Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Summary

Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Podcast: Alaska News Nightly – Alaska Public Media
Host: Casey Grove
Date: January 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode brings a statewide roundup of news stories impacting Alaskans, from the halls of the U.S. Senate to local communities facing unique challenges. Major topics include U.S.-Greenland relations and Alaska's senators taking on White House foreign policy, a stark look at Anchorage’s “outdoor deaths” crisis, responding to avalanches and emergencies, healthcare access in rural areas, and uplifting stories of resilience—both among students new to Alaska and mushers racing across the terrain.

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Key Segments and Insights

1. U.S. Senate’s Stance on Greenland and Executive Power

Reporter: Liz Ruskin (Washington Correspondent)
[01:29–04:54]

• Main Points:
  • Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) met with foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland, aiming to affirm Congressional support for Greenland’s sovereignty in stark contrast to the White House’s aggressive rhetoric about “taking” Greenland for strategic purposes.
  • Murkowski and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced a bipartisan bill to prohibit U.S. funds being used to “blockade, occupy, annex, or otherwise assert control” over Greenland or any NATO ally.
  • Murkowski notes her surprise at having to introduce legislation addressing such a scenario:
    • “This is a message that I think is very clear and very strong and quite honestly one that I never thought I would have to author and introduce into the United States Congress.” (Murkowski, [02:49])
  • On Congressional oversight, Senators express concern that Congress is not fully asserting its constitutional power:
    • “No.” (Casey Grove, [03:58])
    • “Some days, no, definitely not.” (Angus King, [03:58])
    • “I’d say it’s the seventh inning, we’re behind four to three, but the game isn’t over.” (Angus King, [04:07])
  • Senate voted to block a resolution restricting the President’s use of military force in Venezuela, with Murkowski supporting it and Dan Sullivan opposing.

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2. Anchorage’s Outdoor Deaths: Persistent Crisis and Personal Stories

Interview: Michelle Theriault Boots (Anchorage Daily News Reporter)
[04:54–10:45]

• Main Points:
  • Anchorage recorded 45 “outdoor deaths” (people found dead outside with no fixed address) in 2025, only a slight decrease from all-time highs in prior years.
  • Causes include instability in shelter availability and increased prevalence of fentanyl.
    • “Fentanyl is so omnipresent, so cheap and so deadly and potent that she saw that as potentially a contributing factor to keeping this number high.” ([07:49])
  • Contrary to assumptions, more deaths occur in summer and shoulder seasons than mid-winter, as people are less likely to be in shelters.
  • Boots emphasizes the humanity behind the statistics:
    • “I want people to be remembered for more than the way they died.” (Michelle Theriault Boots, [08:47])
  • Personalizes the crisis through the story of Troy Jacko, a young man remembered by his sister for his caring nature and artistic pursuits, showing the deep personal losses experienced by families.

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3. Community Emergency: Avalanche Danger in Juneau

Reporting: Yvonne Cramry with interview from Jennifer Skinner (St. Vincent DePaul, Juneau)
[15:05–18:15]

• Main Points:
  • Avalanche threats forced Juneau’s emergency warming shelter for unhoused residents to relocate three times in two days.
  • Staff quickly moved operations and supplies, facing uncertainty and community concerns:
    • “It was intense to realize that we were going to have to relocate.” (Jennifer Skinner, [15:36])
    • “So we contacted our city officials again and said, hey, is this safe? And he said, you know what? Get out. Let’s err on the side of caution.” ([16:21])
  • The community’s response was largely supportive, with city staff and local businesses helping:
    • “I can’t express my gratitude to community members and community businesses that are so willing to step in and step up when we have a hard time and help us problem solve and just be like, we got you.” (Jennifer Skinner, [17:52])
  • After a brief stay in a local school, shelter operations returned to their original site.

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4. Rural Health Access: Colonoscopies Return to Petersburg

Reporting: Taylor Heckert with interview from Jennifer Briner (Petersburg Medical Center)
[18:15–20:56]

• Main Points:
  • Residents in Petersburg can once again access regular colonoscopy clinics locally, reducing barriers for preventative cancer care.
    • “It’s so nice for people to be able to do those things at their own home, you know, and also a lot of people just aren’t going to go do it out of town.” (Jennifer Briner, [19:04])
  • The return of clinics is a relief after years without a consistent specialist, with a new quarterly program now planned.

