The Morning Edition March 2, 2026

Today on the morning edition, superintendents talk about the worsening state of Alaska schools that are going without complete funding. Buildings in need of maintenance and care will show you the details. Plus, a new record has been set in the Ferrandi Open World Championship. Canadian Mushier Blaine Bunny Streeper claims his record-setting 11th win. We'll share the sights and sounds of his victorious day. And later here in Alaska or no stranger to snow, but how about three feet of it overnight? A true test for any snow champion. But this community in Rhode Island decided they are going to help themselves rather than wait for it to be done. We'll see how they did as the morning edition. starts now. Good Monday morning, everyone. Thanks for waking up with us today. Yeah, we've got that super cold weather. Thankfully, not three feet of snow like they're dealing with in Rhode Island. And we are still holding on, though, as you said, those bitter cold conditions. But thankfully this week, we will see temperatures slowly warm each and every afternoon. With that said, Sub-zero values will still remain with us across a good portion of the state. We're at eight below currently in Anchorage, 39 below in Fairbanks, seven below in Palmer, and then out towards Juneau. You can see another fresh coating of some snow that fell through the night. We're currently sitting at 15 degrees. Now, southeast, particularly Juneau, did close out the winter season as the third snowiest on record. We'll have those totals for you coming up later in the show. But as far as this morning, those overnight lows, notice where we've got some of those coldest conditions through the Western interior, really just the interior as a whole, extending through parts of the Copper River Basin, where we're waking up this morning to Golcana, dropping down to 40 below. You can see out towards McGrath, we dropped around 36 below. Even parts of southeast managed to see some sub-zero values at three below out towards Yakutat. Now, it is cold this morning, but temperatures have been warming across the state. For many areas, we're already beginning to see those double-digit warmth. 12 degrees warmer in Kristi Noem, 13 in Katsabu, cold. foot as well. Even Fairbanks seeing a very slight warming trend. This will take us through the rest of this week. So we'll add on a degree or a couple of degrees each and every afternoon across the state. So we will see some of this colder weather that we've been holding on to slowly warm. Now here across South Central, we are waking up to those sub-zero values. Notice as we approach by 9 to 10 a.m. We'll begin to see those temperatures warming above the single digits. We'll make it into the teens today for parts of South Central. plenty of sunshine to stick around through a good portion of this week. But those overnight lows once again will drop down below zero through the overnight hours. If you have any plans to get outdoors tonight looking at that total lunar eclipse, well, we do have those clear skies, but it will be cold. Coming up in my full forecast, we are going to be talking about more of that winter weather for southeast, slow warming across the state, and a total lunar eclipse tonight. I'll have those details in that seven day coming up. The U.S. and Israel launched new airstrikes against Iran, and today officials confirm there have been U.S. fatalities. Congress returns tomorrow, and a White House official confirms lawmakers will get the first set of briefings on Tuesday. Alice Barr has details from Washington.

Representative Nick Begich said the strikes were necessary and, quote, I look forward to the forthcoming classified briefing with Congress on these actions, which will provide members with critical details on the operation. We have more details on our website and our mobile app. Here at home starting today, school buses in the Matsu will be out of service through the foreseeable future. That's according to Teamsters Local 959. It called it an unfair labor practice stroke, which they say comes after negotiations with Durham School Services started last June. We attempted to get in contact with Durham School Services over the weekend, but have not yet heard that. There's more information about the negotiations on our website. Three Alaskan superintendents conveyed the worsening state of schools to lawmakers. Those concerns come after lawmakers called conditions at Mount Edgecom deplorable, and the Anchorage School Board voted to close three schools last week. I know how hard you fought last year to make sure that you're meeting the needs Alaska's kids. But I cannot help but imagine what our schools would look like if they were fully funded or made whole.

