Alaska News Nightly

Attorney General pushes back on ACLU lawsuit over court cuts; Hospital group sues to block emergency Medicaid payment cut; Could climate change research in Alaska be put on ice?; Locals testify for hours at Senate Finance hearing in Fairbanks; Two worlds that overlap: Richard Glenn sees ANWR drilling as a boon to Inupiaq communities; Planes violating airspace restrictions raise safety, operations concerns at Swan Lake Fire; Amid PCE issues, what Y-K Delta residents can expect electric bills to look like; New ADN report details how villages hire police with criminal background

Dunleavy calls lawmakers to Juneau to continue special session; ACLU sues Dunleavy over "punitive" cuts to court system; National credit rating agency downgrades University of Alaska's credit rating by three notches; Alaska State Arts Council shuts down after funding loss; Alaska sees first measles case since 2015; 'We're never going to surrender' -- Sarah James on a life fighting oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge; Owner of tug that spilled diesel in Canadian waters fined millions; Bears try to move in, Angoon sets boundaries; Author of 'American Predator' describes murder spree of Israel Keyes

Alaska Legislature sues governor over validity of school funding law; As University of Alaska faces uncertain financial future, officials focus on supporting current students; Lawmakers here from constituents at Wasilla LIO; Draft ferry schedule shows long gaps in service to coastal communities; Effort to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy working to coalesce around legal grounds; Meet the Trump administration official whose signature could formally open ANWR to drilling ; Young votes against condemning Trump for racist tweets; Galvin tries again to unseat Young; Containment efforts keep Swan Lake Fire away from communities

Legislature seeks new path to fund vetoed programs; Locals provide testimony at Anchorage LIO; UA Board of Regents postpones exigency vote; UA Board of Regents postpones exigency vote; 'This needs to stop': Murkowski rebukes Trump for tweet; Rural Alaskans brace for impact as Power Cost Equalization funds disappear; Grassroots group restores creeks in Southeast; NOAA closes investigation into close call between cruise ship and humpback whales; Rain slows some Alaska fires while others continue to burn; Anchorage mayor unveils municipality's first, state's largest, rooftop solar project at Egan Center; Molly of Denali launches nationwide

Alaska Legislature ends efforts to overturn budget vetoes; PFD fight splits Alaska GOP, leaving some aligned with Democrats; Wildfire forces evacuations in Anderson area; Sec. Acosta did right by Alaska, Murkowski and Sullivan say; Pilot dies in fourth plane crash near Ketchikan this summer; Forest Service officials keep low profile on Tongass visit; Forest Service officials keep low profile on Tongass visit; Record warm water likely gave Kuskokwim salmon heart attacks; How hospital ERs in Alaska are helping patients with opioid use disorder; For Alaskans dealing with veto-induced anxiety, a therapist offers advice

Lawmakers remain far apart, physically and politically, as clock winds down on veto overrides; Murkowski finds EPA criticism of Pebble Mine 'substantial'; Warmer waters believed to be main cause for dead pink salmon in Norton Sound; As polar bears encroach on this Alaska village, feds charge whaling captain with illegally shooting one; 'Who are the 100?' If budget vetoes stand, Anchorage shelter says it must choose who stays and who leaves; UAA students, staff respond to impending, unprecedented budget cuts; Smoke fouls Fairbanks, North Pole area; Premera Blue Cross pays states $10 million over data breach; Alaska communities debate proposed location of LNG project; University cuts could hurt state earthquake center; Artists call on Legislature to fund state arts council

Alaska’s divided Legislature fails to override governor’s line-item budget vetoes; University of Alaska president: Campus closures, program elimination and layoffs on the table under Dunleavy vetoes; Anchorage leaders brace for "unprecedented" budget situation; State's largest wildfire continues to burn across Interior; Dunleavy veto erases funding for local emergency planners ; How vetoes to the university system could affect climate research in Alaska; Governor’s vetoes cancel state funding for library broadband program; Nome Inupiaq School aims for 2020 launch