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5. Search and Rescue: Stranded Snowmachiners near Summit Lake

Reporting: Tim Ellis
[13:16–15:05]

• Main Points:
  • Two snowmachiners were rescued after being stranded in harsh weather.
  • Local emergency teams and DOT road crews coordinated to clear the highway and retrieve the individuals, who were cold but unharmed.

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6. Crime and Law Enforcement: Tuksuk Bay Officer Kidnapping

[11:42–13:16]

• Main Points:
  • Adrian Kylukiak remains at large following alleged kidnapping and assault of a tribal police officer in Tuksuk Bay.
  • Incident highlights ongoing challenges with rural law enforcement and safety.

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7. Sports: Mushers and Parvovirus Incident at Copper Basin 300

[20:56–22:32]

• Main Points:
  • Jesse Holmes wins the Copper Basin 300 sled dog race.
  • Parvovirus detected in a participating musher’s dogs; full compliance with biosecurity requirements was confirmed.
  • The episode underscores the vigilance needed to protect sled dog health during races.

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8. Anchorage’s Newcomer Ski Team: Resilience in Action

Reporting: Hannah Flor with Coach Jeff Wright and students Daniel Mukumbozi, Alicia Maenda, Sofia Cantillo Garces & Katie Bisson (ELL Program Aide)
[22:32–26:48]

• Main Points:
  • Bette Davis East Anchorage High School’s ski team features more than a dozen students new to the U.S., many learning English and adapting to Alaska’s climate.
  • Coach Jeff Wright is inspired by the team’s determination:
    • “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much sort of concentrated, can do attitude. These kids are like 120% in every day, every lesson, and also they just, they bring an impressive amount of joy to the equation.” (Jeff Wright, [23:39])
  • Student stories, like Daniel Mukumbozi from Uganda:
    • “I keep falling anytime when I try to ski, I keep falling, falling, falling anytime. But right now, yeah, I start being better.” (Alicia Maenda, [25:13])
  • Sofia Cantillo Garces, from Venezuela, describes how her difficult journey instilled inner strength:
    • “The situation in my country ... has made me tough, made me confident. And I know that if I try, I’m going to succeed.” (Sofia Cantillo Garces, [25:31])
  • The segment ends with Daniel falling during a race but getting right back up, emblematic of the perseverance shown by these students.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On anchoring legislative oversight:
  “Every day we should be thinking if we are fully asserting our authority under the Constitution. Is Congress right now?”
  (Murkowski, [03:58])

• Personalizing the “outdoor deaths” crisis:
  “Every single person on this list is someone’s family member. ... I want people to be remembered for more than the way they died.”
  (Michelle Theriault Boots, [08:47])

• Juneau’s emergency shelter odyssey:
  “It was intense to realize that we were going to have to relocate.”
  (Jennifer Skinner, [15:36])

• On supporting resilience and joy:
  “These kids are like 120% in every day, every lesson, and also they just, they bring an impressive amount of joy to the equation.”
  (Coach Jeff Wright, [23:39])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:29] – U.S. Senate and Greenland policy
• [04:54] – Anchorage “outdoor deaths” report
• [11:42] – Tuksuk Bay kidnapping suspect update
• [13:16] – Snowmachiner rescue near Summit Lake
• [15:05] – Juneau avalanche and emergency shelter relocations
• [18:15] – Colonoscopy clinics return to Petersburg
• [20:56] – Copper Basin 300 race, sled dog parvovirus case
• [22:32] – East High’s diverse and resilient ski team

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Tone and Style

The tone is factual, empathetic, and community-oriented, balancing hard news and human interest stories. The episode conveys urgency in stories of crisis, compassion in coverage of loss, and inspiration in highlighting the strength of newcomers and communities alike.

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Transcript

[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.

[Michelle Theriault Boots]

And I want people to be remembered for more than the way they died.

[Casey Grove]

Behind Anchorage's 45 outdoor deaths last year are commonalities as well as personal stories from Alaska Public Media. This is statewide news on Alaska News nightly for Wednesday, January 14th. Good evening. I'm Casey Grove. Also tonight, avalanche danger in Juneau forced the city's emergency warming shelter to move three times in two days.

[Jennifer Skinner]

It was intense to realize that we were going to have to relocate.

