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- [00:00]
Casey Grove
Support for Alaska Public Media on Demand comes from Siri, an Alaska Native corporation with operations and investments spanning five continents, 45 states and two US territories.
- [00:20]
Bryce Edgman
Compelling stories all around the state of single families and elderly people and others not being able to get food.
- [00:27]
Casey Grove
The governor issues a disaster declaration to help cover missing SNAP payments from Alaska Public Media. This is statewide news on Alaska News nightly for Monday, November 3rd. Good evening, I'm Casey Grove. Also tonight, a state owned corporation commits $50 million to the Ambler Road project. We now have our right of way and all federal permits, so we're proceeding forward as fast as we can. Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly. People who rely on food assistance from snap, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could have their electronic benefits cards refilled as soon as this week. That's after Governor Mike Dunleavy issued a state disaster declaration in an effort to free up state funds to make up for federal money delayed by the Trump administration amid the government shutdown. The roughly 66,000 Alaskans who participate in the federally funded state run SNAP program did not have their cards refilled on Saturday as scheduled until this weekend. The Trump administration said that funding for the program would run out November 1st. State House Speaker Bryce Edgeman, an independent from Dillingham, says it's clear the state needed to act to help Alaskans struggling to put food on the table.
- [01:43]
Bryce Edgman
Compelling stories all around the state of single families and elderly people and others not being able to get food because their cards had run out. You know, we're already beginning to come to light, so we knew we had to act quickly and I'm really pleased working with the governor and Senate President Stevens, that we were able to put our heads together and make this happen.
- [02:05]
Casey Grove
On Friday, two federal judges ordered the administration to tap a contingency fund to at least partially fund benefits. But the Trump administration says it'll take time for that money to be distributed. And the administration says it only has enough money to fund half of SNAP recipients typical benefits. Dunleavy's disaster declaration allows the state to refill benefit cards with state funds quickly and offer money to food banks around the state. That's as they're already stressed by the response to Ex Typhoon Ha Long and the federal government shutdown. Dunleavy previously said it would likely take weeks for any state money to flow to beneficiaries. But on Sunday, Edgman says the contractor that handles SNAP cards told the state that recipients debit cards could be reloaded much sooner. As of this afternoon, a Department of Health spokesperson estimated cards could be refilled by Friday. Alaska's state Owned Economic Development and Finance Corporation is committing another $50 million to the controversial Ambler Road project. Last month, the board of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority unanimously voted to make the money available to support the 211 mile project, which would connect the Dalton highway to an undeveloped mining region near the Brooks Range. Kotz's Desiree Hagan reports the Biden administration.
- [03:20]
Desiree Hagan
Nearly killed the project in 2024 by denying right of way permits for the project through federal land. ADA appealed in June. The Trump administration approved the permits earlier this month. Supporters of the project say that it will bring revenue to the state, hundreds of jobs to the region and boost national security with critical and rare earth metals. Randy Ruaro is the executive director at ad. He thanked President Donald Trump.
- [03:50]
Casey Grove
We now have our right of way and all federal permits, so we're proceeding forward as fast as we can to get some field work done and other geotech work and look forward to eventually building that project and bringing unlocking resources for Alaskans.
- [04:10]
Desiree Hagan
ADA's resolution said the $50 million would be used for quote, expenses and liabilities, including but not limited to payment for permitting consumption, legal costs and other expenses. In public comments to the board before the vote, no one spoke in support of the resolution. Four people spoke against it. Maddie Holloran noted that 88 tribal governments in Alaska and Canada opposed the project. She said the project would not benefit all Alaskans and that the money could be better spent.
- [04:45]
Bryce Edgman
It's an amount of money that could make a huge difference spent on other development projects inside the state that would provide more jobs for Alask and better outcomes for us. The $50 million belongs to us, the people of Alaska, and I'm hopeful we can find some other ways to spend something that large.
- [05:02]
Desiree Hagan
She's also concerned about rising construction cost estimates. ADA estimated the project would cost about $1 million a mile over a decade ago, or 211 million. Its latest estimate is over 350 million, though other estimates are much higher. It's not the first time ADA has funded the Ambler road project. In 2020, ADA's board set aside $35 million for the project. Despite public opposition In May, ADA tried to get the Alaska Legislature to raise its debt capacity to $300 million for unspecified mining projects. The House Finance Committee rejected it. ADA says they hope to begin geotech work in the region this winter. In Kotzebue, I'm Desiree Hagan.
