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- [00:00]
Eric Stone
Support for Alaska Public Media On Demand comes from Siri, an Alaska Native corporation.
- [00:06]
Jamie Deep
With operations and investments spanning five continents, 45 states and two US territories.
- [00:19]
Rachel Cassandra
When I hear education's failing, I say no, education's starving.
- [00:24]
Wesley Early
A bill substantially increasing education funding clears a hurdle in the state Senate. From Alaska Public Media. This is statewide news on Alaska News nightly for Thursday, April 3rd. Good evening. I'm Wesley Early. Also tonight, critics debate the transparency of the University of Alaska's decision to scrub diversity related language.
- [00:40]
Eric Stone
If you want to vote on something and it's time sensitive, you still have to comply with some kind of notice. Even if it's that there's a notice for an emergency special meeting, the public needs to have a chance to know about it.
- [00:50]
Wesley Early
Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly. A high priority bill that would substantially boost education funding took another step forward in the state legislature this week. The version of House Bill 69 advanced by the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday adds a few school policy tweaks and still includes the thousand dollar boost to basic per student funding approved by the House. But as Alaska Public Media's Eric Stone reports, Senate leaders say they haven't settled on whether to reduce the funding boost amid a budget crunch.
- [01:25]
Eric Stone
It's been a constant chorus for years. Alaska's schools are underfunded and struggling to do the very basics of educating the state's kids. We've heard about classrooms where there isn't enough room for the kids to all sit together on the rug and schools where interventions for kids falling behind just aren't happening because there's no money. The Anchorage School District plans to lay off hundreds of staff if funding doesn't rise significantly. The refrain came around the Capitol again just a few days ago.
- [01:48]
Rachel Cassandra
When I hear education's failing, I say, no, education's starving.
- [01:54]
Eric Stone
That's Lisa Paradis. She leads an advocacy group for principals and superintendents called the Alaska Council of School Administrators. She testified at a recent hearing alongside longtime school leaders. Senate Education Committee Chair Luki Tobin, an Anchorage Democrat, says that's why she maintained the house's $1,000 boost in the bill she moved forward.
- [02:11]
Rachel Cassandra
We recognize that we need to have a substantial increase to school funding to help starve off so many of the devastating impacts that our districts have been communicating to us.
- [02:22]
Eric Stone
Here's the thing, though. Well, two things, three tops. First, the state is facing deficits of, to use a technical term, gazillions of dollars, close to $500 million for the next year is the latest estimate. We have low oil prices, largely to thank for that. And Senate budget hawks have been hesitant to pull from the state's rainy day fund to fill the gap. This year alone would wipe out at least a quarter of what lawmakers have stocked away. Reducing the permanent fund dividend is another unattractive option. So the $270 million plus price tag of the education bill is, let's say difficult, but thing too is it really that much? Tobin says no. Compared to the status quo, it's about a quarter of that.
- [02:59]
Rachel Cassandra
To me, 80 million more to help keep some of the programs that we all deeply love in our public school systems to retain nurses to keep after school programs, to keep sports is a very prudent and reasonable investment in the future of our kids.
- [03:13]
Eric Stone
As Republicans have pointed out on numerous occasions, lawmakers and the governor have boosted funding in the past few years. It's just been on a one time basis. Schools got the equivalent of $680 in basic per student funding last year. So that's the funding boost looks a lot smaller when you compare it to the status quo. She's hoping that might be an easier pill for budgeters in the Senate to swallow and that corporate and oil tax increases proposed in the Senate could make it go down even easier. But of course there's another but thing three lawmakers objective here is not just about finding a funding level that improves education without breaking the bank. It's also about passing a bill Governor Mike Dunleavy will, unlike last year, actually sign rather than veto. So far the governor has emphasized the importance of the various policy items in the bill rather than the funding level. He just came out with a new statement on the bill. He says the bill Tobin advance quote doesn't pass muster in part due to the addition of a testing provision for homeschool students. Senate President Gary Stevens, Kodiak Republican, says he's hoping to meet with the governor soon to talk things out. But in the meantime, just reading the.
