KTOO News Update
The day’s local and state news in about 10 minutes.
Newscast – Monday, Aug. 5, 2019
In this newscast: State ferries resumed sailing following the ratification of a contract by striking members of the Alaska Marine Highway System's largest union. Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration extended a no-bid contract awarded to a relative of a major financial supporter of the governor. A lawsuit brought by a former police detective against the City of Sitka is going before a mediator and could be settled out of court. A related case concerning a former Sitka police detective who filed a sexual harassment suit against the city remains on track for trial next spring. A new species of deer are moving into parts of Alaska, including the Upper Lynn Canal. The federally chartered Denali Commission is awaiting results of an investigation into the conduct of one of its staff members. A light earthquake was felt in the greater Anchorage area, and officials say it was an aftershock from the Nov. 30 magnitude 7.1 quake that rocked the city.
Read More »Newscast – Friday, Aug. 2, 2019
In this newscast: A tentative deal between the state and a striking ferry union could get the Alaska Marine Highway System back up and running as early as this weekend. Voters in more than a dozen Alaska towns can now sign the petition to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy, but there are plenty of communities across the state where voters do not have that option right now. Pacific walruses have been spotted on shore in northwest Alaska. It's their earliest appearance to date, and it's tied to receding sea ice. A profile on Tom Ainsworth, the National Weather Service's chief weather forecaster for Southeast Alaska. Ainsworth retired today. Juneau's Perseverance Theatre removed "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" from its schedule after concerns were raised about its content and cost.
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019
In this newscast: Signature gathering to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy launches around the state, coastal community residents sound off on the Alaska Marine Highway System's stripped down winter ferry schedule, the filing period opens Friday for Juneau's Oct. 1 municipal elections, Douglas Highway water main work is expected to shift traffic delays toward the Douglas roundabout, Pacific walruses are making their earliest appearances on northwest Alaska beaches due to sea ice receding early, and the pilot of single-propeller plane shocks drivers in Washington state with an emergency landing on a busy road.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, July 31, 2019
In this newscast: A statewide campaign to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy launches, Gov. Dunleavy's Chief of Staff Tuckerman Babcock steps down and former Senate President Ben Stevens steps in, the head of the Department of Environmental Conservation says he wants to change the state's cruise ship pollution monitoring program to one without on-board inspectors, the University of Alaska Board of Regents takes a step toward consolidating the entire university system to single accredited university, a barista pulls a gun on a Juneau man charged with robbery and assault at her coffee shop, and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee pushes for a gender X option on state ID cards.
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, July 30, 2019
In this newscast: Gov. Mike Dunleavy signals that he is likely to re-veto funding the Legislature restored, some Alaska college students say they're seeing military recruiters step up their efforts amid the university system's budget uncertainty, several high-profile Democrats seeking the presidency are weighing in on Alaska's ferry workers' strike and budget slashing, the Department of Transportation warns ferry system patrons of a text-based refund fraud scheme, Pebble mine opponents think politics are overriding science on the EPA's latest decision, the highest ranking officer in the U.S. Coast Guard is touring Alaska, rural Alaska Native villages will receive almost $5 million from the U.S. Justice Department to combat public safety problems, and the Department of Homeland Security issues a warning to small plane owners about a hacking vulnerability.
Read More »Newscast – Monday, July 29, 2019
In this newscast: The ferry workers' continues for a fifth day, state lawmakers make progress on major legislation on the capital budget and permanent fund dividend, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski joins a Republican environmental group calling itself the Roosevelt Conservation Caucus, and an off-duty Juneau police officer gets charged and jailed for driving while intoxicated after a North Douglas traffic accident.
Read More »Newscast – Friday, July 26, 2019
In this newscast: Tensions escalate in the ferry system's labor dispute, a retailer and a freight business in Gustavus make tough decisions to cope with the ferry strike, Moody's Investors Services outlook for Alaska's credit rating worsens, Facebook ads targeting University of Alaska students' fear about the future of their institutions causes indignation, and state troopers report a woman died trying to cross a river to reach the bus featured in "Into the Wild."
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, July 25, 2019
In this newscast: Gov. Mike Dunleavy maintains that his budget vetoes were necessary, the ferry workers' strike disrupts Southeast Alaska State Fair-goers plans and strands travelers, Eaglecrest Ski Area staff unveil their plans to make the mountain a self-sustaining, year-round recreation destination, and Alaska health officials report the first case of paralytic shellfish poisoning.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, July 24, 2019
In this newscast: The union representing ferry system workers goes on strike, House lawmakers split permanent fund dividends off from a line-item budget veto reversal bill, pre-kindergarten Head Start classes scale back due to budget vetoes, authorities identify the man found dead in a Mendenhall Valley pond as Charles Knapp, Alaska marine pilots flag part of Skagway's port as a collision risk zone, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police identify two British Columbia teenagers suspected in three deaths along the Alaska and Cassiar highways.
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, July 23, 2019
In this newscast: Juneau moves forward with its annexation plan for parts of Admiralty Island, the Juneau Assembly adopts an ordinance to allow consumption of marijuana products inside licensed retailers, UAS officials expect layoffs and voluntary staff departures amid budget slashing, Yakutat's groundwater tests for PFAS chemical contamination pass a new, less stringent standard, and results from a crime sweep in Anchorage.
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