So We Asked

He's been waking up Anchorage for decades — and says they'll have to drag him out. In this episode of So We Asked, Rebecca sits down with local radio legend Bob Lester for a candid conversation about 46 years in the business, from cutting grass at a farm radio station as a 13-year-old to becoming one of Alaska's most familiar voices. Bob opens up about the freedom of not caring what people think, why local radio still matters in an age of AI, and the moments that made his career. 

So We Asked is back with a raw, revealing conversation with Anchorage restaurateur Laile Fairbairn about building a breakfast institution from scratch—and the hard lessons that came with it. She opens up about taking the leap, surviving razor-thin margins, and why creating places where people “go for connection” keeps her coming back for more.

In this episode of So We Asked, Ivy Spohnholz, born-and-raised in Alaska, shares the winding path of two decades in nonprofits to seven years in the Legislature—and why she "jumped off" to become an entrepreneur. Now the new owner of downtown Anchorage's Cabin Fever, Ivy talks about the makers behind Alaska's products—from kelp snacks and chili crisp to beaders, quilters, and ivory carvers—and why everyday art can change how a city feels. 

A former Alaska TV journalist, David Bernknopf, is turning his Anchorage newsroom years into a novel—and it's part love letter, part culture shock. In this interview, the author of Two Years on Another Planet explains why Alaska felt "like another planet," how the book blends real moments into fictional characters, and what he misses most. Bernknopf also gets candid about the hardest story to cover—homelessness in subzero temperatures—and why the struggle for answers, accountability, and basic human dignity still sticks with them long after leaving the state.

A former Alaska's News Source reporter takes us inside the front lines of the ICE protests in Minnesota—where community tension, shifting narratives, and raw moments unfold in real time. From being tear-gassed on scene to an unforgettable act of kindness from a local restaurant owner, Samie Solina shares what she saw, what stayed with her, and why local journalism matters more than ever.

We step inside Blue Market—Anchorage’s zero-waste, refill-style grocery store—seven years into its “seven-year stretch.” The owners break down their core mission of sustainability, community, and transparency, and explain how refill shopping really works (yes, you can bring that old plastic container). From rebuilding local food habits to the realities of Alaska supply chains, shipping costs, and keeping local producers in business, it’s an honest conversation about what it takes to make lower-waste living practical—and why the future of grocery shopping might look a lot more like the past. We had questions...so we asked.

Step into Alaska Native Plant Month with a conversation that’ll change the way you see what’s growing all around you. Native plant advocate Elizabeth Bluemink breaks down what “native” really means (and why a "weed” is basically a matter of opinion), then shares surprisingly practical ways to bring Alaska’s wild beauty into your own yard. We had questions...so we asked.

He’d been shot four times. In this raw conversation, MMA fighter and coach Alton “Dreadz” Prince walks us through the moment everything changed at the Gaslight, the shock of watching the video afterward, and the quieter aftermath: nerve pain, PTSD in crowds, and getting back to his kids. Then comes the part you don’t expect—six weeks later, he’s back fighting, chasing history in bare-knuckle MMA, driven by faith and a refusal to be defined by what happened to him.