Skip to main content

Alaska

Have a story from Alaska? Send a tip

TrendingNewTimelineMost Read

Wednesday, Jun 10

Cordova Harbor Commission sends harbor-mouth tideland sale back for engineering review

Cordova Harbor Commission blocked a proposal to sell tidelands for a dock near the small boat harbor entrance, citing navigation hazards from constriction at the mouth where 727 vessels operate in strong currents.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Cordova Harbor Commission sends harbor-mouth tideland sale back for engineering review

Crystal Ball shifts Alaska Senate race to toss-up as Peltola leads eight polls

University of Virginia's Crystal Ball rated Alaska's 2026 Senate race a toss-up, shifting from lean Republican after Democrat Mary Peltola entered against incumbent Dan Sullivan. Peltola's campaign says she leads in eight consecutive polls and unveiled a wages-focused tax proposal. Republican super PACs committed a combined $21 million to oppose her.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom
Alaska
Cover image for article: Crystal Ball shifts Alaska Senate race to toss-up as Peltola leads eight polls

Smokejumpers, hotshots battle 52-acre Yenlo Fire near Talkeetna

A 52-acre wildfire north of Skwentna grew overnight from 10 acres, drawing smokejumpers and hotshot crews to protect remote cabins in the upper Susitna Valley while aerial tankers slow the human-caused fire.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Smokejumpers, hotshots battle 52-acre Yenlo Fire near Talkeetna

House Finance advances Alaska LNG tax bill, curtailing North Slope's power to negotiate

House Finance advanced Alaska LNG tax bill Wednesday: 13 cents, no side deals, double the impact fund to $80m

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Cover image for article: House Finance advances Alaska LNG tax bill, curtailing North Slope's power to negotiate

A federal expansion of hunting and fishing access on national wildlife refuges would land most heavily in Alaska

They're making changes to national wildlife refuges? We got a lot of them.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: A federal expansion of hunting and fishing access on national wildlife refuges would land most heavily in Alaska

Fish and Wildlife lost quarter of staff, faces questions on refuge management

Fish and Wildlife Service lost a quarter of its staff, including 530 biologists. Nine percent of refuges now lack on-ground management. Alaska holds 16 refuges covering three-quarters of the system's acreage, but the agency has not disclosed which Alaska refuges are shuttered or how many Alaska staff were cut.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Fish and Wildlife lost quarter of staff, faces questions on refuge management

Trump's announced $64 billion DHS funding would touch Alaska Coast Guard, Arctic security, and fentanyl interdiction — but the underlying bill isn't in primary federal records

Trump announced $64 billion in DHS funding that would affect Alaska's Coast Guard, Arctic security, and fentanyl interdiction, but the bill he cited does not yet appear in public federal records.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Trump's announced $64 billion DHS funding would touch Alaska Coast Guard, Arctic security, and fentanyl interdiction — but the underlying bill isn't in primary federal records

More from Alaska

Kodiak prepares for 2,578 cruise passengers in one week

Two cruise ships will bring 2,578 passengers to Kodiak in late June, with Crystal Symphony docking June 21 and Noordam on June 23, each staying nine hours while local tourism organizes downtown welcome events and vendor markets.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Kodiak prepares for 2,578 cruise passengers in one week

Anchorage Assembly postpones public safety commission to July

Assembly kicks can down the road on Public Safety Commission vote

Cale Greenby Cale Green5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Anchorage Assembly postpones public safety commission to July

Anchorage transfers Heritage Land Bank parcel for natural burial cemetery

After land transfer from HLB, people are dying to get in there.

Cale Greenby Cale Green5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Anchorage transfers Heritage Land Bank parcel for natural burial cemetery

Ketchikan harbor parking enforcement back after contract gap

Ketchikan's harbor parking enforcement resumed after a contract gap left derelict vehicles and people living in cars occupying lots for months, with police and parking enforcement now working through a backlog.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Ketchikan harbor parking enforcement back after contract gap

Ketchikan tender float meets code, port says after charter operator's safety request

Ketchikan's Tender Float 3 meets building codes without guardrails, port officials confirmed after engineers found no code requirement for railings on the 18-inch-high float.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Ketchikan tender float meets code, port says after charter operator's safety request

