KFSK Midday Magazine

An Alaska civics group says Gov. Mike Dunleavy's latest appointment to the Judicial Council violates the state Constitution; many animals were left behind at a shut-down wildlife facility near Haines; and a group of volunteers looked for signs of European green crab on Mitkof Island last week.

The federal agriculture department ended a program that was supporting farmers in Alaska; thousands of Alaskan who've applied for benefits are still stuck in state backlogs; and a look at what Petersburg's borough assembly will consider at tonight's meeting.

James Parkin, a retired school teacher and principal from Angoon, has entered the race for state governor; youth in Sitka recently wrapped up a project testing local waters for ocean acidification; and subsistence sockeye fishing on the Stikine River is off to a slow start this summer.

Trollers caught more king salmon than expected in the first opener in Southeast Alaska; a group of students set up more cameras at Anan Wildlife Observatory near Wrangell; and a group of canoers from Kake stopped by Petersburg on the way Wrangell's first totem pole raising in almost four decades.

The Sitka Music Festival wrapped up its 54th summer season with a cello presentation; retired foot and ankle surgeon Matt Heilala has entered the race to be Alaska's next governor; and the years-long legal battle between Petersburg's police chief and the borough is officially settled.

Commercial salmon fishing in the south Alaska Peninsula (Area M) last month yielded the lowest harvest in decades; Skagway officials question the legality of reindeer from a shut down wildlife center in Haines; and Petersburg Medical Center CEO Phil Hofstetter speaks about how changes to Medicaid impact rural healthcare.

A new study suggests there's a direct link between warming waters and harmful algal blooms in the Arctic; Juneau is considering a new seasonal sales tax system; and proceeds from pie sales in Wrangell go towards a teddy bear fundraiser for people in need.

Alaska's first flying trapeze attraction is up in Skagway; Sitkans wonder if potential athletic facility upgrades are the best use of funds; and a look at how federal grant funding uncertainty has and hasn't impacted Petersburg's hospital.

Authorities seized dozens of animals from a well-known wildlife facility outside of Haines; research looks into how climate change is affecting rural Alaska communities; and sport fishing for wild king salmon in Southeast Alaska just got more restricted for some people.

Alaska lawmakers plan to subpoena the Dunleavy administration for data on oil taxes; classes in Petersburg for Medicare basics and Medicaid planning start tonight; and due to budget concerns, the Petersburg Public Library is closing earlier on Mondays.

The U.S. Department of Education is withholding nearly $48 million in education funding from Alaska; Gov. Mike Dunleavy doesn't want some lawmakers to show up for the start of the special session he called for; Petersburg's borough assembly awarded a contract for a generator project and also went on-record against selling public lands.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy is calling lawmakers back to Juneau for a special session next month; Unalaska is finally seeing financial relief years after the collapse of the snow crab and red king crab fisheries; and a look at Fourth of July festivities, and a family's firework stand, in Petersburg.

Two men arrested during a sting operation in Petersburg have pleaded not guilty; law enforcement agencies will ramp up patrols this week for the Fourth of July in Wrangell; and people gathered in Petersburg on June 28 to celebrate the town's first annual Amy Hallingstad Day.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski hopes the Republican megabill passed by the Senate today changes more before it's sent to the president's desk; a public comment period is open for a change to the state's education funding regulations; and some utility rates in Petersburg are going up today.

Skagway officials have concerns about the state's plans for the Cascade Point Ferry Terminal; experts predict the sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay will be bigger this year; and a Petersburg teenager tells us about her powerlifting journey.

Possible changes to Medicaid and SNAP benefits proposed in the Republican megabill could have significant impacts on Alaskans statewide; support for funding upgrades to Sitka's athletic fields was mixed among community members; and American Cruise Lines wants to partner up with the Wrangell Borough to build a new dock with a 40-year-lease.

A mandate to sell millions of acres of public land was struck from the Republican reconciliation bill that's moving through the U.S. Senate this week; the Coalition for Education Equity is preparing to sue the state; and a Petersburg teacher was a finalist for the Alaska Teacher of the Year program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans to recind the Roadless Rule on Monday; the North Pacific Fishery Management Council is scaling back operations due to uncertain federal funding; and a look at the different types of flares fired safely at Petersburg's fourth annual "Flare-Off."

A Juneau court declared a woman who has been missing for six years legally dead last week, at the request of her family; Petersburg, Wrangell and Ketchikan have restored power after an outage this morning; and Petersburg Medical Center is seeing significantly more patients than usual.

The Sitka School District will ride out Gov. Dunleavy's fourth veto of education funding by drawing down its reserves; a new web-based newsroom launched in Juneau last week; and even with power production at the Blind Slough Hydroelectric Plant turned up at an all-time high, it still wasn't enough to harness all the extra water from May's heavy rain.

A scientist describes an alternative to diesel and how it could benefit rural Alaska; a student from Skagway hopes to get more young people to vote by getting them more time to register; and Petersburg's school district plans to spend over half a million dollars of its reserves to make up for school funding vetoed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

Part of the megabill pending in the U.S. Senate requires selling some public land in Alaska for housing; a new exhibit of contemporary portraiture is opening in a Sitka bar; and seven Ketchikan and Sitka residents have pleaded guilty for their involvement in an international drug trafficking ring.

Mat-Su Borough Mayor Edna DeVries says she's considering a run for governor; Tlingit and Haida is expanding early childhood education and daycare services in Wrangell; and Petersburg residents will decide this fall whether to limit the town's senior sales tax exemption to only low-income seniors.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed a bipartisan bill that would've looked into falling oil tax revenues; the special election to determine if the Xunaa Borough would be formed has been paused; and an eagle made an unexpected visit to a Petersburg home earlier this month.

A shipping container full of plastic bags fell off a barge heading to Petersburg's landfill; some Alaskan protesters say the only "kings" they want are seafood; and a change to Petersburg's senior sales tax exemption might go before local voters this fall.