The Morning Edition Oct. 1, 2025

Today on the morning edition, yesterday Congress failed to pass a resolution to keep the government open and at midnight last night the government shut down began. We'll bring you the latest updates. Plus, we're a week away from election day in Fairbanks and candidates are ramping up last efforts to reach voters. And later, an Airbnb home is going viral for being a real-life Barbie house. We'll take a look inside and get all the doll-like details as the morning edition starts now. Wow, Barbie Dreamhouse Airbnb. I know where my next vacation is going to be. Well, you know, if you go to that, you have to watch the Barbie movie where it has to be playing in the background the entire time you're at that Airbnb. I love seeing all the little unique Airbnbs from across the nation. Oh, it's beautiful. And I'm sure we've got some nice ones here in Alaska as well. We are waking up this morning. We've got those clouds moving back in across South Central. Winds beginning to increase as we watch the rain and winds, which will build in throughout the day. Now, temperatures are currently sitting at... 48 degrees. With those south-southeasterly winds, we actually may hold into the mid to upper 40s throughout the day. Yesterday we were talking about that today could be a bit cooler, but those southeasterly winds have kicked in, so we may hold into the upper 40s to near 50 degrees throughout the day. But still expecting wet weather, 38 in Palmer, 31 degrees in Eureka. Some areas waking up to some of those clearer skies, but we will see those clouds quickly increasing. There's that rain already approaching western parts of south central, and that will steady. build in throughout the day. And once it does arrive, be prepared for wet or weather to arrive, or wet or weather to stick around for a good portion of the day. And with that being said, we'll likely see our high here over the next couple of hours, because as that rain builds in, we're going to see temperatures for the most part remain fairly uniform. And we may actually see temperatures drop a few degrees as that rain moves in. So clouds with us this morning. There's that rain already across portions of the Susitna Valley, western parts of the Kenai through the Cook Inlet region. arrive here in Anchorage over the next hour or so. So be prepared for some of that light sprinkle activity to give way to some of those heavier downpours later this afternoon. We've got more rain out towards Bristol Bay, the Alaska Peninsula, even as you head out towards western parts of the state. We've also got a winter weather advisories. You head just to the north of Fairbanks. This goes into effect tomorrow through Friday, where we are expecting the potential for several inches of snow accumulation. Now, here across South Central, we'll primarily see all rain with exception of elevations above about 3,500 feet, which will see some wet slushy snow. But wet conditions, half an inch to nearly an inch of rain for inland areas with locally heavier amounts as you head out near the foothills of the Taukeeton Mountains with even heavier totals as you head out towards eastern parts of Prince William Sound. I'll have more on that. That's seven day forecast for you. Go ahead. In our top story today on the morning edition, the government shutdown is now officially underway. The shutdown began at midnight today after Democratic and Republican leaders failed to agree on even a short-term deal to keep the government fully funded past the current fiscal year. The 55 to 45-45 vote fell short of the 60 needed to pass and kept the midnight shutdown deadline. It is unclear how long the shutdown will last or how widespread its impacts will be earlier this.

like that. It hasn't really sunk in that Bruce's law has passed or what the impact of Bruce's law will be across the country in Alaska. I, you know, I know it's true. I know it's happening, but it just seems so far away. The bill is expected to be signed by the president sometime this week, at which point Snodgrass says the work then really begins. Election day is a week away in Fairbanks and we're hearing from candidates in all the contested races as they make their final pitch to voters. Today we look at candidates running for CD on the school board. Melissa Burnett and Naomi Hewitt each seek to serve on the Fairbanks School Board. Incumbent Burnett wants to innovate and invest in the school district. I really look forward to implementing our brand new strategic plan and with that strategic plan putting into place these target, targetable, achievable goals that will help. expand on the education that we are providing our students. She hopes to lower class sizes and increase student choice in schools. I hope that we are able to expand options in our schools, more programs, more CTE pathways, and things that will help our students in the future when they graduate from our district and go out into the workforce and become active community citizens here. During her first term, Burnett prioritized improving decorum on the school board. We have a board. that we have proven that we can actually get down to the work, we can do the things that we need to do, while not always agreeing, doing, disagreeing in a way that's respectful and a way that we're able to actually accomplish some things. Hewitt, meanwhile, is running for transparency, accountability, and opportunity. I'm currently a representative of my peers at the IBEW International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. I am held accountable. to my decisions, to my membership, and I will continue that at the school board. She wants to provide universal pre-K throughout the district. It's proven to be successful and to increase outcomes. And so I think that if we're going to increase the educational outcomes of our borough, that... That begins with getting our kids in the classroom and getting them learning. Hewitt says she understands what it means to be responsible for multimillion dollar budgets. I have gone to Juneau twice to advocate for increased funding for our education and return to a defined benefit for our teachers. I think it's crucial that we maintain, increase our teacher retention. Burnett and Hewitt will appear on the ballot for all borough residents on Election Day, October 7th. Alex Bangle, Alaska's news source. As winter approaches, a tiny home project designed to help people recovering from addiction is nearing its completion. Joal Good tells us what Anchorage can expect.

