Anchorage news

• State advances over four hundred projects in bid for Rural Health Transformation Program funding

  24-06-2026 01:51 via ktoo.org
  
  Kanakanak Hospital in Bristol Bay. The state asked hospitals and organizations to submit letters of interest for Rural Health Transformation Program funding.
  The state of Alaska has advanced more than 400 projects to the next step in its grant application process for the Rural Health Transformation Program. That’s a federal program to strengthen the state’s rural health infrastructure, as the country faces huge cuts and eligibility changes to federal healthcare programs.
  Alaska is e
  
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• Alaska charities can now host snowfall betting pools

  24-06-2026 03:35 via ktoo.org
  
  Snow blankets the Mendenhall Wetlands and Juneau International Airport on Jan. 1, 2026. (Photo by Alix Soliman/KTOO)
  The Alaska legislature passed a law on Tuesday that allows charitable organizations to gamble on snowfall.
  Now, qualified organizations across the state can host betting games called “snow classics,” where prize money is awarded to the best guess of total snowfall at a specific location and time. 
  Previously, state law restricted the game to the Mount Alyeska Snow
  
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• Newscast – Tuesday, June 23, 2026

  24-06-2026 03:04 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260623-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:The Juneau Community Foundation is giving the Alaska Legislature 16 two-bedroom apartments as part of a long-term effort to keep the state’s capital in Juneau.
  Four U.S. Coast Guard crew members involved in a helicopter crash in Sitka Monday morning have been reported safe with “non-serious injuries.”
  Juneau residents say they want to see the city’s tourism task force address issue
  
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• Lawsuit aims to put sunflower sea stars on endangered species list

  24-06-2026 02:46 via ktoo.org
  
  A healthy sunflower sea star is seen on the seafloor in 2014. Sunflower sea stars are important for fish habitat because they eat sea urchins, which can mow down kelp forests if left unchecked. A wasting disease that struck more than a decade ago wiped out about 90% of the population, with the most severe losses in the southern part of the species’ range, off Mexico and California. Sunflower sea stars in Alaska have also died from the wasting disease, but the losses have not been as sever
  
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• Glitz 2026 to close out Pride Month with three shows | GLOF predictions | Juneau Commission on Aging

  24-06-2026 01:01 via ktoo.org
  
  Juneau Afternoon – Recorded live on Thursday, June 18
  Juneau Afternoon featuring GLOF updates with local scientists, GLITZ 2026 Drag Show, and updates with the Juneau Commission on Aging.
  Audio PodcastVideo LivestreamBostin 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 subscribe to the podcast at ktoo.org/juneauafternoon.Subscribe to the podcast:Apple PodcastsNPR OneSpotifyStitcherRSS
  Juneau Af
  
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• ‘It has to be balanced with livability’: Residents share tourism concerns with Juneau task force

  24-06-2026 00:59 via ktoo.org
  
  Cruise ship passengers walk the seawalk in downtown Juneau on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  Juneau residents say they want to see the city’s tourism task force address issues like helicopter noise, downtown bus traffic and whale watching congestion. 
  Those were just a few of the topics mentioned during more than an hour of public testimony last week at a Visitor Industry Task Force meeting. 
  Nathan Stewart lives in the Fritz Cove area and testified at the
  
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• Elizabeth Arnold, KTOO and NPR reporter and professor, dies at 66

  24-06-2026 00:18 via ktoo.org
  
  KTOO’s Elizabeth Arnold gets an award from APRN’s Corey Flintoff.
  Our beloved colleague, Elizabeth Arnold, has died.
  Elizabeth was an award-winning broadcast journalist whose work for National Public Radio spanned coverage of presidential politics, Congress and the global environment, died at her home in Anchorage on Thursday, June 18.
  She died from complications of endometrial cancer, her family said. She was 66.
  An unstoppable, one-of-a-kind reporter, Arnold also was an avid fisher
  
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• Petersburg’s Dan Sullivan sues Alaska Division of Elections after being removed from U.S. Senate ballot

