Alaska News Nightly: Friday, March 20, 2026

Summary

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Alaska News Nightly: Friday, March 20, 2026

Overview

This episode of Alaska News Nightly dives into key legislative developments, economic projects, community efforts to revive polar bear tourism, challenges in school staffing due to federal immigration policy, subsistence rights concerns, notable achievements in the Iditarod, and the recognition of Petersburg’s longtime basketball coach. The episode explores how statewide politics, infrastructure investments, and small community dynamics collectively shape the lives of Alaskans.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Legislative Developments: State Budget, LNG Tax Bill, and Construction Funding

Governor Dunleavy’s LNG Pipeline Tax Bill

• Governor Mike Dunleavy introduced a bill offering extensive tax breaks for the Alaska LNG pipeline from the North Slope to Southcentral Alaska.
• The bill would exempt the project from most local and sales taxes, instead taxing gas volume post-operation ([00:51]-[01:47]).
  • Governor Dunleavy: "This makes Alaska a little more competitive because our costs are higher to begin with." ([01:47])
• Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Greyer Hopkins noted municipal disagreement with the bill’s language.
  • Hopkins: "This is the bill that we've been discussing, but it's not language that us as the five municipal mayors have agreed to." ([02:08])
• A private developer, Glenn Farn, supports the bill, but no final decision has been made about the pipeline’s construction.

State Supplemental Budget Negotiations

• Lawmakers in Juneau formed a committee to finalize the budget bill funding hundreds of millions in construction, disaster relief, wildfire suppression, and scholarships ([02:29]-[03:49]).
  • Rep. Andy Josephson: "What might flow first is general fund dollars from an increase in oil severance taxes and then, second, failing that, CBR drop. So that's probably what you're going to see." ([03:49])
• The bill stalled due to disagreement over whether to draw from state savings, fueled by recent oil price surges.
• Rep. Will Stapp expressed skepticism about tapping savings, suggesting more time remained to resolve budget issues ([04:31]-[04:46]).
• Bill could clear with a simple majority, and a final vote is likely early next week.

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2. Community Focus: Kaktovik Considers Reviving Polar Bear Tours

• Kaktovik, known as the "Polar Bear Capital of the U.S.," halted tours in 2020 due to the pandemic and community concerns about outside influence and interference with subsistence activities ([05:38]-[09:57]).
  • Nathan Gordon Jr. (Mayor): Described the rise in polar bear visits and community patrol needs.
  • Ktil Raytan: "We started in very small scale, and it grew every year, and the last year the whole season was almost fully booked." ([07:14])
  • Tours became a vital economic driver, with local businesses benefitting until disruption by COVID-19 and federal permit suspensions.
  • Some residents raised concerns over nonlocal operators, crowding on small flights, and impacts on subsistence and freight.
    • Nora Jane Burns: Recalled flights booked solid, keeping residents and elders from returning home ([08:34]).
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with local groups to draft a new management plan emphasizing infrastructure and tourist education ([09:24]).
  • Ilona Knighton: "I'm excited for tourist season to be back, both for the community and those who work for it." ([05:51])
  • Generational change and new local leadership are seen as critical for the sustainable revival of tours.

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3. Infrastructure Investment: Anchorage Cargo Port Modernization

• Major project underway to rebuild Anchorage's key Cargo Terminal 1, part of a $2.7 billion port modernization effort ([10:42]-[12:13]).
  • LaFrance (Anchorage Mayor): Stressed the port’s importance; 75% of Alaska’s inbound cargo passes through.
  • Terry Umatam (Port Director): "This port and this infrastructure has not been maintained to the levels it should have been over the last 50 years, and we are now excited to fix that problem." ([12:04])
• Project aims to address the risk of terminal failure during earthquakes and secure Alaska’s economic lifeline.

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4. Rural Education Crisis: Hiring Teachers Amid Visa Fee Hikes

• President Trump’s dramatic H-1B visa fee hike ($100,000 per worker) has halted the recruitment of foreign teachers in Alaska’s rural districts ([13:05]-[16:15]).
  • Cindy Micah (Kodiak Supt.): 26 teachers are on H1B visas, crucial for classroom staffing.
  • Kim Saunders (Assistant Supt.): "Not having the ability to hire internationally for Kodiak could mean the difference in having a teacher in front of students and not having a teacher in front of students next year." ([13:19])
  • Local districts cannot afford the increased fees, leaving hundreds of teaching positions at risk and affecting both urban and rural schools.
  • Lisa Paradis (Alaska Council of School Administrators): "Districts have been forced into an impossible choice: pay millions in visa fees and cut student programs or go without teachers and leave classrooms uncovered. Neither option is acceptable." ([16:03])
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski proposed a bill to exempt schools from the $100,000 fee, but any relief may come too late for the 2026 recruiting cycle.

