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Alaska’s only statewide call-in forum for discussing the issues impacting life on the Last Frontier. Politics, science, culture and current events are covered by host Lori Townsend and members of the Alaska Public Media news team along with guests and callers.
211 Episodes
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Alaska has always had periods of dramatic weather, but recent bouts of long periods of deep cold and swings from subzero temperatures one week to rain the next are difficult and tedious to contend with. How are weather experts and city leaders working to understand and meet the unpredictable weird weather test of the future? We learn about planning for weather chaos and disasters today on Talk of Alaska.
A plan for a more affordable and efficient electric system is at the heart of an effort to build a grid that meets the future needs for Alaskans. Nearly 75% of Alaska’s residents live along the 700 mile railbelt system from Homer to Fairbanks. The utilities, consumer groups and energy experts are all in the mix to solicit ideas to make the power grid more efficient and resilient. What do you need to know about how you can weigh in? We discuss it on this Talk of Alaska.
John McPhee’s 1977 book Coming into the Country inspired young people to visit Alaska and many stayed. More recently, one of McPhee’s former students followed his path around the state, and was featured on Talk of Alaska. On this Talk of Alaska, we revisit Lori Townsend's 2017 conversation with McPhee about his book and his travels. Join us for a walk down memory lane on this very special Talk of Alaska.
Winter in Alaska can be lots of fun. It can also get long, and deep cold, combined with darkness, can make even the most optimistic among us get a little anxious, a little less productive, and a little cranky. But instead of dreading the long, northern winter, there are lots of ways to embrace it and enjoy snow and even cold. Join us for a discussion and tips on how to love winter on this Talk of Alaska.
Alaska Public Media’s warmest holiday tradition, Talk of Alaska: Holiday Greetings from Across the State, is back again this year with hosts Steve Heimel and Wesley Early.
Connecting Alaskans, from Utqiaġvik to Juneau, hear festive greetings, well wishes and sentiments from those who call Alaska home. With listeners all over the state, and even in the Lower 48 and Hawaii, this show is the perfect opportunity to send love to friends and family, no matter where they may be.
Stable housing helps people live healthier, happier lives with less risk of injury, illness and trauma that our unhoused neighbors face on a daily basis. In the past decade, increased attention to the growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness has resulted in multiple efforts to help get people off the streets with mixed results. The United Way, the Municipality of Anchorage, Southcentral Foundation and other partners started the Home for Good program in 2019 and are beginning to see results. We learn about the ideas behind the program and how success is being measured on this Talk of Alaska.
Many young people have been inspired to venture to the 49th state by the book Coming into the Country, by John McPhee.
Nearly 50 years later, a student of McPhee’s followed in his footsteps and wrote about his life changing travels through Alaska’s vast wilderness. The author and Alaskans who helped him learn about the state, and how climate change is reshaping the Arctic, join us to discuss his book, North to the Future, on this Talk of Alaska.
If you’ve ever attended the Anchorage International Film Festival, you know their slogan, films worth freezing for, is accurate. The annual line up of features and shorts from Alaskan filmmakers and other U.S. and international creatives brings a festive start to December. This year is the festival’s 25th anniversary and Alaska Native film adaptations of classic books like Two Old Women will bring even more excitement to this year’s mix. Directors and filmmakers join us to dig into the details on this Talk of Alaska.
The Alaska office of Children’s Services, OCS, is tasked with protecting children and supporting struggling families. Providing a stable, loving home for children helps improve their chances for success in health, education, social settings and future employment. An audit required by a 2018 law aimed at improving OCS outcomes found problems persist. Where has OCS had success and what else is needed? Advocates on both sides join us for this Talk of Alaska.
Aurora Borealis, more commonly known as the Northern Lights, have inspired legends, songs and stories for generations. Recent atmospheric conditions have made the aurora especially active and have delighted Alaskans as well as people in the lower 48. What’s the science behind the spike in activity? Why do the colorful displays happen at all? And how can you capture better photos of them? Understanding the science and enjoying the mystique of the vibrant streaks of light in the winter sky is our discussion on this Talk of Alaska.
For decades, most Americans have relied on the American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and their own local physician to get advice and guidance on everything from a healthy diet and exercise to air quality, disease prevention and which annual vaccines they should get. But the Trump administration’s pick of RFK Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary has cast confusion and doubt on long standing medical norms. What do two of Alaska’s top doctors think of his ideas and how might it affect public health in the future? They join us for this Talk of Alaska.
Housing for people who have been sleeping outdoors becomes more urgent as winter approaches, and as the chronic shortage of affordable housing persists across the state, new complications such as the federal government shutdown and the sudden housing crisis in the Kuskokwim region are adding pressure to plans for helping Alaskans find shelter. What are state and city leaders working on and how can people help? The ongoing need for safe, affordable housing is our discussion on this Talk of Alaska.
Typhoon Halong devastated Kipnuk, wiping out the majority of the community. Kwigillingok was hit very hard and numerous other communities in the Kuskokwim Delta region also suffered damage. Hundreds of people were evacuated from the hardest-hit areas, and many are now in temporary shelters in Anchorage. As repair and recovery work ramp up, how much can be restored before winter and what is needed right now to help get the work done? Helping our neighbors after a huge disaster is our on this Talk of Alaska.
Democracy is often loud, messy and argumentative. After all, it’s a system designed to support the right to differing values and political ideas. A healthy democracy allows for dissent and disagreement, peaceful protests, marches and campaigns that work to persuade voters to support or reject certain ideas. But currently in America, dissent too often turns to violence where people threaten harm rather than simply debating viewpoints. Why has it become dangerous to express free speech and how can we get back to more civil discourse in our nation? Two elected officials with opposing political views have found ways to work together and they share what they’ve learned, on this Talk of Alaska.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski criticizes the indictment of the former FBI Director. Plus, state officials found the first case in Alaska of a beetle that invades beehives and spoils honey. And, with winter coming quickly, Akiak is racing to restore its power plant.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski has served as one of Alaska’s two U.S. Senators for the past 23 years and she joins us on this Talk of Alaska.
A well-written novel can change the course of a life, a nation, the world, or just provide you some nice entertainment for an afternoon.
The congressional rescission vote that ended federal support for public broadcasting will hit rural and tribal stations especially hard in the coming months and years. Since 1967, public media has provided free educational and news programming to help all Americans access quality content. The stations hardest-hit by the cut are in communities that most need this service. How will this change Alaska’s 27 stations across the state? Station leaders join us on this Talk of Alaska.
Anchorage at 50 and the path to the future is our discussion on this Talk of Alaska.
You can’t get through a day without encountering plastic. From your toothbrush, to your keyboard to your clothes. Despite its popularity, plastic is a toxic material that does not decompose, it just gets smaller. Microscopic plastics are now found in soil and water throughout our state and especially in the arctic. Alaska Scientists are studying how these tiny toxins move and what it might mean for human health. We hear about their research on this Talk of Alaska.
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