KTOO News Update

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.

In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly will vote tonight on whether to appropriate nearly $500,000 to Dzantik'i Heeni Playground Capital Improvement Project; A team of specialists from the Alaska Volcano Observatory stopped by Sitka to do some station maintenance work on Mt. Edgecumbe, a volcano on nearby Kruzof Island; British Columbia is proposing to limit U.S.-based Tribes from government consultations related to environmental projects; Juneau singer-songwriter Taylor Dallas Vidic's first album delves into relationships through jazz-folk mashup

In this newscast: The U.S. Forest Service has announced its public meetings schedule for residents across Southeast to share feedback on a revised Tongass National Forest management plan. The plan will set the agency's priorities for the forest over the next decade or so; Community members had the opportunity to meet and ask questions to the three Juneau schools superintendent finalists during a forum Wednesday night; Researchers are documenting black seaweed across seven communities in Southeast Alaska. They are trying to get a baseline for the seaweed, and to look at whether the important cultural resource should be considered a keystone species; Three Southeast Alaska fishermen have been charged with intentionally sinking their fishing boats in waters near Sitka and Petersburg; The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday against a resolution that would have limited President Trump's power to continue the war on Iran. Nearly all Republicans voted against it , including Sen. Lisa Murkowski

In this newscast: Tribal members spoke out against the state's proposed Cascade Point Ferry Terminal in Juneau at a panel hosted by the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council; A new preliminary cost estimate to install the controversial gondola project at Eaglecrest Ski Area is a staggering $27 million; Skijoring is an exhilarating way to spend time with your dog. Here are 4 tips to get started; Alaska lawmakers are considering another boost to per-student funding for public schools

In this newscast: The federal government is suing a former chair of Juneau's Docks and Harbors board for nearly $1 million spent to raise his sunken tugboat from Gastineau Channel in 2023; The Juneau School District and its support staff union reached a tentative agreement yesterday, almost one year after both parties initially exchanged proposed contracts; Juneau students have missed four days this school year due to snow. So far, they won't have to make them up; The Juneau School District has one of the oldest school-based hunter education programs in Alaska and its current teacher recently won the state's Hunter Educator of the Year award; Alaska lawmakers are preaching caution as war in Iran and across much of the Middle East pushes oil prices higher

In this newscast: The City and Borough of Juneau announced early facilities closures today, since a snowstorm has affected road conditions; The Arctic Winter Games begin Sunday in Whitehorse, and half of Alaska's snowshoe team has been practicing in Juneau; The state has expanded a fishing closure for shrimp in Southeast Alaska to protect the species. Shrimping in Southeast is now closed to all harvesters through the end of April; State lawmakers had some sharp question on Monday for Alaska's Division of Elections about its decision to share the state's full, unredacted voter list with the Department of Justice; The Alaska House unanimously passed a prohibition on AI-generated child sexual abuse material on Friday. But lawmakers vastly expanded the scope of the bill just before passing it, including provisions that would severely limit children's access to social media

In this newscast: Members of the Juneau community have an opportunity to watch recorded interviews with finalists for Juneau schools superintendent and give feedback to the school board by Thursday; Since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pulled back its decision to design a lake tap that would put a stop to annual glacial outburst flooding in Juneau's Mendenhall Valley, local and congressional leaders have pressed the agency to explain why; Crews are about half way done removing a colossal drilling rig that toppled over on the North Slope; Folk singer-songwriter Willi Carlisle is the guest artist for the 51st annual Alaska Folk Festival in April. KTOO's Yvonne Krumrey spoke with Carlisle about what makes Folk Fest special

In this newscast: Downtown Juneau's popular Marine Park will become a construction site for more than a year, starting next week; Two state lawmakers introduced legislation this month that aims to crack down on water pollution from major ships, including cruises; The Alaska Permanent Fund beat its performance benchmark last year and is approaching $90 billion. That's according to the investment consulting firm Callan, which has advised the state on the Permanent Fund's performance for decades; How can you convince yourself to bike to work, even in the winter? The Alaska Survival Kit series tries to answer that question

