KTOO News Update

In this newscast: Among the most vulnerable Alaskans to the ongoing federal shutdown could be thousands of parents who depend on WIC to help them buy food; Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson is joining the race for governor; Juneau voters will decide in this fall's municipal election whether to exempt essential food and residential utilities from local sales tax; Earlier this month, the judge in a case against a former Juneau chiropractor dismissed a charge, which revealed a gap in state sexual assault laws; A Pennsylvania man allegedly used the stolen identities of seven Alaskans in an attempt to steal their Permanent Fund Dividends in 2022

In this newscast: A former Juneau chiropractor accused of sexual assault now has a public defender; Juneau is mulling over how to prepare for next year's glacial outburst flood; It's been over three years since one of Juneau's elementary schools had a functioning library, but it was able to build and open one this year; Funding has lapsed for the federal government, so a shutdown began Wednesday

In this newscast:  A high-profile lawsuit challenging a key part of Alaska's homeschool system moved ahead this week after an Anchorage judge denied a motion to dismiss the case; The Juneau Assembly is considering offering a portion of the future Telephone Hill redevelopment to house U.S. Coast Guard families moving to Juneau,; Tuesday was Orange Shirt Day, a day of remembrance for Indigenous children who were separated from their language, families and culture and sent to residential schools across North America from the late 1800s well into the 20th Century; At Southeast Alaska's annual economic conference in mid-September, fishing industry leaders talked about the importance of modernizing the industry to ensure economic resilience and sustainability

In this newscast: Chief of Police Derek Bos says the Juneau Police Department is taking action to reform its policies after an officer was filmed slamming a man to the ground during an arrest in July; The City and Borough of Juneau has pushed back the eviction deadline for renters living in the historic Telephone Hill neighborhood in downtown Juneau; Goldbelt Incorporated leadership says the Alaska Native corporation has big plans for its proposed $500 million cruise ship port on Juneau's Douglas Island; Most of the staff running three Alaska newspapers on the Kenai Peninsula and Juneau resigned in protest Monday.

In this newscast: Another glacial outburst flood is underway on the Taku River south of Juneau today; Tomorrow is Orange Shirt Day, a day of remembrance for Indigenous children who were separated from their families and sent to residential schools across North America; The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska's plan to open a casino-like gambling hall on Douglas Island may be in jeopardy; When Juneau's homeless shelter limited day services this summer, a group of churches mobilized to fill the gap by distributing hot means in a food truck downtown; President Donald Trump announced plans to increase the cost of some types of work visas earlier this month, and it could have consequences for Alaska's schools and businesses 

In this newscast: Bartlett Regional Hospital is taking over ownership of an independently owned pediatric clinic in downtown Juneau; A proposition on Juneau's local ballot this year asks voters whether to lower the cap on the local property tax rate, also known as the mill rate; The state of Alaska imagines a future when the already growing shellfish farming industry takes off; For years, a national database that tracks and maps landslides has had an Alaska-shaped hole, but that's about to change

In this newscast:  Hurricane-force winds are expected to hit central and southern Southeast Alaska late tonight and into Friday; Construction to get Eaglecrest Ski Area's controversial gondola up and running is finally underway; Juneau School Board President Deedie Sorensen was set to finish her term this year, but she is adding her name to this year's school board race; Renters living on Juneau's historic Telephone Hill have a week to pack up their belongings and vacate their homes before the city's Oct. 1 eviction date

In this newscast: Researchers at the University of Alaska Anchorage are looking for community problems to solve using artificial intelligence; The Juneau Assembly approved funding to get started on a new playground at the Dzantik'i Heeni campus in Lemon Creek, but the decision brought up budget concerns as voters consider reducing taxes in the municipal election; Unless Congress steps in with a solution, thousands of Alaskans will lose health insurance subsidies at the end of December and see the cost of their premiums shoot up; Alaska viewers of this year's Super Bowl may recognize the Crimson Bears, Juneau's high school football team, in the coverage leading up to the big game. An NBC camera crew flew in to catch a very rainy game Saturday

In this newscast: Juneau is getting a new City Hall location after all. On Monday, the Juneau Assembly greenlit the purchase of two floors of the Michael J. Burns building, which houses the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation downtown. It will become Juneau's new City Hall location after renovations; Dozens of residents attended the Juneau Assembly meeting on Monday to protest the city's plans to evict all residents of the historic downtown Telephone Hill neighborhood in less than two weeks; In August of 2015, a man died in Lemon Creek Correctional Center after staff denied him medical care. Now, a decade later, his widow wonders if the state made any changes to prison protocol that would prevent a death like her husband's from happening again; State prosecutors will retry the sexual assault case against a former Juneau chiropractor facing 13 charges. They stated their intention to move forward at a hearing Tuesday; Democrats and independents in the Alaska state Legislature are urging Congress to preserve federal funding for science and research. In a letter sent Friday, 14 lawmakers urged the state's all-Republican congressional delegation to oppose cuts that President Trump proposed in his 2026 budget.