- [04:13]
Wesley Early
Tea leaves, I think there's probably a.
- [04:14]
Eric Stone
Good chance the governor would veto $1,000. And if he does that, then where are we? Stevens says the debate that's been playing out in this story for the past three minutes or so is ongoing within the Senate's Democrat heavy bipartisan majority caucus. He says they haven't settled on an appropriate dollar and for that matter neither have some key members of the Senate's minority like Tok Republican Senator Mike Kroc.
- [04:36]
Wesley Early
I think that's just something that we're.
- [04:37]
Eric Stone
Gonna have to hash out.
- [04:38]
Wesley Early
So I'm not saying that it's a.
- [04:39]
Eric Stone
Perfect amount or it's too high, right?
- [04:42]
Wesley Early
So I think that's something that we have to discuss.
- [04:44]
Eric Stone
That question is now in the hands of the Senate Finance Committee. That's the bill's last stop before a full Senate vote. Reporting in Juneau, I'm Eric Stone.
- [04:51]
Wesley Early
In the month after the University of Alaska Board of Regents decided to scrub mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion, these words have gradually disappeared from University Web pa. That decision was in response to increasing pressure from the Trump administration to cut dei, but critics of the decision are concerned about the lack of transparency in the process. KTO's Jamie Deep reports the Board of.
- [05:12]
Jamie Deep
Regents made a lot of decisions during its regular two day meeting in Soldotna in February, but one that got a lot of attention from the public wasn't actually on the agenda.
- [05:22]
Eric Stone
Are we ready for this?
- [05:23]
Jamie Deep
On the second day of the meeting, the Board chair, Ralph Seakins suddenly brought up a motion to remove mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion from university websites.
- [05:32]
Eric Stone
We need to make the motion to approve this.
- [05:34]
Jamie Deep
He asked Regent Seph Church to read it.
- [05:37]
Eric Stone
I move the Board of Regents direct the President to take all necessary actions to comply with recent federal executive orders and applicable agency guidance.
- [05:47]
Jamie Deep
But this motion wasn't on the agenda. Since it wasn't on the agenda, people weren't able to comment on it during public testimony, and members of the UA community are wondering if the board violated the Alaska Open Meetings Act. KTOO looked into the issue and found that the board followed the letter of the law, but their process did leave the public in the dark until after the decision was made. The law ensures governing bodies like the Board of Regents conduct their business in the open, says Savannah Fletcher, a Fairbanks based public interest attorney. She says suddenly bringing up the motion in the meeting means no one in the public saw it coming, no one.
- [06:20]
Eric Stone
Had the chance to weigh in. And people still may not have heard what actually happened on the meeting because they haven't heard the recording, whereas they might have called in and listened in real time if they knew this was on the line.
- [06:30]
Jamie Deep
Under the act, the public needs to be informed of the time and place of any public meeting before it happens. Fletcher said in an email that governing bodies generally include agenda items in public notice. She wrote that not doing so makes it meaningless to tell the public a meeting is coming up. The agenda was posted ahead of the meeting, however, a motion to scrub DEI from the university websites was never included. The way it ended up on the agenda is allowed under the board's bylaws, but but it's complicated. The board can change the agenda in two ways. It can happen at the beginning of the meeting when the agenda is approved. It could also happen afterward if the change is approved by a vote of the members. In this case, there seemed to be no vote to change the agenda, but a university spokesperson says instead of voting, the board approved the agenda change by an act of consent. That means no one objected to bringing the motion forward for discussion. Regent Church declined to comment on the motion. Chair Steakins also did not respond to a request for comment from ktoo. Albiona Salimi, the student regent and the only dissenting vote, says she wasn't expecting to vote on a motion so soon.
- [07:39]
Rachel Cassandra
Had a very strong suspicion that it would come up, obviously because it was a big topic that had come up within that time. I personally did not know or think that it would be coming to emotion so quickly.
