Alaska school districts hiring from the Philippines are taking some of the country’s best and brightest teachers. It’s a win for Alaska kids, but what does that mean for students back in Southeast Asia? KMXT’s Brian Venua explores brain drain and brain gain in Part 5 of his series, Mabuhay sa Alaska.

Alaska school districts are hiring teachers from the Philippines, but it’s not the first time employers in the state have looked to the island nation to address a labor shortage. In part 4 of Mabuhay sa Alaska, KMXT’s Brian Venua reports that this is just the latest wave in more than a century of ebb and flow.

The Borough Assembly is scheduled to finalize the fiscal year 2026 budget at its June 5 meeting, after a public hearing. The meeting is also set to also include certifying and levying property taxes.

About 60 people stood around "the Y" once again to share their frustration with President Donald Trump and his administration. Attendance has varied, but organizers say they want to keep going.

The school system's financial situation is only getting more dire, as politicians in Juneau scramble to figure out how to increase funding for schools. It’s submitting a draft budget to local government for approval this week.

Kodiak’s St. Herman Harbor is in dire need of replacement. City officials took Alaska’s senior senator to tour its waterfront infrastructure on a recent stop to the island.

“We have the potential for a Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization in this Congress. That is something that has come up," Rep. Nick Begich III told a packed room of ComFish attendees at Kodiak's Best Western Inn on April 16.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly known as ICE, arrested a Philippine national in Kodiak this week, according to a post on X on April 16. The arrest comes as the Trump administration has ramped up deportation activities.

Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan as well as Rep. Nick Begich III all gave speeches at ComFish, Kodiak's annual commercial fishing trade show. The three-day event kicked off on April 15.

The movement targets Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, protesting the federal government's sweeping budget cuts. More than 1,300 protests were held across the country, with several in Alaska including Ketchikan, Juneau, Anchorage, Bethel, and Nome.