Talk of Alaska

Yupik carver Drew Michael and painter Elizabeth Ellis created 5 foot tall masks in an exhibit called ‘Aggravated Organisms’ to represent the 10 most prevalent diseases impacting Alaskans. After 3 years of touring the masks to Alaska communities across the state and a showing in Seattle, Michael has decided to end the educational journey of these masks through the traditional method of burning. The ceremony will be held on the lawn of the Anchorage museum. At the same time, Michael plans to put out a statewide call to promote healing through community cohesiveness and mutual support. Listen now

What was the original intent of the Alaska Permanent Fund? A rainy day savings account for Government funding after oil was depleted or a fund to pay citizens a dividend and subsidize programs? What happens if the fund is drawn down to help shore up budget shortfalls? We’ll discuss a UAF course designed to answer these questions with former state government officials who were there during the early days.

Alaska's immigrant population is growing at a faster rate than almost any other place in the nation, and most of the people who arrive in the state are of working age. Immigrants are starting new businesses, paying taxes, and helping build our local economies. On the next Talk of Alaska we'll talk about the contributions of foreign-born Alaskans and the challenges they face when starting a life here. Listen Now

More than two dozen murders have taken place in Anchorage since the beginning of the year. APD reports that of the 15 homicides since June, six were engaged in drugs or other criminal activity. Four were domestic violence killings. Five were in isolated areas of the city in the late evening/early morning hours, prompting APD to caution citizens to “Be extra aware of their surroundings and to report any suspicious person or activity to police.” The long message also says, “If you plan to be out late at night, make sure you travel with several friends and not alone.” Listen Now

The pinch of state budget cuts is being felt across the state. How will these impacts affect Alaska University system campuses, especially the smaller campuses? What can the university system do to build in sustainability and long term fiscal stability? Listen Now

The village of Shishmaref voted to move their village and along the coast of Alaska, discussions are taking place about how to adapt to survive into the future. Workshops designed to move beyond studying change to look for solutions within communities are happening and our guest host will lead the discussion about their findings. Listen Now

There was a lot of concern about a big fire season this summer after a winter of very low snow fall and a dry spring. There were some burns but the season was not remarkable for fire, it was more of note for hot temps, then rainfall, mudslides and flooding. El Nino is getting to the geriatric stage and La Nina may be moving in. What will that mean for the next 6 months? We’ll talk to the climate experts and find out. Listen Now

Wind impacts everything from seed distribution to powering light bulbs. In the fascinating, deep dive tradition of his first two best-selling books ‘Cold’ and ‘Heat’, author Bill Streever examines all aspects of moving air in his latest book, ‘And Soon I Heard a Roaring Wind.’

Opioid abuse and addiction is a national crisis and Alaska is suffering the impacts of prescription and illegal drug problems right along with the rest of the country. An upcoming summit on opioid abuse will take place in Palmer next week and the nation’s top Health and Veterans officials will be here for it. Listen Now

Governor Walker’s plans for overhauling the system of funding state government has met with resistance from lawmakers and the public. Lawmakers are unhappy with his vetoes and cuts to the PFD but they haven’t mustered an override and they haven’t passed a fiscal plan. What can possibly break the divide between the Governor’s plans and the desires of lawmakers and the public? Listen Now

In the wake of more police shootings of black men, the attacks in Dallas, and subsequent protests nationwide, including in Alaska, the time is ripe to have an open conversation about race and law enforcement in Alaska. Though we’ll be talking specifically about the Black Lives Matter movement, you can’t talk about these topics without touching on the disproportionate number of Alaska Native men who are incarcerated and why that happens. Download Audio

From hydroponic basil grown in an Anchorage café basement, to high-tunnel green houses in Homer, to hot-springs heated tomato farms in Fairbanks to local produce at the base of Brooks Range, climate change, technology, government grants and a greater interest in local food are changing agriculture in Alaska. Download Audio

The loss of high paying oil industry jobs has economic impacts that ripple throughout the state’s economy. From industry support service jobs to engineering firms and even the local coffee shop, further job losses are not only possible, but likely. How are Alaskans dealing with these cuts and how much might industry job loss affect the broader economy? Download Audio

Words have power. Recently the federal government quit using certain words to describe ethnic groups. Words like Eskimo and Aleut. Young Alaska Native people are increasingly using their Native names on social media and professionally. There's also a push by some to return to the original Native descriptors for places and landmarks.

Alaska Pridefest week runs from June 18th to the 25th and is an opportunity to celebrate and support diversity in the broadest sense, mixing fun with education about the triumphs and ongoing struggles for equality for LGBTQ citizens. This year's event will also be a time of somber reflection after the Orlando massacre. We'll discuss pride week, respect and safety on the next Talk of Alaska. Download Audio