Talk of Alaska Alaska Public Media

The Alaska Court System is honoring 25 years of therapeutic courts in the state this month. These alternative paths to justice and rehabilitation bring together a broad partnership of law enforcement, corrections and health professionals to work on a plan of treatment rather than incarceration for Alaskans who struggle with mental health challenges, past trauma or addictions. The idea is to prevent recidivism, reduce crime and promote public safety. How well have the courts performed in the last 25 years and what will the next 25 look like? We discuss therapeutic courts on this Talk of Alaska.

In shops across Alaska, sales of cannabis flower and extracted products have been legal for nearly a decade. How are growers and retailers faring in a heavily-taxed and competitive industry? A bill advocates hoped would lower tax rates didn’t pass the legislature, so what does that mean for the industry? And what does a federal change to reclassify marijuana mean for the future of full legalization? We discuss legal cannabis sales and the outlook for the future on this Talk of Alaska.

Environmental legislation that was passed in the 1970s has aimed to protect air, water, soil and animals. One of the largest laws, the Endangered Species Act, is 50 years old, and through the decades the Act has helped numerous species recover and thrive. How has a rapidly changing climate affected listing petitions and the way plans are developed for recovery? What are the effects on the economy when species are listed? What success stories does the Act have in protecting Alaskan animals? We discuss the legacy of the Endangered Species Act on this Talk of Alaska

Wildfire is inevitable, but weather conditions and human behavior have a lot to do with how big a fire season will be and how much acreage is burned. What is the outlook for this year’s fire season in Alaska, and what are the best ways to protect your property and community from fire? Are state and federal managers preparing for an average or big year for firefighting? We discuss the 2024 wildfire seasonal outlook on this Talk of Alaska.

Who should decide how public education dollars are allocated? An Anchorage Superior court judge recently threw out the laws supporting Alaska’s correspondence education program, ruling it unconstitutional and leaving the future of homeschooling options in limbo. The decision affects more than 20,000 homeschool students in the state. What’s the right path forward, a legislative fix or the Supreme Court? We discuss the future of where and how state education funds can be spent on this Talk of Alaska.

Putting on a touring Broadway Musical in the Lower 48 is an expensive, complicated, and difficult process. When bringing one to Alaska though, it starts to cross the line from difficult, to logistical nightmare. However, over the last year not one, but four Broadway shows, counting hundreds among their cast and crew, came to Alaska to perform. How is it that shows like Hamilton and Six brought not just their people, but their massive, complicated sets, up to the 49th state? We answer that question and more about Broadway Alaska’s very first season on this Talk of Alaska.