KMXT News

On this week's episode with host Katherine Irving, the deadline is coming up to register to vote in the Alaska state primaries, ADF&G launches a new bycatch portal, new KIBSD superintendent Daniel Brigman attends his first regular Board of Education meeting, four whales wash up dead on the Kodiak archipelago, Alaska Public Media reports on ways to avoid getting cyclosporiasis, and the Borough Assembly swears in a new member.

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:Alaska State Troopers shot and killed a Wasilla man last Thursday who officials say was evading arrest on a boat near Whittier after he was convicted of sexually abusing a minor. The Alaska Democratic Party is suing the state Division of Elections over a lack of financial disclosure made by a candidate running for a legislative seat in Anchorage. And an Alaska fire incident management team is in the Lower 48 to oversee one of the nation's highest-priority wildfires as fire activity intensifies in the West.Photo: Alaska Wildland Firefighters deployed in lower 48. (Alaska Public Media)

On this week's episode with host Davis Hovey, we hear about this year's Alaska weathervane scallop fishery opening with two boats from Kodiak fishing, KTOO reports on high numbers of dead gray whales around the Pacific including Alaska, a new study suggests having a dog doubles your chance of having a bear encounter, property tax rates are slightly down in the Kodiak Island Borough this year, and city voters will again decide if the city manager will be required to live within city limits or five miles outside.

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a bill yesterday that would have reimposed limits on campaign contributions in state elections. The former chief of the volunteer fire department that serves the greater Delta Junction area received a two-year prison sentence Thursday for stealing money from the organization. And a measure to repeal Alaska's ranked choice voting will be on the ballot again this November, despite complaints about its backers.Photo: Rural Deltana Volunteer Fire Department is back in business after it shut down temporarily to deal with the theft of $441,409 by former Fire Chief Michael Paschall. (KUAC News file photo/RDVFD)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:Many -- if not most -- jobs stemming from construction of the proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline would go to out of state workers, according to a study. Fairbanks officials read the Declaration of Independence aloud Wednesday at City Hall. A state predator control program has culled more than 250 bears in Southwest Alaska over the past four springs in an attempt to boost the Mulchatna caribou herd.Photo: Salcha site for the Interior of Alaska Veterans Cemetery (IAVC). (Alaska Department of Military and Veteran's Affairs.)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:State lawmakers are debating whether to include a controversial tax change in a bill aimed at easing the financial case for the Alaska LNG project. An Alaska State Trooper fatally shot a man allegedly driving at him in Fairbanks early Tuesday following a brief car chase. And several new food stands have popped up around Ketchikan over the last few weeks.Photo: Drewber's Donuts, Kechikan. (Kymberlin Frazier)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:The Alaska state House's ethics committee says Homer Republican Representative Sarah Vance likely violated state law by using publicly funded resources to criticize a local newspaper. President Trump has pardoned a diesel mechanic from Wasilla who was convicted of removing pollution-control equipment from diesel vehicles. And 7,000 cruise ship passengers landed in Skagway on July 4th to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday. Photo: Ranger Meredith, in period costume, prepares to hike over Chilkoot Pass as she travels through the generations on the Klondike Gold Rush NHP Packing Over The Pass float. (Photo courtesy of Brian Mayhew)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:Two men in Bethel face a range of felony charges for allegedly running an operation that marketed and sold large amounts of alcohol without a license in the “damp” community. Alaska is celebrating “The Week of Dreams,” a tribute to the state's rich but little-known history of baseball. And the Great American State Fair is underway, but Alaska s booth is underwhelming.Photo: A compilation of images celebrating Alaska's history of baseball and other summer celebrations on the America250-Alaska homepage. (America250-Alaska)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:A man who pleaded guilty earlier this year to murdering a Homer woman who went missing in 2019 was sentenced to 87 years in prison Wednesday. A federal judge in Anchorage heard arguments last week over the future of the proposed Pebble Mine in the headwaters of Bristol Bay. And Alaska lawmakers failed to meet an informal deadline today to vote on a bill reducing taxes for the Alaska LNG project.Photo: Kaskanak Creek in the Bristol Bay's Kvichak watershed is seen from the air on Sept. 27, 2011. The Kvichak watershed would be damaged by the Pebble mine project, the Environmental Protection Agency has determined. (Photo provided by Environmental Protection Agency)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:A high-stakes feud between Alaska's major oil companies and three municipalities that collect taxes from those companies is now headed to court. School districts across Alaska are set to receive up to $115 million in one-time funding this year. And A deep-sea whale rarely seen in Southeast Alaska washed up onshore near Sitka. Photo: A team carries the goose-beaked whale fetus to their boat. (Ellie Schmidt/Taken under NOAA Stranding Agreement number SA-AKR-2025-01 issued to UAS Sitka Campus)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:The Alaska Supreme Court says Dan J. Sullivan must be included on the ballot for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat. The Sitka Sound Science Center's marine debris cleanup crew found a message in a bottle. And five Norton Sound tribes are asking a federal judge to throw out a key federal permit for a large-scale gold mine proposed in Bonanza Channel, an estuary about 30 miles east of Nome.Photo: The Bonanza Channel about 25 miles east of Nome, where IPOP, LLC has attempted to earn permits to dredge for gold. (Tyler Bell/Courtesy Salmon State)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:A group of state lawmakers tasked with drafting a final version of an Alaska LNG tax relief bill kicked off work this weekend. Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed nearly half a million dollars from the state budget Wednesday that would have gone toward efforts to retain and recruit teachers in Alaska. And Gov. Mike Dunleavy told lawmakers on Thursday he d vetoed a ban on Styrofoam foodservice packaging, among others.Photo: Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters at a news conference in Juneau on June 19, 2026. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)

