Newscasts

In this newscast:

• A magnitude 7 earthquake shook Juneau and other towns in Alaska’s northern and central panhandle late Saturday morning,
• Juneau saw a snowfall record during a winter storm over the weekend, and now, freezing temperatures and clear skies are expected to stretch through most of this week,
• After more than a century, a Lingít clan will once again be the legal owners of a Raven helmet worn during the Battle of Sitka in 1804. Non-native organizations have claimed ownership of the helmet for more than a 100 years, and kept it, in a museum in Sitka,
• The National Marine Fisheries Service has reopened public comment on President Donald Trump’s executive order on “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,”
• Looking for the perfect Christmas tree? A state forester helped Alaska Desk reporter Alena Naiden harvest hers in the Matanuska Valley last week, and shared how you can, too

In this newscast:

• The University of Alaska will host listening sessions in Juneau, Fairbanks, and Anchorage next week as it ramps up its search for a new president,
• Teacher and principal turnover rates in Alaska have increased overall, beyond levels preceding the COVID-19 pandemic,
•  The state approved a contract on Monday, agreeing to pay Juneau’s new hydroelectric utility $1.3 million to power the controversial Cascade Point Ferry Terminal, a project that has yet to be finalized,
• In Anchorage, Rage City Vintage is closing its doors after a significant drop in sales,
• A federal lab devoted to renewable energy development for a half century has had the word “renewable” stripped from its name

In this newscast:

• Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area will not open to skiers this weekend after all,
• Downtown Juneau’s annual Gallery Walk event is tomorrow from 4 to 8 p.m.,
• Alumni and former staff members at Mt. Edgecumbe High School are raising serious concerns about safety and student support at the state-run boarding school in Sitka,
• The Chilkat Valley is home to one of the world’s largest gathering of bald eagles, and this year, the highest number of raptors were recorded in more than two decades

In this newscast:

• Next week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold a closed-door, three-day meeting in Juneau to discuss long-term solution options for glacial outburst floods in the Mendenhall Valley. Federal agencies, local officials and researchers will participate,
• The City and Borough of Juneau is seeking ideas from Juneau residents about how to spend the fees paid by cruise ship passengers this coming year. More than $20 million is expected to be available for tourism-related projects,
• The Sitka Tribe of Alaska’s CEO is stepping down,
• Ten years ago the state of Alaska signed an agreement with British Columbia that sought to give Alaskans a say  in the development of mines upstream of Southeast Alaska. But environmental advocates say Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration has walked away from key pillars of that agreement,
• Tongass Voices: Svitlana Bell on quilting for Ukrainian pride and independence

In this newscast:

• With major cruise tourism developments on the horizon in the capital city, the City and Borough of Juneau is resurrecting a task force to look at whether its current approach to managing tourism is working,
• Eaglecrest Ski Area is slated to open for its 50th season this Saturday, and KTOO’s Mike Lane sat down with Craig Cimmons, the general manager of the city-owned ski area, to talk about the season ahead,
• A portion of the lucrative Bristol Bay red king crab harvest nearly went to waste this season. A catcher processor that was set to take the crab was forced to shut down, leaving a good chunk of the catch to spoil in fishermen’s tanks. But  the City of Unalaska stepped in to take those crab deliveries,
• An entangled whale was found dead near Kodiak earlier this month. Scientists believe it was caught in some kind of old fishing gear. It’s at least the 13th dead humpback reported around the archipelago this year. 

In this newscast:

• The comment period for the first phase of construction of a new ferry terminal north of Juneau has been extended to January 9, 2026,
• A Superior Court judge is allowing the City and Borough of Juneau to refile eviction cases against the tenants who are refusing to vacate the historic Telephone Hill neighborhood in downtown Juneau,
• Alaska’s Office of Children’s Services pushed back last week on the findings of an audit required by a law meant to reform the state’s foster care system,
• Juneau Public Markey ramped up the holiday shopping season in Alaska’s capital city with hundreds of people buying handmade art, jewelry, clothes, and other goods,
• Juneau’s Parks and Recreation department began hosting pick-up pickleball three days a week at the Floyd Dryden gymnasium this fall. In the last decade, new players across the country — especially seniors — have been picking up the sport.