KTOO News Update
The day’s local and state news in about 10 minutes.
Newscast – Monday, Jan. 26, 2026
In this newscast: More than 200 Juneau residents gathered downtown at Overstreet Park last night for a candlelight vigil. They were there to honor a man who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during protests against ongoing ICE operations; Juneau teens and residents are calling on the Alaska Legislature and Governor Mike Dunleavy to call off the state’s longtime push for a natural gas pipeline in Alaska; The State Board of Education unanimously approved a school psychology masters program at the University of Alaska Anchorage aimed to address the state’s shortage of school psychologists. The approval took place during the board’s special virtual meeting on Thursday; KTOO Morning Host Mike Lane checks in with Representative Andi Story; Former Alaska Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum deviated from state policy and failed to perform the necessary due diligence before committing millions in state savings to a private equity fund. That’s the conclusion of an outside review ordered by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration after Crum’s decision came to light last summer
Read More »Newscast – Friday, Jan. 23, 2026
In this newscast: Eaglecrest Ski Area's board of directors is pushing back against the mayor's proposal to remove most of the board's decision-making authority; Former Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola will be in Juneau today at the Crystal Saloon bar downtown to celebrate her campaign launch for U.S. Senate; A new bill aims to bring stability to Alaska school districts’ budgeting process; Gov. Mike Dunleavy outlined his agenda for his final year in office in his annual State of the State address on Thursday; Alaska Congressman Nick Begich has a new challenger; Two Alaska School districts are suing the state over what they say is inadequate funding for public education
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026
In this newscast: 19-year-old Kake resident Jade Williams was killed at a party in 2017. On Wednesday, more than eight years later, the main suspect in the case was sentenced for causing her death; The City and Borough of Juneau is seeking feedback about how the community wants the Assembly to prioritize city funds as it faces a recurring multi-million-dollar budget deficit beginning July 1st; Young commercial fishermen from all over the state gathered in Juneau this week to absorb industry knowledge of previous generations; The federal government is reviewing the business program that benefits Alaska Native corporations and tribes
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026
In this newscast: An Alaska foster youth advocacy organization is suing the state Office of Children's Services for allegedly failing to provide food and necessities for older youth in their care; Governor Mike Dunleavy says he'll soon propose a statewide sales tax as part of his larger plan to stabilize the state's finances; KTOO's Alix Soliman speaks with Alaska's acting regional forester Jerry Ingersoll about changes the United States Forest Service staff in Alaska are going through; Alaska is launching pilot programs in Anchorage and Juneau to offer addiction treatment in mobile care units.
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026
In this newscast: After more than a year of negotiations, the Anchorage School District and the local teachers' union have come to a tentative contract agreement; The Alaska Legislature is back in session; With the second regular session of the 34th Alaska Legislature underway, KTOO is checking in with members of Juneau's delegation to talk priorities and plans for the session.
Read More »Newscast – Friday, Jan. 16, 2026
In this newscast: The Juneau School Board held off returning about $1 million in funding earmarked for childcare to the City and Borough of Juneau amid questions about the current privately-run program; Alaska's capital city will soon have a new fire chief; A local master Chilkat and Ravenstail weaver has been awarded a national fellowship that bolsters culture and tradition across the United States; Martin Luther King Jr. Day is coming up on Monday, and there are two events honoring the day in Juneau; Hundreds of health care workers and government officials descended on Anchorage this week for the kickoff of a five-year, $1.3 billion program aimed at reimagining medical care across Alaska
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026
In this newscast: The Juneau School District Board of Education agreed to approve the $180,000 in funding to help pay for a new playground at the Dzantik'i Heeni campus in Lemon Creek; Southeast Alaska's largest tribe has earned nearly $40 million from U.S. Navy contracts in Guantanamo Bay; KTOO is checking in with members of Juneau's legislative delegation to talk priorities, predictions, and plans for the session. Up first, Sen. Jesse Kiehl
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026
In this newscast: Residents living in avalanche-prone downtown neighborhoods got the all-clear to return home today after the city lifted its last remaining evacuation advisory this morning; Avalanche risk rose over the weekend, as more snow and then rain pounded Juneau. Meanwhile, staff at the city's emergency warming shelter for unhoused residents relocated operations three times in two days; A Juneau-born athlete is headed to Italy next month to represent Team USA’s biathlon team in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games; A small population of grizzly bears makes its home above the Arctic Circle, but not much is known about them, or how they find enough food to survive the extreme winters
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026
In this newscast: An evacuation advisory remains in effect for Juneau's Behrends avalanche path downtown for a fifth day, but now the City & Borough of Juneau's evacuation alert is using more urgent language; The cost to move Juneau's City Hall is coming in millions of dollars higher than expected; A 10-year-old Bethel cold case murder spotlights faults in Alaska justice system; The United States Supreme Court has once again declined to take up challenges to a federal law that protects subsistence hunting and fishing in Alaska
Read More »Newscast – Monday, Jan. 12, 2026
In this newscast: An atmospheric river struck Juneau over the weekend, after previous back-to-back storms buried the city in several feet of snow; The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska recently launched a new foundation; For the first time, Juneau is using a radar detection system to track avalanches that rumble down the mountain, thanks to state money freed up by the city and tribe's disaster declaration last week; Democrat Mary Peltola announced this morning that she's running for U.S. Senate, taking on Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan; Alaska Public Media's Eric Stone takes a look at the first wave of new bills for the coming legislative session
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