Micro units will soon be built on the lot behind me, providing shelter for people recovering from addiction. The microunits for recovery is a municipal project taking inspiration from other similar projects, both in Anchorage and elsewhere. What you're seeing are similar units that were built in the Muni by a local church last year. An area near Tudor in Elmore will see 24 microunit homes constructed with electricity, a microwave, a fridge, and a place to sleep. Not only is the project intended to provide a place to stay, but connect residents with behavioral health treatment, with the hope of long-term stability. The way we do shelter right now doesn't actually work for those folks. They need a more secure, safe setting that's quieter, and again, where they can get that access to treatment and recovery. Funding for the project comes from money that the municipality has received in opioid settlements. So far, 1.7 million has been appropriated towards the project. If the municipality receives additional funding of around $400,000, eight more units will be built. An informational session on the project was hosted Tuesday night, where members of the public were able to ask questions of those involved. We're on a trail that a lot of homeless people work back and forth and they've camped behind where we live. So there is concern some of our residents, a little bit by me, but I think it'll be a positive impact. Those involved with the project says the plan right now is to have them built by the end of November. Joe Allgood, Alaska's News Source. Well, you've heard of state champion football, basketball, and others. But what about chess? A state-wide chess tournament is happening this weekend right here in Anchorage. We'll bring you the details next. Rain, snow, and wind. Spreading across the state. I'll have more on what that means for us here across South Central, but first at sunrise. 807 here in Anchorage, 703 and Juneau. Your full forecast is next. Well, Aaron, what's it looking like today? Well, we are expected to see some rain moving back in across South Central. We've got some snow and winds in the forecast as well. With most of that snow in the higher elevations, as well as portions of the interior, where we do have a winter weather advisory that goes into effect as we welcome in your Thursday. But that wet weather likely will continue for October as we are looking ahead through the month, and we're going to see several areas of low pressure that's going to lead to stormier weather in the Bering Sea. So be prepared for this. this uptick and rain and snow across the state this month. You can see tempters this morning, 20s, 30s, and 40s across the state. We are expected to see temperatures through the interior, actually warmer than what we've been sitting at the past couple of days. And this is largely due to that system that's moving inland that is bringing some warmer conditions across the state. With that said, along the slope this morning, we are waking up to those temperatures in the teens and the 20s. You can see some light snow showers continue out towards Cots Abuse. So we've got this area of low pressure. That's just to the west of Gamble's. St. Lawrence. We saw some gusty conditions out towards Gamble yesterday. And today, while we are still going to favor some of those gusty winds, not as strong as yesterday, but we'll still see some windy conditions across a good portion of the state. Some rain as you head out towards Norton Sound, southern parts of the sewer peninsula, heavier rain out towards Bristol Bay. And all of that will build back into South Central later today. Now, when it comes to that winter weather advisory, this is for areas along the Steece Highway and higher elevations of the White Mountains. We're expecting to see some moderate