[Casey Grove]

Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly.

[Theo Greenlee]

I'm Theo Greenlee, a reporter with the Alaska Desk. That's a joint reporting effort from Alaska Public Media and kucb, where I work in Onalaska, and other public radio stations in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Haines and the Aleutians. It allows us to connect you with the issues happening in communities all across the state. You can hear our stories during the Morning News Alaska News Nightly or [e-mail] the Alaska Desk is only possible with the support of grants and listeners like you. Thank you.

[Casey Grove]

Senator Lisa Murkowski was among a bipartisan group of senators that met with the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland today. The senators tried to provide the visiting officials an assurance that they couldn't get from the White House. Alaska Public Media Washington correspondent Liz Ruskin reports.

[Liz Ruskin]

Top officials from Denmark and its northern territory, Greenland, left a meeting at the White House saying they still have fundamental differences with the administration. The foreign delegation then went to Capitol Hill, where senators said, that's no way to treat an ally. Murkowski was the only Republican in the meeting. She addressed a large gaggle of reporters afterward. I think it's important to send the message that here in the Congress, we recognize and support the sovereignty of the people of Greenland. President Trump continues to say that the United States must take Greenland for strategic purposes. Murkowski and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire co sponsored a bill this week to prohibit the administration from spending any funds to, quote, blockade, occupy, annex, or otherwise assert control, unquote, over Greenland or any NATO ally. This is a message that I think is very clear and very strong and quite honestly one that I never thought I would have to author and introduce into the United States Congress. Murkowski didn't say whether any other Republicans agreed to support it, though. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky made a speech on the Senate floor saying the United States had no need to take Greenland since the US Already has a military base there. Murkowski says seizing Greenland would shatter the NATO alliance. She said it'd be better if the president changes his rhetoric on his own, but without Congress having to pass her bill. I hope it's ultimately not necessary, but we are operating in times where we're having conversations about things that we never thought even possible. Whether Congress has any appetite to rein in the president is unclear. A PBS NewsHour reporter got the last two questions. She asked if Congress was living up to its constitutional obligations to check and balance the executive branch. Murkowski answered first. Every day we should be thinking if we are fully asserting our authority under the Constitution. Is Congress right now?

[Casey Grove]

No.

[Liz Ruskin]

Some days, no, definitely not. That was Angus King, an independent from Maine, and then Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona.

[Casey Grove]

King continues this has abdicated his power largely. I'd say it's the seventh inning, we're behind four to three, but the game isn't over. Thank you, everyone.

[Liz Ruskin]

Minutes after they spoke, the Senate voted to block a resolution that would have curtailed Trump's use of military force in Venezuela. Alaska's senators, as expected, split on the issue. Murkowski, like King and all the Senate Democrats, supported the resolution, which would have required Trump to seek congressional approval for further military action. Senator Dan Sullivan opposed it. The vote in the Senate on whether to block it was 50 50, requiring Vice President J.D. vance to cast the tiebreaker. Reporting from Washington, I'm Liz Ruskin.

[Casey Grove]

Anchorage Police recorded 45 so called outdoor deaths in Alaska's largest city last year, according to recent reporting by the Anchorage Daily News. That's defined as people dying outside who had no fixed address. And while 2025 saw slightly fewer than the 50 outdoor deaths that occurred in each of the two prior years, creating a grim tie for what is thought to be the all time high, there were still many more than in the past. Anchorage Daily News reporter Michelle Theriault Boots compiled the data and personal stories behind the city's outdoor deaths and she says there are some surprises and heartbreak in the numbers.

[Michelle Theriault Boots]

The numbers were 1920 to 26ish people per year and then in 2023 that really shot up to 50 people. And that was an extreme change. And I don't know that we there's a consensus on what drove that change. But at the time, and I think now people do say that that's when we had a lot of instability in sheltering. And also somewhat counterintuitively, what we've learned from the data is that the months with the highest outdoor deaths tend to actually be the summer months and some shoulder season months like April and October also have historically had high numbers of deaths. And the reason for that, experts say, is that those were times when people were more likely to be out camping, they were less likely to be in shelter. Issues like drugs and alcohol were much more present in those sort of completely out of sight or out of a shelter camp situations.

[Casey Grove]

Yeah, I think people would be surprised to hear that in the summer months there are actually more deaths. But even if there's no consensus, what are some of the common things that you see?