- [07:54]
Jamie Deep
Salimi says the lack of public testimony made the vote difficult for her, but Salimi says she's glad to see how people in the university community are responding to the motion. University organizations that represent staff and student leaders also passed resolutions condemning the decision and the manner in which it was carried out. The public interest attorney Fletcher says the public still has a right to know about agenda items, even if issues were time sensitive.
- [08:19]
Eric Stone
We want government to be transparent and with transparency there sometimes are delays because if you want to vote on something and it's time sensitive, you still have to comply with some kind of notice. Even if it's that there's a notice for an emergency special meeting, the public needs to have a chance to know about it and then accordingly comment on it.
- [08:35]
Jamie Deep
The Board of Regents didn't break the law, but Fletcher says if it had, it could easily fix it. All it would have to do is put the motion to a vote again in a meeting where all parts of the Open Meetings act are followed. Fletcher herself is against the decision, but she says she understands why the board made it.
- [08:51]
Eric Stone
I don't think it was the right move, but I'm also not the person in that room that has the fear of all this funding for so many professors and grad students and undergraduate research getting pulled. It seems like they were trying to soften the blow with commentary about still supporting Alaska Native culture and the Alaska Native community within our university system. But those seem to be talking out of two sides of your mouth, if you ask me.
- [09:14]
Jamie Deep
University leadership said these decisions protect the federal funding Trump is threatening to pull in the motion and communications following it. The board continues to say it's committed to non discrimination. In the meantime, the university has already renamed different offices and committees as a result of the Board of Regents decision. The University of Alaska Southeast is reviewing more than 160 mentions of DEI as well. In Juneau, I'm Jamie Deep.
- [09:44]
Wesley Early
Still to come on Alaska News Nightly, health officials work to prepare residents for the potential eruption of Mount Spurr.
- [09:49]
Eric Stone
The threat posed by this, as long as people take these measures, is existentially much lower than a bad earthquake or a bad fire.
- [09:58]
Wesley Early
That's a head. Stay with us. Alaska's two U.S. senators split Wednesday on a vote against President Donald Trump's economic tariffs against Canada. The Alaska Beacon reports the U.S. senate voted 51 to 48 to approve a resolution that would end the presidentially declared emergency that allowed Trump to impose tariffs on Canada. The vote was largely symbolic because the resolution has almost no chance of passing the US House, where the speaker of the House has already taken action to prevent the emergency from ending. Senator Lisa Murkowski joined Senate Democrats and three other Republicans in voting to end the presidential emergency. Senator Dan Sullivan joined all other Republicans in voting to oppose the resolution and support Trump's decision. Murkowski's vote had been expected. In the days preceding the vote. Trump issued a statement asking her and other Republicans to, quote, get on the Republican bandwagon for a change, end quote. In enacting the tariffs, Trump cited the flow of illegal drugs from Canada to the United States. Statistics published by The Canadian and US governments show 0.2% of the illegal fentanyl sold in the United States comes from Canada. More fentanyl flows from the United States to Canada than vice versa. In response to Trump's policies, British Columbia's government has introduced legislation to permit the province to levy a toll on vehicles traveling from the Lower 48 to Alaska. Meanwhile, scientists say Mount Spur, the closest active volcano to Anchorage, is likely to erupt in weeks or months, depending on the winds. It could leave a layer of ash over the city and other south central communities. So Alaska Public Media's Rachel Cassandra talked to experts to find out how people in the surrounding area can keep themselves, their families and their pets safe.
- [11:35]
Rachel Cassandra
The ash from Mount Spur will have ragged, hard edges like tiny bits of glass, which can irritate eyes or lungs. Dr. George Conway is an epidemiologist and the head physician at the Anchorage Health Department. Conway says if we see ash fall, it will look dramatic.
- [11:51]
Eric Stone
It may be that people will be very anxious if something like this happens and think of it as some sort of apocalyptic event. The threat posed by this, as long as people take these measures, is Existentially much lower than a bad earthquake or a bad fire.
- [12:08]
Rachel Cassandra
He says hopefully we'll have at least two hours after the volcano erupts to get home or shelter in place and.
- [12:14]
Eric Stone
Basically hide from these nasty particles. And what you want to do to prevent the infiltration of that into your house or your home or your office would be keeping the doors and windows closed.
