KTOO News Update

By KTOO Public Media

KTOO News Update episodes

July 15Newscast – Tuesday, July 14, 2026
https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260714-News-Update.mp3
In this newscast:
A Juneau artist’s design will be printed on bear garbage cans downtown. Crystal Jackson’s painting of bears frolicking on a rainbow background is the winning artwork in a contest to decorate 44 new bear cans.
A cruise ship dock and development project planned for downtown Juneau will be scaled down by more than half its original size but will cost an additional $100 million dollars.
Juneau’s off-road vehicle park, years in the making, could open its first trail as soon as this September.
An AI-generated story of a beluga whale escaping the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward received millions of views across social media last month. The center quickly issued a statement confirming the story was false. But the incident highlights how AI-generated content is becoming harder to identify. And for organizations like the SeaLife Center, how false information can harm their reputation and credibility.
What does it mean for Alaska to get the maximum benefit from its resources?
13 min
July 14Newscast – Monday, July 13, 2026
https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260713-News-Update.mp3
In this newscast:
Juneau’s new off-road vehicle park could partially open as soon as this September
One of Juneau’s most dangerous intersections, near Fred Meyer, will get a traffic light thanks to a federal grant
Sorely needed renovations at two affordable housing complexes in Juneau come with challenges for tenants
A new study suggests having a dog could more than double the chance of a bear conflict
12 min
July 11Newscast – Friday, July 10, 2026
https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260710-News-Update.mp3
In this newscast:
Defenders of ranked choice voting and the open primary filed complaints to the Alaska Public Offices Commissions against a campaign supporting a measure to repeal both things.
A Juneau resident shot and wounded a yearling black bear that was rummaging through trash downtown on Thursday morning.
Alaska’s three major cities continue to have higher living costs than most of the nation’s urban areas.
KTOO’s Mike Lane speaks with Southeast Alaska Food Bank executive director Dan Parks about the organization’s work to combat food insecurity.
12 min
July 10Newscast – Thursday, July 9, 2026
https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260709-News-Update.mp3
In this newscast:
Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a bill today that would have reimposed limits on campaign contributions in state elections.
The City and Borough of Juneau released a new evacuation zone map in preparation for the glacial outburst flood expected later this summer.
The Alaska Beacon reports Alaskans who have been wrongfully convicted can now apply to claim Alaska Permanent Fund dividends that were withheld while they were incarcerated, under a new law.
The future of Juneau’s city museum is uncertain as the effects of the Assembly’s budget cuts begin to take hold.
13 min
July 09Newscast – Wednesday, July 8, 2026
https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260708-News-Update.mp3
In this newscast:
The Juneau School District’s chief financial officer is resigning.
Some whale advocates want to relist Pacific gray whales under the Endangered Species Act.
A team of experts is working to salvage a Coast Guard helicopter that crashed on Sitka’s Harbor Mountain last month.
A Soldotna swimmer brought home silver in the 50-yard freestyle at the Special Olympics USA games last month in Minnesota.
Petersburg celebrated its second annual Amy Hallingstad Day on June 28.
12 min
July 08Newscast – Tuesday, July 7, 2026
https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260707-News-Update.mp3
In this newscast:
Juneau’s city-owned Eaglecrest Ski Area will soon have a new general manager.
State lawmakers are debating whether to controversial tax change in a bill aimed at easing the financial case for the Alaska LNG project.
A red-tailed hawk named Warrior escaped from the American Bald Eagle Foundation in Haines on Friday.
Fairbanks scientists are tracking a tiny parasite that lives in local swimming holes and triggers a rash that rivals the worst bug bites.
12 min
July 07Newscast – Monday, July 6, 2026
https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260706-News-Update.mp3
In this newscast:
A black bear entered Juneau’s historic Alaskan Hotel on Sunday,
Ship traffic is growing in the Arctic and scientists are looking at how that affects marine mammals,
A California couple set out to play a game of croquet on the lawn of every state capitol, but Alaska’s doesn’t have a lawn,
The Alaska state House’s ethics committee says Homer Republican Representative Sarah Vance likely violated state law by using publicly funded resources to criticize a local newspaper’s coverage
12 min
July 03Newscast – Thursday, July 3, 2026
https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260702-News-Update.mp3
In this newscast:
Two cruise ships in Southeast Alaska have reported norovirus outbreaks in recent weeks,
Tlingit and Haida’s president spoke about addiction prevention during the grand opening of Juneau’s first casino,
Cancer Connection now has its first executive director,
Alaska lawmakers failed to meet an informal deadline Wednesday to vote on a bill reducing taxes for the Alaska LNG project
11 min
July 02Newscast – Wednesday, July 1, 2026
https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260701-News-Update-1.mp3
In this newscast:
Juneau’s city clerk’s office certified a citizen ballot proposition late last week that seeks to raise the city’s cap on the local property tax rate,
A draft environmental assessment looking at homeporting up to two Coast Guard icebreakers in Juneau is open for public comment,
A glacial lake outburst flood on the Taku River south of Juneau crested early Wednesday morning,
Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland came to Juneau last weekend as a stop on a tour of her new memoir “A Voice Like Mine,”
School districts across Alaska are set to receive up to $115 million in one-time funding this year thanks to high oil prices,
In June, the Sitka Sound Science Center’s marine debris cleanup program crew found a message in a bottle
13 min
July 01Newscast – Tuesday, June 30, 2026
https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260630-News-Update-2.mp3
In this newscast:
Juneau residents will see a 5% hike in their water and sewer utility rates starting Wednesday. Service and program fees at many city parks and recreation facilities will also increase.
Juneau’s city clerk’s office certified a citizen ballot proposition last week that seeks to raise the city’s cap on the local property tax rate, also known as the mill rate. The move would return the tax rate back to where it was before voters approved lowering it last fall.
During the last weekend of LGBTQ+ Pride month, Juneau’s drag artists put together a sold-out show at a new venue in town. People there said the show is a celebration of community, love and resistance.
The Alaska Supreme Court says Dan J. Sullivan must be included on the ballot for U.S. Senate seat. The court sent the case back to the Division of Elections to decide how the challenger’s name will appear.
A group of Alaska Native organizations is launching a new rural veterinary public health program next month [in July] to provide care for animals in dozens of villages across the state.
11 min