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Tuesday, Aug 11

Sheep mortality has run near triple its long-term rate in three Alaska ranges, state research finds

A GPS collar on a Dall sheep ram triggered a mortality signal, leading state biologists to a kill site showing signs of bear predation in the Alaska Range.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska Range, Alaska
Cover image for article: Sheep mortality has run near triple its long-term rate in three Alaska ranges, state research finds

Medicare claws back money from Petersburg's hospital as the island's new MRI takes off

Medicare cut Petersburg's hospital outpatient rate and clawed back funds — but the island's brand-new MRI is already beating projections and driving revenue.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Medicare claws back money from Petersburg's hospital as the island's new MRI takes off

Petersburg hospital board weighs buying housing to address staffing gaps

Petersburg Medical Center is exploring buying or building staff housing to fill nursing and technician jobs that now rely on expensive temporary workers.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Petersburg hospital board weighs buying housing to address staffing gaps

Starplex recruits Alaska State Fair seasonal staff Aug. 18 in Wasilla

Starplex is hiring seasonal staff for the Alaska State Fair at a job fair in Wasilla on Tuesday, Aug. 18, with flaggers earning $25 an hour, parking staff $16, and event staff $15.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Starplex recruits Alaska State Fair seasonal staff Aug. 18 in Wasilla

Alaska's Medicaid home-care waivers renewed, but a waitlist persists

Federal regulators renewed four of Alaska's Medicaid home-care waivers, which keep people out of the nation's priciest nursing homes — but 512 wait to get in.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska's Medicaid home-care waivers renewed, but a waitlist persists

Petersburg planning commission to vote next month on one-year data center ban

Petersburg's Planning Commission votes September 8 on a one-year data center ban while the borough drafts permanent rules.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Petersburg planning commission to vote next month on one-year data center ban

Anchorage airport noise study weighs which measures to recommend; public comment Aug. 25

Anchorage residents under the flight paths can comment Aug. 25 as the airport noise study picks what fixes to recommend, from flight-path changes to a jet ban.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Anchorage airport noise study weighs which measures to recommend; public comment Aug. 25

Dunleavy vetoes hunting residency bill and university fee bill

Gov. Dunleavy vetoed a bill tightening hunting residency rules and another requiring the University of Alaska to disclose student fees, leaving both current practices in place.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Dunleavy vetoes hunting residency bill and university fee bill

More from Alaska

Supreme Court declines to review Alaska's challenge to rural subsistence priority

The Supreme Court declined to hear Alaska's challenge to federal subsistence priority, leaving rural residents with first claim to fish and game on federal waters when supplies run short.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago5 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: Supreme Court declines to review Alaska's challenge to rural subsistence priority

A Wasilla runway extension eyes nearby homeowners' land, if the money can be found

A Wasilla runway extension could put nearby homeowners' land in the city's sights — and it may not qualify for the federal money that usually pays for it.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: A Wasilla runway extension eyes nearby homeowners' land, if the money can be found

Juneau hangar owners say the airport's own repaving flooded them, and it won't say if that's true

Juneau hangar owners say the airport's own regrading and repaving caused flooding now rotting their buildings, and it won't say if its work is to blame.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Juneau hangar owners say the airport's own repaving flooded them, and it won't say if that's true

Erosion is forcing Alaska to move the Noatak airport two miles west

The Noatak River has eroded to within about 160 feet of the village's airport — its only lifeline — so Alaska is moving the whole airport two miles west.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Erosion is forcing Alaska to move the Noatak airport two miles west

Anchorage and Fairbanks airports finish swapping PFAS foam out of crash trucks

Anchorage and Fairbanks airports replaced PFAS firefighting foam in their crash trucks with fluorine-free alternatives, cutting PFAS levels up to 99.999% in the tanks.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska
Cover image for article: Anchorage and Fairbanks airports finish swapping PFAS foam out of crash trucks

Alaska tells school kitchens cooking produce is safest Cyclospora step

Alaska school kitchens are told cooking produce to 158 degrees is the safest way to kill Cyclospora, as washing alone cannot remove the parasite amid a national surge in cases.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska tells school kitchens cooking produce is safest Cyclospora step

A UAF fix for the battery-and-generator clash in village grids

When villages add batteries to diesel plants, the two can 'fight' and destabilize the grid — a UAF researcher is testing a fix to cut rural diesel use.

