Alaska News Nightly: Monday, May 18, 2026

Summary

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Alaska News Nightly: Monday, May 18, 2026

Podcast: Alaska News Nightly – Alaska Public Media
Host: Casey Grove
Date: May 18, 2026
Episode Summary by Alaska Public Media

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Overview

This episode of Alaska News Nightly focuses on major statewide legislative debates as the Alaska session nears its end, particularly around a high-stakes LNG pipeline tax relief bill. The show also covers local efforts to reinstate Anchorage's Public Safety Advisory Commission, updates on a missing person case involving a young Alaska Native woman, a year-end report from Nome's new Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, progress on Anchorage's housing crisis, and a court saga involving a former Juneau chiropractor. Throughout, the episode spotlights debates about transparency, governance, and community impacts across Alaska.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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1. Alaska LNG Pipeline Tax Relief Bill and Legislative Session Updates

(Segment begins ~00:18)

• Main Issue:
  The Alaska House is pushing to pass a tax relief bill for the Alaska LNG pipeline project, aiming to incentivize investment in an 800-mile pipeline connecting the North Slope with the Kenai Peninsula.

  • The project could mean long-term energy security, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth, but the risk remains of giving away too much public benefit with little return.

• Major Sticking Point:
  Lawmakers are debating how much tax relief is necessary and what conditions should be attached, with particular concern over a 2% property tax on oil and gas infrastructure being higher than global standards.

• Compromise Amendment:
  A last-minute compromise merges elements from the Governor’s proposal and House/Senate committee drafts.

  • "Everybody gave something and what we end up with is a tax structure that the project can take to investors and be established for success paired with the protections our communities along the route need as this project is built and goes into production."
    — Rep. Chuck Kopp, Anchorage Republican (03:46)

• Political Tension:
  Many in the bipartisan majority are wary of the risk to public interest, especially skipping standard committee review.

  • “You don't circumvent the finance committees and play gamesmanship on a multi billion dollar project and inject, you know, incalculable risk to the investors just for some political gain on a deadline for the next two days. That’s crazy. I think they've done a lot of damage playing around with this sleazy politics.”
    — Sen. Burt Steadman (05:13)

• Other Legislative Actions:

  • Budget compromise reached: $1,000 Permanent Fund Dividend plus $200 energy relief (dependent on oil prices); possible $144 million one-time school funding.
  • Other bills: residency tied to hunting/fishing licenses, expansion of programs for children with developmental delays.
  • "Finance officers for school districts, they're going to be tracking like mad the price of Alaska North Slope crude till the end of June."
    — Rep. Andy Josephson (06:24)

Notable Timestamps:

• 01:31 – Intro to LNG project
• 02:40 – Rep. Ashley Carrick on project opportunities/risks
• 03:46 – Rep. Chuck Kopp on the compromise
• 05:13 – Sen. Burt Steadman’s criticism
• 06:24 – School budget & oil prices

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2. Anchorage’s Public Safety Commission Reboot

(Segment begins ~07:18)

• Background:
  The original Public Safety Advisory Commission sunset in 2024 due to lack of community involvement and diversity.

  • “It didn't really do anything that I could see.”
    — Rich Kirtner, Attorney/Alaska Black Caucus (08:00)

• Motivation for Reinstatement:
  Public outcry over police shootings and desire for meaningful civilian oversight.

  • “We want to put the public back in public safety... We're advising and we're oversight. We have oversight over what's going on in the city. And that way I think that will develop the trust that community.”
    — Rich Kirtner (10:11)

• Structure of New Proposal:

  • Commission would have 9 members with experience in law enforcement interaction, public safety expertise, or behavioral health.
  • Limits: no more than 3 may be former city public safety or law officials.
  • Powers: advise, hold public hearings, review policies, request incident follow-ups (no investigatory or disciplinary powers).
  • “I want this commission to go out and hear from the public and hear their concerns, their praises for public safety and everything in between.”
    — Felix Rivera, Former Assemblymember (09:50)

• Dissenting View:
  Some residents believe the proposal falls short of true oversight.

