The first 100 days of the Trump Administration | Talk of Alaska
We discuss what has changed and how Alaskans feel about it after three months of the second Trump Administration.
May 06, 2025•54 min
Talk of Alaska
Alaska’s only statewide call-in forum for discussing the issues impacting life on the Last Frontier. Politics, science, culture and current events are covered by host Lori Townsend and members of the Alaska Public Media news team along with guests and callers.
Episodes
Sen. Lisa Murkowski discusses federal policy | Talk of Alaska
Sen. Lisa Murkowski joins us from Washington DC to answer your questions on this Talk of Alaska.
Apr 29, 2025•56 min
Efforts to bring down housing costs | Talk of Alaska
What can state leaders, local governments and housing authorities do to meet the extreme demand for affordable housing?
Apr 22, 2025•54 min
Education funding, the budget, and other legislative priorities | Talk of Alaska
How will state leaders overcome division on perennial issues like state education spending, the permanent fund dividend and infrastructure needs across the state?
Apr 15, 2025•54 min
The history of limited entry fisheries | Talk of Alaska
After five decades of the Limited Entry program, many rural communities have lost the majority of their local commercial fishing permits.
Apr 08, 2025•55 min
The potential for a Mount Spurr eruption | Talk of Alaska
Alaska volcanoes are sometimes restless. In many cases, activity elevates and then dies back down, but Mount Spurr, near Anchorage appears to be waking up. Scientists now say an eruption near the state’s largest city is more likely than not in coming weeks or months. What could a big eruption mean for health, infrastructure and air travel? We hear from scientists and public health officials on this Talk of Alaska. HOST: Lori Townsend GUESTS: Dr. George Conway - Chief Medical Officer, Municipalit...
Apr 01, 2025•54 min
What to know about this year's early wildfire season | Talk of Alaska
Spring yard work in March? Southcentral and other areas of Alaska saw very low snowfall throughout the winter.
Mar 25, 2025•55 min
Food systems, agriculture, and the 2025 Food Festival and Conference | Talk of Alaska
Alaska imports the vast majority of food from other states and countries making our state vulnerable to supply line disruptions and driving up prices. The Alaska Food Policy Council aims to help support more in-state food production and distribution. What are the unique challenges and opportunities for Alaskans interested in boosting the annual harvest? What do food policy advocates think of the proposed Alaska Department of Agriculture? We discuss the ongoing work and AFPC's upcoming conference...
Mar 18, 2025•54 min
Reflecting on 50 years of the Alaska State Ombudsman | Talk of Alaska
The ombudsman helps elevate the voices of everyday Alaskans when they have a complaint with or seek change in government services.
Mar 11, 2025•54 min
Local news, misinformation, and media literacy | Talk of Alaska
We discuss how local news works, and how to think critically about the news and information you consume.
Mar 04, 2025•55 min
How uncertain federal money is affecting nonprofits and local governments | Talk of Alaska
We discuss what is known, and what has service-providers concerned, about the ongoing freezes on federal funds, on this Talk of Alaska.
Feb 25, 2025•54 min
What will new tariffs mean for Alaska? | Talk of Alaska
President Trump has spoken at length about his love of tariffs. He has paused, for now, a broad tax on imports from Canada and Mexico, but a 10% tariff on Chinese goods is in effect, along with a 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminum. The President has also laid out a timeline for reciprocal tariffs to be applied to any country that taxes US goods. What will these new taxes mean for Alaska commerce, the cost of construction, the seafood industry and grocery prices? Economic experts join us t...
Feb 18, 2025•55 min
Renaming Denali | Talk of Alaska
President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders in his first few days in office. Some have been celebrated, some caused confusion and some left federal employees uncertain about their future. One order really struck a chord with Alaskans: the executive order that changed the name of North America’s highest peak back to Mount McKinley from its Koyukon Athabascan name, Denali. We asked what you thought and heard from more than 700 Alaskans! Did you weigh in? We discuss the importance of...
Feb 04, 2025•54 min
How the state and tribal organizations respond to disasters | Talk of Alaska
As a disruptive climate contributes to more damaging storms, floods and wildfires, how prepared are you to make it through an emergency?
Jan 28, 2025•56 min
Carbon capture, use, and storage | Talk of Alaska
How does carbon sequestration technology work, and what are its potential applications in Alaska? We discuss carbon capture, use, and storage on this Talk of Alaska.
Jan 21, 2025•56 min
ANILCA: Carter's Legacy in Alaska | Talk of Alaska
Former President Jimmy Carter’s death has Alaskans reflecting on how he shaped the state. The Alaska conservation law Carter signed doubled the size of America’s National Park System. It vastly expanded wildlife refuges, among other set-asides. Many Alaskans were angry, saying the 1980 law locked up land, but it also gave Alaskans certain access rights that are unique in federal land management. We discuss Carter's legacy of conservation, and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act o...
Jan 15, 2025•55 min
Development under a second Trump administration | Talk of Alaska
Alaska’s oil and gas sector has long been in decline. From a peak of oil production in the 80s, more than 2 million barrels per day, to a 75% drop to under 500,000 today. With some projects in development now and a new extraction friendly administration headed to the white house, will Alaska’s fossil fuel sector boom again? Or will the world’s move toward renewables change industry development plans here? We discuss the future of Alaska’s energy industry on Talk of Alaska.