Melinda Communities.Newsby Melinda Communities.News3mo ago2 min read
Rural Alaska
Cover image for article: A UAF fix for the battery-and-generator clash in village grids

About Alaska

Alaska is a United States state spanning Arctic, subarctic and coastal regions. Its communities range from Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau to Kodiak, the North Slope and villages such as McGrath and Adak that sit off the road system.

The Legislature, the governor's office and state agencies set policy on oil and gas, fisheries, transportation and public lands, and state boards such as the Board of Fisheries and the AIDEA board decide on catch rules, loans and investments. Cities and boroughs keep their own budgets, taxes, liquor licenses and planning decisions.

Questions that recur across the state include local budgets and tax rates, fishery catch limits, air service and ports for remote communities, and decisions on state land. Federal agencies and courts also shape life in Alaska, from air service contracts for rural towns to the certification of statewide election results.

More from Alaska

The state plans to sell Granite Construction gravel near Chickaloon, without competitive bidding

The state plans to sell Granite Construction 40,000 cubic yards of gravel near Chickaloon with no competitive bidding, on a Glenn Highway stretch it's repaving.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: The state plans to sell Granite Construction gravel near Chickaloon, without competitive bidding

College student airlifted off Resurrection Pass after allergic reaction 14 miles in

An 18-year-old visiting student was airlifted off Resurrection Pass 14 miles from the trailhead after an allergic reaction left him unable to breathe. A military crew flew him to Anchorage.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Resurrection Pass Trail, Alaska
Cover image for article: College student airlifted off Resurrection Pass after allergic reaction 14 miles in

Artists with disabilities sell their work at the Embracing AK Disabilities Expo in Palmer

Artists with disabilities sell their work Aug. 24 at the Embracing AK Disabilities Expo in Palmer, where families can also meet service agencies all in one room.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Artists with disabilities sell their work at the Embracing AK Disabilities Expo in Palmer

The FAA is rewiring Alaska's air routes from beacons to GPS

The FAA is rebuilding Alaska's air routes, trading old ground beacons for GPS — and an Oct. 29 batch of changes gives King Salmon a better-connected path.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
King Salmon, Alaska
Cover image for article: The FAA is rewiring Alaska's air routes from beacons to GPS

Sand Point fishermen get 61 hours on the water — in a fishery the rest of Alaska watches closely

Sand Point fishermen get 61 hours on the water — in an Area M fishery watched across Alaska for catching chum bound for the struggling Yukon and Kuskokwim.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Sand Point fishermen get 61 hours on the water — in a fishery the rest of Alaska watches closely

Stebbins man arrested after armed standoff with troopers

Alaska State Troopers arrested a 25-year-old Stebbins man on four assault charges after he fled a domestic violence call with a firearm and surrendered following a standoff on a bluff.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Stebbins man arrested after armed standoff with troopers

Monday, Aug 10

Kodiak votes Thursday on barring officials from stacking offices, and staff say it's broken

Kodiak votes Thursday on barring officials from holding more than one local office, but staff say it's broken and would make the borough code contradict itself.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Kodiak votes Thursday on barring officials from stacking offices, and staff say it's broken

Bears are still raiding the Kodiak dump, weeks after a state plan to keep them out

Bears are still raiding the Kodiak dump weeks after the state approved a plan to keep them out, because the landfill is full of fish and game waste they can't resist.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Bears are still raiding the Kodiak dump, weeks after a state plan to keep them out

Fairbanks borough moves to study rural emergency coverage it flagged in 2018

A 2018 borough plan flagged spotty rural emergency coverage around Fairbanks. Seven years on, the borough is finally moving to study a fix — one that could redraw who covers whom.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Fairbanks borough moves to study rural emergency coverage it flagged in 2018

A hemp-ban delay divides Alaska's senators in the funding bill

A stopgap funding bill delays a federal ban on delta-8 and other intoxicating hemp — which Alaska already outlawed — and its senators split on the delay.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: A hemp-ban delay divides Alaska's senators in the funding bill

Girdwood's new parks plan rests partly on land the town doesn't clearly have the right to use