  • “It's not civilian oversight. It is a backroom deal between the sponsors of this ordinance, chief case and the APD... It’s not what people have been asking for for the last six years.”
    — Michael Patterson, Party for Socialism and Liberation (10:48)

Notable Timestamps:

• 08:00 – Rich Kirtner: lack of commission effectiveness
• 08:54 – Felix Rivera: debates over commission power
• 09:50 – Rivera on community input
• 10:11 – Kirtner on public trust
• 10:48 – Michael Patterson: criticism

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3. Investigation Update: Kelly Hunt Case

(Segment begins ~12:33)

• Incident:
  Kelly Hunt, a 19-year-old Alaska Native student, was found dead after being missing for over 100 days. Police report hypothermia and alcohol exposure as cause, no “indication of physical trauma.”

• Police Perspective:
  Case says investigation thorough but hindered by late missing report.

  • "When you start four days behind when somebody goes missing, you're pretty limited in that immediate response, but we did the things we were supposed to do."
    — Police Chief Sean Case (14:30)

• Advocate Criticism:
  Community advocates question if police drew conclusions too soon.

  • “How are you going to make that determination before you speak to those people? … Somebody furnished her alcohol and then she wound up dead. That should be a crime.”
    — Antonia Comic (14:53)

• Missing Persons Dashboard:
  New APD dashboard launched, confirms Alaska Natives are disproportionately represented in missing persons and homicides.

Notable Timestamps:

• 13:03 – Case describes cause of death
• 14:30 – Case on investigation delay
• 14:53 – Advocates’ criticism

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4. Delayed Assault Retrial: Jeffrey Foltz Case

(Segment begins ~15:58)

• Context:
  Former Juno chiropractor Jeffrey Foltz faces 11 ongoing assault charges after an earlier trial ended with deadlock on most counts.

• Defense/Prosecution Debate:
  Defense argues for more time, citing huge case file.

  • “Making reasonable requests for time to go through things…file motion practice, hire experts and litigate a case is not perfect lawyering. It’s what lawyers have to do...”
    — Public Defender Ambrose (17:36)

  Prosecutor urges timely trial, noting fair treatment, not “perfect” lawyering, is owed to defendant.

  • “He is not entitled to the absolute perfect epitome of the greatest attorney that ever existed. He is entitled to the same representation that every other defendant is entitled to.”
    — Prosecutor Kristen Tendi (17:02)

• Judicial Balance:
  Judge sets next hearing for July 15, declining further delays without “extraordinary circumstances.” Motion to move trial venue still pending.

Notable Timestamps:

• 15:58 – Case background
• 17:02 – Prosecutor’s comments
• 17:36 – Defense’s argument
• 18:38 – Next steps and venue change discussion

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5. Anchorage Housing Code Overhaul

(Segment begins ~19:00)

• Objective:
  Anchorage aims to address the housing shortage by streamlining building codes, reducing some costs and inefficiencies.

• Key Change:
  Developers can now construct some apartments with a single stairwell, increasing unit counts per lot while maintaining safety standards.

  • "This is a great first step... this allows us to stay on the same level as the rest of the world on safety."
    — Daniel King, City Official

• Limitations:
  No relief for high building material costs; further updates anticipated.

Notable Timestamps:

• 19:00 – Policy overview

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6. Nome’s First Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program Year-End Celebration

(Segment begins ~20:31)

• Program Success:
  Nome’s new ANSEP Acceleration Academy, part of a statewide effort, wrapped its inaugural year:

  • 11 high schoolers, 252 university credits earned collectively.
  • Families and faculty celebrate achievements and unique inside jokes ("Big Bertha" van mishaps, trivia awards).
  • “It was created with advocacy from the community, from parents who wanted students to get exposure into college, college readiness, post secondary preparedness, and more college rigor.”
    — Casey Miller, Program Director (22:00)

• Student Impact:

  • Hands-on enrichment activities like testing algae blooms.

  • Balancing academic rigor and extracurriculars.