fall. And again, this is from tomorrow afternoon into Friday evening where we could see anywhere from four to nine inches of snow accumulation. The hills surrounding Fairbanks could also see some light snow. And while it's not out of the realm of possibility for Fairbanks to see some snow accumulation, you'll largely see rain in the forecast. But there is a shot that we could see a brief opportunity for some of that light snow to occur in Fairbanks. But you can see that system continuing to build eastward, widespread rain spreading across South Central. towards Eureka. We could see the potential for some light snow and some of those higher elevations above about 3,500 feet could see some wet slushy snow as well. But at the surface here in South Central, we'll see all rain. We are warm enough and continue to remain warm enough that we're going to see those highs near 50 degrees with that rain continuing. Now into our Thursday, that activity will taper off. Eastern parts of South Central will continue to hold on to the rain. We may see that rain here in Anchorage through at least the middle of the after. tomorrow. And you can see rain does return out towards southeast as we welcome in your Thursday and Friday with ongoing snow through the interior. So wet and a breezy afternoon expected across South Central today. You can see that ramps up and then drops back down as we welcome in our Thursday. And we may see some sunshine breaks as we welcome in tomorrow across portions of South Central. For today, though, those temperatures will warm into the mid to upper 40s. We'll see that rain steadily increased throughout the day. Be prepared for some heavy rain. Inland areas could eat. easily see well over half an inch of rainfall. The foothills of the Taukeet, the mountains could also see the potential for up to an inch, if not higher amounts of that rain accumulation. So breezy winds staying with us. We could see some gust up to about 30 miles per hour throughout the day. That tapers off through the overnight hour. So wet and windy weather sticks around for our Wednesday across South Central. When it comes to that seven-day forecast, we are going to continue to see daily highs sitting near 50. Those a.m. rain showers Thursday, fairly dry Friday. And as we welcome in the weekend. Dalmi, we are going to see those overcast skies staying with us with a chance for showers, but temperature-wise, still near 50. All right, thank you, Erin. If you were out and about yesterday, you might have seen more people wearing the color orange. Those folks were likely wearing that in support of those that suffered in native boarding schools. A new exhibit is shedding light on that difficult chapter in Alaska's history. Justin Mattson visited the Alaska Native Heritage Center to learn more. Alive this history, we think of it in little pockets as opposed to actually understand how alive these points in history are working with each other. The first steps into the exhibits examining the history of the indigenous boarding schools in Alaska can be overwhelming. Our language, our cultures were things that were attempted to be stolen away from us. It's a history that's deeply personal. My grandfather went to a live boarding schools that made... this map and the creation of it really personal was, you know, like, that's him right in the middle. Working to bring not only awareness, but healing. Repentance is always a call to action. And this call to action should be not only justice through telling this story, but also a repentance that brings us to... you know, bring healing to our neighbor, to, you know, to put, to make that our goal whenever we walk outside of our doors. If you saw someone wearing an orange shirt, they were helping bring awareness. I like to think about it. Orange Shirt Day is, is a time for us to.

speak up, you know, and actually start to talk about what justice looks like, what healing looks like, and to make sure that this is a history, this is something that doesn't happen again. Justin Mattson, Alaska's news source. President Joe Biden formally apologized for the U.S. government's role in operating Indian boarding schools on October 25th, 2024. Alaska's indigenous boarding schools stretched from the late 1800s until the 1980s. We have players coming from Uttiavik, Sitka, Kodiak, Homer. A lot of people are traveling in for this. It's a really exciting event. So we're really trying to make it the best experience that we can for our players. Each and every year, state champs are crowned for all kinds of sports throughout the state, except for one, which hasn't had a state champ for over a decade, which is chess. But that's all set to change this Saturday. Nearly 100 of the top players from across the last frontier will gather and compete in the 2025 Alaska State Chess Championship here in Anchorage at the lakefront. There will be divisions for varying skill levels, cash prizes, trophies. There's chess clubs that have been around, but as for an overall governing body of chess, there's not one figurehead for all these little pockets of chess throughout the state, so that's what the Alaska Chess Federation is here to hopefully do is to bring together and organize all these chess clubs into one opportunity to play over the board to represent Alaska on the National Circuit. There's still time to enter if you're interested. There's still a few slots open and they're accepting participants right up until the first pieces are moved. Thanks for listening to our podcast. 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.