Newscast: 12/07/21

Gov. Mike Dunleavy says his administration is committed to replacing the Alaska Marine Highway’s ocean-going Tustumena that’s a lifeline in Southwest and Aleutian communities; state health officials say they’re extending the contract for the more than 400 out-of-state health care workers who came to help local hospitals strained by the COVID-19 pandemic; and a University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher who listens to killer whales using underwater microphones — called hydrophones — has learned some interesting things about the creatures.