Ketchikan man agrees not to raise fake totem poles carved by convicted murderer - Anchorage news - NewsLocker (2024)

Construction of Joseph Machini’s Ketchikan shops at 420 Water St. appeared nearly complete by Monday, June 4, 2024. (Michael Fanelli/KRBD)
The owner of a prominent downtown Ketchikan property has agreed not to raiseinauthentic totem polescarved by a convicted murderer next to his new shops. After meeting with leaders of the region’s Indigenous communities, Joseph Machini also agreed not to use the name “potlatch” for his marketplace.
The 420 Water St. property

Newscast – Friday, June 7, 2024

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In this newscast:Southeast Alaska’s cutest models hit the stage at Centennial Hall on Thursday for Celebration’s Toddler Regalia Review,
The state of Alaska is facing a new class action lawsuit over its failure to process Medicaid applications on time. That’s after state officials told Alaska Public Media last month that more than 15,000 Alaskans are waiting for their applications to be approved,
Resear

Toddlers strut their Southeast Alaska regalia at Celebration

Tayana Copper-Jane Cavan Adamek walks across the stage at Centennial Hall during Celebration’s Toddler Regalia Review on Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
Southeast Alaska’s cutest models hit the stage at Centennial Hall on Thursday for Celebration’s Toddler Regalia Review. Celebration is the biennial festival of Lingít, Haida and Tsimshian culture in Juneau.
For many, it takes a lot of courage to get in front of hundreds of people and strut your stuff.

Garden Talk: More from Naomi Michalsen on respectful harvesting

A child harvesting salmonberries. (Photo by Jeff Bringhurst)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/07GT_RespecHarvest2.mp3
As part of a group called the Kayaani Sisters Council, Naomi Michalsen helped develop a free guide for people who want to learn to sustainably and respectfully gather local plants. In May, Michalsen spoke with KTOO’s Chloe Pleznac about respectful harvesting.
In last week’s Garden Talk, Michalsen talked about some of the basic principles of respe

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How much fish do Alaskans eat? Enough to require new water pollution rules, EPA says

Water washes over fish in a subsistence net on Kanakanak Beach in Bristol Bay. (Brian Venua/KDLG)
Alaskans eat a lot of fish. So many, in fact, that the federal government announced Thursday that the state needs to update its water quality standards.
The Environmental Protection Agency is giving the state Department of Environmental Conservation six to 12 months to come up with new or revised standards for more than 100 pollutants in state waters. That’s based on data showing that Alaskans

Mother and daughter’s spruce root hat wins Celebration’s juried arts show

Goosh-shu Haa Jennie Wheeler and Káakaxaawulga Jennifer Younger at the Native artists’ market at Celebration. June 6, 2024. (Yvonne Krumrey/KTOO)
A mother-daughter duo — a weaver and an engraver — won Best of Show at this Celebration’s juried arts show. Their winning entry was a spruce root hat called Dancing in the Summer Rain.
At her table at the Celebration Native artists’ market, Goosh-shu Haa Jennie Wheeler said she was surprised to win.
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Newscast – Thursday, June 6, 2024

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In this newscast:Earlier this week, a swath of gray storm clouds interrupted an afternoon of clear blue skies in Juneau. A few people caught the sound of thunder and saw flashes of lightning. Juneau is no stranger to rainy days, but thunderstorms only happen once every two years or so here. KTOO’s Anna Canny explains why they’re so rare;
A mother-daughter duo — a weaver and an engraver — won Best

In Juneau, years can pass without a thunderstorm. Why are they so rare?

Lightning strikes over Juneau, June 17, 2013. (Photo by Mikko Wilson)
On Tuesday afternoon, Juneau climatologist Rick Fritsch was getting ready for his afternoon shift when the sky darkened suddenly, and the wind picked up.
“It was rocking the trees, something furious. And my birdhouses were flying, you know, seven ways till Sunday,” Fritsch said. “So I kind of knew that something was up.”
A few minutes later, when he got to the National Weather Service office, a th

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Photos: Dancers make a Grand Entrance to Celebration 2024

Amiah Johnson sings during a processional and grand entrance for Celebration in Juneau on Wednesday, June 6, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
More than 1,500 Indigenous dancers from across Southeast Alaska filled Willoughby Avenue and Centennial Hall for the Grand Entrance Procession of Celebration 2024 on Wednesday.
The procession marks the kick-off of the four-day Celebration festival in Juneau — a biennial gathering that honors and uplifts the culture of Lingít, Haida and Tsimshi

They were there on D-Day, on the beaches and in the skies. This is what they saw

American soldiers huddle inside a landing craft approaching Utah Beach during the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, on D-Day. (U.S. Army Photo/AFP via Getty Images)
This is part of a special series where NPR looks back at our coverage of major news stories in the past.
Frank Walk was in a hurry.
The U.S. Army captain had been ordered to bring top-secret planning documents to Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s headquarters, which at the time was a 19th-century manor near Portsmouth, England. It