In this newscast: It's officially autumn, and with the season comes more stormy weather. The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning and flood watch for Juneau today; Raising $1 million can be a difficult task. But one family in Juneau is trying it anyway because it could mean accessing lifesaving treatment for their child. With the help of local businesses and individuals, they have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars so far. And the number continues to climb; More than a million cruise ship passengers visit Juneau each summer. The city may adopt a seasonal sales tax to make the most of their spending. Some residents are wary of the idea. But other towns in Southeast have had success with similar systems; Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium is yet again expanding its services in Juneau. This time, a spokesperson says the Alaska Native-run health care organization is renovating the former Planned Parenthood building in Lemon Creek into a new specialty care clinic.

In this newscast: Ballots are on their way from Washington state to registered voters in Juneau for this year's local election; This year's Permanent Fund Dividend will be exactly $1000; A jury has declared a Juneau artist not guilty of terroristic threatening, Mitchell Watley was accused of threatening the public in 2023, when he distributed printed notes around town that referenced school shootings; Juneau's 2025 municipal election is just around the corner. There are three propositions. KTOO's Clarise Larson breaks down what they are and why they matter for voters this election

In this newscast: One of the sessions at Southeast Alaska's annual economic conference in Sitka looked at economic variables, and their future impact on the region; A landslide triggered by heavy rain and wind took down trees next to an apartment building in downtown Juneau late last night; A Lingit master weaver is using viral monster dolls called Labubus to bring attention to Chilkat and Ravenstail weaving; Former Alaska attorney general Treg Taylor filed to join the 2026 race for governor; Alaskans can expect a La Nina climate pattern this winter

In this newscast: A storm moving through Southeast Alaska is causing high winds that will continue into this evening in Juneau, resulting in power outages and fallen trees; A cruise ship passenger died in Juneau Tuesday after falling off a steep mountainside on Mount Roberts near downtown; Juneau might lose its ability to say that its electricity is created entirely by renewable hydropower, if the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority prevails in a lawsuit; An elementary school on Douglas started a school garden in 2022 as a part of a federal watershed and ocean conservation program

In this newscast: Juneau's longtime fire chief announced he plans to retire later this fall; The National Weather Service has canceled a flood warning for Mendenhall Lake and River this morning after a second, minor glacial lake outburst flood last night; The U.S. Department of Education announced last week that it will cut millions in federal grants for its Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions program; Scientists studying killer whales in Alaska are uncovering long-term impacts of the 2014 marine heatwave; Tongass Voices: Student debaters explore what the U.S. Constitution means to them on stage

In this newscast: A second, minor glacial lake outburst flood is underway in Juneau; On Saturday, more than 100 people gathered in Juneau to protest the potential rescission of the Roadless Rule; Eaglecrest Ski Area celebrated 50 years of downhill skiing and outdoor adventures this weekend; The Alaska Legislature last week took a step towards suing Gov. Mike Dunleavy over an executive order he issued ahead of last month's special legislative session

In this newscast: Heavy rainfall in Juneau this week caused untreated wastewater from a city pump station downtown to overflow into Gastineau Channel for several hours; On their first field trip of the year, students at Tlingit, Culture, Language and Literacy in Juneau learned about Lingit language and values through foraging and processing local foods; Alaska's Office of Children's Services is defending their practices in a federal court case that began last month in Anchorage; Heavy rain in Sitka triggered debris flow, flooding and one landslide on Wednesday night

In this newscast: The Juneau School Board greenlit bringing back the district's universal free breakfast program this week; Major maritime shipping companies in Alaska have stopped transporting electric vehicles to the state; Juneau's cat population is growing at an unsustainable rate; Republican candidate for governor Bernadette Wilson announced her running mate, Mike Shower, this week

In this newscast: Juneau may be getting a ‘new' City Hall after all – but this time voters won't get to decide on whether to approve it; The union that represents support staff at the Juneau School District is suing the district over its afterschool child care program; Last year, the Klondike Road Relay got off to a late start when a tour bus crash delayed the race, forcing participants to skip the first few legs. This year, the event celebrated its biggest gathering, despite broken infrastructure and ongoing political tension; Sea shanties have been around for centuries. But in recent years, they've made a pop culture comeback. You can hear them all over TikTok or in the video game Assassin's Creed 4. But one man has been getting generations of people in Ketchikan to sing shanty songs for over 30 years. 

