Anchorage news

• Juneau forms a task force to tackle short-term rental regulations

  22-04-2024 22:12 via ktoo.org
  
  Downtown Juneau on Saturday, March 23, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  In a bid to figure out what role short-term rental properties will play in Juneau’s future, the City and Borough of Juneau is creating a task force to tackle if — and how — those rentals should be regulated. 
  On April 15, the Juneau Assembly agreed to allow the mayor to begin selecting residents who are interested in joining the task force, which will recommend regulations for the Assembly to consider.&nbs
  
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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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• 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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• Newscast – Monday, April 29, 2024

  30-04-2024 03:09 via ktoo.org
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240429-News-Update.wav
  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!

  30-04-2024 01:05 via ktoo.org
  
  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.
  
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• Tongass Voices: Malin Babcock on a life intertwined with Juneau history

  29-04-2024 23:45 via ktoo.org
  
  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
  
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• Ambitious 20-year plan for downtown Juneau heads to Assembly

  29-04-2024 23:36 via ktoo.org
  
  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. 
  
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• ‘These new works are going to dance’: Juneau event will showcase largest collection of new Ravenstail weaving in decades

  29-04-2024 21:59 via ktoo.org
  
  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
  
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• As bird flu spreads in cows, here are 4 big questions scientists are trying to answer

  29-04-2024 19:20 via ktoo.org
  
  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
  
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• Iditarod’s iconic Burled Arch collapses in Nome

  29-04-2024 19:15 via ktoo.org
  
  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
  
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• School closure on Alaska Air Force base highlights effects of education policy choices

  29-04-2024 19:08 via ktoo.org
  
  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
  
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