- [05:55]
Casey Grove
The University of Alaska Anchorage kicked off its new school psychology master's program this fall to address a shortage in school psychologists. But the program has so far failed to get approval from the State Board of Education over concerns about social justice advocacy that could make it harder for students to get jobs after they graduate. KTOO's Jamie Deep reports.
- [06:16]
Jamie Deep
Alaska has very few local school psychologists. They're trained to evaluate students to see if they qualify for special education services and provide mental health support, but very few work directly for school districts to fill the gap. UAA Professor Hattie Harvey says districts contract with school psychologists instead. So that often looks like someone from lower 48 coming up two to three times a year for special education testing, which is a very small percentage of the capacity of the role of a school psychologist they could provide. Alaska is one of two states that didn't have an in state school psychology program. Harvey spearheaded efforts to launch the state's first program at uaa. The goal is to train school psychologists locally in a state where they currently serve more than three times the national recommended average of students. But the first cohort of students might struggle to find work immediately after graduating because of licensing requirements. Harvey says state law requires school psychologists to get their license to work in the state in a couple ways. They can graduate from a NASP accredited program, which is the national association of School Psychologists. It's the one accrediting and the only accrediting body for school psychology programs across the nation. And then the second way is graduating from a state approved program. Harvey Sessa University is in the accreditation process. The earliest they can achieve accreditation is in 2029, which is a year after the current cohort is expected to graduate. The State Board of Education makes a decision on improving the program in order for students to be able to get license through the state. But the board voted down the approval earlier this month and asked the university to make changes based on their feedback. Students still have an option to apply for a national certification after graduating. That would allow them to get licensed in the state. But Harvey says the process is much longer than the other two pathways. That could mean students would have to wait a year after graduating before being hired by a district board member. Kathryn McCollum was one of the members who voted against approval. She said at the meeting she was concerned about an article from a sample syllabus that focused on social justice as well as the structure of the program. I really do know that we need school psychologists and I do appreciate the work that they do in the schools. I don't want a program that is designed to create basically activists, she says. She was concerned the program could become overly political or divisive. Sally Stockhausen chairs the board and voted in favor of the program. She's the special education director for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District and says school psychologists need to learn about social justice as part of their education. I would much rather us educate and have graduates leave who know what's out there rather than remove all exposure to to these thoughts. Social justice and advocacy is a part of a framework for practicing school psychology as laid out by nasp. Emily Wendling is a school psychologist for the Anchorage School District and the state's delegate for nasp. She says social justice plays a big role in her daily work, which is largely about supporting student mental health and making sure they have equitable access to education. A part of that is making sure that we are understanding social justice and helping to prevent barriers or address barriers to students education and create equitable opportunities for all of our students. Megan Beatty is one of the students in the new program and works as a special education teacher for the Fairbanks North Starborough School District. Beatie says the program has already helped her work as a teacher where she spends her day advocating for her students.
- [09:54]
Megan Beatty
I advocate for my students all day, every day, whether it's working with my co teachers and trying to get accommodations in place for my students that have special education needs or if it's working with our counseling department to make sure that my kids mental health needs are met. Sometimes it's even literally just getting them fed.
- [10:13]
Jamie Deep
She says it's been frustrating to see the board vote down the program.
- [10:16]
Megan Beatty
Yes, we're exposed to different ideologies, we're exposed to different research methods, but ultimately our our job is to advocate for our students and meet their best needs. And so having one article that came up as kind of a primary reason for not approving the program as a whole was really frustrating.
- [10:35]
Jamie Deep
Beebe says she hopes the board will approve the program at its next meeting. She says she wants to stay in the state to continue to support students.
- [10:41]
Megan Beatty
This is home and Alaska can sometimes get the short end of the stick on resources and everything anyways. So to be able to give back to the state that has raised me and given me the opportunities that I have had in life is really important for me.
- [10:56]
Jamie Deep
The state board is expected to meet again in December. Reporting in Juneau, I'm Jamie Deep.
- [11:05]
Casey Grove
Still to come on Alaska News Nightly, a look at how the federal government shutdown is affecting Alaska military families.
- [11:10]
Bryce Edgman
We're going into a time of year where heating bills are more and electric bills are more. And there's so many factors in our state that are unique.
