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- [00:07]
Liz Ruskin
I want to project a message of something that can actually get us through this impasse.
- [00:14]
Casey Grove
Senator Lisa Murkowski works to find the middle ground to avoid a government shutdown. From Alaska Public Media. This is statewide news on Alaska News nightly for Friday, September 19th. Good evening. I'm Casey Grove. Also tonight, Alaska's own Olympic gold medalist Kakan Randall is headed to the Ski and Snowboard hall of Fame.
- [00:32]
Keegan Randall
Being inducted into the Ski and Snowboard hall of Fame, I feel like is an accomplishment for our whole community that believed in what was possible.
- [00:40]
Casey Grove
Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly. The US Senate rejected two partisan spending bills today, bringing the country closer to a partial government shutdown. On October 1st, Senator Lisa Murkowski voted against both the Republican spending bill and the Democratic version. As Alaska Public Media Washington correspondent Liz Ruskin reports, Murkowski is hoping to forge a middle path on this vote.
- [01:08]
Liz Ruskin
The yeas are 44, the nays are 48.
- [01:10]
Keegan Randall
The 60 vote threshold having not been achieved. The bill is not passed.
- [01:14]
Liz Ruskin
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and Murkowski were the only Republicans to vote against the Republican stopgap spending bill. So a horde of reporters was waiting for her in the hall and by the train that shuttles senators back to their office buildings. Today was a messaging exercise.
- [01:33]
Keegan Randall
We saw both proposals fail.
- [01:37]
Liz Ruskin
I want to project a message of.
- [01:41]
Keegan Randall
Something that can actually get us through this impasse.
- [01:45]
Liz Ruskin
One thing Murkowski wants the bill to include is money to continue, at least temporarily, subsidies for people who buy their health insurance through the Affordable Care act marketplace. Some of the subsidies are due to expire this year. Murkowski says if Congress doesn't act, many Americans are going to see their premiums skyrocket in less than a month. We're going to see rates announced across the country that are going to catch people, you know, beyond surprise. At issue is a short term spending bill known as a continuing resolution, or cr. Congress passes them to keep the government funded while members work on longer term appropriations bills. Murkowski says there's still time to negotiate a bipartisan solution and avoid a shutdown. Senate Democrats proposed to permanently extend the expiring insurance subsidies as well as other items worth more than a trillion dollars. Murkowski says their bill was a pie in the sky wish list. That's not realistic, even though there are many pieces of that that I would agree with. Correct. Not the least of which was the support for public broadcasting. She says restoring the full amount cut from public radio and TV isn't feasible, but she thinks $30 million in wind down funds is reasonable. The Senate has already passed three of the 12 appropriations bills that would fund the government for 2026. Murkowski wants them included in the stopgap bill to preserve that work. The approach that I'm taking may sufficiently annoy both sides, but I think we have to have serious proposals when we're talking about serious things like a looming government shutdown. After the failed votes, the Senate recessed for a week. Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune says he plans to put the same Republican resolution up for a vote when senators return on the 29th. It has already passed the House, where Alaska Congress Nick Begich voted for it. Senator Dan Sullivan missed both votes on the partisan crs, a spokeswoman said. He flew to Fairbanks for a prescheduled meeting with the labor secretary. Reporting from Washington, I'm Liz Ruskin.
- [04:17]
Casey Grove
With more ships traveling in the Arctic, the US Coast Guard is proposing a new two way shipping route along the northern Alaska coast. The idea is to make travel in the region safer for the environment and more efficient. The Alaska Desk's Leona Nydin has more.
- [04:32]
Alona Knighton
The U.S. coast Guard is planning a four mile wide corridor for ships to travel between the northern edge of the Bering strait and the U.S. canada maritime border. Coast Guard Officer Camden Martin says the new route will be a fixed corridor for ships to pass in both directions. She says it will limit disturbances to the ecosystem in the area.
- [04:54]
Keegan Randall
It would mitigate the amount of damage to subsistence hunting in environmentally sensitive areas.
- [04:59]
Alona Knighton
In 2018, the Coast Guard recommended a similar two way route through the Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska. Martin says the new route will be the continuation of that path. The Coast Guard's icebreaker Healy surveyed the proposed route last year, revealing depth discrepancies and uncharted hazards. This year, the national oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also conducted hydrographic research of the area. Martin says the proposed route will avoid Hannah Shoal, a shallow area in the Chukchi Sea that is an important habitat for marine mammals and seabirds.