  • "I did a lot of my math, was recording so I could just watch... There was a book that I could read if I needed any help and my math teacher was really understanding."
    — Aloris Dzinko, Senior (23:18)

  • Two students receive ANSEP cords for graduation; one wins a $50,000/year scholarship.

• Looking Ahead:
  Planned expansion to 20 students and relocation for more robust college campus exposure.

Notable Timestamps:

• 20:31 – Celebration and student Oscars
• 22:00 – Program philosophy (Casey Miller)
• 23:18 – Student perspective (Aloris Dzinko)
• 24:15 – Growth and skillbuilding (Miller)
• 24:54 – Future plans, Big Bertha stays

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You don't circumvent the finance committees and play gamesmanship on a multi billion dollar project...”
  — Sen. Burt Steadman (05:13)

• “I want this commission to go out and hear from the public and hear their concerns, their praises for public safety and everything in between.”
  — Felix Rivera (09:50)

• “How are you going to make that determination before you speak to those people? ...That should be a crime.”
  — Antonia Comic (14:53)

• “He is entitled to competent representation, and he is not entitled to the absolute perfect epitome of the greatest attorney that ever existed.”
  — Prosecutor Kristen Tendi (17:02)

• “Big Bertha” the school van and student Oscars provide a lighter moment amid serious statewide news.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• LNG Pipeline Bill & Legislature: 00:18–06:55
• Anchorage Public Safety Commission: 07:18–12:07
• Kelly Hunt Missing Person Case: 12:33–15:06
• Jeffrey Foltz Assault Retrial: 15:58–19:00
• Anchorage Housing Policy: 19:00–20:31
• Nome ANSEP Academy: 20:31–25:06

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Tone & Style

The episode balances factual legislative and policy analysis with community voices, debate, and personal stories. The reporting maintains a professional yet accessible tone, weaving in direct quotes to preserve authenticity.

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For more information and ongoing updates:
Visit alaskapublic.org

Transcript

[Narrator/Reporter]

Support for Alaska Public Media on demand

[Eric Stone]

comes from Alaska Pipeline Service Company proud

[Narrator/Reporter]

of its ties to Alaska communities since 1977. More at Alyeskapipeline.com.

[Senator Burt Steadman]

You don't circumvent the finance committees and play gamesmanship on a multi billion dollar project.

[Casey Grove]

State lawmakers debate an LNG pipeline bill as they near the end of the legislative session. From Alaska Public Media, this is statewide news on Alaska News nightly for Monday, May 18th. Good evening. I'm Casey Grove. Also tonight, the Anchorage assembly weighs rebooting its Public Safety Advisory Commission.

[Felix Rivera]

I want this commission to go out and hear from the public and hear their concerns.

[Casey Grove]

Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly. The Alaska House is racing to pass a bill offering tax relief for the Alaska LNG project. With the end of the regular legislative session fast approaching, the House is working on a compromise negotiated between the Dunleavy administration, local governments, the pipeline developer and state lawmakers. Meanwhile, legislative budgeters have settled on another compromise on the state budget. Tracking all of that is Alaska Public Media's capital reporter Eric Stone, who joins us now from Juneau. Eric, let's start with the Alaska LNG bill. Where do things stand on that?

[Eric Stone]

Yeah, let's get back to basics. To start off, this is a bill that lawmakers hope will make the Alaska LNG project pencil out. That project includes an 800 mile pipeline, a gas treatment facility on the North Slope, and a liquefied natural gas export facility on the Kenai Peninsula. Lawmakers and governors have been pushing to get a gas line built for decades, and now they feel like there's a real opportunity to make it happen. There's a private developer at the helm that's made tentative agreements with gas buyers and gas sellers, though nothing officially binding. But suffice it to say, there is a lot of momentum. But a big issue standing in the way of the project going forward is a 2% property tax the state levies on oil and gas properties. It's a lot more than similar projects around the country and around the world. And the pipeline developer, the administration, plus the legislature's oil and gas consultants, they all say some sort of tax relief is probably necessary to make it happen. The question, though, that has vexed lawmakers in the House and Senate for much of this year legislative session, though, is how much tax relief is actually necessary. And then also, you know, what other conditions the state can attach to that tax relief without sinking the $46.2 billion project. Here's Fairbanks Democratic Representative Ashley Carrick laying it out on the House floor today.