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5. Subsistence Rights: Proposed Federal Changes Spark Tribal Concerns

• U.S. Department of Interior held tribal consultations on a petition (from Safari Club International) to overhaul the federal management of subsistence hunting and fishing ([16:31]-[17:45]).
• Proposals would remove public and private representatives from the federal Subsistence Board, leaving only federal agency heads.
  • AFN co-chair Gayla Hossett: "How is that one person coming from the lower 48 going to understand certain areas around Alaska? ... Harvesting moose is easy in some areas and really hard with different terrain." ([17:24])
• Tribal and Native leaders argue this change could erode rural hunting and fishing rights and threaten cultural practices.

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6. Iditarod Coverage: Pete Kaiser’s Return and Top-10 Finish

• Bethel musher Pete Kaiser clinched 9th in the 2026 Iditarod, a strong comeback after a year’s absence ([18:33]-[22:04]).
  • His last-minute sprint against Michelle Phillips made for an exciting race finish.
  • Pete Kaiser: "Just didn’t come together the way we’d hoped with a little bit of bad luck and whatnot, but that’s Iditarod, really." ([21:10])
  • Kaiser highlighted the support from volunteers and the community's enduring spirit along the trail.
  • Samantha Watson: "Being out on the trail, traveling by dog team across Alaska make for something pretty remarkable." ([22:04])

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7. Local Recognition: Coach Rick Brock’s National Award

• Rick Brock, longtime Petersburg High School boys basketball coach, received the John R. Wooden Legacy Award from the National High School Basketball Coaches Association ([22:28]-[26:19]).
  • Brock’s 38-year coaching career has left a deep mark; he’s led generations of players, even coaching the current team captain’s father.
  • Rick Brock: "It's not me, it's all the guys that have played all the hours and time that they put in, their families, supporting and fundraising and letting their kids try. You know, it's the whole thing..." ([25:40])
  • Emphasized that the award reflects community, school, and family support.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• "This makes Alaska a little more competitive because our costs are higher to begin with." – Governor Dunleavy on LNG bill ([01:47])
• "This is the bill that we've been discussing, but it's not language that us as the five municipal mayors have agreed to." – Mayor Greyer Hopkins ([02:08])
• "We started in very small scale, and it grew every year... it was very popular and clients were very happy to come and see the polar bears in Kraktowik." – Ktil Raytan, polar bear tour operator ([07:14])
• "Not having the ability to hire internationally for Kodiak could mean the difference in having a teacher in front of students and not having a teacher in front of students next year." – Kim Saunders ([13:19])
• "Districts have been forced into an impossible choice: pay millions in visa fees and cut student programs or go without teachers and leave classrooms uncovered." – Lisa Paradis ([16:03])
• "How is that one person coming from the lower 48 going to understand certain areas around Alaska? ... What does a wildlife population look like? How hard is it to harvest moose?" – Gayla Hossett, AFN ([17:24])
• "Just didn't come together the way we'd hoped with a little bit of bad luck and whatnot, but that's, that's. Iditarod, really." – Pete Kaiser ([21:10])
• "It's not me, it's all the guys that have played all the hours and time that they put in, their families, supporting and fundraising..." – Coach Rick Brock ([25:40])

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Timestamps for Core Segments

• [00:26] – Episode Start: Key headlines and themes
• [00:51] – LNG pipeline tax bill discussion
• [03:49] – State budget bill deliberations
• [05:38] – Kaktovik polar bear tourism story
• [10:42] – Port of Alaska modernization update
• [13:05] – Rural school teacher visa crisis
• [16:31] – Subsistence Board and tribal concerns
• [18:33] – Iditarod race: Pete Kaiser’s finish
• [22:28] – Coach Rick Brock’s honoring

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Conclusion

This episode presents a portrait of a state facing economic, political, and cultural crossroads. It highlights the ongoing adaptation of Alaskans—whether through political compromise, infrastructure renewal, preserving traditions, or fostering the next generation. The stories illustrate resilience, the importance of community, and the challenges of balancing local needs with statewide and federal changes.

