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On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: An organization in Southeast Alaska has won a half-million dollar grant to reduce the cost of trash disposal. Lawyers in Alaska are hoping to become a more diverse profession, and ideally more accessible. And the Alaska Department of Transportation has temporarily closed a trail across a desecrated burial ground.

Photo: Trail closure at the O'Brien Creek Bridge.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The Alaska Judicial Council has voted to recommend retention of all 19 judges on the November ballot, but not without dissent. The Donlin Gold project plans to be powered by a gas pipeline stretching hundreds of miles to Cook Inlet. And the Alaska Federation of Natives has rolled-out plans for its October convention, with a program dedicated to the younger generation.

Photo: Proposed natural gas pipeline to be used by Donlin Gold facility.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Dozens of people had to scramble to find a way home from Haines this weekend when two sailings of the LeConte were canceled. Sixteen people from Wrangell and Petersburg are about to paddle north to Juneau for the bi-annual Celebration festival. And a bill to help ease Alaska’s teacher shortage is on the governor’s desk awaiting his signature.

Photo: Paddlers practice on April 15, 2024 near Reliance Float Dock in Wrangell for the upcoming Journey to Celebration – A 150-nautical mile paddling journey from Wrangell to Juneau. (Colette Czarnecki/KSTK)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: A group of young Alaskans is suing the state of Alaska in an attempt to block construction of the trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline. A Kotzebue police sergeant has resigned after making racist comments on social media. And Alaskans investing in renewable energy for their homes could tap into a “green bank”, eventually.

Photo: Mike Cox resigned from the Kotzebue police department after making racist comments.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly heard from citizens who want to change the way ballots are counted in local elections. The state’s powerful tides have enormous potential to generate power, but that energy is inaccessible. And across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta families are celebrating young hunter gatherers with Throwing Parties.

Photo: Researchers steady a bottom lander, deployed in a tidal study at the East Foreland this summer.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: A cyclist from Homer came out on top at the U.S Professional Road Race Championship last Sunday. Suzanne LaFrance has declared victory in Anchorage’s mayoral race. And Finance Co-Chair Senator Bert Stedman talks about the state operating budget.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The mining company Graphite One may be able to tap into new funding to speed up their plans. An investigation says the loss of a charter vessel in Sitka Sound one year ago was sudden and catastrophic. And the interconnected electrical grids of Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Wrangell need work.

Photo: Morgan Robidou poses with the Awakin in October, 2022. According to the Coast Guard report, the Awakin was quickly capsized, leading to the loss of Robidou and his four passengers.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola continues to be one of the Democrats most likely to vote against her party. A bill awaiting the governor's signature would ban harmful “forever chemicals”. And two brothers and a friend walked the 100 miles from Nome to Shishmaref.

Photo: James Horner, Wilson Hoogendorn, and Oliver Hoogendorn pose for a photo in the Bering Air terminal at the Nome Airport. Photo courtesy of Oliver Hoogendorn.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The Alaska legislature passed a bill this month to start a psychedelic medicine task force. The Alaska House and Senate passed a high-priority package of crime bills on Wednesday. And advocates for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People say a recently passed bill is a major milestone.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Suzanne LaFrance is poised to unseat incumbent Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and become the city’s first elected female mayor. After 121 days in Juneau, state lawmakers have concluded their work. And National Parks are using social media to boost visitor numbers and amplify their conservation efforts.

Photo: Anchorage mayoral candidate Suzanne LaFrance speaks at Williwaw Social after results showed her leading incumbent Mayor Dave Bronson on May 14, 2024. (Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Budget negotiators in the Alaska Legislature have settled on the amount of this year’s Permanent Fund dividend and energy relief check. And Juneau executed two Black men for murder In 1948 and 1950. A legal historian says the trials were riddled with misconduct and errors, and should be remembered.

Photo: Headlines from Alaska newspapers in the late 1940s covering the trials of Austin Nelson and Eugene LaMoore. (Library of Congress/KTOO)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Breakup has wrapped up on the Kuskokwim River, now the cleanup starts. Families around the state are waiting to find out whether they’ll get correspondence school allotments next school year. And injured commercial fishermen and boat owners in Alaska will now be able to access higher insurance reimbursements.

Photo: Home school students Isaac Ward and his sister Primose, with mother Miriam at the UAA Fine Arts Building on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The National Weather Service says the end of breakup is in sight for the Kuskokwim. The Red Dog Mine in Northwest Alaska is running out of ore. And key state lawmakers are throwing cold water on the idea of cutting state royalties on oil and natural gas to spur production in Cook Inlet.