[Casey Grove]

It could provide long term energy security, create thousands of jobs and generate billions in economic activity. These opportunities are real. However, so too is the risk of repeating an all too familiar mistake, surrendering enormous public in the desperate hope that industry investment will save the state.

[Eric Stone]

As I speak to you now, it's, you know, it's a little after 4 o' clock Monday afternoon, but lawmakers are weighing whether to insert legislation offering that tax relief as an amendment to, you know, what actually had been until today, a three sentence bill clarifying the regulation of liquefied natural gas import facilities. Funny enough, a two sentence version of that bill passed the Senate back in March and after a weekend of negotiations with the governor's office and representatives of the developer, Glenn Farn, House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp, he's an Anchorage Republican, offered the amendment as sort of compromise. COP says that amendment incorporates elements of a bill that the governor proposed in March and then also drafts of the bill that have been, you know, put forward by the House and Senate resources committees. They've held dozens of hearings on the bill but, you know, none of those bills have reached the floor for a final vote. Here's COP speaking this morning.

[Casey Grove]

Everybody gave something and what we end up with is a tax structure that the project can take to investors and be established for success paired with the protections our communities along the route need as this project is built and goes into production.

[Eric Stone]

So Casey, that's what lawmakers are considering right now.

[Casey Grove]

Gotcha. Well, how is this compromise idea going over with lawmakers?

[Eric Stone]

You know, there's a lot of heartburn among the bipartisan House majority right now. Lawmakers have offered dozens of amendments and you know, a lot of folks are worried this deal doesn't do enough to protect Alaskans from cost overruns which could lead to higher gas prices if the project goes forward. At the same time, though, there's a real chance this passes the House minority. Republicans are broadly in support of it, as is a significant fraction of the majority. Kopp, the architect of this deal, told me last night that he expected the House to vote it through, to send it to the Senate for an up or down concurrence vote sometime today. And today Casey is important because it's the deadline for Dunleavy to act on another of COP's key priorities. That's a bill restoring pensions for state and local government workers. Dunleavy's deadline to sign or veto that bill is today and he's expected to veto it if the LNG tax relief bill doesn't pass. But you know, even if it passes the House, it still has to make it through the Senate. And since this whole process bypasses the House and Senate's finance committees, there's a lot of discomfort with that idea in the Senate. Here's Senator Burt Steadman speaking to me last night.

[Senator Burt Steadman]

You don't circumvent the finance committees and play gamesmanship on a multi billion dollar project and inject, you know, incalculable risk to the investors just for some political gain on a deadline for the next two days. That's crazy. I think they've done a lot of damage playing around with this sleazy politics.

[Eric Stone]

So yeah, Casey, the vote in the Senate is far from guaranteed.

[Casey Grove]

Yeah, that's definitely something to watch. Eric, what else is going on here in the final few days of the legislative session? What else are you watching?

[Eric Stone]

Well, the big thing is the budget. The conference committee set up to work out the differences between the budgets. They passed the House and the Senate. They actually came up with a compromise on Sunday. The compromise sets the permanent fund dividend at $1,000 plus a $200 energy relief payment that's enabled by higher oil prices this year. It's also got up to $144 million in one time funding for schools, you know, which continue to face a funding shortfall. A lot of that depends on high oil prices. Oil prices would have to average about $98 a barrel for schools to get all the funding. Here's the House's top budgeter, Anchorage Democratic Representative Andy Josephson.

[Casey Grove]

Finance officers for school districts, they're going to be tracking like mad the price of Alaska North Slope crude till the end of June.

[Eric Stone]

And of course, Casey, just about all the bills that are going to wind up passing the session will be passed this month in May. A bunch of them passed over the weekend, including one that ties residency requirements for hunting and fishing licenses to PFD eligibility. Another, expanding a program for children with developmental delays. There are about a zillion I could talk about, but, you know, for now the LNG bill is taking up most of the oxygen here in the Capitol.

