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- [00:00]
Wesley Early
Support for Alaska Public Media On Demand comes from Siri, an Alaska Native corporation with operations and investments spanning five continents, 45 states and two U.S. territories.
- [00:19]
Bobby Burgess
Subsistence has to come first. Protection to wildlife has to come first. If there's not wildlife, if there's not fish, you're not going to have subsistence.
- [00:27]
Wesley Early
Alaskans weigh in on a controversial proposal to reform federal subsistence rules from Alaska Public Media. This is statewide news on Alaska News nightly for Friday, February 6th. Good evening. I'm Wesley Early. Also tonight, a state endorsement of a proposed charter school in Fairbanks draws some local pushback.
- [00:43]
Bobby Burgess
The board stands by our initial decision and the reasons that are laid out in that in the letter that we sent.
- [00:51]
Wesley Early
Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly.
- [00:59]
Rhonda McBride
The PFD application is open.
- [01:02]
Simon Lopez
Just a small amount of your PFD.
- [01:04]
Rhonda McBride
Will help share local news and stories about Alaskans with Alaskans across this great state. When you choose Alaska Public Media through.
- [01:12]
Wesley Early
Pick click give the man arrested for a high profile murder in Homer pleaded guilty Thursday, more than six years after Anisha Murnane went missing. The the case shook the Kachemak Bay town and prompted community wide canvassing that garnered national attention before a tip to the Kenai Peninsula. Crime stoppers led to Kirby Calderwood's capture in Utah. KDLL's Ashlyn O' Hara reports.
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Ashlyn O'Hara
Duthie, as she was known, was reported missing in October of 2019 after she failed to arrive at a doctor's appointment. For years, missing persons flyers were a common fixture around Homer. They showed pictures of the preschool teacher on the beach smiling with children and asked who took Duffy. This week, Homer residents finally got a solid answer to that question. The 36 year old Calderwood pleaded guilty Thursday to second degree murder in Murnain's death. It's part of a plea agreement through which the state will drop eight other charges which included first degree murder, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, manslaughter and sexual assault. On Thursday, Calderwood sat handcuffed in court wearing a yellow prison jumpsuit. Superior Court Judge Kelly Lawson walked him through the terms of the deal.
- [02:18]
Bobby Burgess
All right, Mr. Calderwood, then to count two of the indictment, which is CTN2 to murder in the second degree under 1141 110A1. What is your plea? Guilty, your honor.
- [02:35]
Ashlyn O'Hara
Under the plea deal, Calderwood has agreed to an 87 year sentence and will be eligible for parole after serving two thirds of that. The deal also includes 10 years of probation after his release. Charging documents say Renee and Calderwood knew each other through a supportive living facility where Monaine lived and Calderwood had worked, according to the charges. Calderwood's arrest came after a tip from his then wife to Kenai Peninsula Crime Stoppers. The information Calderwood's wife provided was corroborated by DNA evidence. According to court documents filed with the plea deal, Renee's remains were never found. Here's Mike Moberly, Calderwood's attorney, reading the police stipulations.
- [03:10]
Bobby Burgess
Forensic examination of the crawlspace of the residence revealed evidence including blood and DNA matching Renee as a part of the factual basis for the plea agreements. Calderwood specifically admits that he stipulates that intending to cause serious physical injury or with knowledge that his conduct was substantially certain to cause death or serious physical injury to Murnain, he caused Mernane's death.