In this newscast: The City and Borough of Juneau has reached a collective bargaining agreement with the union that represents Juneau police; Most of the residents of the Juneau neighborhood hit hardest by annual glacial outburst flooding don't want to pay for a portion of a buyout program that would allow them to leave the flood zone; Juneau's city-owned airport was briefly at risk of an emergency closure as its fleet of Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting trucks faced maintenance issues that could have shut down air traffic if all vehicles broke down; Staffing shortages, heavy workloads and burnout have stretched Juneau's fire department thin. Now, a new chief is at the helm, and he wants to rebuild morale and reshape the culture inside Capital City Fire Rescue

In this newscast: A Juneau man who had been staying at a local shelter for unhoused people has not been seen by staff in more than two weeks and has been reported missing; Winter maintenance of streets, supporting schools and public safety are the top budget priorities of more than 4,000 Juneau residents who took a city budget survey earlier this year; The Juneau planning commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit on Tuesday for a two-story retail and entertainment building called “Alaska Fly & Dive” in the heart of downtown Juneau's tourism corridor; Language educators in Juneau are working to create a Master's in teaching program for Indigenous languages at the University of Alaska Southeast. It would be the first of its kind in Alaska; At least 10 high school students from around the globe are in Alaska right now as exchange students. Several gathered in Juneau earlier this month for a student orientation; Alaska senators moved forward a new version of Gov. Mike Dunleavy's tax bill last week. The newest draft of the bill bears little resemblance to the bill the governor proposed earlier this year as part of his broader fiscal plan

In this newscast: The Juneau School Board has selected three finalists to be the district's next superintendent; The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has backed out of studying a lake tap solution to glacial outburst floods that have ravaged Juneau's Mendenhall Valley neighborhoods in recent years; The Haines Assembly voted in January to change how it collects sales tax. Now, cruise ships docked in Haines will be required to charge local sales tax on onboard purchases; A measure to repeal Alaska's nonpartisan primaries and ranked choice general elections will be on the ballot this year, but exactly how its worded remains a hot dispute

In this newscast: The Alaska House approved a fast-tracked spending bill totaling nearly half a billion dollars this afternoon. It's intended to cover higher-than-expected costs in the ongoing fiscal year, and it's a combination of several requests from Gov. Mike Dunleavy; Several Juneau boats sank in city harbors during the intense winter storms that started in late December. The city is still dealing with the aftermath; The Alaska Federation of Natives urged state lawmakers to fix Alaska's dual fish and wildlife management system; A state legislator's former chief of staff faces charges of child sexual exploitation and child sex trafficking

In this newscast: Juneau choreographer Hali Duran explores the six stages of a queen bumblebee's life cycle in Acoustic Turbulence -- a new production of Orpheus Project, showing this weekend; A large gravel lot in the hear of downtown Juneau's tourism corridor has sat empty for years. But that might soon change; In a recent budget meeting, the Juneau School Board discussed adding rather than cutting positions next school year; Alaska saw its eighth hottest year on record last year.

In this newscast: After multiple weeks of being closed, Juneau's recycling center is back up and running at a limited capacity; U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan bristled at the suggestion that he only defends the Trump administration. In his annual address to the Alaska Legislature Wednesday he also slammed national Democrats as bent on ruining Alaska; Immigration enforcement agents swarmed a Soldotna home Tuesday morning and took a family of four, including a kindergartner, into custody; A 17th candidate has announced she's running for governor; If you've noticed you're paying more for a cup of coffee these days, you're not alone. Bean prices have been extremely volatile in recent years. Then, came President Trump's sweeping reciprocal tariffs, which the White House removed on some agricultural products, including coffee, in November.

In this newscast: The City of Hoonah has a new chief of police, and his hiring comes after the last chief was fired while trying to resign last spring; The Juneau School Board will hold its first reading of the school district's budget tomorrow; Nearly all who testified at a public hearing yesterday afternoon at the state capitol were in favor of a Juneau representative's bill that seeks to ban law enforcement officers from wearing face masks on duty in Alaska; The U.S Forest Service officially kicked off its public process for the Tongass National Forest Plan Revision on Wednesday; Travelers can now schedule ferry rides with the Alaska Marine Highway for May through September; The first round of fundraising reports in the 2026 governor's race is out, shedding some light on a crowded field.

