KTOO News Update

In this newcast: Local rivers ran high and rainfall drenched Memorial Day cookout plans in Juneau over the long weekend; The Juneau Assembly got together in-person, mostly, for its regular meeting last week for the first time in over a year; 72-year-old Albert Kookesh was an Indigenous rights advocate, culture bearer, politician and basketball player; The Biden administration has suspended oil and gas leases in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

In this newscast: The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center will open to the public on Tuesday, June 1; Over the weekend Juneau Drag performers hosted their first live show in 15 minutes; Like other events in the pandemic era, the Wearable Arts Extravaganza was virtual but that didn't keep the artists involved from having fun in 2021; A tall, thin man wearing a hood and mask was caught on a security camera plastering Nazi stickers on a Jewish museum in Anchorage.

In this newscast:

Independent travelers are showing up in force in Southcentral and local tour operators say those are the visitors they’re focusing on this year;

Police and the FBI are investigating stickers that display swastikas and a threatening message that were put on windows and doors of an Anchorage gay bar and a Jewish history museum this week;

The University of Alaska Anchorage is reopening its campuses this fall, including the Homer and Soldotna campuses of Kenai Peninsula College.

In this newscast:

A bill protecting the graves of Unangax̂ people forced to live in internment camps in Funter Bay passed the Alaska Legislature on May 17 and now awaits Gov. Dunleavy’s signature;

Three years ago, Alaska lawmakers passed a bill that established the maximum amount that could be sustainably spent from the Permanent Fund each year, now a new debate pits short-term needs against residents’ long-term interests;

The Southeast Alaska community of Metlakatla is facing its worst COVID-19 outbreak to date.

In this newscast:

Why some Juneau kids chose to get vaccinated against COVID-19;

President Biden signed a bill Monday that will allow cruise ships to return to Southeast Alaska this summer;

Alaska lawmakers sprinted to try to finish their work before the regular session’s constitutional deadline last week. But they failed to pass the budget by then, and now, their momentum seems to have stalled.

In this newscast: President Biden today signed a bill that will allow cruise ships to return to Southeast Alaska this summer; The leaders of Sealaska, the Native corporation for Southeast Alaska, are asking its shareholders to approve the creation of a type of tax shelter called a trust; After considering raising, then lowering the local property tax rate, the Juneau Assembly decided to keep it the same.

In this newscast: 

A family member of the missing Geraldine "Gerry" Nelson says the 78-year-old woman has been found, 

the special legislative session begins in Juneau, 

about 1 in every 10 Alaskans were in a household that applied for a massive pandemic rent relief program, 

the Rasmuson Foundation names Juneau writer Ernestine Hayes its 2021 Distinguished Artist, and 

YouTuber NuttyNu gains a following showing the grittier side of Anchorage.

In this newscast: After five days, there's been no let up in the search for Geraldine Nelson; The City of Gustavus is getting a multi-million dollar airport upgrade; Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has said his administration won't require vaccine passports.

In this newscast: Juneau's high school seniors are finally graduating this weekend after facing the unprecedented challenge of finishing high school during a global pandemic; An Alaska Native Corporation shareholder has won a partial victory on appeal in his fight with state financial regulators over critical social media posts; Alaska lawmakers passed a bill to Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday that boosters say would ensure better long-term planning for the state-run ferry system.

In this newscast: A Juneau resident has asked the state for a permit to build a gravel trail in the Montana Creek area; Each year, the American Red Cross of Alaska awards people around the state for acts of heroism in their community; Friends, family, law enforcement and search and rescue teams are still looking for an elderly Juneau woman who disappeared Sunday in the Lemon Creek area.