- [12:28]
Rachel Cassandra
There will be two phases of ash fall. The first will likely last for several hours and ash will be suspended in the air, possibly blocking out light and visibility. For those few hours. Conway says it's best to stay inside. If you need to go outside, he says it's best to wear an N95 mask. For eye protection, he says you can wear swim goggles or protective goggles if you tape over any holes in the sides. Conway says to put filters over any home air intakes, including those for an H vac system or furnace. He says people living outside are very vulnerable during an ashfall. He says the municipality may be able to provide tarps to cover belongings, but people should find a safe place inside.
- [13:11]
Eric Stone
We really encourage people to take shelter whether they're the neighborhood centers or if there will be a large venue opened. And that's pretty heavy discussion right now that's trying to be settled quite rapidly within the muni.
- [13:25]
Rachel Cassandra
The second phase of ash fall starts. Once the suspended ash settles. It will likely coat all horizontal surfaces in the surroundings. Dr. Robert Lawrence is chief medical officer for the state of Alaska. He says after the ash settles you should still wear protective gear if you're cleaning ash up or disturbing it in the environment. He says that's doubly important for people with pre existing conditions and the reaction.
- [13:49]
Eric Stone
People would have to this could be very mild, just minor irritation, usually temporary or it can not cause underlying respiratory problems. But if a person has underlying conditions like asthma or emphysema, that irritation of the airways can set off a chain of events that would lead to a more serious type of reaction.
- [14:08]
Rachel Cassandra
Lawrence notes that ash is not toxic or disease causing itself, but it can be an irritant. He says it's important to wash clothes if they get covered in ash, rinse them in a bathtub first before putting them in a washing machine. Pets and livestock are also vulnerable to volcanic ash. But state veterinarian Dr. Sarah Coburn says animal masks or goggles aren't the best choice for most pets. If you have a pet with eye or skin conditions, we some dogs are.
- [14:34]
Eric Stone
Trained to wear little goggles and that.
- [14:36]
Rachel Cassandra
Might be appropriate for those animals. I wouldn't make any big changes for pets to something they're not used to doing or used to wearing because that can have more stress, she says. According to veterinarians who practiced during the 1992 ash fall, the most common complaint was eye irritation. In Anchorage, I'm Rachel Cassandra Alaskans used.
- [14:55]
Wesley Early
To pay the highest rent in the nation, but new state data shows that cost has stabilized. Rent was about 50% higher than the national average in 1980 in Alaska, and average household income in the state was also the nation's highest, according to a report in Alaska Economic Trends magazine. But since then, Alaska's median monthly rent cost hasn't grown as fast as other states. State economist Rob Krager co authored the study. He says that's partially because while Alaska was leading in rent costs in the 80s, a drop in oil prices put the state's economy in recession.
- [15:24]
Eric Stone
You had a huge influx of people coming related to the oil boom. In the years that followed, a large number of people who left the state left a lot of that housing inventory in place.
- [15:34]
Wesley Early
That recession slowed rent increases, according to the report, because many people left the state, making housing more affordable and available. After the recession, several years of negative migration, more people leaving the state than moving in continued to hinder rent growth. Although slower rent growth was a key takeaway from the report, there are some exceptions. For almost a decade starting in 2005, the cost of median rent in Alaska grew 42%, according to the report, which was faster than the national average and many states. Craig says more people moved into the state during that period, which drove the demand for housing.
- [16:06]
Eric Stone
Some of that activity that we saw, that was probably the result of things happening down south and things were looking better up here.
- [16:13]
Wesley Early
Alaska is now at the middle of the pack for rent prices. Median monthly rent in the state, including utilities, was almost $1,400 a month in 2023, the report says, which is about $30 cheaper than the national average. Over 100 spectators gathered in Nome to kick off the fifth annual Nome Youth Race. As KOM's Wally Rana tells us, the event bridges generations of snow machine racers.
- [16:37]
Jamie Deep
An icy fog descends on the small boat harbor in Nome, but the limited visibility doesn't deter kids as young as four from competing.