- [11:18]
Casey Grove
That's ahead. Stay with us. One man is dead and another is missing after falling through thin ice near Kotzebue on Saturday morning. According to Alaska State Troopers, three Kotzebue men were traveling on four wheelers and a snow machine when their vehicles fell through the ice near Lockhart Point, north of Kotzebue. A trooper spokesperson said the third man made it to shore safely. The group was traveling on the ice to go hunting. Troopers identified the person who died as 46 year old Elmer Brown. He was pulled from the water by search and rescue and medical personnel and transported to Manilik Health center but later died from his injuries. Search and rescue teams from Kotzebue and the Northwest Arctic Borough continue to search for the missing man, who has not been publicly identified. The Northwest Arctic Borough released a statement on Saturday saying that the ice was not safe and encouraged residents to stay off the ice unless they are involved with search and rescue teams. One month into the federal government shutdown and there's no sign it'll reopen anytime soon. Active duty military personnel still got paid on time last month, but Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said last week that service members won't get a check if the government shutdown continues beyond November 15th. As Shelby Herbert reports for the Alaska Desk, that sparked financial anxiety among many service members and their families and groups across the state are stepping up to help.
- [12:48]
Shelby Herbert
John Tolerud walks me through rows and rows of thoughtfully organized stuff at the Salvation army thrift store in Fairbanks.
- [12:55]
Jamie Deep
So we've done some reorganizing recently, so our store is a little bit new. We've kind of changed things just to make sure that it works better for people, which is always nice.
- [13:07]
Shelby Herbert
Talarud manages the store. It's packed with racks of winter coats, Halloween costumes, homecoming gowns and even small kitchen appliances like Michael Microwaves. The store has a voucher program for families experiencing hardship like the ongoing shutdown. It's a familiar situation for Talarud. He was in the army during the last government shutdown, which ended in 2019. After 35 days, he missed a paycheck.
- [13:34]
Jamie Deep
I was part of the group that didn't receive their paycheck and it was, it was rectified. But yeah, I imagine that the longer something like this goes on, the more difficult it will be for families to afford things.
- [13:47]
Shelby Herbert
Even without a shutdown, nearly a quarter of military families struggle to put food on the table, according to government research and anecdotally nonprofit groups that serve Military members around the state say they're already seeing increased need for essentials and assistance with bills. Sarah Riffer is the executive director of the Alaska Armed Services ymca. The organization has a marketplace on Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage where service members can pick up free essentials like groceries, hygiene products and laundry detergent.
- [14:21]
Bryce Edgman
The week that we were unsure if our service members were going to get paid, we probably saw more feet come into our marketplace than what I have historically ever seen.
- [14:32]
Shelby Herbert
The organization assists military families nationwide, and last week their national branch told ABC News that their food banks across the country have seen up to a 75% jump in demand. Riffer says many families are anxious about how they'll get through the colder weeks and months ahead if the shutdown continues.
- [14:52]
Bryce Edgman
I think that's really difficult for our service members. People are really nervous and they're unsure. And it's we're going into a time of year where heating bills are more and electric bills are more, and there's so many factors in our seat that are unique that it just causes a lot of pause.
- [15:11]
Shelby Herbert
Fairbanks Community Food bank volunteers also say they've seen traffic spike this month, but it's hard for them to quantify whether that's due to inflation, natural disasters, the government shutdown, or all of the above. Lori Fruorth volunteers with the American Legion Post 11 in Fairbanks. She says her organization isn't just reaching out to active duty service members and their families. They're also trying to support veterans in the community during the shutdown.
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Bryce Edgman
Most veterans that I've met are very proud and they don't come to us hat in hand. They're willing to to pay the price for the rest of us here in our country. So I firmly believe that we need to do all we can to help our veterans and our military and their families and help support them during this time.
- [15:59]
Shelby Herbert
While active duty military members have been paid during this shutdown, that's not true for many civilian workers or private contractors on military bases. According to the federal Office of Personnel management, more than 5,000 Alaskans work for the Department of Defense in a civilian role. That group includes John Haddix, an Army veteran who now manages fish and game on Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks. He and his family have reserves to get by while he's not getting paid, but he's worried about the people he works with.
- [16:31]
Casey Grove
Maybe even more frustrating to me is the newer employees that are living paycheck to paycheck. They're GS7s making 40 to 50,000 a year and they're furloughed and not getting paid and they don't have a backup.
- [16:47]
Shelby Herbert
Haddock says he's even more worried about the possibility that he and his co workers won't get paid at all for that time. The Trump administration recently threatened to withhold back pay for some furloughed federal workers when the shutdown lifts. With reporting from Ava White in Anchorage, I'm Shelby Herbert in Fairbanks.
