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Friday, Jul 31
Medicare drug premiums are likely to rise for Alaska seniors in 2027
The federal subsidy keeping Medicare drug premiums down ends this year, so many Alaska seniors will likely pay more in 2027. Low-income enrollees on Extra Help are mostly shielded.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Some Sitka customers can't reach 911; call dispatch directly
Some Sitka phone customers can't reach 911 after a vehicle hit a utility line. Until it's fixed, call dispatch directly at 907-747-3245, staffed 24/7.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Copper River Valley and McCarthy under a heat advisory through Sunday, up to 83
A heat advisory puts the Copper River Valley at 78 to 83 degrees through Sunday. Hydrate, skip midday exertion, and check on neighbors not used to the heat.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
The gas tax special session has stalled, with the bill already dead
Lawmakers were called back for a special session on taxing natural gas. The House already killed the bill, so both chambers are now meeting just to meet.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Visiting anglers get an extra king salmon in Southeast this fall
Visiting anglers can keep a fourth king salmon in Southeast this fall, since the catch ran low — though the same math that eased the limit could tighten it.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage wants a public board to steer its Chugach access money — and set qualifications for who runs it
Anchorage wants to turn the informal group steering its Chugach access tax money into a formal board with defined expertise — one that vets trailhead and road projects in public rather than privately.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
The Anchorage Assembly studied how to remove one of its own. It never has.
The Anchorage Assembly studied how to remove one of its own members, a power it has never used and, on a coalition body, likely won't. The member in question sat in on the session.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Bethel's safety and taxi commission is down to two of six members
Bethel's commission overseeing public safety and its huge taxi fleet is down to two of six seats — with a taxi fare hike on its agenda in a busy hub town.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
More from Alaska
Girdwood's park plans would move to Anchorage's standard public review
Girdwood loves its trails and ski runs, and an ordinance up Tuesday would run the town's park plans through the same public review the rest of Anchorage uses.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska is losing federal jobs faster than almost any state
Alaska lost federal jobs faster than nearly every state in 2025, and one economist says the two-year drop, 15.8%, is steeper still. The ripple hits housing, grants and whole towns.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
On Ship Creek, you can't even lift a king out of the water
Anchorage's creeks are open for coho but locked down on kings, and on Ship Creek you can't even lift one out of the water before releasing it.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Seward Lagoon youth-only king salmon fishery closes Friday night
Seward Lagoon's youth-only king salmon fishery closes Friday night at midnight, ending the summer window for anglers 15 and younger.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Outside money keeps flowing into the Alaska Senate race — mostly against Sullivan
Outside groups poured another $210,000 into the Alaska Senate race this week, mostly against Sullivan — the latest in a year where Peltola leads the money flow but Sullivan holds other edges.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Kodiak's spaceport is expanding as the FAA moves to waive its reviews
Kodiak's spaceport is ramping up for military launches just as the FAA proposes waiving the environmental and tribal reviews that would scrutinize the buildup.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Should every Kodiak nonprofit get the same grant? One assembly member says yes
A Kodiak assembly member wants every nonprofit in a category to get the same grant to avoid favoritism; others prefer need-based amounts. The Humane Society, currently zeroed out, is the flashpoint. Vote Aug. 6.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Kodiak Assembly splits over what a marijuana tax should pay for
Kodiak's Assembly is fighting over what a proposed 3% marijuana tax should fund before deciding whether to even put it to voters in October.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Coming up
Interior Department and Marine Minerals Administration Regional Tribal Meeting
Alaska
Meeting
Alaska LNG ROW Lease Conversion Public Hearing (Virtual)
Hearing
2027 Statewide Summer Reading Program Registration Deadline
Public notice
GMU 2 Wolf Trapping Season Opens
Public notice
Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office Sealed Bid Deadline
Public notice
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
Another round of damaging wind is headed for the Interior
More big wind for the Interior, with 70 mph gusts possible around Delta Junction and the Alaska Range. Trees, power lines and high-profile vehicles all at risk.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Trident is renewing its tanker spill plan, in waters it has spilled in before
Trident is renewing the spill plan for two tankers that move oil through Alaska waters — and the company has spilled here before. Comment by Aug. 27.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
North Slope phone co-op moves to keep its Deadhorse airport site
The North Slope's phone co-op wants five more years for its tower and shop on Deadhorse Airport land, a no-bid extension of an existing $14,250-a-year lease.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
31 acres near Ester may go to an unnamed applicant without an auction
The state may convey 31 acres near Ester to an applicant without an auction under a public-use provision — but the notice won't say who gets the land.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Thursday, Jul 30
Retired APD lieutenant elected to oversee police and fire pensions
Retired APD Lt. Tony Henry was elected 115-to-119 to the police seat on Anchorage's police and fire pension board, pending Assembly confirmation Aug. 4.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Second Eagle River road contract in weeks draws just one bid
An Eagle River brush-disposal contract worth up to $1.16 million drew one bidder, the second sole-bid road contract in the same service area in weeks. The Assembly votes Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cruise ships come to St. Paul as the island rebuilds after the crab crash
Five cruise ships are headed to St. Paul Island as the Unangax̂ community seeks new footing after its snow crab economy collapsed, leaving a $2.7M hole.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
NTSB: Bering Air crash that killed 10 was a chain of preventable failures
The NTSB found the Bering Air crash that killed 10 near Nome resulted from a chain of preventable failures — an overweight plane the company routinely flew heavy, severe icing, and a pilot overloaded in the final minutes.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Chitina dipnetters can keep sockeye but must release every king
Chitina dipnetters can catch sockeye but must release all kings this season, as weak Copper River runs raise an old question: which fishery fishes less first?