Photo: 1989 photo of Red Dog Mine.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Alaskans who sued the state over long wait times for food assistance are asking a federal judge to order the state to speed up processing. Ice jams from breakup on the Kuskokwim River are causing high water to inundate many lower river communities. And a bill to regulate community solar projects is moving quickly through the Alaska Legislature and appears close to becoming law.

Photo: Floodwaters rise in Bethel’s Alligator Acres neighborhood on May 9, 2024. (Photo by MaryCait Dolan/KYUK)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: A recent report describes transboundary Canadian gold mines as Ponzi schemes. NANA Regional Corporation announced on Wednesday that it plans to withdraw from the Ambler Road Project. And the state Department of Environmental Conservation has no plans to clean up the site where a cargo plane crashed and burned near Fairbanks.

Bjorn Dihle stands in front of acid mine drainage at the abandoned Tulsequah Chief Mine, which has been contaminating the transboundary Taku River for decades. Photo: Chris Miller

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The Coast Guard’s plan to build three heavy icebreakers is years behind schedule and the price has ballooned. The Alaska Legislature shot down one of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s nominees to the state Board of Education and Early Development on Tuesday. And Kinross’s partner in the Manh Choh Mine has agreements to acquire some new Alaska gold prospects.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: A killer whale has been approaching boaters in Juneau. Lawmakers in the House and Senate are racing to craft a bill that would allow homeschool programs to continue. And red sweaters filled the streets of Nome Sunday as nearly 100 people marched to bring awareness to indigenous injustice.

Photo: An orca travels near Admiralty Cove on Saturday, March 23, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: A weeks-long interruption affected incoming calls for an unknown number of GCI mobile customers across Alaska. One People Canoe Society instructors taught Wrangell residents how to make traditional Tlingit paddles. And one Alaska city prepares for a potential measles outbreak.

Photo: Doug Chilton instructs Wrangell residents on how to make a paddle on March 8, 2024 at the Wrangell High School’s woodshop. (Colette Czarnecki/KSTK)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Federal investigators say the cargo plane that crashed and burned near Fairbanks late last month lost a burning engine in the moments before impact. In a Ketchikan School Board meeting that focused on a massive budget shortfall, the Board also voted to keep a book in the high school library. And Anchorage mayoral candidates Dave Bronson and Suzanne LaFrance faced off in a debate last night.

Photo: Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson (left) asks a question of his opponent Suzanne LaFrance (right) during a mayoral runoff debate held at the Alaska Public Media Building on Thursday, May 2, 2024.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Efforts to increase availability of the overdose reversing drug Narcan are being met with skepticism from some in law enforcement. The Alaska Senate passed its version of the state’s operating budget Wednesday. And the state House Judiciary Committee proposed a constitutional amendment that would keep correspondence school funding in place.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: State Senators are pitching a new package of crime bills dealing with a wide range of issues, from drugs to child abuse to grand jury proceedings. The number of refugees settling in Alaska has sharply increased in recent years. And the annual spring bowhead whale hunt is in full swing along Alaska’s Arctic coast.

Photo: Bowhead whales. Creator: Cynthia Christman
Copyright: NOAA Fisheries Service, AFSC, Natl Marine Mammal Lab

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The Iditarod’s Burled Arch that marks the finish line of the annual Sled Dog Race collapsed Saturday evening. State lawmakers are still debating a return to a pension-style defined-benefit retirement system for public-sector workers. And the U.S. Coast Guard retired a fleet of helicopters based out of Kodiak in a ceremony last Tuesday.

Photo: MH-65 Dolphin. Photo: U.S. Coast Guard 17th District Public Affairs, April 24,2024

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: A ban on social media accounts for children under 14 has passed the Alaska House. The National Native Boarding School Healing Coalition has sent a team to Alaska. And the Alaska House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that would put more guardrails on the property assessment process in the state.

Photo: The Wrangell Institute school and dorms, looking south, probably in the early 1960s.  (NPS Photo)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Petersburg residents joined a statewide demonstration in support of school funding. The Alaska House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a proposal that would ban children under 14 from creating social media accounts. And following a harsh winter the village of Shishmaref is emerging from a fuel crisis.

Photo: Shishmaref, Alaska.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: State Representatives are also considering a bill that would require adult websites to verify users are 18 or older. Congresswoman Mary Peltola has joined Alaska's U.S senators on a legal brief in support of the proposed Donlin Creek Mine. And the Alaska House of Representatives is weighing in on a court decision that threatens key elements of the state’s homeschool system.