In this newscast: State transportation officials will hold a virtual public forum tomorrow evening on proposed safety improvements at one of Juneau's most dangerous intersections; For the first time, Juneau police confirm immigration enforcement activity in Alaska's capital during President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration push; A proposed mining road in Juneau is up for public comment; Mariculture experts and tribal members gathered in Juneau last week to talk about the pressing obstacles - and opportunities - shaping the mariculture industry in Southeast Alaska.

In this newscast: Hundreds of thousands of people attended the Seahawks Super Bowl 2026 parade in Seattle on Wednesday. Juneau resident and Seahawks superfan Donna James was one of them; Juneau residents will have a chance to weigh in on what they'd like the city to prioritize during its upcoming budget process as it faces a multimillion dollar budget hole; The Juneau School District released a budget simulation tool on Wednesday that allows people to build and submit what they think the district's budget should look like; A Juneau representative's proposal to ban law enforcement officers from wearing face masks on duty got a chilly reception from some lawmakers during its first hearing earlier this week; Monday is Elizabeth Peratrovich Day and KTOO's Yvonne Krumrey spoke with Juneau author Ernestine Hayes about Peratrovich's influence and what she thinks the activist would do if she was alive today

In this newscast: The state Senate will consider a bill meant to increase educational options for Alaska students who are deaf or hard of hearing; Staff from Alaska Marine Lines and the Alaska Marine Highway System discussed EV shipping safety during a panel held by Renewable Juneau, an advocacy nonprofit, yesterday; KTOO's Mike Lane sat down with Akanksha Basil to learn about her efforts to strengthen and streamline disaster response coordination in Juneau; There will now be more time to speak out on the future of the Federal Subsistence Board, which has authority over hunting and fishing on federal public lands.

In this newscast:  The Juneau School District is returning over $1 million earmarked for child care back to the city; The Alaska Department of Transportation has faced intense scrutiny in recent months over its plan to build a new ferry terminal between Juneau and Haines. Now, the agency is drawing fire from a panel of lawmakers charged with overseeing it; For the Alaska Survival Kit series, Alaska Public Media's Wesley Early set out to learn how Alaskans can increase their chances of finding a date and falling in love; Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Carney highlighted efforts to reduce case backlogs and asked lawmakers to fund new judges and long-delayed courthouse maintenance during the annual State of the Judiciary address today

In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly approved more than $2 million worth of city funding to support four proposed affordable housing projects last night; As breweries in Alaska adjust to a legal ruling that allows them to have unlimited live shows, a different sort of industry is also celebrating: musicians; Tribal leaders from across the country spoke out today at a U.S. Senate hearing against possible changes within the Small Business Administration that supports Native entities; Sen. Lisa Murkowski returned from a three-day trip to Greenland Monday. She was the sole Republican among four senators who took the trip to try and repair the relationship with the Danish territory after President Trump's repeated threats to acquire the island 

In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly will vote Monday night on whether to approve $2.3 million dollars worth of city funding to support five proposed affordable housing projects; Support for grant-funded positions and teacher contracts became the main issue during the Juneau School Board's budget public forum last week; Alaska's state government remains in search of a solution to its long-running budget problems; Kipnuk was one of the Yukon-Kuskokwim villages hit hardest by the remnants of Typhoon Halong in October. This week, residents are starting to vote on whether they want to rebuild their community, or relocate to higher ground.

In this newscast: Nineteen people have applied to be the Juneau school district's next superintendent, according to search firm McPherson & Jacobson; Alaska's largest professional theater indefinitely postponed a run of its show in Anchorage this spring due to financial concerns; The Juneau Assembly will vote Monday night on whether to approve $2.3 million worth of city funding to support five proposed affordable housing projects; Alaskan Dream Cruises, a Sitka-based cruise line, is closing its doors; After proposing to build a new cabin near Juneau's Herbert Glacier, the U.S. Forest Service released a draft decision last month abandoning it.

