Emily Schwing

The rig is scheduled to head into the Arctic later this summer as part of an exploratory offshore drilling operation. That drilling is controversial — at least in the lower 48 states.

Warm temperatures and dwindling snow have shaken even the toughest mushers. Alaskans are worried about the future of their state sport.

Friday's deadline was set after a U.S. District Court judge ruled the state violated the Voting Rights Act by not providing some native speakers with materials in their language.

Wildfire season is approaching, and smoke jumpers are refreshing their skills in preparation for what's expected to be a busy summer. These jumpers are a small, elite group of men and women who take to the air when a fire can't be fought on the ground alone. Emily Schwing of member station KUAC reports from a training camp in Fairbanks, Alaska.

One month each fall, residents of interior Alaska don chest waders and splash through the clear, frigid waters of the Chatanika River. With large homemade lanterns hanging from their necks and spears in hand, the fishermen keep their eyes peeled for whitefish.

It takes a lot more than snow to keep Alaskan bikers indoors, especially now that they have fat bikes. Think mountain bike on steroids, with tires wider than most people's arms.