In this newscast:
- Bill would let Alaska judges temporarily take guns from likely threats: In a House Judiciary Committee meeting Wednesday, House Bill 75 received backing from the public. Twenty-nine of the first 30 people who testified on the bill said they support it as a way of preventing suicides and homicides.
- Initiative to protect salmon habitat on track to make ballot: An initiative aimed at protecting salmon habitat has cleared a significant hurdle on its track to making a November state election ballot. The Alaska Division of Elections is currently reviewing each of Stand for Salmon’s 43,706 signatures.
- New Project Playground design features ziplines, other improvements: Designs for Juneau’s Project Playground have been released. The rebuilt playground will be similar to the one that burned down in April of last year, but with a few improvements.
In other news:
What can unflappable geese teach us about the future of Arctic development?
U.S. Geological Survey researcher Brandt Meixell and his colleagues wondered whether industrial activity would drive geese away from their nests more often or for longer, leaving the eggs vulnerable to hungry predators.
In the end, the scientists concluded that nearby industrial activity only had a minor effect.
Dillingham-raised artist’s work draws attention to missing and murdered Alaska Native women
Alaska Native artist Amber Webb hand stitched an oversized kuspuk from white, cotton sheets she bought at a thrift store. In permanent marker, she drew the faces of more than a dozen Alaska Native women who have been murdered or are missing.
Her art piece, Webb hopes, will serve both as a way of honoring women who have been lost and of encouraging people to join a broader conversation about preventing violence against Native women.
There’s a high wind warning in effect for Juneau and northern Admiralty Island. The National Weather Service says gusts up to 60 mph are possible. The warning is in effect until 11 p.m.
You can hear these stories and more at www.ktoo.org/listen.
