As complex as the state budget is on the micro level, at the macro level, there are only three elements in play.

“We cut the budget in a significant way to keep a bigger PDF, we somehow find new revenues, which, I’ll be the first to tell you, I don’t think is on the table in a big way this session. Or we either overdraw from the earnings of the permanent fund or we take our one last savings account, which we have shown you is down to a very sort of perilous $2 billion mark. And those are basically our choices. They’re all difficult choices,” said Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, of Dillingham, at a town hall meeting Saturday in Soldotna.

In March, Alaskans can expect to find a census questionnaire in the mail. It takes 10 minutes to fill out and is only done once every 10 years.

The consequences for an individual of not completing and returning their census are, really, pretty minimal. The worst that will happen is you’ll get reminders in the mail and a census worker might — politely — end up at your door.

But the consequences for state and local governments of not getting an accurate count could be costly.

Much of the federal funding that is distributed to states is divvied up based on population.

“It does matter to Alaska’s economy — $3.2 billion of annual federal funding allocation is determined by our census data. The federal funding comes into over 70 local programs in Alaska,” said Jenny Carroll, with the city of Homer, who is part of a Complete Count Committee for the Kenai Peninsula Borough to help facilitate the 2020 census.

Co-directors Terri Zopf-Schoessler and Donna Shirnberg sing the priases of the cast and crew of the Kenai Performers' winter musical, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."

Dig into the local food scene with Eliza Eller, one of the founders of the Iona community in Kasilof and the Kenai Local Food Connection, Heidi Chay, district manager for the Kenai Soil and Water Conservation District, and Abby Ala, owner of Ridgeway Farms off Strawberry Road between Kenai and Soldotna.

More information on the events and topics discussed can be found at:

Ionia Alaska

Kenai Local Food Connection

Bill gets the scoop on the new Alaska Craft Brew & Barley Wine Festival, held Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, in Anchorage.

Tag along with Tony Doyle and Craig Barnard on a ski tour of the Southern Kenai Peninsula and the mountains across Kachemak Bay.

The Native inhabitants of the Kenai Peninsula before Western contact were masters at adapting to this land. Dr. Alan Boraas, anthropology professor at Kenai Peninsula College, presented “Yaghanen, The Time Before,” a discussion about the lives of the Dena’ina people who have lived and thrived here for a thousand years, to the Kasilof Regional Historical Association.

Kenai River Brewing shares its plans for reopening Kenai Joe's in a special, live segment of the show. And speaking of reopening, Barnaby Brewing in Juneau tells Bill about recovering from a fire that shut them down for about a year.