Local organizations and topics
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
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Week of Jun 8
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 AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min readFrom 
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 AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
House Finance writes a $16 gas-price cap into Alaska LNG bill — even if Enstar's contract isn't signed
Alaska House Finance voted 6-5 Monday to write a $16-per-MMBtu price cap for natural gas into the state's Alaska LNG tax bill, protecting consumers even if Enstar's contract with the developer remains unsigned.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Doyon and Tanana Chiefs warn of rising fuel costs in Interior
Doyon and Tanana Chiefs Conference warned that shipping disruptions are raising fuel costs in Interior Alaska, urging villages to order early during the brief barge season before rivers freeze.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Week of Jun 1
SBA freeze threatens Alaska Native corporations' $9B federal footprint
An SBA freeze on new subsidiary applications threatens Alaska Native corporations' $9 billion annual revenue from work outside Alaska, which supports roughly 50,000 jobs worldwide and returns $300 to $350 million yearly to Alaska Native shareholders.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo 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 News5mo ago1 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo 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 AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
More from Anchorage
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.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 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 News5mo ago2 min readFrom 
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
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo 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 5mo ago3 min read
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.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 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 News5mo ago2 min read
State board approves UAS master's program for Native language teachers
Alaska's State Board of Education approved a master's degree program in Indigenous language teaching at University of Alaska Southeast, expanding graduate preparation for Alaska Native language educators as the state addresses rapid language loss.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 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 5mo ago1 min read
Coming up
Second Saturday Art Exhibit
Denali Graphics & Frame, 700 W. International Airport Rd, Anchorage, Alaska
Exhibition
Legally Blonde, JR: The Musical
Performance
JCC Bunco and Potluck
Community event
Awakening of Winter 7 – Dude, Where's the Snow?!
Community event
AIGA Alaska The BIG One Awards Reception
Community event
About Anchorage
Anchorage (Dgheyay Kaq') is the largest city in Alaska, set in Southcentral Alaska between the Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet. The Municipality of Anchorage takes in neighborhoods and communities from downtown, Midtown and Spenard to Eagle River and Girdwood.
The Anchorage Assembly passes ordinances, approves municipal contracts and reviews liquor license renewals, and the mayor appoints members of city boards and commissions. Local questions return to housing density and building in earthquake hazard zones, police funding and surveillance rules, parks and public facilities, and the condition and staffing of its schools.
Anchorage holds the Port of Alaska and sits beside Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, so military needs such as helicopter landing sites come before city government. It shares Southcentral Alaska with the Mat-Su Valley, the Kenai Peninsula and the other communities around Cook Inlet.
More from Anchorage
ConocoPhillips seeks North Slope road upgrades for Willow haul
ConocoPhillips filed an amended permit Friday to upgrade a North Slope gravel road for hauling Willow oil project modules, expanding the easement footprint by 1.6 acres. Public comment closes June 30.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Alaska raises rural power subsidy floor, cutting support $3M
Alaska's Regulatory Commission proposed raising the Power Cost Equalization baseline rate nearly 10 percent, cutting rural electricity subsidies by about $3 million. • The subsidy shrinks when urban power costs rise because the baseline is tied to Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau rates. • Chugach Electric and Fairbanks power costs are climbing, driven partly by diesel dependence and higher gas prices.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Bronson files to run for Alaska governor
Dave Bronson, Anchorage mayor from 2021 to 2024, filed to run for Alaska governor as a Republican, pledging to cut bureaucracy and boost resource development. The primary is August 18, 2026.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 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 5mo ago1 min read
Southcentral utilities warn of steep rate hikes as Cook Inlet gas dwindles
MEA and ENSTAR told lawmakers Southcentral electricity and heating bills will jump $21 to $31 monthly starting in 2029 for MEA and 2033 for ENSTAR when Cook Inlet gas contracts expire and utilities switch to costlier imported liquefied natural gas.
by Alaska News5mo ago3 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 5mo 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 News5mo 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 veteran discharged under honorable conditions, applies to both commodity bids and professional-services proposals. S-2: limits to Alaska residents separated within five years under non-dishonorable conditions, sliding scale, bids only, $500,000 lifetime cap. Scheduled for debate June 9, effective July 1, 2026 if passed.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo 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 5mo 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 5mo 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 AlaskaNews5mo 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 AlaskaNews5mo 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 AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska's filing deadline turned the 2026 election from rumor into a real race
So many candidates, so little time left
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 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 AlaskaNews5mo 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 AlaskaNews5mo 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 AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Costello-Wells rematch puts Southwest Anchorage House seat back in play
Rep. Mia Costello, a Republican, faces a rematch against Democrat Denny Wells in Southwest Anchorage House District 15 after beating him by 529 votes in 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Kreiss-Tomkins picks Anchorage Assembly member Zac Johnson as running mate
Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a Democratic-aligned candidate for Alaska governor, selected Anchorage Assembly member Zac Johnson as his running mate on the final filing day Monday.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska Energy Authority lifts ban on consecutive chair terms
Alaska Energy Authority board voted January 31 to allow its chair and vice chair to serve consecutive terms, removing a two-year rotation rule to maintain leadership continuity during a $206.5 million Cook Inlet submarine cable project.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Week of May 25
Palmer Courthouse finally gets funding for long-needed expansion
Palmer courthouse is getting a $4.95 million expansion with three new courtrooms after five years of the heaviest caseloads in Alaska, with construction to start by August 2026.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly continues public safety commission hearing to June 9 after criticism of advisory-only powers
Anchorage Assembly postponed a vote on a proposed Public Safety Commission to June 9 after community members criticized it for lacking investigative power, subpoena authority, and ability to discipline officers.
by Cale Greenadded 5mo ago1 min read
Alaska water systems face July deadlines to claim PFAS settlement funds or lose right to sue
Alaska water systems must complete PFAS testing by July 1 and submit settlement claims by July 31, 2026, or lose access to approximately $14 billion in nationwide funds and forfeit the right to sue 3M and DuPont.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Anchorage runs into summer at the 20th Twilight 12K
The 20th Twilight 12K drew 1,847 runners on May 29, the largest field in a decade, with 890 finishers in the 12K and 957 in the Skinny Mini 6K.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