Pictures like the ones you're seeing now show concerns from those superintendents. The Cuswick School District Superintendent said the roof of their now closed gym began to crack during basketball practice. And in the Bering Strait School District, a step in school became a total loss to a fire that as they invest their dollars into alleviating oil spills from aging tanks. But though schools say they need funding, the path forward isn't clear. Lawmakers have to balance a tight budget due to decreasing revenues while continuing to have safe schools. I would like to see us at least to do an inflation adjustment for this year so we don't go backwards. We're in a tough fiscal situation, but we can't go backwards. I don't want to see that. Our students don't want to see that. Our families don't want to see that. The challenges we're going to have to kind of work through more is there's bigger needs than we have budget. That's the harsh reality behind it. So how do we make the dollars we have work to kind of get into some of those other areas? The state of our facilities are really challenging. Over the summer, lawmakers overrode the governor's education funding veto of $51 million, a decision done to be made due to decreasing oil revenue. For more details on what the superintendent said, visit our website and mobile app. Mushing fans took flock to downtown Anchorage Sunday to see the last day of the 26 Ferrandi Open World Championship, hoping to see history be made, and they weren't disappointed.

He's ever done that before. And Buddy is a star in the mouth of me. Weakish. Canadian Mushablin, Buddy Streeper, came home to win his 11th for Rondi Open, breaking a tie with the great George Whistlia Hustler, Atla. For most all time, just moments after crossing the line, Streeper took a moment to let the achievement sink in. It really was awesome. It was a team that was just working as a chemistry. It was just a fluid motion at the way where they're running as a unit. And it was awesome. I just had a tremendous run. It was wonderful. And taking a look at the unofficial results, 2025 winner Annie Molo finished a strong second with Greg Taylor rounding out the podium. All 17 teams that entered finished the race. The World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks is all about transforming massive blocks of ice into towering masterpieces. But the real heat is in the judging booth. Lead Judge Dan Reholes, a 40-year veteran of the craft, oversees a rigorous 1,000-point evaluation. system from how accurately artists depict human anatomy to how well they execute their vision judges analyze every chisel mark under a metaphorical microscope but for me a lot of it is that wow factor you know when people walk up Almost everybody that walks up to this sculpture, their first word is wow. And this has got the wow factor. Other than wow factor, it's just finished. Every aspect of the ice that we, when we walk around it, is touched by a chisel, polished. You can catch the World Ice Art Championships for a few more weeks. Premiering today for the first time is Aging Untold. Alaska's news source's newest talk show focused on the journey of aging in America. Each episode features a panel of experienced industry professionals who will offer insight and solutions for people entering a new chapter of life, as well as their caregivers. We spoke with the co-hosts about some of the topics you can expect to learn about. People are out there alone. We're going to cover topics that are so varied and we find so helpful. Topics ranging from, should I move into assisted living? What should I do with my mother? She wants to stay at home. Health issues, financial issues. We've got a wide range that we're covering with good information and solutions related to those topics. Again, aging untold premieres are right here on Alaska's news source today at 2 p.m. Still ahead on today's morning edition, a handful of months ago, no one knew what was ahead for many from Kipnuk. And if you would ask these girls, I'm not sure they would have seen their own rally in success to reach the championship game in basketball, but they did. I'll share their story next.

