Hannah Flor

2 weeks ago | alaskapublic.org | Hannah Flor |Madilyn Rose

There’s a lot going on in the summertime in Alaska. Longer days and warmer weather can mean fishing, hiking, camping and other ways to enjoy the sunlight. On this Talk of Alaska, we take a look at organized events around the state like live music, local food festivals and cultural celebrations. What do these events bring to a community? How do they shape the place? We talk to event organizers around the state, and hear from listeners about their favorite events on this Talk of Alaska.

3 weeks ago | alaskapublic.org | Hannah Flor

Firefighters were burning piles of spruce branches all over the Anchorage Hillside this May. Each stack needs to be 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide, according to Ethan DeBauche, a fuels specialist with the state Division of Forestry and Fire Prevention. “It’s more than throwing a massive amount of sticks on the ground,” he said. The specific way of piling up the branches helps them burn all the way back down. When it comes to wildfire mitigation, there are specific ways to do pretty much everything.

4 weeks ago | alaskapublic.org | Hannah Flor

Anchorage police and municipal workers are set to clear out two of the city’s largest homeless camps next month, as notices went up Friday in Mountain View’s Davis Park and the nearby snow dump. That’s under a mandate from Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, who says the camps have negatively affected the wellbeing of the surrounding neighborhood, reduced residents’ access to public spaces and increased risk for the nearby military base.

1 month ago | alaskapublic.org | Hannah Flor

Scientists are still keeping a close eye on the volcano nearest to Anchorage, despite an ongoing decrease in activity. They're pouring over seismic data and periodically conducting fly-overs. “We're not out of the woods yet, by any means,” said Matt Haney, a researcher with the Alaska Volcano Observatory. “There's still earthquakes happening at Mount Spurr.”But as of Wednesday, the observatory said the likelihood of an eruption continued to decline.

1 month ago | alaskapublic.org | Hannah Flor

For a while, the little trapezoid of green space was home to 10 people. Cars whizzed by the island of trees as Anchorage Police Sgt. Kenneth Anglin walked through, pointing out the things people had left behind. “Needles on the ground, just wood everywhere, couches in random spots and then large piles of garbage,” he said. The number of people experiencing homelessness in Anchorage has gone up in recent years.