[Michelle Theriault Boots]

Yeah, well, in about 46% of the cases in 2025, police reported finding some kind of drug or alcoh paraphernalia at the scene when the person died. And several years ago, we had the state medical examiner's office do a multi year analysis of outdoor deaths for us. And at that time they put hypothermia, complications from alcohol and drug overdoses as the most frequent causes of death. I think what these numbers say is that though we've moved from a time in some years when there's been really unstable shelter, like the shelters closing and people going off to camp into a more year round, stable shelter system, the numbers are persistently high. You know, we had two years of 50 deaths, and this year in 2025, there were 45. So that number's going down slightly, but it's not a massive change. And so, you know, I don't know. I think experts are looking at that to try to figure out what is keeping that number, what is keeping that number high. And one, one person I spoke to, Sean Hayes, the head of Henning Incorporated, which operates a couple different transitional housing and shelter programs. She really attributed it to fentanyl. Fentanyl is so omnipresent, so cheap and so deadly and potent that she saw that as potentially a contributing factor to keeping this number high.

[Casey Grove]

Obviously, I mean, we're talking about statistics here and some numbers and the 45 people that passed away outside in Anchorage in 2025. But unfortunately, you've had to do this story a few times. Right. And every time I think you do a really good job of telling human stories about at least a couple of the people on your list. And I wanted to ask you, why is that important to you? And then how do you go about doing that?

[Michelle Theriault Boots]

When I read these lists, I very much think about every single person on this list is someone's family member. And I want to know as much as I can about these people, who they were. And so I always look up. I do a little bit of research on every single person, and I often find obituaries. I often find things about what they were doing in their life, you know, past jobs, past careers, maybe your social media presence, things that give me a little window into who these people were. And, you know, the idea that this person died outside homeless does not mean they did not have a loving family that was very concerned about them. There was a couple that passed away together. They had been reported missing, and their families had been organizing search parties, even flying into Anchorage, going out and searching for them for months. And they were ultimately found to have passed away in a tent that was ultimately covered in snow and not found until much later. One person I spoke to in reporting this story was the sister of a young man named Troy Jacko, who, who was found dead in 2025 outside. And she talked a little bit about how he was from the Bristol Bay area, had kind of spent much of his life in Anchorage, and really wanted to be a good uncle. Always carried around a picture of her daughter in his wallet. That was really important to him. He was like a skateboarder, snowboarder, an artist. And after she found that he passed away, she couldn't get a lot of details. And she really wanted to find his notebooks that had his draw and things in them and just hearing a little bit about, you know, this was someone's beloved brother whose life, it sounds like, became clouded with addiction. And that made for some hard times with his family. But she wanted to share about who he was and a picture of him. And I want people to be remembered for more than the way they died.

[Casey Grove]

That was Anchorage Daily News reporter Michelle Theriault. Boots. Find her full story about the 45 people who died outside in Anchorage in 2025 at adn.com. Still to come in Alaska News Nightly, students in Anchorage, new to the US Are stepping out of their comfort zone and onto a pair of skis. These kids are like 120% in every day, every lesson that's ahead. Stay with us.

[Theo Greenlee]

I'm Theo Greenlee, a reporter with the Alaska Desk. That's a joint reporting effort from Alaska Public Media and kucb, where I work in Unalaska and other public radio stations in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Haines and the Aleutians. It allows us to connect you with the issues happening in communities all across the state. You can hear our stories during the morning news, Alaska News Nightly, or [e-mail] the Alaska Desk is only possible with the support of grants and listeners like you.

[Casey Grove]

Thank you A Tuxuk Bay man who allegedly kidnapped a tribal police officer at gunpoint remains at large as of today. He's been charged with additional crimes after evading capture in the Nelson island community. On December 2nd, the state issued an arrest warrant for 44 year old Adrian Kylukiak, who days earlier allegedly took tribal police officer Gregory Karl hostage at gunpoint. Another tribal police officer was able to defuse the situation, but Kylukiak was not taken into custody at the time. In the weeks that followed, Alaska state troopers say they were unable to locate Kylukiak. On December 29, tribal police made contact with him at a modified shipping container in Tuksuk Bay, where he was known to be staying. According to charging documents, an unarmed officer who entered the residence retreated after hearing what sounded like Kylukiak loading a pistol. On Tuesday, the state issued an additional arrest warrant for Kylukiak, who now faces added charges of third degree felony assault and misdemeanor resisting arrest. Kylukiak is also charged with felony kidnapping, weapons misconduct and three counts of assault, two for allegedly firing a handgun at Carl and one for allegedly striking him in the head with the gun. Emergency responders rescued two snow machiners Monday night who were stranded in a remote spot near Summit Lake, about 80 miles south of Delta Junction, KUAC's Tim Ellis reports.

