KTOO News Update

In this newscast: Fairbanks North Star Borough officials are searching for places that could offer more stable housing for ex-Typhoon Halong evacuees; A geological firm presented options for long-term rockslide mitigation in Skagway, but none of the choices are easy or cheap; The City and Borough of Wrangell is pausing work at a housing project after archaeologists confirmed artifacts at the site; Months after Joann Fabrics stores closed in Alaska, the gap in craft supplies is being put to the test at a crucial creative time of year: Halloween.

In this newscast: A private beach in Gustavus, known as the Beach Meadows, is now protected by a conservation easement the owners signed with the Southeast Alaska Land Trust; The Trump administration, reverting to a decision during the prior Trump presidency, is again advancing the Ambler Road project in Northwest Alaska, to help mining interests; In the days after Typhoon Halong tore through Western Alaska, the state evacuated hundreds of people to Anchorage. The evacuees say they mostly have what they need, but it's the things the Red Cross can't change that haunt them; In Juneau, young people in Juneau have a new way to find their voice: a podcast club for youth

In this newscast: Local advocates have gathered more than 600 signatures in an effort to pause the looming evictions and demolition of the historic Telephone Hill neighborhood in downtown Juneau; Alaskans will not receive SNAP, or food stamp, benefits for November, according to the state division of public assistance. That’s unless the federal government shutdown ends before then; Dozens of communities in Western Alaska are working to restore essential infrastructure and repair damaged homes after the remnants of Typhoon Halong devastated coastal communities. But one stands out. In Kipnuk, Halong’s high winds and storm surge left a catastrophe. The state Department of Transportation estimates that 90% of the structures in the community were destroyed. Most of Kipnuk’s residents evacuated on military helicopters in the days after the storm; Alaska Congressman Nick Begich has a new challenger. Pastor Matt Schultz of First Presbyterian Church in Anchorage launched his campaign earlier this week.

In this newscast: Final results for Juneau's municipal election dropped Tuesday, showing that voters chose not to implement a new seasonal sales tax system in Juneau next year; The Juneau school board will have two new board members and one returning member following the release of final election results yesterday; Scientists in Southeast Alaska recently established that avalanches are a leading cause of mountain goat mortalities; Over 3 million people visited Alaska during the tourism season that ended in April 2025, marking a new record for the state; President Trump has signed a disaster declaration for Western Alaska; Anchorage officials say they're continuing to assist hundreds of people evacuated from Western Alaska after the catastrophic storm.

In this newscast:  The Alaska Office of Children's Services has struggled with staffing for years, and data shows caseworker demographics also don't line up with the states, or the system's, children; The mayor's task force on short-term rentals wrapped up four months ago, without immediate recommendations on regulations or restrictions for the Juneau Assembly; Juneau's black bears are packing on the pounds to keep from starving during hibernation, and they are going for whatever they can find; Ten women will be inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame tonight, including Joaqlin Estus, an Alaska Native journalist

In this newscast: Alaska Federation of Natives delegates on Saturday called for an immediate emergency declaration from President Donald Trump – and more federal assistance for communities hit by the remnants of Typhoon Halong. It was one of dozens of resolutions passed on the final day of the AFN convention in Anchorage; Alaska Airlines is dropping its popular policy that allowed travelers flying within the state of Alaska to check three bags for free. The change will primarily impact non-Alaska residents; More than 1,500 Juneauites joined millions of people nationwide this weekend to partake in the second iteration of the No Kings protest against President Donald Trump’s policies and actions; Alaska Congressman Nick Begich on Saturday delivered his first address to the Alaska Federation of Natives since being sworn in this year; As residents boarded air transports out of Kipnuk Wednesday, they were leaving what remained of their houses, belongings, and ancestral homeland behind. For many, that list also included their dogs. A Bethel-based nonprofit sprang into action to rescue the pets.

In this newscast: Dozens of attendees at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention stood in protest during U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan's speech Friday morning; Juneau residents got a glimpse of what life in town looked like in the mid-20th century - in Kodachrome; Community leaders in Ketchikan and Saxman have teamed up with the state to build more affordable housing units; Western Alaska residents from the storm-ravaged communities of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok continued to land Thursday night in Anchorage at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson.

In this newscast: Juneau School District's high school graduation rate went up after the first year of consolidating schools; Half a dozen helicopter crews and other aircraft have worked since the weekend to move people and supplies where they're needed in the storm-battered Kuskokwim Delta; Volunteers in Juneau are offering free lunches for federal employees who were furloughed when the government shut down on Oct. 1st; Sealaska Heritage Institute opened its new science education building Monday; Escalating tensions between the U.S. and Canada fueled fears last winter that Canadians would respond by canceling cross-border visits to Alaska this summer, but a full-scale boycott never seemed to materialize

In this newscast: Juneau's cold weather emergency shelter opens tonight; Researchers presented new preliminary data on how the ice contributed this summer's record-breaking flood in the Mendenhall Valley and shared their ideas about how that could change in the future; Juneau School District Superintendent Frank Hauser is resigning; Juneau saw at least five backcountry deaths this summer, many were cruise tourists or visitors; Alaska has joined more than half of the country in creating artificial intelligence guidance for education as it becomes a larger part of the school day