In this newscast: On Monday, a Juneau jazz musician canceled a show that was meant to be a part of a festival in town this week.  The show was advertised as a fundraiser for the ACLU of Alaska but the organization who planned the festival said they didn't agree to that; The Alaska Department of Fish & Game recently euthanized a sick mountain goat that had a highly contagious viral skin infection that can transfer to humans and pets; The department learned about the goat from a Juneau resident who found it on Perseverance Trail and took it home last weekend; The Juneau Assembly is considering whether to ask voters to renew a 3% temporary sales tax and approve two multimillion-dollar bond packages on this fall's municipal ballot; Juneau's Crimson Bears high school football team is slated to be featured in the most-watched sporting event in the United States this weekend – the Super Bowl. 

In this newscast: The Juneau School Board will take public testimony tomorrow as it works on building out a budget; American Cruise Lines plans to expand in Alaska in the years to come. But that plan requires prized mooring space in harbors that are tight to begin with. In Haines, the company said it would pitch in to rebuild a public dock to solve that problem. Then, it backed out amid community pushback; Former Sitka state representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tompkins entered the race for governor this week; A round of vetoes by Gov. Mike Dunleavy last summer have Alaska's construction industry on edge. Industry groups are pushing state lawmakers to quickly pass an appropriations bill that they say would unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in federal matching funds

In this newscast:  A new play "These Birds: A play inspired by death, flowers, and Farkle" opened in Juneau last week; The Ketchikan Indian Community purchased a former resort north of town with the goal of converting it into an addiction healing center, but a handful of residents in the neighborhood expressed opposition for the project at a recent borough planning commission meeting; Marlene Johnson, a Lingit civil rights leader, died last week at the age of 90

In this newscast: The North Douglas boat launch will soon reopen to the public after being closed for more than two weeks due to damage to its parking lot; As the city's Emergency Programs Manager, Ryan O'Shaughnessy leads emergency planning, response and recovery for the City and Borough of Juneau. KTOO's Mike Lane recently caught up with O'Shaughnessy to talk about lessons learned from the major storm events in December and January and how the department operates; The U.S. Forest Service is moving forward with a plan to harvest over five thousand acres of trees in the Tongass National Forest, just east of Ketchikan. A majority of that is going to be old-growth trees, which some people worry will be devastating to the forest.

In this newscast: Sitka will receive $10 million dollars for a new wastewater disinfection system; Juneau residents might have to pay sales tax again on food and utilities despite voters approving a local exemption for them during last fall's municipal election; The Juneau School Board is quickly moving through the search process for a new superintendent; Some storefront owners in Juneau are speaking out against U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement or participating in the nationwide strike today, following recent killings in Minneapolis; The state House's ethics committee has launched an investigation into whether Homer Republican Rep. Sarah Vance illegally used state resources when she successfully pushed the local newspaper to remove and revise a story.

In this newscast: Juneau's recycling center is closed again in order to repair damaged critical equipment. And it could be quite a while before the center opens back up again; New public art is coming to downtown Juneau this spring. Murals will soon adorn the Marine View building parking garage near the cruise ship docks. It's part of a project years in the making that teaches artists about the legal and creative sides of murals; The City and Borough of Juneau tip-toed toward a federal buyout program for homeowners on View Drive this week, a street that's been hit the hardest by annual glacial outburst flooding. And the city's asking those residents if they'll help pay for their own buyout; More than 200 people gathered in the capital city on Thursday to speak out against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, following recent killings of two citizens in Minneapolis.

In this newscast: Scientists have confirmed that destructive landslides are happening more frequently across Alaska — especially in Southeast — using news articles dating back more than a century. It's because climate change is making atmospheric rivers more extreme; John Bressette is the city's avalanche advisor, tracking weather and avalanche risk in Juneau's urban paths. He joined CBJ just before record snowfall -- followed by rain and flooding -- pushed the city to declare a disaster and issue evacuation advisories downtown. He spoke with KTOO's Mike Lane about the job; Gov. Mike Dunleavy introduced a series of bills on Friday and Monday that he says would stabilize the state's finances

In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly has stalled on deciding whether to disempower the Eaglecrest Ski Area's board of directors until March; Students are speaking out about how unresolved union negotiations are affecting them in the classroom; Students in Skagway are calling on their school district to adopt a policy that would let them take part in subsistence activities without it potentially counting against them; With almost 700 participants, Juneau's annual board game convention sold out for a second year.

