Alaska News Nightly: Friday, September 19, 2025

I want to project a message of something that can actually get us through this impasse. Senator Lisa Murkowski works to find the middle ground to avoid a government shutdown. From Alaska Public Media, this is statewide news on Alaska News Nightly for Friday, September 19th. Good evening. I'm Casey Grove. Also tonight, Alaska's own Olympic gold medalist Keekin Randall is headed to the ski and snowboard Hall of Fame. Being inducted into the ski and snowboard Hall of Fame, I feel like as an accomplishment for our whole community that believed in what was possible. Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly. The U.S. Senate rejected two partisan spending bills today, bringing the country closer to a partial government shutdown on October 1st. Senator Lisa Murkowski voted against both the Republican spending bill and the Democratic version. As Alaska Public Media Washington correspondent Liz Ruskin reports, Lisa Murkowski is hoping to forge a middle path. On this vote, the yeas are 44, the nays are 48. The 60 vote threshold having not been achieved, the bill is not passed. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski were the only Republicans to vote against the Republican stopgap spending bill. So a horde of reporters was waiting for her in the hall and by the train that shuttles senators back to their office buildings. Today was a messaging exercise. We saw both proposals fail. I want to project a message of something that can actually get us through this impasse. One thing Lisa Murkowski wants the bill to include is money to continue, at least temporarily, subsidies for people who buy their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Some of the subsidies are due to expire this year. Lisa Murkowski says if Congress doesn't act... many Americans are going to see their premiums skyrocket. In less than a month, we're going to see rates announced across the country that are going to catch people, you know, beyond surprise. At issue is a short-term spending bill known as a continuing resolution or CR. Congress passes them to keep the government funded while members work on longer-term appropriations bills. Lisa Murkowski says there's still time to negotiate a bipartisan solution and avoid a shutdown. Senate Democrats proposed to permanently extend the expiring insurance subsidies as well as other items worth more than a trillion dollars. Lisa Murkowski says their bill was a pie in the sky wish list. That's not realistic, even though there are many pieces of that that I would agree with, correct?

Vessel traffic in portions of the Arctic, like in the Bering Strait region, has been increasing, and Ceres says the new route would help accommodate that growth. Ceres says the plan would also help ensure that the potential increase in resource development in the Arctic does not interfere with shipping, and it would make travel in the Arctic more predictable. Right now, he says, people might be avoiding the area vary of uncharted shoals or higher insurance costs. Having a modern, up-to-date surveys and a specified area where they're supposed to go, you know, sort of eliminate some of the barriers that might keep people from using the Arctic as a future trade route in the future. The Coast Guard has been accepting comments from the public and tribes. Once the draft has been finished with revisions, they hope to take it to the International Maritime Organization that meets in spring. In Anchorage, I am Alona Knighton. This year's permanent fund dividend will be exactly $1,000. Payments to more than 600,000 Alaskans are set to begin October 2nd. The $1,000 pfd is the lowest in five years, and adjusting for inflation, it's the smallest in state history. Last year's dividend was roughly $1,700. The Department of Revenue announced the $1,000 figure in a news release this afternoon, but it's not exactly a surprise. Lawmakers approved the amount when they passed the state budget in May. Alaskans who applied electronically and requested direct deposits will be included in the first round of payments. People who filed paper applications or requested a physical check can expect their dividends starting October 23rd. Still to come on Alaska News Nightly, a remodeled school library Stokes creativity in Anchorage. Library, I think, nourishes the aspects of the kids that thrive and need exploration and a lack of structure. That's ahead. Stay with us. Officials with the University of Alaska Anchorage say they're seeing their largest increase in enrollment in over a decade. UAA Provost Denise Rungi says the university had modest growth up until 2016 when total student enrollment started to decline. That includes part and full-time students. She says it only started to rebound a couple years ago. We saw a couple of percentage points in growth last year and a couple of percentage points in the spring last year. And then this fall, we've got this 6% jump. While a 6% bump in all students enrolled in classes may not sound like a lot, Rungi says it puts the university in a better position than a lot of colleges across the country. 6% is a big deal. It is a big deal in a single year, particularly in a time when the rest of the nation is talking about something called the enrollment cliff, which has to do with demographics and fewer young people going to college.

