Alaska News Nightly: Monday, March 2, 2026

State lawmakers had some sharp questions today for Alaska's Division of Elections about its decision to share the state's full unredacted voter list with the Department of Justice. The state turned over the voter list to the federal government in December after a series of requests from the Department of Justice. That list includes a range of private information about Alaska's voters, including their date of birth, driver's license, or partial social security number, and address, even if the voter marked it confidential. At a joint meeting of the state house judiciary and state affairs committees, lawmakers asked why Alaska didn't challenge the request. Department of Law attorney Rachel Whitty says the state started from the premise that the government was operating in good faith. We evaluated the request to see whether there was a legal basis for it and determined that we were able to cooperate under state and federal law. She cited a state law that allows the federal government to access confidential voter information for, quote, governmental purposes. A variety of states have challenged the DOJ's request, including many led by Republicans. Three states have notched early victories in what will likely be a year's long court battle. Lawmakers and the Democrat-heavy bipartisan coalition that controls the House said they were concerned by the Division of Elections' decision to turn over the data. Representative Ashley Carrick of Fairbanks Democrats says she's worried the government could misuse Alaskans' personal information. This is a bell that cannot be unwrung. We don't really know what's going to happen with our data in the immediate or longer-term future, and the retention of that data is extremely suspect, and Alaska does not have a recourse for that. But the reaction was mixed. Some Republicans, including Wasilla Representative Steve St. Clair, say they supported the state's decision to share its voter roles with the federal government. I don't think they have any nefarious purposes. We have a pretty bad history of protecting our own information, so I don't really see what the issue is with this. In its agreement with the state, the DOJ said it would notify the division of elections of any issues with its voter rolls for compliance with various federal voting laws. Factory trawlers and bycatch dominated the Alaska Outdoor Council's Governors Forum on Saturday. It was the first time the group has held a gubernatorial debate, but limited it to six candidates, selected mostly on the basis of a membership survey. That left six other Republicans, three Democrats, and two independents out of the mix. But while it narrowed the field, as K&BAs Rhonda McBride reports, it also limited the scope of the debate. The candidates were polite and, for the most part, stuck to their time limits. About 50 people turned out at the Sydney Lawrence Theater downtown to hear six Republicans who pretty much said what you'd expect them to say to members of one of Alaska's largest hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation groups. There was former Senator Click Bishop. When there's a moose steak...

sheep steak in every skillet, everybody's happy. Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson. Most important things to me are my family, my faith, and the great outdoors of Alaska. Former State Revenue Commissioner Adam Krum. 60% of our land is under federal control. 60%. Too many land managers treat Alaska like a museum. Podiatrist Matt Hey Lala. What's in the best interest of the next generation? Former state senator Shelley Hughes. Fish and wildlife is why many of us live here. Conservative activist Bernadette Wilson. We have to fight like hell to make sure that Alaska is making the decisions. The candidates all supported more access to fish and game, more science, more state control, but a lot less interference from the federal government. Among the ideas floated, Shelley Hughes wants to establish moose ranges. Adam Crumb pushed for more trails. Dave Bronson says pink salmon hatcheries need to be rained in. Click Bishop says the Fish and Game Commissioner's job should be split in two. One commissioner for fish, another for game. Another suggestion from Bishop that'll probably go down as the most memorable. I want clean restrooms. for the women in this room on these highways so that when they go use it, they don't have to go to the brush. That remark drew a round of applause. And a retort from Bernadette Wilson. Well, first of all, click, I'm very impressed with your knowledge of the condition of the women's restroom. But Wilson led the charge on the big issue of the forum. We have got to absolutely address trawling that is raping Alaska's waters right now, throwing away hundreds of millions of pounds of bycatch. Dave Bronson, Shelley Hughes, and Adam Crum echoed Wilson. I came to the conclusion over a period of research of a couple months that something is terribly wrong here. We like snow plows. but we don't like fish plows. Right now, when you look at it, the amount per hour of bycatch is eight tons, eight tons per hour. We need to find a way to actually figure out what is going on. Click Bishop said other threats to salmon must be investigated, like competition from Asian hatcheries. But all candidates agreed, trawler bycatch needs to be a top priority for the next governor. Only Matt Hela urged caution. We have to recognize that arguing to the death of one fishery in another... has consequences. The audience was made up mostly of campaign supporters and political operatives, like Brett Huber, head of Alaska's Americans for Prosperity Group. He says it's still too early to identify the frontrunners, which includes some of the candidates who weren't invited to the forum. But based on what he heard, he predicts factory trawler bycatch will be one of the campaign's hottest issues. It's not urban or rural. It's really...

