KTOO News Update

In this newscast: Scientists and Alaska Native leaders released a report this week claiming plastic waste in the Arctic is contaminating essential resources of Indigenous communities Khalil English shares his research on silverweed, a seemingly inconspicuous plant with deep roots in Pacific Northwest history

In this newscast: Wrangell’s Nolan Center hosted a screening of Blue Ticket on Monday. It’s a film of a play that KTOO documented back in 2019. The play’s author, Maureen Longworth, documented how gay men in Juneau were exiled from the city in the 1960s. The Alaska Native Birthworkers Community is a collective of Indigenous…

In this newscast: The Juneau planning commission agreed to let an outdoor food court expand into the empty lot that once housed the demolished Elks Hall building; The National Native Boarding School Healing Coalition will conduct interviews to document abuse at boarding schools; Alaska Public Media reporter Eric Stone on the Superior Court ruling that found a key benefit to families who choose certain types of homeschooling unconstitutional, and what it means

In this newscast: Peter Pan Seafood announced Friday that it was ceasing operations; A partisan brawl is about to erupt in Congress over the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Alaska's US senators are seemingly split over it; Tongass Voices: Jeremy Kane on the philosophy of bowl-making

In this newscast: Cancer patients in Juneau who need gynecological surgery no longer have to leave town to get it; The Alaska House of Representatives passed its $6 billion operating budget today

In this newscast:  City officials in Juneau have proposed a municipal spending plan for next year that slightly raises the property tax rate; Many Alaskans have to travel a long way for certain healthcare treatments, but a bill in the state House aims to close that distance by expanding the list of providers Alaskans can see remotely; And from Wednesday night's Alaska Folk Fest mainstage: Costa's Poets Thieves and Liars

In this newscast: A group of activists in Juneau filed paperwork in the hopes of putting a question on the 2024 local election ballot about whether the city should begin enforcing "Ship-free Saturdays"; The Sitka Assembly is calling for the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium to reconsider a decision it made to close the home health department; A taste of the 49th annual Alaska Folk Festival

In this newscast: The Norwegian Bliss docked in Juneau this morning, marking the beginning of the 2024 cruise ship season; State education officials continue to dispute the federal government's claim that Alaska didn't fund schools equitably during the pandemic; Athletes from across Alaska and some from the Lower 48 came to Juneau to compete in the seventh annual Traditional Games

In this newscast: Some projects the city plans to fund with marine passenger fees are being contested by cruise line officials; A look ahead at this year's cruise season, which starts tomorrow; Tongass Voices: Joey Scoggins and Khrystal Brouillette-Gillam and the Juneau Hostel

In this newscast: Involvement in traditional games and Native Youth Olympics are growing across Alaska and two coaches from Juneau's team visited Petersburg to show students what these sports are all about; Legendary Juneau musician Buddy Tabor died in 2012, and a group of Southeast Alaska artists are working to make his music available on streaming services