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that nationwide, colleges and universities have seen a roughly 15% decline in enrollment between 2010 and 2021, equaling about 2.7 million fewer students. Officials for the statewide University of Alaska system say overall enrollment is on track to be about 5% higher than last year. The Fairbanks campus is seeing an almost 6% bump in enrollment, while the southeast campus in Juneau has a roughly 9% decline. In Anchorage, Rungi credits the increase in enrollment to more community outreach. UAA for about five years has been super intentional at becoming more community engaged and particularly working partnerships with the two largest school districts in our region, the Anchorage School District and the Matsuburro School District. And I think that work is beginning to pay off. Rungi says the education programs and the community and technical college have seen the largest gains in enrollment. In total, UA officials anticipate a total of about 20,500 students to be enrolled statewide in both the major and satellite campuses by the end of this semester. Heat pumps are growing in popularity across the country, including in parts of Alaska. They're more energy efficient than traditional heating methods like boilers or furnaces because instead of generating heat, they move it from one place to another. A new study shows it could extend the life of Cook Inlet natural gas supplies if enough Anchorage residents installed one. But as Alaska Public Media's Aval White reports, the study also shows the systems don't make financial sense in most cases in the state's largest city. Heat pumps haven't always been a good option in cold climates, but the technology is improving quickly, and they work well in places like Anchorage Now. Only a tiny number of residents in the city have one, though. Why? The fact that it is more expensive in the median case is probably why people aren't doing it. Ian Mills is the research data manager for the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development. He's the lead author of a study published in June that analyzes the potential for air source heat pumps to be used more widely in Anchorage. Heat pumps run on electricity. And although they're more efficient than traditional heating methods, the report found the city's electric prices essentially negates their efficiency advantage. Compared nationally, Anchorage natural gas prices are far below the average, but electricity prices are much higher. According to the report, it costs residents $2,300 more annually to heat their homes if they made the swap. Mills says that cost difference is a barrier for residents, including himself. If that difference was $500, I think people would be much more willing to say, oh, well, there's all these side benefits and it's better for the environment, so I'll do it.

Widespread heat pump adoption in the state's largest city would extend the life of natural gas supplies and cook inlet, the study says, but it doesn't say for how long. Mill says heat pumps in cold climates often rely on backup heat sources, such as electrical resistance heating, but even then, he says you're using less energy. It's just that because our electricity is relatively expensive and the realities of generating electricity from natural gas and because our natural gas is pretty cheap, this energy savings never translates into a meaningful dollar savings. Even if heat pumps become more affordable, there are still hurdles the study identifies, including the complexity of permitting, consumer skepticism, and limited workforce capacity. In Anchorage, the report says that there's no temperature where heat pumps are cheaper to operate than a furnace or boiler, but the study explored ways to make them more affordable. One solution is special rate structures for heat pump users in Anchorage. And that's something Chugatch Electric is considering. Mark Hensbetter is a business development analyst with the company. He says Chugatch is discussing how to design rates that will support heat pump adoption. There's a lot of good programs that have been successfully implemented in other parts of the country that we're also looking at to try to see like what really works. There's I think certainly some, you know, good opportunities to have, whether it's heat pump specific rates or just. rates that support certain types of beneficial electrification. Those changes would have to be approved by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska. He says only several hundred of the utilities over 90,000 customers currently have a heat pump, but he's hearing increasing interest. Henspedter is considering installing a heat pump himself for supplemental heat. He says some customers are switching to the technology because they can also provide air conditioning in the summer, which many homes in the city don't have. He compares buying a heat pump to purchasing a new car. There are considerations beyond cost, like fuel economy, safety features, or the number of seats. He says with heat pumps, it's the same thing. Maybe it is that reduced exposure to price volatility of natural gas. You know, maybe it's going to be a carbon reduction. Maybe it's just going to be more consistent temperature. The utility provides rebates of $900 for residential customers and $1,500 for commercial members who install heat pumps. Henspeder says he expects the number of heat pumps in the city to grow as more residents become aware of the technology. And if a quarter of locals switched by 2045, the study found it'd prevent as much CO2 as all Anchorage cars produce in an entire year. In Anchorage, I'm Ava White. For many students, school libraries offer an opportunity to explore a variety of topics outside of otherwise structured classroom activities. At one Anchorage Elementary School, a local volunteer who happens to be a former state legislator, saw an opportunity to breathe fresh life into the library, aiming to foster learning creativity and whimsy. Alaska Public Media's Wesley Early has more.

