KFSK Midday Magazine

Lawmakers in the House and Senate are racing to craft a bill that would allow homeschool programs in Alaska to continue; Petersburg High School students got a taste of reality at a financial fair on Friday; a commentary about teacher salaries and education funding from Rachel Kandoll.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a man in Keku Straight near Kuiu Island earlier this week; a ruling that declared two laws key to Alaska's homeschool system unconstitutional will be put on hold through the end of July; the Petersburg School District is preparing for possible measles cases in the face of ongoing outbreaks in the Lower 48.

The Alaska Senate passed its version of the state's operating budget yesterday; groups in Petersburg have different views when it comes to how much Narcan helps with opioid overdoses; Senate lawmakers are pushing for a return to a pension-style retirement system for state and local government workers.

A proposed management plan for Crystal Lake Hatchery king salmon will be considered by the Alaska Board of Fisheries next year; the U.S. Forest Service is seeking 10,000 handmade ornaments from Alaska to decorate the capital's christmas tree, which will be from the Tongass National Forest; opioid overdose deaths are up in Alaska.

The Sea Lion docked in Petersburg on Saturday, marking the beginning of cruise ship season; the Alaska House passed a bill last week that would standardize the property assessment process in the state; last month a whale biologist spotted a juvenile bowhead whale in Sitka Sound.

The Petersburg School District has joined a group that is planning to sue the state for failure to properly fund education; a ban on social media accounts for children under 14 passed the House on Friday; Ketchikan students are rehearsing a play adapted from a traditional Tsimshian origin story.

Communities in Southeast Alaska lost power for a few hours yesterday due to a failure along the power grid in Ketchikan; the Alaska House of Representatives approved a proposition on Wednesday that would ban children under 14 from creating social media accounts; three men are charged in federal court for illegally transporting Alaska crab to sell in Washington; communities in Southeast Alaska lost power for a few hours yesterday due to a failure along the power grid in Ketchikan.

Petersburg residents marched in support of increased state funding for education yesterday; the Alaska House is weighing in on a court decision that threatens key elements of the state's homeschool system; Petesrburg's track and field team competed at the first meet of the season last weekend in Ketchikan.

Negotiations are stalled between Petersburg's teachers union and the school board; flat state education funding is causing drastic cuts in programming and workforce at Sitka's school district; House lawmakers removed an amendment from a bill that would have raised the age of consent from 16 to 18 in some situations.

The Alaska Senate's draft budget includes a roughly $1,300 Permanent Fund dividend; the Alaska Senate passed a bill yesterday to tighten residency requirements on hunting and fishing licenses; a group of Petersburg High School students visited Washington D.C. and New York City this month, and got a look at how the government works.