[Tim Ellis]

Delta Fire Chief Miles Patton said they got a report about the stranded snow Machiners just after 9pm from the Fairbanks Emergency Communications Center. The center's dispatcher said one of the two snow machines broke down and that the two riders were unable to walk out through the deep snow and heavy snowfall and sub zero temperatures.

[Casey Grove]

They abandoned their machines initially and started walking out themselves, but they were afraid that they wouldn't make get back to the highway before conditions worsened, Patton said.

[Tim Ellis]

An Alaska state trooper initially wanted to send a helicopter out to pick up the snow machiners, but reconsidered due to severe weather conditions. So the trooper, along with members of the Fort Greely and Delta and rural Deltana volunteer fire departments, mustered a search and rescue team and headed south on the Richardson highway to Summit Lake.

[Casey Grove]

The road conditions were pretty terrible actually, the chief said.

[Tim Ellis]

He called the state Department of Transportation crew at the TRIM's Camp Road Maintenance station and they agreed to send a snowplow out to clear the highway to Summit.

[Casey Grove]

So we wanted to make sure that the roads were clear just in case something further was needed or if there.

[Tim Ellis]

Was another asset needed, patton said. The first crew arrived on scene just before 11pm Seven emergency responders quickly headed out on four snow machines and found the stranded riders at about 11:45, Patton said. The two rescued snow machiners were cold but didn't suffer any injuries. The chief said they got back to Delta at around 1am Tuesday. In Delta, I'm Tim Ellis Avalanche risk.

[Casey Grove]

Rose over the weekend as more snow and then rain pounded Juneau. Meanwhile, staff at the city's emergency warming shelter for unhoused residents relocated operations three times in two days, KTOWO's Yvonne Crumry reports.

[Yvonne Cramry]

When the city issued evacuation advisories for high risk areas of town on Friday, it said the shelter along Thain Road was too close to historic avalanche paths to stay put, says St. Vincent DePaul director Jennifer Skinner. The warehouse that the city and the nonprofit used for the shelter is right below the red zone on the city's avalanche map.

[Jennifer Skinner]

It was intense to realize that we were going to have to relocate our operations to, at that point an undisclosed location, and we were on standby.

[Yvonne Cramry]

The shelter serves an average of 45 people who don't have another place to sleep each night. Shelter staff packed up everything they could, including a refrigerator, in an hour and a half. Skinner says she was preparing for an avalanche to prevent them from accessing the building ever again. First, the city told them to move to the Marie Drake building and we.

[Jennifer Skinner]

Completely 100% reset there. And as we were finishing, we're hearing the roof and we're hearing all these cracks and creaks and such. And so we contacted our city officials again and said, hey, is this safe? And he said, you know what?

[Tim Ellis]

Get out.

[Jennifer Skinner]

Let's err on the side of caution.

[Yvonne Cramry]

So warming shelter staff evacuated that building, too. They had to make a safety plan with the fire department to go back in and get all the equipment they'd moved in. The city and Red Cross of Alaska has made Centennial hall available for residents in avalanche slide zones. But city Emergency Manager Ryan o' Shaughnessy said the city wanted to avoid housing the two groups together, citing concerns over potential drug use and hygiene. So the city identified Sit Itishinach Glacier Valley Elementary School as the only available building for the warming shelter. The school had closed for part of the week so crews could shovel snow off of the roof with the help of a moving company, Skinner says they were able to set up at the school. They finished setting up an hour before the shelter opened at 9pm so that.

[Jennifer Skinner]

Was a huge success for us to not miss. We didn't skip a beat. Our patrons were not impacted at all by having to reset.