We're still holding on to some winter weather out in southeast. I'll have more on that. We're in our last few days of standard time as daylight saving time begins this weekend. Sunrise in day, 756 in Anchorage, 649 in Juneau. Your full forecast is next. Welcome back. 15 minutes past the hour on this Monday morning. And Aaron, we're talking about southeast this morning. Yeah, we've got winter weather alerts that are in effect for the panhandle. You can see that fresh snow that has been falling out in Juneau through the weekend. We did see some of that heaviest accumulation into your Saturday. While yesterday did provide some dry time. We are seeing that activity ramping back up this morning and into our Tuesday. 15 is where we're currently sitting at. So we are holding on to some of those colder conditions. conditions for a good portion of the panhandle. Three below in Yakutat, seven in Haynes. Notice, though, as you head through parts of the southern panhandle, temperatures are significantly warmer, about 30 plus degrees warmer than what we're seeing for areas to the north. This is where we're going to hold on to mostly rain in the forecast. If you live in Ketchikan, largely holding on to all rain throughout the day, if not some localized areas of wintry mix embedded within that. But you can see those winter storm watches we've got in blue winter storm warnings that remain shaded in peak. So this is what we're going to be seeing. The winter storm watches. 8 to 13 inches of snow accumulation while that winter storm morning, which I believe that continues through 9 a.m. this morning with an additional 5 to 8 inches of snow accumulation. There was a winter weather advisory for southern parts of the panhandle. That did expire at the top of the hour, but mostly rain will take hold for areas of the southern panhandle. Looking ahead through the rest of today and into your Tuesday, notice this morning the moisture not as widespread as what it will be later today. and into the night. So we'd still have some dry breaks this morning. And then later this evening, there's that moisture really building back in across the panhandle. And again, all rain mostly expected for areas to the south, while locations to the north and through the central panhandle, largely hold on to some widespread heavy snowfall. And you can see that activity into tomorrow morning will be very heavy at time. So be prepared for this active weather. It's going to stay with us for the foreseeable future. Now later this week, once those temperatures do begin to warm as you head through parts of the northern and central panhandle, you'll see this rain snow line beginning to inch further to the north. So be watching for that throughout the week. By Wednesday, we should see some dry time, but then more rain and snow arrives on the backside of that. So how much snow we expected to see? Again, several inches looking possible. Somewhere within the central and southern parts of the northern panhandle could see up to a foot of that snowfall accumulation. And again, notice you head south of about Sitka and Petersburg. This is where you'll see. mostly rain, if not a rain, snow mix that will be embedded through parts of the panhandle. So that winter weather is still with us. And we did close out the winter season as the third snowiest on record. It was the snowiest winter snowfall since 2008 and 2009. We officially picked up 134.2 inches of snow accumulation. Now, average annual snowfall in Juneau is just under 90 inches of snow accumulation. So we certainly have seen.

a very active weather season. Now as we transition into the spring seasons, after March 1st, Juneau sees 90% of all winter seasons are all spring seasons with more than one inch of snow. It's not really until April that we begin to see a significant dwindle in our snowfall chances. So we are beginning to wind down the winter season here over the next three months, but we're still holding on to plenty of it for the panhandle. You can see rain and snow builds back in by the middle to the end. of the week. Daily highs also warm into the upper 30s, lower 40s by weeks end, with overnight lows sitting near freezing. And again, another reminder, Kristen, this weekend. Set those clocks forward as daylight saving time begins. After former Typhoon Hulong struck Western Alaska in October, no one knew whether Kipnuck's basketball season would even be played. But as Charlie Fellows shows us, four months later, the Falcons took the court with a chance to win a championship. Every team that makes it to their championship game does so with a story. No two are the same, of course, but they carry some common through lines, hard work, overcoming adversity, and a lot of hometown pride. In that sense, the Kipnik Falcons seem right at home. It's only when you zoom out from the gym that you realize their story is much more unique. It keeps my mind off. from what happened in October, and I'm pretty sure it keeps their mind off too. Anne-Marie Paul leads a Kipnik squad that had to evacuate its village after former Typhoon Hulang struck the western Alaska coast. The Falcons may be far from their nest, but they've found a way to not only field a team, but field a good team. I've seen them. improve a lot after seeing what they went through and then coming out here, being close to each other. Yeah, I seem that they adapted well to it. Paul's team is fast, frantic, organized chaos, a playstyle that channels the uncertainty that led the Western Alaska squad to be playing in Anchorage this season in the first place.

I thought we weren't going to have a team when I got a call from the LKSD student activity. I was, you know, I was really excited for that. That play style kept Saturday's matchup with the Chugiac Mustangs and the C-Team Championship close, but ultimately the Falcons came up short. But even in defeat, their fans stood tall. A reminder that even though they'd left their hometown, that hometown pride had made the trip. Charlie Fellows, Alaska's News Source. Thanks for listening to our podcast. Click subscribe so you can get the latest podcasts from Alaska's News Source automatically. And stay out to date with breaking news and in-depth reporting, available for free 24-7 with the Alaska's News Source app.