Anchorage transit plan adds $684M in routes, microtransit zones through 2052

Anchorage's transit plan adds bus rapid transit, microtransit zones, and free fares for seniors and veterans through 2052. • The $684 million package depends entirely on projected revenue materializing over 26 years. • State funding faces a $150 million short-term deficit competing against other Alaska priorities.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min readFrom
Cover image for article: Anchorage transit plan adds $684M in routes, microtransit zones through 2052

Chitina opens full 168-hour dipnet week starting Monday, even as counts run behind projection

Chitina dipnet fishery opens for a full week starting Monday, June 15, despite sonar counts running about 5,600 salmon below projection for early June.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Chitina Subdistrict
Cover image for article: Chitina opens full 168-hour dipnet week starting Monday, even as counts run behind projection

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

Fish and Wildlife Service seeks $5M to cut energy permit times in half

Fish and Wildlife Service is asking Congress for $5.1 million to cut endangered species review times from 30 to 14 days, a change that could speed up Alaska energy and mineral projects that have faced years of federal delays.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Fish and Wildlife Service seeks $5M to cut energy permit times in half

Alaska sport fishing rules frozen despite new booklets

Alaska anglers should follow 2025 fishing rules, not the new 2026 booklet, because several regulations printed there haven't received final legal approval yet and remain unenforceable.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Alaska sport fishing rules frozen despite new booklets

House panel hears bill to move tribal regulatory authority to Interior

A House panel heard testimony on moving a 25-year-dormant federal authority for tribal business development from Commerce to Interior, where it could finally function for Alaska's 229 tribes.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Washington, District of Columbia
Cover image for article: House panel hears bill to move tribal regulatory authority to Interior

Begich bill would let the Indian Health Service fund rabies shots and spay/neuter in rural Alaska

Rural Alaska has rabid foxes biting dogs biting kids — and the IHS technically can't fund the shots. Begich's bill would change that.

Alaska Newsby Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Washington, District of Columbia
Cover image for article: Begich bill would let the Indian Health Service fund rabies shots and spay/neuter in rural Alaska

Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG could cost "tens of millions of dollars"

Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG would cost "tens of millions" — a number that lands somewhere between $23M and $173M. Her plan targets $23M.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG could cost "tens of millions of dollars"

Fairbanks spur line language added to Alaska LNG tax bill

Fairbanks North Star Borough secured a requirement for a gas spur line in the state LNG tax bill. Developers must build the spur to access tax breaks. Costs will spread across Railbelt users to keep rates affordable for 3500 local customers.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Juneau
Cover image for article: Fairbanks spur line language added to Alaska LNG tax bill

MEA secures easements for new 115-kV transmission lines as Mat-Su's growth keeps outrunning its electrical infrastructure

Matanuska Electric Association secured easements Wednesday to build 22 miles of new transmission lines in the Mat-Su, adding capacity as the borough's residential growth outpaces its electrical grid.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: MEA secures easements for new 115-kV transmission lines as Mat-Su's growth keeps outrunning its electrical infrastructure

Kodiak seafood permit bars waste deposits on seafloor

Alaska's new seafood processing wastewater permit for Kodiak bans dumping waste on the seafloor starting June 2026, ending a practice unique to Alaska that has left massive piles of bones and shells creating dead zones underwater.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Kodiak seafood permit bars waste deposits on seafloor

Peltola proposes corporate tax tied to worker pay in Senate race

New Peltola plan: companies with rich CEOs and broke workers pay more. Odds of passing: low. Odds of becoming a debate line: certain.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Peltola proposes corporate tax tied to worker pay in Senate race

Tuesday, Jun 9

Frost advisories hit Fairbanks gardens during planting season

Frost advisories across Fairbanks and Interior valleys this week threaten early-season gardens, with temperatures expected to drop into the low 30s overnight through Wednesday.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: Frost advisories hit Fairbanks gardens during planting season

Anchorage Assembly to consider letting licensed wildlife operators use air guns in city limits

Anchorage may let licensed wildlife operators use air guns in city limits — sorry, attic squirrels.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Anchorage Assembly to consider letting licensed wildlife operators use air guns in city limits

Petersburg Planning Commission roundup: massage CUP approved, three land sales recommended, Scow Bay rock pits out of wireless overlay

