KTOO News Update
The day’s local and state news in about 10 minutes.
Newscast – Friday, Nov. 8, 2019
In this newscast: Political ads try to push U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski to vote against a judicial nominee who may be connected to the phone call at the heart of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Juneau's seasonal cold weather shelter reopens this weekend, University of Alaska Southeast Chancellor Rick Caulfield announces his retirement next year, the Port of Alaska receives $25 million in federal grant money, a prominent Native American rights attorney discusses a major U.S. Supreme Court land rights case between a Tlingit group and the Forest Service, and what to do on Veterans Day in Juneau.
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019
In this newscast: A bipartisan group forms to fight an initiative to increase taxes on some North Slope oil fields, the Dunleavy administration is soliciting outside law firms with U.S. Supreme Court experience to fight to end automatic deduction of union dues, the National Transportation Safety Board releases a narrative of what led to a 2018 plane crash on Prince of Wales Island, federal regulators fine a Sitka seafood processor for letting its waste pile up on the seafloor, mineral explorers spent almost three times as much in 2018 in Alaska as three years earlier, a small scale woodworker in Sitka laments the irony of how difficult it is to locally source wood, protesters chain themselves to a dock at the Port of Vancouver in Washington state to block a pipeline shipment for expanding Alberta tar sands export capacity, and a flight cancellation forces the U.S. Forest Service to cancel a Roadless Rule meeting in Gustavus.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019
In this newscast: A national expert on recalls of elected officials says the effort aimed at Gov. Mike Dunleavy highlights how unusual Alaska's recall law is, a judge is considering whether to dismiss an ACLU lawsuit against the governor for vetoing some of the court system budget for a decision on abortions, consultants to the city of Skagway explore what it would take to establish a locally controlled ferry authority, members of the Alaska Chamber of Commerce formally take a position to support the Alaska Marine Highway System, the National Transportation Safety Board recommends all 50 states enact bicycle helmet laws to stem an increase in cyclist deaths on roadways, the last Alaska State Trooper drug dog trained to detect marijuana is set to retire soon, Petro Marine does a drill in Gastineau Channel to practice its spill response, the University of Alaska Board of Regents is set for two days of meetings about the system's future, and the University of Alaska Anchorage says it will take peanut butter and jelly as payment outstanding parking tickets as part of a food drive.
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019
In this newscast: The group Recall Dunleavy sues over the rejection of its recall application, three Alaska Pioneer Homes residents sue Gov. Mike Dunleavy over sudden rate increases, a state Superior Court judge issues a ruling that would end unlimited donations to independent political action committees, Juneau residents say they feel ignored by the U.S. Forest Service's push to open the Tongass National Forest to road building, nearly 1,000 passengers are affected by the Alaska Marine Highway System's abrupt service cancellations across much of Southeast, traffic engineers recommend rebuilding the intersection near Fred Meyer as a highway interchange, the state Department of Transportation plans to begin a project to reroute the Sterling Highway and build the state's largest bridge, Royal Caribbean opts not to use it's shoulder season permits to visit Glacier Bay National Park, and an astronaut and Pennsylvania county figure out how to vote absentee -- from space.
Read More »Newscast – Monday, Nov. 4, 2019
In this newscast: The head of state elections rejects an application to advance a recall of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, signature gathering is underway for a ballot initiative for "Alaska Students' Educational Bill of Rights," a report on the Public Defender Agency identifies a rising number of conflicts of interest, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski gets a provision into a bill directing the Bureau of Indian Affairs to collect data on missing and murdered indigenous women, the U.S. Forest Service kicks off a series of public hearings on the its effort to exempt the Tongass National Forest from the Roadless Rule, Senate Republicans confirm Rep. Josh Revak to fill a vacant seat, the National Transportation Safety Board flags Alaska's high rate of fatal airplane crashes, and TSA agents in New Jersey flag a suspicious carry-on item only to discover it was a gun-shaped toilet paper roller.
Read More »Newscast – Friday, Nov. 1, 2019
In this newscast: A judge rejects the state Department of Law's request to stop signature gathering for an election overhaul initiative, several Southeast Alaska communities get cut off after a second ferry gets taken out of service unexpectedly, the state Department of Transportation announces an open house on redesigning the accident-prone intersection near Juneau's Fred Meyer, members of the Alaska Ocean Acidification Network update the Alaska Board of Fisheries on impacts they're seeing, a Skagway man is mauled by a brown bear on the Chilkoot Trail, a new class of drug-sniffing law enforcement dogs graduates in Fairbanks, and Juneau's popular Gold Creek Flume Trail reopens.
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019
In this newscast: U.S. Rep. Don Young votes with his fellow Republicans against the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, a lawyer for the Legislature says ethics regulations the Department of Law proposed may be unconstitutional, parents and students react to the Juneau School District's use of third-party electronic communication monitoring service Bark, the Defense Department reports a Fort Wainwright-based soldier has died in Iraq, a business in Hawaii decides not to go forward with discussions for Alaska Aerospace Corp. to build a satellite launch facility on its land, an accidental release of a smelly chemical triggers a natural gas leak scare in downtown Fairbanks, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks plans to incorporate esports into student activities and curriculum.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019
In this newscast: President Donald Trump takes to Twitter in support of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, the Alaska Federation of Natives contrasts with the Dunleavy administration on the urgency of climate change, Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska announces a plan to provide $5.7 million to bolster rural health care, law enforcement says it busted a man trying to fly to Nome with $10,000 of heroin, a state judge prepares a ruling in a long-fought case over sulfolane contamination in North Pole, Unalaska declares an emergency over its lack of commercial air service, and Yakima County in Washington state moves forward with a plan to convert a jail to a supportive homeless shelter.
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019
In this newscast: Lisa Murkowski is one of only three Republican senators who did not co-sponsor a resolution condeming the U.S. House's impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, a military behavioral team identifies risk factors for soldier suicides at Fort Wainwright, state lawmakers learn about what role they'll play in budgeting for the University of Alaska, nonprofit Renewable Juneau closes in on awarding its first round of zero-emissions home heating systems through its carbon offset fund, rainfall in Ketchikan gets the electric utility back on hydropower, state environmental regulators agree to submit a cleanup plan to the feds for Fairbanks' polluted winter air, Unalaska considers declaring an emergency amid ongoing flight service disruptions, and the creators of "Molly of Denali" take proactive steps to helps fans dress as Molly without appropriating her culture for Halloween.
Read More »Newscast – Monday, Oct. 28, 2019
In this newscast: A state judge rules that a ballot measure that would change how Alaskans choose state elected officials can move forward, the University of Alaska Board of Regents approve a plan to ditch an effort to consolidate three university accreditations into one, the head of the U.S. Census Bureau visits Delta Junction, ANWR drilling opponents gear up for a court challenge against the Interior Department's possible petroleum lease sale, the Pogo Mine's owners say they'll invest $30 million this fiscal year to expand, the state's economic development corporation invests $700,000 into the Ambler Road to open up mineral exploration in Northwest Alaska, about 100 people turn out for a community meeting in Butte to complain about two properties with junk cars and squatters, and an Anchorage brewer buys a full-service alcohol license to overcome the legal limits of his brewer's license.
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