Governor Mike Dunleavy is proposing additional hunting opportunities in the Matanuska-Susitna region by bringing in Sitka black-tailed deer . A state document obtained by the Anchorage Daily News points out a number of potential issues with that plan. KTNA’s Phillip Manning spoke with ADN report Zachariah Hughes about the story. Phillip Manning: I’ve got with me today Zachariah Hughes from the Anchorage Daily News, and we’re here to discuss a story that you wrote recently about the governor’s

Fishing vessels cast wide nets, and they often catch more than the species they’re targeting. That’s bycatch: one of the longest-running controversies in the fleet and a vexing problem for fisheries managers . Now, the Dunleavy administration is wading into the debate by naming a task force to study the issue and find ways to make it better for everyone working on the water. Governor Mike Dunleavy’s office recently announced it’s setting up a task force to tackle the thorny issue of bycatch.

President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law on Monday, November 15. The Senate passed the $1.2 trillion dollar bill in August. Thirteen Republicans -- including at-large Alaska Congressman Don Young -- joined the majority of Democrats to pass the bill . The infrastructure funding package will deliver $550 billion dollars in federal investments over five years. The money will go to support roads, mass transit, rail projects, renewable energy and improving

The first international Indigenous musical festival -- Rock Aak’w showcased several Native artists. For several artists, this was their first time on the mainstage of a festival. Rock Aak’w brought musicians from around the world in a virtual celebration of music, Indigenous values and family. It felt like a family reunion as relatives came together to share a range of musical styles like blues, jazz, folk, and more. Singer-and-songwriter Nicole Church is Łingit and has performed a number of

Fourteen musical acts will participate in an international Indigenous music festival based in Juneau. Alaska Native musicians will join several others in the virtual festival called Rock Aak’w . KNBA’s Tripp Crouse talks with one of the festival organizers Qacung Stephen Blanchett about putting together the lineup. Can you give a synopsis of what you're doing now, but also maybe how you got there? Qacung Stephen Blanchet: Yeah, sure. I'm one of the members of Pamyua. We've been performing almost

Bering Strait region Tribal consortium Kawerak published a language glossary which provides terms in research, science and policy in English, Inupiaq, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, and Yup’ik. The glossary is part of Kawerak’s ‘Knowledge Sovereignty and the Indigenization of Knowledge.’ The Indigenization of Knowledge informs the community about Tribal and traditional knowledge. Kawerak Social Science Program Director Julie Raymond-Yakoubian emphasized the relevance of indigenous knowledge today

For more than 60 years, the Eklutna River north of Anchorage had been dammed up, stifling the salmon runs that fed generations of Dena’ina people in the area. Before the damming, for hundreds of years, the area surrounding Eklutna Lake was populated by the Dena’ina people. Curtis McQueen says the inhabitants were originally more nomadic. “They settled these lands here and never left because of the rich abundance of habitat in this area,” Curtis McQueen said of the originally nomadic Dena’ina.

Content warning: This story contains accounts from descendants of boarding school survivors that may be distressing for some readers. As the sun rose on Thursday, K’aaxnaa.at Bamby James and the Strong Women singers finished a women’s prayer song. Then they joined dozens of others waving at traffic along Egan Drive. Their bright orange t-shirts popped out against the deep blue shadows of the early morning. It was chilly, kids were running around wrapped in blankets. But warm coffee and pastries

A man who pleaded guilty to killing a 10-year-old Kotzebue girl has been sentenced to 99 years in prison. Utqiaġvik Superior Court Judge Nelson Traverso sentenced Peter Vance Wilson on September 21st, 2021, to serve 99 years in custody in the disappearance and death of Ashley Johnson-Barr. The 10-year-old Kotzebue girl went missing in September 2018. Her father, Scotty Barr, says he was grateful for the national support as the case made its way through court. “I can't thank everybody for what

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced earlier this month that all major crab stocks are down. And for the first time in over 25 years, the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery will be closed . The species is world-renowned and was largely made famous by the popular reality tv show “Deadliest Catch.” In the glory days of king crab fishing, locals describe hundreds of boats rushing into the cold Bering Sea to harvest millions of pounds of the crab worth even more millions of dollars. The