- [03:32]
Ashlyn O'Hara
Calderwood was living in Ogden, Utah at the time of his arrest and the FBI also searched his home there, finding Renain's watch and a missing persons poster, according to prosecutors. In a statement provided to kdll, Murnane's uncle Michael Huelsman said the long delays in the case represent a failure of the justice system. Heelsman wrote, delayed justice is denied justice and it also wastes taxpayer money. For 40 to 50 years, Alaska has spent petroleum revenues on systems that have not delivered timely investigations or accountability. We need a criminal justice system that investigates these crimes more quickly, thoroughly and professionally so that more offenders are held accountable without years of delay, end quote. Lengthy pre trial delays in Alaska courts have come under scrutiny in recent years. The 2025 analysis by the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica found the average time to resolve serious felonies was around three years, a threefold increase from the decade before. Heelsman also thanked supporters and friends in Homer and around the world for helping search for Murnain, for keeping the case alive, pressing for her killer to be found and attending court hearings. Murnain's memory and the memory of all missing and murdered people is honored with the Loved and Lost Memorial Bench at the Homer Public Libra, which was commissioned by Marnane's parents. The bench was dedicated in 2022 and was the location of a 2023 lamp lighting ceremony in Marnane's honor. Murnain's mother, Sarah Connor Mernain Berg, died in 2024 from cancer. In her obituary, which Mernaine Berg wrote herself while receiving hospice care in Wisconsin, she wrote, quote, cancer or heart disease will be on my death certificate, but we all know that the real cause was the loss of my dear Duffy. End quote Calderwood's sentencing is set for July 1st in Homer. Reporting from the Kenai courthouse, I'm Ashlyn O'. Hara.
- [05:17]
Wesley Early
It was only supposed to last for four hours, but Tuesday's hearing on a controversial proposal to reform the federal subsistence board went for six hours and 33 minutes. Every person who signed up to testify, both online and at the U.S. fish and Wildlife headquarters in Anchorage got a chance to speak, even though more than 100 people weighed in. It's far from the last word in this debate, as KNBA's Rhonda McBride reports, most were from rural rural communities that depend on hunting and fishing to put food on the table.
- [05:45]
Rhonda McBride
The battle over who manages subsistence on federal lands is an old one in Alaska that basically pits two groups against each other those who subsist to survive and those who hunt and fish for sport and recreation. Safari Club International is one of the nation's largest wildlife advocacy groups, which promotes conservation and the freedom to hunt and fish. It has proposed some major changes to how subsistence would be managed on federal lands in Alaska.
- [06:14]
Bobby Burgess
To say that the proposed changes are anti subsistence is simply not correct.
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Rhonda McBride
John Sturgeon, a longtime leader of Safari Club's Alaska chapter, says the federal subsistence board has drifted far beyond its original intent, has ignored the rule of law and failed to make protecting fish and wildlife and its highest priority.
- [06:34]
Bobby Burgess
Specifically, the protection of wildlife must always come first. I've heard people say today subsistence has to come first. Protection of wildlife has to come first. If there's not wildlife, if there's not fish, you're not going to have subsistence.
- [06:48]
Rhonda McBride
The safari club wants to remove six public and tribal seats from the board, change how the rural advisory council members are selected, and wants the board to defer to the state of Alaska when they disagree on management decisions. The federal subsistence board was created after the state failed to comply with the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation act legislation Congress passed in 1980 that mandated a rural priority for subsistence. It originally included only the heads of five federal agencies.
- [07:22]
Susannah Webster
We strongly believe that the people who use the land need to be making the decisions about the land.
- [07:30]
Rhonda McBride
Gloria Burns is president of the Ketchikan Indian Community, one of many tribal leaders who came from across the state to protest the proposed changes.
- [07:40]
Susannah Webster
What we have noticed throughout the years as we've watched as we had the addition of the three public seats and then the three tribal seats, there was a strengthening of the scope and the ability.
- [07:53]
Rhonda McBride
With only 60 days allotted for public comment, the February 13 deadline is fast approaching. Tribal leaders say this time frame is too short to weigh in on something so critical to the rural and native way of life. Kara Moriarty, the Interior Department senior advisor for Alaska affairs, reminded the crowd that this review was prompted not by the Safari club, but by President Trump, who ordered an evaluation of all government departments.
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Susannah Webster
The scoping period is just solely to gather information. At this point point, no decisions have been made whether to make any changes to the program at all.
