Anchorage

Alaska towns can build housing with this grant now, up to a point

Alaska communities can finally use block grant money to build housing. The most any one of them could put toward construction is about $170,000.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Two men die in a plane crash near Aniak, Troopers say

Two men were killed when a small plane crashed after taking off from a moose camp near Aniak, Alaska State Troopers said.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

A Dena'ina artist's work is headed for downtown Anchorage's signs

Dena'ina artist Sebastian Garber's MOA50 designs reach downtown Anchorage's wayfinding signs next year, drawing on Indigenous quillwork patterns.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Three students share the Anchorage Assembly's youth representative seat

Anchorage Assembly Chair Anna Brawley appointed three high school students to share the youth representative seat through April 2027, a nonbinding advisory role open to residents ages 16 to 19.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Childcare center at downtown Anchorage church set to open Oct. 1 with municipal funding

Alaska's first worker-run childcare center opens in downtown Anchorage next month, with room for 82 kids and $200,000 in marijuana tax money behind it.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Anchorage police launch phased pre-arrest deflection pilot Sept. 23

Anchorage's deflection pilot begins Sept. 23. Police make the referral, True North handles navigation and community providers deliver treatment.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

BBNC seeks permanent Bristol Bay protections as Alaska challenges EPA's Pebble restrictions

BBNC wants Congress to protect Bristol Bay permanently as Alaska challenges the EPA's narrower Pebble restrictions in a consolidated federal case.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Two Anchorage men patented a plier jaw built to stop slipping

Two Anchorage men just patented a plier jaw with V-shaped teeth meant to stop tools slipping off rounded hardware. No company, no product, just the patent.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago2 min read

Cook Inlet Tribal Council runs free career classes toward certification

Cook Inlet Tribal Council runs free 90-minute career classes at its Anchorage campus, each counting toward its ARCTIC Workforce Certification, with Developing a Leadership Mindset repeating at noon Sept. 22 and Sept. 29.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Both Alaska senators back advancing a federal NIL bill

Murkowski and Sullivan both voted to advance a federal college athlete pay bill. Alaska has no NIL law of its own, so federal rules would apply directly.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Anchorage School Board spends $3 million on classrooms, deepening next year's deficit

Anchorage's school board voted to spend the $3 million on students this year. Next year's hole grew to $9 million and 20 fewer teaching jobs survive.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: Anchorage school district proposes splitting $32 million in one-time state money

Housing on the Tozier Tract would likely close off a planned road

Opening a Tudor Road parcel to housing would probably kill a road connection the city has planned for years. The state planner said so and did not object.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage's own campground isn't allowed under its park zoning

Anchorage's 84-site Centennial campground isn't permitted under the city's own park zoning. A proposed fix would legalize what's already there.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage teachers say losing building subs cost them prep time and safety

Anchorage teachers told the school board what losing building subs cost them. The board restored $3.7 million — without promising the subs come back.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Spend $3 million on students now, or save it for next year's hole

Anchorage's school board is deciding whether to spend $3 million on tutoring and staff this year or bank it against a deficit projected above $45 million.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska is taking bids to make its own Made in Alaska merchandise

Alaska is taking bids to make its own Made in Alaska merchandise. The cap is $15,000, and the permit is only required by the time bids close.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read

Appeals court orders dismissal of family's suit over Anchorage police shooting of Kristopher Handy

A federal appeals court ordered dismissal of the Handy family's lawsuit, ruling the four Anchorage police officers who killed Kristopher Handy in May 2024 are protected by qualified immunity.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Former Ketchikan church elder pleads guilty to federal child sexual abuse material charge

A 74-year-old former Ketchikan church elder pleaded guilty to possessing over 1,000 images of child sexual abuse material and faces at least 10 years in federal prison

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage adds behavioral health care to its WIC program

Anchorage will place a behavioral health provider in its WIC program after a survey found many low-income mothers reporting anxiety, depression and hunger.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Anchorage planners ask commission to triple setback threshold director can approve alone

Anchorage wants to triple what its planning director can approve alone, letting more setback encroachments skip the public hearing that now takes months.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Seafood exports to Türkiye are frozen, though little Alaska product moves there