Photo: Justin Andrew and Gregory Larson work examining and classifying core samples at the Donlin Mine on Aug. 11, 2022.  (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Authorities say no survivors have been found after a large cargo plane carrying two people crashed and burned yesterday near Fairbanks. Juneau tackes short term rental regulation. And a new campus slated for Juneau will be dedicated to immersing children in Alaska Native culture and languages.

Photo: Smoke rises from the site of Tuesday morning's plane crash along the Tanana River west of Fairbanks. Alaska State Troopers.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: US Congressional candidate Nick Begich says he would drop out rather than split the Republican vote again. The Alaska Senate passed a bill Monday to tighten residency requirements on hunting and fishing licenses. And the Biden administration has announced policy changes that aim to protect the Arctic environment and hinder mining and drilling.

Photo: Nick Begich III at his Anchorage campaign headquarters during the 2022 campaign. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines:  Kodiak will see its first cruise ship of the 2024 season on Saturday. Alaska's Senators blast decisions expected from the Biden administration to block resource development in the Arctic. And the Alaskan Independence Party has held its first statewide convention in Fairbanks since 2008.

Photo: The Westerdam in Kodiak.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: There is a flood watch in effect in Kodiak. The Alaska Senate rolled out its first crack at the state’s operating budget on Wednesday. And a set of 20,000-year-old fossilized human footprints has had a big impact on archaeologists in Alaska.

Photo: Human footprints at study site in White Sands National Park.
National Park Service

On today’s Midday Report with host Jared Griffin: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has upheld its denial of a permit for the proposed Pebble Mine, upstream from Bristol Bay. A national environmental nonprofit named the Kobuk River among America s most endangered rivers. And a fish passage restoration project will soon benefit the Kenai Peninsula salmon population.

Photo: The word Kobuk means “Big River” in the local native language. Photo George Wuerthner

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola is far ahead of her Republican challengers in campaign fundraising. As spring sweeps into Alaska, weather and water scientists turn their attention to predicting when the ice of rivers around the state will break apart. And the next total solar eclipse in North America will happen in 2033, and the path of totality will cross Northwest Alaska.

Photo: An aerial view of flooding in Glennallen, after breakup in 2023. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Peter Pan Seafood announced Friday it was ceasing operations. The former Soldotna teacher and union president charged with 61 counts related to sexual abuse of a minor appeared in court Friday for a hearing about evidence in the case. And an Alaska conservation group has released a new series of reports criticizing Alaska’s state-owned investment bank as ineffective.

Photo: Skiffs sit on shore in the Southwest Alaska fishing town of King Cove. (James Brooks via Flickr under Creative Commons license.)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Alaska has the highest proportion of independent voters in the country. Alaska’s Division of Forestry released its plan for selling timber in Southeast Alaska for the next five years. The Alaska House of Representatives passed its $6 billion operating budget yesterday.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: A partisan brawl is about to erupt in Congress over the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Alaska's Senators are at odds. The University of Alaska Fairbanks has received a 20-million-dollar National Science Foundation grant to research climate change effects on marine species in the Gulf of Alaska and the communities which depend on them. And a conversation with Reresentative Mary Peltola.

Photo: Alaska’s congressional delegation spoke to visiting students outside the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan were demonstrating the hand signals they use to vote in the Senate chamber. Their gestures happen to reflect how they feel about a Senate trial on the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Bianca Cross has been named the city's next police chief, which will make her the first woman to lead the state's largest police force. A fire broke out at one of Ketchikan’s fire stations last night [Weds 4/9], with multiple emergency vehicles presumed destroyed and heavy structural damage to the building. And a bill in the state House aims to improve access to telehealth services.

Photo: The South Tongass Volunteer Fire Department responds to emergency calls from the southern area of the Borough. (Jack Darrell/KRBD)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowksi has applauded more than $50 million in federal funding headed for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta area. The railbelt needs to find a replacement for Cook Inlet natural gas. One study suggests the cheapest option is to ramp up renewable energy. And Anchorage officials are trying to create some clear structure and guidance for people living in Anchorage without homes this summer.

On today’s Midday Report with host Brian Venua: State lawmakers got some perspective on a COVID-related, education funding dispute between Alaska and the federal government on Wednesday. A federal grant program that aims to keep Alaskans safe from tsunamis is slated for elimination. And the Bureau of Land Management is holding a series of public meetings next week on the Alaska Long Trail.