a resource issue, and it seems to cut across all demographics and all political spectrum. So it's something that whoever's in this race and whoever's in office now ought to be. Alaska Public Media is now partnering with an Alaskan auction service so a helpful local team can get the biggest return for the least hassle should you decide to donate your vehicle. Learn more at alaskapublic.org slash vehicle. concerned with. And if a field of 17 candidates is not already crowded enough, Huber predicts we may see a few more before all is said and done. In Anchorage, I'm Rhonda McBride. Still to come on Alaska News nightly, what's it like to carve an eight-foot hunk of snow into a beautiful sculpture for Ferrandi? You hate every minute of it, and then as soon as you're done, you're proud of what you've done, and you can't wait to do it again. That is ahead. Stay with us. Alaska News Nightly is brought to you in part by your local public radio station. The Bristol Bay Subsistence Regional Advisory Council will meet in Nackneck at Dolly's Hall March 9th and 10th to develop proposals to change federal subsistence fish and shellfish regulations and discuss other subsistence issues. The public is encouraged to participate in person or via teleconference. More information at doi.gov slash subsistence slash regions or call 1-800-1456. This message sponsored by the Office of Subsistence Management. The body of a sandpoint teenager who went missing after a canoe ride was recovered late last week after almost three days of searching. The Eastern Aleutian tribes said in a statement that a recovery dive team found 15-year-old high school student Kaipo Kamenonga on Thursday. Divers arrived in Sandpoint from Anchorage Thursday morning to help with the recovery and to search nearby Red Cove Lake, where Kamenonga was last seen. Prior to that, Sandpoint Police Chief Benjamin Netanyahu Allen said he and volunteers had been the only one searching. Kamenanga went missing last Monday. The police department began a search immediately after receiving notice of his disappearance. According to Allen, Kamenonga and three other boys had gone out on four-wheelers to Red Cove Lake southwest of town. He said three of the boys, including Kamenanga, went for a ride in a canoe. The boat capsized while they were out, and Kamenanga did not make it out of the water. Alan said Kamenonga's disappearance has been hard on the Aleutian community of around 800 people.

Two state lawmakers have introduced legislation that aims to crack down on water pollution from major ships, including cruises. The Alaska Desk's Avery Elfelt reports. Senator Jesse Keel and Representative Sarah Hannan, both Democrats from Juneau, each introduced bills that target the types of fuel that ships use in Alaska waters. Put simply, the bills require ships to use fuel with low levels of sulfur. Here's keel. There is a growing trend around the world toward requiring the cleaner fuels that don't have as much sulfur and metals and other really problematic stuff on them. The legislation zeroes in on something called heavy fuel oil, a tar-like fuel that's left over after crude oil is refined. Many ships use it because it's cheap. But heavy fuel oil contains high levels of sulfur and other pollutants that increase the risk of illness when in the air. In Alaska, that sulfur doesn't enter the air. Instead, ships that use heavy fuel oil also use technology called scrubbers, which remove pollutants from their exhaust. On many ships, scrubber systems dilute the resulting material and release it back into the sea. Whatever they are putting out into the environment, that's in the waters where Alaskan's fish. where we clam and crab, where we gather seaweed. So that's where the bill is focused. Keel's bill says ships may not use fuel that exceeds a certain level of sulfur, while Hannan says ships can't use heavy fuel oil at all. Both provide a few exceptions. For instance, Hannan's bill says ships that are just passing through state waters but are not stopping in ports or entering internal waters are exempt. Hannan did not respond to an interview request. Keel's bill includes a similar exception regarding ships that are just passing through, like those traveling between Asia and the lower 48. They're spending so little time in Alaska's waters that they have. a minimal opportunity to have an impact. Notably, Kiel's bill would permit ships to use dirty fuels if they ensure the resulting pollutants do not enter the environment in any way. That's possible as ships use so-called closed-loop scrubbers. Those systems remove the pollutants from ship exhaust, but don't discharge the resulting wash water overboard. Instead, they dispose of it on land. If Ships have a technology on them that keep that stuff out of air and water. Fine. Not a problem for Alaska's environment. But if not, then you need to just not burn it in the first place. The Senate Resources Committee is set to consider Keel's bill next. Hannes has been referred to the House Transportation and Finance Committees. The Cruise Lines International Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In Haynes, I'm Averyell-Phil. Most residents of the Juno neighborhood hit hardest by annual glacial outburst flooding don't want to pay for a portion of a buyout program that would allow them to leave the flood zone.

