KTOO News Department

In this newscast: Celebration officially starts with a Grand Entrance tonight; Carvers have developed a new method to build traditional canoes without relying on old growth trees; Some cruise ship companies in Southeast Alaska say customers are concerned about Hantavirus, but state health officials are more worried about other diseases; Dozens and dozens of candidates officially kicked off their campaigns for governor, Congress and the state Legislature on Monday

In this newscast: Twelve people were infected by an outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness while aboard a cruise ship traveling through Southeast Alaska last week; A new public use cabin opened near Ward Lake this week; Thirteen canoes bringing Alaska Native paddlers from across Southeast Alaska and Canada arrived in Juneau Tuesday afternoon; A soon-to-be change in shipping services for Juneau’s Costco is expected to make it more difficult for small businesses in outlying communities to get products to their towns; Petersburg residents give items at the dump a second life through the borough’s salvaging program.

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

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

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