Here’s a look at how AP’s general news coverage is shaping up for select Alaska stories. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s complete coverage of Alaska and the rest of the world, visit Coverage Plan at newsroom.ap.org
Questions about coverage plans are welcome and should be directed to the AP-Anchorage bureau at 907-272-7549.
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This information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Coverage Plan will keep you up to date. All times are Alaska unless specified otherwise.
TOP STORIES:
BIDEN-PUBLIC LANDS — The Biden administration wants to put conserving vast government-owned lands on equal footing with oil drilling, livestock grazing and other interests, according to a top administration official who defended the idea against criticism that it could sideline industry. By Matthew Brown. SENT: 670 words, photos.
ALASKA-3 DEAD — Police found the bodies of three family members in a Fairbanks home when conducting a welfare check, officials said Monday. SENT: 165 words.
LOCALIZATION:
DARTMOUTH NATIVE AMERICAN REMAINS-LOCALIZE IT: Dartmouth College announced that it found the skeletal remains of 15 Native Americans in its possession and was working to identify and repatriate the remains. The announcement comes as universities around the country have struggled to return tens of thousands of Native artifacts to tribes as required by federal law. We provide details and offer resources for local reporting. Find the latest Localize It guides.
HEALTH WORKER SHORTAGE-LOCALIZE IT: Thousands of doctors and nurses signed on to work in the country’s most desperate regions during the COVID-19 in exchange for forgiveness of their medical school debt. But now, the National Health Service Corps, the program that brought them onboard, is in jeopardy, caught up in the battle over the federal debt ceiling. We provide details and offer tips for local reporting. Find the latest Localize It guides.
STUDENT TEST SCORES-LOCALIZE IT: New data on student test scores from a dozen states has been incorporated into an analysis of learning setbacks tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. The data was released Thursday by researchers at Harvard and Stanford universities as an update to their Education Recovery Scorecard, which now examines learning loss in math and reading across school districts in a total of 41 states. We provide details and offer tips for local reporting. Find the latest Localize It guides here.
IMMIGRATION-ASYLUM-LOCALIZE IT: Migrants who seek refuge in the United States are confronting a fundamental shift in border enforcement and opportunities for seeking asylum amid a surge in arrivals at the Southwest border. Coronavirus restrictions on immigration are coming to an end this week after three years. Those rules were used nearly 3 million times to quickly expel migrants without greater penalties. We provide suggestions for localizing the story. Find the latest Localize It guides here.
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK-SALARIES-LOCALIZE IT: As many schools struggle to find enough teachers, state governors across the U.S. are pushing for pay increases, bonuses and other perks in a growing competition to attract and retain educators. We offer suggestions for localization. Find the latest Localize It guides here.
VIDEO
State Dept. releases 2022 Religious Freedom report
TSA tests facial recognition tech at select airports
South Texas residents clean up tornado damage
Biden travels to Philly with debt talks at an impasse
AUDIO
Biden, congressional leaders likely to meet Tuesday for talks on raising the debt limit
Bells toll for Buffalo supermarket mass shooting victims 1 year after massacre
Vice Media files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the latest in a string of digital media setbacks
Biden proposal would let conservationists lease public land much as drillers and ranchers do
U.S. STORIES
BALLOT INITIATIVES-REPUBLICANS — Ohio has joined a growing number of Republican-led states moving to restrict citizens’ ability to bypass lawmakers through ballot initiatives. A resolution passed last week will ask Ohio voters in August to boost the threshold for passing constitutional amendments to 60% instead of a simple majority. Voters in Idaho, Missouri and North Dakota also could see Republican-backed ballot questions that seek to limit direct democracy next year. It’s part of a trend that took off as left-leaning groups began increasingly using the initiative process to force public votes on issues opposed by GOP lawmakers but popular with voters, such as ensuring abortion rights. SENT: 1,270 words, photos.
FACIAL RECOGNITION-AIRPORTS — The agency tasked with securing America’s airports is testing the use of facial recognition technology at a number of airports across the country. The Transportation Safety Administration says the technology is an effort to more accurately identify the millions of passengers traveling through its airports every day and that passengers can opt out. The technology is both checking to make sure the person at the airport matches the ID presented and that the identification is in fact real. It’s currently at 16 airports. Critics have raised concerns about questions of bias in facial recognition technology and possible repercussions for passengers who want to opt out. SENT: 1,050 words, photos, video.
AGING CARS ON THE ROAD — Americans are keeping their cars longer than ever. The average age of a passenger vehicle on U.S. roads hit a record 12.5 years this year, according to data gathered by S&P Global Mobility. Sedans are even older, on average — 13.6 years. Blame it mainly on the pandemic, which triggered a shortage of automotive computer chips, the vital component that runs everything from radios to gas pedals to transmissions. The shortage drastically slowed assembly lines, making new vehicles scarce just when consumers were increasingly eager to buy. Prices surged to record highs. And though they’ve eased somewhat, the cost of a vehicle still feels punishingly expensive to many Americans, especially when coupled with now much-higher loan rates. SENT: 990 words, photos.
CHINA US SPY CHARGES — China has sentenced a 78-year-old United States citizen to life in prison on spying charges. John Shing-Wan Leung, who also holds permanent residency in Hong Kong, was detained in 2021 by the counterintelligence agency in the southeastern city of Suzhou. The city’s intermediate court announced Leung’s sentencing Monday but gave no details of the charges. Such investigations and trials are held behind closed doors and little or no information is generally made public. Relations between Washington and Beijing have hit a historical low amid disputes over trade, human rights and territorial disputes. The U.S. Embassy says it is aware of the case but wouldn’t comment further due to privacy concerns. SENT: 780 words, photo.
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