[Casey Grove]

Yeah, that makes sense. And just to point out, like you said, these things are fluid. There will be [e-mail] as things progress. For now, though, that was Alaska Public Media's Eric Stone. Eric, thanks for being here.

[Eric Stone]

Thank you for having me, Casey.

[Casey Grove]

The Anchorage assembly is considering reinstituting a public safety advisory commission that was allowed to sunset in 2024. The old commission was supposed to advise city leaders on a variety of public safety issues, but Some argued the group did not do much to involve the community in its discussions. Now, as Alaska Public Media's Wesley early reports, the assembly is set to vote on establishing a new commission aimed at bringing citizens and the city closer together when it comes to addressing public safety.

[Narrator/Reporter]

In 2023, Anchorage Police were working to get body cameras on police officers after voters approved a tax levy to purchase the cameras the year before. Rich Kirtner, an attorney who works with the Alaska Black cauc, says he wanted to get more information on how the process was going.

[Senator Burt Steadman]

I attended a couple meetings of the Public Safety Commission, but it was all the people who sat on that commission were basically retired law enforcement, and it didn't really do anything that I could see.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Officials say the commission's lack of consistent staffing and its failure to represent the city's broad perspectives resulted in it being phased out in January 2024. Over the course of that year, Anchorage police shot eight people, five of whom

[Senator Burt Steadman]

died after these shootings. I think the public, with some public outcry for some kind of public and civilian oversight of the police department. That's where it all started.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Last year, Anchorage assembly members held a series of meetings over six months with community stakeholders in an effort to reimagine the Public Safety Commission. Former Assemblymember Felix Rivera was one of the main organizers. He says from the start there was stark debate over how the commission would operate.

[Felix Rivera]

I think there are some folks who probably wish that we didn't do this ordinance at all and we didn't have a public safety commission. And then there are other folks who wish that we went all the way, sort of full steam ahead, allowed for investigation, subpoenas, all that stuff.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Rivera says the final proposal is more of a middle ground approach. It establishes a commission made up of nine community members who have experience interacting with law enforcement, are subject matter experts in relevant public safety fields, or work in mental or behavioral health treatment. There's also a restriction on the number of members who can be former Anchorage police, fire, emergency response or Department of Law employees, limiting those types of commissioners to three. In addition to advising city leaders, the commission would have the authority to review public safety policies, hold public hearings, receive public records and request independent follow up reviews of specific incidents. Once an initial investigation wraps up, Rivera says he wants the commission to work to foster community feedback.

[Felix Rivera]

I want this commission to go out and hear from the public and hear their concerns, their praises for public safety and everything in between.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The Alaska Black Caucus was one of the organizations advocating for reinstating the commission. The goal kirtner says, is to build a better relationship between the public and the city's public safety agencies.

[Senator Burt Steadman]

We want to put the public back in public safety and not that we're making the decisions necessarily, but we're advising and we're working with and we're oversight. We have oversight over what's going on in the city. And that way I think that will develop the trust that community.

[Narrator/Reporter]

But some residents think the new commission doesn't go far enough. Michael Patterson is part of the Party for Socialism and Liberation Anchorage. For years, the group has pushed for increased police transparency and accountability with the public, including advocating for body cameras on officers and working with the families of police shooting victims. He says the commission proposal is fundamentally flawed.

[Casey Grove]

It's not civilian oversight. It is a backroom deal between the sponsors of the this ordinance chief case and the apd, the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association. It's not what people have been asking for for the last six years.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Patterson says the high number of police shootings in recent years and the lengthy process to get cameras on officers has led to mistrust of law enforcement in the community. He wants the assembly to pass an ordinance that gives the commission more oversight.

[Casey Grove]

Supplement it with a ordinance that is going to actually give this body investigatory powers, the power to compel APD to cooperate investigations and also to recommend disciplinary measures to the chief of police.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Kirtner says he understands the desire to expand the commission's powers, but he thinks the current proposal is a good jumping off point.

[Senator Burt Steadman]

The language in the ordinance is broad enough. It can be very effective whether you call it advisory or not. I think it can be really effective if you have the right people at the table, if they're all committed and and if they work together.