When spring sun warm the seeds, Sandlake Elementary School librarian Tom Grenier reads from the book Red Leaf Yellow Leaf with a group of kindergartners. What do you think will happen with the seeds in their tiny leaves? They brought, that's a very good yes. As the kids listen along, a local artist is hand-drawing a mural on an opposite wall with detailed foliage and a smattering of animals gazing at a sunset. In one corner, decorative coyfish hang from the ceiling near an exhibit highlighting the school's Japanese immersion program. In another, a large window illuminates a revamped quiet reading area. These are all renovations spurred by a community member's time spent volunteering at the school. Former state legislator Andrew Haukro, a Republican representative who once ran for governors and independent, says, He began coming to the library a couple times a week after he retired two years ago to help shelve books. After a couple of weeks, it's, you know, my... my mind started to kick in. I started to think of ways you could improve the library, right? Get kids to books faster, eliminate some of the security concerns, make it more fun and whimsical. How Crow met with the local PTA and they issued a survey to students asking what they'd like to see from their library. In the number one response was kids loved the quiet reading area. So we invested a lot of money in seating, in new cushions and pillows for the reading area because the kids really grew. gravitated towards that. Howker and his wife Vicky paid for the renovations, which also include a couple iPads to help kids find their books faster and updated bookends showing animals climbing in trees and clouds labeling the various topics. On a nearby ladder, artist Ted Kim is using a Sharpie to free hand draw a mural. This piece, I think I've only used. I've only cycled through five different markers. Kim has been showcasing his art and Anchorage for more than 20 years. He says he caught the artistic bug as a kid going to his school's library. Some of my fondest memories were going to the library and checking out the books. And I feel like that's kind of where it all started with, you know, just this magic of, you know, creativity and just, uh... you know, imagination. Kim says he was given a lot of freedom to draw the mural. There are leaves and flowers lining the walls. There's also a large lion, Sandlake's mascot, surrounded by a couple Maltese dogs, like the ones Kim has at home. His daughter suggested a capybara should be added. There's even a small nod to Grenier, the school's librarian. The panda playing the guitar is a tribute to Tom, the librarian here. He's an awesome guitarist. There was a great big moose. There was a great big moose. Grenier strums along during a story time with the kindergartners as the kids sing along.

There was a great big miss. There was a great big miss. We like to drink a lot of juice. Greener says he appreciates the attention being paid to the library, both from the students that took the survey and the donations that made the renovations possible. He says a lot of the school curriculum is focused on very structured topics like math and science, but the library helps to stretch kids' creativity. Library, I think, nourishes the aspects of the kids. that thrive and need exploration and a lack of structure and discovery and self-selection. And Greener says the renovations are working. He's noticed an uptick and attention from students, even the older ones, who typically outgrow the elementary catalog. I've been able to put brand new books about supercurrent stuff out on the tabletops and check out among the older grades is definitely up. And that's... That makes your job fun. Howcro says the project is ongoing, and they'll continue to survey students on what sorts of new books they want in their library. Reporting in Anchorage, I'm Wesley Early. Champion Alaskan skier, Keekin Randall, is set to be inducted into the U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. Randall, who lives in Anchorage and is the executive director of the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage, is widely regarded as the most accomplished cross-country skier to come out of Alaska. Randall's professional career included 29 World Cup podiums, a world championship silver medal in 2009, and a gold in 2013. It culminated in Randall's final Olympic Games in 2018, when she and Jesse Diggins won the team sprint to give the U.S. its first ever Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing. Randall is also a cancer survivor and mother of two. But even with all of that, she says she was still surprised to get the call earlier this week, telling her she was headed to the Hall of Fame. My first instinct was, wait a second, I'm not too young, this is too soon. But it's cool because I know a lot of the other athletes and inspirational figures in the hall are a lot of people that have been heroes of mine. So I just feel honored to be a part of it. That's super cool. Yeah. I mean, just as you reflect on what that means to you personally, what do you think about, I mean, being honored in that way? Well, I just think about the role that role models have played in my life, and especially I think now that I work on the implementation side of sport, where I help put together programs and I understand more of what it takes, the volunteer efforts, the dedication from people. So the fact that I think my being inducted into the Hall of Fame now just does kind of solidify the role I've gotten to play. on the backs of those who have inspired me and created sport for me. And so I think it's just a really cool circle of inspiration we have because, you know, I've already gotten to hear some fun stories of athletes who grew up looking up to me. And now they're the ones that my kids are looking up to. Yeah, no doubt. So I wonder with this Hall of Fame induction, what do you think that means to other people here in Anchorage or just in Alaska in general?