In this newscast: University of Alaska Fairbanks administrators told the Board of Regents last week that they think UAF is set to become a top-tier research institution in 2030; The man who died on Juneau's Mendenhall Glacier last week has been identified as a planetary  geologist from the University of Padua in Italy; Red king crab fisherman in Southeast Alaska are getting the first competitive commercial fishery since 2017; A U.S. Coast Guard crew rescued a hunter after he broke his leg on a hunting trip northwest of Sitka on Friday; This month's Economic Trends Magazine reported that it's getting harder for Alaskans to afford a place to live.

In this newscast: A Sitka Grand Jury indicted a Juneau man Thursday for allegedly assaulting two men at a demonstration in downtown Sitka; Fairbanks police evacuated one of the city's Fred Meyer locations on Saturday evening, after a deactivated mortar shell was left in the grocery store's bathroom; The University of Alaska Board of Regents introduced changes to the University's antidiscrimination policy around hiring and recruitment on Friday; Alaska students' test scores improved modestly last school year, according to results released Friday by the Department of Education and Early Development; One of Petersburg's most popular trail systems on Mitkof Island recently got an upgrade with help from out-of-towners.

Sunday is the last day to register to vote or update your mailing address for Juneau's 2025 municipal election A pedestrian is dead after a car went over a guardrail in Ketchikan; The University of Alaska Fairbanks is searching for a permanent chancellor; Coeur Alaska's Kensington Mine found more gold, extending the mine's life five years; Former Juneau chiropractor Jeffrey Fultz is not guilty on two counts of sexual assault, and a mistrial was declared for 12 other counts; Two Sitka community gardens have received grant funding to support food independence

In this newscast: The Alaska Marine Highway System ferry LeConte will continue to be out of service leading into the weekend; After eight days of deliberation, the jury in a sexual assault trial against a former Juneau chiropractor returned a verdict of not guilty on two counts, and hung jury on 12 others Thursday; Researchers continue to investigate a massive landslide and tsunami that hit a fjord popular among sightseeing cruises in Southeast Alaska last month. A veritable mountainside of rock crashed into the water at the end of Tracy Arm, near the terminus of South Sawyer Glacier, generating a tsunami wave that scoured the shoreline of vegetation in the surrounding area and even disrupted tides in Juneau, about 75 miles away; Alaska's Department of Law is asking a judge to throw out much of a class action lawsuit over the state's failure to process food assistance applications on time. Thousands of Alaskans are caught in backlogs that have plagued the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and other aid programs for years. But the state argues a recent Supreme Court case means they shouldn't be allowed to sue.

In this newscast: A plan to bring more high-speed electric vehicle charging stations to Alaska is back on track; A man fell into a hole in the ice on the Mendenhall Glacier Tuesday; Ships could pose a risk to seabirds migrating through Alaska's waters; Elementary reading scores in Petersburg are rising above state and national averages; The Arctic Research Consortium is shutting down after funding cuts

In this newscast: The LeConte ferry broke down ahead of the Klondike Road Relay in Skagway; A missing hiker was found dead near the Mendenhall Glacier on Monday; Kake City School's cross country team was stuck in Juneau following mechanical issues with the LeConte ferry; Federal data shows some cruise ships in Alaska have violated water pollution regulations hundreds of times each year; Tongass Voices: Tara Thornton on the joy and heartbreak of fostering kittens. 

In this newscast: Gov. Mike Dunleavy has named Stephen J. Cox to be Alaska's next attorney general; The Juneau Police Department released the body-worn camera footage today of a violent arrest by an officer in late July. The video was released just a day after the officer involved resigned from his position; After a week of deliberation, the jury will continue to consider the evidence in a sexual assault trial against a former Juneau chiropractor next week; A small number of Alaska Native craftspeople in Southeast Alaska hunt sea otters to use as material for their work, but they say that's become more time consuming and expensive in recent years, as local tanneries have shut down

In this newscast: The Juneau School District Board of Education is fast tracking a move to restore universal free breakfast for K-12 Students; The Roadless Rule, the rule that protects more than half of the Tongass National Forest from road development, is on the chopping block again; Alaska Native filmmaker and artist Mary Goddard is in Haines filming part of a documentary that features her eating only Native foods for three months; A federal trial began Monday in Anchorage for a class-action lawsuit against the Alaska Office of Children's Services, or OCS. The lawsuit on behalf of all kids in OCS custody

