In this newscast: One of Alaska's most prolific climate communicators could lose his job if the Trump administration's proposed cuts to NOAA go through; Yesterday, the City and Borough of Juneau's clerk's office certified three ballot petitions aimed at lowering local taxes; Millions of dollars slated for child care funding were among the many budget cuts Alaska state Senators made last week, but advocates on the Capitol steps said those funds are vital to support families across the state; While
In this newscast: Black bears are emerging from hibernation and roaming around Juneau in search of food; The Alaska Senate passed a bill today that would substantially boost long-term funding for public schools; Juneau's firefighter union sent out a statement Thursday warning residents that emergency response times may be delayed due to major staffing concerns; The Juneau School District and its largest union are more than two months into contract negotiations; The U.S. Interior Department says it's
In this newscast: There have been more than a dozen political protests at the Alaska State Capitol since President Donald Trump took office in January. But members of an anti-abortion group called Alaskans for Life who gathered on Thursday said they didn’t have specific demands for legislators; Alaska could lose several research institutions and a pipeline into science for budding researchers in the state – that’s if the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
In this newscast: A cruise line representative dodged questions form the Juneau Assembly this afternoon about the company's plans to develop a new cruise ship port on the backside of Douglas Island; The Alaska Senate is planning to vote soon on a new education funding bill, even as Gov. Mike Dunleavy says he opposes it; A $38 million federal grant meant to help Alaskans lower their energy bills and planet-warming emissions has been in limbo for months; New cases of HIV in Alaska over the past five
In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly and cruise line agencies will hold a joint meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss the cruise ship tourism season ahead; Alaska lawmakers failed to override Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of a bill that would have provided a $1,000 boost to basic per-student funding for public schools; A lot has changed at the University of Alaska since President Trump’s inauguration. After executive orders, the University of Alaska Board of Regents directed its university leadership
In this newscast: Juneau's public transportation system is ramping up its services for the summer tourism season this week; Juneau School District Board of Education member Will Muldoon stepped down from his position on Monday; The City and Borough of Juneau is starting the three-year-long process of updating its comprehensive plan; Alaska has the longest coastline and the highest rates of drowning in the country. One way to reduce that risk is through swim lessons, and in Juneau, babies can start
In this newscast: The City and Borough of Juneau clerk's office has certified a ballot petition that would put harder limits on cruise ship tourism in Juneau; A change o Alaska's corporate income tax structure is expected to add as much as $65 million per year by diverting money from other states, the Alaska Beacon reports; The trial for a former Juneau chiropractor accused of assaulting more than a dozen patients has once again been delayed; Some federal workers in Juneau were fired again this
In this newscast: Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a closely-watched education bill yesterday that would have boosted basic per-student funding by $1,000; Southeast Alaska's largest tribal government approved a rule change that greatly reduces the number of representatives from communities outside the region; High school students in Juneau wrote four plays earlier this year centered on deeply personal topics, and a performance of them this week included a forum with teachers, mental health professionals,
In this newscast: Alaska organizations that provide weather and environmental information to mariners and subsistence hunters are bracing for reduced funding. The University of Alaska Southeast is retaining services and federal funding for now as the Trump administration continues to threated and investigate universities. Juneau's city-run emergency warming center closed for the season this morning and some clients say they have nowhere else to go. Arctic research has not been spared as President
In this newscast: The Alaska Legislature passed a bill Friday that would boost per-student education funding by $1,000. Gov. Mike Dunleavy said he plans to veto it; Juneau residents who haven't filed have some extra time; A new Juneau advocacy group called the the Affordable Juneau Coalition filed three ballot petitions with the city last week, to lower the property tax rate, to remove sales tax on food and utilities, and to make in-person voting the default again; The Norwegian Bliss and its more
In this newscast: Cruise ship tourism will pay for a number of upgrades to infrastructure in Juneau this year. Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration released a long-delayed study on state worker salaries last week. Federal investigators released a final report on their investigation into the crash of a commercial cargo plane near Fairbanks last year that killed two people. An Anchorage judge declared a mistrial Friday in the case against a young man involved in a 2019 Unalaska car crash that killed
In this newscast: Two Alaska State Troopers facing assault charges over alleged conduct during their arrest of the wrong man in Kenai last year won't go to trial until next February; Fairbanks Senior Center officials worry that federal funding cuts will limit the organization's ability to provide Meals on Wheels to elderly people who need the nutrition-assistance program; the first of three new Coast Guard fast response cutters to be homeported in Kodiak is officially ready for duty.
In this newscast: A middle-aged man was rescued from frigid waters near Petersburg, The person in charge of ordering and stocking produce at Skagway's only year-round grocery store is moving on, Justin Smith of Gustavus has produced albums for Alaska artists like Annie Bartholomew, Blackwater Railroad Company and Josh Fortenbery, A Ketchikan-raised filmmaker, Emilio Torres, was recently named the Arizona Filmmaker of the Year.
In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly voted last night to approve a tidelands lease for a fifth cruise ship dock in downtown Juneau; Less than a year after Juneau voters shot down a ballot initiative to ban large cruise ships on Saturdays, advocates are trying again to put hard limits on tourism's growth; As Juneau residents face the impacts of the Trump administration's widespread federal firings, the Juneau Assembly unanimously passed a resolution last night urging Alaska's congressional
In this newscast: The Trump administration has frozen a million dollars in funding for Planned Parenthood in Alaska; More than 1,300 people in Juneau joined the nationwide Hands-off rally at the Alaska State Capitol on Saturday; State legislators grilled two University of Alaska Board of Regents appointees at a Senate Education Committee meeting last week as part of their confirmation process; The eighth annual Traditional Games was held in Juneau this weekend, and more than 250 athletes from 30
In this newscast: Alaskans used to pay the highest rent in the nation, but new state data show that cost has stabilized; Juneau officials are proposing to set city money aside to hire staff for one of the city's main tourist attractions: the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center; Contractors are building flood barriers along the Mendenhall River to protect Juneau neighborhoods from flooding expected this summer, but new flood maps meant to show whether the barriers will keep homes dry have been delayed
In this newscast: An Alaska Native corporation's shareholders are questioning contracts that one of its subsidiaries has to run migrant detention facilities; In the month after the University of Alaska Board of Regents decided to scrub mentions of diversity, equity, and inclusion, critics of the decision are concerned about the lack of transparency in the process; Ketchikan is currently facing a controversial restructuring of its schools, and multiple school board members and the district
In this newscast: The state House passed a bill last week that would help protect foster kids from unnecessary stays in acute psychiatric care facilities. If it becomes law, a court hearing will be required within seven days of entering a facility to determine if the placement is necessary, instead of 30 days currently. Kids in foster care worked on the legislation and say it’s long overdue; The pilot recently rescued from a small plane in an icy Kenai Peninsula lake may face disciplinary
In this newscast: President Trump last Tuesday issued an executive order to reshape U.S. elections. The order, among other things, mandates absentee and mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day. It also requires proof of citizenship for registering to vote in federal elections. There’s some concern that the changes might disenfranchise voters in rural Alaska Native communities; U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason ruled last week that the Biden administration was wrong to cancel oil and
In this newscast: Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium is yet again expanding its reach in Juneau with a new dental clinic in Mendenhall Valley; Crews in Ketchikan are still dealing with a rockslide that cut off access to the northern part of the island; Southeast Alaska's Chilkat Valley is inching toward the area's first major timber harvest since the 1990s, but the state is pausing a needed application amid public concern; State lawmakers are now more than halfway through their