18 homes on View Drive are located beyond the temporary levy the city built last year, and many were slammed by the record flood last summer. The federal government has offered to cover three quarters of the cost for a buyout program that would demolish the homes and turn the land into a park. The city and borough of Juneau sent an informal poll to residents of View Drive in January, asking whether they would be willing to pay the other 25% for the program using hundreds of thousands of dollars from their home payouts. If all properties participated, the total program would cost an estimated $25 million. But of the 14 property owners who responded to the poll, just two wrote that they would be interested in shouldering the cost to get out. It is unusual for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the federal agency in charge of the buyout program, to sponsor a buyout for one or two properties. During a Juneau Assembly Committee meeting last week, members asked city staff about creative ways to pay for the program that wouldn't require landowners to shoulder the burden. The city manager told the assembly that staff would have looked into other ideas months ago if the assembly had directed them to, but that wasn't the direction. Denise Koch, the city's engineering and public works director, said many residents commented they were disappointed the city asked them to pay, and she said time is of the essence. If we're going to proceed with this... We have to, you know, get people out of their homes before August of 2026. And that's really not that far away. Typically, NRCs implements this program start to finish in less than a year. Koch said if the city decides to go ahead, the next steps would be to formally ask residents whether they will participate, appraise the properties that move forward and negotiate those values with the owners, at which point they could still decide to back out. Assembly member Christine Wall said this will be a tough decision for the city to make. Maybe this is simple as this is dead in the water. No one wants to do this. CBJ can't pay that 25%. I think that's what we decided when we asked for this poll. And the homeowners can't either. But Wall said since the program is confusing, she wants to have an informal discussion with homeowners before deciding. Instead of making a decision on whether to move forward with the buyout, the assembly decided it will hold a private meeting with city staff, a couple assembly members, and view drive residents at a to-be-determined date. Cuska-Quim River Ice Road crews have plowed a road to Tuntatuliac for the first time in six years. As KYUK's Evan Erickson reports, the move is a boost for the community, still rebuilding after destruction from the remnants of Typhoon Hulang. Ice Road director Mark Leary called into KYUK's Friday Talk Line show to share the news. This is the weather we've been waiting for. As of this morning, we have 280 miles of ice road established on the Cuska-Quim River from Tuntutuliac to Joaqua, and all communities in between. Crews haven't plowed the road roughly 40 miles beyond its normal southernmost point to reach Tune Tulliak since 2020. Leary says local crews made the job easier, marking and measuring ice thickness along the route. All we had to do was follow their markers. We knew it was already measured that it was safe. Before the Cuscaquim River had fully frozen, Leary said the state emergency operations center formally requested the road be extended to Tune to Tuliac to assist with disaster relief efforts following the October 2025 storm.