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Rhonda McBride
Moriarty says after the scoping period closes, there's no requirement for the secretaries to take any action at all. There is one thing both sides agree, the three minute limit on public testimony. Joe Williams is the tribal president for Saxman. He urged Moriarty and other Interior Department leaders to visit villages and hear firsthand from who would be hurt by these proposals. As he handed Moriarty and her staff jars of smoked salmon, he said, an entire way of life is at stake.
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Bobby Burgess
So as you're having this, remember, this is the way of life. I've never met you and hope to come to know you, but this is what we do.
- [09:23]
Susannah Webster
Thank you, sir, very much.
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Rhonda McBride
Throughout the hearing, Moriarty apologized profusely for the time limit, but said there was no other way to include as many voices as possible. In anchorage, I'm Rhonda McBride.
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Wesley Early
Still to come on Alaska News Nightly, mushers hit the trail for this year's UConn quest. No one runs the UConn quest for.
- [09:47]
Bobby Burgess
A nice trail like that's never been a thing.
- [09:50]
Wesley Early
That's ahead. Stay with us.
- [09:53]
Susannah Webster
Hi, I'm Avery Elfeldt, a reporter with the Alaska Desk. That's a joint reporting effort from Alaska Public Media, khns, where I work in Haines and other public radio stations in Anchorage, Fairbanks and the Aleutians. It allows us to connect you with the issues happening in communities all across the state. You can hear our stories during the morning news on Alaska News Nightly or online@alaskapublic.org the Alaska Desk is only possible with the support of grants and listeners like you. Thank you.
- [10:23]
Wesley Early
The president of the Fairbanks North Starborough School District's board is standing behind the board's unanimous vote to reject a charter school application last year. That's despite the state education commissioner last week overturning the board's decision and a 28 page letter that approved the application. The committee backing the Pearl Creek Steam Charter School had appealed to the commissioner in November following the local denial. KUAC's Patrick Gilchrist has more.
- [10:48]
The Fairbanks School Board voted to reject the application in October, turning down the committee seeking to open a charter school at the recently closed Pearl Creek Elementary. The board later issued a 52 page written decision that outlined their reasoning, and board president Bobby Burgess says that position remains unchanged.
- [11:08]
Bobby Burgess
The board stands by our initial decision and the reasons that are laid out in the letter that we sent when we initially rejected the application.
- [11:21]
Wesley Early
The document includes concerns about a net $2.8 million impact to the district's overall budget to open the school. It also takes issue with the CHAR school committee's plans for a facility, admissions, transportation and student nutrition, among other things. The board's decision says it seems likely that the proposed school could fail entirely. Burgess says green lighting the application would have meant taking on too much risk.
- [11:50]
Bobby Burgess
When there are uncertainties in the plan. Things still being worked out and we put our stamp of approval on it. We are taking responsibility for the operation of that school.
- [12:05]
Wesley Early
Governor Mike Dunleavy and his education commissioner, Dina Bishop, have consistently said they'd like to expand charter schools in an effort to give students and parents more choices. The commissioner's recent approval of the Pearl Creek application overrides the local board and now sends it on to the state Board of Education for final approval or denial. The commissioner's letter says the proposed schools committee met or exceeded its legal obligations when applying and that there wasn't anything to justify upholding the denial on multiple occasions. The commissioner's decision refutes the board's findings by saying the board expected too much detail at the application step. And the letter says there's nothing in Alaska law requiring a charter school applicant to demonstrate likelihood for success, which the board had pointed to as one of its reasons for denial. Jennifer Redmond is treasurer for the Academic Policy Committee backing Pearl Creek STEAM Charter School. She says it felt good to see their application take the next step.
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Susannah Webster
At the end of the day, it's really about our kids who deserve an engaging hands on learning and families who want to stay invested in public education. So it was really wonderful to see that shone through and that it really affirmed that the Pearl Creek scene meets the legal and educational standards to move forward.