Newscast – Wednesday, June 5, 2024

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In this newscast:Traditional canoes — or yaakw — landed in Juneau Tuesday to mark the start of the bi-annual Celebration festival,
A team of local scientists and emergency managers are trying to improve flood forecasts,
Tongass Voices: Dave Hanson on the cosmos of Marie Drake Planetarium

1 dead, 1 injured after seiner and skiff collide near Petersburg

Search boats dot the waters of the Wrangell Narrows near Petersburg on Wednesday, June 5, 2024 after a vessel struck a skiff, leaving one boater missing and a second injured. (Courtesy Bill Flor)
Update — 8:00 a.m., June 6
One person has died and another is at a local hospital after two boats collided south of Petersburg on June 6.
The accident happened in the Wrangell Narrows between Green Rocks and Blind Slough before 9 a.m.
Petersburg Emergency Services Director Aaron Hankins said a lar

1 boater missing, 1 injured after larger vessel strikes skiff near Petersburg

Search boats dot the waters of the Wrangell Narrows near Petersburg on Wednesday, June 5, 2024 after a vessel struck a skiff, leaving one boater missing and a second injured. (Courtesy Bill Flor)
A search is under way Wednesday for a missing boater near Petersburg, with another at a local hospital after a boating accident south of town.
Petersburg Emergency Services Director Aaron Hankins said a larger vessel reportedly T-boned a Hewescraft skiff at around 9:45 a.m. Wednesday. The accident repor

Juneau’s hospital hears from the community as budget crisis threatens service cuts

Aaron Surma, the executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Juneau, gives testimony at a Bartlett Regional Hospital meeting on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
As the board for Juneau’s city-owned hospital begins hearing public testimony on services it might cut or reduce, residents say there could be damaging consequences for the community if they’re gone.
At a public meeting Tuesday night, Leslie Chandler Holzman spoke in support of the Home Hea

Fort Wainwright opens the Army’s biggest child care center

Fort Wainwright Child and Youth Services Coordinator Jessica Spittle explains the age-appropriate and child-safe design of one of the new CDC’s classrooms. (Tim Ellis/KUAC)
Fort Wainwright celebrated the opening of its new Child Development Center Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The $3.5 million facility is the Army’s newest and largest child-care center.
Active-duty military personnel and qualifying federal employees who work at Fort Wainwright now have access to a new

Last year’s record outburst flood took Juneau by surprise. As Suicide Basin refills, scientists are working to improve their forecasts.

Researcher Eran Hood stands on the lip of an empty Suicide Basin just a few days after it drained to create a record-breaking glacial outburst flood in August 2023 (Photo by Anna Canny/KTOO)
Last summer’s record-breaking glacial outburst flood took everyone in Juneau by surprise.
So this year, a team of local scientists and emergency managers are trying to improve flood forecasts. They talked about it during a Monday-night presentation at the University of Alaska Southeast.
Re

Last year’s record flood took Juneau by surprise. As Suicide Basin refills, scientists are working to improve their forecasts.

Researcher Eran Hood stands on the lip of an empty Suicide Basin just a few days after it drained to create a record-breaking glacial outburst flood in August 2023 (Photo by Anna Canny/KTOO)
Last summer’s record-breaking glacial outburst flood took everyone in Juneau by surprise.
So this year, a team of local scientists and emergency managers are trying to improve flood forecasts. They talked about it during a Monday-night presentation at the University of Alaska Southeast.
Re

An Alaska wildlife refuge is changing its wildfire strategy to limit carbon emissions

The Goose Fire (#395) is burning in the Yukon Flats in northeast Alaska about 41 miles east of Fort Yukon on Aug. 4, 2022. Smokejumpers are protecting two Native allotments from this and the Belle Fire. The two fires merged on Aug. 4, 2022. (Photo by John Lyons, BLM Alaska Fire Service air attack)
Baked with the around-the-clock summer sunlight and regularly peppered with lightning strikes, the Yukon Flats region in eastern Interior Alaska is regularly set ablaze with fires that are considered p

Best advice for staying safe outdoors? Alaskans share their tips.

Eklutna Lake is tucked into the Chugach Mountains not far from Anchorage. (Abbey Collins/Alaska Public Media)
Alaska offers unparalleled access to outdoor spaces and recreation. And with summer now here, many Alaskans are heading out on adventures.
To help prepare for the season, Alaska Public Media spoke with outdoor safety instructors Deb Ajango and Luc Mehl on Talk of Alaska about their tips for staying safe outside. (Listen to the full episode here.) We also asked our listeners and readers f

Celebration kicks off with yaakw landings in Juneau

People row yaakw to shore in downtown Juneau to attend Celebration on June, 4, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/04yaakwlanding.mp3
Traditional canoes — or yaakw — landed in Juneau Tuesday to mark the start of the biennial Celebration festival, a gathering of Indigenous people in Southeast that attracts thousands. The canoes came from across the region and parts of Canada, journeying for days to get here.
Eight yaakw made c

