Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Podcast: Alaska News Nightly — Alaska Public Media
Host: Casey Grove
Date: December 10, 2025

Overview

This episode delivers a wide-ranging snapshot of Alaska's latest news, legislative movements, and community developments. Highlights include Senator Lisa Murkowski's renewed effort to restore Denali's Indigenous name, local efforts to improve safety on waterways, groundbreaking Arctic research, the return of a priceless Tlingit clan artifact, community responses to environmental hardships, and joy among Alaskan birders over rare avian visitors.

1. Denali Renaming Debate: Murkowski vs. Trump (00:06–03:31)

• Main Story:
  Senator Lisa Murkowski renews her campaign to officially restore North America’s highest peak’s name to “Denali,” in direct opposition to President Trump’s executive order reverting to “Mount McKinley.”
• Historical Context:
  • Alaska and local Indigenous peoples have used "Denali" for generations; the Koyukon Athabaskan named the peak millennia ago.
  • The 2015 Obama-era executive order changed the name to Denali, reversed by Trump in his 2nd term.
  • Murkowski’s bill seeks to nullify Trump’s reversal.
• Political Landscape:
  • Ohio’s congressional delegation historically blocked “Denali” bills to honor McKinley.
  • The bill is bipartisan but faces uncertain odds if Trump continues to publicly oppose the change.
  • Murkowski emphasizes honoring Indigenous heritage over diminishing McKinley’s legacy.
• Notable Quote:
  • "This is about respecting the original stewards of the land who gave this fitting name." — Sen. Lisa Murkowski [00:06; 01:00]
• Memorable Moment:
  • Murkowski lists other ways McKinley is already honored: “You've got the McKinley National Memorial, the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial, the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum... So this is nothing against our former president.” [01:00–01:44]

2. Local Government: Filling Alaska House Vacancies (03:31–05:08)

• Key Points:
  • Six local conservatives were nominated by Republican officials for two empty seats in the Alaska House, after previous representatives moved to the Senate.
  • Final decision rests with Governor Dunleavy; nominees must be approved by the majority House Republican caucus.
  • Nominations reflect a mix of tribal police leaders, community members, and prior legislative aides.
• Insight:
  • Process highlights the shifting landscape in Alaska’s political representation.

3. Community Safety: The Backyard Buoys Project (05:08–09:20)

• Focus:
  The “Backyard Buoys” program empowers Indigenous communities to track local weather and wave conditions, enhancing nautical safety.
• Local Knowledge and Technology:
  • Nalokuk integrates Indigenous knowledge for buoy placement.
  • Buoys gather real-time wave, temperature, and pressure data, accessible through a place-name-based app.
• Direct Voices:
  • “When you look at where the locations are, it's not by latitude and longitude, it's by place names. That's how we learn in rural Alaska and that's how we're going to continue to do the research.” — Lynne Marie Church [06:49]
  • "We picked locations where people travel for subsistence or daily travel." — Sean Gleason [07:12]
• Practical Impact:
  • Buoy data helps with decision-making for hunting, fishing, and travel.
  • The program is expanding, including a focus on Native language accessibility and engagement by the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission.
  • “I was looking at the app and seen that the waves weren't too big … we successfully harvested a whale and brought it back to our community to feed.” — Martin Edwardson [08:44]

4. Community Hardships: Power and Water Outages in Nebuskiak (10:18–12:25)

• Incident:
  An extended, severe power outage—caused by an ice storm—hits Nebuskiak, compounding with a burst water pipe.
• Voices from the Ground:
  • “First they tried turning half of the village on … [but] the power plant couldn't take it because there was a short somewhere.” — Sharon Williams, Tribal Chief [10:45]
  • “When the lights go back to normal, it's gonna take a while to thaw out the wastewater pipe. … The pipes are going to have to be changed out because they bursted.” — Williams [11:18]
  • Residents rely on backup generators and must travel by snow machine to Bethel for food and fuel; online pleas for help are heard.
  • The school functions on backup power with delays and excused absences for those sheltering in Bethel.

