KTOO News Update
The day’s local and state news in about 10 minutes.
Newscast – Friday, September 4, 2020
In this newscast: The declining price of oil and the COVID-19 pandemic has some oyster farmers worried about the future; Capital City Fire and Rescue recently refurbished one of its ambulances and the ambulance serves a second purpose as a piece of public art; Alaska's Supreme Court has blocked the state's plan to borrow money to pay off hundreds of millions in debt to oil and gas companies; A federal judge has denied a request seeking to have Alaska election officials send absentee ballot applications to all registered voters in the state; The U.S. Forest Service has issued a deadline to the operator of an Alaska island boat shop to tear down the historic complex and leave but the owner says the agency's demands are unrealistic.
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, September 3, 2020
In this newscast: A group that wants to save a neglected site where the Alaska territorial flag was designed, sewn and first flown sued this week; Alaska's job losses weren't as steep as the national average but the state's recovery is lagging behind nearly every other state; For many Alaska communities, the early end of the 2020 census means committees have to work harder to count everyone; Some University of Alaska students have called for the resignation of the student regent following a lengthy email; Juneau's belated Pride celebration wasn't complete with its annual Glitz drag show which was held outdoors for the first time.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, September 2, 2020
In this newscast: Civil rights groups are asking Alaska's lieutenant governor not to enforce the requirement that voters get a witness to sign the envelope of their mail-in ballots; Seafood companies bring thousands of seasonal workers to Alaska's fishing towns every year, but this year's summer workers were largely unseen; A company operating one of the world's largest zinc mines in Alaska says thawing permafrost linked to global warming has forced an expenditure of $20 million; Documents provided to The Associated Press show the Trump administration is seeking to fast-track environmental reviews of dozens of major energy and infrastructure projects.
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, September 1, 2020
In this newscast: Juneau School District officials say they have about 10 percent fewer students than they forecast in the spring; Since the pandemic hit, the number of people choosing to fly has tanked, but in Alaska that's often not an option; Some Southeast Alaska towns are setting rain records this summer; The Anchorage Assembly says it will reopen meetings for in-person participation by members of the public.
Read More »Newscast – Monday, August 31, 2020
In this newscast: Construction on a new bike track in Juneau's Cope Park will begin as soon as the weather allows; When a child needed to be medevaced to Anchorage, residents in the Southwest Alaska village of Igiugig came together to light the airport's runway; Juneau's Augustus Brown Pool in downtown reopens on September 8 with limited capacity; Restaurants and bars in Anchorage reopen today for dine-in service with multiple restrictions; Administrators say student athletes at UA Fairbanks are in quarantine after players on the hockey team tested positive for COVID-19.
Read More »Newscast – Friday, August 28, 2020
In this newscast: After the first week of school in Juneau, families are reporting highs and lows with the all-distance learning start of the year; People in Juneau -- and around the country -- say they're getting mysterious packages in the mail from overseas; The Bering Sea pollock fishing fleet was going about its business Wednesday afternoon when it encountered a flotilla of Russian military ships.
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, August 27, 2020
In this newscast: The City and Borough of Juneau says it's not going to change its testing strategy to match new guidelines published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Indigenous leaders are creating mockups of Vogue covers to share on social media to raise awareness for policy changes to the Roadless Rule in the Tongass National Forest; A local COVID-19 testing program aims to identify and isolate any positive cases for residents and seasonal workers in Petersburg.
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, August 25, 2020
In this newscast: Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson has resigned after a series of texts with a younger state worker became public; The Juneau Assembly passed an ordinance last night creating a systemic racism review committee; Efforts to relocate Juneau's shelter for homeless residents has seen pushback from other residents; The Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska received a $150,000 investment from the federal government this week; The group tasked by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to plot the course of Alaska's ferry system is holding two rounds of public comments on the future of the fleet.
Read More »Newscast – Monday, August 24, 2020
In this newscast: School starts today in Juneau and classes will remain virtual for the time being; There was another glacial dam release that dumped a lot of water into Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River over the weekend; Tlingit master carver Tommy Joseph's latest project is a reproduction of the Waasgo Pole for the Sitka National Historic Park; Environmental groups have wasted no time challenging the Trump administration's attempt to allow oil and gas drilling in an Alaska refuge.
Read More »Newscast – Friday, August 21, 2020
In this newscast: Alaska tribal governments and organizations are asking the State of Alaska to withdraw a lawsuit filed recently in federal court, calling it "disgraceful" and "racist"; Alaska's Ballot Measure 1, which seeks to increase the production tax on Alaska's 3 biggest oil fields is shaping up to be a big fight; Postmaster General Louis Dejoy says he's considering cutting Alaska's bypass mail program to save money; There are conflicting accounts over how many people were exposed to COVID-19 at the Juneau airport in early August.
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