The Morning Edition Feb. 19, 2026

Today on the morning edition, the Alaska comeback, Senator Dan Sullivan proclaimed to the legislature outlining his vision for the state and how he sees Alaska moving forward will break down what you need to know from his annual address to lawmakers. Plus, firefighters have seen declining numbers in recent years and departments are coming up with innovative ways to recruit and educate, including providing training courses for students who have the details. And later, the Alaska Zoo has a number of unique animals that are basically celebrities in and of themselves. And while this little pair might not be that level yet, they're definitely on far with the official Olympic mascots. We'll introduce you later as the morning edition starts now. Good Thursday morning, everyone. You know what? I'd never even heard of in ermine. I haven't either. I mean, I've seen them when I go to the zoo, but never really just like put two and two together. That's one of my favorite things about the Olympics is the mascots, something that doesn't get a lot of attention. They're so cute, though. So certainly looking forward to more on that as well as what the 2028 Olympics mascot is going to be for L.A. Well, talking weather, we are first alerting for southeast. Yeah, we do have heavy snowfall as well as winds that will build into the panhandle throughout today and into your Friday. You can see ongoing windy conditions as well as some snow continues out towards with ear. Things are fairly quiet for parts of southeast to start off this morning, but that snow will arrive throughout the day. And you can see into the interior. We're also holding on to some pockets. and some freezing fog as we start off your Thursday morning. There's our ridge of high pressure out towards the Bering Sea. This is going to largely dictate the weather pattern here over the next couple of days, and it's going to lead to much quieter conditions for areas of Western Alaska for the time being. With that said, as you head out towards the Western Arctic coastline with the remnants of that low remains, we'll still see some persistent gusty winds. But the bigger story is as low shifting into southeast, where we are going to see that heavier snowfall activity that is going to stay with us from today into tomorrow for the panhandle. You can see this morning that snow is already building in across southeast. Now out over the open waters of the Gulf of Alaska, we're largely going to stay all rain. And then as you head through outer coastal regions of southeast, there may be a brief opportunity for some wintry mix, but largely expecting snow to remain. You can see those winter weather advisories as well as winter storm warnings that have been issued for practically the entire panhandle. exception of far northern reaches of southeast. So be prepared for that heavy snowfall activity to stay with us throughout the day. You can see for Juneau, that hourly forecast. Temperatures today will warm into the upper 20s, possibly lower 30s for parts of the panhandle. So we are going to see some mild conditions. You can see 37 in Ketchikan, 32 in Yakutat today. And then as you head through a good portion of the interior, we are going to see. while those temperatures steadily cooling off. So coming up in my full forecast, we'll be talking about the snow and winds moving into southeast, heavy snowfall accumulation. And then later in the show, we've also got gusty winds across South Central. I'll have more on that for you coming up. Senator Dan Sullivan calls at the Alaska comeback. He laid out his vision for the state and his annual legislative address Wednesday afternoon. Our political reporter, Will Courtney, was there and shares the details.

The theme of my remarks this morning, and that's the Alaska comeback. Senator Dan Sullivan leaned on his record during his annual speech to the legislature Wednesday, saying Alaska is winning under his leadership. It's the same approach he's taking during his race against former Congresswoman Mary Peltola. And we're going to unleash Alaska's economy, opportunity, and future. Solvon pointed to provisions in the Big Beautiful Bill and defense spending, claiming Alaska, is recovering after what he calls damaging Biden administration policies. He also pushed hard for the proposed Alaska gas line. Now, to the ultimate dream for our state, the gas line and the AKL&G project. So here's my ask of all of you. Join me in doing everything in your power. to make this dream a reality. Do you think lawmakers right now are doing everything in their power to make this gas sign happen? Look, you know, one of the things I try and do in this job is you cooperate with the members of the legislature, but not be too prescriptive. Lawmakers have questions on a range of issues from child care and immigration enforcement to rural health funding and outside the Capitol. We are laughing. We are independent.