In this newscast: Juneau's Back Loop Bridge is now open again for traffic two weeks after suffering damage from Juneau's record-breaking glacial outburst flood; Petersburg's school buildings and surrounding area were on lockdown for over an hour yesterday afternoon after police received a false report of a person with an AR-15 gun in a school bathroom; Gov. Mike Dunleavy's 30-day special session ends this weekend, and lawmakers don't plan to meet at the Capitol again; The Juneau School District Board of Education unanimously accepted nearly $120,000 in grant funding for one of its alternative schools; Southeast Alaska's regional tribe is calling for the City and Borough of Sitka to reverse a decision denying the construction of a tall tower in a neighborhood; A new app could alert Nome residents when people go missing

In this newscast:  The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a pilot after his small plane crashed near Haines on Sunday, Southeast Alaska's regional Native corporation has announced its new president; During Juneau's record-breaking glacial outburst flood earlier this morning, the Alaska Department of Transportation completed one of its most complex drone missions to date; The federal government is in the process of rewriting the rules for how it issues federal contracts. And some Alaska Native organizations, which depend on federal contracts to pay out benefits to shareholders, are concerned that it could impact their business; A candidate running for a seat on the Sitka Assembly is suing the city over what he claims were restrictions on his ability to comment on police department Facebook posts

In this newscast: Goldbelt Incorporated has unveiled more information about its proposed cruise ship port on the backside of Douglas Island, but city officials say they are still largely in the dark; The trial against a former Juneau chiropractor accused of assaulting a dozen patients under the guise of medical care has ended, and jurors are set to begin deliberation; The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee is touring Alaska to take a closer look at the land they spend so much time talking about in Congress; Most people have had a pet at some point in their life - likely more than one. But the same pet for nearly half a century? Well, one man in South Anchorage has been living with his box turtle for 43 years. 

In this newscast: The Juneau School District started off the school year with more than 90 open positions; The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska's executive council says it has concluded its review of abuse allegations against its president; Alaska's Medical Board took the first step Friday toward restricting access to gender affirming care for minors in the state; A site on Douglas Island could be the future home of a casino-like gambling hall after a proposal from the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska was approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission.

In this newscast: Cruise ship passengers who arrive at Juneau's farthest dock may not have to trek as far to get to downtown in the coming years; The union representing most Juneau Police Department staff has declared an impasse in its negotiations for a new contract with the City and Borough of Juneau; After nearly a decade finessing her craft, artist Sydney Akagi is eager to introduce Sitkans to Ravenstail and Chilkat weaving as the most recent Native Arts Resident at the Sheldon Jackson Museum; Southcentral Alaska residents who bought air filters, face masks and dog goggles in preparation for the potential eruption of Mount Spurr can breathe a sigh of relief. Alaska volcano observers Wednesday moved the alert level on Spurr from the yellow “advisory” status to a green “normal” status, indicating an extremely low chance of an eruption.

In this newscast: The University of Alaska Southeast has received a grant to train school administrators at local school districts; A former Juneau chiropractor accused of assaulting a dozen women under the guise of medical care took the stand this week; The Juneau Assembly voted to kill a proposed ordinance on Monday that would have made it easer for police officers to arrest people who are camping in public spaces; The Alaska Department of Law has a new online portal for residents wanting to submit concerns over public welfare and institutions to an investigative grand jury. Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor talked through the program at a town hall meeting Monday in Soldotna

In this newscast: The Alaska House and Senate met today in Juneau but adjourned in less than a minute; A temporary levee in Juneau's Mendenhall Valley mostly held back record-breaking floodwaters during the glacial outburst last Wednesday, but some homes still flooded where parts of the barrier leaked; The president of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska returned from personal leave following accusations of misconduct that circulated widely online earlier this month; Alaska Marine Lines will no longer ship electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid vehicles to Alaska or Hawaii; Petersburg is updating its emergency plans for the first time in 15 years.

In this newscast: Back Loop Bridge in Juneau remains closed due to a record-breaking glacial outburst flood; Former state senator Tom Begich is running for governor; A man seeking asylum in Anchorage last week was arrested and detained by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials; The Kenai River had a record-breaking sockeye salmon run this year.

