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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.

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

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.

Tanana Chiefs Conference sets June family events in Fairbanks
Tanana Chiefs Conference hosts a resource fair June 5 in Fairbanks and a cultural activity night June 29 with crafts, drumming, and family workshops.

Alaska opens Chitina dipnet fishery despite Copper River run 55% low
Alaska opened the Chitina dipnet fishery for 60 hours starting Friday despite the Copper River salmon run running 55 percent below target for early June, with subsistence fishers already reporting low catches upstream.

ADF&G closes Tanana king salmon sport fishing through September
Alaska closed all king salmon sport fishing in the Tanana River drainage through September 2026 because Yukon River king salmon runs are forecast below average, the second consecutive year of this closure.

DNR approves 800-cubic-yard gravel contract on Dalton Highway
Alaska DNR approved an 800-cubic-yard gravel contract for North Star Construction on the Dalton Highway near milepost 154, in a corridor recently transferred from federal to state control.

Kawerak offers CDL scholarships for Bering Strait Tribal members
Kawerak is offering scholarships covering meals, travel, and lodging for Bering Strait Tribal members to complete a four-week Class A CDL program in Palmer from July 13 to August 6, with applications due June 24.

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.

GVEA files 62% cost-of-power increase with regulators
Golden Valley Electric Association's cost-of-power surcharge rises 62 percent on June 1, going from $0.12779 to $0.20652 per kilowatt-hour. For a 600 kilowatt-hour household, the change adds about $47 to the monthly bill. State Representative Zack Fields told a legislative committee that Interior utilities have leaned more on diesel as gas supply tightens.
Four Alaska utilities file community-energy tariffs in 72 hours
Four Alaska utilities filed tariff proposals this week to launch community-energy programs under 2024 state law, letting renters and homeowners buy shares in shared renewable projects without rooftop equipment.

Alaska job centers promote tax credits for hiring ex-felons
Alaska's 13 job centers promote federal tax credits and bonding insurance to employers who hire people with felony records, offering employers up to 40 percent of first-year wages in tax breaks.

Alaska training academy graduates 24 officers after 17-week program
Alaska Law Enforcement Training Academy graduated 24 officers Wednesday after completing 17 weeks of training in Sitka, with recruits joining the State Troopers, Wildlife Troopers, State Parks, and municipal police departments across the state.

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.

Dunleavy warns of 45-cent power without gas-line tax deal
Governor Dunleavy warned that without a gas-line tax bill passed in three weeks, Alaska could face power costs of 35 to 45 cents per kilowatt hour within five to 10 years.

Alaska LNG nears Enstar supply deal as Cook Inlet gas declines
Alaska LNG is near a deal to supply North Slope gas to Southcentral Alaska homes and businesses through Enstar Natural Gas at prices below imported LNG, with pipeline construction set to start in early 2027 and gas delivery by late 2029.

Fairbanks wealth manager files for lieutenant governor
Josh Church, a Fairbanks wealth manager and Marine Corps veteran, filed Thursday to run for lieutenant governor in 2026 as a Republican.

Mt. Edgecumbe names new academic, residential principals as applicant deadline nears
Big change ups at Mount Edgecumbe High School, also there's a deadline approaching quickly for students

Man escapes Fairbanks facility; troopers seek public help
A man has escaped and they want him back

Alaska clarifies Medicaid psychotherapy billing rules for master's-level clinicians
Alaska's Division of Behavioral Health clarified that master's-level clinicians pursuing licensure can bill Medicaid for psychotherapy under supervision, letting clinics deploy new therapists immediately.

Alaska's filing deadline turned the 2026 election from rumor into a real race
So many candidates, so little time left

Stapp draws same-party challenge in East Fairbanks House district
Republican Rep. Will Stapp faces a same-party challenge from Seth Church in House District 32, which covers East Fairbanks, Fort Wainwright and Badger. Stapp won the seat in 2024 with 67 percent of the vote.

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.

Ketchikan House race pits utility incumbent against borough assembly challenger
Ketchikan has a race on its hand with a last minute filing

Tanana Chiefs Conference names cancer center for Andy and Barbara Jimmy
Tanana Chiefs Conference named its Fairbanks cancer center for Andy and Barbara Jimmy, honoring the former Minto chief and his wife for decades of leadership and advocacy in Alaska Native health.

Labor department hosts Fairbanks skills event Wednesday
Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development hosts a skills and employment event Wednesday, June 3, in Fairbanks through its Job Center Network.

Two Alaska clinics become the first under a new federal behavioral health funding model
Two Alaska clinics won federal certification for a four-year program that replaces per-visit Medicaid payments with predictable funding to stabilize behavioral health services.

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.

Troopers arrest three for DUI across Alaska
Seward man fled troopers at 100 mph on Seward Highway, charged with felony eluding and DUI. • Fairbanks driver arrested after REDDI hotline report of drunk driving on Richardson Highway. • Soldotna man stopped for equipment violation, refused breath test, blood drawn by warrant.

F-15 aborts takeoff at Eielson during Red Flag exercise
An F-15 aborted takeoff at Eielson Air Force Base on May 29 during Red Flag-Alaska exercises with no injuries or community threat, and an investigation is underway.

DOT&PF lifts weight limits on Dalton, Elliott highways; dozens of Interior roads still restricted
Elliott and Dalton highways lifted all seasonal weight limits Friday. • Parks, Richardson, Glenn, and Alaska highways returned to summer permitting. • Dozen Interior roads remain restricted to 50 to 100 percent of legal axle load.

Alaska certifies first two behavioral health clinics under federal demonstration program
Alaska certified its first two behavioral health clinics under a federal program guaranteeing Medicaid funding for 24-hour crisis services and mental health treatment.

Alaska districts must submit fiscal 2027 plans by May 15. Many don't yet know what the state will give them.
Alaska school districts must submit improvement plans and budgets by May 15 while facing massive shortfalls and uncertain state funding, with Kenai Peninsula weighing four school closures and Anchorage facing a $90 million gap.
DOT seeks rural input on statewide transportation planning process
Alaska DOT is updating how rural communities shape statewide transportation planning and seeking input through June 7, but has received only eight rural responses to its survey so far.

Alaska House examines $4 billion LNG equity option, Fairbanks spur-line tax break
Alaska House Finance Committee examined a plan letting the state buy 5 to 25 percent equity stakes in Alaska LNG for up to $4 billion total, while conditioning a tax break for the pipeline on building a 30-mile spur line to Fairbanks.

Walker filing, running-mate picks turn Alaska governor race toward June deadline
Former Gov. Bill Walker filed to run for Alaska governor Thursday, four days before the June 1 deadline, reshaping a race where three other candidates also announced running mates this week.

Chitina dipnet fishery tentatively set for June 10; low rivers and ice flows could delay opening
Alaska Department of Fish and Game tentatively set the Chitina Personal Use dipnet fishery to open June 10, but low river levels and ice flows from Miles Lake could delay the opening pending sonar salmon counts in early June.

Four new gold mining operations proposed near Central and Chicken
Four mining companies applied for permits to operate placer mines on Crooked Creek and Ptarmigan Creek near Central and Chicken, continuing gold extraction in a region that has supported Interior Alaska communities since the early 1900s.

Begich selects Julia Hnilicka as running mate in Alaska governor's race
Begich picks Hnilicka as running mate.

DEED seeks Interior, Northwest parents for migrant education council
Alaska's education department seeks two parents from Interior and Northwest regions by May 31 to join the council that guides the migrant education program for students whose families move for seasonal work.
