KTOO News Update
The day’s local and state news in about 10 minutes.
Newscast – Thursday, May 28, 2026
In this newscast: The estate of a man who died after he was struck by a City and Borough of Juneau-owned truck has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and the employee driving the vehicle; Former Gov. Bill Walker is considering another run for the state’s top elected office. Walker filed a letter of intent with Alaska campaign regulators this morning; A Juneau lawmaker’s bill that seeks to increase state funding for free legal aid to vulnerable Alaskans passed into law without the governor’s signature last weekA federally funded program aims to install thousands of heat pumps across southern Alaska by late 2029. ; But the program’s first year has been slow. As Avery Ellfeldt reports for the Alaska Desk, the groups managing the effort are ramping up advertising in hopes of boosting interest, and reducing energy bills; As the Arctic takes on greater geopolitical significance, Alaska has assets of interest to the U.S. military.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, May 27, 2026
In this newscast: Juneau Representative Andi Story says she will seek reelection for a fifth term in the Alaska Legislature this fall; An 82-year-old Juneau man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing his brother; State lawmakers voted to increase state unemployment benefits for the first time since 2009 during the state Legislature’s race to the finish last week; Several proposed mines in British Columbia are located along transboundary rivers that wind through Southeast Alaska. Residents on the Alaska side of the border say there’s a lack of tribal consultation and some worry about pollution in salmon-bearing streams vital to the region’s fisheries; State lawmakers passed two bills on the last day of the legislative session aimed at fulfilling requirements of a federal health care expansion effort.
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, May 26, 2026
In this newscast: University of Alaska officials are calling for a systemwide strategy to address challenges and opportunities ushered in by generative AI; A beloved Lingit leader and fishing rights advocate in Juneau died last month at the age of 77; With years of collective experience, Juneau Mountain Rescue volunteers sometimes deal with worst-case scenarios; A tribal college on the North Slope bought a piece of land last month to build a new campus
Read More »Newscast – Friday, May 22, 2026
In this newscast: The popular Goldbelt Tram in downtown Juneau will remain closed as it undergoes repairs and inspections; More than 300 high school seniors are expected to graduate in Juneau this Sunday, Alaska Airlines might add a flight from Juneau to Portland, without stopping in Seattle; Douglas Island Pink and Chum celebrates its 50th anniversary this year; Hundreds of people gathered in Hoonah last weekend to unveil a new totem pole arch and honor wall dedicated to Hoonah veterans and their families
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, May 21, 2026
In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly may have found a path out of the red for its budget last night, but it wasn't easy; A U.S. Forest Service plan to revamp the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center to accommodate more tourists will remain in place, with some additional paperwork; A bill that would change the scope of an Alaska sexual assault law passed the Alaska Legislature Wednesday as part of a 10-bill package. It alters a law that criminalizes sexual assault by a medical provider; The Alaska Legislature kicked off a special session Thursday to continue working on a key priority of Gov. Mike Dunleavy that didn’t pass in the 121-day regular session: tax cuts for the Alaska LNG project
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, May 20, 2026
In this newscast: Juneau residents say the city's sole electric provider's proposal to raise bills by 20% is not affordable; It's National Safe Boating Week and the U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue teams in Juneau are asking residents to help prevent false alerts; Alaska Native Vietnam War veteran, George Lindoff from Hoonah, got a proper homecoming decades after his service; The Alaska Legislature is likely headed for a special session focused on tax cuts for the Alaska LNG project immediately after lawmakers adjourn today
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, May 19, 2026
In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly voted last night to divest from Eaglecrest Ski Area’s gondola project and pay back a $10 million investment from Goldbelt Incorporated; Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a bill that would reinstate pensions for public employees late last night as the Alaska House failed to advance a tax cut for the Alaska LNG project. Lawmakers had hoped to make a deal: they’d pass a gas pipeline tax relief bill in exchange for the governor allowing the pension bill to pass into law; About halfway between Juneau and Haines, there’s a small rock … with a big history. On it, sits the Eldred Rock Lighthouse. The facility has been there for over a century – and today is the oldest original lighthouse in Alaska. It’s been in disrepair for decades. But after years of restoration work by volunteers, the lighthouse will open to the public for the first time later this month; A man accused of breaking into two homes in the Mendenhall Valley and assaulting three people earlier this month has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Read More »Newscast – Monday, May 18, 2026
In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly will vote tonight on whether to finalize its plan to divest from Eaglecrest Ski Area's controversial gondola project; As leadership of the Juneau School District undergoes a major changeover this summer, many of those positions are being filled with current employees; A Canadian mining company wants to reopen a gold mine in British Columbia, upstream from the Taku River, Southeast Alaska's most productive salmon stream; Sixth graders in Juneau’s Montessori Borealis program recently showcased their family histories with presentations they spent months working on.
Read More »Newscast – Friday, May 15, 2026
In this newscast: Divers are searching the murky waters of Gastineau Channel this week in hopes of locating the body of a Juneau man who has been missing for nearly a year; The case against a former Juneau chiropractor accused of assaulting more than a dozen women under the guise of medical care may continue into another year. At a hearing Wednesday, the defense attorney said he would likely not be ready to go to trial until 2027; The Alaska Legislature rejected Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s pick for attorney general, Stephen Cox, on a 29-31 vote Thursday morning; A health clinic in Sitka closed mid-day yesterday after a possible measles exposure; A Superior Court judge is allowing the Anchorage School District to resume the process of closing Campbell STEM Elementary School; Spending in Alaska's U.S. Senate race is ramping up
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, May 14, 2026
In this newscast: Beginning next school year, elementary school students will no longer be dismissed 30 minutes early on Mondays; Juneau's pools are no longer on the Juneau Assembly's chopping block, for now. The city museum still is; National Geographic journalist Paul Salopek has been walking around the world since 2013. But now that he’s in Alaska, his main mode of transportation is about to change; The federal government has decided against listing Gulf of Alaska king salmon with Endangered Species Act protections
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