to deposit their recyclables at the city Recycling Center in Lemon Creek. (Photo by Adelyn Baxter/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/05CJRecycling.mp3
    Editor’s Note: After we finished this story, a power outage forced the city’s recycling center to close for repairs. The city’s public works department says the recycling facility is full right now and won’t be able to receive any new materials for at least a few days.
    I
  • Newscast – Tuesday, April 30, 2024


    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.
  • University of Alaska student workers union members protest for contract, after judge bars strike

    University of Alaska student workers union members protest for contract, after judge bars strike
    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
  • Juneau Assembly rejects resolution calling for peace between Israel and Palestine

    Juneau Assembly rejects resolution calling for peace between Israel and Palestine
    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

    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.
  • Lawmakers push to revive Senate-passed pension bill stuck in House committee

    Lawmakers push to revive Senate-passed pension bill stuck in House committee
    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
  • ‘Mad scientist’: Haines luthier carves out top-quality guitars with local materials

    ‘Mad scientist’: Haines luthier carves out top-quality guitars with local materials
    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
  • Newscast – Monday, April 29, 2024

    Newscast – Monday, April 29, 2024
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    In this newscast:Weaver Lily Hope and her collaborators will debut a collection of child-sized Ravenstail robes.
    Adelyn Baxter visits Juneau’s recycling center for the latest installment of Curious Juneau.
    The Anchorage School District looks to close schools in response to declining student populations.
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  • Celebrate 50 years of KTOO broadcasting on First Friday!

    Celebrate 50 years of KTOO broadcasting on First Friday!
    Join KTOO in celebrating a half-century of broadcasting during May’s First Friday!
    First, tune in Friday, May 3 from 2 to 4 p.m. on KTOO 104.3 and 91.7 FM or online for a special edition of Juneau Afternoon featuring live music from local artists and guests from KTOO’s past and present.
    Afterward, join us for an open house at our 360 Egan Drive studio starting at 4 p.m. Enjoy light refreshments, tour the studios and see photos and items from KTOO’s 50-year history on display.
  • Tongass Voices: Malin Babcock on a life intertwined with Juneau history

    Tongass Voices: Malin Babcock on a life intertwined with Juneau history
    Malin Babcock, 84, poses outside of KTOO in February, 2024. (Photo by Anna Canny/KTOO)
    This is Tongass Voices, a series from KTOO sharing weekly perspectives from the homelands of the Áak’w Kwáan and beyond.
    Malin Babcock, treasurer of the Gastineau Historical Society, has lived in Juneau for more than 80 years. Her personal history is deeply intertwined with the history of the city and the state. 
    From the traumatic loss of her grandparents in Juneau’s 1936 l
  • Ambitious 20-year plan for downtown Juneau heads to Assembly

    Ambitious 20-year plan for downtown Juneau heads to Assembly
    Downtown Juneau in January, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
    Picture a downtown Juneau where housing isn’t as cutthroat to find, businesses don’t close down after cruise ships leave and the pressures of tourism don’t feel so heavy.
    That sounds ambitious, but those are the priorities of a plan called Blueprint Downtown. Over the past six years, a commission of Juneau residents has examined every aspect of downtown and created a plan to lay the foundation for the next 20 years. 
  • ‘These new works are going to dance’: Juneau event will showcase largest collection of new Ravenstail weaving in decades

    ‘These new works are going to dance’: Juneau event will showcase largest collection of new Ravenstail weaving in decades
    Late weaver Teri Rofkar dancing in a Ravenstail robe. (Photo by Tom Pitch)
    Dozens of child-sized Ravenstail robes will be danced for the first time in Juneau on Tuesday. Master weaver Lily Hope said it’s the largest collection of new Ravenstail weaving in decades.
    The event at Centennial Hall will teach the history — and future — of Ravenstail weaving, or Yéil Koowú, Hope said on Juneau Afternoon earlier this month. 
    “This particular history and telling
  • As bird flu spreads in cows, here are 4 big questions scientists are trying to answer

    As bird flu spreads in cows, here are 4 big questions scientists are trying to answer
    Bird flu is spreading through U.S. dairy cattle. Scientists say the risk to people is minimal, but open questions remain, including how widespread the outbreak is and how the virus is spreading. (DOUGLAS MAGNO/AFP via Getty Images)
    On Friday, Colorado became the latest state to detect the bird flu virus spreading in dairy cattle. It follows revelations earlier in the week that viral fragments are turning up in retail milk.
    Still, scientists don’t view this as an immediate threat to human h
  • Iditarod’s iconic Burled Arch collapses in Nome

