KTOO News Update

In this newscast: Another man was taken into custody in Juneau for immigration enforcement purposes and held in Lemon Creek Correctional Center this week; In addition to races for governor, the U.S. House and Senate and the state Legislature, Alaskans will face a ballot initiative when they vote in the primary this August; After a legal battle that went all the way to the Alaska Supreme Court, Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg will be on the ballot for U.S. Senate. With only a few weeks to go before the primary, the candidate has now turned his focus to running his campaign; Evidence of the measles virus was found in Anchorage wastewater in July, according to state epidemiologists. The data is from a national pilot program analyzing wastewater for certain pathogens; One day after President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer of the remains of four U.S. service members killed as a result of the Iran conflict, the two chambers of Congress were at odds over whether to rein in the president's military powers in the monthslong war.

In this newscast: Juneau police have confirmed the identity of a man whose remains were discovered in a chest freezer last week at a home in Lemon Creek; Three people are dead after a fiery plane crash Tuesday night near McCarthy; A volunteer group freed a humpback whale that was entangled in a gillnet near Petersburg last night; Juneau veteran says he was denied First Amendment rights during July 4 parade; Members of the Alaska Legislature are asking the state Division of Elections to immediately retore the voter status of thousands of Alaskans the division deactivated based on outdated information; Hundreds of people gathered in Haines this weekend for the annual Southeast Alaska State Fair

In this newscast:  For the second year in a row, the Juneau Assembly has rejected putting two bond debt proposals on the local election ballot; It's been one year since a Juneau officer was caught on camera violently slamming a man to the ground during an arrest; A new class developed by whale biologists and marine pilots in Southeast Alaska will soon teach mariners how to avoid hitting humpback whales while sailing large ships; A widespread weather reporting outage affected Alaska Monday

In this newscast: Forecasters predict the glacial lake responsible for producing Juneau's annual glacial outburst flood will fill a bit later than initially forecast; Eight candidates are vying for three open seats on the Juneau Assembly during this fall's local election; The upcoming school year is less than one month away and district leadership says operations will remain largely the same; A handful of state legislators returned to Juneau on Monday to begin a third special session on tax breaks for the Alaska LNG project; A new Anchorage Police program aims to improve public safety by getting people into substance use treatment

Southcentral Alaska's largest natural gas utility is asking state regulators to consider allowing it to develop more natural gas storage; A Juneau mom's sourdough microbakery in Mendenhall Valley has quickly risen in popularity; Recently discovered fossils in northern Alaska show rodent-like mammals roamed the land 70 million years ago, and they've been given Inupiaq names

A Juneau public transportation survey closes Sunday; The University of Alaska Southeast is partnering with Minnesota-based Mitchell Hamline School of Law to allow Alaska students to get a law degree locally; The Juneau Assembly plans to tackle major local election topics on Monday; Investors that want to ship bulk water out of Sitka are asking for an extension to gather funding for a plan; The CDC reports a fourth gastrointestinal illness outbreak aboard the National Geographic Seabird since late May; Fewer sockeye salmon are returning to the Kenai River than did this time last year

In this newscast: The Alaska Division of Elections has moed thousands of registered voters to its "inactive" list due to suspicion that they are not citizens; As the candidate filing deadline approaches, the race for Juneau's two open school board seats appears to be uncontested so far; One of Dutch Harbor's major seafood processors plans to pay about $5,900 to federal regulators to settle violations of the Clean Water Act; Geoff and Marcy Larson talk about running the Alaskan Brewing Company, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

In this newscast: Human remains were discovered inside a chest freezer at a Lemon Creek residence on Sunday; Juneau residents in the glacial outburst flood zone are preparing for the annual flood expected soon. At a sandbag event in Mendenhall Valley on Saturday, some of that prep work is easier and faster than it was last year; Alaska U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski announced last week that her bill allowing five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska to receive land entitlements passed out of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; In less than a month, Alaskans will cast their votes for governor in the primary election. But with 17 candidates, how do you choose? At a speed dating-style event in Anchorage Monday, members of the public got to talk with the gubernatorial hopefuls.