  23-06-2026 09:10 via ktoo.org
  
  Dan Sullivan smiles for a photo at Petersburg’s Airport Bypass Road on June 2, 2026. (Taylor Heckart | KFSK)
  A man seeking to challenge U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan has filed suit after the Alaska Division of Elections removed him from this year’s ballot. Daniel J. Sullivan is a retired teacher from Petersburg who filed to run as a Republican.
  The Division of Elections determined last week that the non-incumbent Sullivan could not be on the ballot because, as the Division director said
  
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• Missing Juneau man found dead

  23-06-2026 03:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Dion McCabe was last seen on May 26, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Juneau Police)
  Dion McCabe was 29 years old when he was reported missing earlier this month. He was found dead over the weekend, according to the Juneau Police Department.
  He was last seen on May 26 and family reported him missing on June 5. His body was found Friday afternoon in a wooded area at the end of Sherwood Lane in the Mendenhall Valley. Deputy Chief Krag Campbell said the death “does not appear to be recent.”&nbs
  
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• Newscast – Monday, June 22, 2026

  23-06-2026 02:59 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260622-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:A Juneau man who was reported missing earlier this month has been found dead,
  The Juneau Assembly passed a resolution declaring a local emergency in anticipation of the annual glacial outburst flood later this summer,
  The Juneau Assembly also passed a resolution to support the homeporting of a second Coast Guard icebreaker in Juneau,
  KTOO’s Community News Intern Elan Chappell recently chatted with p
  
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• Juneau Assembly passes resolution to support homeporting second Coast Guard icebreaker

  23-06-2026 01:33 via ktoo.org
  
  The U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Storis passes Portland Island on its way to Juneau on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2025. (Photo courtesy/ gillfoto)
  The Juneau Assembly passed a resolution late last week during a special meeting to support the homeporting of a second Coast Guard icebreaker in Juneau. Whether that will become reality is uncertain.
  The resolution follows an announcement by the Coast Guard earlier this month that three new icebreakers would be homeported in Alaska — two in Kodiak and on
  
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• Juneau-Douglas City Museum goers share why local history matters as it faces staff and budget cuts

  23-06-2026 01:30 via ktoo.org
  
  KTOO Community News Intern Elan Chappell interviews Juneau resident, Fred Triem, outside of the Juneau-Douglas City Museum on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  The Juneau Assembly recently passed a city budget for the next fiscal year that reduces funding to the Juneau-Douglas City Museum due to a revenue shortfall. The reductions will result in the museum laying off two staff members and drastically cutting back its hours.  
  KTOO’s Community News Intern El
  
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• An endangered, pregnant fin whale arrived in Seward dead on a cruise ship bow

  22-06-2026 20:28 via ktoo.org
  
  The long torpedo shaped body of a fin whale seen from above.(NOAA/NMFS)
  A cruise ship arrived in Seward on Friday with a dead fin whale attached to its bow, according to a statement from NOAA Fisheries.
  An initial investigation found the 61-foot adult whale was pregnant, the statement said. Fin whales are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
  Vessel strikes are a major threat to fin whales, according to NOAA Fisheries.
  The only scheduled cruise ship in Seward on Friday was Ovati
  
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• Juneau couple who helped change LGBTQ+ rights in Alaska reflect on living openly and joyfully

  22-06-2026 15:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Maureen Longworth and Lin Davis smile for a photo at their home on Douglas Island on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  It’s Pride Month and Juneau joins other communities nationwide in celebrating LGBTQ+ people. 
  One couple in Juneau, Maureen Longworth and Lin Davis, have dedicated their lives to advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. They met on a late-night dog walk at the Oakland Rose Garden in California in 1987. That was nearly 40 years ago, though Longworth remember
  
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• Alaska lawmakers seek gas pipeline tax compromise as another special session begins

  22-06-2026 09:12 via ktoo.org
  
  Lawmakers in the Alaska House of Representatives await the beginning of a new special session on June 20, 2026. (Eric Stone | Alaska Public Media)
  The Alaska Legislature kicked off its second consecutive special session on Saturday, a day after Gov. Mike Dunleavy and key members of the House said the Senate’s version of a bill offering tax relief to the Alaska LNG project was unworkable.
  Dunleavy and the House majority leader, Anchorage Republican Rep. Chuck Kopp, said Friday night that a
  
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• It ‘doesn’t work,’ Gov. Dunleavy says of Senate Alaska LNG bill