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Wesley Early
The committee wants to open the school this fall and Redmond says they are still ready to do that. She says 340 students have shown intent to enroll at the school and that people have put in thousands of volunteer hours so far.
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Susannah Webster
I think this is, you know, just reflects a lived experience and local values and really a deep investment in our children and community.
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Wesley Early
Funding for a new charter school does not appear in the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget recently released by district administration. Superintendent Luke Minert told the board that's because they don't want to set aside money for a charter that doesn't yet have the final go ahead. But he says it's among the things the school board should be keeping in mind. In Fairbanks, I'm Patrick Gilchrist.
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The 11th Airborne Division will begin a major training exercise Monday near Fairbanks around Fort Wainwright and Allson Air Force Base, KUC's Tim Ellis reports.
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Tim Ellis
The Joint Pacific Multinational readiness center, or JPMRC, will be conducted through February 26, mainly around the Yukon Training Area east of Eielson. 11th Airborne officials say this year's exercise won't involve much activity on other training areas around Fort Greely. That's what Lt. Col. Alyssa Clark, Fort Greely's garrison commander, told the Delta Junction City Council in Tuesday's meeting.
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Ashlyn O'Hara
We'll have a very small footprint potentially.
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Bobby Burgess
Of some Marines as well as some lowest airborne individuals.
- [14:49]
Tim Ellis
An 11th Airborne spokesperson said Friday that the division has transported military vehicles up the Parks highway from Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson to Fort Wainwright. Many of those vehicles were brought on Alaska Railroad flat cars. Division officials expect more vehicles to be coming up the highway through the weekend, an 11th Airborne news release says. The exercise is intended to test the readiness of 11th Airborne soldiers to deploy quickly and conduct large scale combat operations in cold Weather alongside other US and allied military units, the spokesperson said. About 10,000 service members are participating in the exercise, including some who are working in support roles. Multinational partners and allies participating in JPMRC include service members from Canada, Sweden, Norway and Italy. Some will be participating and some will be observing, the spokesperson said. This year's exercise also will include greater use of drone aircraft, According to an 11th Airborne informational video, which is AI.
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Wesley Early
Generated testing will focus on evaluating system.
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Evan Erickson
Performance in sub freezing temperatures, preserving battery life and ensuring visibility in low or.
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Tim Ellis
No light conditions, the video said. The exercise is part of an initiative to adapt drone technology for warfare in Arctic and other extreme climates, it said. The 11th Airborne has established new drone manufacturing and training programs at Fort Wayne and J. Bear in Delta Junction. I'm Tim Ellis.
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Wesley Early
It's been three weeks since one of the schools in Antioch was abruptly closed due to structural concerns in the gymnasium. Now, the Cuspuk school district says it is prepared for the worst. KYUK's Evan Erickson has more.
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Evan Erickson
On Wednesday, the district hosted a meeting at the Antiac Community hall, which it says is the designated evacuation point if the gym roof at its 6th to 12th grade school suddenly collapses. The district says more than 10 tons of building materials recently arrived in Antioch and that a construction crew is currently working on scaffolding to shore up and protect the gym roof. The gym was closed in early January after people reported that it was actively cracking open and that the majority of the wooden supporting joists had snapped, according to Superintendent Madeline Aguilard. In mid January, Aguilar says, a structural engineer recommended that the gym be demolished and said it was unsafe to occupy the junior and senior high school altogether. The roughly 50 displaced students are currently taking classes alongside younger peers in the attached elementary school. Over the past weeks, the district says, staff have been doing evacuation drills so students can practice reaching the community hall and are accounted for in the case of an emergency. Aguilar told community members at Wednesday's meeting that she is confident the district can maintain classes for Antioch's roughly 100 total students even if its newly built elementary school is also deemed unsafe to occupy. She says that the district office has ample space and that the local native corporation has offered up use of an old elementary school as well. The district said its final action plan will depend on what a team of engineers and the district's insurer find next week during their visit to Antioch. Aguilard says it has been a tough situation. The schools are more than just buildings, and this closure has come at the heart of basketball season and left a lot of academic and community events up in the air In Bethel, I'm Evan Erickson.
