Anchorage
RSSNews from Anchorage, Alaska
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Chugach proposes fees for community solar hookups
Chugach Electric proposes charging members $1,124 to $2,248 to join community solar projects, plus $2.80 monthly fees, pending Regulatory Commission approval by June 17.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska judicial watchdog names new director after 37 years
Michael Schwaiger becomes executive director of Alaska's judicial ethics watchdog on June 15, ending Marla Greenstein's 37-year tenure leading the agency that investigates complaints about judges.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Senate Finance weighs Alaska LNG tax worth $124M a year — and whether it's enough for host communities
Governments are making compromises on the amount of property tax they'll receive - not all are happy about it
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Anchorage advances 5% bid preference for veteran-owned firms
Anchorage Assembly advanced an ordinance giving veteran-owned businesses a five percent preference on city contracts capped at $50,000, affecting a city where veterans make up 13 percent of the adult population.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly postpones public safety commission to July
Assembly kicks can down the road on Public Safety Commission vote
by Cale Green3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage transfers Heritage Land Bank parcel for natural burial cemetery
After land transfer from HLB, people are dying to get in there.
by Cale Green3mo ago2 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
A Pacific Islander nonprofit told an Anchorage homelessness commission its housing assistance program is over-subscribed — and asked for city funding to expand it
Polynesian Association seeks Anchorage funding for housing assistance
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
The Air Force wants to put AI data centers on Alaska military land — and the three sites tell three very different stories
Three Alaska military bases are auditioning to host the AI boom — JBER can't power it, Eielson is leaking PFAS at it, and Clear has 4,769 acres, a DDT drum dump, and all the groundwater you can drink.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Planning commission recommends removing density requirement from Eagle River greenhouse property
Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended removing a minimum-density requirement from an Eagle River greenhouse property, allowing duplexes or triplexes instead of 13 required units. The Assembly will make the final decision.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly weighs veteran contracting preferences
Anchorage Assembly is deciding between two veteran contracting preference proposals that differ on preference size, eligibility windows, and whether preferences apply to qualifications-based bids or price-based bids only.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
RTO tariff subcommittee meets Thursday on transmission costs
Alaska's largest power grid is rewriting transmission cost rules this week to let utilities buy cheaper power as Cook Inlet gas supplies tighten and bills rise.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
SBA freeze threatens Alaska Native corporations' $9B federal footprint
An SBA freeze on new subsidiary applications threatens Alaska Native corporations' $9 billion annual federal contracting footprint, which supports 50,000 jobs worldwide and returns $300 to $350 million yearly to Alaska Native shareholders.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Trump administration stalls 8(a) applications for Alaska Native corporations
Trump administration stalls new 8(a) applications for Alaska Native corporations amid fraud review. • 2024 lawsuit challenges whether special contracting treatment for Alaska Native firms is constitutional. • Program generated 13.5 billion dollars in revenue in 2022 and employs roughly 50,000 people worldwide.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Cook Inlet Tribal Council opens four-week communication workshop
Cook Inlet Tribal Council starts a four-week communication workshop Monday at its Anchorage office, blending Western communication theory with Alaska Native cultural values and focusing on active listening and intentional speech.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Traditional Healing Clinic hosts Alaska Native cultural classes this week
Southcentral Foundation's Traditional Healing Clinic hosts Alaska Native cultural classes this week in Anchorage, including porcupine quillwork, Ahtna language, beadwork, and food preservation. • Classes meet at 4 PM at 4320 Diplomacy Drive and require online registration through the clinic's portal.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote on free land for natural burial cemetery
Anchorage Assembly will vote on giving a 9.6-acre parcel worth $583,000 to a nonprofit to build a natural burial cemetery in South Anchorage, avoiding municipal construction costs as the city's main cemetery nears capacity.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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.
by Lucas Brownadded 3mo ago3 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote on natural burial cemetery on HLB land
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on giving 9.6 acres of city land to a nonprofit to build Alaska's first natural burial cemetery, avoiding $500,000 in fair market value but freeing the municipality from expanding the nearly full downtown cemetery.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Trump says China agreed to buy 200 Boeing planes, up to 750 total
Trump said China agreed to buy at least 200 Boeing planes with a promise of up to 750 total, plus 400 to 450 General Electric engines, as part of trade deals made during his Beijing visit.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Southcentral Foundation offers cultural education classes in June
Southcentral Foundation's Traditional Healing Clinic offers Alaska Native cultural classes in late May and early June, including Ahtna language, traditional food prep, and craft skills like kuspuk sewing in Anchorage.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Supreme Court leaves federal subsistence authority intact
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Alaska's challenge to federal subsistence protections, leaving federal authority intact over hunting and fishing on federal lands statewide.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Alaska Native Heritage Center collects traditional foods for typhoon relief
The Alaska Native Heritage Center is collecting traditional Native food donations for about 1,600 people displaced by Typhoon Halong in Western Alaska, with drop-off instructions available at its Anchorage campus.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
RTO schedules closed subcommittee meetings for June 10–11
The Railbelt Transmission Organization will hold three closed subcommittee meetings June 10 and 11 to discuss technical standards, transmission tariffs, and financing for Alaska's 700-mile electric grid serving two-thirds of the state's population.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Alaska offers fast-track fall training for substance-abuse counselors
Alaska is offering fast-track fall certification courses for substance-abuse counselors to address critical shortages in rural communities hit hard by overdose deaths and fentanyl spread.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage veteran preference splits on eligibility, contract scope
Anchorage Assembly weighs two veteran business preference plans with different eligibility and scope. • S-1: 5 percent preference up to $50,000 for any honorably discharged veteran, applies to all contracts. • S-2: limits to Alaska residents separated within five years, sliding scale, bids only, $500,000 lifetime cap. • Effective July 1, 2026 if passed.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago3 min read
Nonpartisan files for Anchorage state Senate seat
Nicholas Danger, a 70-year-old health and safety manager, filed as a nonpartisan candidate for Alaska State Senate District G, running on budget cuts, full Permanent Fund dividends, and moving the state capital to Willow.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage man dies in ATV crash near Knik River
Brandon Ilutsik, 42, of Anchorage died Friday after his ATV crashed on a trail near the Knik River, Alaska State Troopers reported.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage schools adopt regional nurse model, will pull nurses from schools with fewer medical needs
Anchorage schools will reassign nurses from schools with fewer medical needs to cover schools with students requiring tube feedings or diabetes management, responding to a shortage that left some schools without staff.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
ASD claims state funding bill comes too late
Anchorage School District says a potential $37 million state funding increase tied to an August 31 revenue determination arrives too late to hire teachers before the 2026-27 school year begins.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Boyle files to challenge Holland in high-turnout South Anchorage House Seat.
South Anchorage comes out to vote. Holland and Boyle have until November to make their case.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
ENSTAR says it locked in a price for Alaska LNG
ENSTAR locked in $16 per thousand cubic feet for North Slope pipeline gas, undercutting LNG imports at $20 to $23 but raising costs 48% above current Cook Inlet supply before adding $4.50 to $6 in distribution and storage charges.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Open South Midtown seat draws three candidates after Josephson opts not to seek reelection.
House District 13 in South Midtown Anchorage has three candidates after Rep. Andy Josephson declined reelection: Democrat Lisa Keller, Democrat Felix Rivera, and Republican Sarah Short, in a district where the last race was decided by 477 votes.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Twenty-two-vote House race becomes open-seat fight in North Anchorage
David Nelson is OUT. It's former lawmaker Cliff Groh v Dan Sager.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read