KTOO News Update
The day’s local and state news in about 10 minutes.
Newscast – Friday, Jan. 9, 2026
In this newscast: The City and Borough of Juneau issued an avalanche evacuation advisory for all residents in slide zones this morning. The advisory comes as an atmospheric river slams Juneau, after previous storms dumped several feet of snow; As snow turned to rain in Juneau today, the city is warning residents that roads are beginning to flood, and the snow on roofs is getting heavier; The City and Borough of Juneau has largely wrapped up shoveling on Sít' Eetí Shaanáx - Glacier Valley Elementary School and began work on Mendenhall River Community School today; The general manager of Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area has resigned and the chair of its board of directors has stepped down; Several caribou herds in Alaska’s Arctic are on a decline, including now the Porcupine herd, which is currently the biggest
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026
In this newscast: The City of Hoonah declared a local emergency earlier this week following heavy snowstorms in the region; As the state of Alaska responds to Juneau’s disaster declaration, the capital city is bracing for heavy rain and potential flooding from an atmospheric river expected to hit Southeast late Thursday night; Students and staff at Mendenhall River Community School were evacuated from the elementary school Thursday morning due to growing concern about the snow load on the gym roof; The public comment period for the controversial Cascade Point Ferry Terminal in Juneau closes tomorrow; The City of Ketchikan is once again looking for its new manager. Keith Morey had been selected by the city for the job but withdrew his name from consideration yesterday afternoon, just hours before the city council planned to finalize his employment contract.
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026
In this newscast: Schools in Juneau were closed again today (TUES) as the capital city continues to dig out from successive snowstorms; The roof of the Bill Ray Center, an empty building on F Street in downtown Juneau, collapsed today after back-to-back snowstorms; Boxes of food, mail and late Christmas presents arrived by plane to the small Southeast Alaska fishing town of Pelican on New Year’s Day. The goods came after the isolated town went more than a month without access to outside services,; Haines and Skagway have suffered through weeks of bitterly cold temperatures and feet of snow. Snowfall in Haines has been so heavy that residents are worried about roof loads. Community members are caring for each other in these extreme conditions with shovels and the Internet; Some Alaska Airlines passengers were hit with surprising bills for checked baggage that used to fly for free within the state. The company says it is working quickly to reverse an issue with its Club 49 program that has affected a baggage benefit that is valuable for many rural residents; Ski patrollers at Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood rescued a dog from a deep ravine last week that had been missing for 13 days.
Read More »Newscast – Monday, Jan. 5, 2026
In this newscast: The City and Borough of Juneau issued an avalanche alert via text this afternoon, telling residents in the Mount Juneau slide path to be prepared; Residents of Juneau are living in a snow globe. Another winter storm began last night, dropping more snow on top of the four feet that fell just after Christmas; Amid record-breaking snowfalls and unusually low temperatures, some residents in a mobile home park in Juneau have been without enough water to take a shower for more than two weeks; Flu cases are spiking in Alaska. The state is also seeing a surge in hospitalizations related to the flu; The state ferry Lituya went aground Tuesday at about 3 p.m. near Annette Bay; U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski struck a note of skepticism in her reaction to Saturday's military operation ousting Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro
Read More »Newscast – Friday, Jan. 2, 2026
In this newscast: It’s a new year, but Juneau residents are still digging out from four feet of snow that fell earlier this week; Thane Road is now open after being closed for two days due to avalanche risk; Two Juneau artists spent this snowy Friday framing and mounting 18 block prints that correlate with myths — ones they wrote themselves; In 2025 Alaskans experienced record-breaking heat on the North Slope, over 7 inches of rain in a single day in Ketchikan, and other extreme weather in recent weeks; Pelican has been without seaplane and ferry access since November
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025
In this newscast: The City and Borough of Juneau is warning residents about urban avalanches a bit differently this year; After Juneau residents helped raise more than $1 million this fall, a local boy with a rare genetic disease will be able to receive a potentially life-changing gene therapy in the New Year; Alaska will get $272 million from the federal government next year to upgrade its rural health system; For Alaskans, the New Year means it's time to apply for the Permanent Fund dividend; In a special feature highlighting some of KTOO’s favorite stories from this year, the KTOO newsroom revisits a story about the city's short term rental task force
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025
In this newscast: The city issued an alert this afternoon to residents living in downtown Juneau that avalanche conditions are elevated in the areas above Behrends Avenue and Thane Road; City and state facilities remain closed again today after record-breaking snowfall in Juneau; Chief Rich Etheridge is retiring from Capital City Fire/Rescue and his last day is tomorrow; In a special feature highlighting some of KTOO's favorite stories from this year, the KTOO newsroom revisits a story about a school field trip in Juneau
Read More »Newscast – Monday, Dec. 29, 2025
In this newscast: A winter storm dumped more than two feet of snow and freezing rain on the capital city this holiday weekend. As of Monday, residents were still trying to dig out as more snow fell; For decades, Alaska officials have dreamed of a pipeline that would ferry natural gas hundreds of miles from the North Slope to an export terminal in Cook Inlet. Over the years, the state has pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into designing and permitting for the project, which is estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars to construct. While President Trump has framed the pipeline as a centerpiece to his plans for unleashing the country’s energy, there are many questions surrounding the mega project, including whether there’s a large enough market for the gas it would carry and what kind of environmental impact it could have; The City of Bethel has agreed to pay a combined settlement of $10 million to two people accusing Bethel police officers of using excessive force.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025
In this newscast: Heavy snow is forecast to hit Juneau and other parts of Alaska’s panhandle this weekend, following days of record-breaking frigid temperatures; When it snows, crews fan out with plows, graders, blowers and more to clear the streets in Juneau. Morning Edition host Mike Lane recently sat down with CBJ Streets & Fleet Superintendent Scott Gray to learn more about local snow removal operations; As 2025 comes to a close, the reporters at KTOO are taking a moment to reflect on the year in stories. In this special feature, we're highlighting some of our colleagues' favorite pieces throughout the year, and sharing what made these stories stand out.
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025
In this newscast: This week marks six months since 42-year-old Juneau resident Benjamin Stepetin was last seen in downtown Juneau; The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development found that the Juneau School District did not provide occupational therapy services to some students that were supposed to receive them last school year; The next legislative session is less than a month away, and lawmakers are preparing to return to Juneau; In a special feature highlighting some of KTOO's favorite stories from this year, the KTOO newsroom revisits a story about a refugee family in Juneau split in half by an email from the Trump administration.
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