In this newscast: Juneau now has a free vending machine to distribute community health and healing supplies; As the threat of the next glacial outburst flood looms over Juneau, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it will pay for repairs to the flood wall in the aftermath; A woman is safe after she lost strength while swimming in the water near Mill Street in downtown Ketchikan; Rockskippers recently competed on a beach a stone's throw from Ketchikan to see whose rock could bounce the most

In this newscast: A driver struck a Juneau man on a skateboard near the Juneau-Douglas Bridge late last night, causing life-threatening injuries; Setting a trial date for a former Juneau school principal is delayed again; The city of Wrangell is moving forward with plans to build a massive shipyard; The lead Democrat in the race for Alaska's U.S. House seat is suspending his campaign; Making biochar adds another way to improve local Sitkans' gardens.

In this newscast: The retrial against a former Juneau chiropractor accused of assaulting more than a dozen women still has no set trial date, nearly a year after the first trial; The filing period to run for a seat on Juneau's Assembly or school baord opened friday, and some residents were itching to enter the races; A brown bear attacked at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage by another bear last month has been transferred to a new facility, according to zoo staff and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game; Preparations for the Southeast Alaska State Fair are in full swing before its big opening next week.

In this newscast: A popular downtown Juneau restaurant is now up for sale — but it's not closing any time soon; About a dozen people gathered on the Alaska State Capitol building steps in Juneau this morning to oppose a proposed liquefied natural gas pipeline, while lawmakers inside debated a multibillion-dollar tax break for the project; Juneau's downtown City Hall building will be up for sale soon. One interested buyer is its neighbor, Sealaska Heritage Institute; The latest campaign finance data in Alaska's U.S. Senate race show Democrat Mary Peltola has vastly outraised incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained a state of Alaska lawyer who is originally from China, according to ICE officials; An Anchorage man died in the custody of the state Department of Corrections on June 21st, according to the DOC.

In this newscast: A Juneau non-profit is looking for local childcare providers to offer after-school care at two elementary schools that lost the service in recent years; The Juneau Police Department is seeking the public's help in locating the person who submerged a truck in Gastineau Channel near Douglas Harbor early this morning; Processors are paying more for commercial salmon this season than in recent years, and it has to do with international markets; For Tongass Voices, Xeetli.éesh Lyle James talks about learning and teaching Lingít for more than two decades.

In this newscast: A Juneau artist's design will be printed on bear garbage cans downtown. Crystal Jackson's painting of bears frolicking on a rainbow background is the winning artwork in a contest to decorate 44 new bear cans; A cruise ship dock and development project planned for downtown Juneau will be scaled down by more than half its original size but will cost an additional $100 million dollars; Juneau's off-road vehicle park, years in the making, could open its first trail as soon as this September; An AI-generated story of a beluga whale escaping the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward received millions of views across social media last month. The center quickly issued a statement confirming the story was false. But the incident highlights how AI-generated content is becoming harder to identify. And for organizations like the SeaLife Center, how false information can harm their reputation and credibility; What does it mean for Alaska to get the maximum benefit from its resources?

In this newscast: Juneau's new off-road vehicle park could partially open as soon as this September; One of Juneau's most dangerous intersections, near Fred Meyer, will get a traffic light thanks to a federal grant; Sorely needed renovations at two affordable housing complexes in Juneau come with challenges for tenants; A new study suggests having a dog could more than double the chance of a bear conflict

In this newscast: Defenders of ranked choice voting and the open primary filed complaints to the Alaska Public Offices Commissions against a campaign supporting a measure to repeal both things; A Juneau resident shot and wounded a yearling black bear that was rummaging through trash downtown on Thursday morning; Alaska's three major cities continue to have higher living costs than most of the nation's urban areas; KTOO's Mike Lane speaks with Southeast Alaska Food Bank executive director Dan Parks about the organization's work to combat food insecurity.