- [16:44]
Eric Stone
Oh man, I think we got 40.
- [16:46]
Jamie Deep
Snow machines nearly down here today.
- [16:48]
Eric Stone
At least 100 spectators, maybe more.
- [16:50]
Jamie Deep
That's Josepha Wood. His son, Exer Fulwood, is racing out on the course mere feet away, Exer said. This year's fastest course time, the eight year old already has four years of experience under his belt.
- [17:01]
Eric Stone
I wanted to compete on this race because I've always had fun racing, fulwood.
- [17:08]
Jamie Deep
Says the event helps teach kids skills needed for the future, give these kids.
- [17:11]
Eric Stone
The confidence they need to travel home.
- [17:13]
Jamie Deep
To the villages later in life. Colton west helped build the course the last five years and for the first time this year served as race marshal. He says the weather isn't ideal, but they pushed on nonetheless.
- [17:24]
Eric Stone
We've got like 60 hours into this track, and we've just been having a great time building it.
- [17:28]
Jamie Deep
Also new this year is the Bering Sea Lions Club, serving as hosts. The local nonprofit organizes a number of snow machine races, including the Nome Galvan. But west says the club wasn't alone in putting on the event.
- [17:38]
Eric Stone
Nome volunteer fire department, the ambulance crew, you know, we had troopers come down to help us. We have all the family members coming in and pulling it together, he says.
- [17:48]
Jamie Deep
What makes the youth race special is how it bridges generations.
- [17:51]
Eric Stone
The purpose of it is just to keep our youth racing. You know, it's one of those things where if we don't have racers, our future of Noam Gollivan and Cannonball isn't going to be around in the future.
- [18:03]
Jamie Deep
West hopes to add more youth races to the calendar. He says he was inspired by the high turnout with some kids riding in from Kotzebue, 180 miles to the north for Kanoem and Nome. I'm Wally Rana.
- [18:25]
Wesley Early
With Juneau's cruise ship season less than two weeks away, Juneau officials are proposing to set city money aside to hire staff for one of the city's main tourist attractions, the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. The jobs were formally filled by federal workers, and as KTO's Yvonne Crummery reports, the city proposal acts as a safety net in the face of further uncertainty at the federal level.
- [18:46]
Rachel Cassandra
Juneau's visitor industry director, Alex Pierce, asked the Assembly Finance Committee to set aside $200,000. The money could be used to fund positions at the visitor center from state commercial passenger fees if more federal employees are laid off. She's hoping it won't come to that, though.
- [19:02]
Eric Stone
This appropriation would be money to the manager's office to use at the discretion of the city manager.
- [19:11]
Rachel Cassandra
If if there's.
- [19:12]
Eric Stone
Another issue affecting staffing to try to create some level of continuity out there, given all the uncertainties.
- [19:24]
Rachel Cassandra
In February, a wave of federal firings left one remaining staff member at the visitor center. In a typical summer, there are about a dozen on site at any given time to serve the 1 million visitors who come each year. Last month, the U.S. department of Agriculture reinstated employees who were terminated because an independent federal board ruled that the firings were unlawful. It issued a 45 day stay on the positions. But there's still uncertainty about what happens next. Forest Service officials say they can't provide a staffing schedule or plan for the visitor center at this time. Pierce says about half of the visitor center staff took their jobs back. Others had already found jobs elsewhere. But even for those currently back at the glacier, the job is unstable. And she's heard from Forest Service staff that more cuts may be coming from the White House in the future. There is still some uncertainty.
- [20:13]
Eric Stone
There are discussions of another reduction in force. We don't know what that looks like. We don't know how it would impact operations here in Juneau.
- [20:21]
Rachel Cassandra
The city manager could use the money to pay other organizations that operate the glacier to quickly hire some of the terminated staff. One of those is Discovery Southeast, a nature and science education nonprofit that already has a presence at the glacier. Sean Isley is the director. He says the city funding is a good stopgap, but he's upset that they have to step in at all. The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor center was self sustaining, as it was before the Trump administration cut staff.
