Anne Hillman, Alaska Public Media

Let’s say you want to start a business or buy a house. You’ll probably need a loan from a bank. That means you need a good credit history or collateral – something to prove that you’ll pay it back. But if that’s not an option… then what?

Rivers and streams across the state are closed to king salmon fishing and sockeye returns are shockingly low in parts of Southeast Alaska. Meanwhile, commercial fishermen in parts of Bristol Bay are netting millions of sockeye. What’s happening to salmon stocks around the state? Hear from salmon scientists about what’s affecting this year’s runs on the next Talk of Alaska. LISTEN HERE

This week we're hearing from Lewis Pagel in Kotzebue. Pagel is a chiropractor who also serves on the local city council. Listen now

Conoco buys BP's stake in Alaska No. 2 oilfield; Two new wildfires are  fought in Yukon Flats; Alaska CDQ group wants Congress to count heads; Missing backpackers found dead; Stand for Salmon join Bethel group in protesting Donlin Mine; State officials tour  Yukon River communities, talking salmon; Head of Iditarod drug testing resigns; Wildlife get 3,000 more acres creating corridor on Afognak Island; Coast Guard moves north for 'Arctic Shield' 2018; North Pole moves ahead with water project; Mount Marathon racers: David Norris Listen now

Many crimes are fueled by drug and alcohol addictions. So what can prevent some criminal activity? Helping people receive treatment. During Community in Unity: Recovery Behind Bars, inmates, staff, and other community members gathered inside Goose Creek Correctional Center near Wasilla to share stories about treatment, crime, and recovery.

On the next Talk of Alaska we're stepping outside of the studio and into Goose Creek Correctional Center. During the special, pre-recorded episode inmates at the prison speak with community members about substance use treatment. It's a chance to hear from people who can't call in but have something to say.

The path to recovery from drug or alcohol addiction can be long, arduous, and isolating. Now people in the Mat-Su Valley have a new place to start the journey -- and guides to help them along the way.

Alcohol abuse is an issue throughout the country, even in areas where it's illegal. Banning alcohol doesn't always solve the problem, so should communities try swinging the other way and make it more available? Could opening a liquor store help a community, not harm it? The village of Kiana is finding out – and reviews are mixed.

At Goose Creek Correctional Center near Wasilla, inmates can learn the basic concepts of welding using simulators, but until recently they haven't been allowed access to real welding machines. Listen now

A special audit finds that the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority violated multiple state statues by investing in commercial real estate and by "intentionally trying to avoid discussing board business in a public manner."

Emergency shelters are supposed to be supportive safe havens. But in Fairbanks, it was a little too supportive. So staff developed a new plan for pushing people out the door by helping them stand on their own feet.

Alaska's foster care system has problems. Caseworkers don't stick around for long. It can take years for young people to find permanent homes or be reunited with their families. But new legislation could provide solutions that will help everyone involved with the system. LISTEN HERE

When rural Alaska makes the headlines, the focus is often on things like suicide rates, alcohol use, and trauma. But one project in southwest Alaska shifts attention to strengths instead. Qungasvik was developed by Yup'ik people, for Yup'ik people and is proving to be an effective way to help youth in parts of southwest Alaska thrive.

Some people stay at Fairbanks Correctional Center for a few days. Others are at the pre-trial facility for years. Most of the inmates are living their lives in limbo — awaiting their trials and their futures. During Community in Unity: Life in Limbo, inmates, correctional center staff, and other community members sit together for an open conversation about the justice system, day-to-day life at FCC, and what's happening on the outside to help people who are released.

Young people make all of the decisions to put together a multi-day conference in Kiana. Though some of the meetings for OPT In Kiana may not seem fun, they have lifelong effects on the young people and their abilities to face challenges.

Adoption involves more than connecting children and parents -- is about navigating new relationships between families. On the next Talk of Alaska we'll speak with birth moms and adoptive moms about their experiences with adoption, how its changed over time and misconceptions about the process. LISTEN HERE

Yup'ik dancing has helped people connect and heal for centuries. It can't prevent all tragedies, but this Hooper Bay group shows that it can help.

When thinking about suicide, sometimes just a few words of reassurance can make a huge difference. Here's one man's story.

This week we're hearing from Harold Goode in Kotzebue. Goode is a chef at Maniilaq long-term care facility. When he moved to the region a year ago he had to learn to cook in a very different way. Listen now

What makes a healthy community? What makes young people in an Alaska village thrive? Here's the formula that's working well for Noatak, in the Northwest Arctic.