    Iditarod’s iconic Burled Arch collapses in Nome
    The Iditarod Trail’s famous Burled Arch rests in pieces scattered across the ground with Old St. Joe’s Church in the background. One of the pillars of the arch lies on the ground. (Ben Townsend/KNOM)
    The iconic Burled Arch that marks the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race collapsed on Saturday near Old St. Joe’s Church in Nome. Residents looked on in awe as they took part in a Ties and Tiaras event taking place just 100 feet away at the church.
    The wooden arch fell
  • School closure on Alaska Air Force base highlights effects of education policy choices

    School closure on Alaska Air Force base highlights effects of education policy choices
    High school Junior Kaitlyn Manning reaches into her locker at Ben Eielson Junior Senior High School on April 22, 2024. (Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)
    Zoe Fuller said she has made some peace with the news of her school’s closure, but initially, she said she was really upset. She and her friend Kaitlyn Manning chatted easily on Monday as they walked down Ben Eielson Junior Senior High School’s linoleum halls, lined with sports trophies and blue lockers. Ben Eielson is a state-run scho
  • Social media ban for kids under 14 passes Alaska House

    Social media ban for kids under 14 passes Alaska House
    Lawmakers vote on House Bill 254, a bill that would ban social media accounts for kids under 14 and require adult websites to verify users’ ages. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
    A ban on social media accounts for children under 14 passed the Alaska House Friday with significant bipartisan support, despite some opposition citing privacy and constitutional concerns.
    If passed by the Senate and signed into law, the ban would also require 14- and 15-year-olds to get written parental consent b
  • Juneau Afternoon: Alaska Robotics Mini-Con brings local and national artists together for a comic convention unique to Juneau


    Minic-Con Poster 2024On today’s program:A preview of Alaska Robotics Mini-Con 2024 happening Saturday, April 27
    Upcoming events from the Juneau Public Library
    The 5th Annual Walk Southeast from CBJ Parks and Recreation
    Juneau Bach Society presents its Spring concert featuring the Music of  Vivaldi and Bach for soloists, chorus, and orchestra
    Bostin Christopher hosts the conversation. Juneau Afternoon airs at 3:00 p.m. on KTOO and KAUK with a rebroadcast at 7:00 p.m. Listen online or s
  • Newscast – Friday, April 26, 2024

    Newscast – Friday, April 26, 2024
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    In this newscast:A ban on social media accounts for children under 14 passed the Alaska House
    The Alaska House passed a bill that would put more guardrails on the property assessment process in the state
    More Alaskans died of opioid overdose last year than ever before
    An Oregon man convicted of murdering an Anchorage teenager more than four decades ago has been sentenced to 50 years in prison
  • Culture Rich Conversations: Hot topics in Black culture April 2024

    Culture Rich Conversations: Hot topics in Black culture April 2024
    On this episode of Culture Rich Conversations from Juneau’s Black Awareness Association, host Christina Michelle and her guests discuss all the latest hot topics in Black culture. It’s only been four months, but there’s already plenty to talk about! With the ongoing feud between Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and J. Cole, as well as P. Diddy and his salacious allegations, this roundtable discussion covers it all and so much more. Christina Michelle hosts the conversation. Cul
  • Last year was Alaska’s deadliest on record for opioid overdoses

    Last year was Alaska’s deadliest on record for opioid overdoses
    Crosses represent opioid overdose deaths in Alaska at a 2023 event in Anchorage organized by the David Dylan Foundation. (Rachel Cassandra/AKPM)
    More Alaskans died from an opioid overdose last year than ever before, according to preliminary data, and the state reported the nation’s highest per capita increase in opioid overdose deaths.
    The numbers are heartbreaking, said Lindsey Kato, the director of Alaska’s Division of Public Health. She said overdose deaths can have a ripple effec
  • Alaska House passes bill that would put more guardrails on property assessments

    Alaska House passes bill that would put more guardrails on property assessments
    Rep. Julie Coulombe, R-Anchorage, speaks on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives on Feb. 28, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
    The Alaska House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that would put more guardrails around the state’s property assessment process. 
    Last year, many residents in Juneau and Haines said they saw steep jumps in their property assessments — large enough that some questioned whether their assessors were being transparent and fair.
  • City seeks proposals to fill space in Juneau’s closing schools