Transcript

[Unknown Announcer]

Support for Alaska Public Media on Demand comes from PeopleMover Help update the public transit service plan. Visit transitonthemove.com to take the latest public survey by April 26th. Every day that we go through this process, it is more highly likely that we do not need to authorize a draw from the state's savings accounts.

[Lori Townsend]

State lawmakers get closer on funding hundreds of millions of dollars worth of construction projects. From Alaska Public Media. This is statewide news on Alaska News nightly for Friday, March 20th. Good evening. I'm Lori Townsend. Also tonight, the community of Coctevik considers bringing back the region's polar bear tours.

[Ilona Knighton]

I'm excited for tourist season to be back, both for the community and those who work for it.

[Lori Townsend]

Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly. The PFD application is open. Just a small amount of your PFD will help share local news and stories about Alaskans with Alaskans across this great state. When you choose Alaska Public Media through Pick Click give Governor Mike Dunleavy is out with a new bill offering tax breaks for a planned natural gas pipeline from the North Slope to South Central Alaska. The bill would exempt the Alaska LNG project from a variety of local and sales taxes. They'd be replaced by a tax on the volume of gas flowing through the pipeline once it comes online. In an interview with KDL and Kenai, Dunleavy pitched it as a restructuring of the state's tax laws in an effort to make the project pencil out. This makes Alaska a little more competitive

[Andy Josephson]

because our costs are higher to begin with.

[Lori Townsend]

Dunleavy says the project would be worth billions of dollars in state and local tax revenue. And he says he worked with mayors of the five municipalities that would the line as he developed the proposal. But Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Greyer Hopkins says they didn't approve the bill Dunleavy introduced.

[Greyer Hopkins]

This is the bill that we've been discussing, but it's not language that us as the five municipal mayors have agreed to. It was introduced in my understanding and I got a voicemail from the governor this morning that this is in order to move forward and start having legislative hearings as we continue to work towards language that all five of us as municipalities can agree on as well with the governor.

[Lori Townsend]

Hopkins says he wants to ensure municipalities don't lose revenue and also benefit from lower energy prices. He says he wants the project to include a spur line to Fairbanks, the private developer working with the state to advance the project. Glenn Farn applauded the bill in a lengthy statement on Friday. It has yet to make a final decision on whether to build the pipeline. Lawmakers in Juneau set up a committee this week to hammer out a final draft of a budget bill that would fund hundreds of millions of dollars worth of construction projects across the the bill also includes tens of millions for disaster relief and wildfire suppression and would refill a scholarship fund lawmakers used to bridge a budget gap last year. The supplemental budget bill stalled in the House last week after minority Republicans opposed a draw from savings that requires a 3/4 supermajority. They argued a war driven increase in oil prices means the state will have the money to pay for the bill without a savings draw. The Democrat heavy bipartisan House majority said that passing the bill without a savings draw in a volatile time for oil prices was risky. Anchorage Democratic Representative Andy Josephson is leading the conference committee, and he says he expects lawmakers to rework the bill so that the state only uses savings if necessary.

[Rick Brock]

What might flow first is general fund dollars from an increase in oil severance taxes and then, second, failing that, CBR drop. So that's probably what you're going to see. There's nothing, there's nothing terribly radical about it.

[Lori Townsend]

It's also possible the bill could expand to include items cut from an earlier version. Josephson says that's up for negotiation. Those items are mostly state agency expenses that went above what lawmakers budgeted for last year. Fairbanks Republican Representative Will Stapp is one of two minority caucus members negotiating the bill. He says talks are just getting started, but he's still skeptical of any draw from saving.

[Unknown Announcer]

Every day that we go through this process, it is more highly likely that we do not need to authorize a draw from the state's savings accounts to pay these expenditures. And if we do, I mean, we also have more time in session to revisit that.

[Lori Townsend]

The bill as a whole could pass and head to the governor's desk with a simple majority vote. Even if the supermajority vote to spend from savings fails, Stapp says he's frustrated that hasn't happened already. Josephson says he expects the bill to go to the House and Senate floors for a final vote early next week. The North Slope community of Coqtowic is known as the Polar bear Capital of the U.S. hundreds of tourists used to flock to the Inupiat village of about 250 people to see bears, but about five years ago the tours were halted because of opposition from Res. Ilona Nydin, with the Alaska Desk, has more on what happened to the tours and what the community is doing to revive them.