[Narrator/Reporter]

As assembly members work on finalizing the proposal, Rivera says he's hopeful that the commission can start working soon.

[Felix Rivera]

In perfect world, it would be great if by the fall we have a fully staffed commission that's starting its work.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Assembly members are set to hear public testimony on the proposal to re establish the Public Safety Commission at their meeting on May 26, and they could vote on it the same day. Reporting in Anchorage, I'm Wesley Early.

[Casey Grove]

Still to come on Alaska News Nightly, nome's new Alaska Native science and engineering program wraps up its first year.

[Casey Miller]

It was created with advocacy from the community, from parents.

[Casey Grove]

That's ahead. Stay with us. Anchorage police say they are in the final stages of their investigation into the death of Kelly Hunt, the 19 year old shack Tulik student who disappeared in January on her way to College in Soldotna. Last month, Hunt's remains were found in a ravine in Spenard, the same Anchorage neighborhood where she had been staying with a friend. Police Chief Sean Case says the medical examiner's preliminary report determined Hunt died from hypothermia and exposure with alcohol in her system.

[Police Chief Sean Case]

There's no indication that there's any physical trauma. There's no indication that an assault has occurred. So most of those questions on whether or not there was a homicide, those questions have been answered through the medical examiner's process.

[Casey Grove]

Case says Hunt was missing for more than 100 days and due to prolonged exposure to the elements, he says it's nearly impossible to determine Hunt's exact time of death. Before closing out the investigation, Case says police will conduct follow up interviews to learn more about the circumstances leading up to her death. Based on the outcome of those interviews, Case says the investigation could shift back towards a criminal case. But for now, there's no evidence of foul play.

[Police Chief Sean Case]

The fact that we had a 19 year old die of exposure, that's a tragic situation. And I would anticipate anyone who hears the story would think it's tragic and unfortunate and have a lot of emotion behind that. But the fact that somebody leaves a residence in the middle of the night to potentially go meet up with somebody, I'm not sure that decision in and of itself is suspicious.

[Casey Grove]

Hunt was supposed to catch a bus from Anchorage to attend the Alaska Christian College in Soldotna. Her friends told police she left on the morning of January 7th to meet with someone to buy alcohol and had left her purse and suitcase behind. Case says the investigation was further complicated because her disappearance wasn't reported until four days later. But despite that, Case believes his police officers and detectives did a thorough job.

[Police Chief Sean Case]

When you start four days behind when somebody goes missing, you're pretty limited in that immediate response, but we did the things we were supposed to do.

[Casey Grove]

But advocates for missing and murdered indigenous people, including Antonia Comic, question police handling of the case. She says investigators are drawing conclusions too soon without first questioning the people who last saw Hunt.

[Michael Patterson]

How are you going to make that determination before you speak to those people? Because the bottom line is she is not old enough to drink herself. Somebody furnished her alcohol and then she wound up dead. That should be a crime.

[Casey Grove]

The Anchorage Police Department timed today's report on the Kelly Hunt case with the launch of a new online dashboard that tracks missing persons in Anchorage and the department's homicide clearance rate. Case, the police chief, says the report confirms that Alaska Native people make up a disproportionate share of both missing persons and homicides. But he says cases involving both native and non native victims are solved at about the same rate. The case against a former Juneau chiropractor who has been accused of assaulting more than a dozen women under the guise of medical care might continue into another year. At a hearing last week, the defense attorney said he would likely not be ready to go to trial until 2027. KTOO's Yvonne Crumry reports.

[Yvonne Crumry]

Jeffrey Foltz went on trial last year, more than four years after he was arrested for alleged assaults while he was employed at Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. The alleged abuse happened from 2014 to 2020. The trial lasted six weeks and ended in two counts not guilty and a deadlocked jury on a dozen other counts. The judge in this case later dismissed one more charge, and that means 11 counts of assault remain, which faults can be tried for again. But the court hasn't scheduled a new trial yet. The court assigned Fultz a public defender in October. Junos Nico Ambrose Ambrose said in court Wednesday that the last seven months haven't been enough time to prepare for trial. Stacking his table in the courtroom with binders and boxes of paper, he said he likely won't be ready until 2027.

