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Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
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July 2026
Cordova's road-safety plan could unlock federal money to fix its streets
Cordova's new road-safety plan could unlock federal grants to fix dangerous streets. Residents have until Sept. 1 to flag the spots that need it.

Prince William Sound king salmon limit stays at one fish through Sept. 15
Prince William Sound's king limit stays at one fish through Sept. 15, right as the bite heats up near Glacier Island. Four terminal harbors still allow two.

Cordova's broken pool feeds a push to merge its aging rec buildings
Cordova's pool sits broken with no reopening date — the sharp end of an aging-buildings problem now pushing the city to merge the pool and rec center.

Cordova clears the way for Copper Brewing's 101-square-foot expansion
Cordova's Copper Brewing needs 101 square feet of city land for one more tank. The planning commission checked the snowplow routes and said yes.

Cordova's co-op wants a data center to soak up unsold hydropower
Cordova has more hydropower than buyers, and a weak fish season is pushing rates up. The co-op's fix: a data center in a warehouse storage bay.

Four TCC employees selected for ANTHC leadership programs
Four Tanana Chiefs Conference employees selected for competitive nine-month leadership programs run by Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium to develop skills across tribal healthcare.

Copper River stays closed to commercial fishing as Chinook run tracks weak
Copper River commercial salmon fishing stays closed through at least Saturday as Chinook counts track weak, though subsistence fishers get a 12-hour window Thursday morning.

A collapsing salmon season could force Cordova to cut services this winter
Cordova's budget runs on fishing-fleet fuel taxes. With Prince William Sound's pink salmon a no-show, a council member is warning of service cuts this winter.

More from Cordova
Cordova turns to posted notices after local newspaper closes
Cordova says its newspaper is "no longer in circulation," so it's tacking foreclosure notices on four walls. The Cordova Times is still publishing — just online.

Stalled disaster funds are now building 48 homes in Anchorage and Cordova
Nearly $7M in disaster-recovery money that sat idle after a stalled Habitat project is finally building 48 senior and family homes in Anchorage and Cordova.

In Cordova, a slow salmon season squeezes everything — even the Fourth of July
A slow Copper River season and a state funding veto are squeezing Cordova's budget — putting the pool, the museum and even the Fourth of July on the table.

Cordova's fishermen are getting a new dock — and losing "the slowest crane in harbor"
Cordova cleared the way for a new offloading dock at Camtu's Alaska Wild Seafoods — retiring what one council member called "the slowest crane in harbor."

June 2026
How Cordova's Fourth of July shuffles the week
Cordova's shifting its schedule for the Fourth: City Hall and the transfer station close Friday, trash moves to Monday, and the library and museum keep their own holiday hours.

In Prince William Sound, the one-king summer is the new normal
Prince William Sound's one-king limit isn't a new emergency — it's the rule now, the same restriction as last year, as wild kings stay thin and only hatchery zones stay generous.

Pilot killed in Piper Pacer crash 40 miles southeast of Cordova
A pilot flying solo between Yakutat and Fairbanks was found dead Friday after an Alaska Air National Guard helicopter located the crashed Piper Pacer near Kanak Island, about 40 miles southeast of Cordova.

Cordova Harbor Commission votes against CAM 2 dock recommendation
Cordova Harbor Commission voted against recommending the city sell 4,100 square feet of waterfront to seafood processor CAM 2 for a private dock. • Commissioners cited navigation safety concerns at the tight harbor entrance and potential impacts on lighting and road infrastructure. • The proposal now goes to City Council, which may still approve the sale despite the commission's recommendation against it.

About Cordova
Cordova is a fishing community on Prince William Sound in the Chugach Census Area of Southcentral Alaska. No road connects it to the rest of the state, so people and freight arrive by air or by ferry. Its economy is built around the Copper River salmon harvest and the fishing fleet.
The city council sets the property tax mill rate and other local taxes, decides land and lot sales, and runs public facilities such as the pool, the harbor and the landfill. Recurring questions include the town's housing shortage, the cost of keeping recreation facilities open, aging infrastructure such as water lines and bridges, and ferry service across the Sound.
Cordova shares Prince William Sound with Valdez, Whittier, Chenega and Tatitlek. Its fishermen and residents follow the state's management of salmon, king salmon and herring in the Sound.
More from Cordova
Both cranes on Cordova's Drive Down Dock are out of service at the height of Copper River salmon season
Bad timing for fishing season as Cordova Drive down dock crane is not up to snuff

North Coast Chinook Troll Fishery Opens 5 Days, Then Closes
Washington-Oregon commercial Chinook troll fishery opens for just five days, June 12-16, reflecting coast-wide salmon scarcity that also shapes Alaska's harvest limits under the Pacific Salmon Treaty.