In this newscast: Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a bill today that would have reimposed limits on campaign contributions in state elections; The City and Borough of Juneau released a new evacuation zone map in preparation for the glacial outburst flood expected later this summer; The Alaska Beacon reports Alaskans who have been wrongfully convicted can now apply to claim Alaska Permanent Fund dividends that were withheld while they were incarcerated, under a new law; The future of Juneau's city museum is uncertain as the effects of the Assembly's budget cuts begin to take hold.

In this newscast: The Juneau School District's chief financial officer is resigning; Some whale advocates want to relist Pacific gray whales under the Endangered Species Act; A team of experts is working to salvage a Coast Guard helicopter that crashed on Sitka's Harbor Mountain last month; A Soldotna swimmer brought home silver in the 50-yard freestyle at the Special Olympics USA games last month in Minnesota; Petersburg celebrated its second annual Amy Hallingstad Day on June 28.

In this newscast: Juneau's city-owned Eaglecrest Ski Area will soon have a new general manager; State lawmakers are debating whether to controversial tax change in a bill aimed at easing the financial case for the Alaska LNG project; A red-tailed hawk named Warrior escaped from the American Bald Eagle Foundation in Haines on Friday; Fairbanks scientists are tracking a tiny parasite that lives in local swimming holes and triggers a rash that rivals the worst bug bites.

In this newscast: The Juneau Community Foundation is giving the Alaska Legislature 16 two-bedroom apartments as part of a long-term effort to keep the state's capital in Juneau; Four U.S. Coast Guard crew members involved in a helicopter crash in Sitka Monday morning have been reported safe with "non-serious injuries;" Juneau residents say they want to see the city's tourism task force address issues like helicopter noise, downtown bus traffic and whale watching congestion; Alaska State Troopers recovered the body of an Anchorage paddleboarder who went missing in Turnagain Arm after a weekend-long search; 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 winning team in a race from Washington state to Ketchikan crossed the finish line Monday night.

In this newscast: A Juneau man who was reported missing earlier this month has been found dead; The Juneau Assembly passed a resolution declaring a local emergency in anticipation of the annual glacial outburst flood later this summer; The Juneau Assembly also passed a resolution to support the homeporting of a second Coast Guard icebreaker in Juneau; KTOO's Community News Intern Elan Chappell recently chatted with people outside the Juneau-Douglas City Museum to learn more about what having access to local history means to them; One couple in Juneau, Maureen Longworth and Lin Davis, have dedicated their lives to advocating for LGBTQ+ rights; Alaska's acting attorney general announced a $20,000 settlement with a jewelry company that operates in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway

In this newscast: Capital City Fire/Rescue responded to a structure fire at the site of two historic, abandoned cabins in the Mendenhall Valley Thursday afternoon. Smoke could be seen from the surrounding area. No injuries were reported; Juneau residents will have their first chance to testify in front of Juneau's Visitor Industry Task Force Thursday at City Hall or online at 5:30 p.m; A critical deep ocean observation network that includes a long-standing station off the coast of Alaska has been saved from getting dismantled. As first reported by the New York Times, the Trump administration dropped its plan to get rid of the ocean and climate tracking system after the U.S. Senate unanimously blocked the move this week; An attorney advising the state Legislature says the Division of Elections likely lacked legal justification for disqualifying Dan. J. Sullivan of Petersburg from running in Alaska's U.S. Senate race; Salmon is a staple traditional food in Alaska. But a growing number of Alaskans are discovering they have a unique intolerance to the fish. It's an allergy not to the seafood itself but to the parasites that live in it.

