Public radio journalists from around Alaska listen to Ayesha Rascoe of NPR during the recent Alaska Press Club Conference. Rascoe was the keynote speaker for the conference. (Photo courtesy of Valerie Kern/Alaska Public Media).

Listeners might have noticed a lack of local news for a few days last month. KRBD’s news team was in Anchorage, attending three days of training — and learning a lot – from award-winning journalists working around the country.

The 2023 Alaska Press Club Conference culminated with an awards banquet on April 22. KRBD took home a total of four statewide awards for work created in 2022.

KRBD’s recently-departed news director Eric Stone won second place for best audio education reporting with his story about the investigation into allegations of racist student behavior at a basketball game between Ketchikan High School’s Kayhi Kings and the Metlakatla High School Chiefs.

KRBD’s Raegan Miller won second place in the “best culture reporting” audio category for a story about the village of Kasaan’s first totem pole repatriation last year.

Stone also won a third-place award in the “best same-day feature” audio category for his report on how Ketchikan residents used tutus to celebrate a special Tuesday. 

And CoastAlaska –a regional news network that includes KRBD — won the “all media best environmental reporting” category for a collaboration on Alaska’s roadless rule.  Stone worked on that project along with former CoastAlaska news director Jacob Resneck, Edward Boyda with Earthrise Media and Clayton Aldern with Grist.