[Yvonne Cramry]

The warming shelter operated out of the school for just one night, and 44 people came to stay. Then on Saturday, city officials determined the Thain warehouse to be safe enough for Skinner and her staff to move back in. Some Junah residents raised concerns on social media about temporarily housing the unhoused population in an elementary school. City Manager Katie Kester spoke to some of those concerns at Monday's Juneau assembly meeting.

[Michelle Theriault Boots]

We had a thorough inspection, a thorough cleaning of the facility, but really for life safety of those residents. We had to make that decision and we had to make that decision quickly.

[Yvonne Cramry]

But Skinner says she mostly saw support from Juneau residents during the crisis.

[Jennifer Skinner]

I can't express my gratitude to community members and community businesses that are so willing to step in and step up when we have a hard time and help us problem solve and just be like, we got you.

[Yvonne Cramry]

The emergency warming shelter is once again operating out of its usual location in Thain, with transportation to and from the Glory hall, which provides meals and other day services in Juneau. I'm Yvonne Cramery.

[Casey Grove]

If you live in a small town like Petersburg, receiving specialized healthcare often means traveling to Anchorage or Juneau. That can be inconvenient and costly and also means that some people delay seeking preventative care. But after years of colonoscopy clinics being few and far between, the important cancer spotting procedure is returning to Petersburg. KFSK's Taylor Heckert reports.

[Taylor Heckert]

During a colonoscopy, a doctor uses a camera on a flexible tube to look inside your colon. But there's a lot of preparation to do before the procedure, like temporarily quitting certain medications, swapping to a clear liquid diet and taking laxatives the day before. It might not be fun, but Petersburg Medical Center Chief Nursing officer Jennifer Briner says the procedure is an important way to screen for colon cancer, and now they're going to be offered in Petersburg again.

[Jennifer Briner]

I mean, it's just a game changer. It's so nice for people to be able to do those things at their own home, you know, and also a lot of people just aren't going to go do it out of town. And so then it delays that screening. And if there is a cancer that is found, it's, you know, it's been delayed for so long.

[Taylor Heckert]

The town's hospital used to offer colonoscopy clinics somewhat often, but the specialist who ran them died in 2017. While there have been occasional clinics since then, Briner says it's been a struggle to regularly provide colonoscopies.

[Jennifer Briner]

You know, we've been doing other forms of colorectal cancer screening, but colonoscopy is really the gold standard, so we're really, really excited to be bringing it back and to be bringing it back consistently this year.

[Taylor Heckert]

The hospital has a two day clinic scheduled in February with a new surgeon from Seattle, and Bryner says they intend to have him visit Petersburg regularly for quarterly clinics.

[Jennifer Briner]

So we anticipate this is a long term relationship and we can do regular clinics for years to come, she says.

[Taylor Heckert]

Being able to do colonoscopy clinics in town is a big deal, and if you have colon cancer, Briner says catching it early is important. Generally, guidelines say to start getting colonoscopies around age 45. If you have a family history of colon cancer, you might have to get them sooner, she says. The wait list in Petersburg is long, but if you're due or overdue, it's worth talking to your doctor about do.

[Jennifer Briner]

I need to have it today and then make arrangements to go somewhere else or am I okay to be on the waitlist and get it when my turn comes?

[Taylor Heckert]

The Petersburg Medical Center's next colonoscopy clinic is February 5th and 6th. A doctor's referral is required in Petersburg. I'm Taylor Heckert.

[Casey Grove]

Jesse Holmes won the Copper Basin 300 Monday, crossing the finish line in Glenallen after about two days and seven hours on the trail. He beat runner up Cody straith by about 15 minutes, according to race results. The former Life Below Zero star is the defending Iditarod champion. Holmes also won last year's Kobach 440 and Copper Basin 300. In an interview with KCAM Radio after the race on Monday, he said he wants to defend each of those titles this year. Well, dogs are up to it. Okay, I'm up to it. Yep. You just gotta keep trying to do everything right every day, you know? The 2026 Copper Basin 300 began Saturday in Glenallen and featured 33 teams. The final musher to officially finish the race reached Glenallen last night. Among those who did not finish was Erica Lowbridge, who voluntarily withdrew Monday after two of her dogs tested positive for canine parvovirus. The highly contagious disease attacks a dog's white blood cells and gastrointestinal tract and can lead to death, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Race organizers said they were notifying local veterinary clinics, the dog mushing community and the community of Glenallen. They also said Lowbridge was in full compliance with all biosecurity and vaccination requirements, which included submitting records of current canine parvovirus vaccinations for all of the dogs on her team. Well, it's hard to be bad at things, especially as a teenager. But at Bette Davis East Anchorage High School, more than a dozen teenagers new to the country and just learning English are also learning to ski. And as Alaska Public Media's Hannah Flor reports, they keep picking themselves up every time they fall.

