Jeremy Cubas, pictured May 23 at Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage. (Nathaniel Herz for Alaska Public Media) Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s adviser on “pro-family” policies resigned Tuesday after revelations that he made incendiary and offensive statements on a podcast. A review of more than 100 hours of recordings by Alaska…
Peltola supports debt ceiling agreement
Rep. Mary Peltola in the KMXT studio on May 27, 2023.(Brian Venua/KMXT) The U.S. House will vote Wednesday on an agreement to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, and Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola supports the deal, a spokesman said Tuesday. For other Democrats, the worst parts of the agreement the White House and House Speaker Kevin…
Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Jeremy Cubas shoots photos of Gov. Mike Dunleavy on May 23, 2023 at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage. (Nathaniel Herz for Alaska Public Media) Stories are posted on the statewide news page. Send news tips, questions, and comments to news@alaskapublic.org. Follow Alaska Public Media on Facebook and on Twitter @AKPublicNews. And subscribe to the Alaska News Nightly podcast.…
Alaska school officials say one-time funding boost leaves budgets unpredictable
Juniper and Nyah Harris hold signs outside the Alaska State Capitol at a rally calling for more education funding. (Katie Anastas/KTOO) The budget the Alaska Legislature passed last week includes a one-time school funding boost of $175 million. School district leaders and many legislators were hopeful that the base student allocation – part of a formula that…
3 ways to protect your money if the U.S. defaults on its debt
Preschool teacher Jaqueline Benitez depends on California’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to help pay for food. If the debt ceiling isn’t raised, SNAP and other federal payments would be delayed. (Allison Dinner) Allison Dinner/AP If the U.S. defaults on its debt, the fallout could be huge for Americans. And not just for retirees who…
Man charged with selling bootleg alcohol to Anchorage homeless residents
The Sullivan Arena in Anchorage closed as a winter shelter to most of its homeless residents on May 1, 2023. (Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media) A man has been arrested for illegally selling alcohol to homeless residents in Anchorage. The state Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office announced the arrest in a statement on Thursday. It says…
Bethel remembers the life of renowned aviator Robert Sundown
The community gathered at the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center to celebrate and honor the life of Robert Sundown on May 23, 2023 in Bethel, Alaska. (MaryCait Dolan/KYUK) A standing-room-only crowd filled Bethel’s Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center on Tuesday as people gathered to remember the life of Robert William “Panigkaq” Sundown. He passed away unexpectedly on…
Ketchikan council upholds manager’s decision against holding drag queen story time
The Ketchikan Public Library (File/KRBD) Ketchikan’s City Council opted to uphold the city manager’s decision to not hold a drag queen story time at the public library this year, a decision which came after heated testimony Tuesday. The public library’s drag queen story time is in contention for the second year in a row. The…
Yak Timber files for bankruptcy after its parent village corporation is sued for $13M
This Yak Timber logging at Humpback Creek is controversial because the site is culturally and historically significant, according to the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe, Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, and Sealaska Corporation. (Photo/Defend Yakutat) A timber company owned by Yakutat’s village corporation has filed for bankruptcy this month after a bank…
Alaska Gov. Dunleavy signs bill granting free fur-trapping licenses to disabled veterans
The front of the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau is seen on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) Ahead of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has signed legislation that allows disabled military veterans to receive a free fur-trapping license. Senate Bill 10, by Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, is intended…
A bill to get nurses licensed more quickly in Alaska faces pushback from unions
(Getty Images) Alaska’s nurse shortage is widely acknowledged, but there’s less consensus on how to manage solutions. A bill that aims to get nurses licensed and working faster by joining Alaska in a 40-state nurse licensure coalition is mired in pushback. Hospitals and the state’s nursing board support the legislation, but nursing labor unions oppose…
Anchorage superintendent reflects on his first year at the helm of the state’s largest school district