You're saying that it's because of the boiler issue, but the voters have already approved this. So once again, my question to you is why is Campbell's STEM on your radar? And he couldn't answer that. Parents feel frustrated that the district cites maintenance issues in the school as one of the reasons for closure. So the same people that said you have to get out of your school, because of the maintenance, have been deferring the maintenance for years. Right. We have millions of dollars of proof, but we've been delaying the project for years. While students at the only STEM school in the state say they wouldn't want to go anywhere else. He has no interest in going to any of the other three schools. He's very concerned about the change and where his friends are going to be. And even though it's our last year at Campbell, we still feel very strongly that it is a program that is valuable to our neighborhood and to all of the children. Now, closure is not guaranteed, but the school board is expected to make a decision at their special meeting on February 24th. Joe Allgood, Alaska's News source. The Central Matsu Fire Department is working with Wasilla High School to train the next generation of firefighters. Jace Bertrand spoke with leaders and cadets in the program to learn what it takes to get a fire certificate in the Valley. The job of firefighters is critical to public safety. When disaster strikes, firefighters respond. But fewer cadets gear up each year. The paid on call or volunteer numbers nationwide is down significantly. So we're having a hard time matching manpower to the demands of the community. Central Matsu fire leaders partnered with Wasilla High School. They're showing students what firefighting is really like. couple of years of planning with Wessella High School using the materials that we had and kind of piggybacked off the ROTC program as far as the the administrative type work and the public releases. Assistant Fire Chief John Beebe says juniors and seniors take the courses. They focus on physical training and hands-on drills. They're getting a lot of experience based on exactly what we do as firefighters. So it's a... They're getting a full academy, basically, but it's spread out over two years. The program introduced students like Caleb Benoit to their future careers. I was taking a class with one of my favorite teachers, and he was actually the one doing the class, and then it came up, and then I asked him if I should take it, and he recommended it, and it was just from there. It was always something in the back of my mind, but I never really knew how to pursue it. And I think that class helped me a lot. As the program looks to the future, Beebe hopes to expand the courses further across the valley. We can catch the more remote parts of the borough and identify and kind of incorporate the students that live out in the more remote areas. Chase Bertrand, Alaska's new source.

We take you now to a place where eagles gather, but the location might surprise you. Lauren Maxwell brings us the story, and please forgive us if this story seems a little, well, trashy. Most people wouldn't think of a landfill as being a particularly scenic spot, but the Anchorage landfill here in Eagle River checks every box. There are mountains, there are trees, and yes, it is teeming with eagles. On any given winter day, eagles gather at the landfill, sometimes as few as a dozen birds, and sometimes... Around 100 or so? Many more. The trouble is the birds don't just hang out in the trees. They actively swarm the garbage in the landfill, excited to find a free lunch. It's not ideal to have them here. It's fun to see, but we want to do things differently. Operators do a lot to discourage the birds from hanging around. We have a contract with the USDA that keeps the birds moving. Deploying things like firecrackers, paintballs, even lasers. We don't want them to settle on the trash. We have a lot of moving things happening over here. But the birds keep coming back. Solutions include getting food scraps out of the landfill that attract eagles and an even bigger project. We want to completely not be doing this anymore. That would burn the trash instead of burying it, which might also keep eagles away. In the end, they say, we really don't want it to be a buffet. We really don't. This landfill shouldn't be a place for an easy meal. Lauren Maxwell. Alaska's news source. Still ahead on the morning edition, extreme weather, a trail switch and zero visibility, all just a small handful of things Iron Dog racers tackled over the past day or two. We'll bring you an update from Noam next. And we're beginning to see impacts shifting to southeast, where we do have a first alert weather day. We're also going to be watching some gusty conditions into the weekend. I'll have Moral Map. First is sunrise, 718 in Juneau, 834 in Fairbanks. Your full forecast is next. Welcome back. 16 minutes past the hour on this Thursday morning. Yesterday we were first alerting for Fairbanks in the interior. Today we're first alerting for Southeast. Does that mean Fairbanks is in the clear now, Erin? Yeah, we're still going to see some light snow accumulation through the interior, but yesterday was the greatest impacts. Now, Southeast, you are going to see that heavy snowfall moving in from today on into your Friday, with the highest snowfall totals likely through parts of the northern panhandle. And then, of course, as we welcome in the weekend, things dry out. We see some clearer skies return. We're also going to be watching those taku winds for parts of southeast, which will be likely to develop this weekend. So be prepared for winds, which could gust in excess of about 50 to 60 miles per hour as the weekend arrives. You can see snow beginning to spread across southeast. We've got temperatures anywhere from 12 and Haines, 13 and Skagway, to those teens and 20s elsewhere across us southeast. The warm spot, Sitka, coming in.

