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KNBA WEBCAST: Thursday, August 6, 2026

KNBA | By Rhonda McBride

Published August 6, 2026 at 11:51 AM AKDT

Sen. Lisa Murkowski at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 31, 2023. Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media

KNBA’s Top Stories:

MURKOWSKI VOTE. All eyes are on Sen. Lisa Murkowski — one of two key votes Todd Blanche needs to be confirmed as the U.S. Attorney General. Alaska Public Media’s Liz Ruskin was one of many reporters trying to pin the senator down on how she will vote.

Fired federal workers formerly with the U.S. Forest Service based at the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau speak at the Alaska State Capitol about their experiences on March 21, 2025. The Forest Service was among the federal agencies in Alaska most heavily affected by job cuts.

FEDERAL JOB CUTS. A new study on federal workforce cuts shows Alaska was one of the hardest hit in the nation.

University of Alaska Southeast students celebrate their graduation on Sunday, May 7, 2023.

UA TUITION. Whether you live in Alaska or outside, all University of Alaska students will now pay the same tuition. The Board of Regents has eliminated the higher non-resident tuition fees.

The Gustavus family’s sailboat with a large patch over the hole where the whale struck it. Courtesy of Lu Syrene

WHALE SINKS BOAT. A Gustavus family’s sailboat suddenly sank in Glacier Bay National Park last week. The family made it to shore, soaked in their pajamas, then waited overnight for rescue. As KTOO’s Alix Soliman reports, when they recovered the sailboat a few days later, they found something unusual attached: skin from a humpback whale.