- [05:37]
Ava White
So the route planning really did take into consideration mammal migration patterns in order.
- [05:42]
Keegan Randall
To minimize the amount of impact that.
- [05:44]
Ava White
Shipping would have on these environmentally sensitive areas.
- [05:48]
Alona Knighton
Martin says the Coast Guard is in contact with tribes along the proposed route, including in Wainwright, Noigset, Utkakavik, Point Lae and Point Hope. She says that subsistence hunters asked to keep the route 70 nautical miles offshore. David Serres is an assistant chief with the Coast Guard's Waterways Management Branch. Vessel traffic in portions of the Arctic like in the Bering Strait region has been increasing and Ceres says the new route would help accommodate that growth. Ceres says the plan would also help ensure that the potential increase in resource development in the Arctic does not interfere with shipping, and it would make travel in the Arctic more predictable. Right now, he says, people might be avoiding the area, wary of uncharted shoals or higher insurance costs.
- [06:39]
Casey Grove
Having modern, up to date surveys and a specified area where they're supposed to go, you know, sort of eliminates some of the barriers that might keep people from using the Arctic as a future trade route in the future.
- [06:50]
Alona Knighton
The Coast Guard has been accepting comments from the public and tribes. Once the draft has been finished with revisions, they hope to take it to the International Maritime Organization that meets in spring in Anchorage. I am Alona Knighton.
- [07:04]
Casey Grove
This year's permanent fund dividend will be exactly $1,000. Payments to more than 600,000 Alaskans are set to begin October 2nd. The $1,000 PFD is the lowest in five years, and adjusting for inflation, it's the smallest in state history. Last year's dividend was roughly $1,700. The Department of Revenue announced the $1,000 figure in a news release this afternoon, but it's not exactly a surprise. Lawmakers approved the amount when they passed the state budget in May. Alaskans who applied electronically and requested direct deposits will be included in the first round of payments. People who filed paper applications or requested a physical check can expect their dividends starting October 23rd. Still to come at Alaska News Nightly, a remodeled school library stokes creativity in Anchorage. Library, I think, nourishes the aspects of the kids that thrive and need exploration and a lack of structure. That's ahead. Stay with us. Officials with the University of Alaska Anchorage say they're seeing their largest increase in enrollment in over a decade. UAA Provost Denise Runge says the university had modest growth up until 2016, when total student enrollment started to decline. That includes part and full time students, she says. It only started to rebound a couple years ago.
- [08:29]
Liz Ruskin
We saw a couple of percentage points in growth last year and a couple of percentage points in the spring last year. And then this fall we've got this 6% jump.
- [08:38]
Casey Grove
While a 6% bump in all students enrolled in classes may not sound like a lot, runge says. It puts the university in a better position than a lot of colleges across the country.
- [08:48]
Liz Ruskin
Six percent is a big deal. It is a big deal in a single year, particularly in a time when the rest of the nation is talking about something called the enrollment cliff, which has to do with demographics and fewer young people going to college.
- [09:01]
Casey Grove
The national center for Education Statistics reports that nationwide, colleges and universities have seen a roughly 15% decline in enrollment between 2010 and 2021, equaling about 2.7 million fewer students. Officials for the statewide University of Alaska system say overall enrollment is on track to be about 5% higher than last year. The Fairbanks campus is seeing an almost 6% bump in enrollment, while the southeast campus in Juneau has a roughly 9% decline. In Anchorage, Runge credits the increase in enrollment to more community outreach.
- [09:36]
Liz Ruskin
UAA for about five years has been super intentional at becoming more community engaged and particularly working partnerships with the two largest school districts in our region, the Anchorage School District and the Matsubura School District. And I think that work is beginning.
- [09:50]
Casey Grove
To pay off, runge says. The education programs and the community and technical college have seen the largest gains in enrollment in total. UA officials anticipate a total of about 20,500 students to be enrolled statewide in both the major and satellite campuses by the end of this semester. Heat pumps are growing in popularity across the country, including in parts of Alaska. They're more energy efficient than traditional heating methods like boilers or furnaces, because instead of generating heat, they move it from one place to another. A new study shows it could extend the life of Cook Inlet natural gas supplies if enough Anchorage residents installed one. But as Alaska Public Media's Ava White reports, the study also shows the systems don't make financial sense in most cases in the state's largest city, heat pumps.