in at 33 degrees. So many areas are dry to start off the morning, but you will see that snowfall activity increase in intensity throughout the day and on into the evening hours. Now, this is the multitude of weather alerts that we do have in place across southeast. We've got those winter storm warnings for Yakutat, for Sitka and areas within the vicinity of Sitka. And we're going to see about 9 to 15 inches within those winter storm warnings. Now, Juneau, you're not within that winter storm warning, but you'll still see. several inches of that snowfall accumulation. That winter weather advisory continues through the overnight hours. Well, we'll see about four to eight inches of snowfall accumulation. However, through the Mendenhall Valley, we'll likely see more snow accumulation. So be prepared for that. So here over the next couple of days, we are going to continue to favor those ongoing snowfall showers. Notice that snow spreading an across southeast. We'll see some dry pockets here and there, but we're going to see an extended period of heavy snowfall that's going to stay. and into our Friday. Now, while snow looks to be the primary precept type, immediate coastal areas could see a very localized brief opportunity for some wintry mix outside of that. We're not expecting any rain mixing in within the surface outside of those coastal areas. Notice as we head through the day Friday that snow will begin to taper off and then things clear out across a good portion of southeast, and then we're going to begin to see those taku winds develop as well. be welcome in the weekend. So be prepared. It is going to be quiet in terms of precipitation as we welcome in your Saturday and Sunday that sunshine will return. But we are going to be watching the possible development of those winds as we welcome in the weekend. Now, when it comes to that snowfall accumulation from today on into our Friday, notice several inches looks to be possible across a good portion of southeast. So we are going to be watching areas of the northern panhandle where we could see some of those locally heavier amounts. Even as you head out towards. Petersburg, Hyder, we could see that potential for several inches of that snowfall accumulation. So again, this stays with us today and into our Friday, and then we'll be watching those winds develop as the weekend arrives. And then speaking of those winds, you can see once that snow clears the area Friday, that's when those winds move in across southeast. So this weekend is going to provide windy conditions once that snow does clear a good portion of southeast. So first alert weather day today, just take note of that as you get out on those roadways use caution and then those windy conditions arrive into the weekend with colder conditions Day five of the Iron Dog throwing more wrenches at the racers before reaching wrench day in Kristi Noem, but at long last, that weight is over. Pro-class riders started pulling into the garage in Kristi Noem a little after 8 p.m. Wednesday evening, according to the tracker, it looks like most teams have made it into the bay now. Of course, they were originally expected Tuesday afternoon, but inclement weather, delayed the race a bit, and even forced a trail change. And having to adjust to a near unused trail, Team 3. told us the way there was anything but smooth. Very single tracked. I mean, you weren't going around anywhere. There's nowhere. You're not going to pass anyone. Hopefully those guys were able to get back out before any other teams came in because if they met up, I mean, there's nowhere to go.

Still a lot to sort out now in terms of leaders and course times, which should see some adjustments made later throughout the day. But as of right now, Team 7 remains on top of the leaderboard, followed by Teams 10 and 5. We'll continue to update you throughout the day on the standings and the progress. Let's check in on the Olympic medal counts and see where they all stand. Norway still dominating the number one spot with overall medals and gold medals. 15 gold in 33 overall. Italy remains firmly in second place for both counts. Nine gold medals in 26 overall. And the U.S. holds on in third place in both statistics. Seven gold medals and 24 overall. Thanks for listening to our podcasts. Click subscribe so you can get the latest podcast from Alaska's News Source automatically and stay up to date with breaking news and in-depth reporting available for free 24-7 with the Alaska's News Source app.