- [20:47]
Eric Stone
It worked really well. It's good paying jobs in our community. It worked great. It doesn't make sense that it's been kind of artificially collapsed right now. So, you know, we talk about, well, what's a good solution? Like, we're not looking for a good solution. We're just looking for the least pain in the short term to hopefully bridge a better solution in the long term.
- [21:07]
Rachel Cassandra
But he says the organization is prepared to be a part of that bridge.
- [21:11]
Eric Stone
If there's an opportunity for us to step in in the short term and keep things going, we're ready to do that.
- [21:17]
Rachel Cassandra
The proposal will be introduced at Monday's assembly meeting and voted on at the next in Juneau. I'm Yvonne Kremmry.
- [21:23]
Wesley Early
Bethel's unofficial, loudest event of the year is the Heart of the Drums, an annual collaborative percussion performance tucked at the center of the Chamai dance festival. As KYUK's Samantha Watson reports, in addition to volume, the tradition is known as a moment of healing.
- [21:50]
Rachel Cassandra
In the Chamai Green Room, to the side of the Bethel Regional High School gymnasium, a council of drummers convenes. It's the kind of club you wish you were a part of, and this one has pretty open doors. All you need is a drum, a blend of percussionists from the groups performing at the Chiang Mai Dance Festival are part of this jam session, following drum leader Panuk Benjamin Agamuk's gaze and command.
- [22:19]
Jamie Deep
It's the type of spiritual thing that.
- [22:21]
Eric Stone
Touches everybody, especially when you see the whole audience dancing.
- [22:28]
Rachel Cassandra
It just how light it is afterwards is just.
- [22:35]
Eric Stone
It's a moment of healing.
- [22:44]
Rachel Cassandra
In a few moments, the musicians will enter the Warrior Dome and perform for hundreds of spectators in a tradition known as the heart of the Drums. Though the stage they'll take has hosted basketball tournaments and fiddle dances, this is known to be the gym's loudest event of the year. But right now, the drummers keep their beating light as they rehearse the song called Seal Boy, composed by Asiyuk of the group Bamiwa. It's been chosen by the drum leaders in part because it's well known by the crowd. But with a few dozen drums, it's hard to keep the practice hush, hush. The crew is quickly quieted by Chimai organizer Linda Kurta. The drums are distracting from the Latin dance performance next door. Shortly after showtime arrives, the drummers fan out across the auditorium, lining the top level of bleachers. Ringing the gym, organizer Cody Pequeno of Chivac speaks to the crowd.
- [23:45]
Wesley Early
Our drums, our songs, they heal us. It's our medicine, our form of prayer.
- [23:52]
Eric Stone
When we come out, when our drummers come out, our toilets.
- [23:57]
Wesley Early
I want you.
- [23:57]
Rachel Cassandra
Guys to use, use this time. Panuk and his co drum leader Levi Nicholas of Kasykluk, stand in the corner of the stage under the stage lights. Once again, the assembly of drummers follows their signals. As the beating swells, spectators dance along to Steel Boy. With movements known by heart, the group blows past the shout it made in the green room, reaching a sensation that vibrates through the crowd. Back in the green room, Panuk slumps into a chair. A buzz.
- [24:53]
Eric Stone
It's very chilling because even if I stopped, they kept going when we were rehearsing.
- [25:03]
Rachel Cassandra
Then you know you did something right. After the drummers disperse, Chimae continues on. The drummers that line the gym will be found later on stage in Taiko. Drum performances, Tlingit dancing, and many Yurhawk groups making music from their home communities in the annual Bethel Festival. In Bethel, I'm Samantha Watson.
- [25:45]
Eric Stone
Foreign.
- [25:50]
Wesley Early
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 Eric Stone, Jamie Deep and Yvonne Crumry. In Juneau, Rachel, Cassandra and Ava White in Anchorage and Samantha Watson in Bethel. If you want to send us a news tip, question or comment, email us@newsalaskapublic.org Our audio engineers, Chris Hyde and I'm Wesley Early. Good night.
- [26:35]
Eric Stone
This is statewide news on Alaska Public Media.