Hometown, Alaska - Alaska Public Media

Book number four, from Heather Lende, is about why and how people in small towns find a way—usually—to remain civil to one another. In “Of Bears and Ballots,” Lende tells the stories that bubbled (sometimes volcanoed) to the surface in Haines, Alaska while she served on the borough assembly there. A former logging town that […]

In this time of COVID-19, I am spending a lot of time outdoors. We are surely blessed with one of the greatest systems of hiking and walking trails, and they’ve become my daily go-to. This is where the idea for a Hometown Alaska program on foraging came from, and also from spotting a gardener and […]

The tragic death of George Floyd beneath the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer, captured on video, has sparked national and global scrutiny and concern over how police treat people of color. That concern has come to Anchorage. Both the police union and the police chief issued statements after Floyd’s death, decrying the act […]

The comfortable, reliable, always available public library took a whacking under COVID-19. The facility closed its doors to the public, while within, employees worked to keep up with user questions and online services. I know. Back in April, I wanted an e-book that was available through Anchorage Public Library. But I struggled with the download. […]

Alaskans take to growing flowers and food with vigor in our short growing season. And this year, with physical distancing thanks to the coronavirus, the backyard is a place to work and play safely. Hence, the family garden thrives. But our growing season is short and intense. It’s actually in December and January and February […]

Kevin Worrell of Parlor in the Round had a music performance event planned March 12, 2020. As he recalls, his team spent the morning wiring Bear Tooth Theatre Pub….when word came that Anchorage had shut down, thanks to the threat of the coronavirus. By 3 pm, just like that, they were pulling the plug. Event […]

Alaska Public Media will feature a new television documentary, ASIAN AMERICANS, on Monday and Tuesday, May 11 and 12, at 7 p.m. each evening. Led by a team of Asian American filmmakers, including producer Renee Tajima-Peña (Who Killed Vincent Chin?, No Más Bebés), this project examines the significant role of Asian Americans in shaping American […]

My first question when I learned that Alaskans can still acquire state land was to ask if that was through homesteading. The answer is no, though probably because of history, that myth or question persists. Homesteading officially ended in Alaska in 1986, 10 years after it ended in other states. That reprieve for Alaska was […]

No, this is not a report detailing what a bad parent you are because you let your children play for hours on tablets, phones and home computers. Instead, it acknowledges that screens are a part of life for adults, juveniles and toddlers. How can a mom, checking her work e-mall after supper, tell her 10-year-old […]

Every American institution and most aspects of everyday life are impacted by efforts to quell the spread of the coronavirus. Public schools are closed. Working parents share the kitchen table and the family WiFi with students studying at home. Telemedicine gets a huge boost as medical facilities try to keep caregivers and patients at arms […]