In this newscast: More than 200 Juneau residents gathered downtown at Overstreet Park last night for a candlelight vigil. They were there to honor a man who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during protests against ongoing ICE operations; Juneau teens and residents are calling on the Alaska Legislature and Governor Mike Dunleavy to call off the state's longtime push for a natural gas pipeline in Alaska; The State Board of Education unanimously approved a school psychology masters program at the University of Alaska Anchorage aimed to address the state's shortage of school psychologists. The approval took place during the board's special virtual meeting on Thursday; KTOO Morning Host Mike Lane checks in with Representative Andi Story; Former Alaska Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum deviated from state policy and failed to perform the necessary due diligence before committing millions in state savings to a private equity fund. That's the conclusion of an outside review ordered by Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration after Crum's decision came to light last summer

In this newscast: More than 200 Juneau residents gathered downtown at Overstreet Park last night for a candlelight vigil. They were there to honor a man who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during protests against ongoing ICE operations; Juneau teens and residents are calling on the Alaska Legislature and Governor Mike Dunleavy to call off the state's longtime push for a natural gas pipeline in Alaska; The State Board of Education unanimously approved a school psychology masters program at the University of Alaska Anchorage aimed to address the state's shortage of school psychologists. The approval took place during the board's special virtual meeting on Thursday; KTOO Morning Host Mike Lane checks in with Representative Andi Story; Former Alaska Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum deviated from state policy and failed to perform the necessary due diligence before committing millions in state savings to a private equity fund. That's the conclusion of an outside review ordered by Gov. Mike Dunleavy's administration after Crum's decision came to light last summer

In this newscast:  Eaglecrest Ski Area's board of directors is pushing back against the mayor's proposal to remove most of the board's decision-making authority; Former Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola will be in Juneau today at the Crystal Saloon bar downtown to celebrate her campaign launch for U.S. Senate; A new bill aims to bring stability to Alaska school districts' budgeting process; Gov. Mike Dunleavy outlined his agenda for his final year in office in his annual State of the State address on Thursday; Alaska Congressman Nick Begich has a new challenger; Two Alaska School districts are suing the state over what they say is inadequate funding for public education

In this newscast: 19-year-old Kake resident Jade Williams was killed at a party in 2017. On Wednesday, more than eight years later, the main suspect in the case was sentenced for causing her death; The City and Borough of Juneau is seeking feedback about how the community wants the Assembly to prioritize city funds as it faces a recurring multi-million-dollar budget deficit beginning July 1st; Young commercial fishermen from all over the state gathered in Juneau this week to absorb industry knowledge of previous generations; The federal government is reviewing the business program that benefits Alaska Native corporations and tribes

In this newscast: An Alaska foster youth advocacy organization is suing the state Office of Children's Services for allegedly failing to provide food and necessities for older youth in their care; Governor Mike Dunleavy says he'll soon propose a statewide sales tax as part of his larger plan to stabilize the state's finances; KTOO's Alix Soliman speaks with Alaska's acting regional forester Jerry Ingersoll about changes the United States Forest Service staff in Alaska are going through; Alaska is launching pilot programs in Anchorage and Juneau to offer addiction treatment in mobile care units.

In this newscast: After more than a year of negotiations, the Anchorage School District and the local teachers' union have come to a tentative contract agreement; The Alaska Legislature is back in session; With the second regular session of the 34th Alaska Legislature underway, KTOO is checking in with members of Juneau's delegation to talk priorities and plans for the session.

In this newscast: The Juneau School Board held off returning about $1 million in funding earmarked for childcare to the City and Borough of Juneau amid questions about the current privately-run program; Alaska's capital city will soon have a new fire chief; A local master Chilkat and Ravenstail weaver has been awarded a national fellowship that bolsters culture and tradition across the United States; Martin Luther King Jr. Day is coming up on Monday, and there are two events honoring the day in Juneau; Hundreds of health care workers and government officials descended on Anchorage this week for the kickoff of a five-year, $1.3 billion program aimed at reimagining medical care across Alaska

