KTOO News Update
The day’s local and state news in about 10 minutes.
Newscast – Friday, May 09, 2025
In this newscast: The federal government may soon return a traditional subsistence site connected to Douglas Island to its original tribal owners; The next season of the PBS KIDS show “Molly of Denali” will be the last for the foreseeable future. The team behind the award-winning children’s TV show will stop working on new content. Molly of Denali is widely celebrated in Alaska because it features an Alaska Native lead character and showcases Alaska Native culture; The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development is considering whether to reduce the amount of money local governments can give to school districts. A new bill in front of state lawmakers would allow local governments to continue to fund school districts as they have been; State prosecutors say two Anchorage police officers were legally justified in the fatal shooting of a man in February who police say had barricaded himself in a Midtown hotel and threatened a woman and her four children.
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, May 8, 2025
In this newscast: The Alaska Senate approved its version of the state budget on Wednesday. It includes a $1,000 Permanent Fund dividend. And, for now, a slight surplus. But senators say they expect that surplus to evaporate. And they’re warning of tough times in the years ahead; Reporters on the Alaska Desk recently asked people all over the state some open-ended questions about how they’re feeling after President Donald Trump’s first 100 days. From the Aleutians to Southeast and the Interior, there are never-Trumpers and MAGA diehards – and some Alaskans having changes of heart. Here’s what some of them had to say; Anchorage officials are preparing to roll out funding dedicated to improving the city’s child care sector. The move comes two years after Anchorage residents voted to dedicate the roughly 5 to 6 million dollars the city receives annually in marijuana taxes to funding child care initiatives.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, May 7, 2025
In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly is considering a resolution in support of keeping the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area federally owned; The executive director of the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council will resign following the board’s decision to cut diversity, equity and inclusion language from its website; An ordinance mandating that the Juneau Police Department release body-worn camera footage no more than 30 days after a city police officer shoots someone will be open for public testimony later this month; Libraries in Alaska may no longer be able to request books from out of state, or mail books and other media to Alaskans who don't live near a library; A program that monitors toxic poisoning in subsistence marine harvests in the Aleutians has halted, pending a federal review
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, May 6, 2025
In this newscast: Lieutenant governor and former U.S. House candidate Nancy Dahlstrom is running for governor; The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska announced today that it is rejoining the Alaska Federation of Natives; The Juneau Assembly chose a preliminary redevelopment plan for the downtown Telephone Hill neighborhood that, if approved, would evict residents by October; A Juneau-based author's graphic memoir won the Pulitzer Prize yesterday for autobiography and memoir; The Trump administration has started canceling federal grants that fund arts and culture programs across the country, including here in Juneau; Yesterday was Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples' Day, and in Juneau, at MMIP events like last night's, one name comes up consistently: Tracy Day
Read More »Newscast – Monday, May 5, 2025
In this newscast: Alaska's oldest ferry is too expensive to fix; Tlingit and Haida announced that its annual food distributions of herring eggs have been canceled because the federal funding they planned to use for it was canceled; A lawsuit over Juneau's Mendenhall River levee will now focus on how the cost of the flood protection project will be divided; A controversial mining exploration project near Haines has been in limbo since its biggest investor backed out late last year, and now the project's parent company wants to step back, too
Read More »Newscast – Friday, May 2, 2025
In this newscast: A proposal that would create and fund tribally run public schools in Alaska inched closer to reality on Thursday; Hundreds in Juneau joined thousands nationwide yesterday as protests surged for International Workers Day, also known as May Day; Child advocacy centers in Alaska were funded with federal money for the past decade, but now the state has to foot the bill, and lawmakers are still deciding; The City and Borough of Juneau will hold its annual How to Run for Local Office workshop Saturday at City Hall, as there are six local seats up for grabs in October's municipal election; A new Alaska law requires all businesses that sell alcohol to post a warning that drinking alcohol can cause breast and colon cancers
Read More »Newscast – Thursday, May 1, 2025
In this newscast: The Juneau Assembly moved forward with a plan Wednesday that — if approved by voters — could add up to $10 million to the city’s debt. It would fund critical repairs and upgrades to Juneau’s schools after years of deferred maintenance. The Assembly decided to prioritize funding repairs to schools over the city’s water and sewer systems, which are also in need of some TLC. That means utility rate hikes are likely on the way; Some immigrants living in Juneau have left the United States after an email from the Department of Homeland Security told them they had to leave. But some people who got the email haven’t left; Alaska’s public schools may get a long-sought increase in state funding this year. A bill that would boost funding and make changes to education policy passed the state House and Senate Wednesday and will soon head to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s desk.
Read More »Newscast – Wednesday, April 30, 2025
In this newscast: Today marks Juneau International Airport Manager Patty Wahto's final day on the job after a nearly three-decade-long career; Immigrants and refugees across the country are getting emails from the Trump administration that say they have to leave the United States or face prosecution. In Juneau, that's already split one family apart; Skagway held its international folk festival earlier this month, but there was a lack of Canadian participants
Read More »Newscast – Tuesday, April 29, 2025
In this newscast: One of Alaska's most prolific climate communicators could lose his job if the Trump administration's proposed cuts to NOAA go through; Yesterday, the City and Borough of Juneau's clerk's office certified three ballot petitions aimed at lowering local taxes; Millions of dollars slated for child care funding were among the many budget cuts Alaska state Senators made last week, but advocates on the Capitol steps said those funds are vital to support families across the state; While the loss of hundreds of federal jobs in Alaska is hitting home for some Alaskans now, it'll be months before we can quantify that impact
Read More »Newscast – Monday, April 28, 2025
In this newscast: Black bears are emerging from hibernation and roaming around Juneau in search of food; The Alaska Senate passed a bill today that would substantially boost long-term funding for public schools; Juneau's firefighter union sent out a statement Thursday warning residents that emergency response times may be delayed due to major staffing concerns; The Juneau School District and its largest union are more than two months into contract negotiations; The U.S. Interior Department says it's going to fast-track permits for oil, gas and mining, cutting a process that normally takes years down to no more than 28 days; Alaska residents have less than a week to apply to get on a rental assistance program waitlist with the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation
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