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Fire burns within mile of Ambler as crews race to protect village
The Kopshesut Fire burned within a mile of Ambler on Friday, with 24 smokejumpers and incoming crews working to protect the village of 274 residents before winds push the 500-acre blaze closer.

Talkeetna wildfire contained after overnight crew work
An 18-acre wildfire southeast of Talkeetna was fully contained Friday after crews worked overnight with helicopters and retardant tankers. No structures were threatened.

Kipnuk storm loan deadline hits Tuesday
Kipnuk residents and businesses have until Monday to apply for federal economic-injury loans from a 2024 storm. • Most of the village remains evacuated after a 2025 typhoon destroyed 90 percent of local structures. • Applicants can visit sba.gov/disaster or call 800-659-2955 to seek aid.

Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers honor late elder at Celebration 2026 performances
Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers honored late elder Margaret Roberts at Celebration 2026, performing traditional and newly written pieces that document ancestral knowledge and cultural revival across Alaska and Hawaii.

North Slope oil production set to jump 76% as new fields come online
Kuparuk Pipeline seeks permits to boost North Slope oil capacity 76 percent, from 360,000 to 634,000 barrels per day, to handle new fields including the Pikka project. Public comment deadline is June 26.

Federal rule sets 80-hour work requirement for Alaska Medicaid adults
Starting January 1, 2027, Alaska Medicaid adults ages 19 to 64 must work or participate in approved activities 80 hours per month to keep coverage, with exemptions for Alaska Natives, parents of young children, pregnant people, and others.

North Slope has two fields cleared for gas sales, AOGCC tells Senate
Alaska's oil regulator told lawmakers that only Prudhoe Bay and Point Thomson fields have approval to supply gas to the Alaska LNG project, which aims to start deliveries in 2029.

Alaska wants to clear 1,000 more acres for the Delta bison herd
Alaska Fish and Game wants to clear 1,000 acres in the Delta Junction Bison Range to grow more grass for the herd, expanding a decades-old effort to keep bison away from farmland.

Hatchery groups cite NOAA Chinook decision as validation
NOAA found Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon do not warrant endangered-species protection, a decision hatchery operators cite as validation of their management but that critics say masks weaker local populations.

Alaska LNG seeks 90% property tax cut; Kenai Peninsula pushes back
Alaska LNG is seeking a 90 percent property tax cut to proceed, but Kenai Peninsula Borough says the cut would cost local governments about $30 million annually needed to cover project impacts.

Celebration 2026 opens in Juneau with canoe arrivals, cultural speeches
Sealaska Heritage Institute opened Celebration 2026 in Juneau on Wednesday with traditional canoe arrivals from eight Southeast Alaska communities and speeches centered on cultural resilience and overcoming external and internal challenges.

Alaska warns Medicare users about brace and food scams
Alaska's Senior Medicare Patrol warns beneficiaries not to share Medicare numbers with callers offering free braces, food, or groceries, a scam that can drain coverage and corrupt medical records for years.

ASD projects $40M FY28 deficit — two months after voters rejected school bond and tax levy
Anchorage School District projects a $40 million deficit for fiscal year 2028 on top of $90 million in earlier cuts, after voters rejected a $12 million tax levy and $79 million bond in April.

Hilcorp seeks Cook Inlet gas storage lease at Beluga River — part of how Southcentral plans to get through winter as gas production declines
Hilcorp seeks gas storage lease at Beluga River in Cook Inlet to manage Southcentral's winter demand surge. • The site overlaps critical habitat for the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale, population around 300. • Alaska Department of Natural Resources is taking public comment on the application.

Red Flag Warning covers inland Bristol Bay through Thursday
The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for inland Bristol Bay through Thursday evening as warm temperatures, low humidity, strong winds, and dry grass created conditions for fast-moving wildfires.

ANWR lease sale draws $3.74m in winning bids from AIDEA, Hex Energy
The Arctic Refuge lease sale brought in $3.7 million from two bidders, a modest showing compared with the recent NPR-A sale’s 11 companies and $163 million-plus in receipts.

DOT proposes 20-year FAA deals at three rural airports, no rent
You know what they say, everything good in this life is free

Ketchikan awards $2.74M city hall HVAC contract, taps reserves
Ketchikan City Council voted 4-3 to spend $2.74 million replacing city hall's HVAC system using reserves and deferred street projects. • One council member opposed the spending, citing residents losing power and leaving town due to rising costs. • The HVAC units are over 20 years old and no longer meet code.

Miller's Reach fire lessons shape Alaska wildfire response 30 years on
Alaska's 1996 Miller's Reach Fire destroyed 344 homes in Big Lake and killed 37,000 acres, forcing the state to overhaul wildfire response, evacuation coordination, and community preparedness — lessons that still guide how Alaska fights fire today.