In this newscast: The Juneau Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Joint Information Center on Friday reported 50 homes in the Mendenhall Valley being flooded; Juneau residents mull over a federal buyout program to leave a street left unprotected from the flood; Two of the 16 felony sexual assault charges against former Juneau chiropractor Jeffrey Fultz were declared mistrial; Haines and Skagway residents have been dealing with weal or zero cell service for several days this week due to Juneau's glacial outburst flood; The Juneau School District opened its doors for the first day of school following a one day delay from the glacial outburst flood.

In this newscast: The Juneau Police Department has released the name of the officer who slammed a man to the ground last month during an arrest; Juneau officials are still assessing the damage from this year's glacial outburst flood; School districts across the state use summer school as a way to help students struggling to read to get ready for fourth grade; White supremacist activity in Alaska has dramatically increased this year, according to a group that tracks extremism 

In this newscast: Juneau's annual glacial lake outburst flood began today; Some Juneau homes are not protected by temporary levees for the glacial outburst flood, and have made preparations as the Mendenhall Valley floods; The U.S. Coast Guard officially added the first icebreaker to its fleet in over 25 years in Juneau, and it's looking to overcome its past after a tumultuous maiden voyage more than a decade ago.

In this newscast:  With school set to begin on Thursday, the Juneau School District announced that it plans to close all schools this week if any campuses are impacted by glacial outburst flooding; President Donald Trump says he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska; The countdown has begun for Juneau's annual Glacial Lake Outburst Flood. Suicide Basin reached full capacity and began spilling over the top of the glacier last night; It's the second week of testimony in the trial of Jeffrey Fultz, a former Juneau chiropractor who is accused of assaulting more than a dozen women under the guise of medical care; Haines and Skagway are joining together for a local challenge that tracks and encourages residents to consume more locally sourced foods; A company that owns a controversial mining exploration effort outside Haines says work will continue at the site, despite plans to sell some or all of the project

In this newscast: The executive council of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska is reviewing misconduct accusations made against its president, Chalyee Éesh  Richard Peterson; Juneau city and tribal officials announced a preemptive disaster declaration today in anticipation of the glacial outburst flood expected to hit the Mendenhall Valley soon; Juneau's homeless shelter is reducing its services due to what staff say is a deteriorating and unsafe environment in the neighborhood. The shelter has seen an increase in homeless people camping nearby compared to other years. Shelter officials say the closure may cut down on campers – and chaos; The community of Metlakatla sued the state of Alaska five years ago yesterday. Metlakatla Indian Community asserts the way the state manages commercial fishing infringes on the rights guaranteed to it by Congress. The tribe has notched some important wins, and a trial was scheduled for this summer. But that's now on hold as other Southeast tribes are now asking the judge to throw out the case; The U.S. Geological Survey is expanding its landslide monitoring efforts in Southeast Alaska. The goal is to develop an emergency alert system down the line. Data from Juneau's Mount Roberts went online last month.

In this newscast: A hydroelectric plant and salmon hatchery near Petersburg are working out how to keep the water they share safe for fish; The U.S. Coast Guard's new polar icebreaker Storis arrived in Auke Bay Wednesday; Ninilchik's annual Salmonfest includes workshops highlighting Alaska Native culture, such as one teaching attendees Yup'ik phrases; A recent tracking project on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta sought to shed light on birds' worldwide winter homes.

In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly delayed voting on whether to adopt a ranked choice voting system for local elections beginning in 2026; A summer school program taught incoming seventh graders in Juneau what to expect in middle school; Anchorage business reported a sharp decline in overall confidence in a new survey from the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation; An unlikely discovery in a cave on Prince of Wales Island could help scientists understand Earth's climate history.

In this newscast: Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski isn't ruling out running for governor; Juneau Assembly members rejected a plan to create a shelter safety zone around a homeless shelter in the Mendenhall Valley; The state of Alaska is pressing forward with a controversial plan to build a ferry terminal it says will streamline service in the Upper Lynn Canal; The Bayside Fire Department in Kodiak hosted a weeklong camp teaching children about firefighting and fire safety.

In this newscast: Registration for after-school child care in the Juneau School District opened, but information provided to families did not line up with the actual application process; Dozens of Juneau residents gathered at a police station on Saturday to protest a violent arrest last week; State prosecutors charged a Selawik man on Friday with murder and assault in connection with the death of Nettie Ballot in February; Alaska lawmakers on Saturday voted to override Governor Mike Dunleavy's veto of state funding for public schools; State lawmakers also overrode Dunleavy's veto of a bill intended to bolster the authority of the legislative auditor on Saturday; Dozens of artists lined Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall in downtown Juneau for the third annual Ink Masters Tattoo Show.