Senators say time is running out on Power Cost Equalization, college scholarships and grants, and medical education; In 4 a.m. emails, demonstrations and in-person ambushes, Alaskans press lawmakers on budget vetoes ; Cuts to universities could threaten Alaska’s unified library catalog; Portugal. The Man returns home to protest budget vetoes; After public pressure Fairbanks City Council opposes Dunleavy line-item vetoes; Budget cuts cost Nome its youth facility; Dry weather could exacerbate wildfire risk in Interior; Public safety officials discuss AG visit, rural justice; NASA researchers’ first visit to Nome focuses on satellites, Yukon River plume

Alaska legislature split on budget vetoes, dividends — and even where to meet; Constituents use Wasilla special session to lobby Alaska lawmakers on Gov. Dunleavy's budget vetoes; Juneauites turn out to protest budget cuts on first day of special session; Following boat explosion, Coast Guard searching for missing man in Whittier; Malaspina and Montana Creek Fire update for July 8th; Efforts shift away from Sterling as crews battle Swan Lake blaze; Conditions improve in fire containment for Shovel Creek; Barricaded man commits suicide in Denali National Park; Children rejoice as roaches invade Ketchikan Public Library; Katmai National Park unveils new permanent Brooks River Bridge

Alaska Senate president says lawmakers to meet in Juneau for special session; Alaska court system responds to governor's vetoes; Fires update for July 5th, 2019; Ask a Climatologist: Alaska sites reach record high temperatures on Independence Day; First class of veterinarians graduate from UAF-Colorado State program; Families along Kuskokwim River report high amounts of parasites in salmon; Australian mining firm explores potential vanadium deposit near Juneau; AK: A floating veterinary clinic goes to the dogs -- and to all other pets -- in Southeast's remote island towns; 49 Voices: Ivan Simonek of Wrangell

Montana Creek Fire update for July 4th, 2019; House speaker, Interior lawmakers lay out case for overriding governor’s budget cuts; 40 years after closure, volunteers restore historic Cold War site; Mount Marathon Race participants decide whether to run as smoke lingers in Seward; In Portage, business boom follows glacial recession; Honoring the Stars and Stripes

State officials say wildfire ignited near Talkeetna and Parks Highway, warn of possible evacuations and delays; Anchorage wildfire forces rapid response to contain; Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor declares disaster emergency due to Shovel Creek wildfire; Cleanup crew recover diesel spilled after double-tanker wreck on Richardson Highway; Hundreds protest Governor's budget vetoes outside Anchorage legislative office; Yukon River summer chum salmon run rebounds from weak start; St. Paul's rogue rat is dead after 10 months of evading traps and causing ecosystem concerns; DOT’s Chiniak Highway Erosion Control Project fights a never-ending battle against coastal erosion; Sitkans protest conditions in detention centers from afar; Study on salmon ear stones cited by EPA in Pebble draft EIS comments; Mount Marathon Race officials offer deferral due to wildfires smoke

EPA says Pebble may be riskier than study says, rekindling hope for mine foes; Dunleavy veto cuts school project debt reimbursement in half; Cool weather allows firefighters to make some progress on Shovel Creek Fire; Anchorage Fire Department cancels Independence Day fireworks; New U.S. Senate candidate in Alaska touts credentials as doctor, fisherman, grizzly-slayer; In Arctic Village, Gwich'in leaders say the fight to stop drilling in the Arctic Refuge isn't over; Amid an erosion crisis, Shishmaref takes small steps toward expansion; Ask a Climatologist: Cities across the state reach record high June temperatures

Deadline for public comment on Pebble Mine ends today; While spared from Dunlavy vetoes, Marine Highway System still faces uncertain future; Governor vetoes funding for Ocean Rangers cruise ship inspectors; From permafrost to polar bears, draft report evaluates Alaska gasline’s environmental impact; In the Alaska village whose backyard is ANWR, many want drilling to happen; Anchorage lawmaker criticizes AIDEA grant to grandson of prominent Dunleavy financier; Rep. Don Young files for re-election once again; State extends lifespan of ferry Columbia; Evacuation notices placed on Interior residents amid Shovel Creek Fire; Anchorage health care providers see more respiratory complaints with wildfire smoke