    City seeks proposals to fill space in Juneau’s closing schools
    Students exit the Marie Drake building, which houses the Juneau School District’s alternative high school, Yaaḵoosgé Daakahídi, and Montessori Borealis, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
    The Juneau School District’s plan to close schools and consolidate grades means some buildings will sit empty after the end of the school year. But the City and Borough of Juneau is seeking proposals from community organizations to fill that space. 
    City Man
  • Report portrays mixed picture of Alaska’s huge seafood industry

    Report portrays mixed picture of Alaska’s huge seafood industry
    Low clouds hang over Kodiak’s St. Paul Harbor on Oct. 3, 2022. Kodiak is a hub for commercial fishing, an industry with an economic impact in Alaska of $6 billion a year in 2021 and 2022, according to a new report commissioned by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
    The Alaska seafood industry remains an economic juggernaut, but it is under strain from forces outside of the state’s control, according to a new report commissioned by the st
  • King Cove braces for salmon season with no seafood processor amid historic price slump


    King Cove in August 2023. (Theo Greenly/KUCB)
    The city of King Cove is worried about the future after its seafood processor announced earlier this month that it will cease operations. The plant, formerly owned by Peter Pan Seafood Company, is the economic engine of the community on the Alaska Peninsula.
    A new owner will take over the processing plant, but it’s unclear when the facility will reopen. Kirsten Dobroth is the Alaska reporter for Undercurrent News, which is a commercial fis
  • Newscast – Thursday, April, 25, 2024

    Newscast – Thursday, April, 25, 2024
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    In this newscast:Trident Seafood’s Ketchikan processing plant was officially transferred to Silver Bay Seafoods.
    A new Alaska Senate bill tightens residency requirements on hunting and fishing licenses.
    A rare bowhead whale was spotted in Sitka.
  • Alaska Senate plans fast action on correspondence problem, but House is ‘fundamentally divided’

    Alaska Senate plans fast action on correspondence problem, but House is ‘fundamentally divided’
    Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, and Speaker of the House Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, speak to legislators during a break in the Tuesday, March 12, 2024, joint session of the Alaska House and Senate. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
    As the Alaska Senate prepared on Wednesday to launch a legislative blitz intended to quickly fix a looming problem with the state’s remote education programs, the Alaska House of Representatives signaled that it is so split that it may need more than a year to
  • Alaska an important Special Operations training ground, as Arctic sees interest from Russia and China


    Navy SEALs stationed on the East Coast jump from an MC-130J Commando II near Kodiak, Alaska, Sunday, February 25, 2024. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)
    The United States military has become more focused on training in Alaska, as Russia and China have looked to expand into the resource-rich and increasingly ice-free Arctic.
    And that goes not just for conventional forces, but also for Special Operations forces like Navy SEALs and Army Green Berets. Both were training in Alaska this past winte
  • Juneau Afternoon: Event previews of the ‘Early Learning Fair,’ ‘After School Special,’ and ‘Spirits of Alaska’


    “After School Special” at the Goldtown Theater, April 25, 2024 (Image courtesy of Marian Call)Wednesday, April 25, 2024 — Full EpisodeOn today’s program:“After School Special” Goldtown Theater concert with Molly Lewis, Marian Call, Sophie Lager, and Seth BoyerAEYC “Early Learning Fair” is Friday, April 26 at Dimond Park FieldhouseUpdates and events from the Juneau Chamber of Commerce including “Spirits of Alaska,” Saturday, April 27The
  • Newscast – Wednesday, April 24, 2024

    Newscast – Wednesday, April 24, 2024
    https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240424-News-Update.mp3
    In this newscast:A new campus slated for Juneau will be dedicated to immersing children in Alaska Native culture and languages,
    An Indigenous-led group, the Herring Protectors, received an unexpected contribution — two parcels of land on an island outside of Sitka,
    House lawmakers removed an amendment from a bill that would have raised the age of consent from 16 to 18 in some situations
  • Tlingit and Haida unveils plans for new education campus in Juneau

    Tlingit and Haida unveils plans for new education campus in Juneau
    This is a rendering of the conceptual design of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska’s education campus. (Courtesy/Tlingit and Haida)
    A new campus slated for Juneau will be dedicated to immersing children in Alaska Native culture and languages, according to the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
    Tlingit and Haida President Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson announced the plans last week during his State of the Tribe address a

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