Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Summary

Alaska News Nightly – Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Host: Casey Grove | Alaska Public Media

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Main Theme

This episode delivers a comprehensive roundup of statewide news, focusing on critical stories impacting Alaskans—from the surging need for food aid amid economic and policy changes, to updates on the massive Alaska gas line workforce planning, rising infant mortality rates, adaptations in the fishing industry, youth vaping challenges, and creative approaches to wintertime fun. The episode balances hard-hitting topics with features on community resilience and ingenuity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Surging Food Insecurity and Community Response

Timestamps: 00:19 – 07:45

• The Food Bank of Alaska reports exceptional demand heading into the holiday season, driven by inflation, disaster response, and changes in federal food support programs.
  • “Coming out of the pandemic, you know, we saw a lot of inflation and so just the rising costs really drove additional people to food pantries just to help make ends meet.” – Kara Durr, CEO, Food Bank of Alaska (05:06)
• Thanksgiving Blessing distributed full turkey dinners to thousands across Anchorage and the Mat-Su—lines were out the door.
• Loss and delay of SNAP benefits led to a 15% increase in people seeking help; some food pantries saw 65% month-to-month increases.
• Federal cuts and future threats to SNAP raise anxieties about ongoing hunger.
  • “Anytime the program is cut, even by a small amount or there are delays, we see it firsthand at our food pantries, more people coming looking for those resources there.” – Kara Durr (06:05)
• Despite federal support dropping, community food drives surged, leading to a “good problem” of running out of collection barrels.
  • “We actually ran out of our food drive barrels because so many people were doing food drives, which is a good problem to have.” – Kara Durr (06:47)

Memorable:

• “To walk into [the store] and buy this dinner, it probably cost you 300 bucks...I don't have 300 bucks.” – Thanksgiving recipient (07:21)

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2. Alaska Gas Line Project: Workforce & Feasibility

Timestamps: 07:45 – 11:08

• The Alaska LNG project may require 7,000 workers for peak construction of its 800-mile pipeline.
  • “It's divided into four different construction spreads...that's how we can move...on a simultaneous basis to expedite the schedule.” – Rex Cannon, President, Eight Star Alaska LLC (08:53)
• Planning is ongoing, with major demand for engineers, pipefitters/welders, ironworkers, electricians, and logistics workers.
• State workforce leaders are excited about opportunities, but skeptical about filling all positions given Alaska’s shrinking labor pool.
  • “There’s a lot of shortfalls we already have in workforce in Alaska. That's been a big challenge.” – Patrick Rose, State Workforce Board Member (10:19)
• Glenfarn Group to decide on project go/no-go by January 1; recent strategic alliance with Baker Hughes announced.

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3. Infant Mortality Rate Rise

Timestamps: 11:20 – 12:40

• Alaska’s post-neonatal infant mortality rates have increased significantly since 2017, now exceeding the US average.
  • Over 500 infant deaths in the past decade, mostly sudden and unexplained.
• State health experts advise, “Sleep the baby alone, on their back, in a crib with a firm mattress. No stuffed animals or fluffy comforters.” – Jennifer Heller, Nurse and Family Health Consultant (12:23)

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4. Fairbanks Air Quality: Lifting of Federal Funding Freeze

Timestamps: 12:40 – 14:10

• Federal authorities have lifted a ‘conformity freeze’ penalizing Fairbanks for air quality issues—unfreezing ~$150 million in transportation projects.
  • “Effectively, those projects got paused and now with this being lifted, we can resume work on those to get them back on track to construction in the coming years.” – Jackson Fox, Fairbanks Surface Transportation Executive Director (13:59)
• First likely project: $30M Steese Highway reconstruction.

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5. Crisis Averted for Bristol Bay Red King Crab

Timestamps: 14:10 – 17:06

• Boiler breakdown at the only North Region processing plant nearly left 135,000 pounds of king crab to spoil.
• City of Unalaska intervened, processing the catch and sending $95K in taxes back to original recipient, St. Paul.
  • “We needed to get some agreement in place within like 12 hours. So we had two or three meetings in those short periods of time.” – Mayor Vince Tuticoff Sr., Unalaska (15:46)
• Ongoing collaboration needed as plant closures persist.