In this newscast: The local firefighter union and the City and Borough of Juneau reached an agreement on a labor contract last week; Gov. Mike Dunleavy has until tomorrow to veto or sign two dozen bills into law; Denali National Park's sled dog puppies will begin sowing off their training to visitors this month; Residents of Anuktuvuk Pass can now use four wheelers to subsistence hunt in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve

In this newscast: The City and Borough of Juneau is repairing two school roofs this summer that were damaged during this winter's record-breaking snowstorm; Oil rose to the surface at Juneau's historic Treadwell Gold Mine, and the state plans to assess how wide the pollution has spread this summer; A new report shows that the population regrowth of humpback whales after a heatwave a decade ago has been slow; The US Small Business Administration proposed drastic changes to its federal contracting program, but it said the change won't affect tribes and Alaska Native Corporations; The Division of Elections issued the state's final determination that Dan Sullivan of Petersburg can't be on the ballot to challenge Republican US Sen. Dan Sullivan

In this newscast: A citizen ballot proposition that would add a new seasonal sales tax will appear on the local ballot this fall election; Six new firefighters officially joined Capital City Fire/Rescue after completing a year-long apprenticeship; Alaska allows at least some late-arriving ballots to be counted as long as they are postmarked by election day, but a U.S. Supreme Court ruling could complicate that; Planned Parenthood of Alaska is suing the state to expand access to abortion medication via telehealth

In this newscast: A plan to build a $500 million cruise ship port on the backside of Douglas Island is taking shape, and tourism leaders and North Douglas residents have a lot of questions; The Alaska House passed a bill this afternoon tat would reduce taxes on the planned Alaska LNG project; A Juneau artist created a magazine where Indigenous artists and writers to share their perspectives without having to reduce or simplify them; Sport fishermen will be able to catch and keep king salmon in Haines for the first time in over a decade starting Monday

In this newscast: A Safe Place initiative for youth in crisis arrives in Juneau; An 89-year-old woman died in Juneau today from injuries suffered during a crash yesterday; Republican lawmakers are working to repeal the Roadless Rule through Congress; The University of Alaska's largest union filed an unfair labor practice complaint last week; Alaska is one of only two states that saw increased participation in SNAP last year; The minimum wage in Alaska will jump to $14 on July 1; A federal judge ruled against a group of Alaskans seeking to force the state to process SNAP applications on time

In this newscast: Assembly members Christine Woll, Alicia Hughes-Skandijs not running for reelection this fall; Juneau Assembly addresses a fairness issue regarding glacial outburst flood wall funding; Back Loop Bridge trailhead closed for glacial outburst flood wall construction; What earrings mean at Celebration, to buyers and sellers

In this newscast: The City and Borough of Juneau has a finalized budget for the next fiscal year, but it didn't come easy; This Celebration counted some political candidates among its attendees; Former Gov. Bill Walker wants to end the Permanent Fund dividend with a one-time $10,000 payment to each eligible Alaskan; The State of Alaska has opened an investigation into whether Dan Sullivan of Petersburg is intentionally running for U.S. Senate to confuse voters

In this newscast: A Juneau family reported a 29-year old man missing on Friday. He was last seen on May 26 near Safeway; The Juneau School Board will decide on whether to adopt the school district's new strategic plan Tuesday night at its last regular meeting of the fiscal year; Tickets at Eaglecrest Ski Area are about to get more expensive; The U.S. Forest Service is now saying mining interests played an important role in its decision to cancel a recreational cabin project near Juneau's Herbert Glacier, after denying it months ago; The Tlingit Culture, Language and Literacy program unveiled a Lingit comic book during Celebration last week; A sale on oil and gas drilling rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge garnered more than $3.7 million in winning bids

In this newscast: The Alaska State Board of Education unanimously approved a new master's in teaching program for Indigenous languages at the University of Alaska Southeast Thursday; Residents will have a chance to testify on some major budget topics and glacial outburst funding decisions at the Juneau Assembly's upcoming meeting on Monday; An unusual partnership is sailing Alaska's waters this summer; Leqpquinm Gumilgit Gagoadim Tsmsyen Dancers leader Se'iga Liimii Marcella Asicksik talks about a song her dance group wrote for Celebration.