- [10:46]
Ava White
Haven'T always been a good option in cold climates, but the technology is improving quickly and they work well in places like Anchorage. Now, only a tiny number of residents in the city have one, though why?
- [10:58]
Wesley Early
The fact that it is more expensive.
- [10:59]
Casey Grove
In the median case is probably why people aren't doing it.
- [11:03]
Ava White
Ian Mills is the research data manager for the University of Alaska center for Economic Development. He's the lead author of a study published in June that analyzes the potential for air source heat pumps to be used more widely in Anchorage. Heat pumps run on electricity, and although they're more efficient than traditional heating methods, the report found, the city's electric prices essentially negates their efficiency advantage. Compared nationally, Anchorage natural gas prices are far below the average, but electricity prices are much higher. According to the report. It cost residents residents $2,300 more annually to heat their homes if they made the swap. Mills says that cost difference is a barrier for residents including himself.
- [11:44]
Casey Grove
If that difference was $500, I think people would be much more willing to say, oh well, it's there's all these side benefits and it's better for the environment, so I'll do it.
- [11:53]
Ava White
Widespread heat pump adoption in the state's largest city would extend the life of natural gas supplies and Cook Inlet, the study says, but it doesn't say for how long. Mills says heat pumps in cold climates often rely on backup heat sources, such as electrical resistance heating. But even then, he says, you're using less energy.
- [12:11]
Casey Grove
It's just that because our electricity is relatively expensive and the realities of generating electricity from natural gas, and because our natural gas is pretty cheap, this energy savings never translates into a meaningful dollar savings.
- [12:25]
Ava White
Even if heat pumps become more affordable, there are still hurdles the study identifies, including the complexity of permitting consumer skept limited workforce capacity in Anchorage, the report says. There's no temperature where heat pumps are cheaper to operate than a furnace or boiler. But the study explored ways to make them more affordable. One solution is special rate structures for heat pump users in Anchorage, and that's something Chugach Electric is considering. Mark Henspetter is a business development analyst with the company. He says Chugach is discussing how to design rates that'll support heat pump adoption.
- [13:00]
Casey Grove
There's a lot of good programs that have been successfully implemented in other parts of the country that we're also looking at to try to see, like, what really works. There's, I think, certainly some, you know, good opportunities to have, whether it's heat pump specific rates or just rates that support certain types of beneficial electrification.
- [13:19]
Ava White
Those changes would have to be approved by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, he says. Only several hundred of the utility's over 90,000 customers currently have a heat pump. But he's hearing increasing interest. Hence Better is considering installing a heat pump himself for supplemental heat. He says some customers are switching to the technology because they can also provide air conditioning in the summer, which many homes in the city don't have. He compares buying a heat pump to purchasing a new car. There are considerations beyond cost, like fuel economy, safety features or the number of seats, he says. With heat pumps, it's the same thing.
- [13:55]
Casey Grove
Maybe it is that reduced exposure to price volatility of natural gas. You know, maybe it's going to be a carbon reduction. Maybe it's just going to be more consistent temperature.
- [14:04]
Ava White
The utility provides rebates of $900 for residential customers and $1,500 for commercial members who install heat pumps. Henspetter says he expects the number of heat pumps in the city to grow as more residents become aware of the technology. And if a quarter of locals switched by 2045, the study found it prevent as much CO2 as all Anchorage cars produce in an entire year. In Anchorage, I'm Ava White.
- [14:30]
Casey Grove
For many students, school libraries offer an opportunity to explore a variety of topics outside of otherwise structured classroom activities. At one Anchorage elementary school, a local volunteer who happens to be a former state legislator saw an opportunity to breathe fresh life into the library, aiming to foster learning, creativity and whimsy. Alaska Public Media's Wesley early has more. When spring sun warmed the seeds, Sand.
- [14:57]
Wesley Early
Lake Elementary School librarian Tom Grenier reads from the book Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf with a group of kindergarteners.
- [15:03]
Casey Grove
What do you think will happen with the seeds and their tiny leaves? That's a very good guess.
- [15:11]
Wesley Early
As the kids listen along, a local artist is hand drawing a mural on an opposite wall with detailed foliage and a smattering of animals gazing at a sunset. In one corner, decorative koi fish hang from the ceiling near an exhibit highlighting the school's Japanese immersion program. In another, a large window illuminates a revamped quiet reading area. These are all renovations spurred by a community member's time spent volunteering at the school. Former state legislator Andrew Halcrow, a Republican representative who once ran for governors and independent, says he began coming to the library a couple times a week after he retired two years ago to help shelve books.
