KTOO News Update

In this newscast: Juneau residents interested in running for Mayor, School Board and two Assembly seats have the opportunity to do so starting this Friday at 8 a.m; An intense local debate ensues in Haines over non-traditional housing because of people living in yurts; The traditionally low-wage industry of child care is having an especially hard time competing for workers in a tight labor market in Alaska; The state announced plans to gauge the extent of contamination at and around the Gustavus Airport this week.

In this newscast: Invasive plant species are threatening local ecosystems in Southeast Alaska, and Skagway's local tribal government is working to stop the spread; Sen. Lisa Murkowski is not backing away from her position that the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 was a desecration of democracy, and that former President Donald Trump is responsible for inciting it; The U.S. Forest Service has finished gathering feedback on deferred maintenance throughout Alaska.

In this newscast: Several hundred Filipino Alaskans from around Southeast gathered at Centennial Hall in Juneau this week to get much-needed services from the Philippine Consulate; Contractors for Juneau’s Bartlett Regional Hospital broke ground on a multi-million dollar expansion project last month; Brett Huber, a former top aide to Alaska GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy, has returned to the governor’s office after running last year’s campaign against the ballot measure that instituted ranked-choice voting; A 21-year-old Anchorage man was indicted on Friday for shooting five people near a downtown gas station where he worked in June.

In this newscast: Within a set of glaciers and mountains near Juneau, there's seismic activity almost every day in the summer; The first large cruise ship to visit Alaska since 2019 arrives Friday morning; An official says favorable weather conditions have allowed firefighters to bolster protections for structures even as a wildfire burning in interior Alaska had grown on the opposite end.

In this newscast: A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck a remote part of Glacier Bay National Park at 12:40 p.m. on Thursday; Juneau Italian restaurant In Bocca Al Lupo owners wanted a dinner party, but they also wanted to highlight women chefs of color; The recent uptick in coronavirus cases has pushed Sitka's alert level up to "high" -- but state officials are not yet calling the increase part of a statewide trend.

In this newscast: Gov. Mike Dunleavy's office made a $4 billion error by failing to cross out a few lines; Before too many people see the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in the rearview mirror, the Museum of the North is collecting artifacts that represent Alaska's response to the pandemic; Kathy Ruddy was a long-time friend and among the most dedicated volunteers at KTOO; The city of Anchorage is facing a four-fold increase in the cost of its insurance against ransomware and other cyberattacks.

In this newscast: Firefighters remain focused on protecting Chena Hot Springs Resort and area cabins from the Munson Creek wildfire; Along with Independence Day, the Fourth of July also marks Elizabeth Peratrovich's birthday; Reborn airline Ravn Alaska has hired several people to study a new trans-Pacific service that its chief executive says could launch as soon as next summer.

In this newcast: Twenty-one-year-old Kaylie Harris died by suicide at Anchorage’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson earlier this year, after she reported being sexually assaulted on base; Governor Mike Dunleavy yesterday asked for a new slate of nominees for a vacant seat on the Alaska Supreme Court, to replace Chief Justice Joe Bolger who is retiring; A bear swatted and injured a visitor at Katmai National Park on Wednesday afternoon.

In this newscast: The Fourth of July is this Sunday and many Americans are eager to celebrate after more than a year of social distancing; Legislators voted earlier this week to avoid a partial government shutdown, but they couldn't agree on how to fund college scholarships to support more than 5,400 Alaskan students; A deadly fungus could threaten several amphibian species in the Tongass National Forest; Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy today vetoed around 12% of the ferry operating budget.

In this newscast: Major flooding on the Taku River near Juneau is underway after a glacial dam release dumped even more water into an already swollen river; Employees of the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium must be vaccinated for COVID by today; Police in the Southeast community of Wrangell were recently equipped with body cameras that log an officer's interactions with the public; A new mayor takes the reins of Alaska's largest city on Thursday.