KTOO News Update
The day’s local and state news in about 10 minutes.
Newscast – Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019
President Trump addressed troops at Alaska's Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on his way back from a summit with Kim Jong Un. Alaska's oil production could see a bump as new fields come on line on the North Slope. The City and Borough of Juneau wants to explore expanding port infrastructure to allow more cruise ships to connect to the city's electric grid. Sitka Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins says that residents fearful over the governor's proposed budget should focus their advocacy efforts on Republican senators, who will have the power to override the governor's vetoes come May. Juneau's Ernestine Saankalaxt' Hayes will remain Alaska's writer laureate a little longer than expected while the State Council on the Arts chooses the next writer to hold the title.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019
In this newscast: The Alaska Legislature's top budget analyst says it's unrealistic for lawmakers to vet and make decisions on Gov. Dunleavy's budget proposal during the regular session.How Alaskans feel about the governor's proposed budget has a lot to do with how they make their living and their views on the size of government. The U.S. House voted to cancel President Trump's declaration of emergency to fund construction of a wall along the southern border. The Senate still must vote on the issue. There's still no plan to remove the abandoned tugboat sitting in Juneau's Gastineau Channel, but the city is sending a crew out this week to remove water from the boat so it stays afloat.
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019
In this newscast: Congress today passed a massive public lands bill sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski. It includes a provision to help Alaska Native veterans of the Vietnam era by allowing them to select up to 160 acres of land, but critics predict a land grab. Gov. Dunleavy wants to sell the Mt. Edgecumbe High School Aquatics Center -- before the brand new $26M facility has even opened to the public. Ketchikan, Petersburg and Wrangell's sources of hydropower are at extremely low levels. The communities will gradually dip into their lake reserves when needed.
Read More »Newscast – Monday, Feb. 25, 2019
State senators are pushing back against Gov. Dunleavy's plan to eliminate a fund that's intended to equalize the cost of supplying power to rural Alaska. A legislative attorney says language in Gov. Dunleavy's budget proposal giving his budget office discretion to transfer money within departments raises legal and constitutional questions. Gov. Dunleavy rescinded seven administrative orders last week enacted by his predecessor, Bill Walker. They include an order that halted state spending on six infrastructure projects. Clean up work is underway this week, nearly two months after a landslide closed a road near Thorne Bay on Prince of Wales Island. High school students from around Alaska came to Juneau this month to see for themselves how state government works. A bill pending before the Alaska Legislature would allow the state's ski areas to serve alcohol.
Read More »Newscast – Friday, Feb. 22, 2019
In this newscast: An exchange program brings students from majority Muslim countries to Juneau and Sitka, Juneau’s tourism industry gets advice on handling growth from Iceland, and a judge denies a challenge from a man convicted of murdering a woman in Tenakee more than a decade ago.
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019
In this newscast: The Alaska Marine Highway System has stopped selling tickets beyond the end of September in response to Gov. Dunleavy’s proposed budget, the governor’s administration has also directed the Department of Transportation to look into closing or selling state-owned airports, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan says President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration to direct money…
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019
In this newscast: The state official overseeing Alaska’s cruise ship monitoring program is concerned about losing independent environmental inspectors on cruise ships, the Sitka Tribe of Alaska asks a judge to delay the opening of Sitka’s commercial herring fishery this spring, and a spokesman for Gov. Mike Dunleavy says the governor has no desire to…
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019
In this newscast: Gov. Michael Dunleavy’s budget proposes cutting a program tasked with monitoring emissions on cruise ships, and a teacher at Mt. Edgecumbe High School teaches students about the causes of climate change.
Read More »Newscast – Monday, Feb. 18, 2019
In this newscast: A former inmate struggles to overcome alcohol addiction, and Juneau fans of Grammy-winner Norah Jones were disappointed when tickets to her July concert sold out in minutes.
Read More »Newscast – Friday, Feb. 15, 2019
In this newscast: A lawsuit has been filed in Alaska against LuLaRoe clothing. The governor’s budget proposal includes a plan to stop sharing fish taxes with coastal communities. The City and Bureau of Juneau and the cruise ship industry tell SE Alaskans that they will continue to work together to resolve their differences.
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