KFSK Midday Magazine

A pension bill is on the verge of a state Senate vote; many Craig residents say they want less tourism in town; and Wrangell officials are proposing changes to how residents pay for electricity.

The US Forest Service is rethinking how it defines areas of the Tongass; Ketchikan's school district will see steep cuts next school year; and Petersburg's local tribe unveiled and blessed its new killer whale canoe last weekend.

A river in Haines has been named one of the top endangered rivers in America again; the commercial chum salmon troll fishery near Wrangell will open earlier than normal; and a look at Petersburg's upcoming cruise ship season.

An Alaska Senate committee wants much smaller tax cuts for a high-profile gas project; Juneau's cold weather emergency shelter will be open year-round; and Petersburg's Borough Assembly approved a lease agreement with American Cruise Lines.

A stalled proposal to raise Alaska's age of consent has a new life; Ketchikan's proposed substance abuse healing center is closer to being a reality; and Petersburg's Borough Assembly will sell two parcels to a local developer.

People in Southeast Alaska are invited to share feedback on management of the Tongass National Forest; Juneau's assembly has delayed demolishing a downtown neighborhood; and Petersburg's Borough Assembly has two public hearings tonight.

Petersburg anticipates a historic canoe unveiling; Juneau and Gustavus are trying to figure out options for processing septic waste; and students in Kodiak connect with local hatcheries by dissecting salmon.

Ketchikan's school board voted to close two elementary schools because of debt and budget issues; the Alaska House approved its version of the state budget yesterday; and Alaska Seaplanes can use new departure and arrival paths in communities across Southeast.

The governor signed a fast-track budget bill yesterday; the partial government shutdown is impacting the Coast Guard; and Petersburg's fire department has a new Emergency Services Coordinator.

Hundreds of musicians are performing this week in Juneau for Alaska Folk Festival; State lawmakers disagree on a proposed super-sized Permanent Fund dividend; and Petersburg's school district brings fresh food to student school lunches.

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowkski paid a visit to Sitka last week; Wrangell and Ketchikan are joining forces to revitalize their maritime industries; and fishermen in Southeast Alaska will be able to harvest 70,000 more king salmon than last year.

Juneau's cold weather emergency shelter will be open year-round; Ketchikan's movie theater reopens its doors; and Petersburg's Wright Auditorium got some new equipment.

Three of Alaska's key shipping companies are set to hike rates; Sitka's commercial sac roe herring fishery could soon taper off; and Petersburg's Borough Assembly approved purchasing new equipment for firefighters.

Alaska lawmakers debate daylight savings; a bill trying to stabilize the school budgeting process has a long way to go; and sports anglers in Southeast will be able to fish more Chinook salmon this year.

The Alaska House passed a bill that would take more money from companies that sell to Alaskans online; a Ketchikan shipyard workers' union has filed three charges against a new operator; and Petersburg's winter has been the 4th snowiest on record so far.

A federal grant program for disaster management that was terminated a year ago has reopened; an old theater in a historic building in Juneau is being brought back to life; and Petersburg Parks and Recreation is hosting an all-day boating safety course this Saturday.

Hundreds of people in small towns across Southeast Alaska protested the Trump administration on Saturday; a Petersburg man will spend two years in prison; it's the last day to apply for your PFD; and seiners harvested roughly 3000 tons in the Sitka Sound Sac Roe herring fishery over the weekend.

Former Anchorage state Sen. Tom Begich visited Petersburg last week in his campaign for governor; a highly unusual, four-legged suspect was apprehended last week in Juneau; and an 18th candidate joined the race to be Alaska's next governor.

Developers of a gasline project urge state lawmakers to pass a tax bill proposed by Governor Dunleavy; record snowfall in Juneau prompt questions about the next glacial outburst flood; and the state Board of Fish voted down proposals to limit hatchery production of pink and chum salmon.

A Pulitzer prize winning comic artist taught Sitka students to create their own comics; unstable snow conditions caused a fatal avalanche in British Columbia; and Petersburg's museum has been investigating a 90-year-old mystery.

Southeast Alaska residents can give feedback at a virtual meeting tonight about a revised management plan for the Tongass National Forest; the Cascade Point ferry terminal project is getting postponed due to a permitting issue; and two drivers were taken to Petersburg's hospital after a collision yesterday.

A Ketchikan jeweler will have to pay restitution after selling fake gold; a Portland band is raising money to rebuild a Tlingit clan house in Sitka; and tribal leaders have raised concerns about proposed changes to federal subsistence management.

Juneau's city hall building could be for sale in the coming months; Ketchikan is a step closer to building an addiction healing center; and Petersburg's elementary school will be getting new accessible playground equipment.

School districts across the state are bracing for another year of deep cuts; Alaska Seaplanes had to temporarily raise prices due to the conflict in the Middle East and the numbers are in for Southeast Alaska's commercial Dungeness crab season.

The Petersburg Borough allows for certain small-scale seafood processing at the town's Community Cold Storage facility; an international ski competition returned to Haines last week; and Petersburg's Rick Brock received an award for his years coaching high school basketball.