Jan 08, 2025•54 min
Talk of Alaska: Holiday Greetings from Across the State 2024
Connecting Alaskans, from Utqiaġvik to Juneau, hear festive greetings, well wishes and sentiments from those who call Alaska home. With listeners all over the state, and even in the Lower 48 and Hawaii, this show is the perfect opportunity to send love to friends and family, no matter where they may be.
Dec 24, 2024•1 hr 56 min
Cozy reading recommendations for the fall and winter | Talk of Alaska Rewind
As the temperatures outside drop, the temptation to curl up next to the fireplace with a good book only grows. A memorable novel can take us out of the dark and cold and transport us somewhere entirely new. So what do bookstore owners and librarians say are the best new reads? And what role do these gathering places play in the larger community? We discuss reading recommendations for the colder seasons on this Talk of Alaska.
Dec 13, 2024•54 min
Alaska's foster care shortage | Talk of Alaska
A safe, stable and supportive home is important for helping young people start life off on solid emotional ground, but sudden tragedies, accidents, illness and dysfunction can lead to children needing foster care. It can be hard to find nurturing adults to provide care, especially for kids who need intensive, therapeutic care. A new campaign seeks to raise awareness and recruit new foster care families. We learn more on this Talk of Alaska.
Dec 11, 2024•56 min
Anchorage International Film Festival 2024
Alaska's darkest season is a great time of year to see new movies and documentaries with family and friends. The Anchorage International Film Festival gets underway on Friday, December 6, and features a packed schedule of documentaries, short films, comedy, animation and discussions with filmmakers. It will be a week filled with creative and thoughtful content from both Alaska filmmakers and international selections. We hear from filmmakers and the festival directors on this Talk of Alaska.
Dec 03, 2024•54 min
What can Anchorage’s beached whale teach us? | Talk of Alaska
Whales hold a deep and an outsized role in Alaska’s culture. The huge sea mammals are a centuries long mainstay of steady protein for Alaska Native communities and they invoke mystique and power for many Alaskans. A dead fin whale that washed up near Anchorage is bringing hundreds of spectators to the beach. What is the whale teaching biologists about the health of Alaska’s whale populations and by extension the health of oceans? We’ll learn more on this Talk of Alaska
Nov 26, 2024•54 min
Making Alaska roadways safer | Talk of Alaska
Pedestrian safety should be a major consideration when transportation corridors are being built. But for decades, roads and highways were designed to create speedy and efficient movement of vehicles, not people on foot or on a bicycle. As understanding grows of the health, safety and community benefits from creating walk and bike routes, city planners and traffic engineers are getting better at designing for the safety of all users. Anchorage has had a lethal stretch of pedestrian deaths in rece...
Nov 19, 2024•54 min
Dealing with the dark | Talk of Alaska Rewind
On this Talk of Alaska, we revisit our 2023 discussion on darkness, and finding ways to enjoy the short days of winter.
Nov 14, 2024•57 min
Restricting phone use in schools | Talk of Alaska
The harm that comes from too much cell phone time, especially for young people, has become much clearer in recent years. So much so that the U.S. Surgeon General is calling for warning labels on social media platforms, similar to the warnings on cigarettes and alcohol, because of what he calls a youth mental health crisis. Education leaders are grappling with how to keep kids focused during the school day while balancing logistics and safety concerns. Should cellphones be banned in school? If so...
Nov 05, 2024•55 min
Alaska Children's Trust Lived Experience Storytelling Project | Talk of Alaska
Leading a happy, healthy and productive life should be available to all of us, and it is, but sometimes the path to it can be buried under years of trauma, abuse, neglect and addiction. Those of us who have suffered abusive behavior in the past may have locked it down or tried to ignore it or numb it through alcohol and drugs. Sharing our experiences, the good and the bad, can be a powerful start to healing, forgiveness and a life with less pain. We talk with Alaskans who have done just that and...
Oct 29, 2024•55 min
Alaskans in the Fulbright Arctic Initiative | Talk of Alaska
Who should help shape the future of clean energy, land and water use, community health and sustainable economic growth in the far north? Three Alaska women have been selected as Fulbright Arctic Initiative scholars, and although they have very different career paths, they share the common goal of a healthy, secure Arctic where the people who call this vast region home have a say in what that future looks like. We learn about their international research plans and what they hope will come out of ...
Oct 22, 2024•54 min
Engaging voters in underserved communities | Talk of Alaska
Presidential elections typically draw a significant number of voters to the polls. This year a coalition of Alaska organizations is working to increase that number even more, especially in underserved communities. What does it take to boost voter turnout across the state, especially in communities where people aren’t as likely to vote, and what issues are bringing Alaskans to the polls? We discuss voter engagement on this Talk of Alaska.
Oct 15, 2024•54 min
Changes in Alaska's nonprofit landscape | Talk of Alaska
Alaska nonprofits have an outsized role in addressing needs for a broad swath of services, from child care to mental health support to food production. Beyond the services they provide, nonprofits are also a big part of the economic engine of the state. What will changes in leadership at some of the largest nonprofits here mean for the future of supportive services and rates of charitable giving? We discuss the future of Alaska’s nonprofit sector on this next Talk of Alaska.
Oct 08, 2024•55 min
Cozy reading recommendations for the fall and winter | Talk of Alaska
As the temperatures outside drop, the temptation to curl up next to the fireplace with a good book only grows. A memorable novel can take us out of the dark and cold and transport us somewhere entirely new. So what do bookstore owners and librarians say are the best new reads? What role do these gathering places play in the larger community? We discuss reading recommendations for the colder seasons on this Talk of Alaska.
Sep 24, 2024•54 min
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