On this week's episode with host Katherine Irving, the Benny Benson State Airport will undergo renovations this summer, the Buskin river area closes to sockeye fishing, federal fisheries managers require a halibut stamp for charter tours for the first time this year, three finalists for director at Kodiak College visited from the Lower 48 this week, and a new study finds that Kodiak puffin numbers are dropping.

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:An icon of Alaska journalism died last week after a battle with endometrial cancer. A Superior Court judge heard arguments Thursday on whether the Alaska Division of Elections can boot a second Dan Sullivan from the race for U.S. Senate. And the Homer Spit Run turns 50 this Saturday. Photo: The finish line at Land's End during the 2025 Spit Run. (Don Pitcher Photograph)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: A bill that passed the state legislature with near unanimous support won't become law. "Snow Classic" style gambling is now legal. And Officials with a U.S. Department of Defense agency are preparing to exhume the remains of an unidentified WWII soldier buried in the Sitka National Cemetery this week.Photo: The grave of an unidentified soldier known as “X-3” at the Sitka National Cemetery. (KCAW/McKenney)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:A man seeking to challenge U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan has filed suit after the Alaska Division of Elections removed him from this year's ballot. The state Division of Forestry and Fire Protection estimated the Starry Fire has burned about 550 acres since it was reported Saturday night. And Four U.S. Coast Guard crew members involved in a helicopter crash in Sitka Monday morning have been reported safe with “non-serious injuries.”Photo: US Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter. (US Coast Guard)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Alaska lawmakers convened a new special session in Juneau on Saturday. State and local firefighters are working on a lightning-caused wildfire near an agricultural area east of Delta Junction. And what was once commonly called the “bear monitoring” program is being revived along the Chilkoot Corridor in Haines.Photo: Aerial resources size-up the Starry Fire, which started at the end of the Anderson Shooting Range. (Anderson Mayor Katie Griebe/akfireinfo.com)

On this week's episode with host Davis Hovey, we hear about Invasive Species Awareness Week in Kodiak, Coast Guard Base Kodiak is getting a new child development center, funding cuts and high fuel costs hamper salmon weirs and surveys, an interview with one of 15 U.S. House of Rep. candidates Matt Schultz, and the Sun'aq Tribe is moving its preschool to the old North Star building.

