Talk of Alaska

Alaska tribes can now ask the Interior Secretary to take land into trust, a legal designation called Indian Country. What would this mean for the future of tribal sovereignty? How would Indian Country status affect Alaska Native Corporations and the relationship between tribes and the state? APRN: Tuesday, 4/21 at 10:00am Download Audio

Do you dread getting a bill from the hospital or your doctor's office? Healthcare costs are rising quickly in Alaska and we're all paying the bills. We'll look at why health care costs so much here and what we can do to reduce those costs. APRN: Tuesday, 4/14 at 10:00am Download Audio

Picture Alaska 100 years ago - the open tundra, the dense forests - and the gardens. We're looking at the state's horticultural past with guests from the Alaska Botanical Gardens. We'll talkabout historical planting methods and how they can still be used today. APRN: Tuesday, 4/7 at 10:00 a.m. Download Audio

Only 10 percent percent of the people in Alaska who experience homelessness are chronically homeless. Families and individuals often become homeless because they lost their jobs or the cost of housing is too high. So what can we do about it? APRN: Tuesday, 3/31 at 10:00am Download Audio

State leaders need to cut the budget without hurting the economy and find new sources of revenue. In a time of fiscal deficit, what do lawmakers think of Medicaid expansion and other ideas that impact the budget? What will it take to stabilize Alaska's financial future? APRN: Tuesday, 3/24 at 10:00am Download Audio

Governor Bill Walker and legislators need to work together to bring down state spending and raise new revenue. The Governor wants to expand Medicaid, beef up the instate gasline proposal and halt spending on several large infrastructure projects. Some Lawmakers are pushing back. How will they compromise? APRN: Tuesday, 3/17 at 10:00am Download Audio

Steve Heimel has been a fixture of the APRN system since its inception. After more than three decades of dedicated service to news, Steve is leaving the network for other challenges. From covering the Exxon Valdez oil spill to helping Alaskans understand the breaking news on September 11th, Steve has been a steadfast, credible and authoritative voice. Steve Heimel is our guest on the next Talk of Alaska. APRN: Tuesday, March 10, at 10:00 a.m. Download Audio

The Iditarod Trail began as a mail route and became a protected corridor and recreational resource. Even if climate change puts an end to its use by dog mushers, the evolution of the Iditarod Trail will continue. In their own way, our corridors tell the story of Alaska, and we’ll be exploring a few of those pathways on the next Talk of Alaska. APRN: Tuesday, 3/3 at 10:00 a.m. Download Audio

What if what we call the natural world no longer really exists, and we live already in a world of our own creation? There is growing evidence that human activity has triggered a new geological era. Scientists are debating whether the evidence we leave behind in the layers of the earth will be plastic, nuclear isotopes, changed biomass indicators, or other things, but they agree that humans have actually changed the planet. The question is – how do we take responsibility for that, and what can we do from this point on? It’s a question that means a lot for Alaska, and it’s what we’re talking about on the next Talk of Alaska. APRN: Tuesday, 2/24 at 10:00 a.m. Download Audio

Shellfish are particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification, and colder waters are becoming more acidic than warm waters. What does this mean for Alaska and its fisheries – especially crabs and oysters? Or for the food chain that feeds other species in the ocean? The answers are beginning to come in from the scientific world, and we’ll learn more about ocean acidification on the next Talk of Alaska. APRN: Tuesday, 2/17 at 10:00 a.m. Download Audio

An ambitious set of priorities has been put together for the American chairmanship of the Arctic Council that begins this year, but neither the federal government nor the state has much money to pay for implementing those priorities. Climate change is amplified in the Arctic, and the Arctic nations want to work together to respond. APRN: Tuesday, 2/6 at 10:00 a.m. Download Audio

Birds are now turning up dead on remote beaches with stomachs full of plastic. Certain areas of Alaska's remote coast are now littered with debris that was carried there by ocean currents. Not only is the amount of this debris growing, but the amount of money available for cleaning it up is far too small. APRN: Tuesday, 2/3 at 10:00 a.m. Download Audio

It’s power politics of an electrifying kind.  What should the rules be for selling independently generated power to utilities, who have borrowed money and invested heavily to assure reliability for their customers? APRN: Tuesday, 1/27 at 10:00 a.m. Download Audio

With a simple vote of the people, Alaska became a leader among states legalizing marijuana, but now it has to figure out how to do it. Is Alaska up to that leadership challenge? Some people would say it has been in the leadership on this particular issue for years. APRN: Tuesday, 1/20 at 10:00am Download Audio

A national effort to bring fresh food from farms to schools has resulted in $385 million in purchases for school lunches and other meals across the country. More than half the school districts in Alaska are participating in the Farm to School program, feeding more than a hundred thousand kids in the state. APRN: Tuesday, 1/9 at 10:00am Download Audio