Alaska Insight Clips

Alaska experienced a nearly 70% increase in the number of drug overdose deaths between 2020 and 2021, according to preliminary data from the state health department. That means 245 Alaskans died from an overdose in 2021, including Anchorage resident Bruce Snodgrass. Alaska Public Media’s Jeff Chen brings us a story of his mother who wants to make sure her son is more than a statistic.

The team narrowly missed the state title, and it will be years before the village sees another team step onto a court.

In Alaska, only 25% of kids aged 5 to 11 have received at least one shot. Nationally, 31% have.

Overcrowding is a perennial problem in rural Alaska, but the Covid-19 pandemic has made living with it harder. Cramped conditions offer little space to work from home, conduct virtual schooling, or quarantine, and put many multigenerational households at increased risk of infection. Tackling the problem isn’t easy, but, as Erin McKinstry reports for Alaska Public Media, federal COVID funds are offering some relief in the Bering Straits Region.

https://youtu.be/v3z0j-sBtWA Incidents of antisemitism have been on the rise nationally and worldwide. Here in Alaska, a series of events last year highlighted the need for...

Across the US, only 10% of Indigenous tribes with federal recognition also have recognition from their respective state governments. In Alaska, tribal members aim to change that. Last year, they organized to collect tens of thousands signatures in support of a ballot initiative that would ask voters to decide. Supporters say the recognition opens up doors for more resources and symbolizes a respectful government-to-government relationship.

As Lawmakers prepare for this year’s session, Alaska Public Media’s Adelyn Baxter looks back and reports that, despite the lengthy process, lawmakers didn’t make much progress in 2021.

Video: Corporations formed under ANCSA are slowly opening up to new generations of shareholders, allowing younger Alaska Native people to have a voice in shaping the future.

Aaron Tolen has tribal and ANCSA regional corporation affiliations across the state. He aims to balance a modern education with the values and traditions of his people, so he can continue to feel grounded in his culture and also experience success in a contemporary way.

As the Arctic warms, it increasingly has the potential to become an arena where world powers compete for dominance. While Russia and China are beefing up their Arctic presence, the Pentagon has been slow to make the Arctic a priority. Alaska Public Media’s Liz Ruskin reports that may be changing.

Rural Alaska communities have largely been left behind in the digital revolution -- until now. Akiak will be the first community in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta to bring high-speed broadband internet to all its residents later this month on November 15.

Every ten years, a State board redraws the boundaries of Alaska’s legislative districts. The process is long and technical, but there’s a lot at stake. It can determine which party controls the state legislature. Alaska Public Media’s Annie Feidt explains.

Alaska is working on its next big effort to promote agriculture -- a large-scale land auction in the Interior.

This summer, three scientists ventured to the foot of the Aleutian Mountain range to collect evidence that dinosaurs once roamed the southern coast of the Alaska Peninsula. They hope to reconstruct the ancient ecosystem that allowed dinosaurs to thrive here for tens of thousands of years. 

Here's how these Alaskans are confronting intergenerational traumas with different ways of healing.

We’re a month into the school year and Alaska is experiencing peak Covid-19 cases and a hospital system at max capacity. Alaska Public Media’s Jeff Chen looks at how low teenage turnout for the Covid vaccine increases case rates in Alaska.

The results of the 2020 U.S. Census paint a picture of shifting demographics throughout the nation and in Alaska. Alaska Public Media’s Adelyn Baxter breaks down the data.

VIDEO: Anchorage policymakers are debating options for building more shelter space in the city. But there are still people who prefer camping in the open air.

Chinese immigrants arrived before statehood and helped grow Alaska's wild salmon industry into the international, multi-billion-dollar economy that it is today.

https://youtu.be/JanC26BhtAw Take a flight over the Mat-Su valley, the Anchorage Bowl, or the Kenai Peninsula and you may notice areas that were once evergreen, but...