Pablo Arauz Peña, KTOO

In this newscast: House lawmakers will be questioning a Department of Labor director this evening over its handling of COVID-related safety violations at two seafood plants; Three and a half weeks may not seem like a big deal in pandemic times but for local businesses that depend on tourism in Juneau, it could make or break the season; When a Haines couple lost their 4-month-old kitten within hours of departure, they didn’t expect her to return home on a regional flight ten days later; The Biden administration is supporting a controversial road through a remote refuge on the Alaska Peninsula that is home to migrating waterfowl; Today’s votes on Merrick Garland and Michael Regan divided Alaska’s senators: Lisa Murkowski voted yes on both, and Dan Sullivan voted no.

In this newscast: Health officials are calling on Petersburg to maintain health precautions to get through the local COVID-19 outbreak; Sitka Police are investigating a hit-and-run that culminated in a fatality early Monday morning; A fire destroyed Chevak’s old school building, damaging power and sewer lines and destroying a community dream; The federal government is extending the public comment period for a proposed critical haibtat for ringed and bearded seals; At least 15 people told state health officials that they may have caught COVID-19 at a banquet last month that was attended by Alaska’s governor and multiple state legislators.

In this newscast: Today is International Women’s Day. In Petersburg, women speak about what the holiday means to them; Forty-six mushers and hundreds of sled dogs took off from Willow yesterday afternoon for the 2021 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race; Misdemeanor jury trials will resume in Alaska’s state courts starting April 19; Officials from the Alaska Black Caucus say a visitation ban at all of Alaska’s correctional facilities because of the coronavirus pandemic should be loosened; Four men who say they were illegally imprisoned for nearly two decades for the murder of a teenager in Alaska will have their lawsuit go forward after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to get involved in the case.

In this newscast: A tribal health organization has given the City and Borough of Juneau thousands of doses of the Pfizer vaccine for its next vaccination clinic; After a nationwide search, Bartlett Regional Hospital’s board of directors is closer to choosing its next Chief Executive Officer; Hikers and dog walkers along a Juneau trail last Monday spotted something unusual, an eagle hanging upside down in the trees; The Haines Avalanche Center and the Great Bear Foundation recently hosted an informational presentation about winter bear dens in Haines; Alaska legislators, their staff and others who work in the Capitol will be able to get COVID-19 vaccinations starting today.