Photo: The Bureau of Land Management is holding a series of public meetings next week on the Alaska Long Trail.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Juneau could set aside cruise ship money aside to help the city’s tourism businesses cut down on polluting fossil-fuels. The Anchorage Assembly and Mayor Dave Bronson are at odds over water. And the federal government has given partial approval to most of Alaska's Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.

Photo: Senate Finance Committee Co-Chair Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, listens to testimony from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner Ryan Anderson on Feb. 28, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Alaska lawmakers in the state House are giving a skeptical eye to Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s efforts to challenge the federal government in court. The top two candidates in Anchorage’s mayoral race are preparing for a runoff election. And a U.S. District Court will mull over the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District’s decision to remove 56 books from school libraries.

Photo: Plaintiffs who sued the Mat-Su School District over the removal of 56 books without review (from left to right) Mitchell Clarkson, Dawn Adams, Gannon Clarkson, Northern Justice Project attorney Savannah Fletcher and Scott Adams on April 2, 2024 (Tim Rockey / Alaska Public Media)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Federal researchers indicate the gray whale population along the West Coast is showing signs of recovery . Bristol Bay communities are struggling with numerous overdoses as tens of thousands of lethal doses of opioids flow into the region. And work is scheduled to resume this month on a bridge that will cross a slumping stretch of the road into Denali National Park.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola frequently votes against her party. Federal officials have approved most of Alaska’s four-year statewide transportation improvement program, or STIP.  And University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers will partner with Galena residents on a Yukon River hydroelectric project.

 Photo: ACEP research engineer Jack Schmid, left, and research professional Paul Duvoy help position the Oceana river turbine suspended from a barge during testing in the Tanana River near Nenana conducted in 2016 by ACEP's Hydrokinetic Energy Research Center.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: The federal government says Alaska’s education department owes almost $30 million to four school districts. There was a small volcanic eruption on Atka Island Wednesday. And lawmakers are debating the size of this year's Permanent Fund Dividend.

Photo: The Atka volcanic complex includes Korovin Volcano, Mount Kliuchef and Sarichef Volcano.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Kids in Kenai are losing their jitters by reading aloud to dogs. Three airlines are adding nonstop flights from Anchorage to new destinations this summer. And Bethel has been growing some massive icicles.

Photo: 89.5 inch icicle at KYUK, Bethel Alex Salonga KYUK

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Juneau’s Indian restaurant Spice hosted its third Holi Festival in Juneau on Monday. The Alaska Legislature has relaunched a caucus focused on providing support to children. And Kensington Gold Mine near Juneau has reported a spill of more than a hundred thousand gallons of mine waste that happened back in January.

Photo: Holi Festival, also known as the Festival of Colors, in downtown Juneau. (Photo courtesy of Cody J. Bennett)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska isn’t ruling out leaving her party to become an independent. The Alaska Board of Game has rejected a proposal that would have brought back a wolf no kill zone. And Kenai Peninsula College recently unveiled an exhibit featuring encaustic art.

Photo: Ann-Margret Wimmerstedt heats a plywood board in preparation for painting with encaustics on July 30, 2017 at Wimmerstedt’s home. “Encaustics” means “to burn,” and is the art technique of using pigmented hot wax to paint. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Sen. Dan Sullivan says President Biden’s push for electrical vehicles is a threat to the free market, consumer choice, and the American dream. The annual Cama-i  Dance Festival in Bethel featured the ever-popular Native Foods Dinner. And a regional working group in Southeast Alaska wants to create a regional landslide warning system.

Photo: Tatiana Taanka Korthuis, later crowned 2024’s Miss Cama-i, serves Elders at the Native Foods Dinner at Bethel Regional High School on March 16, 2024.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Allegations of illegal, unethical and unprofessional behavior in Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration are valid, according to an independent investigator. Bethel’s Filipino community made a big splash at the annual Cama-i Dance Festival. And the battle over education funding for Alaska schools may be a stalemate.

Photo: The Bethel Filipino Community Dancers perform at the Cama-i Dance Festival in Bethel on March 16, 2024.

On today’s Midday Report with host Terry Haines: Representative Mary Peltola sat down with KYUK’s Sage Smiley to discuss infrastructure, fish, and why she’s running for re-election. Senator Murkowski's new Chief of Staff is a familiar face. And it’s more and more difficult for Alaska prisoners to win discretionary parole.

Photo: Rep. Mary Peltola at a campaign event in Bethel, March 15, 2024. Sage Smiley/KYUK