- [15:45]
Casey Grove
After a couple of weeks, it's, you know, my my mind started to kick in. I started to think of ways you could improve the library, right? Get kids to books faster, eliminate some of the security concerns, make it more fun and whimsical.
- [16:00]
Wesley Early
Halcrow met with the local pta, and they issued a survey to students asking what they'd like to see from their.
- [16:05]
Casey Grove
Library, and the number one response was kids loved the quiet reading area, so we invested a lot of money in seating in New York, cushions and pillows for the reading area because the kids really gravitated towards that.
- [16:19]
Wesley Early
Halcrow and his wife, Vicki, paid for the renovations, which also include a couple iPads to help kids find their books faster, and updated bookends showing animals climbing in trees and clouds. Labeling the various topics on a nearby ladder. Artist Ted Kim is using a Sharpie to freehand draw a mural.
- [16:35]
Casey Grove
This piece I think I've only used. I've only cycled through five different markers.
- [16:41]
Wesley Early
Kim has been showcasing his art in Anchorage for more than 20 years. He says he caught the artistic bug as a kid going to his school's library.
- [16:48]
Casey Grove
Some of my fondest memories were going to the library and checking out the books, and I feel like that's kind of where it all started with you know, just this magic of, you know, creativity and just, you know, imagination.
- [17:05]
Wesley Early
Kim says he was given a lot of freedom to to draw the mural. There are leaves and flowers lining the walls. There's also a large lion, Sand Lake's mascot, surrounded by a couple Maltese dogs like the ones Kim has at home. His daughter suggested a capybara should be added. There's even a small nod to Grenier, the school's librarian.
- [17:22]
Casey Grove
The panda playing the guitar is a tribute to Tom the librarian here. He's an awesome guitarist. There was a great big moose.
- [17:32]
Keegan Randall
There was a great big moose.
- [17:34]
Wesley Early
Grenier strums along during a story time with the kindergartners as the kids sing along.
- [17:39]
Casey Grove
There was a great big miss.
- [17:41]
Keegan Randall
There was a great big miss.
- [17:43]
Casey Grove
We like to drink a lot of juice.
- [17:46]
Wesley Early
Grenier says he appreciates the attention being paid to the library, both from the students that took the survey and the donations that made the renovations possible. He says a lot of the school curriculum is focused on very structured topics like math and science, but the library helps to stretch kids creativity.
- [18:01]
Casey Grove
Library, I think, nourishes the aspects of the kids that thrive and need exploration and a lack of structure and discovery and self selection.
- [18:15]
Wesley Early
And Greiner says the renovations are working. He's noticed an uptick in attention from students, even the older ones, who typically outgrow the elementary catalog.
- [18:23]
Casey Grove
I've been able to put brand new books about supercurrent stuff out on the tabletops and check out among the older grades is definitely up and that makes your job fun.
- [18:39]
Wesley Early
Halcro says the project is ongoing and they'll continue to survey students on what sorts of new books they want in their library. Reporting in Anchorage, I'm Wesley Early.
- [18:54]
Casey Grove
Champion Alaskan skier Keegan Randall is set to be inducted into the U.S. national Ski and Snowboard hall of Fame. Randall, who lives in Anchorage and is the executive director of the Nordic Skiing association of Anchorage, is widely regarded as the most accomplished cross country skier to come out of Alaska. Randall's professional career included 29 World cup podiums, a World Championship silver medal in 2009 and gold in 2013. It culminated in Randall's final Olympic Games in 2018 when she and Jesse Diggins won the team sprint to give the US Its first ever Olympic gold medal in cross country skiing. Randall is also a cancer survivor and mother of two. But even with all of that, she says she was still surprised to get the call earlier this week telling her she was headed to the hall of Fame.
- [19:40]
Keegan Randall
My first instinct was, wait a second. I'm too young. This is too soon. But it's cool because I know a lot of the other athletes and inspirational figures in the hall are a lot of people that have been heroes of mine. So I just feel honored to be a part of it.
- [19:56]
Casey Grove
That's super cool. Yeah. I mean, just as you reflect on what that means to you personally, what do you think about being honored in that way?