Anchorage's commission approved Girdwood's parks plan though parts sit on land the town hasn't secured: a lot on state ground and trails crossing the airport.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Girdwood's new parks plan rests partly on land the town doesn't clearly have the right to use

A planned Anchorage road would cut into a Hillside couple's yard — so the commission hit pause

A planned Hillside road would cut 45 feet into an Anchorage couple's yard and move their well, so the commission paused the design pending a fresh survey.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: A planned Anchorage road would cut into a Hillside couple's yard — so the commission hit pause

Scammers are posing as the PFD to phish Alaskans, and the state says don't bite

Scammers are posing as the PFD Division by fake email and text to phish Alaskans. The state says don't reply, don't click, and verify with a number you know.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Scammers are posing as the PFD to phish Alaskans, and the state says don't bite

A new gold claim would push mining into a creek the government has spent a decade repairing for fish

A two-person gold operation wants to mine farther down a Fortymile creek the BLM has spent a decade repairing for fish — a decision that's Alaska's to make, in a Wild and Scenic River corridor.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Fortymile Mining District, Alaska
Cover image for article: A new gold claim would push mining into a creek the government has spent a decade repairing for fish

Unalaska moves to rebuild its harbor, with sea otter safeguards for the pile driving

Unalaska is set to rebuild moorage at Robert Storrs Harbor, with standard safeguards for nearby sea otters. The projected effect is minor. Comment to Sept. 10.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Unalaska moves to rebuild its harbor, with sea otter safeguards for the pile driving

The Blue Angels headlined JBER's Arctic Thunder, their first Anchorage show since 2016

The Blue Angels headlined JBER's Arctic Thunder this weekend — their first Anchorage show since 2016 — with free thrills, big crowds and days of jet noise.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: The Blue Angels headlined JBER's Arctic Thunder, their first Anchorage show since 2016

Sealaska Heritage publishes fifth graders' documentary on Walter Soboleff

Auke Bay Elementary students produced a documentary on Dr. Walter Soboleff. The film fills a gap in classroom history materials.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Sealaska Heritage publishes fifth graders' documentary on Walter Soboleff

The Situk's Rodeo Hole reopens Wednesday, the kings already gone upstream

The Situk's Rodeo Hole reopens to sport fishing Wednesday after five weeks closed, once surveys showed the king salmon had already moved upstream.

Bill AlaskaNewsby Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: The Situk's Rodeo Hole reopens Wednesday, the kings already gone upstream

Parks Highway drops to one lane at Nenana's Tanana River Bridge Aug. 18

Are you driving down that specific road, look at the story… Are you not driving down that specific road, probably not about you

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Parks Highway drops to one lane at Nenana's Tanana River Bridge Aug. 18

Troopers cite 19 anglers for fishing violations on Kenai, Kasilof

Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited 19 anglers on the Kenai and Kasilof rivers in late July and early August for fishing violations, mostly for failing to release snagged fish.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Troopers cite 19 anglers for fishing violations on Kenai, Kasilof

Alaska says some permits now clear in under a week — as the reforms behind that speed draw both praise and alarm

Alaska officials say some permits now clear in under a week — crediting reforms critics warn could auto-approve projects and weaken environmental review.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska says some permits now clear in under a week — as the reforms behind that speed draw both praise and alarm

A pilot survives an upside-down plane crash in the Kenai refuge

A pilot survived a crash that flipped his plane upside down in the trees of the Kenai refuge Sunday, then texted 911 himself to say he wasn't seriously hurt.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: A pilot survives an upside-down plane crash in the Kenai refuge

UAA trains rural school workers to become teachers without leaving home

A UAA apprenticeship lets rural school workers become licensed teachers without leaving home, one answer to out-migration, though results aren't yet shown.

Melinda Communities.Newsby Melinda Communities.News3mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: UAA trains rural school workers to become teachers without leaving home

Senate majority to regulators: reconsider the rejected gas storage project, and make BlueCrest produce

Senate majority members want a rejected gas storage project revisited and an idle Cook Inlet lease produced — amid a fight over who fixes the gas crunch.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Cover image for article: Senate majority to regulators: reconsider the rejected gas storage project, and make BlueCrest produce