In this newscast: Juneau police say DNA has identified human remains found in the Gastineau Channel more than 20 years ago; Lawmakers are headed to Juneau for the special legislative session called by Gov. Mike Dunleavy, which begins Saturday; The Juneau Police Department has placed an officer on administrative leave following a violent arrest on Wednesday that led to a man being medevaced out of town for a head injury; The trial against former Juneau chiropractor Jeffrey Fultz, who's accused of assaulting more than a dozen women under the guise of medical care is underway; Part of education funding being released by the federal government is for migrant education and families can be considered migratory if they have to leave town to engage in their livelihood, like students in families who commercial or subsistence fish

In this newscast: Juneau residents will see a hike in their utility rates beginning in August; A Juneau man was medevaced to Seattle this week after being slammed into the ground by a Juneau police officer; Monday was the first chance for residents to testify to the Juneau Assembly about whether to implement a ranked choice voting system for local elections; The impending glacial outburst flood in Juneau's Mendenhall Valley is raising tensions; Alaska's U.S. District Court should have three judges to hear cases but for the past year, it's had just one. But Sen. Lisa Murkowski says there's been progress on the process to select new candidates for the court

In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly narrowly voted against putting two bond questions on this fall's municipal ballot at a meeting earlier this week; Juneau Animal Rescue may have a location for a new updated shelter; A Juneau child care center is set to open in a new location nearly a year after being displaced by flooding, but challenges in finding and preparing the site have left families with few options to fill a monthslong gap in child care; A trial of a former Juneau chiropractor arrested in 2021 on sexual assault charges is underway

In this newscast: Southeast's sunshine yesterday was one for the books, literally. Multiple towns in the region reached record high temperatures; There is a small pool of candidates running for the open Juneau Assembly and Board of Education seats in this fall's local election; The Juneau Assembly approved a ballot question asking voters weather the city should implement a new seasonal sales tax system; Organizers of a tiny home neighborhood in Anchorage meant to transition people out of homelessness say the pilot project is succeeding, and now the city is looking to launch its own version

In this newscast: Contract negotiations between the Juneau School District and the Juneau Education Associations stalled Thursday when both sides declared an impasse, as the district and teacher's union enter their sixth month of negotiations; Northern Panhandle communities enjoyed sunshine and warm temperatures over the weekend but today brought a heat advisory; A dead humpback whale calf washed ashore near Juneau's Douglas Harbor on Saturday, and NOAA officials don't yet know how it died; Members of the Juneau Off-Road Association have been volunteering their weekends this summer to construct the capital city's first-ever dedicated off-road vehicle park; The Trump administration wants to eliminate the federal agency that's helped Alaska villages develop infrastructure with more than $2 billion over the decades

In this newscast: A second Juneau school board member is not running for reelection; Juneau's Bartlett Regional Hospital leadership discusses the financial impacts on cuts to Medicaid funding; Law enforcement officers arrested Juneau residents this week for their roles in an alleged drug distribution ring; State Sen. Shelley Hughes, a Palmer Republican, says she's running for governor; Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced today that Department of Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum plans to resign early next month; Petersburg teenagers learned outdoor skills on a weeklong kayak trip

In this newscast: Satellite internet provider Starlink experienced a major “network outage” on Thursday that lasted about two and a half hours; Longtime Juneau School District board member and board president Deedie Sorensen says she is no longer planning to run for reelection. She's been known as a longstanding advocate and voice for teachers during her six-year tenure; Drag queens in Alaska typically find their stages in Anchorage or Fairbanks. But last week, three Alaska queens traveled to the bush to perform in Bethel's first-ever drag show; Alaska's former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola is suing the owners of the aircraft that her late husband Eugene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr. was piloting at the time of his death. 

In this newscast: A 35-year-old woman has died after the vessel she was on capsized near Sitka on Sunday; Nearly all the staff of Juneau's only print newspaper left the publication for a new, web-based local news outlet; Haines is Alaska's oldest borough – and a recent survey of residents under 40 years old provides a clearer picture of why. Respondents outlined a long list of factors that make it increasingly difficult for younger people to live in the small Southeast  community, ranging from scant housing and childcare options – to polarized local politics; The Alaska Department of Health says it's still assessing how President Trump's so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act will affect the state's Medicaid program. State officials say they do not have reliable estimates of how many Alaskans could lose coverage or how much the new law will reduce federal health care spending.