Newscasts

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 consequences and be responsible for cleaning up the wreck; The Alaska Legislature passed a bill last week designating March as Women’s History Month in state law.

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 gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. As it happens, she did exactly what U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan says she never does: decided against environmental groups. Sullivan’s recent criticism of the judge caused a stir in the legal community.

In this newscast: The Trump administration’s potential cuts to federal health care programs leaves Alaska’s HIV/AIDS prevention and support organization in lurch; A Canadian company announced last week that it’s starting multiple environmental studies to explore a possible new gold mine in Juneau; In a sudden move, the CDC is pulling up to $43 million in federal grants that support public health programs in Alaska; Starting May 7, every air traveler age 18 and older will need a REAL ID to board a flight within the United States

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 four-month legislative session and time is ticking away. Alaska Public Media reporter Eric Stone gives an update on where things stand; Scientists at the Alaska Earthquake Center are monitoring several earthquakes near Adak Island. Since last Wednesday, there have been at least eight quakes greater than magnitude 5

In this newscast: U.S. House Republicans put the top executives of NPR and PBS on the hot seat today, in a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency; Juneau’s mayor selected 11 residents to serve on a short-term rental task force, which is meant to assess the benefits and downsides of short-term rentals in the housing market. All but one member are homeowners; An Alaska Airlines jet leaving Wrangell Sunday declared an inflight emergency and landed in Ketchikan; Tongass Voices: Betsy Longenbaugh and Ed Schoenfeld on the skeletons in Juneau’s closet

In this newscast: A Fairbanks Republican lawmaker wants to put the governor’s mansion on Airbnb; Alaska already imports most of its food. But for many tribes in rural areas, cuts to federal grants and staff by the Trump administration could make food security even tougher; A draft of the 20-year plan for Alaska’s state ferry system is open for public comment. Officials with the Alaska Department of Transportation are asking residents to weigh in on the plan that will guide the Alaska Marine Highway System through the year 2045; Juneau’s Valley Transit Center will soon have a new charging station for the city’s fleet of electric buses. According to Capital Transit Superintendent Rich Ross, construction will begin next week (March 31) and should be completed in mid-July.