  20-06-2026 09:27 via ktoo.org
  
  Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks at a news conference on Friday, June 19, 2026. (Eric Stone | Alaska Public Media)
  The Alaska Senate approved in a 12-8 vote Friday a bill that would reduce taxes on the Alaska LNG project. It was the last day of a special session Gov. Mike Dunleavy called to consider the issue.
  But Gov. Dunleavy, in a news conference minutes after the vote, said the Senate version “doesn’t work.”
  Dunleavy called lawmakers into a new special session starting at
  
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• Gasline bill remains stalled in Senate as Dunleavy vetoes 9 bills, threatens another special session

  19-06-2026 08:21 via ktoo.org
  
  Sen. Bert Stedman, left, chats with a Capitol tourist while he and Sen. Lyman Hoffman, right, await a meeting in the governor’s cabinet room on June 18, 2026. (Eric Stone | Alaska Public Media)
  Members of the Alaska Senate’s bipartisan majority caucus spent Thursday in another round of closed-door talks discussing a bill that passed the state House offering tax breaks for the Alaska LNG project.
  It was the penultimate day of a special session Gov. Mike Dunleavy called to consider th
  
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• Juneau issues preemptive disaster declaration ahead of 2026 glacial outburst flood

  19-06-2026 03:07 via ktoo.org
  
  Flood water seeps through HESCO barriers on Killewich Drive on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  The Juneau Assembly passed a resolution Thursday declaring a local emergency in anticipation of the annual glacial outburst flood expected later this summer. 
  Since the catastrophic 2024 flood impacted around 300 homes in the Mendenhall Valley, the city has been operating under an ongoing emergency due to the continued threat to the community. Last year, the city issued a
  
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• Newscast – Thursday, June 18, 2026

  19-06-2026 03:01 via ktoo.org
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260618-News-Update.mp3
  In this newscast:Capital City Fire/Rescue responded to a structure fire at the site of two historic, abandoned cabins in the Mendenhall Valley Thursday afternoon. Smoke could be seen from the surrounding area. No injuries were reported.
  Juneau residents will have their first chance to testify in front of Juneau’s Visitor Industry Task Force Thursday at City Hall or online at 5:30 p.m.
  A critical deep ocean observati
  
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• Fire destroys historic farm ruin in Mendenhall Valley

  19-06-2026 02:07 via ktoo.org
  
  Capital City Fire/Rescue responds to a fire in Mendenhall Valley on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  Capital City Fire/Rescue responded to a structure fire at the site of two historic, abandoned cabins in the Mendenhall Valley Thursday afternoon. Smoke could be seen from the surrounding area. No injuries were reported. 
  Division Chief Brandon Bagwell said the fire was fully contained within about an hour of initial reports. 
  “We had fire coming from the top
  
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• Deep sea observation system that tracks climate change saved from disassembly

  19-06-2026 01:11 via ktoo.org
  
  Researchers pull in a surface buoy that’s part of the Coastal Endurance Array on the West Coast, one of five stations in the national Ocean Observatories Initiative. (Photo courtesy of Kim Kenny/OSU)
  A critical deep ocean observation network that includes a long-standing station off the coast of Alaska has been saved from getting dismantled. As first reported by the New York Times, the Trump administration dropped its plan to get rid of the ocean and climate tracking system after the U.S.
  
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• Assembly members Christine Woll and Greg Smith | Community members encourage participation in Visitor Industry Task Force | ‘Sabbath Queen’ screens at Jewish Film Festival

  18-06-2026 23:39 via ktoo.org
  
  Juneau Afternoon – Recorded live on Wednesday, June 17, 2026Juneau Afternoon featuring Assembly members Christine Woll and Greg Smith on the finalized FY 27 city budget, plus citizen feedback is sought at the Visitor Industry Task Force meeting, and the documentary film “Sabbath Queen” screens at the Jewish Film Festival at the Goldtown.
  Audio PodcastVideo LivestreamBostin Christopher hosts the conversation. Juneau Afternoon airs at 3:00 p.m. on KTOO and KAUK with a rebroadcas
  
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• Dunleavy faces Thursday deadline to sign or veto 24 bills as gas pipeline bill looms