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6. Nome’s Youth Vaping Issue

Timestamps: 17:06 – 19:49

• Vaping among students, especially with marijuana-based cartridges, is a challenging and persistent problem.
  • “It really rose kind of during COVID and it still is a continuing issue. We really try to balance education with punitive measures.” – Jamie Burgess, Nome Schools Superintendent (17:25)
• Proposals for bans (including blocking online sales) have been considered but face skepticism about effectiveness.
  • “They get it from their friends or...they steal it from their parents or their brother or sister.” – Tracy Gregg, Nome Regional Hospital (18:43)
• Early prevention and education highlighted as most promising; some students placed in youth vaping education programs.
• Limited data, but local perception suggests rates remain high.

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7. Indoor Winter Fun: Creativity, Connection, and Coping

Timestamps: 19:49 – 25:03

• Feature from the Alaska Survival Kit series on making winter social life enjoyable.
• Host Hannah Flor explores themes and tips for intentional, quirky gatherings:
  1. Super-niche, silly parties: e.g., Pride & Prejudice and Potatoes Potluck.
     • “If I can just get a bunch of my friends to come over and participate in this really silly specific party...I find a lot of joy and value in that.” – Megan Pacer, party host (20:55)
     • “Like, the silliness is the point.” – Hannah Flor (21:15)
  2. Add fun to chores: Turn group exercise, mending, food prep, or even errands into social events.
     • “If you just exercise with your neighbors, it's so great because you're accountable to people.” – Tara Lloyd, neighbor (22:21)
  3. Introduce competition: Friendly rivalry brings energy to gatherings, even if the prize is just bragging rights.
     • “I made an ube cake...there's supposedly an award for best dessert tonight, so wish me luck.” – Zakiya McCummings, participant (23:41)
• Main message: intentional, even absurd, creativity helps Alaskans beat winter isolation.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I tell people your vape is not your grandma's cigarette is all I can say.” – Jamie Burgess on modern youth vaping (17:51)
• “There's a lot of shortfalls we already have in workforce in Alaska. That's been a big challenge.” – Patrick Rose on Alaska’s labor force (10:19)
• “We actually ran out of our food drive barrels because so many people were doing food drives, which is a good problem to have.” – Kara Durr (06:47)
• “If you just exercise with your neighbors, it's so great because you're accountable to people.” – Tara Lloyd (22:21)
• “Like the silliness is the point.” – Hannah Flor (21:15)

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Section Timestamps

• Food Insecurity & Food Bank: 00:19 – 07:45
• Alaska Gas Line Project: 07:45 – 11:08
• Infant Mortality Rates: 11:20 – 12:40
• Fairbanks Air Quality Freeze Lifted: 12:40 – 14:10
• Bristol Bay Red King Crab Solution: 14:10 – 17:06
• Youth Vaping in Nome: 17:06 – 19:49
• Winter Fun & Alaska Survival Kit: 19:49 – 25:03

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Tone & Takeaways

The episode moves briskly from sober statewide challenges—hunger, health, industry instability—to stories of adaptability and humor, capturing both the resilience and inventive spirit that define Alaskan communities.

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For more stories and the Alaska Survival Kit series, visit alaskapublic.org.

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.

[Kara Durr]

As we got closer to November and the loss of the SNAP benefits, we saw some big increases.

[Casey Grove]

The Food bank says need is exceptionally high right now as they head into the holiday season. From Alaska Public Media, this is statewide news on Alaska News nightly for Wednesday, November 26th. Good evening. I'm Casey Grove. Also tonight, officials consider how many people would be needed to build a gas line and where to find them.

[Patrick Rose]

There's a lot of shortfalls we already have in workforce in Alaska. That's been a big challenge.

[Casey Grove]

Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly. Senator Lisa Murkowski is sticking up for six Democratic members of Congress whom President Trump has called traitors for a video they made aimed at military members. In the video, the Democrats face the camera and tell service members they can or should refuse orders that are illegal. The Pentagon now says it's investigating one of the six, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a retired military officer. Most Republicans in Congress are standing by the president or staying quiet after Trump accused the six of seditious behavior punishable by death. Murkowski posted on social media yesterday that Kelly served the country as a Navy aviator and later as a NASA astronaut. She called the investigation frivolous and said it's flat out wrong to accuse Kelly and the other five Congress members of treason. Murkowski said they rightfully pointed out that service members can refuse illegal orders. House members who filmed the video say they've been told the FBI is investigating them. Trump said Friday he was not threatening the six Democrats with death, but said they're in serious trouble. Governor Mike Dunleavy has appointed two Republican state representatives, George Rauscher and Kathy Tilton, to two vacancies in the Alaska Senate. Each nomination will become effective if at least five of the state Senate's nine other Republicans approve them. Senate President Gary Stevens, a Republican from Kodiak, said the votes will take place by secret ballot at 10am Saturday in Anchorage. Stevens said he thought both Rauscher, who represents Sutton, and Tilton, who represents Wasilla, were excellent candidates and that he expected both to be confirmed. If Rauscher and Tilton are confirmed, their House seats would become vacant and Dunleavy would be required to appoint replacements within 30 days of their resignations. The two Senate seats became vacant after Wasilla, Republican Senator Mike Schauer resigned to run for lieutenant governor and Palmer Republican Senator Shelley Hughes resigned to run for governor Dunleavy's picks were due no more than 30 days after their resignations, but he acted earlier, which will allow the replacement legislators to take office before the regular legislative session convenes in January. Several senators said they expect Rauscher and Tilton to be confirmed, but each declined to say how he or she will vote, citing the need to work with them regardless. This week the Food bank of Alaska held its annual Thanksgiving Blessing, where thousands of people in Anchorage and the Matanuska Susitna Borough received a free turkey dinner complete with side dishes. Food bank staff say they're seeing a spike in need this season driven by a number of state and federal issues. Alaska Public Media's Wesley early has more.

[Wesley Early]

Lines were out the door and around the corner at Anchorage's Mountain View Community center on Monday as hundreds of people gathered to pick up a free Thanksgiving.

[Paula Green]

Dinner from the turkey, the pan, the butter, the bread, all the way down to the sides.

[Wesley Early]

Site manager Paula Green says the demand is high and the energy is electric.

[Paula Green]

We've had people waiting outside for probably about an hour, maybe hour and a half or two before the doors open. So there is a need and people, the workers volunteers excited to be here to help the community.

[Wesley Early]

Thanksgiving Blessing events are sponsored by the Food bank of Alaska. Greene says her site has capacity to serve about 2,000 residents and there are two ways for people to get their dinners together.

[Paula Green]

We have people that are doing what's called our personal shopping, so they have an option to choose whether they want the green beans or if they want the corn. Or maybe they just want one can, maybe they won't want the turkey. So they get an option to choose what actually goes home with them. We have another model that's a pre made box.

[Wesley Early]

Though Thanksgiving Blessing happens every year, Food bank officials say this holiday season has been a particularly fraught time for people struggling to stay fed. Food bank of Alaska CEO Kara Durr says food banks nationwide have seen an increase in demand since the pandemic and the trend continues today.

[Kara Durr]

Coming out of the pandemic, you know we saw a lot of inflation and so just the rising costs really drove additional people to food pantries just to help make ends meet. And that's really it's really just remained elevated this year.

[Wesley Early]

Durr says several things have increased that demand by about 15% in Alaska. The first was typhoon halong, which led to the food bank directing a lot of assistance to evacuees. And then the federal government shutdown sent a lot of federal workers to food pantries.

[Kara Durr]

And then as we got closer to November and the loss of the SNAP benefits. We saw some big increases. So, you know, I think 65% of our partners have seen an increase month to month and all the rest have seen just it steady. But I think that's notable in a time where we're usually seeing less demand because of the permanent fund dividend.

[Wesley Early]

Dirr says food banks provide about one meal for every nine provided by snap, and the delay in receiving those benefits was noticeable.

[Kara Durr]

Anytime the program is cut, even by a small amount or there are delays, we see it firsthand at our food pantries, more people coming looking for those resources there.

[Wesley Early]

And while those benefits have been restored, Durr says food bank personnel are anticipating a rise in need coming into the new year.

[Kara Durr]

We had the HR1, the big beautiful bill pass this summer and that had a lot of harmful cuts to SNAP in it. So, you know, that's always concerning from a food bank's perspective. Anytime you think people are going to be cut off of food assistance.

[Wesley Early]

As federal support has dropped for food programs, Durr says she's seen a sharp rise in donations from community members as well as a $2 million grant from the state.