In this newscast: Democratic incumbent Rep. Andi Story now has an opponent in the race for her current seat in the state House: Annette Kreitzer, Haines' former borough manager; After years of planning, the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska soft-opened a casino on Douglas Island this week. It's Juneau's first casino; The National Science Foundation plans to yank a long-standing ocean observation station from the sea floor far off the coast of Alaska next year. It's one in an entire ocean monitoring system slated to be dismantled as part of the Trump Administration's rollback on federal science programs that help researchers study the changing climate; The developer of the Alaska LNG project released its first specific public cost estimates Wednesday for the proposed 800-mile gas pipeline and associated infrastructure.

In this newscast: Celebration officially starts with a Grand Entrance tonight; Carvers have developed a new method to build traditional canoes without relying on old growth trees; Some cruise ship companies in Southeast Alaska say customers are concerned about Hantavirus, but state health officials are more worried about other diseases; Dozens and dozens of candidates officially kicked off their campaigns for governor, Congress and the state Legislature on Monday

In this newscast: Twelve people were infected by an outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness while aboard a cruise ship traveling through Southeast Alaska last week; A new public use cabin opened near Ward Lake this week; Thirteen canoes bringing Alaska Native paddlers from across Southeast Alaska and Canada arrived in Juneau Tuesday afternoon; A soon-to-be change in shipping services for Juneau's Costco is expected to make it more difficult for small businesses in outlying communities to get products to their towns; Petersburg residents give items at the dump a second life through the borough's salvaging program.

In this newscast: Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium opened a new urgent care facility in downtown Juneau over the weekend; King salmon sport fishing opened today in Juneau's hatchery harvest areas; Monday was the last day to officially begin a campaign for state or federal office in Alaska, after a few shakeups late last week. As Alaska Public Media's Eric Stone reports, there were also some twists in the hours before today's deadline; Petersburg's local tribe launched its first canoe in a century last Sunday setting out on a canoe Journey to the biennial Celebration Festival in Juneau. Pullers from around the region joined the highly-anticipated launch out of Petersburg, and dozens of people gathered dockside to see them off on the multi-day Journey.

In this newscast: Thousands of people will converge in Juneau next week to dance, sing and showcase their Indigenous culture; More than 100 Sitkans gathered at the Starrigavan boat launch Thursday morning for a blessing and send-off of the “Ancestral Echoes” canoe heading to Celebration in Juneau. Lingít elders Ed Peele and Harvey Kitka offered a blessing accompanied by drumming and singing before the 12 paddlers got into the red, blue, and black canoe to leave on their five-day journey to the capital city; The state's first Justice Summit for Alaska's missing and murdered Indigenous people got underway in Anchorage on Wednesday with a call to push harder for healing, learning, and action; Oil prices are going up because of the war in Iran, and in turn, the price of plane tickets has increased. Some of the hardest hit passengers are those in Unalaska, an 800-mile plane ride from Anchorage; May in Utqiagvik means whaling. But the community just landed its first spring whale last weekend, very late in the season.

In this newscast: Tribal citizens in and outside Alaska recently voted to elect new delegates and community council members to represent them in the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska; More than 1000 people gathered at Juneau's Overstreet Park on Saturday to participate in the third 'No Kings' protest held nationwide to push back against President Donald Trump's policies and actions; The 51st Alaska Folk Festival will feature about 15 acts on the main stage -- and that's just one piece of a much larger production; An eighteenth candidate joined the race to be Alaska's next governor this week. Attorney Gregg Brelsford threw his hat in the ring Tuesday as an independent candidate

