KTOO News Update
The day’s local and state news in about 10 minutes.
Newscast – Wednesday, April 8, 2026
In this newscast: Juneau's teachers union voted earlier this week in favor of approving a tentative contract agreement with the Juneau School District; After months of public pushback, the Juneau Assembly will revisit the current redevelopment plan for the Telephone Hill neighborhood in downtown Juneau; The 2026 Traditional Games begin in the capital city Friday; A behind-the-scenes look at the 51st Alaska Folk Festival in Juneau
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, April 7, 2026
In this newscast: The Anchorage Forestry Sciences Lab is set to close and the future of the Pacific Northwest Research Station lab in Juneau is uncertain since the U.S. Forest Service began a national restructuring last week; The city's cold weather emergency shelter, which was set to close for the season next week, is turning into a year-round operation; Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed a federal class-action lawsuit filed against the Alaska Office of Children's Services last week; Tongass Voices: Hiram Henry on the volunteers who drive Alaska Folk Festival
Read More »Newscast – Monday, April 6, 2026
In this newscast: The city is now asking residents to weigh in on potential projects that could be funded by the fees paid by cruise ship passengers this year; The Juneau Assembly will vote tonight during a regular meeting on whether to turn the city's cold weather emergency shelter into a year-round operation; A labor union representing Ketchikan shipyard workers has filed three charges against the yard's new operator; Three of Alaska's key shipping companies are set to hike rates as fuel prices skyrocket amid the war with Iran; U.S. Supreme Court justices questioned the Trump administration's lawyer for invoking Native American history to challenge birthright citizenship of immigrants
Read More »Newscast – Friday, April 3, 2026
In this newscast: Staff at the University of Alaska have successfully voted to form a union; The City and Borough of Juneau's budget-making process officially kicked off Wednesday; The state of Alaska is collecting input from Juneau residents hit by glacial outburst flooding in 2024 to help decide how a federal grant for $6 million will be spent; A group of Juneau organizations and the regional tribal government are working together on an event that will provide direct services to unhoused people in Juneau; Large majorities of Alaskans tell pollsters they are sick of changing their clocks twice a year. And for years, lawmakers have introduced bills that would stop us from springing forward and falling back. This year is no exception
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, April 2, 2026
In this newscast: Three young mountain goats with a highly contagious viral skin infection have been found this winter on popular Juneau hiking trails; The Juneau Assembly voted last night to end the city's involvement in Eaglecrest Ski Area's controversial gondola project and pay back a $10 million investment from Goldbelt Incorporated; Alaska school districts consistently build budgets based on many uncertainties. A bill that aims to stabilize the budgeting process moved out of the House Education Committee Wednesday; As the Alaska Folk Festival approaches, so does a big spike in activity at downtown bars. And with that comes concerns about drink safety; Two Alaska inmates died in the past week, according to the Department of Correction's press releases
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, April 1, 2026
In this newscast: Wild king salmon sport fishing regulations for 2026 took effect across Southeast today. In most inside waters of the northern panhandle, the season opens June 15; Around 25,000 Alaskans lost all or part of their health insurance subsidies in 2026 due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; Pink Martini, a band from Portland, Oregon, will play in Sitka and Juneau in a couple of weeks to benefit the rebuilding of a Lingit clan house in Sitka
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, March 31, 2026
In this newscast: Today is the last day for Alaskans to apply for a 2026 Permanent Fund Dividend; Juneau's beloved city-owned Eaglecrest Ski Area is embroiled in controversy over a gondola project and its price tag; A theater in a historic building in downtown Juneau is being brought back to life after sitting empty for years; Mayors of the five boroughs that would host elements of the Alaska gasline project say that they are not on board with a bill from Gov. Mike Dunleavy offering tax breaks for the project
Read More »Newscast – Monday, March 30, 2026
In this newscast: Tribal citizens in and outside Alaska recently voted to elect new delegates and community council members to represent them in the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska; More than 1000 people gathered at Juneau's Overstreet Park on Saturday to participate in the third 'No Kings' protest held nationwide to push back against President Donald Trump's policies and actions; The 51st Alaska Folk Festival will feature about 15 acts on the main stage -- and that's just one piece of a much larger production; An eighteenth candidate joined the race to be Alaska's next governor this week. Attorney Gregg Brelsford threw his hat in the ring Tuesday as an independent candidate
Read More »Newscast – Friday, March 27, 2026
In this newscast: Organizers and lawmakers gathered on the steps of the Alaska State Capitol yesterday morning to rally in support of bills and funding to address climate change in Alaska; A highly unusual -- and four-legged -- suspect was apprehended yesterday in Juneau; The University of Alaska Southeast and the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska are working together to create a School of Indigenous Studies; Tongass Voices: Robin DeAlva on making an online exchange for arts supplies
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, March 26, 2026
In this newscast: A privately-run child care program is set to offer all-day care for school-aged children in several Juneau schools this summer; Since Juneau broke its official winter snowfall record on Monday, some residents have asked whether the melting snowpack will influence the next glacial outburst flood expected in the Mendenhall Valley this summer. The short answer is no; One person died over the weekend in a major avalanche near Haines Pass, just across the border in British Columbia. Late March is typically prime time for recreation in the backcountry hot spot. But experts are now warning about unstable snow conditions in the area that likely won’t improve any time soon; A rainbow pride Ravenstail robe, woven by dozens of mentors and youth, was danced for the first time this week in Juneau
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