[Kara Durr]

This year for the first time, we actually ran out of our food drive barrels because so many people were doing food drives, which is a good problem to have. And you know, we were able to order more. But that's been really heartening to see the community just respond to these disasters with such care.

[Rex Cannon]

You're okay? Yeah.

[Paula Green]

Let go.

[Kara Durr]

Yeah, let go.

[Hannah Flor]

Okay.

[Jamie Burgess]

All right.

[Wesley Early]

Back at the Thanksgiving blessing in Mountain View, Melanie Conroe was in line to receive a pre made box with a turkey and all the fixings. She says she's grateful for the chance to get the full dinner for free.

[Paula Green]

Well, it's awesome because then because turkeys and everything is so expensive these days. I mean, to walk into cars and buy this dinner. It probably cost you 300 bucks and.

[Hannah Flor]

I don't have 300 bucks.

[Wesley Early]

Conroe says she works early on Thanksgiving, starting her shift at 4:15am but she and her guests. We'll have this meal to look forward to afterward, thanks to the food bank reporting in Anchorage. I'm Wesley Early.

[Casey Grove]

The company spearheading the proposed Alaska gas line project estimates it needs about 7,000 workers at peak construction of the 800 mile pipeline. Glenfarn Group, the project's majority owner, hasn't committed to developing the project yet. But ahead of that decision, officials are ballparking what the workforce needs might be. KDLL's Ashlyn O' Hara reports developers were.

[Rex Cannon]

Presenting to The Alaska Workforce Investment Board. That's the state group that reviews plans and provides recommendations to the state to prepare Alaskans for the workforce. Multiple board members say 7,000 workers is a tall order. If it's built, the Alaska LNG project would treat natural gas on the North Slope, move it through a roughly 800 mile pipeline to South Central, and then liquefy and export it from Nikiskie. Glenfarn is prioritizing the construction phase that's specifically to build a pipeline for in state natural gas use. Rex Cannon is the president of Eight Star Alaska llc. That's the entity managing the project under Glenfarn and the state Gas Line Development Corporation. He says the company envisions multiple work camps along the project footprint as the pipeline is being constructed.

[Patrick Rose]

It's divided into four different construction spreads, which would mean essentially four different sets of equipment and four different large crews. And by dividing it up that way, that's how we can move. We essentially build each spread on a simultaneous basis to expedite the schedule.

[Rex Cannon]

Cannon says Glenn Farn is also doing what it can to prioritize in state labor. He says they've got an internal directory of more than 200 Alaska businesses that could provide goods or services on the project. The company has also met with relevant labor unions to talk about work contracts. And when it comes to workers, the needs are in industries. You might expect 1900 engineers, 1600 pipe fitters and welders, 450 iron workers, 400 electricians and 3500 logistics professionals.

[Patrick Rose]

There will be a project labor agreement on the pipeline, and that would be an agreement with the four main crafts that are relevant for building pipelines. So it would be the pipe fitters and the welders, the laborers, the operators and the teamsters.

[Rex Cannon]

The members of the state workforce board were generally supportive of what the project could mean for Alaska. But several said the state is already strapped for workers. State economists say the pool of working age adults is shrinking, with seniors and teenagers making up a greater share. Here's board member Patrick Rose.

[Patrick Rose]

I think everybody sees a lot of opportunity and I think a lot of people are excited about a project of this magnitude. There's a lot of shortfalls we already have in workforce in Alaska. That's been a big challenge.

[Rex Cannon]

Glenfarn still hasn't actually decided to develop the project yet. Cannon says the company plans to make that go or no go decision by the first of next year. Since Glenfarn assumed majority ownership of the project from the state earlier this year, the project has picked up a handful of non binding pledges to buy gas from the project if it's built. Most recently, the company announced a strategic alliance with energy technology company Baker Hughes. Glenbarn wants that company to supply compressors and power generation for project infrastructure on the North Slope. Reporting in Soldotna, I'm Ashlyn o'. Hara.

[Casey Grove]

Still to come on Alaska News Nightly, put the puffy coat away. You don't need a pair of skis or ice skates to enjoy Alaska's winter.

[Kara Durr]

I feel like I can get stuck in like, forgetting how to have fun and just the grind of being an adult.