U.S. seafood can't be certified for export to Türkiye because American plants aren't on its approved list. The blocked edible trade is about $160,000.

by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Fairbanks companies seek a year-round water right for the pool at Circle Hot Springs

Two Fairbanks companies want a year-round water right at Circle Hot Springs — about 8.6 million gallons a day, on an application pending since 2020.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Anchorage approves a bigger paved lot at the Basher Trailhead

Anchorage approved replacing the Basher Trailhead's 16-space gravel lot with a paved 52-space one, ending a year-long fight over its size.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Follows: Anchorage weighs paving and expanding the Basher Trailhead lot

Anchorage weighs making its 49 neighborhood plans advisory only

Anchorage's 49 neighborhood plans carry the force of law today. The Assembly wants to know if they should just be advice — 70% have never been updated.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Juneau youth board reviews $3,605 in travel requests from two teen athletes

Two Juneau teenagers earned spots at competitions Outside and are asking the city for airfare. The fund they are asking from ended last year with $1,237 left.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Follows: Two Juneau kids qualified, and the youth board's fund is nearly empty

Anchorage named a day for Dolly Parton three weeks after her death

Anchorage kids get more than 73,000 free books a year in the mail. The Assembly named Sept. 25 for the woman behind it, three weeks after her death.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Anchorage's new-home tax break would reach pricier houses under a revision

Anchorage's proposed tax break for first-time buyers of new homes would reach pricier houses under a revised version up Tuesday, ending a cutoff at the average.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Students wait for the bus on the shoulder of Rabbit Creek Road

Kids wait for school buses on the shoulder of Rabbit Creek Road, where traffic runs 52 in a 45. The state is studying whether to build them a path.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Jul 1

A Wainwright corporation will sweep Energy Department offices for bugs

A Wainwright village corporation's subsidiary will sweep Energy Department offices for hidden microphones and cameras, under a $2.35 million contract.

by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago1 min read

Fire at Whittier's new cruise terminal forces ships from the dock

A fire at Whittier's new cruise terminal Monday forced a tour boat and a cruise ship off the dock and closed the only road into town for hours. No one was hurt.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

APD's new drone notice leaves annual-report questions unanswered

APD disclosed a drone at Sunday's standoff, but the five-line notice leaves the warrant and footage questions missing from its annual report

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage can build housing with this grant now. Residents asked for teardowns

Congress just let Anchorage spend block grant money on new housing for the first time in 50 years. The residents who showed up asked for demolitions.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Anchorage put $100,000 into five public art projects, Hillside mural among them

Anchorage is putting $100,000 into five public art projects, including a Hillside mural its arts commission ranked first among eight applicants.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Anchorage seeks ideas for its Darwin sister-city partnership

Anchorage residents can suggest what the city should do with Darwin, Australia, its sister city since 1982. Ideas are due to the commission by Sept. 30.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

A Merrill Field WWII memorial crumbles with no one responsible

A WWII memorial at Merrill Field is cracking and dark, repairs run about $100,000, and the only money in sight is a $17,000 grant meant for something else.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Anchorage assessment appeals hit a record, and the board filled up to cope

Anchorage owners filed a record 1,990 assessment appeals this year, quadruple last year's, and the board filled every seat for the first time in 20 years.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Follows: Anchorage tax appeal hearings continue into September, past the board's stated season

Anchorage coded most sampled spending to the wrong account, audit finds

Anchorage miscoded 72% of sampled spending, an audit found — because nobody ever wrote down what the city's accounting categories actually mean.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Aug 13

The court found an obvious error in his commitment and upheld it anyway

Alaska's Supreme Court found an obvious error in a homeless man's commitment and upheld it anyway. The ruling came two and a half years after he was released.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read

Anchorage police shoot carjacking suspect after East 37th Avenue standoff

Anchorage police say the man officers shot on East 37th Avenue had, hours earlier, pistol-whipped an older man unconscious and stolen his truck.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

South Anchorage council asks state and city for interim school-route safety projects

Fifteen pedestrians were killed on Alaska roads last year, the highest rate in a decade. One Anchorage council is asking for whatever can be done fast.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readFrom Aug 24