KTOO News Update
The day’s local and state news in about 10 minutes.
Newscast – Friday, Feb. 20, 2026
In this newscast: Juneau choreographer Hali Duran explores the six stages of a queen bumblebee's life cycle in Acoustic Turbulence -- a new production of Orpheus Project, showing this weekend; A large gravel lot in the hear of downtown Juneau's tourism corridor has sat empty for years. But that might soon change; In a recent budget meeting, the Juneau School Board discussed adding rather than cutting positions next school year; Alaska saw its eighth hottest year on record last year.
Read More »Newscast: Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026
In this newscast: After multiple weeks of being closed, Juneau’s recycling center is back up and running at a limited capacity; U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan bristled at the suggestion that he only defends the Trump administration. In his annual address to the Alaska Legislature Wednesday he also slammed national Democrats as bent on ruining Alaska; Immigration enforcement agents swarmed a Soldotna home Tuesday morning and took a family of four, including a kindergartner, into custody; A 17th candidate has announced she’s running for governor; If you’ve noticed you’re paying more for a cup of coffee these days, you’re not alone. Bean prices have been extremely volatile in recent years. Then, came President Trump’s sweeping reciprocal tariffs, which the White House removed on some agricultural products, including coffee, in November.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026
In this newscast: The City of Hoonah has a new chief of police, and his hiring comes after the last chief was fired while trying to resign last spring; The Juneau School Board will hold its first reading of the school district's budget tomorrow; Nearly all who testified at a public hearing yesterday afternoon at the state capitol were in favor of a Juneau representative's bill that seeks to ban law enforcement officers from wearing face masks on duty in Alaska; The U.S Forest Service officially kicked off its public process for the Tongass National Forest Plan Revision on Wednesday; Travelers can now schedule ferry rides with the Alaska Marine Highway for May through September; The first round of fundraising reports in the 2026 governor's race is out, shedding some light on a crowded field.
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026
In this newscast: State transportation officials will hold a virtual public forum tomorrow evening on proposed safety improvements at one of Juneau's most dangerous intersections; For the first time, Juneau police confirm immigration enforcement activity in Alaska's capital during President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration push; A proposed mining road in Juneau is up for public comment; Mariculture experts and tribal members gathered in Juneau last week to talk about the pressing obstacles - and opportunities - shaping the mariculture industry in Southeast Alaska.
Read More »Newscast – Friday, Feb. 13, 2026
In this newscast: Hundreds of thousands of people attended the Seahawks Super Bowl 2026 parade in Seattle on Wednesday. Juneau resident and Seahawks superfan Donna James was one of them; Juneau residents will have a chance to weigh in on what they'd like the city to prioritize during its upcoming budget process as it faces a multimillion dollar budget hole; The Juneau School District released a budget simulation tool on Wednesday that allows people to build and submit what they think the district's budget should look like; A Juneau representative's proposal to ban law enforcement officers from wearing face masks on duty got a chilly reception from some lawmakers during its first hearing earlier this week; Monday is Elizabeth Peratrovich Day and KTOO's Yvonne Krumrey spoke with Juneau author Ernestine Hayes about Peratrovich's influence and what she thinks the activist would do if she was alive today
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026
In this newscast: The state Senate will consider a bill meant to increase educational options for Alaska students who are deaf or hard of hearing; Staff from Alaska Marine Lines and the Alaska Marine Highway System discussed EV shipping safety during a panel held by Renewable Juneau, an advocacy nonprofit, yesterday; KTOO's Mike Lane sat down with Akanksha Basil to learn about her efforts to strengthen and streamline disaster response coordination in Juneau; There will now be more time to speak out on the future of the Federal Subsistence Board, which has authority over hunting and fishing on federal public lands.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026
In this newscast: The Juneau School District is returning over $1 million earmarked for child care back to the city; The Alaska Department of Transportation has faced intense scrutiny in recent months over its plan to build a new ferry terminal between Juneau and Haines. Now, the agency is drawing fire from a panel of lawmakers charged with overseeing it; For the Alaska Survival Kit series, Alaska Public Media's Wesley Early set out to learn how Alaskans can increase their chances of finding a date and falling in love; Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Carney highlighted efforts to reduce case backlogs and asked lawmakers to fund new judges and long-delayed courthouse maintenance during the annual State of the Judiciary address today
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026
In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly approved more than $2 million worth of city funding to support four proposed affordable housing projects last night; As breweries in Alaska adjust to a legal ruling that allows them to have unlimited live shows, a different sort of industry is also celebrating: musicians; Tribal leaders from across the country spoke out today at a U.S. Senate hearing against possible changes within the Small Business Administration that supports Native entities; Sen. Lisa Murkowski returned from a three-day trip to Greenland Monday. She was the sole Republican among four senators who took the trip to try and repair the relationship with the Danish territory after President Trump's repeated threats to acquire the island
Read More »Newscast – Monday, Feb. 9, 2026
In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly will vote Monday night on whether to approve $2.3 million dollars worth of city funding to support five proposed affordable housing projects; Support for grant-funded positions and teacher contracts became the main issue during the Juneau School Board’s budget public forum last week; Alaska’s state government remains in search of a solution to its long-running budget problems; Kipnuk was one of the Yukon-Kuskokwim villages hit hardest by the remnants of Typhoon Halong in October. This week, residents are starting to vote on whether they want to rebuild their community, or relocate to higher ground.
Read More »Newscast – Friday, Feb. 6, 2026
In this newscast: Nineteen people have applied to be the Juneau school district's next superintendent, according to search firm McPherson & Jacobson; Alaska's largest professional theater indefinitely postponed a run of its show in Anchorage this spring due to financial concerns; The Juneau Assembly will vote Monday night on whether to approve $2.3 million worth of city funding to support five proposed affordable housing projects; Alaskan Dream Cruises, a Sitka-based cruise line, is closing its doors; After proposing to build a new cabin near Juneau's Herbert Glacier, the U.S. Forest Service released a draft decision last month abandoning it.
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