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On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Alaska has the highest proportion of independent voters in the country. Alaska’s Division of Forestry released its plan for selling timber in Southeast Alaska for the next five years. The Alaska House of Representatives passed its $6 billion operating budget yesterday.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: A partisan brawl is about to erupt in Congress over the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Alaska's Senators are at odds. The University of Alaska Fairbanks has received a 20-million-dollar National Science Foundation grant to research climate change effects on marine species in the Gulf of Alaska and the communities which depend on them. And a conversation with Reresentative Mary Peltola.

Photo: Alaska’s congressional delegation spoke to visiting students outside the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan were demonstrating the hand signals they use to vote in the Senate chamber. Their gestures happen to reflect how they feel about a Senate trial on the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Bianca Cross has been named the city's next police chief, which will make her the first woman to lead the state's largest police force. A fire broke out at one of Ketchikan’s fire stations last night [Weds 4/9], with multiple emergency vehicles presumed destroyed and heavy structural damage to the building. And a bill in the state House aims to improve access to telehealth services.

Photo: The South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department responds to emergency calls from the southern area of the Borough. (Jack Darrell/KRBD)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: A young humpback whale was rescued in Unalaska last Friday after being entangled in suspected fishing gear for at least four days. Demolition of Fairbanks tallest building is scheduled to get underway this spring. And  Silver Bay Seafoods is poised to take over Peter Pan Seafoods’ processing operations this year, according to a joint press release on Thursday.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowksi has applauded more than $50 million in federal funding headed for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta area. The railbelt needs to find a replacement for Cook Inlet natural gas. One study suggests the cheapest option is to ramp up renewable energy. And Anchorage officials are trying to create some clear structure and guidance for people living in Anchorage without homes this summer.

On today’s Midday Report with host Brian Venua: State lawmakers got some perspective on a COVID-related, education funding dispute between Alaska and the federal government on Wednesday. A federal grant program that aims to keep Alaskans safe from tsunamis is slated for elimination. And the Bureau of Land Management is holding a series of public meetings next week on the Alaska Long Trail.

Photo: The Bureau of Land Management is holding a series of public meetings next week on the Alaska Long Trail.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Juneau could set aside cruise ship money aside to help the city’s tourism businesses cut down on polluting fossil-fuels. The Anchorage Assembly and Mayor Dave Bronson are at odds over water. And the federal government has given partial approval to most of Alaska's Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.

Photo: Senate Finance Committee Co-Chair Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, listens to testimony from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner Ryan Anderson on Feb. 28, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Alaska lawmakers in the state House are giving a skeptical eye to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s efforts to challenge the federal government in court. The top two candidates in Anchorage’s mayoral race are preparing for a runoff election. And a U.S. District Court will mull over the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District’s decision to remove 56 books from school libraries.

Photo: Plaintiffs who sued the Mat-Su School District over the removal of 56 books without review (from left to right) Mitchell Clarkson, Dawn Adams, Gannon Clarkson, Northern Justice Project attorney Savannah Fletcher and Scott Adams on April 2, 2024 (Tim Rockey / Alaska Public Media)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Federal researchers indicate the gray whale population along the West Coast is showing signs of recovery . Bristol Bay communities are struggling with numerous overdoses as tens of thousands of lethal doses of opioids flow into the region. And work is scheduled to resume this month on a bridge that will cross a slumping stretch of the road into Denali National Park.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola frequently votes against her party. Federal officials have approved most of Alaska’s four-year statewide transportation improvement program, or STIP.  And University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers will partner with Galena residents on a Yukon River hydroelectric project.

 Photo: ACEP research engineer Jack Schmid, left, and research professional Paul Duvoy help position the Oceana river turbine suspended from a barge during testing in the Tanana River near Nenana conducted in 2016 by ACEP's Hydrokinetic Energy Research Center.