A plan for a more affordable and efficient electric system is at the heart of an effort to build a grid that meets the future needs for Alaskans. Nearly 75% of Alaska’s residents live along the 700 mile railbelt system from Homer to Fairbanks. The utilities, consumer groups and energy experts are all in the mix to solicit ideas to make the power grid more efficient and resilient. What do you need to know about how you can weigh in? We discuss it on this Talk of Alaska.

John McPhee’s 1977 book Coming into the Country inspired young people to visit Alaska and many stayed. More recently, one of McPhee’s former students followed his path around the state, and was featured on Talk of Alaska. On this Talk of Alaska, we revisit Lori Townsend's 2017 conversation with McPhee about his book and his travels. Join us for a walk down memory lane on this very special Talk of Alaska.

Winter in Alaska can be lots of fun. It can also get long, and deep cold, combined with darkness, can make even the most optimistic among us get a little anxious, a little less productive, and a little cranky. But instead of dreading the long, northern winter, there are lots of ways to embrace it and enjoy snow and even cold. Join us for a discussion and tips on how to love winter on this Talk of Alaska.

Alaska Public Media’s warmest holiday tradition, Talk of Alaska: Holiday Greetings from Across the State, is back again this year with hosts Steve Heimel and Wesley Early.

Connecting Alaskans, from Utqiaġvik to Juneau, hear festive greetings, well wishes and sentiments from those who call Alaska home. With listeners all over the state, and even in the Lower 48 and Hawaii, this show is the perfect opportunity to send love to friends and family, no matter where they may be.

Stable housing helps people live healthier, happier lives with less risk of injury, illness and trauma that our unhoused neighbors face on a daily basis. In the past decade, increased attention to the growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness has resulted in multiple efforts to help get people off the streets with mixed results. The United Way, the Municipality of Anchorage, Southcentral Foundation and other partners started the Home for Good program in 2019 and are beginning to see results. We learn about the ideas behind the program and how success is being measured on this Talk of Alaska.

Many young people have been inspired to venture to the 49th state by the book Coming into the Country, by John McPhee.

Nearly 50 years later, a student of McPhee’s followed in his footsteps and wrote about his life changing travels through Alaska’s vast wilderness. The author and Alaskans who helped him learn about the state, and how climate change is reshaping the Arctic, join us to discuss his book, North to the Future, on this Talk of Alaska.

If you’ve ever attended the Anchorage International Film Festival, you know their slogan, films worth freezing for, is accurate. The annual line up of features and shorts from Alaskan filmmakers and other U.S. and international creatives brings a festive start to December. This year is the festival’s 25th anniversary and Alaska Native film adaptations of classic books like Two Old Women will bring even more excitement to this year’s mix. Directors and filmmakers join us to dig into the details on this Talk of Alaska.

The Alaska office of Children’s Services, OCS, is tasked with protecting children and supporting struggling families. Providing a stable, loving home for children helps improve their chances for success in health, education, social settings and future employment. An audit required by a 2018 law aimed at improving OCS outcomes found problems persist. Where has OCS had success and what else is needed? Advocates on both sides join us for this Talk of Alaska.

Aurora Borealis, more commonly known as the Northern Lights, have inspired legends, songs and stories for generations. Recent atmospheric conditions have made the aurora especially active and have delighted Alaskans as well as people in the lower 48. What’s the science behind the spike in activity? Why do the colorful displays happen at all? And how can you capture better photos of them? Understanding the science and enjoying the mystique of the vibrant streaks of light in the winter sky is our discussion on this Talk of Alaska.

For decades, most Americans have relied on the American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and their own local physician to get advice and guidance on everything from a healthy diet and exercise to air quality, disease prevention and which annual vaccines they should get. But the Trump administration’s pick of RFK Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary has cast confusion and doubt on long standing medical norms. What do two of Alaska’s top doctors think of his ideas and how might it affect public health in the future? They join us for this Talk of Alaska.