[Casey Grove]

That's ahead. Stay with us. Alaska's rates of post neonatal infant mortality have increased significantly since 2017, according to a report the state released this month. Those are deaths of infants who are more than a month old. The report says more than 500 infants have died in Alaska in the last decade. Jennifer Heller is a certified nurse, midwife and consultant for the state's Family Health Department. She says any death is tragic, but there are ways families can protect their babies.

[Paula Green]

We're always looking for how can we prevent or reduce these deaths from happening? What can we do and families do to help this not happen because this.

[Rex Cannon]

Is such a tragedy?

[Casey Grove]

Most infant deaths in the state are sudden and unrelated to medical conditions, and the state doesn't know exactly why the rate is increasing. After a steady decline that ended in 2012, Alaska's infant death rate is now higher than the national average. Heller says making sure the baby sleeps by themselves in a crib is important and never on a couch or recliner.

[Paula Green]

Alone on their back. That's very important. In a crib. The mattress needs to be firm. It's tempting to put like stuffed animals or a fluffy comforter. None of that is safe to be in the sleep environment with a baby, she says.

[Casey Grove]

Cribs are the best place for a baby to sleep without pillow. The federal government is lifting a funding penalty connected to the Fairbanks area's failure to meet federal air quality standards. That's according to Fairbanks Area Surface Transportation Planning Executive Director Jackson Fox. On Tuesday, he received a letter from federal Officials with the U.S. department of Transportation ending the so called conformity freeze. Fox says when he saw the letter, he felt really excited, but then I.

[Patrick Rose]

Also felt exhausted because it's just been such a long strung out process and we've lost so much flexibility over the past couple years.

[Casey Grove]

Since early 2024, the freeze has limited how local and state planners could direct federal funds for certain transportation projects in the area. The penalty came after the environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration partially disapproved of a state plan to improve Fairbanks air quality. After some back and forth this year, the EPA gave final approval to an amended version of that plan in late October. Fox singled out four major projects in the Fairbanks area that have been affected by the roughly two year freeze, which total about $150 million.

[Patrick Rose]

Effectively, those projects got paused and now with this being lifted, we can resume work on those to get them back on track to construction in the coming years.

[Casey Grove]

Fox says the projects aren't all ready to go to construction next summer. He says a $30 million project to reconstruct part of the old Steese highway is the closest to being shovel ready. To rework the timeline for the projects, Fast Planning will need to amend its local funding plan in coordination with the Alaska Department of Transportation. Fox says he hopes to get that process underway this winter. A portion of the lucrative Bristol Bay red king crab harvest nearly went to waste this season. A catcher processor that was set to take the crab was forced to shut down, leaving a good chunk of the catch to spoil in fishermen's tanks. But as KUCB's Maggie Nelson reports, the city of Unalaska stepped in to take those crab deliveries and is now making sure St. Paul, the original recipient of that crab, gets its cut of seafood taxes.

[Frank Kelty]

Unalaska's natural resource analyst Frank Kelty told City Council members Tuesday night that in early November, about 135,000 pounds of Red King crab was nearly left to spoil.

[Patrick Rose]

This was a really rushed deal. People were concerned that that northern crab was going to face some dead loss issues if it didn't get taken care of.

[Frank Kelty]

A portion of the Bristol Bay red king crab harvest must be delivered to a North Region processor, but the only facility for that region was forced to shut down after its boiler broke down. With crab in their tanks, a group of fishermen had nowhere to land their catch, and at a dock price starting at around $12 per pound, that would have been a hit of at least $1.6 million just to those fishermen. That's when the city of Unalaska stepped in. Mayor Vince Tuticoff Sr. Says they had to act fast.

[Patrick Rose]

We needed to get some agreement in place within like 12 hours. So we had two or three meetings in those short periods of time.

[Frank Kelty]

The city sent the agreement to the national oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who approved the deal and that million dollar catch was saved. This wasn't the first time Unalaska has made an agreement like this. Earlier this year, the island processed St. Paul's northern snow crab shares after the only processor in the region, Trident Seafoods, closed for the season. Under the agreement, Unalaska gave St. Paul certain taxes that it would normally receive for those landings. Now the city has approved a similar contract for the red crab it processed this month. Kelty says Unalaska will withhold taxes on the catch and remit those to St. Paul.

[Patrick Rose]

Basically, it'd be about $95,000 in fish tax revenue going to St. Paul for this 135,000 pounds of crab.