Petersburg Planning Commission approved a home massage business, recommended three land sales, and removed Scow Bay rock pits from a wireless tower overlay after residents cited drinking water concerns.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Petersburg Planning Commission roundup: massage CUP approved, three land sales recommended, Scow Bay rock pits out of wireless overlay

Anchorage's alcohol tax can't fund everything it was promised to fund — and a board meeting Tuesday made the tradeoff explicit

Anchorage alcohol tax revenue is dropping to 5.2 million dollars for 2027. • The city must now choose between funding school preschools or emergency homelessness services. • School district preschools face potential cuts while the district manages a 90 million dollar budget gap. • Childcare providers are also asking for a share of the limited funds.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Anchorage's alcohol tax can't fund everything it was promised to fund — and a board meeting Tuesday made the tradeoff explicit

The other Dan Sullivan case tests Alaska's election-law limits

Alaska's elections office is investigating whether a Petersburg man filed genuinely as a Republican Senate candidate or used a name similar to incumbent Dan Sullivan to confuse voters.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: The other Dan Sullivan case tests Alaska's election-law limits

DNR offers 50-year North Slope lease for gas-powered data center

Alaska DNR offered a 50-year lease to STAK Energy for a massive data center on the North Slope that would use natural gas to power 1 to 3 gigawatts of computing, with public comments due June 15.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: DNR offers 50-year North Slope lease for gas-powered data center

Same committee, same day, two close votes on Alaska LNG ratepayer protection — and they didn't go the same way

House Finance can't quite decide how much to protect Alaska ratepayers from LNG cost overruns — Tuesday's two votes split, with the same person providing the swing both times.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Same committee, same day, two close votes on Alaska LNG ratepayer protection — and they didn't go the same way

BLM closes Nome Creek road, trail for construction through August

BLM closes Nome Creek Road on weekdays through September and Nome Creek Trail from July 6 to August 31 for culvert replacement and stream restoration work, blocking the main summer access to White Mountains National Recreation Area near Fairbanks.

Maggie AlaskaNewsby Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Cover image for article: BLM closes Nome Creek road, trail for construction through August

ENSTAR Caps the Price. Stedman Eyes the Debt.

ENSTAR is locking in a $16 price ceiling, but Sen. Bert Stedman argued the costs may have just moved upstream, to the tune of $3.3 billion over 30 years.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Alaska
Cover image for article: ENSTAR Caps the Price. Stedman Eyes the Debt.

The navigability question that's been simmering since Alaska statehood just got four more answers

The federal government has formally cleared its claim to submerged lands beneath four Alaska rivers and lakes, affirming state ownership in a dispute that has simmered since statehood and will likely take decades more to fully resolve.

Alaska Newsby Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: The navigability question that's been simmering since Alaska statehood just got four more answers

Alaska investigates U.S. Senate candidate over name confusion claim

Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom opened an investigation June 8 into whether U.S. Senate candidate Daniel James Sullivan Jr. of Petersburg filed his declaration of candidacy to confuse voters

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Anchorage
Cover image for article: Alaska investigates U.S. Senate candidate over name confusion claim

Juneau Assembly raises vehicle sales tax cap to $50,000

Juneau Assembly voted 6-3 to raise the vehicle sales tax cap to $50,000, allowing the city to collect more tax on car purchases as it works to close a $10 million to $12 million budget gap.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Cover image for article: Juneau Assembly raises vehicle sales tax cap to $50,000

Alaska DOT programs Fairview Bypass into 2052 plan at $220M

Alaska DOT programmed the Fairview Bypass into its long-range transportation plan at $220.5 million across four phases, with construction stages starting at $60 million for a regional connection near Merrill Field.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom
Cover image for article: Alaska DOT programs Fairview Bypass into 2052 plan at $220M

The federal autonomous vehicle framework Congress is debating would apply to Alaska's roads — but Alaska wasn't part of the conversation

Congress is debating a federal framework for autonomous trucks that will apply to Alaska's roads, but Alaska's operating conditions like Arctic weather, wildlife, and cellular dead zones were not part of the Senate hearing.

Walter AlaskaNewsby Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
Washington, District of Columbia
Cover image for article: The federal autonomous vehicle framework Congress is debating would apply to Alaska's roads — but Alaska wasn't part of the conversation