- [18:14]
Wesley Early
Anchorage seniors will soon be able to ride the city's People Mover bus for free two days a week. On Tuesday night, the Anchorage assembly voted to make bus rides free for people ages 60 and over on Fridays. Seniors can already ride for free on Wednesdays and receive a 50% discount on rides all other days. Assemblymember Erin Baldwin Day was one of the sponsors of the proposal and says she hopes the extra free day could save the city money in the long run by discouraging seniors from using the city's pricier anchor ride service. Officials say that service for disabled and senior residents cost the city about $27 per ride, and Baldwin Day noted that the cost of the city's contract with anchor rides is going up.
- [18:54]
Susannah Webster
I think it's important for us to to figure out creative ways to serve our population, particularly our elders, and to do so in a fiscally responsible way. And if we can reduce the number of rides that are taken via anchor rides because folks are riding the people move or bus, then that is a net win, in my opinion.
- [19:11]
Wesley Early
The move to make Fridays free for seniors comes after assembly members added $100,000 to the city's public transportation budget in November. The city then solicited public comments through its Public Transit Advisory Board, and the board ultimately voted to recommend Friday be a fair free day for seniors. The ordinance passed by a 10 to 2 vote with members Scott Myers and Keith McCormick opposed. The ordinance takes effect 30 days after it passed, meaning the first new free bus day for seniors in Anchorage will be Friday, March 6th. Musher Jason Mackey will hit the trail first when the 2026 Yukon Quest Alaska 750 gets underway tomorrow. Mackey made the random pick at the Meet the Mushers event last night in Fairbanks. It's where competitors and fans chatted over food, drinks and a poster signing assembly line. Mushers then determined the race order by drawing their bib numbers in front of the crowd. Mackey was also first up last year, and he says he considers it a good spot to be well, because it's not the back of the pack number.
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Tim Ellis
Even though there's only six teams.
- [20:12]
Wesley Early
I mean, you done?
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Evan Erickson
I don't know.
- [20:14]
Wesley Early
I don't mind going out number one.
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Bobby Burgess
I just don't.
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Wesley Early
Eight teams signed up by the deadline for the Quest's premier race this year, but that's since fallen to six. Here's musher Keaton Loebrick's theory about the size of the field.
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Everybody else is afraid to run this race. All the other mushers are scared.
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Reigning Quest champion Jeff Dieter says he thinks Lowbrick is onto something. Dieter says the Quest is known for suffering, but he says it's also about enjoying the seclusion, having a good time with dogs and visiting hospitable communities along the way. No one runs the Yukon Quest for.
- [20:49]
Tim Ellis
A nice trail like that's never been.
- [20:50]
Wesley Early
A thing, and it's not going to be a thing.
- [20:53]
Bobby Burgess
But we're running the Yukon Quest because.
- [20:54]
Wesley Early
The Yukon Quest, the guaranteed purse this year, is $35,000, according to race officials, who've also said the 750 trail will actually cover over 800 miles. The race begins tomorrow morning at 11am behind the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor center in downtown Fairbanks. Movie theaters across Alaska have faced a wave of closures over the last few decades, from Anchorage to Ketchikan. But in Homer, one independent startup is defying that trend. As KBBI's Simon Lopez reports, the Porcupine Theater in Homer is marking its first anniversary with more than 800 monthly members, and a surprising shift in residents are seeing on the silver screen.