[Ilona Knighton]

It's polar bear ground right there.

[Nathan Gordon Jr.]

Nathan Gordon Jr. Is driving his truck on the spit right outside of Kaktokovic. He's mayor and leads the town's polar bear patrol program. Under his backseat he has a shotgun, and in his console, shotgun rounds and cracker shells.

[Ilona Knighton]

There are explosive rounds, both of them. I have those ones, then lethal rounds in the front and then less than lethal rounds in here. So I keep them separate.

[Nathan Gordon Jr.]

Kaktochowik sits on Barter island on the Beaufort Sea coast, offshore from the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. In late summer and fall, up to 80 polar bears come on land, a trend that has been increasing as the sea ice diminishes. That brought the need for patrol and created opportunities for polar bear viewing that flourished before the pandemic.

[Ilona Knighton]

It was booming during the fall time, like the whole three months would cover the other nine months of money that was made at the hotel.

[Nathan Gordon Jr.]

But in 2020, the pandemic put a pause on visitation. Then the federal government halted the tours following significant community opposition. They never reopened. Gordon says Kaktorovic leaders have been working to revive them.

[Ilona Knighton]

I'm excited for tourist season to be back, both for the community and those who work for it. Let's get this place back to making money, and it'll be great for everybody.

[Nathan Gordon Jr.]

Ktil Raytan was among those who caught the polar bear tourism wave, a prominent Norwegian musher who repeatedly competed in the Iditarod. Raytan lived in Kaktovik for decades and started the company Coktovik Tours in 2010.

[Ktil Raytan]

We started in very small scale, and it grew every year, and the last year the whole season was almost fully booked, so it was very popular and clients were very happy to come and see the polar bears in Kraktowik.

[Nathan Gordon Jr.]

By 2019, he says, he and his two children took several hundred tourists a season on their two boats, a rare economic opportunity in a village with limited jobs.

[Ktil Raytan]

We were able to make a year income in about six weeks.

[Nathan Gordon Jr.]

Raytan was not alone. At least five Kaktorovic companies offered polar bear tours. According to the city's comprehensive plan, the number of tourists soared from about 50 in 2010 to over a thousand in 2015. But Kaktovik Polar bear tourism grew so quickly, residents were worried it was interfering with subsistence practices and disrupting life in the village. While many guides were local, there were also outside companies that flew tourists for a day without spending money in the community. Nora Jane Burns is a former guide who also helped found Polar Bear Patrol. She says that some tourists and guides approached bears too closely or even fed and baited them. But the main source of pushback to tours was an argument that visitors would book out seats on small flights and limit the amount of freight that was coming in.

[Lori Townsend]

That was the catalyst that kind of got everybody, especially when we have elders that go out for medical and then when they tried to come back, the flights would be booked.

[Nathan Gordon Jr.]

The COVID 19 pandemic shut down the tours, and a year later the US Department of Interior issued an order to pause commercial polar bear viewing permits until the effects of the industry were more defined. Since then, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency that oversees boat tours, has been collaborating with the city and village of Kaktorvik as well as Kaktorvik Inipiat Corporation. They have been working on a management plan for polar bear viewing. Gordon says that this time around he wants the community to develop infrastructure for tourists and focus more on educating them through brochures, signs, videos and in person conversations.

[Ilona Knighton]

Putting out knowledge to those who come in would be the easiest answer to fixing tourism problems. I think we'll be way more prepared for tourism this time.

[Nathan Gordon Jr.]

But who will run the tours? Burns is busy with her job at Kaktohowik Public Works Department, and Raton sold his boats and moved to Nome. But they both hope the younger generation will take over polar bear tours if and when they're back. With reporting from kaktok, I am Ilona Knighton.

[Lori Townsend]

Still to come on Alaska News Nightly, Petersburg's longtime basketball coach is recognized with a national award.

[Rick Brock]

It's not me. It's all the guys that have played all the hours and time that they put in their families.

[Lori Townsend]

That's ahead. Stay with us.

[Shelby Herbert]

I'm Shelby Herbert, a reporter with the Alaska Desk. That's a joint reporting effort from Alaska Public Media and kuac, where I work in Fairbanks, and other public radio stations in Anchorage Haines and the illusions it allows us to connect to the issues happening in communities all across the the state. You can hear our stories during the Morning News Alaska News Nightly or [e-mail] the Alaska Desk is only possible with the support of grants and listeners like you. Thank you.