- [20:07]
Keegan Randall
Well, I just think about the role that role models have played in my life, and especially I think now that I work on the implementation side of sport, where I help put together programs, and I understand more of what it takes, the volunteer efforts, the dedication from people. So the fact that I think my being inducted into the hall of Fame now just does kind of solidify the role I've gotten to play on the backs of those who have inspired me and created sport for me. And so I think it's just a really cool circle of inspiration we have, because I've already gotten to hear some fun stories of athletes who grew up looking up to me, and now they're the ones that my kids are looking up to.
- [20:49]
Casey Grove
Yeah, no doubt. So I wonder, with this hall of Fame induction, what do you think that means to other people here in Anchorage, or just in Alaska in general?
- [20:58]
Keegan Randall
Well, I have just noticed throughout my whole career that for everything that I've been able to achieve by crossing my ski across the finish line, it's not been just an individual effort. There's been a whole group of people behind me, not only my family, my coaches, my teammates, but really the community. I mean, so many people here in Anchorage that when I talked about winning a medal at the Olympics, which had never been done by a woman before, people didn't laugh at me. They said, wow, yeah, let's go for it. And so being inducted into the Ski and Snowboard hall of Fame, I feel like is an accomplishment for our whole community that believed in what was possible was there helping every step of the way when it was two steps forward, one step back. And now we all kind of get to feel proud about this together.
- [21:42]
Casey Grove
Yeah. So I realize this might be kind of a big question, but inspiration aside, how did you do it? How did you find success in skiing?
- [21:54]
Keegan Randall
Well, I think there's that whole nature versus nurture debate, and I think there was, like, anything, a combination of both. I think I certainly had some character traits that showed up very early on that when I saw something that I wanted, I was kind of bounded determined to put my head down and go for it. But that type of spirit still needs to be cultivated with a good environment. And growing up here in Anchorage, Alaska, there were just so many great opportunities to let those characteristics really flourish. I mean, starting with some of the early, I think, runner events that I got involved with here in Anchorage. I mean, the Tuesday night race series. And there used to be this Anchorage kids running track meet series. So I got to go out and test myself and see what that felt like and see improvement. And people were very encouraging. And my role models, I would see in the grocery store and I got to become good friends with. And so all along, I had opportunities to develop. I had good support, I had inspiration. And then when I got to the point where I was in high school and I was doing a bunch of different sports, and I kind of had to decide what path I wanted to go again, there was just the right program. I mean, when I started at the Apu Nordic Ski center, back then it was called Gold 2002. Jim Galanis, who started that program, had this vision for how American skiers could be successful, how the pattern we had been doing before as a system was not working. And he had this vision. And I happened to get introduced to him and into that program. And had I not, you know, maybe I would have ended up on a totally different path. So I think it was the right mix of really great programs and mentors, but still, that determination and stubbornness at times and patience to see it come through.
- [23:46]
Casey Grove
Yeah. I wonder, do you see younger skiers kind of in the mix around Anchorage that stand out to you that might one day go on to achieve the same level of success that you've had?
- [24:00]
Keegan Randall
Well, I think someone asked me right after the hall of Fame announcement, what are you most proud of? And I think for me, it's the fact that what I was able to do in my sport career really opened the door of possibility in cross country skiing, both for the United States, but I think really here in Alaska, too, of, oh, this isn't just a fun thing to do to go to the Olympics. You can actually win the Olympics. And so when I see the young skiers coming through already, Gus Schumacher has had some accolades that I didn't get in my career. I mean, he's really proven that he can be at the top of the world, and he's really in this group of men that have really bonded together, seemingly as a team and are pushing each other. And so as a relay team, they won a medal at world Juniors. And J.C. schoonmaker and Luke Jagger. They're knocking at the door, and I think if they just keep staying patient and supportive, they can break through. But now you also have a whole community of people, I think, that are believing in what's possible, and they're seeing how it can really kind of pay off over time. And for as many people as we're putting on the Olympic team and potentially on the Olympic podium, there's a hundred more of people that are just living a great lifestyle. And my best friends today are the friends I was on my high school ski team with and my APU team and my, you know, US Ski team. It's just like it's such a great lifestyle sport.
- [25:20]
Casey Grove
That was Olympic champion cross country skier Keegan Randall, who is set to be inducted into the U.S. national Ski and Snowboard hall of Fame in April of 2026. 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 Liz Ruskin in Washington, D.C. iliona Knight and Wesley early and Ava White in Anchorage and Eric Stone in Juneau. If you want to send us a news tip, question or comment, email us@newslaskapublic.org Our audio engineer is Chris Hyde. Any fight produced tonight's show. I'm Casey Grove. Have a great weekend.