- [21:44]
Simon Lopez
Homer's movie theater first opened in 1956 and screened films delivered by a steamship from Seward. After decades of family ownership, a group of local residents purchased the venue in 2024 and launched the Porcupine. This latest chapter replaces the traditional blockbuster or bust business model with a membership based subscription. The new strategy prioritizes classics and second run films alongside live events to keep the projectors running in a shifting media landscape. Co owner Susannah Webster says a membership driven model provides a safety net that avoids a total reliance on individual ticket sales.
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Susannah Webster
Really without those members we couldn't do all the other things that we do because we do so much. But it really is that stable monthly income that makes everything possible.
- [22:34]
Simon Lopez
Several movie theaters in Anchorage closed down. It's a national trend. Industry press points to competition from streaming services and lackluster box office sales that struggled to rebound after pandemic lows. The owners of the porcupine recognize the pressure from streaming services. Webster says new releases are on those services at the same time they are shown for the first time on the big screen.
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Susannah Webster
Whereas 20 years ago a movie could come out and then wasn't going to get released to Blu Ray or DVD or before that VHS for an entire year potentially. So people had to see movies in the theater if they wanted to see it anytime soon and now that just does not exist.
- [23:18]
Simon Lopez
The Porcupine's first year largely followed their original plan to operate as a community supported member funded venue. The theater focuses on second run and older titles because they don't come with the same screening requirements new releases have, though that doesn't mean the theater can't screen new movies. Co owner Nate Spence Corman says studios have been more flexible than anticipated.
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Bobby Burgess
I think we were planning on it being like you know, 90% second run or like kind of classics and then having the occasional movie. But they've been some of the studios are really flexible and we're able to get stuff if not like you know, the first, we had a couple actually on the first day that they've been released. Often it's within a couple weeks or a few weeks.
- [24:01]
Simon Lopez
In total, the theater screened 72 new releases during its first 11 months. Webster says the membership model also allows for a wider range of programming, including documentaries and older films, without relying on every screening to sell out. The theater is also experimenting with live sports broadcasts. Starting with Super Bowl Sunday, it hosted its first fully staged live play, part of the owner's goal to operate as a multi use space. Webster says the space has also hosted school activities and events for local non profit groups. Webster says more than 800 people now pay a monthly membership providing a stable base of support for the theater. For the month of February, the theater is repeating its opening month promotion, offering $5 screenings to the general public in Homer. I'm Simon Lopez.
- [24:50]
Wesley Early
Juneau's Crimson Bears high school football team is slated to be featured in the most watched sporting event in the United States this weekend, the Super Bowl. In September, a team of five reporters and cameramen from a national TV network visited the team and filmed a game against Anchorage's Diamond High School at Adair Kennedy Memorial Park. This week, NBC Sports released a short film featuring Juno's team and others across the US as lead up to Super Bowl Sunday, when millions of people will watch the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots go head to head during the National Football League 60th championship game in Santa Clara, California. The film examines the impact of football across the US and features longtime NFL sports reporter Peter King. Here's King talking about Juno Douglas High School Yada at Kathle Senior wide receiver Noah Ault in the film, the dedication of some players goes further. Noah Ault plays receiver in safety. He punts. He returns punts and kickoffs, and the aspiring athletic trainer even tapes ankles before the game. The film can be watched on NBC's YouTube page. And that's all for this edition of Alaska News Nightly. If you missed any of tonight's stories, we're online@alaskapublic.org and wherever you get your podcasts. We had reports tonight from Ashlyn O' Hara in Kenai, Rhonda McBride in Anchorage, Patrick Gill, Kristen Fairbanks, Tim Ellis in Delta Junction, Evan Ericson in Bethel, Simon Lopez in Homer and Clarice Larson in Juneau. If you want to send us a news tip, question or comment, email us@newslaskapublic.org Our audio engineer is Crystal Hyde. Kirsten Dobroth is our producer and we'll be rooting for the Patriots. And I'm Wesley early, who will be rooting for the Seahawks. Have a great weekend.
- [26:52]
Tim Ellis
This is statewide news on Alaska Public Media.