In late January, the Alaska Department of Transportation transferred a surplus greater to the tribal entity that maintains the ice road to support the effort. Jeremy Zedek, a spokesperson for the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said on Sunday that state and tribal entities were determining the best way to use the ice road to move certain supplies that remain in Bethel. Leary says crews are on track to bring the total mileage of this year's ice road close to the record. Crooked Creek and the Pymute finish. Finish bowing their area, we'll have about 335, I think, miles. In 2020, the ice road stretched 355 miles after crews reached the Middle River community of Sleep Mute for the first time. In Bethel, I'm Evan Erickson. Alaska News Nightly is brought to you in part by The Great Alaska Sportsman Show, returning to the Dan Sullivan Arena March 6th through 8th, featuring exhibitors, seminars, and demonstrations focused on the outdoors. More at great Alaska Sportsman Show.com. Middle school students, the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program at the University of Alaska is recruiting students for a career exploration program. Career exploration gives students hands-on experience to learn about careers in STEM from industry professionals. These free week-long programs are in Anchorage or Southeast Alaska. Apply today at ANSEP.net. This message sponsored by ANSEP, the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program. Thanks.

Time is running short for anyone interested in acquiring the old Gerstall River Bridge on the Alaska Highway. As KUAC's Tim Ellis reports, it's one of three bridges built during World War II that the State Department of Transportation is planning to replace over the next few years. There's an old American adage used by jokesters and con men after they tell a tall tale. They follow it up by saying, and if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you. But DOT doesn't want to sell the Girstle River Bridge. They want to give it away after they build a new one. To do that, spokesperson Angelica Stobbs says federal regulations require DOT to offer the bridge to any qualifying group that will relocate and restore it and make it available to the public. She says that's because it's an historic structure that commemorates the service of African American soldiers who built the bridge back in World War II. This is the Black Veterans Bridge. It was built during a very monumental time in American history and Alaska history. This is a way for us to preserve the history of the bridge. The 1,800-foot-long Girstle Bridge is located on the Alaska Highway about 30 miles south of Delta Junction. It has nine spans, but Stobbs says only seven of them would be given away. The two that we are keeping will be blocked off so that people can't climb on them so that there's no risk of injury. They don't get vandalized. But they're still able to be viewed on the wayside. The state posted a notice about the availability of the bridge on February 3rd. But Stobb says so far DOT hasn't gotten any offers from anyone or any group interested in dismantling the seven spans and hauling them away. But there's still a few days to go before the March 6th deadline. She says the 82-year-old bridge is still sturdy, but it's long past its useful life. Back in the day, these bridges were expected to have a design service life about 50 years. Stobbs says the two-lane bridge is too narrow for 21st century transportation needs. And because it's supported by overhead trusses, its vertical clearance is too limited for taller loads. The new bridge will not have those overhead trusses. We're increasing the vertical and horizontal roadway clearance, so we're making it wider and taller and increasing its load carrying capacity. She says state and federal regulations and policies now require bridges to be able to withstand strong earthquakes and flood damage. Those standards will be incorporated into the Girstle River Bridge and also two other Alaska Highway bridges that DOT plans to replace that span the Johnson and Robertson rivers. Those bridges also were completed in 1944 and they too were built by Black soldiers and so was the Alaska Highway. The 900-foot Johnson River

