Pablo Arauz Peña, KTOO

In this newscast: Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy sent a letter to all legislators today saying the state should not return to having a disaster declaration; The federal government held its ground today against calls to roll back restrictions on cruise ship sailings; A measure in the state House would amend state law to officially recognize most Tribes of Alaska; An Alaska-based airman and the owners of a construction company face federal conspiracy, bribery and money laundering charges related to contracts awarded at two Alaska bases; Vaccine hesitancy and rates of COVID-19 spread in communities where Alaska prisons are located are hindering efforts to lift restrictions imposed during the pandemic at state Department of Corrections facilities.

In this newscast: One small cruise company will require all its passengers and crew to be vaccinated before making any trips to Alaska this year; More than five weeks after Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s disaster declaration was allowed to expire, Dunleavy and some legislators disagree with other lawmakers over whether to bring it back; A witness who spoke with Andy Teuber before his helicopter went missing earlier this month told federal investigators that the tribal health executive was distracted and not himself; Alaska-based telecommunications firm GCI plans to move its customer call center to the Philippines; Petersburg will bring back some form of the Little Norway Festival this year although it’s expected to look a little different in a COVID-19 world.

In this newscast: Juneau’s Bartlett Regional hospital has a new CEO; Economists and child advocates say the new federal relief plan could have a lasting impact on many Alaskan families; Sitka’s marine mammal stranding network headed to a nearby island last week to conduct a necropsy on a dead humpback whale; A reform bill to give more autonomy to Alaska’s ferry system is advancing through the legislature.

In this newscast: The state of Alaska will receive a huge influx of money from the latest federal COVID-19 relief package; A globally significant news story unfolded in Anchorage yesterday, as top Biden administration officials held their first in-person talks with senior Chinese diplomats; State health officials say Petersburg’s recent outbreak of COVID-19 looked similar to the rapid spread seen in other parts of rural Alaska that hadn’t already seen widespread infection.