Cordova carrier tells FCC spectrum hoarding blocks rural broadband
Cordova Wireless told the FCC that major carriers are sitting on unused spectrum licenses over the town and won't lease them, blocking the local provider from meeting federal broadband speed standards.

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.

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.

Cordova holds property tax rate flat at 11.44 mills for 2026
Cordova City Council voted 7-0 to keep the property tax mill rate at 11.44 mills for 2026, holding steady despite rising city costs after residents warned that higher taxes would force fishing families out of town.

Petersburg Medical Center loses bids for facility, equipment grants
Petersburg Medical Center's two largest grant proposals for a new facility and medical equipment were deferred by the state Rural Health Transformation Program on Wednesday, though five smaller projects advanced to a second funding round.

May 2026
Cordova Wireless challenges FCC broadband maps, says waterways and islands missing
Cordova Wireless told the FCC on May 22 that federal broadband funding maps exclude coastal waterways and islands where Alaskans work and travel, potentially cutting off support for over-water cell service residents depend on for safety.
Prince William Sound king salmon limits slashed to one fish
Alaska cut king salmon limits to one fish in most Prince William Sound waters to protect stocks with low productivity. • Terminal areas near Whittier, Cordova, Valdez, and Chenega keep two-fish daily limits. • Shrimp pot limits also reduced to two per person, season runs May 1 through June 8. • Anglers must buy 2026 sport fishing license and king stamp before fishing.

Cordova Council debates mill rate hike as school funding deadline nears
Cordova Council must choose by June 3 between raising property taxes or using federal funds for a $181,000 school budget increase. City Manager Sam proposed raising the mill rate to 12.07, costing homeowners about $404 more yearly. Council has $436,000 to $486,000 in available federal funding but debates if one-time money can reliably fund ongoing school costs.

Data center project promises rate relief amid public concerns over noise, power
Cryptocurrency data center would generate $2 million yearly and stabilize electric rates using existing power. • Residents worry about noise, fire safety, and power availability for future housing growth. • Company says facility quieter than old cannery equipment and willing to cut operations during peak demand.

Cordova Council approves $181,000 school funding increase, defers payment decision
Cordova Council approved $181,000 school funding increase, half the district's request. • Council delays payment decision until May 20, debating mill-rate increase. • District needs to split 36-student seventh grade class and hire math teacher. • Cordova High School ranked Alaska's top high school two consecutive years.

Cordova Planning Commission approves temporary RV for construction site
Cordova Planning Commission unanimously approved a temporary travel trailer to house construction workers at an industrial park lot for up to four or five months, with the trailer connecting to city water and sewer.

Cordova council weighs hazard plan tied to federal disaster funds
Cordova City Council voted on its Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, required by FEMA to keep federal disaster and resilience funding. Without approval, the coastal city risks losing money for seawalls and flood protection.

Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema Identifies Alaska as Prime AI Data Center Location
Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema told an Alaska energy conference the state is positioned to become a major AI data center hub, citing natural resources and cool climate as advantages.

Cordova Seeks Rock Extraction Deal to Fund New Public Safety Building
Cordova is seeking contractors to extract rock from city land and prepare it for a new Public Safety Building to replace the current facility in the tsunami zone. Proposals due June 8.
Alaska House bill to ban polystyrene food containers moves to Senate
Alaska House Bill 25, which would ban polystyrene foam food containers statewide, advanced to the Senate after testimony Tuesday on cost versus pollution concerns.

April 2026
Fish and Game sets cleanup rules for herring pound structures
Fish and Game issued cleanup rules April 28 for herring pound structures in Prince William Sound, requiring commercial operators to remove them after harvest to prevent disease spread.

Senate panel hears setnet cooperative bill, sets aside land transfer
Senate panel advanced a bill allowing setnet fishermen to work cooperatively, addressing enforcement conflicts, while postponing a land transfer proposal pending more details.

Senate Finance subcommittee recommends $1.17 billion university budget
Senate Finance subcommittee approved a $1.17 billion University of Alaska budget for fiscal year 2027, adding $2.25 million for student recruitment and employee raises.