Bridge located at mile post 1380 will be replaced first. Work on that overhead trust bridge is scheduled to begin next year and be completed in 2030. The Gerstle Bridge project is scheduled to get underway in 2029 and be completed in 2032. Work on the third project, the 1,800-foot Robertson River Bridge at mile post 1347, is scheduled to begin in 2030 and be completed around 2033. In Delta Junction, I'm Tim Ellis. Anchorage's fur rendezvous is a festival unique to Alaska and includes crowds of people celebrating in the freezing cold. There's ice bowling and outhouse races, sled dogs, and a fur auction. And as Alaska Public Media's Hannah Flore reports, there are snow sculptures slowly carved and sawed and smoothed into shape over the course of a week. Steve Luxon is scraping texture into his snow sculpture. He's using a chunk of plywood with some metal nailed into it. This part, he says getting the details right is the hardest. You're not moving as much. It gets cold. He's been carving snow for 12 hours, but he's okay, he says. Discomfort is only relative, right? It's 10 p.m. negative 5 degrees. Lukshin is one of a handful of snow sculptors working away under the glare of generator-powered lights. For nearly a week, they've been carving what were originally 8-foot square cubes of snow. harvested from sports fields, trucked to the sculpture site, and then snowblown, at high force, into a mold. It's part of a decades-long tradition during Anchorage's for Rondi Festival. With 12 hours left to go, Lukshin is planning to keep at it all the way through until the 10 a.m. deadline. Sleep? Ha, funny girl. Negative. It's cold, but he's prepared. Two pairs of socks, two pairs of long johns, snow pants, rain pants, three coats, a thermos of hot water, and a whole pile of tools. Hand tools only. That's all that's allowed. You don't buy these things. There's no such thing as snow carving tool Hannah Elizabeth. This actually here will actually smooth. It'll make it really, really nice to smooth. He scrapes the snow with a curry comb, normally used to clean horses. Also in his toolkit, a metal pizza paddle and a cheese grater. The first time he entered this competition 15 years ago, it was on a whim. The only tool he had was a plastic shovel. He says it was a learning experience. He's not an artist. You just learn from mistakes. That's all. You just kind of go on the outside end. That's it. And somehow you find a line and next thing you know, you're just kind of going into it. And next to know you got a knuckle or you got a wing or you have a fin. Mostly he says he loved talking to people as they came through, watching them work in the week leading up to the competition. He still does. He loves the stories, the questions, the connections with people from all over the world. This year, Lukshin is carving the Statue of Liberty. He says he's always wanted to try it. He thinks the snow torch is hilarious. But it stands way higher than the original eight-foot cube. So Lukshin stacks up extra snow blocks to get the height.

freezing them in place with a slurry of snow and water. One of those fell last night, and I almost lost a torch. That would have been bad. What would have happened if you'd lost a torch? It's profanity, Hannah. I would have been excited. Just across from Lukshin, Tyler Best is working with friends on a piece inspired by a scene in the comic Calvin and Hobbs, where Calvin's dad comes home and bemoans his son's morbid creativity. Calvin has a very vivid imagination, has created some very monstrous snow sculptures. A sprawling sea monster is picking up snowmen, looks of terror on their snow faces. Best chose the design out of affection for the comic, but also because it's hard. There's one big snowman that he estimates weighs over 200 pounds. It's wrapped in an octopus tentacle, high in the air, about to be devoured by the monster. For now, it has some extra support, but that'll be gone by the deadline. I still have the supporting structure holding it up until probably the last minute tomorrow morning. I'll sometime around 8 or so. I'll probably cut that loose. That seems very risky. It is. But that's kind of what this whole thing is about. Is every year I try to do something a little more difficult, a little harder? He says the challenge is part of the fun. Or maybe fun is the wrong word. You hate every minute of it. And then as soon as you're done, you're proud of what you've done and you can't wait to do it again. Best says he gets so much fulfillment from doing a thing that should be impossible. But it turns out it is possible. At 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, when it was tools down, best 200-pound snowman dangled from a tentacle unsupported. In Anchorage, I'm Hannah Flore. If you can't quite picture all of that and happen to be in Anchorage, you'll just have to see it for yourself. The snow sculptures are open to the public on Ship Creek Avenue just below the Rondie Carnival through March 8th.

And that's all for this edition of Alaska News Nightly. If you missed any of tonight's stories, we're online at alaskapublic.org and wherever you get your podcasts. We had reports tonight from Liz Ruskin, Rhonda McBride, and Hannah Flore and Anchorage, Eric Stone, and Alex Solomon, and Juneau. Maggie Nelson, Elfellton, and Haines, Evan Erickson and Bethel and Tim Ellis in Delta Junction. If you want to send us a news tip question or comment, email us at news at alaskapublic.org. Our audio engineer is Crystal Hyde. Kirsten Dobroth is our producer, and I'm Casey Grove. Good night. Alaska News Nightly was made possible by... Mattson, delivering the essentials for everyday life in the last frontier. Learn more at mattson.com slash Alaska. Bristol Bay Native Corporation reminding its shareholders that when you're one Bristol Bay, you share more than a place, you share a future, and distance doesn't matter. Bristol Bay Native Corporation, always more than a corporation. This is statewide news on Alaska Public Media.