[Lori Townsend]

Work is underway to rebuild an important cargo dock in Anchorage, part of a larger $2.7 billion project to improve the Don Young Port of Alaska that began more than a decade ago. Efforts to tear down and rebuild the port's Cargo Terminal 1 started Monday after an official notice to proce from anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance. It's just the latest phase of the Port of Alaska modernization program and represents Anchorage's largest capital project in the city's 50 year history. LaFrance says the port is crucially important to Alaskans across the state.

[Pete Kaiser]

The Don Young Port of Alaska is a critical piece of infrastructure not just for Anchorage residents, but for most residents of the state of Alaska.

[Lori Townsend]

About 75% of the state's inbound cargo comes through the port, driving more than 14 billion in statewide economic activity annually, according to city and port officials. The larger modernization project aims to upgrade the entire port and address its aging and corroding terminals after engineers determined they would likely fail in the event of a large earthquake. Port Director Terry Umatam says it's important for Alaskans to know there's a team keeping the port operating every day. But he says the upgrade to the car cargo terminals is long overdue. This port and this infrastructure has not

[Davis Hovey]

been maintained to the levels it should

[Lori Townsend]

have been over the last 50 years,

[Davis Hovey]

and we are now excited to fix that problem.

[Lori Townsend]

The work on cargo Terminal 1 is not expected to interrupt the shipment of cargo through the port and is expected to be completed by 2020. Alaska's rural school districts recruit heavily from abroad to fill teaching positions in their classrooms. But in the fall, President Donald Trump virtually shut that labor market down with a huge increase in the fee employers must pay for the visa those international workers need. In Kodiak Island Borough's public schools, nearly one in five current teachers have a visa. Now it's recruitment season for next school year, and the district's top administrator tells KMXT's Davis Hovey International teachers are not being recruited.

[Davis Hovey]

Kodiak Island Borough School District Superintendent Cindy Micah says 26 of her teachers hold H1B visas, which let highly skilled foreigners work in the United States for up to six years and can lead to permanent residence.

[Kim Saunders]

Not having the ability to hire internationally for Kodiak could mean the difference in having a teacher in front of students and not having a teacher in front of students next year.

[Davis Hovey]

Current teachers are not affected by Trump's new $100,000 visa fee, which is 20 times higher than the old fee. But it's too much for the district and others across the state to cover.

[Kim Saunders]

We actually are not currently recruiting from the Philippines for the first time since I moved here four years ago because we cannot afford the $100,000 fee that is now imposed at the embassy in order to obtain our visas.

[Davis Hovey]

President Trump claimed in his executive order that the high fee will address employers abuse of the system to undercut American workers. But part of the reason the school district started hiring teachers from the Philippines several years ago was because American candidates stopped applying. Micah says school districts used to find hundreds of potential teachers at in person state job fairs.

[Kim Saunders]

The last job fair in the state was two years ago. We had the same 52 districts, 53 districts and two teachers walked in the door of that job fair.

[Davis Hovey]

Two applicants H1B visa teachers fill crucial roles across the Kodiak Island Borough School District, such as the high school music orchestra teacher, special education teachers and teaching staff in rural communities like Old harbor, for example, Assistant Superintendent Kim Saunders says this year for the first time, the district retained all of its rural school teachers, thanks in part to the international recruits. US Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced a bill last week to exempt public schools across the country from paying the $100,000 fee. Saunders appreciates Murkowski's support, but even if the bill does pass quickly, she says it would not help recruiting. That's happening now.

[Gayla Hossett]

This would be a longer term solution that Murkowski is proposing, which we're very grateful for, but you're really talking about an FY28 solution, not a 27 solution.

[Davis Hovey]

She said. That KIBSD is looking at alternatives. In the meantime, the district has started sending out contracts to its non tenured teachers and is trying to determine its staffing needs for next school year. Statewide, 573 educators are international teachers on various visas, according to Lisa Paradis, the executive director of the Alaska Council of school administrators. That's 8.5% of Alaska's teaching workforce, she says. In some rural districts, more than half of the teachers are serving on visas. Paradis told state lawmakers earlier this month that districts have been forced into an

[Lori Townsend]

impossible choice pay millions in visa fees and cut student programs or go without teachers and leave classrooms uncovered. Neither option is acceptable for our students and children in Alaska.

[Davis Hovey]

There are also 11 international teachers in the Kodiak Island Borough School District who need to renew their visas this year. It's unclear how the ongoing government shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security will affect that process. Reporting in Kodiak, I'm Davis Hovey.