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A paperwork snag with Europe threatens a major market for Alaska seafood
Europe is a major buyer of Alaska seafood, and a paperwork snag with the EU — one NOAA's own systems can't yet handle — is threatening some of those sales, with the clock running out Nov. 30.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
The smoke over Fairbanks is from a fire the state is choosing to let burn
The smoke over Fairbanks is from the Tatlanika Fire, which the state is monitoring rather than suppressing because no structures are threatened. It's grown to about 2,000 acres.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A Fairbanks medical campus wants room to grow. Its neighbors want the buffer.
A Fairbanks medical campus wants to rezone for a bigger surgery center; neighbors and planning staff want to keep the buffer. The commission split 3-3 and punted to Aug. 11.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Juneau to Mendenhall Valley: the next glacial flood is coming, plan now
Juneau says the next Suicide Basin glacial flood is on its way, expected Aug. 1-9, with about 1,900 valley homes in the advisory area. Make a plan before the river rises.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A sacred Athabascan site stranded inside Denali for 47 years moves closer to return
A sacred Athabascan rock formation stranded inside Denali National Park since 1980 cleared its first Senate hurdle Wednesday, moving closer to return to Doyon after a 47-year wait.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks planners reject York Avenue duplexes over the road to the school
Fairbanks planners voted 7-3 to reject eight duplexes on York Avenue, worried about density on icy sidewalk-less roads that feed an elementary school. The Assembly decides Aug. 6.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks has 1,000 miles of trails and no rules for tour operators
Fairbanks trails host skiers, mushers, fatbikers and berry pickers — and now tour operators driving through neighborhoods to reach them, with no rules yet.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Bristol Bay hit its sockeye forecast. Prices are a different story.
Bristol Bay caught nearly as many sockeye as last year but is running 40% behind on value. Strong run, soft prices.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A substitute would swap Martinez's removal for a travel investigation
A substitute before the Anchorage Assembly would drop the effort to remove George Martinez and instead investigate his travel since 2023. Members vote Aug. 4.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Begich holds front-runner's edge as Hill emerges from the field to challenge him
Begich enters Alaska's U.S. House primary the clear front-runner on money and polling; independent Bill Hill emerged as a leading challenger after a Democrat dropped out. Vote Aug. 18.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Six Kasilof dipnetters cited this month, all for failing to record catch
Six people got cited on Kasilof dipnet fisheries this month, none for taking too many fish, all for forgetting to write down what they caught. Bail runs $120.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Nearly half of Kodiak's landfill is organic. A resident wants the borough to look at composting.
With 43% of Kodiak's landfill made up of organic waste, resident Marion Owen has asked the borough's waste board to study whether community composting could work.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Third gear cut in a week leaves setnetters absorbing a weak Susitna run
Fish and Game has cut Northern District setnet gear three times in a week over a weak Susitna sockeye run, leaving about 530 family permit holders to absorb it.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
The state may give 20,000 acres near Houston to a development authority
The state may give a development authority nearly 20,000 acres north of Houston for data centers and industry. DNR sees jobs — but also reduced trail access.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
NOAA scouts new fish-farm zones as Gulf of Alaska planning proceeds
NOAA is asking where to scout the next commercial fish-farm zones. The Gulf of Alaska is already in planning, and this round could expand it.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
