Category: Hometown, Alaska
Dogs That Take Their Jobs Seriously
Service dogs make a difference in the lives of the disabled by providing companionship and assistance. They can play an important role as guide dogs for the blind, and there are many other types of dogs that medically assist their handlers with epilepsy, diabetes, autism, post-traumatic… Read More
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Just Try Spelling That!
How’s your spelling? Is texting and IMing and email leading to LOL, OMG, and 10Q creeping into your written communication? Do you think it still matters if we can spell well? Untangle that when Hometown Alaska hosts three spelling bee wizards — the state’s 2012 champ, a Yupik spelling bee champ, and a BizBee champ. What’s their secret, and how can you steal it?
KSKA: Wednesday 5/9 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Summer Visitors and the Economy
For the visitor industry, Anchorage is a product we are all selling. While the national economy was in a slump, those sales weren’t going so well. Now, as the first of the season arrive, the numbers are looking up. This week, our topic is tourism:… Read More
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‘And then what happened?’
The Alaska Native Oratory Society just celebrated its 10th anniversary at UAA, featuring a full day of stories told by students and emceed by Alaska Native storyteller Jack Dalton. Join us for a round of stories including ‘The Dragger,’ ‘Never Look in Windows,’ and more.
KSKA: Wednesday, 4/25 at 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm
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MacKenzie: Is It The Little Port that Could?
Port MacKenzie has big ambitions: a rail extension to Interior Alaska, the MV Susitna Ferry sailing to Cook Inlet communities, and a bridge touching Anchorage. These make Port MacKenzie a potential hub for commercial activity. They also place it in the cross hairs of some hot public policy debates simmering in Southcentral – the Knik Arm crossing and Mat-Su coal deposit development. Join host Kathleen McCoy and port director Marc Van Dongen as they update the Port MacKenzie story.
Photo slideshow: Port MacKenzie over the years
KSKA: Wednesday, 4/18 at 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm
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Spring Break up
Given this winter’s record-smashing snowfall, break up looks to be a big one. Will your crawl space flood? What should we do about those dripping ice dams on the roof? We know the Yukon usually floods, but what about Chester and Campbell Creek? And potholes, now there’s a category of break up hell all its own. So let our experts help you survive this messy season. House and water table questions, answered here.
KSKA: Wednesday 4/11 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Alaska’s Only Private University
Alaska has only three private colleges listed by the college board, and only one offering a four-year liberal arts education. Others have failed, and many students assume they must leave the state for educational choices. APU President Don Bantz discusses the challenges and rewards of running a private college in Alaska, and the benefits for students. Join host Charles Wohlforth to talk about options for our brightest young people on Hometown, Alaska.
KSKA: Wednesday 4/4 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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“Yes” or “No” on Proposition 5: Anchorage Equal Rights Initiative
On Tuesday, April 3rd, Anchorage residents will vote “yes” or “no” on Proposition 5. Proposition 5, or the “Anchorage Equal Rights Initiative”, asks the question: “Shall the current Municipal Code sections providing legal protections against discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, age, physical disability, and mental disability be amended to include protections on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender identity?”
KSKA: Wednesday, 3/28 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm
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A Tongue Untied: Fred Newman, Sound Effects Guy For A Prairie Home Companion
Does your beat box lack pizazz? Is your scary alien impression missing a certain gravitas? Help is on the way! Join me, Peter Dunlap-Shohl for the next Hometown Alaska when I’ll attempt to interview Fred Newman, sound effects guy for A Prairie Home Companion.
KSKA: Wednesday, 3/21 at 2:00pm & 7:00pm
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Hometown, Alaska Postponed
Today’s Hometown, Alaska program on Port MacKenzie has been postponed until a later date to be determined due to hazardous road conditions.
In place of Hometown, we will be airing the program RISE: Climate Change and Coastal Communities this afternoon at 2pm, repeating at 7pm.