[Lori Townsend]

The U.S. interior Department held its second round of tribal consultations on subsistence hunting and fishing on federal land this week. Tribal leaders were invited to attend the meeting at the agency's Fish and Wildlife Service headquarters in Anchorage or online. The gatherings, which have been closed to the public, gave tribal and Alaska Native Corporation leaders a chance to question the Interior Department about a Safari Club International petition to reform federal subsistence management. The Alaska Federation of Natives is among dozens of organizations fighting the proposals which call for eliminating public and private seats on the federal Subsistence Board and limiting them to the heads of five federal agencies. AFN co chair Gayla Hossett says tribes fear this would result in poor decision making because federal managers are not from Alaska and rotate in and out of the state.

[Gayla Hossett]

How is that one person coming from the lower 48 going to understand certain areas around Alaska? The landscape, the snow conditions, the water conditions? What is life like out there? What does a wildlife population look like? How hard is it to harvest moose? Harvesting moose is easy in some areas and really hard with different terrain in different parts of Alaska.

[Lori Townsend]

The Interior Department is taking public comment on the Safari club proposals until March 30. The Safari Club says its its proposals would streamline wildlife management and give more authority to the state. Opponents say they threatened the rural subsistence priority guaranteed under federal law. On Wednesday, Bethel musher Pete Kaiser and his sled dog team took ninth place in the Iditarod. Facing challenges along the 1000 mile race trail from Willow to Nome, Kaiser crossed the finish line with half the dogs he'd started with. But as KYUK's Samantha Watson reports, there was a lot to be excited about, especially in Kaiser's last few minutes on the race trail. Ladies and gentlemen, Pete Kaiser.

[Pete Kaiser]

Sliding to a stop under gnomes burled arch, Pete Kaiser is bundled beyond recognition. Suited up against the wind, he looks like an astronaut landing from space.

[Samantha Watson]

He's in there.

[Lori Townsend]

I know, I know he's in there.

[Pete Kaiser]

Kaiser is another kind of traveler traversing the subarctic wilderness quite alone for 10 days with his team of dogs. His eyebrows are heavy with icicles. He scoops his kids and family into his arms before showing the race marshal the bag of tools required for such a rigorous trip. It's the 38 year old musher's 15th running of the Iditarod and a return to the roster after taking last year off.

[Shelby Herbert]

Welcome back to Nome.

[Pete Kaiser]

Earlier in the day, Kaiser appeared poised for a 10th place finish. But in the final 10 minutes of his 10 day race, Kaiser ran head to head with Canadian musher Michelle Phillips. Kaiser began to close the gap along the the final two miles of Bering Sea ice trail before ultimately pulling ahead of Phillips securing ninth place. Not long after Kaiser Michelle runs into the chute and her dogs and Kaiser's dogs share a brief bark of surprise or maybe athlete's relief like nice game, nice game. The 9th place victory is another notch in Kaiser's history of consistently ranking within the top 10 finishers in the field. Seven years ago Kaiser pulled even farther ahead, taking first place as the Iditarod champion. This year's title went to musher Jesse Holmes, who won his second consecutive race late on March 17. It was Kaiser's first Iditarod run since becoming a title holder champion of his hometown race, the Kuskokwim 300. Kaiser said out there it was one of the best Iditarod trails he's seen, especially from the top of Rainy Pass through the finish. Kaiser's starting team of 16 dogs was a blend of Iditarod veterans and younger athletes.

[Samantha Watson]

It's a fun group of dogs. The young ones are just, you know, super energetic and eager and hard pulling and the old ones are fun to watch.

[Davis Hovey]

Knew what they were doing along the trail.

[Pete Kaiser]

Several dogs on Kaiser's team became sick. Kaiser began dropping dogs early in the race and appeared to supplement by taking extra rest at or between checkpoints to allow his reduced team to recoup.

[Samantha Watson]

Just didn't come together the way we'd hoped with a little bit of bad luck and whatnot, but that's, that's. I did a rod, really, he says.

[Pete Kaiser]

After managing the sick dogs, he realized positioning was something, something he'd let go of. But working the team up the coast, Kaiser says it felt like they could maybe sneak their way into the top 10 again. Crossing the finish line, his eight dog team appeared perky and were soon rewarded for their 1000 mile triumph as Kaiser dispersed chunks of meat. Since the speed of life has picked up, Kaiser, who used to train also season with the race in mind, says the Iditarod has become a year by year decision.

