Clarise Larson

In this newscast: As lawmakers spar over a wide range of issues in the final days of the Alaska Legislature’s regular session, one idea is bringing them together. The state House of Representatives voted unanimously on Wednesday to make the giant green cabbage Alaska’s official state vegetable; A Canadian company proposing to reopen a gold mine in British Columbia plans to drive a large boat up Alaska’s Taku River – south of Juneau – to get to the site this summer. Some locals worry it could run aground; The Alaska Legislature’s regular session ends in just over a week, and lawmakers are racing to pass a wide range of bills and resolutions before the deadline. Alaska Public Media’s Eric Stone has been at the Capitol tracking what lawmakers are up to, and he spoke with Alaska News Nightly host Casey Grove; With a week left in the session, the Alaska House yesterday passed a bill focused on how students are counted.

In this newscast: The Juneau School Board will consider what to add back to its budget for this fiscal year during a regular meeting Tuesday night. The district has more unspent funds than what it’s allowed under state law to carry over into the next fiscal year that begins in July; Juneau residents will see higher electricity bills starting next month; More than 100 middle school students in Juneau are getting hands-on experience to learn about traditional Lingít carving by crafting their own canoe paddles in the classroom; The City and Borough of Juneau clerk’s office has certified two proposed citizen ballot propositions for the 2026 local election. That means the groups behind them are approved to start collecting signatures of support to put the questions on the ballot this fall; Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a disaster declaration yesterday for two Interior Alaska communities, after they were inundated with severe ice jam flooding. The declaration covers the areas near Chalkyitsik on the Black River and Hughes on the Koyukuk River