Used syringes stored in puncture proof plastic drink containers disposed of at Alaska AIDS Assistance Association’s syringe exchange location in Anchorage (Photo: Zachariah Hughes – Alaska Public Media) While the treatment of HIV and AIDS has advanced to the point that AIDS is now considered a chronic condition, the stigma surrounding it is still strong.…
Alaska News Nightly: Friday, January 15th, 2021
Gabrielle Brugato’s 1st grade classroom at Williwaw Elementary in Anchorage on January 15th, 2021. Brugato is preparing to welcome 13 students into her classroom for the first time this school year. (Mayowa Aina/Alaska Public Media) Stories are posted on the statewide news page. You can subscribe to Alaska Public Media’s newsfeeds via email, podcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and…
The first-ever lease sale was held in the Artic refuge this month. What does it mean for oil development in Alaska?
The Canning River forms the northwestern border of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo: Lisa Hupp/USFWS) Repeated attempts by Alaska’s congressional delegation over four decades to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to development finally prevailed with a lease sale held in early January. No major producers bought leases, but the state of Alaska did. What…
Alaska health care officials address vaccine concerns in Black and Indigenous communities
To defeat COVID-19, Alaska needs to vaccinate as many residents as possible. But how do concerns about the vaccine affect the success of that mission? Some people have declined getting the shot, and health care providers recognize that’s a problem. Alaska Public Media’s Adelyn Baxter has this look at how they’re addressing those fears with…
LISTEN: Anchorage police monitoring for threats, preparing for protests
Police Chief Justin Doll, center, in 2017, speaking about the Anchorage Police Department’s new crime suppression strategy at APD headquarters next to Capt. Ken McCoy, left, and Lt. Kevin Vandegriff, right (Zachariah Hughes/Alaska Public Media) Anchorage police say they are monitoring the internet and accepting tips about any violent, upcoming political protests or rallies in…
Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, January 14th, 2021
Jenae Larson on the porch of the Port Chilkoot Distillery in Haines. Larson is one of two Haines residents missing after a landslide on Wednesday, December 2. (Photo Courtesy of Jenae Larson’s family) Stories are posted on the statewide news page. You can subscribe to Alaska Public Media’s newsfeeds via email, podcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @AKPublicNews.…
Murkowski praises impeachment, says Trump’s incitement of violence ‘cannot go without consequence’
Sen. Lisa Murkowski. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media) Sen. Lisa Murkowski isn’t saying if she’ll vote to convict President Trump, but she said he unlawfully incited violence and the House was right to impeach him. “For months, the President has perpetrated false rhetoric that the election was stolen and rigged, even after dozens of courts ruled…
Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, January 13th, 2021
Rep. Sarah Vance’s MeWe account. Stories are posted on the statewide news page. You can subscribe to Alaska Public Media’s newsfeeds via email, podcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @AKPublicNews. Wednesday on Alaska News Nightly: Alaska Congressman Don Young votes against impeaching President Donald Trump. Meantime, the Alaska Federation of Natives says Trump should resign. And, special sovereign…
Anchorage man swerved to hit friend in fatal Glenn Highway collision, charges say
Anchorage Police Department downtown headquarters on June 9, 2020 (Lex Treinen/Alaska Public Media) An Anchorage man is charged with murder after police say he left his friend on the side of a highway after a fight, then came back and hit him with a car. That’s according to charges from the Jan. 2 incident filed…
Judge rules against effort to remove some Dunleavy appointees
Superior Court Judge Philip Pallenberg closely watches an attorney during opening arguments in a recent civil trial. (Matt Miller/KTOO) Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s appointees will be able to remain in place for now, after a Juneau Superior Court judge ruled against an effort by lawmakers to remove some of them. Under the state constitution, the governor’s appointees are…
Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, January 12th, 2021
Amber Winkel (left) and Todd Winkel (right) make their way across the Beach Road landslide in order to check on their home. (Henry Leasia/KHNS) Stories are posted on the statewide news page. You can subscribe to Alaska Public Media’s newsfeeds via email, podcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @AKPublicNews. Tuesday on Alaska News Nightly: Haines residents remain cut…
