Claire Stremple, KTOO - Juneau
Hot dam: Beavers have gnawed their way into the Arctic, speeding permafrost thaw
Beavers are moving to the Arctic as the Alaskan tundra heats up and the beaver population rebounds after centuries of trapping. A study published in December shows the small, industrious mammal is accelerating climate change in the north.
Alaska is changing how it tracks the pandemic. Here’s what you need to know.
Omicron is now the dominant COVID variant in Alaska — and it is transforming the way the health department looks at the pandemic.
Southeast Alaska’s ever-deepening snow ‘a real problem and a real hassle’
Winter weather is in full effect across Alaska, but unusually high snow accumulation is testing Southeast. Usually some snow melts between storms, but that’s not happening this winter.
Retreating glaciers will open up salmon streams in Alaska, study says
A new study shows retreating glaciers are likely to open up thousands of miles of salmon spawning habitat by the year 2100. While that may sound like the distant future, it’s the blink of an eye in geologic time.
Omicron is likely already spreading in Alaska, state says
Alaska has only identified one case of the omicron variant in the state so far, but state epidemiologist Louisa Castrodale says it’s likely here and spreading.
Juneau drops its mask requirement for vaccinated residents
A decrease in COVID-19 cases and increased hospital capacity prompted the city's Emergency Operations Center to end the mask requirement.
A year after Haines’ deadly landslide, signs of recovery but still work to do
It's been one year since a huge landslide tore through Beach Road in Haines, destroying houses and killing two people, whose bodies were never found.
State proposes an official end to TB screening in schools
The state health department says the school screening program hasn’t turned up a single case in years. But critics of the proposal question the plan because Alaska regularly tops the list of states with the most cases of the disease.
Alaska’s top doctor shares tips for avoiding COVID spread at holiday gatherings
Dr. Zink recommends over-the-counter COVID-19 tests if someone in your holiday gathering is immunocompromised or if there will be a large group of people in attendance.
Alaska’s COVID-19 rates dropped but remain some of the highest in the country
New COVID-19 cases in Alaska have dropped by more than a third in the last couple of weeks, but Alaskans are still getting infected and dying from the virus at rates that lead the nation. And state health officials caution that the declining trend might not be the case in future weeks.
Climate change is making Glacier Bay unstable. Scientists are mapping the risks to visitors
Landslides and tsunamis aren’t historically common in Glacier Bay, but because more than half a million visitors tour the park each year park managers want to get a clearer picture of the risks of tsunamis and landslides, which have become more common recently due to a changing climate.
Eating disorders are on the rise in Alaska, but local resources are scarce
The number of Americans with eating disorders has skyrocketed during the pandemic. Alaska does not have enough resources to help them.
Alaska scrambles to spend nearly $100M in federal child care relief as centers close
The state received about $95 million from the federal government this spring to address the child care crunch. So far, the state has written a grant program to distribute only $5 million of that statewide.
Alaska has a teacher retention problem. The state is ready to pay someone to help solve it.
The state’s education department calls the lack of teachers in Alaska an emergency issue and says the pandemic is only making things worse. It’s willing to pay up to $300,000 to figure out how to attract — and keep — more teachers in the state.
COVID-19 crisis at Alaska’s city hospitals has big rural impacts
When patients wait in the emergency room until an inpatient bed opens up it is called “boarding,” and state officials say it’s happening more often as the health system sags under the weight of COVID-19 cases.
Masking and capacity restrictions slowed the Delta variant in Juneau, expert says
In late July, Juneau brought its mask mandate back, and in early August it limited capacity at bars and restaurants among other restrictions. King says what happened next looks like a data confirmation that those mitigation mandates work.
400 health care workers on their way to help fight Alaska’s COVID-19 surge
Gov. Mike Dunleavy painted a stark picture of the state’s COVID-19 woes as a surge in cases of the Delta variant put hospitals in crisis mode.
COVID hospitalizations in Alaska are at an all-time high
Nearly a dozen more people were admitted to the state’s overwhelmed hospitals Tuesday, where 1 in 5 patients are sick with the virus.
Alaska blood bank says nationwide shortage highlights local need: ‘We’re pretty much on our own’
Blood Bank of Alaska says the blood shortage in the state was critical earlier this month. Since then, donations have been coming in, but the nonprofit says it’s still low on the life-saving fluid.
Alaskans wait for vital records as state health department gets back online after cyberattack
It’s been three months since a cyberattack crippled the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ online systems. And for Alaskans who need vital records — things like birth, death and marriage certificates — that has put things on hold.