- [17:06]
Casey Grove
Regional airline Kenai Aviation announced today that it was ceasing all flight operations. The Kenai based company said in a Facebook post it was financially insolvent after accruing debt during the pandemic and would stop flying by the end of the day. Joel Caldwell and his brother Jacob Caldwell, purchased KENAI Aviation in 2018. Neither immediately responded to requests for comment. The airline serviced eight communities across Alaska with its mixed fleet of Beechcraft Super King Air and Tecnam Traveler aircraft. Kenai began flying the Anchorage to Unila Cleat route on an unsubsidized Essential Air Service contract this past spring. It was the only regularly scheduled passenger airline serving the route, but in August, Kenai suspended flights after its only King airplane was down for maintenance, the company's Facebook post said. The grounded King Air compounded its financial troubles. In late August, the U.S. department of Transportation, which oversees the Essential Air Service program, reopened the route for bids from other carriers. The community expected a new airline to be selected in October, but the government shutdown has delayed the decision. With Kenai out of the route, residents will need to travel to Nome to reach Anchorage. Last month, a statewide principals association named Tanana Middle School's Heather Johnson as the 2026 Principal of the Year. KUAC's Schuyler Umphenauer spent a spooky afternoon alongside the award winning principal for an inside look at her work, her career and her Halloween costume.
- [18:37]
Jamie Deep
That's so cool.
- [18:39]
Shelby Herbert
Did you get it though?
- [18:41]
Heather Johnson
Heather Johnson walks around the halls of Tannen dressed as what she calls a dictionary. She's glammed out in green wings, a long, white flowy dress and antlers covered with various English terms. She's rocking her costume along with other staff members around the school as part of an early Halloween celebration. Excited students swarm around Johnson at the Halloween social event after school. Many yell out hi to her, commenting on her costume. She says these events are one of the opportunities students have to learn how to socialize.
- [19:14]
Schuyler Umphenauer
It's so fun watching these kids. They don't know how to do it right and like they didn't know how to dance so the last one we had, it was a. It was country day, so we had country line dancing, and so we taught the line dances to the kids in PE and then stood up and did them. So it was so much fun. I was so sore the next day.
- [19:34]
Heather Johnson
Oh, my God.
- [19:35]
Schuyler Umphenauer
Three hours of line dancing, right?
- [19:37]
Heather Johnson
Johnson was recently named the Alaska Principal of the Year by the Alaska association of Secondary School Principals. It's her fifth year at the middle school, but she's been part of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School district for almost 30 years. Johnson says the announcement left her in shock.
- [19:54]
Schuyler Umphenauer
Like, huge. Like, I thought, oh, my gosh, this is the, you know, pinnacle of my career.
- [19:57]
Jamie Deep
Holy cow.
- [19:58]
Schuyler Umphenauer
And I just. It was really humbling. And it was like, there are so many really great educators here. Like, how in the world. You know what I mean? It's kind of like you have this weird imposter syndrome.
- [20:08]
Desiree Hagan
Like, what?
- [20:09]
Heather Johnson
Johnson knew since kindergarten that she wanted to be a teacher. Her first job was working with teen moms in the Options teen parenting program. From that experience, she knew she wanted to teach at the secondary level. She taught high school for 17 years. Later on, after completing graduate school, Johnson became assistant principal of West Valley High School in Fairbanks. She stayed in that role for six years. Then came the principal job at Tanana Middle.
- [20:36]
Schuyler Umphenauer
You know, if you really step back and look at it, I've been in education for 28 years, and I've given my life and heart and soul for this profession. And it really feels good to be recognized by other professionals as somebody who's given their life to the profession.
- [21:01]
Shelby Herbert
Oh, my.
- [21:05]
Heather Johnson
The social event is full of students running between the gym and other classrooms where a variety of activities are being run by staff throughout the school. Other school leaders and teachers are there, too, like Dr. Neville Boone. He's Tanana Middle's assistant principal. Boone says he finds it a privilege to work with a 2026 principal of the Year.
- [21:24]
Casey Grove
She's a great visionary, a person who wants to have everybody grow and achieve and bring great things to this environment. I'm really honored to work with a.
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Leader who is a great model and just love it. It's a fun school.
- [21:40]
Heather Johnson
As you can tell here, Boone's not alone. Teachers and staff praise Johnson, too, saying she's deserving of the award. Here's Beth Grambo.