[Frank Kelty]

St. Paul's City Council has already approved the agreement. It will go before the Pribilof Islands mayor for a signature for finalization. Trident Seafoods announced recently that it won't be opening its St. Paul processing plant again this snow crab season. Kelty says officials will need to finalize and sign a separate agreement for unalaska to process St. Paul's shares of that fishery. Reporting for KUCB, I'm Maggie Nelson, Noem's.

[Casey Grove]

Top education official, recently told city leaders that vaping in schools continues to be a problem. K&M's Wally Rana reports that it prompted renewed discussion of ways to counter it, including potential bans.

[Jamie Burgess]

Nome Public School Superintendent Jamie Burgess says that the use of electronic cigarettes or vaping among the student body is a key challenge.

[Rex Cannon]

It really rose kind of during COVID and it still is a continuing issue. We really try to balance education with punitive measures. You know, we don't want to suspend students out of school as much as possible, but it is a challenge.

[Jamie Burgess]

She was speaking to the City council at its Nov. 10 meeting. Burgess said vaping no longer involves only nicotine. Marijuana based cartridges are becoming more common.

[Rex Cannon]

I tell people your vape is not your grandma's cigarette is all I can say. So a lot of work to be.

[Patrick Rose]

Done in that area.

[Jamie Burgess]

Councilman Mark Johnson didn't attend but sent in comments. He has suggested a citywide ban on the sale of vapes in the past, but he said it wasn't supported by the former mayor or City Council. Johnson also suggested the city could consider ordinances that block online vape sales to Nome. The discussion didn't lead to any concrete communications or action. City Manager Lee Smith said he needs to do more research.

[Patrick Rose]

Something has come up with the vape thing before, so we'll talk to the attorneys about that because you see that everywhere now, particularly the buying online.

[Jamie Burgess]

Over at Nomes Regional Hospital, Tracy Gregg manages the Chronic Care Active Management and Prevention program. Greg says she is skeptical about if a ban on online vape purchases would be effective.

[Frank Kelty]

They get it from their friends or.

[Patrick Rose]

Their family members or their, you know.

[Tara Lloyd]

They steal it from their parents or.

[Rex Cannon]

Their brother or sister.

[Kara Durr]

Yeah. So I don't know if that's really going to, to have the impact that.

[Paula Green]

Maybe we hope it would.

[Jamie Burgess]

She says prevention early on is key, including education that helps students manage stress and understand nicotine dependence. Greg says some students caught vaping get referred to the camp department for a youth vaping education program as an alternative to suspension. Students are offered information on nicotine dependence and healthier coping mechanisms. Statewide Department of Health youth survey data shows vapuse was trending down among Alaska high schoolers in the latest snapshots from 2019 to 2023. Nome specific survey data is very limited, but in 2015, the survey found one in four Nome high schoolers had vaped in the last 30 days, significantly more than the statewide rate. Greg says locally it feels like e cigarette use is still high and Nome I'm Wally Rana.

[Casey Grove]

Some of the best wintertime fun in Alaska actually happens indoors. That's according to Alaska Public Media's Hannah Flor. And it turns out you don't have to stick to potlucks, book clubs and craft nights. For our new series Alaska Survival Kit, Hannah gets some lessons on moving beyond the basics.

[Hannah Flor]

The first thing I learned is that pretty much anything can inspire a party, even a few seconds from a decades old movie.

[Paula Green]

Excellent boiled potatoes.

[Hannah Flor]

I'm at what the invite called a Pride and Prejudice and potatoes potluck. It is what it sounds like. Jane Austen and potato based dishes. How did I end up here? Well, when wintertime comes to Alaska, I get excited about indoor fun. I'm always brainstorming themed parties and goofy get togethers. But I wondered what could I learn about gathering from other Alaskans? So I asked them. Now I've got a lot of ideas and three big takeaways. I've already told you the first one. Don't be afraid to go. Super niche for potato host Megan Pacer. That is part of the delight.

[Kara Durr]

I feel like I can get stuck in like forgetting how to have fun and just the grind of being an adult. And so if I can just get a bunch of my friends to come over and participate in this really silly specific party.

[Rex Cannon]

I don't know.

[Kara Durr]

I find a lot of joy and value in that.

[Hannah Flor]

Like the silliness is the point.

[Kara Durr]

Oh yeah. Oh, very much the point.