In this newscast: The Juneau School District Board of Education agreed to approve the $180,000 in funding to help pay for a new playground at the Dzantik'i Heeni campus in Lemon Creek; Southeast Alaska's largest tribe has earned nearly $40 million from U.S. Navy contracts in Guantanamo Bay; KTOO is checking in with members of Juneau's legislative delegation to talk priorities, predictions, and plans for the session. Up first, Sen. Jesse Kiehl

In this newscast: Residents living in avalanche-prone downtown neighborhoods got the all-clear to return home today after the city lifted its last remaining evacuation advisory this morning; Avalanche risk rose over the weekend, as more snow and then rain pounded Juneau. Meanwhile, staff at the city's emergency warming shelter for unhoused residents relocated operations three times in two days; A Juneau-born athlete is headed to Italy next month to represent Team USA's biathlon team in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games; A small population of grizzly bears makes its home above the Arctic Circle, but not much is known about them, or how they find enough food to survive the extreme winters

In this newscast: An evacuation advisory remains in effect for Juneau's Behrends avalanche path downtown for a fifth day, but now the City & Borough of Juneau's evacuation alert is using more urgent language; The cost to move Juneau's City Hall is coming in millions of dollars higher than expected; A 10-year-old Bethel cold case murder spotlights faults in Alaska justice system; The United States Supreme Court has once again declined to take up challenges to a federal law that protects subsistence hunting and fishing in Alaska

In this newscast: An atmospheric river struck Juneau over the weekend, after previous back-to-back storms buried the city in several feet of snow; The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska recently launched a new foundation; For the first time, Juneau is using a radar detection system to track avalanches that rumble down the mountain, thanks to state money freed up by the city and tribe's disaster declaration last week; Democrat Mary Peltola announced this morning that she's running for U.S. Senate, taking on Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan; Alaska Public Media's Eric Stone takes a look at the first wave of new bills for the coming legislative session

In this newscast:  The City and Borough of Juneau issued an avalanche evacuation advisory for all residents in slide zones this morning. The advisory comes as an atmospheric river slams Juneau, after previous storms dumped several feet of snow; As snow turned to rain in Juneau today, the city is warning residents that roads are beginning to flood, and the snow on roofs is getting heavier; The City and Borough of Juneau has largely wrapped up shoveling on Sít' Eetí Shaanáx - Glacier Valley Elementary School and began work on Mendenhall River Community School today; The general manager of Juneau's Eaglecrest Ski Area has resigned and the chair of its board of directors has stepped down; Several caribou herds in Alaska's Arctic are on a decline, including now the Porcupine herd, which is currently the biggest

In this newscast: The City of Hoonah declared a local emergency earlier this week following heavy snowstorms in the region; As the state of Alaska responds to Juneau's disaster declaration, the capital city is bracing for heavy rain and potential flooding from an atmospheric river expected to hit Southeast late Thursday night; Students and staff at Mendenhall River Community School were evacuated from the elementary school Thursday morning due to growing concern about the snow load on the gym roof; The public comment period for the controversial Cascade Point Ferry Terminal in Juneau closes tomorrow; The City of Ketchikan is once again looking for its new manager. Keith Morey had been selected by the city for the job but withdrew his name from consideration yesterday afternoon, just hours before the city council planned to finalize his employment contract.

In this newscast: Schools in Juneau were closed again today (TUES) as the capital city continues to dig out from successive snowstorms; The roof of the Bill Ray Center, an empty building on F Street in downtown Juneau, collapsed today after back-to-back snowstorms; Boxes of food, mail and late Christmas presents arrived by plane to the small Southeast Alaska fishing town of Pelican on New Year's Day. The goods came after the isolated town went more than a month without access to outside services,; Haines and Skagway have suffered through weeks of bitterly cold temperatures and feet of snow. Snowfall in Haines has been so heavy that residents are worried about roof loads. Community members are caring for each other in these extreme conditions with shovels and the Internet; Some Alaska Airlines passengers were hit with surprising bills for checked baggage that used to fly for free within the state. The company says it is working quickly to reverse an issue with its Club 49 program that has affected a baggage benefit that is valuable for many rural residents; Ski patrollers at Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood rescued a dog from a deep ravine last week that had been missing for 13 days.