Newscast – Tuesday, June 4, 2024

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In this newscast:Last week, an Alaska Coach Tours bus backed into a totem pole at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum, and drove off. Witnesses called the museum to report the accident. There’s minimal damage to the pole and city engineers made sure it was stable. But for the son of the man who carved the 57-year-old totem pole, the accident was a reminder of what this piece means to him and his father’s leg

A tour bus backed into a totem pole in downtown Juneau, but it’s still standing

Brian Wallace stands next to a totem pole carved by his father Amos in 1967. May 29, 2024. (Yvonne Krumrey/KTOO)
Last week, an Alaska Coach Tours bus backed into a totem pole at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum.
The pole, one of the oldest in downtown Juneau, has a small dent now. City engineers have made sure that it’s still stable. But for the son of the man who carved the pole 57 years ago, the accident was a reminder of what the piece means to him — and to his father’s

Juneau Assembly passes budget with historically low property tax rate

Tourists walk past City Hall in downtown Juneau on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (Clarise Larson/KTOO)
Juneau Assembly members have approved a city spending plan for next year that lowers the property tax rate and maintains current city services.
At a special meeting Monday night, members unanimously approved the City and Borough of Juneau’s budget and mill rate for the fiscal year that will begin July 1. The budget includes funding for things like schools, the city-owned hospital, the airp

Pro-Dahlstrom PAC announces $5M ad buy in Alaska’s US House race

Nancy Dahlstrom, Mary Peltola and Nick Begich III are running for U.S. House in 2024. (Alaska Public Media)
The major Republican group dedicated to U.S. House races is planning a major ad blitz in Alaska as it tries to unseat the state’s Democratic congresswoman, Mary Peltola.
The Congressional Leadership Fund announced last month that it has reserved more than $5 million worth of air time for ads this fall in Alaska’s three largest cities. The super PAC is affiliated with Hous

Filings in Alaska Legislature races set up key races in primary and general elections

Voters cast their ballots in the 2022 primary election in Anchorage on Aug. 16, 2022. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)
After Saturday’s deadline to enter, filings in races for the Alaska Legislature are setting up some competitive races in the August primary and November general elections.
First, four lawmakers are heading for the exit: Sen. Click Bishop, R-Fairbanks, Rep. Dan Ortiz, I-Ketchikan, Rep. Laddie Shaw, R-Anchorage and Rep. Jennie Armstrong, D-Anchorage. None of them filed for

Newscast – Monday, June 3, 2024

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In this newscast:Civil liberties advocates are accusing the Alaska Department of Corrections of unconstitutionally limiting prisoners’ access to attorneys at the state’s only all-female prison.
For Curious Juneau, Yvonne Krumrey delves into the history of Auke Rec, where canoes land for Celebration each year.

Former Haines lawmaker is vying for Juneau Rep. Andi Story’s seat in the House

Former lawmaker Bill Thomas on the House floor. (Photo courtesy of the Alaska Legislature)
In a last-minute filing, a Haines resident and former Alaska House of Representatives member is vying for the seat that’s currently held by Juneau Representative Andi Story.
Republican Bill Thomas registered to run last week, just a couple of days before the deadline for the statewide primaries. Thomas is Lingít and a lifelong resident of Haines.
In an interview, Thomas said that a

Tongass Voices: Dave Hanson on the cosmos of Marie Drake Planetarium

Dave Hanson photographs the starry, auroral night sky at False Outer Point on Douglas Island in December 2017. (Photo provided by Dave Hanson)
This is Tongass Voices, a series from KTOO sharing weekly perspectives from the homelands of the Áak’w Kwáan and beyond.
Sandwiched between Juneau-Douglas High School and Harborview Elementary is the Marie Drake building, home to Juneau’s planetarium. Volunteers host free lectures, First Fridays, films, and field trips.Dave

ACLU says Department of Corrections is illegally limiting access to attorneys in Alaska

Inmates from Hiland Mountain Correctional Center work on various art projects on Thursday, April 25, 2024. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)
Civil liberties advocates are accusing the Alaska Department of Corrections of unconstitutionally limiting prisoners’ access to attorneys at the state’s only all-female prison. The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska made the allegations in a letter to the department last month.
ACLU of Alaska Prison Project Director Megan Edge said her gr

What to make of the new COVID variants, FLiRT

Dr. Ashish Jha says the U.S. is seeing typically two COVID waves a year. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
As much as we would all love to ignore COVID, a new set of variants that scientists call “FLiRT” is here to remind us that the virus is still with us.
The good news: as of last Friday, the CDC says that the amount of respiratory illness in the U.S. is low.
The not-so-great news: the U.S. has often flirted with summer COVID waves because of travel and air-conditioned gatherings.
Dr.