- [21:49]
Jamie Deep
She's the reason I became a teacher.
- [21:51]
Schuyler Umphenauer
I think she's amazing. She's great.
- [21:54]
Heather Johnson
Great.
- [21:54]
Jamie Deep
She's informative. She knows her stuff.
- [21:57]
Casey Grove
She loves the kids.
- [21:59]
Schuyler Umphenauer
She is their biggest cheerleader. And she just is a really great boss.
- [22:05]
Heather Johnson
Johnson does work that extends beyond the office and school. At West Valley and Tenanau Middle, she started Closets for students who need clothes and other necessities. Currently, she's working with the school district in Borough to put in a crosswalk and light across Trainer Gate Road to help make it safer. Johnson Sundays even after three decades in education, the motivation is there.
- [22:27]
Schuyler Umphenauer
Wow, that's amazing. Dang, you're amazing. Yeah, it just motivates me more to be out there with our kids and to, you know, make sure that I'm making the connections with them, that our teachers are making connections with them, making sure that they are growing and learning every single day.
- [22:48]
Heather Johnson
Johnson believes strong leaders shape staff to be independent. She says when she's retired, she hopes her influence helps staff and young teachers lead with dignity and continue to shape students to become productive, amazing people.
- [23:01]
Schuyler Umphenauer
Let's go, my friends.
- [23:03]
Heather Johnson
Reporting at Fairbanks, I'm Schuyler Umphenauer.
- [23:06]
Casey Grove
A new album from Portugal, the Man is on the way, and as KoM's Ben Townsend tells us, the project has elements of Alaska all over it.
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Throughout two decades of Portugal, the Man, the band from Wasilla has made its love for Alaska known.
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Our heroes were dog mushers and stuff like that. This is nuts.
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This is the band's bassist, Zach ruthers, accepting the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo Group Performance.
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We'd like to rep this for all the kids in the villages, Shishmaref, Barrow, Bethel, all the indigenous people in Alaska and around the world. You're beautiful. Your culture is beautiful. Thank you you for inspiring us.
- [23:40]
So when the band released the single Denali, a reference to the tallest mountain in Alaska, it didn't come as much of a surprise. There was an Alaskan connection. But then came the singles Tanana and Mush, and it became clear this album was going to be an ode to Alaska. In late September, the band announced the album would be called Shish, a nod to the Seward Peninsula village of Shishmeref. The album art depicts a man dragging two bloodied seals across a snowy landscape. The album title, in bright red, fills the blue sky above. Dennis Davis is a resident of Shishmareff and longtime friend of the band. He says the titular track, Shish, is among his favorites.
- [24:20]
Bryce Edgman
The Shish song is, like, insanely good. It's everything all wrapped up in one. You know, the beginning. It's like, are we going to Shish? It just goes from there and it just starts hitting hard.
- [24:36]
Casey Grove
The music video for the the song Mush features a looping video of a dog team. The song pays tribute to lead singer John Gourley's parents, both of whom raced in the Iditarod. Davis says the Gourley family's first sled dog came from the late Iditarod hall of Famer Herbie Nyakpuk, more commonly known as the Shushmarev Cannonball.
- [24:55]
Bryce Edgman
You've got a band called PTM with an album called Shish, paying tribute back to the people and the state, and it's just crazy. Going full circle.
- [25:06]
Casey Grove
There's references to Alaskan communities all over the track list, like Angoon, a primarily Tlingit community in Southeast. There's also Kockonockers, a nod to the Yupik community of Kockanok, 100 miles west of Homer. Davis says the band plans to bring its Denali concert tour to Alaska sometime in January. He says he's helping the band scout venues in Unovacleet, Shishmaref and in Gnome, Portugal. The man's new album, shish, is out November 7th. In gnome. I'm Ben Townsend.
- [25:55]
And that's all for this edition of Alaska News Nightly. We had reports tonight from Eric Stone and Jamie Deep in Juneau, Desiree Hagan in Kotzebue, Ava White in Anchorage, Ashlyn o' Hara in Kenai, Shelby Herbert and Schuyler Umphenauer in Fairbanks and Ben Townsend in Nome. If you want to send us a news tip, question or comment, email us@newslaskapublic.org Our audio engineer is Crystal Hyde. Madeline Rose is our producer. And I'm Casey Grove. Good night. This is statewide news on Alaska Public Media.