[Casey Grove]

It's hard to kind of envision what I'm talking about, if I'm just saying it. But I brought over all this material to kind of show this is what I mean. This is not, and this is not everything.

[Yvonne Crumry]

Prosecutor Kristen Tendi argued that the state has to do the same amount of work as the defense. She says she came into the case shortly before the first trial and is still urging to set a trial date. Here's Tendi, who participated in the hearing

[Michael Patterson]

remotely and the defendant is entitled to representation. He is entitled to competent representation, and he is not entitled to the absolute perfect epitome of the greatest attorney that ever existed. He is entitled to the same representation that every other defendant is entitled to.

[Yvonne Crumry]

Kendi asked for a trial date to be set.

[Michael Patterson]

The state will be ready. This cannot keep going at this point. Your honor needs to set a trial date. We need to move forward.

[Yvonne Crumry]

Ambrose said his preparations are intended to meet the ethical standards to represent vaults to the best of his ability.

[Casey Grove]

Making reasonable requests for time to go through things, file motion practice, hire experts and litigate a case is not perfect lawyering. It's what lawyers have to do to further their ethical obligations of zealous advocacy and effective representation.

[Yvonne Crumry]

Ambrose asked to meet next in October. Judge Larry Wolford weighed the two sides opposing requests. He referenced an Alaska Supreme Court ruling that placed limits on further delays in cases from before 2022 like this one. According to the ruling, courts had a limited time to extend cases unless, quote, extraordinary circumstances exist and that delay is indispensable to the interest of justice.

[Casey Grove]

I think I have said several times in the past that in some ways this case is its own extraordinary circumstance.

[Yvonne Crumry]

Wolford pointed to the amount of evidence in the case.

[Casey Grove]

It is a difficult balance to strike, but as I said, I'm not willing to kick this down the road until October.

[Yvonne Crumry]

Instead, the judge chose a compromise and set the next hearing for July. It's scheduled for July 15th at the Diamond Courthouse in Juneau. And aside from timing, another issue is still outstanding. At a hearing in April, Ambrose said he was considering filing a motion to change the venue of the retrial from Juneau to Anchorage. He has not filed that motion, but said Wednesday he's still planning to in Juneau. I'm Yvonne Crmery.

[Casey Grove]

Amid a major housing shortage, Anchorage officials are hoping new updates to city code will make building less expensive Anchorage Mayor Suzanne Lafrance has pledged to build or renovate 10,000 homes in 10 years. Daniel King is with the city and says some of the code changes could help increase development. The update to the code is a benefit because it improves safety for a lot of measures and also reduces unnecessary requirements. King says the changes make some aspects of building less expensive and more efficient without compromising safety. For example, developers can now build some apartments with a single set of stairs, which increases the number of possible units on a small lot. This is a great first step. There's going to be more streamlining down the road, but this allows us to stay on the same level as the rest of the world on safety. King says the changes won't help with one major problem, though, the high cost of building materials. The city worked with a team of developers, engineers and architects to review and suggest changes to city code. The process took nearly two years to complete. The Anchorage assembly passed the update last month. The changes take effect today. While the ANCEP Acceleration Academy just wrapped up its first year in Nome, the state program launched last fall with 11 local high school students. The inaugural class celebrated last week, and they let friends, families and K andom reporter Margaret Sutherland in on some inside jokes, mishaps with Big Bertha and some very specific student electives at the end

[Michael Patterson]

of the year celebration, Michael Dearing, the academy's assistant director, hands out student Oscars.

[Casey Grove]

We had our students vote and they elected each each of their peers for a student Oscar. Something about their energy, their personality like

[Michael Patterson]

best online and zoom presence. Most likely to pull an all Nighter and still ace it.

[Casey Grove]

Renee, you were voted by your peers most likely to have 47 different Internet tabs open.