In this newscast: Organizers and lawmakers gathered on the steps of the Alaska State Capitol yesterday morning to rally in support of bills and funding to address climate change in Alaska; A highly unusual -- and four-legged -- suspect was apprehended yesterday in Juneau; The University of Alaska Southeast and the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska are working together to create a School of Indigenous Studies; Tongass Voices: Robin DeAlva on making an online exchange for arts supplies

In this newscast: A privately-run child care program is set to offer all-day care for school-aged children in several Juneau schools this summer; Since Juneau broke its official winter snowfall record on Monday, some residents have asked whether the melting snowpack will influence the next glacial outburst flood expected in the Mendenhall Valley this summer. The short answer is no; One person died over the weekend in a major avalanche near Haines Pass, just across the border in British Columbia. Late March is typically prime time for recreation in the backcountry hot spot. But experts are now warning about unstable snow conditions in the area that likely won't improve any time soon; A rainbow pride Ravenstail robe, woven by dozens of mentors and youth, was danced for the first time this week in Juneau

In this newscast: Juneau's Thane Road remains closed until further notice since high winds have raised the risk of avalanches; The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is prioritizing short and medium-term solutions to glacial outburst flooding in the Mendenhall Valley; The second iteration of the City and Borough of Juneau's Visitor Industry Task Force has been meeting since mid-December; The Alaska Legislature is on the verge of passing a major election reform bill

In this newscast: Juneau has officially broken its snowfall record; The City and Borough of Juneau began mailing out annual property tax assessment values to homes and businesses late last week; Three finalists have been chosen in a mural contest to decorate new bear-resistant trash infrastructure in downtown Juneau this summer; The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska came to Juneau last week to give training sessions on what to do if residents encounter immigration enforcement actions in town; The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in a case challenging mail-in ballot deadlines.

In this newscast: Juneau broke its local record for snowiest March on Sunday with almost 64 inches, and now the capital city is just over an inch away from beating its winter snowfall record; The Juneau School District has reached a tentative agreement on a contract with its teachers union, after more than a year of negotiations that escalated to a successful vote authorizing the union to strike last week; The U.S. Forest Service is planning to hold a virtual meeting this week for residents across Southeast Alaska to share feedback on a revised Tongass National Forest management plan; Ten Juneau high school students gained real-world home-building experience earlier this month during a school district trip to Maui, Hawaii; Last month, Southeast Alaska Cities Against Drugs task force arrested a Juneau man and found about $160,000 worth of controlled substances at his residence, most of which was fentanyl; The U.S. Interior Department held its second round of tribal consultations on subsistence hunting and fishing on federal land this week

In this newscast: The Juneau Police Department is seeking assistance in locating a 17-year-old boy who has been reportedly missing for two days; Juneau's legendary Gold Medal Basketball Tournament kicks off this weekend for the 77th time; Juneau Police commander Matt DuBois speaks with KTOO's Mike Lane about a regional task force that investigates illegal drugs being distributed in Southeast Alaska; The Kodiak Island Borough School District is not recruiting international teachers for next fall due to an increase in the fee for H1-B visas. Nine seismic stations in Alaska are fully funded again after a new agreement with federal and state agencies.

In this newscast: The state of Alaska is delaying construction on the first phase of a controversial ferry terminal proposed to connect Juneau and Haines, due to a permitting issue; Alaska youth and advocates are calling on lawmakers to create a statewide fund for suicide prevention by charging a small fee on Alaskans' monthly phone bills; The Juneau School District's teachers union voted to authorize a strike earlier this week amid ongoing contract negotiations; The Juneau Arts and Humanities Council has had new leadership for a few months now, and that has come with some changes; The state ferry Lituya will soon begin daily ferry service between Ketchikan and Annette Bay.