The Alaska Permanent Fund Model
As the deadline approaches to apply for your permanent fund dividend, scholars around the world are examining our unusual institution for a model they can use in the middle east, Russia, or anywhere resource wealth is found. This week on Hometown, Alaska host Charles Wohlforth and his guests talk about this amazing Alaskan invention, the permanent fund, and why it is attracting admirers you might not expect, for reasons we rarely consider.
KSKA: Wednesday 3/7 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Addressing Potential Impacts of Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) on Alaskan Communities
Proposed cuts of over $500 billion dollars in federal defense spending may trigger the federal Base Realignment and Closure Act, or BRAC. BRAC could negatively impact Alaska’s regional economies and military communities. On February 29th, a group of legislators, led by Representative Steve Thompson, introduced House Bill 316 to create ‘Military Facility Zones’. These zones could thwart BRAC by helping businesses and communities secure funds and projects to serve and support their installations.
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Andromeda Romano-Lax talks love, war and her new novel, “The Detour”
Alaska writer Andromeda Romano-Lax is once again disturbing the Universe with her buzz-generating second novel, The Detour. Join host Peter Dunlap-Shohl, on the next Hometown, Alaska for a conversation about writing, art, ethics, love and war with one of Alaska’s brightest literary lights.
KSKA: Wednesday, 2/22 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up? Unique Learning Opportunities For Alaskan Youth
Growing up as a young person in rural Alaska is both exciting and challenging. How do rural Alaskan youth decide what they want to be when they grow up and once they decide, what resources help them succeed? Join host Shelly Wade and her guests as they share how unique learning opportunities in Anchorage and rural Alaska have changed their lives on the next Hometown Alaska.
KSKA: Wednesday, 2/15 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Chancellor Tom Case
Charles Wohlforth hosts UAA Chancellor Tom Case to talk about the changing roles of Alaska’s largest university, and his vision of higher education in Anchorage. Join the conversation with your thoughts or questions about UAA.
KSKA: Wednesday, February 8 at 2:00 pm repeating at 7:00 pm
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The Creative Impulse Behind Object Runway
A dress made of old but shiny bicycle parts? That was the People’s Choice award from Object Runway’s third annual show before a packed crowd at the Bear Tooth Jan. 26, featuring some 65 garments designed by Alaskans, each telling its own story. Kathleen McCoy hosts show organizers and garment designers, on the next Hometown, Alaska.
KSKA: Wednesday, 2/1 at 2 pm, repeating at 7 pm
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Surviving Alaska Winter
Alaska Winter Hazards, from Cabin Fever to avalanches. Waking up in the morning with the conviction that mother nature wants you dead is never more plausible than in the midst of the cold, dark Alaska Winter. What it takes to survive on the next Hometown, Alaska. Participate in the live call-in Wednesday 2:00 – 3:00 pm.
KSKA: Wednesday 1/25 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
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Ski Jumping in Anchorage Takes Off
Ever wish you could fly through the air like a bird? Well, ski jumping may be the closest we humans ever get. And, amazingly, you can learn how right here in Anchorage, at the Nordic Ski Association’s ski-jumping program at Hilltop Ski Area. Some much-needed TLC this summer refreshed the jumps that Karl Eid opened in the 1980s. Now, the sport is growing again, ambitious to groom Alaskans in an Olympic sport with Nordic roots. The video, courtesy of Karen Compton of the NSAA’s Alaska Ski Jump Club of Anchorage, shows the current crop or young athletes taking the leap.
KSKA: Wednesday, 1/18 at 2 pm, repeating later that evening after the State of the State Address.
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Good News on Aviation Safety
A program created a decade ago to reduce the extraordinary death toll of Alaska plane crashes reached a milestone with a recent study that found pilot deaths down 57%. How did regulators, operators and scientists crack the safety puzzle? And what more can we do to reduce crashes of the small planes that are basic transportation over most of Alaska?
KSKA: Wednesday, 1/11 at 2:00pm
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