Safari Club International appeals ruling on Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
Safari Club International, a hunting advocacy group with 180 local chapters, filed a notice of appeal Friday. (Sabine Poux/KDLL) Safari Club International is appealing a decision from a federal judge to uphold hunting and trapping restrictions in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The hunting advocacy group hopes the court will reconsider the November ruling, said…
Supreme Court to hear case on Native Corps’ eligibility for tribal funds
The Arctic Slope Regional Corporation’s corporate headquarters in Utqiaġvik, Alaska. January 2018. (Ravenna Koenig/Alaska’s Energy Desk) FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case that centers on who gets a share of $8 billion in federal coronavirus relief allocated for Native American tribes. Lower courts split on whether Alaska Native corporations,…
Alaska News Nightly: Monday, January 11th, 2021
A health care worker at Bartlett Regional Hospital prepare doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 15, 2020, in Juneau. (Screenshot of Bartlett Regional Hospital video) Stories are posted on the statewide news page. You can subscribe to Alaska Public Media’s newsfeeds via email, podcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @AKPublicNews. Monday on Alaska News…
In a Fairbanks lab, Alaska scientists search for the new contagious coronavirus strain
Stephanie DeRonde, a state microbiologist, uses an Illumina sequencer to analyze strains of the virus that causes COVID-19 at the Fairbanks public health lab in November. (Alaska Department of Health and Social Services/screengrab) Alaska scientists are on the hunt for a new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus, and they’re processing about a hundred samples…
Body identified of snowmachiner missing out of Bethel
Volunteers search for the body of Peter Sallaffie in an open hole in the Kuskokwim River ice near Tuluksak, AK on Jan. 9, 2021. Sallaffie drowned in the open water on Jan. 1, 2021. (Credit BSAR) The body of the man pulled from the open hole near Tuluksak has been identified as Joseph Hale of…
On Alaska lawmakers’ wish list: income taxes, a ban on police chokeholds and business protections from COVID lawsuits
Lawmakers will push their newly proposed bills at the Alaska State Capitol starting later this month. (Skip Gray/360 North) Preseason for the new Alaska Legislature kicked off Friday, as lawmakers unveiled an array of bills they plan to introduce when their session kicks off later this month. Half of the Legislature’s 60 members have proposed…
Unalaska moves to ‘high risk’ after confirming community spread of COVID-19
Unalaska (Hope McKenney/KUCB) City officials raised Unalaska’s coronavirus alert level back to “high” after three more people tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday. Unalaska’s city-run facilities — including the public library and swimming pool — will temporarily close beginning Friday. The new cases are linked to four reported by the city the previous day. With no…
LISTEN: Alaska jobs expected to slowly return in 2021
Businesses all over Alaska have been shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Hannah Lies/Alaska Public Media) As we head into 2021, Alaska is emerging from a year of devastating job loss. The state lost 27,200 jobs in 2020. Industries vulnerable to the impact of the pandemic were hit particularly hard, just as the state was…
Alaska Supreme Court strikes down Rep. Lance Pruitt’s challenge to his election loss
State Republican Rep. Lance Pruitt lost the election to Democrat challenger Liz Snyder. (Photos by KTOO and courtesy Liz Snyder’s campaign) State Republican Rep. Lance Pruitt lost his legal challenge attempting to overturn the results of his East Anchorage district election. He lost to Democrat challenger Liz Snyder by just 11 votes. Alaska’s Supreme Court…
‘I can’t just be quiet right now’: Murkowski says Trump needs to resign
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Skip Gray/360 North) Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is calling on President Trump to resign. The violent Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol Wednesday were answering his call to avenge the election results, Murkowski said. “People who were there to riot and who were encouraged that very morning by their president,”…
Who is next in line for Alaska’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution?
Anchorage School District registered nurse Jennifer Perkins (right) administers the Moderna Covid-19 vaccination to retired chemistry teacher David Boyd (left). Boyd was one of 771 people who received vaccines at the ASD Education Center on Jan. 7, 2021. (Jeff Chen/Alaska Public Media) COVID-19 vaccine shipments started flowing into the state in December. As more vaccines…
