KTOO News Update

In this newscast: President Donald Trump signs an executive order creating a White House task force on missing and killed American Indians and Alaska Natives, the administration of Gov. Mike Dunleavy settles a lawsuit that sought to declare the Alaska Hire law unconstitutional, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it may revise its timeline for a releasing its final environmental review on the proposed Pebble Mine, oil company Hilcorp and one of its drilling contractors each paid more than $25,000 in penalties after a fatal North Slope work accident, Ketchikan has gone from extreme drought conditions to abrupt dumps of rain triggering flood emergency responses, Bethel's Public Works Department building suffers millions of dollars in water damage, Sealaska Heritage Institute announces three new children's books including its first trilingual one, and the Seattle City Council approves a 57-cent tax on Uber and Lyft rides. 

In this newscast: The U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on Alaska's campaign contribution limit laws, a lawyer suing over Alaska Permanent Fund dividend benefits for same-sex couples says about seven other denial cases had been identified, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy defends how his administration spent federal grant money as members of Congress inquire about potential misuse, far-north communities have found their ice cellars are no longer reliable due to climate change,  seven months of weekends in the new cabin at the Eaglecrest Ski Area get booked within hours of the reservation system opening, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' nonprofit awards $5 million to an Anchorage nonprofit to house at least 300 homeless families, and enrollment in ukelele classes surpasses guitar classes at an Anchorage high school. 

In this newscast: Washington partisanship gums up the Violence Against Women Act, U.S. Attorney General William Barr announces a national plan to address missing and murdered indigenous people, a lawsuit challenging the governor's authority to name the location of the Legislature's special session survives a request for dismissal, Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson tweets and deletes about a case involving a same-sex military spouse's right to a Permanent Fund dividend, the parents of two victims in Thursday's fatal car crash suspect alcohol was a factor, the Eldred Rock lighthouse is a step closer to opening to the public, lack of ice forces the first-ever cancellation of a Christmas-themed ice sculpture park in North Pole, and authorities bust a septuagenarian from Kodiak in the airport for being found with $400,000 in illegal drugs hidden in spoiled goat intestines. 

In this newscast: Two teens are dead after a single-car crash near Cohen Drive, the Alaska Municipal League puts the finishing touches on a plan to standardize sales tax collection for online retailers selling in Alaska, the Bureau of Land Management announces it is taking public comment on potentially expanded drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, and the Alaska Marine Highway System says the ferry LeConte will be out of service until mid-May. 

In this newscast: More than 100 people turn out for a transportation open house about accident-prone intersection near Juneau's Fred Meyer, Angoon copes as it continues to go without ferry service until mid-December, ConocoPhillips announces plans to sell of a 25% stake in some of its North Slope assets, an Alaska company opens the state's largest solar farm, whalers in Utqiagvik finally land their first bowhead whale of the season, the publisher of the Skagway News says he wants to give the paper away to the right person, a woman on trial for waving a gun in a bar gets charged with stealing the same gun from evidence, and the National Weather Service puts out a special weather statement about heavy rain across Southeast Alaska. 

In this newscast: Many Sealaska Corp. shareholders would normally be spedning their dividends on shopping trips to larger communities if not for ferry schedule reductions, state budget experts say Legislative Finance Director David Teal will be missed when he retires next month, warming ocean water is leading to less sea ice forming in the Chuckchi Sea and back-to-back storms will hit the Northern Panhandle this week dumping up to four inches of rain on Juneau. 

In this newscast: Members of Congress inquire about why money usually used to prevent wildfires was given to the state of Alaska to work on the Roadless Rule, the group Vote Yes for Alaska's Fair Share Act sues state officials over the language they used to describe the group's ballot initiative, Alaska Department of Revenue Commission Bruce Tangeman resigns a month before the governor must submit his budget proposal, Gov. Mike Dunleavy selects hunting and fishing guide businessman Melvin Gillis to the Alaska House of Representatives, Metlakatla adapts to drought and climate change, researchers want to test Gustavus residents for PFAS contamination in their blood, the ferry Tazlina gets put back into the mix to make up for unexpected winter service gaps in Southeast Alaska, Anchorage sets weather records for most snowfall and highest temperature on the same day, and a correction to several stories since Oct. 31 that mentioned the ferry LeConte and its estimated repair bill. 

In this newscast: A judge sets arguments in a case challenging the state's rejection of the Recall Dunleavy effort for January, a new FBI report shows Alaska bucking the national decline trend in violent crime and sexual assault statistics, 20 years of city finance documents help show how Juneau has spent $170 million cruise ship head taxes, the Alaska Department of Transportation considers options after a private study of the Alaska Marine Highway System, Pelican copes after two weeks without ferry service, Gov. Mike Dunleavy's office announces an interim director of the agency that regulates marijuana and alcohol, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Energy says he's for developing mini-nuclear reactors for rural Alaska, and fall rains lead the U.S. Drought Monitor to upgrade Southeast Alaska communities status from "severe."

In this newscast: An organization funded by the Murdoch family has donated more than $500,000 to the campaign to overhaul Alaska's election laws, some Alaskans call for more financial transparency from Hilcorp as it seeks to buy BP's North Slope assets, education advocates are hopeful Gov. Mike Dunleavy's will change his approach in his next budget, UAS Chancellor Rick Caulfield announces his retirement, state alcohol regulators reject a rule that would have prohibited organized events at breweries and distillers, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposes creating critical habitat sites to protect humpback whales around Juneau, and former Gov. Sarah Palin reveals she learned her husband wanted a divorce -- in an email from his attorney. 

In this newscast: A Superior Court judge sides against the Dunleavy administration in an education funding lawsuit, Attorney General Kevin Clarkson's high-profile cases raise eyebrows, the Coast Guard says its problems with VHF radio communication has no end in sight, and rocker Johnny Solinger decides he wants to auction off a star-studded guitar to help Alaska veterans.