In this newscast:  A power outage hit all of Juneau today just after 11 a.m.; The city clerk's office released another batch of results from Juneau's municipal election today that include ballots cast on Election Day; The former Juneau police officer who slammed a man to the ground during an arrest this summer will not face criminal charges; At least three people are still missing and 51 have been rescued following a record-breaking storm that slammed into the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Sunday; The Norwegian Encore departs Juneau this evening. It's the last cruise ship of the year, and it marks the end of a nearly 200-day tourism season; In a ceremony held on Indigenous People's Day Monday, clan leaders and carvers dedicated the latest pole in Sealaska Heritage Institute's Kooteeyaa Deiyi, Juneau's totem pole trail

In this newscast: A grand jury indicted a Juneau man on two counts of felony assault for allegedly injuring two Juneau Police officers earlier this month Floodwaters have receded in Kotzebue and other western Alaska communities after a storm, but another is coming The Department of Education and Early Development backtracked on its initial recommendation…

In this newscast: Out-of-state undergraduate students at the University of Alaska Southeast will see lower tuition rates beginning next fall, Nearly 100 large whales were reported entangled around the U.S. in 2024, almost a 50% increase from 2023, Funding for a program subsidizing rural air travel is set to continue through early November despite the…

In this newscast: Preliminary results are in for Juneau's 2025 municipal election; No developers have bitten on 200 acres of city land upzoned for denser housing on Douglas Island and in Auke Bay; The interim superintendent for Ketchikan's school district submitted her letter of resignation months into the job; Some Alaskans feel they don't have a meaningful say in the process as a proposed gold mine in Canada goes through its environmental assessment.

In this newscast: Today is municipal Election Day and the KTOO newsroom was around town to chat with voters about their thoughts on the election; The state of Alaska is in the throes of studying what it would take to build a road that would better connect Juneau, Haines and Skagway, and the Dept. of Transportation held open house-style meetings last week to inform the public, and get community feedback; Top state lawmakers say they are investigating why $50 million from the state's primary savings account was invested in an outside private equity fund; A Fairbanks man has a unique antidote to his winter blues: balloon art

In this newscast: Juneau's municipal Election Day is almost here. Voters have until tomorrow night at 8 p.m. sharp to cast their ballots; And Juneau's high school students also cast votes in mock elections to learn more about how they work; The Petersburg Borough assembly passed a resolution last month calling on state and federal authorities for help dealing with rising sea otter populations; President Trump approved the 211-mile Ambler Road in Northwest Alaska today

In this newscast: Among the most vulnerable Alaskans to the ongoing federal shutdown could be thousands of parents who depend on WIC to help them buy food; Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson is joining the race for governor; Juneau voters will decide in this fall's municipal election whether to exempt essential food and residential utilities from local sales tax; Earlier this month, the judge in a case against a former Juneau chiropractor dismissed a charge, which revealed a gap in state sexual assault laws; A Pennsylvania man allegedly used the stolen identities of seven Alaskans in an attempt to steal their Permanent Fund Dividends in 2022

In this newscast: A former Juneau chiropractor accused of sexual assault now has a public defender; Juneau is mulling over how to prepare for next year's glacial outburst flood; It's been over three years since one of Juneau's elementary schools had a functioning library, but it was able to build and open one this year; Funding has lapsed for the federal government, so a shutdown began Wednesday

In this newscast:  A high-profile lawsuit challenging a key part of Alaska's homeschool system moved ahead this week after an Anchorage judge denied a motion to dismiss the case; The Juneau Assembly is considering offering a portion of the future Telephone Hill redevelopment to house U.S. Coast Guard families moving to Juneau,; Tuesday was Orange Shirt Day, a day of remembrance for Indigenous children who were separated from their language, families and culture and sent to residential schools across North America from the late 1800s well into the 20th Century; At Southeast Alaska's annual economic conference in mid-September, fishing industry leaders talked about the importance of modernizing the industry to ensure economic resilience and sustainability

In this newscast: Chief of Police Derek Bos says the Juneau Police Department is taking action to reform its policies after an officer was filmed slamming a man to the ground during an arrest in July; The City and Borough of Juneau has pushed back the eviction deadline for renters living in the historic Telephone Hill neighborhood in downtown Juneau; Goldbelt Incorporated leadership says the Alaska Native corporation has big plans for its proposed $500 million cruise ship port on Juneau's Douglas Island; Most of the staff running three Alaska newspapers on the Kenai Peninsula and Juneau resigned in protest Monday.

In this newscast: Another glacial outburst flood is underway on the Taku River south of Juneau today; Tomorrow is Orange Shirt Day, a day of remembrance for Indigenous children who were separated from their families and sent to residential schools across North America; The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska's plan to open a casino-like gambling hall on Douglas Island may be in jeopardy; When Juneau's homeless shelter limited day services this summer, a group of churches mobilized to fill the gap by distributing hot means in a food truck downtown; President Donald Trump announced plans to increase the cost of some types of work visas earlier this month, and it could have consequences for Alaska's schools and businesses