Well, I've just noticed throughout my whole career that for everything, you know, that I've been able to achieve by crossing my ski across the finish line, you know, it's not been just an individual effort. There's been a whole group of people behind me, not only my family, my coaches, my teammates, but really the community. I mean, so many people here in Anchorage that when I talked about winning a medal at the Olympics, which had never been done by a woman before. People didn't laugh at me. They said, wow, yeah, let's go for it. And so being inducted into the ski and snowboard Hall of Fame, I feel like as an accomplishment for our whole community that believed in what was possible, you know, was there helping every step of the way when it was two steps forward, one step back. And now we all kind of get to feel proud about this together. Yeah. So I realize this might be kind of a big question, but, you know, inspiration aside. How did you do it? How did you find success in skiing? Well, I think there's that whole nature versus nurture debate. And I think there was like anything, a combination of both. I think I certainly had some character traits that showed up very early on that when I saw something that I wanted, I was kind of bound to determine to put my head down and go for it. That type of spirit still needs to be cultivated with a good environment. And growing up here in Anchorage, Alaska, there were just so many great opportunities to let those characteristics really flourish. I mean, starting with some of the early, I think, running events that I got involved with here in Anchorage. I mean, the Tuesday Night Race Series, and there used to be this Anchorage Kids running track meet series. And so I got to go out and test myself and see what that felt like and see improvement. And people were very encouraging. and my role models I would see in the grocery store and I got to become good friends with. And so all along, I had opportunities to develop. I had good support. I had inspiration. And then, you know, when I got to the point where I was in high school and I was doing a bunch of different sports and I kind of had to decide what path I wanted to go, again, there was just the right program. I mean, when I started at the APU Nordic Ski Center, back then it was called Gold 2002, Jim Galanis, who started that program, had this vision for how American skiers could be successful, how the pattern we had been doing before as a system was not working. And he had this vision. And I happened to get introduced to him into that program. And had I not, you know, maybe I would have ended up on a totally different path. So I think it was the right mix of really great programs and mentors and then just, but still that determination and stubbornness at times. and patience to see it come through. Yeah. I wonder, do you see younger skiers kind of in the mix around Anchorage that stand out to you that might, you know, one day go on to achieve the same level of success that you've had? Well, I think someone asked me right after the Hall of Fame announcement, what are you most proud of? And I think for me, it's the fact that what I was able to do in my sport career really opened the door of possibility in cross-country skiing, both for the United States.

But I think really here in Alaska, too, of, oh, this isn't just a fun thing to do to go to the Olympics. You can actually win the Olympics. And so when I see the young skiers coming through already, Gus Schumacher has had some accolades that I didn't get in my career. I mean, he's really proven that he can be at the top of the world. And he's... really in this group of men that have really bonded together seemingly as a team and are pushing each other. And so, you know, as a relay team, they won a medal at World Juniors. And J.C. Schoonmaker and Luke Jagger, they're, you know, knocking at the door. And I think if they just keep staying patient and supportive, they can break through. But now you also have a whole community of people, I think, that are believing in what's possible and they're seeing how it can really kind of... pay off over time. And for as many people as we're putting on the Olympic team and potentially on the Olympic podium, there's a hundred more of people that are just living a great lifestyle. And my best friends today are the friends I was on my high school ski team with. And my APU team and my, you know, U.S. ski team. It's just like, it's such a great lifestyle sport. That was Olympic champion cross-country skier Keekin Randall, who was set to be inducted into the U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in April of 26.

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, wherever you get your podcasts. We had reports tonight from Liz Ruskin in Washington, D.C., Eliona Niden, Wesley Early in Ava White in Anchorage, and Eric Stone in Juneau. If you want to send us a news tip, question, or comment, email us at newsatskapublic.org. Our audio engineers, Chris Hyde, any fight produced tonight's show. I'm Casey Grove. Have a great weekend.