[Michael Patterson]

Families play a trivia game with questions like who got left behind once because they forgot to sign up on the ride list for Big Bertha? That's what the class named the bright orange 15 seater that carried them between the high school and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Northwest Campus. Each day, Program director Casey Miller hosts the trivia. She pulls up their group text thread from that day on the projector and

[Casey Miller]

this is what we got. Guys, I think y' all forgot someone. Neblo, Sam. What? Your name wasn't on the list. Boy, y' all done left me, bro.

[Michael Patterson]

I was like, I blamed the ANCEP Acceleration Academy is part of the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, a statewide initiative designed to prepare students for college and careers in science, technology and other fields. The NOME program is one of six ANCEP Acceleration Academies in Alaska and the newest site in the state.

[Casey Miller]

It was created with advocacy from the community from parents who wanted students to get exposure into college, college readiness, post secondary preparedness, and more college rigor.

[Michael Patterson]

In the spring, five of the 11 students were enrolled in enough university credits to be considered full time. Collectively, the group finished 252Total UA credits in prerequisite and higher level classes. It was all free to them, but worth thousands of dollars in tuition. Next year, the program plans to expand to 20 students. On Fridays they had what they call enrichment activities, where they went into the community for field researcher activities. Senior Aloris Dzinko says the first Friday enrichment activity was testing algae blooms on nome's beaches.

[Casey Miller]

That's like a huge topic in today's like whole ocean acidity thing. So it was really cool to learn about that and just see the see all the effects like firsthand and be able to like touch it and it's tangible.

[Michael Patterson]

Stacynko says she enrolled in ANCEP to be academically challenged. She balanced college coursework with sports, including volleyball and basketball, earning her the student Oscar Master balancing act.

[Casey Miller]

It was definitely like built for me to do the things I still want to do. I did a lot of my math, was recording so I could just watch and you know, do my online lessons, lessons like that. There was a book that I could read if I needed any help and my math teacher was really understanding.

[Michael Patterson]

She racked up the most excused absences while still maintaining her near perfect gpa. She says the program's mix of in person and online learning helped make that possible. ANCEP awarded her an over $50,000 a year scholarship to attend UAA or UAF. But right now she plans to go to Shoreline Community College in Washington, where she can keep playing volleyball at a competitive level. Miller says the students were all learning to balance their own acts. They learned how to communicate with professors, study for college exams and solve scheduling problems, and how not to get left behind by Big Bertha. She says the students needed support in

[Casey Miller]

the beginning, but then, boy, you know, into the semester we just see students emailing by themselves, connecting with instructors by themselves, going to office hours by themselves, acing a test because they learned how to study in a different way. So much growth, and I think that is one of the most rewarding parts for me.

[Michael Patterson]

Next year, ANSEP plans to move the classroom for the expanded program from Gnome Belts Middle High School to the UAF Northwest campus. Miller says the move will give students the chance to experience life on a college campus and have more access to college resources. And she says Big Bertha will keep running.

[Casey Miller]

She's yeah, we still will have opportunities daily that we're engaging at Gnome Belts. So Big Bertha will be be our prime transportation. Yeah, Here, here and there.

[Michael Patterson]

At the end of the celebration, ANCEP Acceleration Academy's two graduating seniors were awarded their orange Ancep cords, which they will wear at their formal graduation ceremony with Gnome belts at the end of the month. Reporting in Nome, I'm Margaret Sutherland.

[Casey Grove]

And finally tonight, a correction to a reporter interview that aired Thursday which stated that the Pitka oil development project is in the National Petroleum Reserve. Alaska. It is actually on state land. And that's all for this edition of Alaska News Nightly. If you missed any of tonight's stories, we're [e-mail] and wherever you get your podcasts. We had reports tonight from Eric Stone and Yvonne Crumry in Juneau, Wesley Early, Rhonda McBride and Hannah Floor in Anchorage, and Margaret Sutherland in Nome. If you want to send us a news tip, question or comment, email [e-mail] Our audio engineer is Crystal Hyde. Kirsten Dobroth is our producer. And I'm Casey Grove. Good night. This is statewide news on Alaska Public Media.