KTOO News Update
The day’s local and state news in about 10 minutes.
Newscast – Friday, May 8, 2026
In this newscast: Huna Totem Corporation officials say they are full steam ahead with the plan to open downtown Juneau’s fifth cruise ship dock by 2028. That’s despite unexpected timeline delays and price hikes that may scale down the project; In early April, two people allegedly severely beat a man in the Marine Parking Garage in downtown Juneau. He was medevaced out of town. Nearly a month later, Alfred Torres Sr. was pronounced brain dead and taken off of life support on Monday; KTOO’s Mike Lane recently sat down with Area Management Biologist Carl Koch with Fish and Game Wildlife Conservation to talk about how best to keep safe in bear country,; Juneau woman Tracy Day has been missing for more than seven years. And while her disappearance has become a rallying cry for the families of missing and murdered Indigenous people in Juneau, her daughter, Kaelyn Schneider, also wants people to know who she was before she went missing
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, May 7, 2026
In this newscast: The Juneau Police Department has arrested a man suspected of assaulting three people over the weekend in the Mendenhall Valley; Kaelyn Schneider has a lot of questions about the police investigation into her mother’s disappearance. Tracy Day, a Lingít woman from Juneau, went missing in 2019 and police say they have no suspects; A bill aimed at stabilizing school district budgeting process made its way out of the House Finance Committee Tuesday; A Juneau lawmaker’s bill to increase state funding for free legal aid to vulnerable Alaskans is headed to the governor
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, May 6, 2026
In this newscast: Tuesday was a day of remembrance, awareness and calls to action to address the crises of Alaska Native and other Indigenous people facing extreme rates of violence; City and federal contractors originally planned to build the flood wall along the Mendenhall River much higher this summer, after it just barely protected hundreds of homes from Juneau’s largest glacial outburst flood last August. But after the project cost ballooned, leaders decided to scale it back; Gov. Mike Dunleavy is pressing lawmakers to act quickly on his proposal to cut taxes for the Alaska LNG project; Lawmakers in the Alaska House unveiled their first draft of the state's capital budget on Monday. It adds about $100 million in spending to the roughly $250 million capital budget that passed the Senate last month
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, May 5, 2026
In this newscast: As the Juneau Assembly moves forward with ending the city’s involvement in Eaglecrest Ski Area’s controversial gondola project, they’re now trying to figure out what to do with the parts; Last year, missing woman Tracy Day’s family requested a death declaration hearing as a way to ask police officers questions about their investigation. But the judge said their questioning wasn’t allowed – even though it was allowed for the family of another Alaska Native woman who went missing elsewhere in the state; The Norton Sound community of Shaktoolik said their goodbyes to Kelly Hunt at a memorial service this weekend; The Alaska Legislature failed to override Gov. Mike Dunleavy's veto of a closely watched election reform bill yesterday
Read More »Newscast – Monday, May 4, 2026
In this newscast: The Goldbelt Tram in downtown Juneau will remain closed for at least the next three weeks, after a tram car came to an abrupt halt at its bottom terminal last week; Public service is nothing out of the ordinary for Scott Ciambor, a longtime employee of the City and Borough of Juneau. He’s worn different hats within CBJ, from chief housing officer to planning manager to his newest role as director of the Community Development Department; A new exhibit by an Alaska nonprofit dedicated to archiving Filipino American history in Alaska features the stories, photos, and belongings of Filipino elders in Juneau; A confidential informant is suing the state public safety department, two Alaska State Troopers and the A&E Television Network
Read More »Newscast – Friday, May 01, 2026
In this newscast: Two people were sent to Bartlett Regional Hospital for minor injuries after a Goldbelt Tram car came to an abrupt halt at its bottom terminal while making its way down Mount Roberts last night. That’s according to Capital City Fire and Rescue; The University of Alaska system will have a new president this summer. The Board of Regents appointed Fairbanks attorney Matt Cooper to the role this morning. He formerly served as general counsel for the university; It’s that time of year again when we’re all told to be “bear aware.” Bear encounters can happen when we’re hiking, camping or even just walking through town. KTOO’s Mike Lane recently sat down with Area Management Biologist Carl Koch with Fish and Game Wildlife Conservation to learn what attracts the bears and how we can limit encounters; Decisions about Alaskan schools are almost always made by administrators, school board members and lawmakers. But students also play a role. Twice a year, student leaders from across the state gather at the Alaska Association of Student Government conference to decide on goals to improve their schools.
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, April 30, 2026
In this newscast: State House lawmakers rolled a new draft of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposal cutting taxes for the Alaska LNG project on Monday; A lot of people – from toddlers to teens to retirees – had a lot to say to the Juneau Assembly at a special meeting Wednesday. It was the first chance for residents to testify about a list of possible city service cuts and facility closures the Assembly is considering as the city grapples with a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall; The temporary flood wall along the Mendenhall River just barely protected hundreds of homes from Juneau’s largest glacial outburst flood last summer. Now, city and federal contractors are racing to repair the damage and bolster it for the flood expected this summer.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, April 29, 2026
In this newscast: Community members can provide feedback on the City and Borough of Juneau's budget Wednesday during a special meeting; Juneau student Cassie Lumba advanced to the national finals of Poetry Out Loud after competing in the semifinals in Washington D.C; Two groups of Juneau residents filed proposed citizen propositions this week in hopes of putting questions on the 2026 local election ballot; The U.S. Forest Service has released a draft environmental impact statement for a timber sale on Prince of Wales Island; Mt. Edgecumbe High School is cutting staff for the second year in a row amid ongoing budget and enrollment issues.
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, April 28, 2026
In this newscast: Four Alaskans appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to serve on various state boards and commissions recently resigned ahead of a legislative confirmation vote expected May 7; The remains of a woman found in a wooded area in Spenard last week have been identified as Kelly Hunt, a 19-year-old college student from Shaktoolik who had been missing since January; A bill that would reinstate a pension system for state and local government employees in Alaska is on the verge of a state Senate vote, which would bring it closer than ever to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s desk; Tongass Voices: Brian Wallace on preserving time through photography
Read More »Newscast – Monday, April 27, 2026
In this newscast: Juneau's first cruise ship of the year arrived this afternoon; The Canadian company proposing to open the New Amalga gold mine in Juneau, announced this week that it plans to build an ore barge dock at Cascade Point regardless of whether the state moves forward with its controversial ferry terminal at the same location; Petersburg's local tribe unveiled and blessed its new killer whale canoe earlier this month. It's the first canoe made in the community in a century
Read More »