House passes Alaska Native walrus-ivory protection bill
House passed legislation allowing Alaska Native artists to sell walrus-ivory handicrafts nationwide, overriding state bans that had criminalized traditional art protected under federal marine-mammal law.

Murkowski votes no on reconciliation bill; Sullivan votes yes
Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted no on a major Senate reconciliation bill Friday while Sen. Dan Sullivan voted yes, splitting Alaska's Republican delegation on the measure that passed 52-47.

Denali ranger dies in crevasse fall near 14,000 Foot Camp
Robin Pendery, a National Park Service mountaineering ranger, died Thursday after falling into a crevasse near 14,000 Foot Camp on Denali.

Sitka Assembly awards Fisheries Enhancement Fund grants June 9
Sitka Assembly awards Fisheries Enhancement Fund grants June 9 to support salmon hatcheries as Southeast Alaska fish prices drop sharply.

Air Force seeks contractor for Red Flag-Alaska exercise at JPARC
Air Force is seeking a service-disabled veteran-owned contractor to run threat simulation for Red Flag-Alaska 26-3 exercise at Eielson Air Force Base, with proposals due June 9.

Norton Sound king salmon fishing closed for the season
Alaska closed sport king salmon fishing in all Norton Sound rivers from Bald Head to Point Romanof through August 15 due to a below-average forecast for the spring run.

Ketchikan postpones cruise-dock expansion for one year
Ketchikan City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to delay a $290,000 design contract for expanding Berth 1 at the cruise dock, citing community concerns about ship volume and the need to repair existing docks first.

ADF&G opens Copper River drift gillnet fishery Thursday for 24 hours
Alaska Department of Fish and Game opens Copper River drift gillnet fishery for 24 hours starting 7 a.m. Thursday, June 26, targeting sockeye salmon while monitoring Chinook conservation limits of 21,000 to 31,000 fish.

Senate passes immigration enforcement bill 52-47, splitting Alaska delegation
Three years of ICE funding, a fight over the 'weaponization' fund, and Alaska's senators split

Kodiak Assembly sets mill rate at 8.75, rejecting school increase
Kodiak Assembly set the fiscal year 2027 property tax mill rate at 8.75, with Assembly Members Johnson and Smiley voting against the lower rate.

Bering Air seeks Nome and Unalakleet lease updates — at the same airports the NTSB is investigating
Bering Air is seeking lease extensions at Nome and Unalakleet airports while the NTSB investigates the February 2025 crash of Flight 445 that killed 10 people, citing overweight aircraft as a major factor.

Assembly to hear natural burial cemetery proposal for South Anchorage
Anchorage Assembly votes June 9 on giving a 9.6-acre South Anchorage parcel to Alaska Natural Burial to operate the city's first natural burial cemetery at no taxpayer cost.

Alaska fishery disaster funds stalled at OMB despite congressional approval
Congress approved $300 million in fishery disaster relief for Alaska in December 2024, but the Office of Management and Budget has not released the funds to fishing families waiting for relief.

HEX Operating files to renew Cook Inlet spill plan
HEX Operating filed June 3 to renew its Cook Inlet oil spill response plan covering potential discharges up to 82,500 barrels. • The renewal comes as HEX expands drilling with state-backed financing, raising stakes for Cook Inlet salmon habitat and subsistence fishing. • Public comment period runs through July 6, with hearing requests due by June 22.

Mat-Su officers arrest two inmates on contraband warrants
Court Services Officers arrested two Mat-Su men on contraband warrants at separate correctional facilities within 24 hours, both already in custody on unrelated charges.

Kenai parent asks commission to lower weight room age limit
A Kenai parent asked the Parks and Recreation Commission to lower the weight room age limit at Kenai Rec Center from 16 to 14, saying the current policy pushes families to drive to nearby communities where younger teens can use gyms independently.

State wins option to buy 25% of Alaska LNG after investors commit
Alaska secured the right to buy up to 25% of the Alaska LNG project after private investors commit, with six months to decide whether to invest between $230 million and $1.16 billion.

Two Mat-Su subdivisions approved — and the small details say something about how the borough is growing
Mat-Su Borough Platting Board approved two subdivisions Thursday • Palmer project scaled to three lots after sewer extension costs ruled out six-lot plan • Lakeside development near Parks Highway approved for seven tracts accessible by float plane • Utility costs and geography shape where borough growth actually happens

Troopers arrest Nanwalek man on domestic violence charges
Alaska State Troopers arrested Terence P. Swenning, 27, of Nanwalek on Monday on domestic violence charges including assault in the presence of three children.

Troopers arrest Nanwalek man on domestic violence charges
Alaska State Troopers arrested Terence P. Swenning, 27, of Nanwalek on charges of assaulting his partner in front of three children.

Alaska fire agencies open nine wildfire investigations in four days
Alaska fire agencies opened nine wildfire investigations across four regions in three days as Red Flag Warnings and dry conditions raised fire danger statewide.