In this newscast: Alaska Seaplanes announced this week that it would be implementing a 6% temporary fuel surcharge on fares beginning Friday. The company cites a nearly 40% increase in fuel costs due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East; The City and Borough of Juneau plans to move into a new City Hall by the end of this year. That means the current building could be up for sale in the coming months; Voting begins Wednesday for University of Alaska staff across the state to decide on forming a union. The group is called the Coalition of Alaska University Employees for Equity; Climate change has caused winter in Alaska's largest cities to warm more dramatically than other major cities across the U.S. But as KTOO's Alix Soliman reports, this winter in Juneau doesn't match the overall trend; The filing deadline for this year's Alaska Permanent Fund dividend is March 31, and if Rep. Nick Begich III has his way, this year's dividend will be tax free.

In this newscast: The Alaska Board of Fisheries is meeting today through Saturday in Anchorage to consider changes to statewide finfish fisheries; Juneau's city-owned cold weather emergency shelter may soon start accepting patrons year-round instead of closing its doors in mid-April; The Juneau School District's student services director is resigning at the end of June; For Tongass Voices, Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Cassie Lumba talks about winning Alaska's Poetry Out Loud competition and the power of words.

In this newscast: Juneau residents will have multiple opportunities this week to provide feedback about how and where they'd like to see changes to better the capital city's roadways for all users; After months of on-an-off closures and limited services, the city's recycling center will be back to operating at full capacity and regular hours starting tomorrow; A bill meant to protect Alaskans from drinking water contaminated with PFAS had its first committee hearing last week; The fate of a closely watched budget bill in the Alaska Legislature is back up in the air, after House Republicans declined to back a supermajority vote that would have funded the bill from savings

In this newscast: This upcoming cruise ship tourism season will be the first time Juneau has a daily passenger cap -- numbers that came through negotiations between the city and the cruise lines; It has now been more than a month since a Juneau man who had been staying at a local shelter for unhoused people was last seen by staff; Negotiations between the City and Borough of Juneau and the local chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters have stalled out after more than a year; In Juneau this week, youth from across the state presented films they made highlighting the impacts of climate change and other environmental issues where they live; After weeks of voting, Sitkans have finally chosen a name for the Sitka Sound Science Center's newest Giant Pacific Octopus. 

In this newscast: The Juneau School Board approved its budget for next year on Tuesday. The district will be able to maintain services but there are still funding uncertainties; A former Juneau school board member submitted what current board members called "disparaging comments" to be engraved on fundraising bricks for a new school playground in Lemon Creek; Alaska Congressman Nick Begich urged the state Legislature to be bold with policies to encourage resource development on Tuesday; A high-profile budget bill that would unlock hundreds of millions in government construction projects across Alaska took a step forward in the state Legislature yesterday

In this newscast: The Juneau School Board selected Shawn Arnold to be the district's next superintendent. He was one of three finalists for the position and the only current district employee; The Juneau Assembly has decided to postpone a vote on whether to disempower Eaglecrest Ski Area's board of directors for at least six months; A bill that would change the scope of an Alaska sexual assault law had its first committee hearing yesterday. Democratic Juneau Rep. Sara Hannan's bill, introduced this year, would alter a law that specifically criminalizes sexual assault by a medical provider; Animal Care and Control in Anchorage is designed to hold about 150 animals. But right now, there are nearly 250

In this newscast: Social service providers in Juneau say they're worried about fallout if the Juneau Assembly decides to cut city funding to some of Juneau's most critical social services; The Juneau Assembly decided Monday to sign an agreement with the federal government for a buyout of View Drive, the street hit hardest by annual glacial outburst funding; A trial date for a lawsuit between the Juneau School District and its support staff union won't be decided on for another six months; Alaska students could have a new graduation requirement in the not-too-distant-future. The Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill Monday that would mandate a new civics course or exam for high-schoolers starting in 2027; About three dozen sled dog teams are on the thousand-mile Iditarod Trail to Nome as part of this year's race, and thousands of people around the world are following along. Some of the spectators are kids participating in the IditaRead Challenge, and as Alaska Public Media's Ava White reports, that includes Anchorage students counting each minute spent with a book as a mile on the trail.