AK: Music Education
A little known, but long running program is teaching music in villages across Alaska. Earlier this year, teachers with “Dancing with the Spirit” were in Eagle. The program aims to prevent suicide and substance abuse in villages, but it’s also bringing communities together.
AK: Gold claims expand as Herbert Glacier retreats
A retreating glacier is exposing virgin territory about 20 miles north of Juneau. Mining claims around the Herbert Glacier has a Canadian prospecting company excited and environmentalists concerned. Listen now
AK: Young ‘Bio Blitzers’ explore and examine the Arctic environment
Last week a group of scientists traveled to a small village in the Arctic to find as many different species as they could. It was happening all over the country in celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the National Park Service. But it had special meaning in Anaktuvuk Pass, where the local Inupiaq people live a subsistence lifestyle inside of a national park. Download Audio
AK: Can opera help give closure to the Princess Sophia tragedy?
A collaboration of producers and artists from across the country present a new opera about a local tragedy: “The Princess Sophia.” Can art help us process the worst maritime disaster in Alaska history? Listen now
AK: Independence
The Fourth of July in Alaska is all barbecues, parades, and – depending on how south you are — fireworks. But for one man in Unalaska, Independence Day came a week later. Koang Deng, a South Sudanese refugee, observed the first anniversary of his homeland’s independence by celebrating vicariously through relatives half a world away.
AK: High Tech Surgery
Surgeons these days have a lot of futuristic tools at their disposal in the operating room. They use robots, high definition cameras and special dyes to help them complete complicated procedures. And you don't have to travel to big cities in the Lower 48 to find the most up to date operating room technology.
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AK: A Tribute
The famous late singer-songwriter John Denver loved the outdoors. Denver got a taste of Alaska’s wilderness on a visit to the state in the 70s. One of his stops was to the McCarthy-Kennecott area. Thirty years later, residents there pay tribute to that visit with a concert. KCHU’s Tony Gorman traveled to McCarthy to attend the fifth and final John Denver Tribute Concert and has this story.
AK: Making Lemonade
The Southeast town of Wrangell is filled with small locally owned businesses that rely on community support. And the importance of that support was one lesson learned last weekend when students opened their own lemonade stands around the city. The Wrangell kids participated in their first Lemonade Day- a national event to encourage young people to learn about business.
AK: Knowing the unknown
What’s less visible today than Orthodox crosses and golden cupolas are the Alaska Native belief systems that existed before European contact. KDLG’s Hannah Colton has this story about one Dena’ina man who came to embrace his traditional spirituality, and why he's choosing now to speak up about it. Listen now
Interior Secretary Will Visit Alaska Next Wee
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar heads for Alaska this weekend.
Steve Heimel, APRN - Anchorage
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AK: Fishing for herring from the sky
The Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery is in full swing. In less than a week, the fleet has caught over half of its quota. And while most crew members work on the water, spotter pilots fish for herring from the sky. Listen now
AK: Fishing, Cooking And A Yup’ik Upbringing Made Alaska’s Health Commissioner
When Valerie Davidson agreed to accept the job of Alaska's health commissioner, it was with one important condition. She made sure Gov. Walker was okay with her working out of Bethel each summer. Davidson was born in Bethel and owns a house in the community, right on the Kuskokwim River.
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AK: Boating Safety
When most of us think back to gym class in middle school, we might think of dodgeball, or running laps, or even a few games of basketball. But students *in* coastal Alaska communities will also think of fire extinguishers, flares, life jackets and damage control.
AK: Cyclists support the fight against cancer while riding from Texas to Alaska
Last week 70 cyclists completed the longest annual charity bicycle ride in the world from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska. Every year the Texas 4000 raises thousands of dollars for cancer research. Listen now
Necropsy
When dead marine mammals wash up in Unalaska, a team of local scientists springs into action to reconstruct what went wrong. These forensic investigators come from the fish and wildlife office, from a university program and, as was the case this month, Unalaska’s high school.
AK: Bees
This week on AK... bees.
We've all seen them, fat and fuzzy, zigzagging from flower to flower in a seemingly erratic flight to somewhere. Bumblebees were so named for their clumsy trip from bud to bud, not to mention their signature sound, like tiny buzzsaws.
AK: Haines students prepare to display puppets, sets at first Friday
Some young artists will be showing their work at a local art gallery during a First Friday event in Haines next week. The show will consist of handmade puppets and sets and is the culmination of a several-months-long collaboration between students and a local puppet group. Listen now
AK: The Dena’ina culture camp of Kijik
On the north shore of Lake Clark, there's a place called Kijik. It's the historic homeland of the Dena'ina Athabascans of the area, and also the site of a culture camp where youth and elders from the village of Nondalton came together last week. Listen now
AK: Tlingit Dance
Dancing can be a celebration, an expression of joy or sorrow, or a way to tell a story. For one man in Sitka, it's a way to teach people about his Native culture and values, and to carry on his tradition. With elders in the community growing older or already gone, he says it's his responsibility to learn and pass along the teachings to the younger generation so they grow up proud to be Tlingit.
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AK: Happiness is orange at Hoonah City Schools
The Happiness Advantage is an idea based on research that points to a link between a positive mindset and success. Listen now