No heat closes Dillingham's job center counter early

A heating failure shut the doors on walk-in service at Alaska's Bristol Bay Job Center in Dillingham on Tuesday afternoon. The state Department of Labor office on Seward Street sent staff home at noon Aug. 4 because the building had no heat, according to a notice from the Department of Transportation.

The office normally takes walk-ins Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., so anyone hoping to get job-search help or employer services in person Tuesday lost about four and a half hours at the counter.

Not everyone stopped working. Staff set up to work from home were told to keep at it unless a supervisor said otherwise, and employees in certain public safety, corrections and family services offices, along with other around-the-clock operations, had to stay on the job.

The state said alaska.gov would be updated through the day as the situation changed.