AK

Most of Juneau's power is hydroelectric. Getting that power to the community requires transmission lines that traverse through miles of avalanche country. That's why Alaska Electric Light and Power Company hires helicopter crews to trigger slides to prevent destructive avalanches from knocking out the power. Listen now

For more than 30 years, Dan Magone has run around Alaska bailing out vessels in distress. In the process, he’s developed a multimillion-dollar marine salvage business – and a reputation. Magone is a daredevil to some, and a savior to others. But now, he’s the one being saved. Facing rising debt, Magone is selling his shop in Unalaska to a larger company. It’s enough to keep the lights on, but it’s going to be a big adjustment for the man at the center of Alaska’s salvage industry. Download Audio

Bethel sits on a river, but many people here don’t know how to swim. People drown in the Kuskokwim every year, and for decades people thought the solution was to build a pool and teach people to swim. Well, two years ago the city got a pool. But how do you build a swim culture where one has never existed? That’s a question Bethel’s first swim team is trying to answer. Listen Now

At 1.6 million acres, the Wood Tikchik State Park is the largest of its kind in the United States. With no road or trails, the park remains a quiet preserve for the fish and wildlife it was created to protect. Download Audio

To put it simply, Anny “Fyno” Newport is an artist. She’s known throughout Wrangell and Southeast for her collections, crafts and oddities.

Its prime time for gardens in Alaska and there are plenty of plants and veggies that thrive this far north. Basil, though, is not one of them - it needs more heat and sun - two things that are especially hard to find in the Southeast rainforest of Juneau. But two local guys have figured out a unique way to bring basil to the masses. Download Audio:

There are thousands of miles of fiberoptic cables snaking along the ocean floor. They bring telephone service, television, and the Internet to much of world. When an earthquake struck off the coast of Southeast Alaska in January, the cables that provide Internet to Wrangell were damaged. And a cable repair ship, called the Wave Venture, was called in to help. KSTK’s Shady Grove Oliver went onboard the unique ship to get a closer look at cable repair.

And when you think of locations for Halloween fun, reindeer farms are probably pretty low on the list. But if you were to travel out to Palmer’s Reindeer farm this weekend, you’d find yourself in for a spooky surprise.

The Upper Susitna Food Pantry, with locations in Talkeetna and Trapper Creek, provides food assistance to hundreds of Susitna Valley residents. While many volunteers work together to help in that process, there is one person without whom the pantry could not function as it does. Listen now

They say birds of a feather flock together. But try telling that to a small, brightly colored songbird that showed up in Bethel last month. The unusual bird is thousands of miles outside of his normal range. And he hasn't started flying south yet. That has many birders wondering why he sticking around and if he's going to try to survive the harsh Alaska winter.

Quartz Lake is shrinking -- the water level of the popular lake just north of Delta Junction is dropping. And while researchers try to find out why, archeologists are studying how humans have adapted to the lake’s periodic cycles of increasing and decreasing water levels since they moved into the area 14,000 years ago. Listen now

Hallow's Eve is almost here, and it’s safe to say that most of us have our costumes and candy ready. But what about something to watch? A scary movie can complete a haunted house or be the perfect past time between trick-or-treaters. We tap the expertise of a film junkie in search of the ultimate Halloween flick. Download Audio:

The event raises money for the local ski association and brings thousands of people together to tour the festive ski trails. Listen now

It takes a different kind of person to live in Whittier, Alaska. The town is accessible only by water or by tunnel, the weather is extreme, and the only housing option is an ugly apartment building. But the community has managed to win over grade school teacher Erika Thompson.  Alaska Public Media video producer Travis Gilmour spent a day with Thompson and found out life in this one-building town is unique, even by Alaska's standards. See more. Download Audio