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: An attorney advising the Alaska Legislature says that Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom may have violated the U.S. Constitution when she disqualified Petersburg's Daniel J. Sullivan from this year's U.S. Senate race. A critical deep ocean observation network that includes a long-standing station off the coast of Alaska has been saved from getting dismantled. And a brother and sister team from Bethel recently won top honors at an innovation competition hosted from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.Photo: Bethel siblings Vjosa Pellumbi, left, and Drini Pellumbi pose after winning the top prize at the UAF College of Business and Security Management's Arctic Innovation Competition held at the 8 Star Events Center in Fairbanks on April 18, 2026. (UAF Photo by Sarah Lewis)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:State senators are closely examining a House-passed bill offering tax cuts for a North Slope natural gas pipeline as they near the end a special session on the issue. Lisa Murkowski is among members of Congress trying to prevent the dismantling of an instrument system that monitors the nation s oceans. And a brown bear attacked a man biking the Dome Trail in Anchorage Saturday afternoon.Photo: A brown bear walks through tidal grass at Pack Creek in Southeast Alaska on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. (Nat Herz/Alaska Public Media)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The Division of Elections has issued the state's final determination that Dan Sullivan of Petersburg can't be on the ballot to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan. A former Metlakatla man previously charged with first degree murder has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against over 30 parties connected to the case. And the state's campaign finance regulator has fined an Anchorage Assembly member more than $5,000 for allegedly violating campaign disclosure laws.Photo: Dan Sullivan of Petersburg filed to run against Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan. (Campaign photo by Dan Sullivan)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:The Alaska House passed a bill Friday reducing taxes on the planned Alaska LNG project in a bipartisan vote. The U.S. Small Business Administration says changes to its federal contracting program won't affect tribes and Alaska Native Corporations. And a ruling by the US Supreme Court could complicate counting votes from rural Alaskans.Photo: Platinum, Alaska on May 29, 2026. (Samantha Watson/KYUK)

On this week's episode with host Katherine Irving, two new Coast Guard icebreakers will be homeported in Kodiak, KMXT sits down with Ben Daly, the new supervisor for ADF&G's Division of Commercial Fisheries Westward region, Coast Guard Base Kodiak plans the final phase of its member housing expansion, NOAA hydrographic surveys are underway around Kodiak, and Kodiak's waters could be offering gray whales a lifeline in a difficult season.

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:The Alaska Division of Elections says retired teacher Dan Sullivan of Petersburg is not eligible to run against Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan. Interior Alaska has seen milder fire weather activity so far, but the region isn't off the hook yet. Plus Davis Hovey talks with House candidate Matt Schultz.Photo: Bear Creek Fire from Park Highway on June 21, 2025. (Wikipedia)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:Alaska is one of only two states that saw increased participation in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program last year. That's despite most other states seeing a decline. U.S. Senate candidate Dan Sullivan from Petersburg says a state investigation into his bid for office is baseless. And Petersburg's first traditional canoe in a century recently completed its maiden voyage.Photo: Tribal citizens traditionally welcome a canoe Journey arriving in Séet Ká Kwáan (Petersburg) on May 29, 2024. (Olivia Rose/Petersburg Pilot 2024 archive)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: A proposal to beef up security at Anchorage's military base has gotten push-back from Anchorage Assembly members and residents. The Juneau Assembly has voted to undo a funding scheme that required some homeowners in the glacial outburst flood zone to pay thousands toward the Mendenhall River flood wall. And sled dog pups show off at Denali Park.Photo: Denali Park sled dog puppy. (National Park Service)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:Some political candidates attended Celebration last week. The State of Alaska has opened an investigation into whether Dan Sullivan of Petersburg is intentionally running for U.S. Senate to confuse voters. And the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a disaster declaration for the Native Village of Kipnuk.Photo: Dan Sullivan smiles for a photo at Petersburg's Airport Bypass Road on June 2, 2026. (Taylor Heckart/KFSK)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:A sale on oil and gas drilling rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge failed to catch the attention of the North Slope's biggest players. One woman is working to keep traditional Filipino dance practices alive for the next generation. And F35 jets show off.Photo: Airshow flyer. (Explore Fairbanks)

On this week's episode with host Davis Hovey, we hear about this year's cooler May in Kodiak and Southcentral, local fourth graders released their salmon fry into Island Lake, how high fuel costs will impact Kodiak's salmon fishermen, the City of Kodiak is back pedaling on two proposed parks projects, the city has a new interim city manager after Chris Hladick left, an interview with gubernatorial candidate Tom Begich, and the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly is budgeting $13.8 million for KIBSD for the upcoming fiscal year.