[Hannah Flor]

Really. The sky's the limit on this one. Show off a bathroom remodel with a cocktail hour. Turn old Halloween costumes into a party. Or what about A get together to celebrate your pet hamster's half birthday. Yes, it's absurd, but remember, that's the point. The next lesson is my favorite. Add fun to your chores. That's what my neighbor Tara Lloyd does. She works out with friends from the block. Would you exercise if you weren't going with this group?

[Frank Kelty]

No.

[Hannah Flor]

Historically, she has not been big into exercise. She was always coming up with excuses not to go. Very effective excuses, she says.

[Tara Lloyd]

And then you look back and you're like, oh, wow, am I a person taking care of my, like, mental and physical health? Not really.

[Hannah Flor]

That is so relatable to me. I am also a person who is not super into exercise, especially in the wintertime. So Lloyd's new approach is, well, honestly, it's a little horrifying. She gets up at 5:30 in the morning to go to a high energy workout class.

[Tara Lloyd]

Now when I talk about it, I sound like an evangelist. I'm like, oh my God. If you just exercise with your neighbors, it's so great because you're accountable to people. And if you don't get up and scrape your car off and warm it up and pick them up, that is really rude.

[Hannah Flor]

But is it fun when you're doing it?

[Tara Lloyd]

Oh, totally, yes. And I feel so much better.

[Hannah Flor]

She says, yeah, it's hard to get up that early. But when she's there, she's swallowed by the pumping music and the camaraderie. Everyone's fist bumping and congratulating each other for showing up feels like a party. She says it's like she's cracked a secret code, making a thing that she doesn't want to do into something she really does enjoy. I'm still unconvinced by group exercise, but there are so many ways to do this one. So you have a pile of holy sweaters mocking you from a basket in the corner. Why not invite people over for a mending night? Or turn food prep for the week into a friendly Sunday afternoon assembly line? Or my favorite, when you have to go grocery shopping with your kids, bring their friends along. Too inefficient? Yes, but at a pal and it's a carnival all the way to the checkout. Back at the Pride and Prejudice potluck, guests are filling up on potatoes, but nobody's cut into Zakiya McCummings cake yet. That's right, potato cake. McCummings says it's the first time she's put in some real effort.

[Paula Green]

So the first year I think I just made mashed potatoes. The second year I think I just brought like a bag of chips and this year I went all out and I made an ube cake.

[Hannah Flor]

Ube is a kind of purple yam from the Philippines. McCombing says she went all out this year because for the first time, the potluck was also a competition. But she couldn't find recipes online, so she had to wing it. Experimenting with UBE jam and UBE extract and UBE frosting, creating a vibrant lavender layer cake. How much time did you put into this project?

[Paula Green]

I. So I probably worked on it for two hours a day, three days in a row.

[Hannah Flor]

By the end, were you like ube?

[Paula Green]

No, I actually, by the end I was having a great time and I was just glad it was done. There's supposedly an award for best dessert tonight, so wish me luck.

[Hannah Flor]

So there you have it. That right there is our final takeaway. Add some competition, it can inspire more effort, energize a party with a little smack talking. And it doesn't matter what people win, bragging rights or a gold star. That's enough. The Cummings didn't end up winning the award for best dessert. That's because it was wasn't a category. Instead, she won for most creative use of potato. In Anchorage, I'm Hannah Fluor.

[Casey Grove]

This story is part of an ongoing series from Alaska Public Media called Alaska Survival Kit, where we help you make the most of living in the 49th state. And finally tonight, a correction to a story Monday about the southeast Alaska commercial red king crab fishery. The fisheries value is roughly quadruple and its price per pound is more than double, not quadruple, the previous fishery that opened in 2017. And that is all for this edition of Alaska News Nightly. If you missed any of tonight's stories, we're [e-mail] and wherever you get your podcasts. We had reports tonight from Liz Ruskin and Washington D.C. wesley Early, Rachel Cassandra and Hannah Flor in Anchorage, Ashlyn o' Hara in Soldotna, Patrick Gilchrist in Fairbanks, Maggie Nelson in Unalaska, and Wally Rana in Nome. If you want to send us a news tip, question or comment, email [e-mail] Our audio engineer is Crystal Hyde. Madeline Rose is our producer. I'm Casey Grove. We'll be back on Friday. Have a happy Thanksgiving. This is statewide news on Alaska Public Media.