  18-06-2026 23:03 via ktoo.org
  
  Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy gestures to his wife, Rose Dunleavy, during the opening moments of his seventh annual State of the State address in Juneau on Jan. 28, 2025. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
  Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has until the end of the day Thursday to veto or sign two dozen bills into law.
  The 24 bills run the gamut. They include a wide-ranging education bill, taxes on nicotine vapes and pouches, a bill allowing a state development agency to pursue workforce housing, and a ban on
  
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• State’s refusal to put Petersburg Sullivan on ballot ‘likely not legally justified,’ attorney says

  18-06-2026 21:12 via ktoo.org
  
  Dan Sullivan from Petersburg, left, was denied a spot on the ballot to challenge U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, right.(Alaska Public Media)
  An attorney advising the state Legislature says the Division of Elections likely lacked legal justification to block Dan. J. Sullivan of Petersburg from running in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race.
  The Division of Elections ruled Monday that Sullivan could not be on the ballot because, as the Division director said, he did not file “in good faith.”
  That
  
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• Beach testing for fecal bacteria underway in Juneau for second summer in a row

  18-06-2026 15:00 via ktoo.org
  
  
  Rebecca Bellmore scoops a sample of seawater for fecal contaminant testing at Auke Village Recreation Area on June 8, 2026. (Photo by Alix Soliman/KTOO)
  Listen to this story:
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/17BeachTesting-WEB.mp3
  Summer is in full-swing, and that means many coastal Alaskans are flocking to the shoreline. Scientists are testing a few popular beaches in Juneau for fecal contamination and so far, they’re mostly poop-free. 
  At low tide on a bright June
  
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• Alaska districts close 12 schools this year, amid severe budget cuts

  18-06-2026 15:00 via ktoo.org
  
  Students perform during a final spring concert on May 13, 2026 at Meadow Lakes Elementary, one of three schools closed by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District this year to address a budget deficit.(Elise Giordano | Mat-Su Sentinel)
  Alaska saw an unprecedented wave of school closures this year. District officials grappling with severe budget shortfalls have opted to close 12 elementary and middle schools across the state — in Anchorage, Wasilla, Sutton, Seward, Sterling, Soldotna,
  
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• Newscast – Wednesday, June 17, 2026

  18-06-2026 02:59 via ktoo.org
  
  
  https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260617-News-Update-1.mp3
  In this newscast:The local firefighter union and the City and Borough of Juneau reached an agreement on a labor contract last week,
  Gov. Mike Dunleavy has until tomorrow to veto or sign two dozen bills into law,
  Denali National Park’s sled dog puppies will begin sowing off their training to visitors this month,
  Residents of Anuktuvuk Pass can now use four wheelers to subsistence hunt in the Gates of the Arctic Nat
  
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• Juneau firefighters have a new contract after nearly a year without one

  18-06-2026 02:14 via ktoo.org
  
  CCFR apprentices line up at the Douglas Fire Station on Nov. 1, 2025. (Photo by Yvonne Krumrey/KTOO)
  The local firefighters union and the City and Borough of Juneau reached an agreement on a labor contract last week. That’s after more than a year of negotiations, and nearly a year without an agreement.
  The Juneau chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters, or IAFF, ratified the new contract that takes effect now and lasts two years. The contract comes as the department has s
  
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• Natural gas pipeline tax break lacks needed Senate votes, Alaska lawmakers say

  18-06-2026 01:14 via ktoo.org
  
  Members of the Alaska Senate’s bipartisan majority talk during a break in the Senate Finance Committee meeting on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (James Brooks photo/Alaska Beacon)
  Members of the Alaska Senate’s majority coalition said on Tuesday that a tax break for the proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline currently lacks the votes to advance in the Senate.
  Because lawmakers are meeting in a special session that ends on Friday, even a short delay could kill
  
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• Residents can share their thoughts on tourism to Juneau task force on Thursday

  18-06-2026 00:04 via ktoo.org
  
  Tourists walk the seawalk in downtown Juneau on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (Photo by Clarise Larson/KTOO)
  Juneau residents will have their first chance to testify in front of Juneau’s Visitor Industry Task Force on Thursday at City Hall or online at 5:30 p.m.
  The task force has been meeting since mid-December and is comprised of Juneau Assembly members and people involved in the tourism industry. 
  The group is examining whether the city’s current approach to managing tourism is work
  
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