[Hannah Flor]

Daniel Mukumbozi grew up in a refugee camp in Uganda. Now he's on skis, shuffling toward the starting line of his second ever race at Anchorage's Kinkade Park.

[Casey Grove]

I'm feeling so happy. That's what I'm thinking. I'm happy today.

[Hannah Flor]

Are you nervous?

[Michelle Theriault Boots]

No.

[Hannah Flor]

His coach, Jeff Wright, is on the sidelines. He says Daniel's fast and determined.

[Casey Grove]

He's a freshman. This year we were talking about state by senior year, so he's gonna do it.

[Hannah Flor]

Daniel is one of more than a dozen skiers on the East High team who recently arrived in the United States. They're from all over the world. Honduras, Afghanistan, Ukraine, South Sudan, it's an unusually high number for a sport that often draws students familiar with skiing or at least with snow. And coach Wright says it's not an easy sport to learn, especially for image conscious teenagers. And on top of that, these kids are already having to learn English and adjust to life in a new country, far away from family and friends and the culture they grew up in. Wright says he's amazed by the resilience they show each day in practice.

[Casey Grove]

I don't think I've ever seen this much sort of concentrated, can do attitude. These kids are like 120% in every day, every lesson, and also they just, they bring an impressive amount of joy to the equation.

[Hannah Flor]

Wright has been coaching for more than a dozen years, and he says he's never had this much fun. But it can be hard to convince kids to join the ski team, especially if they're not used to snow. Katie Bisson runs the English Language Learners program at East High, helping newly arrived students and their families adjust to school and connect with resources. She's also a skier, and for years she's been pushing English Language learners toward the ski program without much success. It is cold, it's dark.

[Michelle Theriault Boots]

You have to wear a lot of.

[Hannah Flor]

Gear and be outside for an hour and a half or two hours every day. Bisson says there are other barriers. Some of the students have a lot of responsibility at home. Kids have to watch siblings or help cook meals while their parents are working. But this year, a couple super athletic kids were excited about skiing, and their enthusiasm spread One of them was Alicia Maenda, who moved from Burundi two years ago. In Burundi, there is no snow.

[Casey Grove]

So when I talk to my friend.

[Yvonne Cramry]

From Burundi, they just keep saying, like what?

[Casey Grove]

How do you know? Like how to ski on the snow stuff.

[Hannah Flor]

He says at first it was hard, but it didn't occur to him to give up. I keep falling anytime when I try to ski, I keep falling, falling, falling anytime.

[Casey Grove]

But right now, yeah, I start being better.

[Hannah Flor]

Bisson says that grit is common with her language learners. Some of them went through a lot just to get to the United States. It might be because they're fleeing their country because of persecution or for safety reasons. 17 year old Sofia Cantillo Garces came to Alaska from Venezuela in 2023. She says the political situation in her home country made life difficult, but it also did make her more resilient. The situation in my country, she said says, has made me tough, made me confident. And I know that if I try, I'm going to succeed. Back at Kincaid, the first skiers are cresting the hill, hustling toward the finish line. A couple minutes later, the red of Daniel's East High jacket. He's got a good rhythm. He's closing in until down he goes, face first. Skis crossed. But then he's right back up, heading for crossing the finish line. Afterward, he says he was afraid someone was going to pass him.

[Casey Grove]

I was thinking I'mma lost this race. That's what I'm thinking.

[Hannah Flor]

But he's grinning, proud of his time, and he's not embarrassed about the tumble. He says he's used to falling and getting back up. He does it every day. In Anchorage, I'm Hannah Fl.

[Casey Grove]

And that's all for this edition of Alaska News Nightly. We had reports tonight from Liz Ruskin in Washington, D.C. evan Erickson in Bethel, Tim Ellis in Delta Junction, Yvonne Crumry and Juno Taylor Heckard in Petersburg, Patrick Gilchrist in Fairbanks and Hannah Floor in Anchorage. 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.