University system, Medicaid hit hard as Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoes nearly $400 million from the state budget; UA president: Dunleavy vetoes 'will impact everything we do'; Alaska Gov. Dunleavy wields veto pen to attack state Supreme Court over abortion ruling; Justice department pledges $10.5M in emergency funds for public safety; Homeless shelters receive large cuts with Dunleavy vetoes; Gov. Dunleavy cuts $20.7 million for low-income seniors; Swan Lake fire 20 percent contained; AK: Solstice golf, Haines style; 49 Voices: Jennifer Younger of Sitka

Alaska AG: Dunleavy could have state troopers bring legislators to Wasilla; University of Alaska officials wary of cuts as impending budget drop date looms; EPA reconsiders restrictions on Pebble; Winds cause Shovel Creek Fire to spread; Traffic flow remains intermittent as Swan Lake Fire grows; University of Alaska president testifies, criticizing Chinese-made drones; After 44 years, Nordstrom store to leave Anchorage; After record season, scientists work to predict this year's Bristol Bay salmon haul; In tribute to original residents, Juneau Assembly renames downtown Willoughby District; New Anchorage art exhibit connects bird research to backyards

Former Alaska lawmaker disappointed with retroactive per diem payments; Pebble CEO and opponent debate whether mine proposal is 'the nose under the camel's tent'; Kenai's Swan Lake Fire grows to 37,000 acres; Some Interior residents prepare to relocate as Shovel Creek Fire intensifies; 15 wildfires currently staffed by emergency responders; Cost-cutting will take Alaska’s flagship ferry out of service; Feds investigate video of cruise ship in near-miss with humpback whales; Homes near Akiak's eroded riverbank need to move, but some people choose to stay; Fly fishing and guide academy brings local touch to sport fishing industry; Tie-dye, rainbows and love songs: Juneau’s first youth LGBTQ Pride party

Legislators defy Dunleavy, announce Juneau as special session location; Swan Lake fire grows, moving closer to Sterling Highway; State extends air quality advisory amid Swan Lake Fire; Team assigned to Creek Fire northwest of Fairbanks; Passengers in fatal Kenai airplane crash were from Michigan; Tongass forest supporters rally in favor of roadless rule; Alaska considers $10 million loan fund to prop up Ketchikan’s shipyard; Russian ambassador seeks conversation, friendship in first visit to Sitka; Jökulhlaup raises Taku River levels; Suicide Basin release likely in next few weeks; Hydro lakes rebounding, but a long way from full; Meet Sovereign Bill, the voice behind Molly of Denali

Legislators, Dunleavy administration expect school funds to be paid during potential lawsuit; Legislative Affairs Agency says Wasilla special session could cost more than $1 million; As sea ice changes in a warming Arctic, new challenges for polar bear research; Spreading Swan Lake Fire prompts traffic delays and air quality warnings; Planning for 2019 NPR-A oil lease sale begins as feds pursue opening more Arctic land to drilling; Nome residents share thoughts on potential deep draft port; Runner reports first eagle attack of Unalaska's nesting season; Free cooking class dishes up simple and creative summer recipes; AK: New Kodiak park dedicated to Alutiiq ancestors uprooted from their homeland; 49 Voices: Dimetros Baynesagn

Time for Murkowski to take a stand on Pebble? She says not yet.; Dunleavy to lawmakers: PFD formula must be approved by popular vote; Anchorage homelessness problem draws frustration from both sides of issue; Alaska Congress members ask to tap relief funds for seafood; Appellate court rejects Alaskans appeal in Carnival pollution case; Fishing regulations on the Kuskokwim: Do they restrict Yup'ik culture or preserve it?; Following the purchase of Minto Mine, Yukon ore may be shipped from Skagway once again; Alaska Mental Health Trust plans new land use permit, fees; UAF officials say they've got a better idea on completion date of power plant ; As summer travel season begins, Fairbanks airport reminds locals of parking regulations