5. Science: New Sea Ice Forecasting Tools for Alaska (12:25–16:04)

• Innovation:
  The University of Michigan develops a high-resolution sea ice model to aid safe travel and subsistence hunting in coastal Alaska.
• Technical Leap:
  • Resolution improved from 5 to 1.5 km—critical for mapping dangerous ice gaps.
• Community Engagement:
  • Traditional knowledge is integrated in model design.
  • "We're really trying to make something that's actionable, not just doing research for research's sake.” — Ben Townsend, quoting John McClure [15:36]
• Significance:
  As sea ice grows less predictable, tools that combine Indigenous and scientific expertise are vital for safety and food security.

6. Cultural Heritage: The Repatriation of the Tlingit Raven Helmet (16:04–20:20)

• Background:
  After 100+ years, a Tlingit clan is regaining legal ownership of a raven helmet—a living clan artifact once worn during the Battle of Sitka in 1804.
• Struggle and Triumph:
  • Clan leaders describe the pain of losing access to ceremonial items.
  • “When we don't have our items, we can't use them. And there it is sitting right in a museum in Sitka, and we can't use it, and it belongs to us.” — Anya Nach Ray Wilson [17:10]
  • The helmet’s return is seen as healing for future generations.
  • “The main thing is that it's coming back to help our people. We all need help. We need the culture to come back, to make our people stronger again.” — Wilson [17:41]
• Process:
  • Involved historical research to challenge museum ownership.
• Impact Looking Ahead:
  • “The exciting thing is for the young people below us who will become the caretakers, the future ancestors, that they won't know this trauma. This won't be passed on to them.” — Klan member [20:07]

7. Environmental News: Rare Birds Excite Sitka Birders (20:38–24:48)

• Event:
  Two exceptionally rare birds—the Harris's Sparrow and Dickcissel—spotted in Sitka, drawing birders and boosting enthusiasm for the annual Christmas Bird Count.
• Birding Passion:
  • “Some of us are mad travelers when it comes to birds, especially unusual birds.” — Matt Gough [22:21]
• Community Science:
  • The Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count celebrated as the nation’s longest-running citizen science project.
  • “Way back in the beginning … it was a competition to see who could kill the most living things. … Then some people decided, let's do something different. Let's just count birds instead of kill them.” — Victoria Vosberg [22:59]
• Scientific Significance:
  • The Bird Count tracks population changes, signaling environmental shifts.

Notable Quotes, Quick Reference

• Lisa Murkowski: “This is about respecting the original stewards of the land who gave this fitting name.” [00:06, 01:00]
• Lynne Marie Church (on the buoy app): “It's not by latitude and longitude, it’s by place names. That's how we learn in rural Alaska.” [06:49]
• Martin Edwardson: “We successfully harvested a whale and brought it back to our community to feed.” [08:44]
• Community member, Nebuskiak: “There are some people on Facebook begging if they can catch a ride to Bethel to get food that saying that they're out of food.” [11:49]
• Ayumi Fujisaki Manome: “The [new model] brings a more detailed representation of near shore ice processes, in particular landfast ice.” [13:52]
• Anya Nach Ray Wilson: “The main thing is that it’s coming back to help our people. We need the culture to come back, to make our people stronger again.” [17:41]
• Matt Gough: “Some of us are mad travelers when it comes to birds, especially unusual birds.” [22:21]
• Victoria Vosberg: “Let’s just count birds instead of kill them.” [22:59]

Episode Flow & Key Timestamps

1. Denali name battle — 00:06–03:31
2. Filling legislative vacancies — 03:31–05:08
3. Backyard Buoys safety program — 05:08–09:20
4. Nebuskiak outages — 10:18–12:25
5. Sea ice forecasting breakthrough — 12:25–16:04
6. Tlingit helmet repatriation — 16:04–20:20
7. Rare Alaska bird sightings — 20:38–24:48

Summary

This episode is a robust reflection of Alaskan resilience, history, and forward-thinking: from ongoing quests for Indigenous recognition and resourceful adaptation in the face of climate and infrastructure crises, to cultural restoration, scientific advancements, and the joy of unlikely wildlife visitors. Each segment illustrates the interconnectedness of people, land, and tradition in Alaska’s unique social and natural landscapes.