[Samantha Watson]

It's hard to explain, really. I think it's one of those things that when you're not doing it, you think of all the really fun parts of it and then when you're doing it, you're just busy with all the really hard parts of it.

[Pete Kaiser]

He says though, that back on the trail, it's the people, the volunteers and folks at checkpoints he's gotten to know over the years who he'll remember fondly. That and the thing itself, says Kaiser. Being out on the trail, traveling by dog team across Alaska make for something pretty remarkable. At the finish line in Nome, I'm Samantha Watson.

[Lori Townsend]

If you've been to a Petersburg High school boys basketball game sometime in the last 30 years, there's a good chance you've seen head coach Rick Brock standing on the sidelines. Brock has been an integral part of Petersburg basketball, and as KFSK's Taylor Heckert reports, he recently received an Award from the National High School Basketball Coaches association recognizing his commitment to the sport and student athletes.

[Taylor Heckert]

At the end of Petersburg's homecoming games last month, friends and family waited on the sidelines to recognize the heart of the of the high school seniors in basketball, cheer and pep band. But there was also someone else whose hard work was being recognized. That evening, Athletics director Jamie Cabral made the announcement.

[Andy Josephson]

And also another recognition we'd like to recognize as part of the Alaska association of Basketball Coaches. This person just received the John R. Wooden Legacy Award. This prestigious honor recognizes educators and coaches who have achieved excellence on the court, in the classroom and throughout their communities, truly reflecting the character, leadership, and lasting impact of coach John R. Wooden. So, along with the Alaska association of Basketball Coaches, please recognize coach Rick Brock, who just received that award for 2026.

[Taylor Heckert]

Rick Brock has been coaching for about 38 years, and 36 of those have been in Petersburg. That's long enough that Brock has coached generations of basketball players. Here's Noah Pawak, a senior on the varsity team.

[Noah Pawak]

He coached my dad. Even so, he's been doing it for years and he knows how to coach and he knows what he's doing.

[Taylor Heckert]

Noah says with Brock as his coach, he saw some big wins during his high school basketball career.

[Noah Pawak]

He just, he coaches for success. Like, I've been part of a team that's won a state championship my sophomore year and Coach Brock was head of the helm.

[Taylor Heckert]

But Cabral says being a great coach also involves a lot of work off the basketball court. That means early mornings, late nights, and consistently showing up for Petersburg's youth.

[Jamie Cabral]

You know, coaching is not just your season. From December 3, from first practice to the last game of the season, it's, you know, helping the kids on the off season, doing fundraising, supporting them at their other sports.

[Taylor Heckert]

Cabral says Brock puts in long hours behind the scenes to make Petersburg student athletes successful. Plus, he says that Brock has played a large role in guiding Petersburg's teenage boys into becoming respectful, well rounded young men.

[Jamie Cabral]

Everybody kind of knows, kind of associates, you know, Rick Brock and Petersburg basketball, even though he did graduate from wrangle. But he is respected across the state. Just a knowledge piece of, of basketball, the game itself, and understanding concepts.

[Taylor Heckert]

If you ask Brock about his award, he says it's a reflection of the community around him. He says he wouldn't be able to do this without the support of his family, the school, and especially the players.

[Rick Brock]

It's not me, it's. It's all the guys that have played all the hours and time that they put in their families, supporting and fundraising and letting their kids try. You know, it's the whole thing going to summer camp and then the administration and school, you know, just giving everything.

[Taylor Heckert]

And he says the team wouldn't be successful without the hard work of the other winter activities during the basketball season.

[Rick Brock]

A very wise coach once told me, to have a good basketball program, you have to have a quality pep band and quality cheerleaders, and it has to be the atmosphere of the gym, and the community wants to come and experience that, and it makes it special for the kids.

[Taylor Heckert]

Brock says he feels very blessed and humbled to receive the recognition. In Petersburg, I'm Taylor Heckert.

[Lori Townsend]

And that's all for this edition of Alaska News nightly. We had reports tonight from Eric Stone and Juneau, Ashlyn O' Hara and Kenai Alona and I think in Coctovic, Michaela Finnerty and Rhonda McBride in Anchorage, Davis Hovey in Kodiak, Samantha Watson in Nome and Taylor Heckert in Petersburg. 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 I'm Laurie Townsend. Have a great weekend.