Anchorage School District Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt (center) and Anchorage School Board members listen to public testimony on Dec. 19, 2022. (Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media) Anchorage School District Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt had a tumultuous first year at the helm of Alaska’s largest school district. Anchorage schools dealt with a shortage of bus drivers, a multi-million dollar…
Alaska News Nightly: Friday, May 26, 2023
New campsites, pictured here on May 19, 2023, have sprung up in a wooded area off of Anchorage’s Chester Creek Trail where a six-month old abatement notice is posted. (Jeremy Hsieh/Alaska Public Media) Stories are posted on the statewide news page. Send news tips, questions, and comments to news@alaskapublic.org. Follow Alaska Public Media on Facebook and on Twitter @AKPublicNews. And…
Alaska’s most-wanted opossum is settling into her new home at the Alaska Zoo
Grubby is the first opossum to live at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage. She was settling in on Friday. (Sam Lavin/The Alaska Zoo) Grubby, Alaska’s most-wanted opossum, was settling into her new home Friday at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage. She arrived Wednesday night from Homer, and is the first opossum to claim residence at…
Alaska cruise-ship crewman accused of lying about alleged sexual assault
The Norwegian Cruise Line ship Norwegian Jewel, seen approaching Icy Strait Point near Hoonah in 2002. (Courtesy Jack Hayes/CC by SA) A former crew member on an Alaska-bound cruise ship is accused of lying to federal investigators last week, after a passenger claimed he massaged her against her will, according to a charging document. Neeraj…
Alaska News Nightly: Thursday, May 25, 2023
The East Plaza of the U.S. Capitol. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media) Stories are posted on the statewide news page. Send news tips, questions, and comments to news@alaskapublic.org. Follow Alaska Public Media on Facebook and on Twitter @AKPublicNews. And subscribe to the Alaska News Nightly podcast. Thursday on Alaska News Nightly: A looming federal debt default could hit hard in Alaska.…
Alaska Gov. Dunleavy says court decision limiting federal regulation of wetlands aids ‘responsible development
More than 60% of America’s wetlands are in Alaska. This is from Pinky’s Park Boardwalk in Bethel. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media) The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday issued a decision limiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority over wetlands, and the implications for Alaska, home to 63% of the nation’s wetlands, could be substantial. Gov. Mike…
Alaska’s heavy dependence on federal dollars could mean big impacts from debt default
The East Plaza of the U.S. Capitol. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media) Alaska depends heavily on federal dollars, perhaps more so than any other state, so the prospect of the federal government defaulting on its debt is on the minds of many Alaskans. That’s because, if Congress fails to raise the country’s debt limit in the…
Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Mary Peltola has been fishing on the Kuskokwim River since she was a child. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media) Stories are posted on the statewide news page. Send news tips, questions, and comments to news@alaskapublic.org. Follow Alaska Public Media on Facebook and on Twitter @AKPublicNews. And subscribe to the Alaska News Nightly podcast. Wednesday on Alaska News Nightly: Congresswoman Mary Peltola…
Energy leaders in Anchorage make the case for Alaska LNG pipeline — again
An above-ground section of the trans-Alaska pipeline in the North Slope Borough. Proposals to build a second pipeline to transport natural gas have been discussed for decades. (Rashah McChesney) Gov. Mike Dunleavy convened energy leaders in Anchorage this week for the second annual Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference, aimed at highlighting new opportunities for energy in…
Fishing guides at a Petersburg lodge charged with over 50 violations
Pacific Halibut caught in Cook Inlet in June 2010. (Creative Commons photo by Jlikes2Fish) Four fishing guides at a Petersburg lodge are being charged by the State of Alaska with over 50 violations. The four men were working for Rocky Point Resort in 2019 and 2020. All of the charges are misdemeanors involving illegal fishing…
Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Gov. Mike Dunleavy signs SB 48 into law, opening the door for Alaska to enter the carbon offset market. (Kavitha George/AKPM) Stories are posted on the statewide news page. Send news tips, questions, and comments to news@alaskapublic.org. Follow Alaska Public Media on Facebook and on Twitter @AKPublicNews. And subscribe to the Alaska News Nightly podcast. Tuesday on Alaska News Nightly:…
