KTOO News Update
The day’s local and state news in about 10 minutes.
Newscast – Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025
In this newscast: The Alaska Marine Highway System ferry LeConte will continue to be out of service leading into the weekend; After eight days of deliberation, the jury in a sexual assault trial against a former Juneau chiropractor returned a verdict of not guilty on two counts, and hung jury on 12 others Thursday; Researchers continue to investigate a massive landslide and tsunami that hit a fjord popular among sightseeing cruises in Southeast Alaska last month. A veritable mountainside of rock crashed into the water at the end of Tracy Arm, near the terminus of South Sawyer Glacier, generating a tsunami wave that scoured the shoreline of vegetation in the surrounding area and even disrupted tides in Juneau, about 75 miles away; Alaska’s Department of Law is asking a judge to throw out much of a class action lawsuit over the state’s failure to process food assistance applications on time. Thousands of Alaskans are caught in backlogs that have plagued the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and other aid programs for years. But the state argues a recent Supreme Court case means they shouldn’t be allowed to sue.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025
In this newscast: A plan to bring more high-speed electric vehicle charging stations to Alaska is back on track; A man fell into a hole in the ice on the Mendenhall Glacier Tuesday; Ships could pose a risk to seabirds migrating through Alaska's waters; Elementary reading scores in Petersburg are rising above state and national averages; The Arctic Research Consortium is shutting down after funding cuts
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025
In this newscast: The LeConte ferry broke down ahead of the Klondike Road Relay in Skagway; A missing hiker was found dead near the Mendenhall Glacier on Monday; Kake City School's cross country team was stuck in Juneau following mechanical issues with the LeConte ferry; Federal data shows some cruise ships in Alaska have violated water pollution regulations hundreds of times each year; Tongass Voices: Tara Thornton on the joy and heartbreak of fostering kittens.
Read More »Newscast – Friday, August 28, 2025
In this newscast: Gov. Mike Dunleavy has named Stephen J. Cox to be Alaska's next attorney general; The Juneau Police Department released the body-worn camera footage today of a violent arrest by an officer in late July. The video was released just a day after the officer involved resigned from his position; After a week of deliberation, the jury will continue to consider the evidence in a sexual assault trial against a former Juneau chiropractor next week; A small number of Alaska Native craftspeople in Southeast Alaska hunt sea otters to use as material for their work, but they say that's become more time consuming and expensive in recent years, as local tanneries have shut down
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, August 28, 2025
In this newscast: The Juneau School District Board of Education is fast tracking a move to restore universal free breakfast for K-12 Students; The Roadless Rule, the rule that protects more than half of the Tongass National Forest from road development, is on the chopping block again; Alaska Native filmmaker and artist Mary Goddard is in Haines filming part of a documentary that features her eating only Native foods for three months; A federal trial began Monday in Anchorage for a class-action lawsuit against the Alaska Office of Children's Services, or OCS. The lawsuit on behalf of all kids in OCS custody
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, August 27, 2025
In this newscast: Juneau's Back Loop Bridge is now open again for traffic two weeks after suffering damage from Juneau's record-breaking glacial outburst flood; Petersburg's school buildings and surrounding area were on lockdown for over an hour yesterday afternoon after police received a false report of a person with an AR-15 gun in a school bathroom; Gov. Mike Dunleavy's 30-day special session ends this weekend, and lawmakers don't plan to meet at the Capitol again; The Juneau School District Board of Education unanimously accepted nearly $120,000 in grant funding for one of its alternative schools; Southeast Alaska's regional tribe is calling for the City and Borough of Sitka to reverse a decision denying the construction of a tall tower in a neighborhood; A new app could alert Nome residents when people go missing
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, August 26, 2025
In this newscast: The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a pilot after his small plane crashed near Haines on Sunday, Southeast Alaska's regional Native corporation has announced its new president; During Juneau's record-breaking glacial outburst flood earlier this morning, the Alaska Department of Transportation completed one of its most complex drone missions to date; The federal government is in the process of rewriting the rules for how it issues federal contracts. And some Alaska Native organizations, which depend on federal contracts to pay out benefits to shareholders, are concerned that it could impact their business; A candidate running for a seat on the Sitka Assembly is suing the city over what he claims were restrictions on his ability to comment on police department Facebook posts
Read More »Newscast – Monday, Aug. 25, 2025
In this newscast: Goldbelt Incorporated has unveiled more information about its proposed cruise ship port on the backside of Douglas Island, but city officials say they are still largely in the dark; The trial against a former Juneau chiropractor accused of assaulting a dozen patients under the guise of medical care has ended, and jurors are set to begin deliberation; The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee is touring Alaska to take a closer look at the land they spend so much time talking about in Congress; Most people have had a pet at some point in their life - likely more than one. But the same pet for nearly half a century? Well, one man in South Anchorage has been living with his box turtle for 43 years.
Read More »Newscast – Friday, August 22, 2025
In this newscast: The Juneau School District started off the school year with more than 90 open positions; The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska's executive council says it has concluded its review of abuse allegations against its president; Alaska's Medical Board took the first step Friday toward restricting access to gender affirming care for minors in the state; A site on Douglas Island could be the future home of a casino-like gambling hall after a proposal from the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska was approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission.
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025
In this newscast: Cruise ship passengers who arrive at Juneau’s farthest dock may not have to trek as far to get to downtown in the coming years; The union representing most Juneau Police Department staff has declared an impasse in its negotiations for a new contract with the City and Borough of Juneau; After nearly a decade finessing her craft, artist Sydney Akagi is eager to introduce Sitkans to Ravenstail and Chilkat weaving as the most recent Native Arts Resident at the Sheldon Jackson Museum; Southcentral Alaska residents who bought air filters, face masks and dog goggles in preparation for the potential eruption of Mount Spurr can breathe a sigh of relief. Alaska volcano observers Wednesday moved the alert level on Spurr from the yellow “advisory” status to a green “normal” status, indicating an extremely low chance of an eruption.
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