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:Alaska is in the midst of its worst shortage of donated blood in at least the last 15 years. U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan has voted against Trump priorities, in amendments that failed on the Senate floor. And state lawmakers are poring over the numbers as they weigh big tax breaks for the Alaska LNG project in a special session called by Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy.Photo: (American Red Cross)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Nick Begich stay quiet on two of President Trump s most controversial priorities. Humpback whale populations near Glacier Bay National Park are recovering slowly after plummeting during a widespread marine heatwave. And Monday was the last day to officially begin a campaign for state or federal office in Alaska.Photo: A humpback whale in Glacier Bay. (National Park Service)

On this week's episode with host Katherine Irving, a Kodiak teenager was found dead in the Pasagshak area, the M/V Tustumena cancels sailings, Alaska vets recommend dogs get the leptospirosis vaccine, a landing craft capsized off of the coast of Narrow Cape, gubernatorial candidates Shelley Hughes and Click Bishop visit KMXT during their visits to Kodiak for Crabfest, and KMXT's Davis Hovey visits an outgoing professor at Kodiak College.

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:The Anchorage Police Department wants broader support and conversation around the behavioral health issues that Police Chief Sean Case says are driving high rates of police shootings. The deadline to run for statewide office is 5 p.m. today. And Metlakatla invests in fruit trees to combat food insecurity.Photo: Fruit-bearing trees and shrubs line a soon-to-be park near Metlakatla's boat harbor. The plants are part of the village's Community Food Forest Project. (Hunter Morrison/KRBD)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:The state's first Justice Summit for Alaska's missing and murdered Indigenous people got underway Wednesday in Anchorage. Former Gov. Bill Walker is considering another run for the state's top elected office. And Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case says the city is becoming safer, thanks to a major shift in how the city is addressing public safety.Photo: Former Alaska Governor Bill Walker.(Airman 1st Class Valerie Monroy)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: State lawmakers passed two bills on the last day of the legislative session aimed at fulfilling requirements of a federal health care expansion effort. Riding a bike to school can be tough in Nome. And Alaska State Troopers identified the man North Slope Borough police shot and killed in Utqiagvik on Saturday. Photo: Anvil City Science Academy students are led by Jeff Collins on the Nome-Teller Road during Nome's first Bike Bus event, May 26, 2026. (Ben Townsend/KNOM)

On this week's episode with host Davis Hovey, details about a delay in construction at the Seward dock rerouting cruise ships to Whittier, summer salmon fishing restrictions in Kodiak Island rivers, a reversal of the Alaska Board of Fisheries rules by the state attorney general, KIBSD is paying for up to 20 of its international teachers to receive their green cards, and a special remembrance of Alaskan veterans ahead of Memorial Day on Monday from the Alaska Desk at Alaska Public Media.

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Alaska lawmakers approved an additional $144 million in one-time funding for K-12 schools next year. Alaska's oil and gas lobby wants to expedite development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. And a startup with Alaska roots wants to build a massive data center on the North Slope. Photo: Anchorage-based Stak Energy has applied to the State of Alaska to lease 715.4 acres on the North Slope for a modular data center campus that could eventually reach 3 gigawatts (GW) of power capacity. (Adobe Stock)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The Alaska Department of Law has voided regulations aimed at restricting the Area M commercial salmon fishery. The Juneau Assembly may have found a path out of the red for its budget Wednesday night, but it wasn't easy.And the Transportation Security Administration says the delays are due to intermittent outages with its X-ray screening equipment at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.Photo: Air travelers wait for TSA PreCheck at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in a line that stretches past the Alaska Airlines baggage drop area on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Nat Herz/Northern Journal)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: It's National Safe Boating Week, and the U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue teams are asking residents to help prevent false alerts. he Alaska Legislature kicks off a special session today to continue working on tax cuts for the Alaska LNG project. And lawmakers in the state and national capitols implored their colleagues to help two western Alaska villages relocate to safer ground after a devastating storm last year.Photo: Rep. Nellie Unangiq Jimmie, whose district includes Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, spoke in favor of a resolution supporting their decision to relocate. (Gavel Alaska screenshot)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:The Alaska Legislature is headed for a special session focused on tax cuts for the Alaska LNG project immediately after lawmakers adjourn today. Cruise ships planning to stop in Seward are being rerouted to Whittier at least until Saturday because of ongoing construction at the dock. And Anchorage police say officers shot and killed an armed man in East Anchorage early this yesterday morning.Photo: The Crystal Serenity cruise ship in Seward, preparing for a cruise through the Northwest Passage in 2016. Ongoing construction work on a new dock has forced ships to reroute to Whittier this month. (Rachel Waldholz/Alaska Public Media)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a bill that would reinstate pensions for public employees late last night as the Alaska House failed to advance a tax cut for the Alaska LNG project. Anchorage Police say they are in the final stages of their investigation into the death of Kelly Hunt. And House lawmakers voted Saturday to partially repeal a mandatory sick leave law approved by Alaska voters less than two years ago.Photo: A memorial to Kelly Hunt on Lois Drive in Spenard, just above the ravine where her remains were found. (Rhonda McBride)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The Alaska Legislature wants the state's development agency to finance new apartment complexes and other multifamily housing. The case against a former Juneau chiropractor who has been accused of assaulting more than a dozen women under the guise of medical care may continue into another year. People packed the docks in Petersburg on Wednesday to celebrate a storied fishing vessel and the people who have cared for it.Photo: The F/V Symphony on May 13, 2026. The wooden seiner had been in the Mathisen family for over 50 years. (Taylor Heckart/KFSK)

