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Monday, May 19, 2025

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Joe Biden diagnosed with 'aggressive' prostate cancer; Tornado strikes Kentucky, leaving at least 18 dead; Proposed proof-of-citizenship bill could impact all registered voters in Texas; Challenges arise in efforts to track, stop spread of avian flu.

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Former President Joe Biden is diagnosed with 'aggressive' prostate cancer. FBI says the explosion at a Palm Springs fertility clinic was terrorism, and Western hunters and anglers oppose sale of federally managed public lands.

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New Mexico's acequia irrigation system is a model of democratic governance, buying a house in rural America will get harder under the Trump administration's draft 2026 budget, and physicians and medical clinics serving rural America are becoming a rarity.

Alaska

Many rural Alaska communities rely on diesel-fueled generators for electricity. Those could be in jeopardy if the Inflation Reduction Act is repealed. (Adobe Stock)
Repeal of clean energy incentives would hurt AK economy, families, advocates say

Some Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, are considering repealing the Inflation Reduction Act's clean energy incentives…

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American Heart Association Alaska executive director Kristin George delivers one of hundreds of CPR and first aid kits to a remote village in rural Alaska. (AHA-Alaska)
Heart Association spreads CPR, AED lifesaving skills across rural Alaska

The Alaska branch of the American Heart Association is helping save lives by teaching the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external …

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of all serious mental health conditions begin by the age of 14 and 75% by age 24. (Adobe Stock)
Alaska lawmakers work to improve in-school mental health care

A new report card on in-school mental health services found some states, including Alaska, are making significant progress toward meeting policy …

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International students, who make up more than 5% of all U.S. higher education students, may be impacted by a federal policy change that newly allows ICE to make arrests on campuses. (Adobe Stock)
Higher ed experts advise campuses on how to prepare for ICE

On President Donald Trump's second day in office, his Secretary of Homeland Security rescinded a Biden-era rule barring Immigration and Customs …

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For many in Alaska, a trip to the doctor can mean an airplane or boat ride. Medicaid plays a significant role in making sure rural Alaskans have transportation for health care. (Adobe Stock)
Medicaid cuts could hurt low-income Alaskans, damage health care system

Experts said Medicaid cuts proposed in next year's federal budget could hurt almost 250,000 Alaskans and threaten thousands of jobs in the state's hea…

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Recent data from KFF Health show 90% of Americans said there is a mental health crisis in the country. Alaska's geography and racial and cultural diversity makes providing adequate mental health services especially challenging. (Adobe Stock)
Addressing Alaska's 'staggering' mental health care crisis

Advocacy groups said the country needs a better national system for responding to mental health emergencies. In Alaska, the absence of services for …

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Many rural residents in Alaska must travel long distances to see a doctor. Proposed cuts to the Medicaid program could slash funding for those trips, making access to care more difficult and expensive. (Adobe Stock)
Health care advocate says future of Medicaid critical for rural Alaskans

A new report finds that significant cuts proposed for Medicaid funding would disproportionately affect rural and small-town residents in Alaska and ma…

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As of 2022, there were more than 79,000 Alaskans on Medicare. (Adobe Stock)
Advocates: Alaskans should review health plans during open enrollment

With open enrollment season underway, advocates are reminding Alaskans to consider their options before the window closes. Medicare's open enrollment …

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The most recent estimate by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for Cook Inlet beluga whales is 331 individual animals, down from 1,300 in 1979. (Adobe Stock)
Alaskan belugas face threat from dwindling food supply, pollution

Beluga whales are known as the "canaries of the sea" for their melodious songs but conservation groups are concerned one pod in Alaska could be render…

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Advocates are calling for higher teacher salaries to help Alaska can recruit and retain more educators. (Jacob Lund/Adobestock)
Report: Alaska ranks near bottom in overall child well-being

Alaska ranks 41st in the nation in terms of overall child well-being, according to the new 2024 Kids Count Data Bookfrom the Annie E. Casey …

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Juneau's Mendenhall Glacier has narrowed and thinned by about 2,000 feet during the past four decades. (Adobe Stock)
Southeast Alaska is heating homes with its rainfall

By Taylor Kate Brown for Grist.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Alaska News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Serv…

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Well-child visits include vision screenings, but if a primary care provider detects a vision problem CHIP also covers comprehensive eye exams and necessary treatment. (Tyler Olson/Adobe Stock)
Report: AK covers fewer kids with public insurance vs. 2019

A new report shows the number of children covered by Medicaid varied widely between states as pandemic-era protections were lifted, with Alaska …

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