Zoe Grueskin, KTOO

In this newscast: State ferries resumed sailing following the ratification of a contract by striking members of the Alaska Marine Highway System’s largest union. Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration extended a no-bid contract awarded to a relative of a major financial supporter of the governor. A lawsuit brought by a former police detective against the City of Sitka is going before a mediator and could be settled out of court. A related case concerning a former Sitka police detective who filed a sexual harassment suit against the city remains on track for trial next spring. A new species of deer are moving into parts of Alaska, including the Upper Lynn Canal. The federally chartered Denali Commission is awaiting results of an investigation into the conduct of one of its staff members. A light earthquake was felt in the greater Anchorage area, and officials say it was an aftershock from the Nov. 30 magnitude 7.1 quake that rocked the city.

In this newscast: A tentative deal between the state and a striking ferry union could get the Alaska Marine Highway System back up and running as early as this weekend.
Voters in more than a dozen Alaska towns can now sign the petition to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy, but there are plenty of communities across the state where voters do not have that option right now. Pacific walruses have been spotted on shore in northwest Alaska. It’s their earliest appearance to date, and it’s tied to receding sea ice. A profile on Tom Ainsworth, the National Weather Service’s chief weather forecaster for Southeast Alaska. Ainsworth retired today. Juneau’s Perseverance Theatre removed “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” from its schedule after concerns were raised about its content and cost.