On this week's episode with host Katherine Irving, Kodiak's police chief has thrown his name into the ring to be the next city manager, a potential marine heatwave could combine with an El Niño event this summer, two licenses to serve beer and wine in Kodiak have come available, and a Kodiak hatchery embarks on a mission to rehabilitate the Karluk king salmon.

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The Alaska Legislature, in a historic vote, rejected Gov. Mike Dunleavy's pick for attorney general, Stephen Cox. Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted for the first time with Democrats Tuesdayto advance a resolution to remove U.S. forces from Iran. And a 44-acre solar power farm in Wrangell is starting up.Photo: erial map showing the plans for the solar farm in Wrangell. It will be built on previously logged land, six miles south of town on the upland side of Zimovia Highway. (Southeast Alaska Power Agency)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:Senator Lisa Murkowski voted against the war in Iran yesterday, for the first time since it began at the end of February. Sitka's childcare system has the capacity to serve only about half of the young children who need it. And the state House of Representatives voted unanimously yesterday to make the giant green cabbage Alaska's official state vegetable.Photo: A 113.05-pound cabbage grown by Palmer farmer Scott Robb is adorned with a first-place ribbon at the Alaska State Fair in 2023. (Adelyn Baxter)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines:The Alaska Legislature's regular session ends in just over a week, and lawmakers are racing to pass a wide range of bills and resolutions before the deadline. Petersburg's annual Little Norway Festival, also known as Mayfest, is rapidly approaching. And the public had many opinions about mining minerals on the seabed off Alaska's coast.Photo: Model of seabed mining technology. (Wikipedia)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: A bill that seeks to make it easier for Alaskans to repair consumer electronics cleared the state Senate yesterday and is on its way to the House. The Unalaska City School District students and staff have launched a chess club. And hundreds of highschoolers from across Southeast Alaska flocked to Ketchikan last month for the annual Region Five Music Festival.Photo: The Haines High School Band catches the ferry for the Region Five Music Festival. (Photo by Matt Davis)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The Alaska Legislature is asking the federal government for some flexibility when it comes to implementing a massive program intended to “transform” rural healthcare across the state. A giant tsunami in southeast Alaska was the second largest on record. And pull-tabs could become electronic. Photo: Overview map and location of the Tracy Arm landslide-generated tsunami event. (USGS)

On this week's episode with host Davis Hovey, we hear about Arctic Care 2026 visiting Kodiak Archipelago communities this month, a public comment period is open on aquaculture opportunity areas in Alaska, a conversation with U.S. House of Representatives candidate Bill Hill, a conversation with gubernatorial candidate Dave Bronson, and the City of Kodiak temporarily paused the hiring process for its next permanent city manager.

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The Alaska Senate passed its take on the state budget yesterday. Anchorage officials to recently added fines for those who feed wildlife in the city. And Arctic Care is coming to Kodiak.Photo: Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, announces the final vote passing the operating budget of 17 to 3 on May 7, 2026. (Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

On today's Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Lawmakers in the Alaska House unveiled their first draft of the state's capital budget on Monday. The temporary flood wall along the Mendenhall River will be less enhanced than was hoped. And a bill that aims to bring stability to the school budgeting process has made its way out of the House Finance Committee. Photo: Contractors position the recovery frame over a row of HESCO barriers on Riverside Drive to help them take apart and reuse the materials. (Alix Soliman/KTOO)