Jeremy Hsieh, KTOO

In this newscast: 

The House Finance Committee sends the state operating budget bill to the full House, 
Alaska politicians and oil execs react to J.P. Morgan Chase announcing it will stop financing new oil and gas projects in the Arctic, 
Census workers assigned to Arctic communities flag administrative problems, 
state transportation officials plan Thane Road avalanche control for Saturday afternoon, 
U.S. Navy will be training for underwater explosives disposal in Gastineau Channel on Saturday, 
the population of a huge caribou herd in the western Arctic are stabilizing, 
authorities charge a former substitute teacher in Kivalina with child exploitation, 
a young cancer survivor from Florida gets his wish fulfilled to make a snowman in Alaska, and 
a winter storm watch is in effect for Juneau from Saturday evening to Sunday morning. 

In this newscast:

The Alaska Marine Highway System is chartering a private ferry to provide interim passenger service between several Southeast communities, 
the ferry LeConte gets slated for its first stop to Pelican since October, 
private barge services pick up a lot business for moving cars around with ferry service crippled, 
Gov. Mike Dunleavy pitches a bill to exchange permanent fund dividends for vouchers to buy state land worth twice the cash value, 
a rockslide takes out Tatsuda’s IGA in Ketchikan, 
a snowmachiner is killed by an avalanche in Unalaska, and
the Alaska Senate sends the House a bill that would let breweries and distilleries extend their hours and host some live-music events.

In this newscast: 

The Alaska House passes a spending package to cover additional current-year budget costs, 
small Southeast Alaska communities cut off from septic tank services cope with sewage, 
federal officials reveal their seizure of 82 guns and name 16 Anchorage-area defendants as result of a months-long investigation, 
NOAA shares signs that the Pacific Ocean’s last marine heatwave and its far-ranging effects may be abating, 
leaders of the University of Alaska Anchorage announce elimination or suspension of more than a dozen academic programs, and 
Amazon opens a cashier-less grocery store in Seattle. 

In this newscast: 

Legislative leaders and Permanent Fund Corp. managers talk strategy to protect the fund, 
a major Alaska public employees’ union alleges the state is improperly seeking to outsource IT jobs, 
locals flag a huge increase in trash going to Juneau’s  landfill from cruise ships last season,  
the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska organizes a food and supplies drive Southeast communities cutoff from ferry service, 
a bill in the Alaska Legislature would give lawmakers oversight of any sale, transfer or disposal of state ferries, 
the National Park Service says it intends to open the entire Denali Park Road by early June, and 
Donald Trump Jr. gets a permit to hunt a grizzly bear outside of Nome later this year. 

In this newscast: 

City and state officials warn of increasing avalanche risk in certain parts of Juneau,
Gov.  Mike Dunleavy renews his position to pay out bigger permanent fund dividends to make up for past cuts, 
the ferry Matanuska remains tied up in Juneau and may not resume service in early March as previously expected, 
Chinese tourists are cancelling their winter Alaska travel plans because of the novel coronavirus, 
four Americans with the virus are being transferred to a hospital in Spokane, 
Alaska officials explore expanding DMV locations to rural Alaska to accommodate Real ID requirements, and 
state and citizen scientists are readying for an Anchorage moose survey. 

In this newscast:

The organization opposing the recall campaign against Gov. Mike Dunleavy drops its legal appeal of the recall, 
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski says many of President Donald Trump’s policies have been good for Alaska but she won’t hesitate to call him out when she thinks he’s wrong, 
emails from the Pebble Partnership show its efforts to lean on Gov. Mike Dunleavy for help last summer, 
hundred gather for an Elizabeth Peratrovich Day celebration in Juneau, 
Juneau’s Care-a-Van service gets a new name, 
Alaska Native villages and other tribal entities in Alaska are getting $98 million in federal housing grants, and 
Alaska regulators establish a new dipnet fishery on the Susitna River. 

In this newscast: a House committee prepares to hear public testimony on a bill that would make Alaska more consistent about recognizing tribes, the EPA says Alaska led the nation in 2018 for toxic chemical releases, a major seafood processing plant getting put up for sale raises questions about King Cove’s future, Bering Sea ice reaches its normal extent, and Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race volunteers begin prepping for the race.