Local organizations and topics
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
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Week of Jul 20
Motorcyclist killed in left-turn crash at Geist and Loftus in Fairbanks
A motorcyclist died Saturday at the intersection of Geist Road and Loftus Road in Fairbanks after colliding with a vehicle turning left.

A permit to study 14 Alaska marine mammal species is up for comment
A Fairbanks firm wants a federal permit to study 14 Alaska marine mammal species. NOAA is taking public comment through Aug. 26.

Troopers issue Silver Alert for missing 73-year-old near Fairbanks
Alaska State Troopers issued a Silver Alert for 73-year-old Rodney Rutherford, missing since 11:30 p.m. Friday near Murphy Dome Road northwest of Fairbanks. Call 907-451-5100 with information.

Driver ran from Fairbanks crash scene, troopers forward charges
A driver fled a two-vehicle crash in Fairbanks on foot Friday, July 24, and troopers forwarded charges after passengers and a witness identified him.

NSF backs UAF-led critical minerals coalition with $15 million
Alaska holds 56 of the 60 minerals Washington calls essential. NSF is putting $15 million behind a UAF-led coalition to figure out how to get them.

Delta Junction hit by 58 mph gusts, near-zero visibility from blowing dust
Delta Junction got hit with 58 mph gusts and blinding dust Tuesday night, the fourth wind advisory there this month.

Alaska's senators split on Iran war powers, and Murkowski missed the vote
Murkowski has repeatedly broken with Trump to rein in the Iran war. Thursday she missed the vote, and Sullivan again voted no. The motion failed 47-49.

Fatigue blamed in a Parks Highway rollover near Cantwell
A tired Florida driver rolled her vehicle near Cantwell on Thursday, the latest in a summer of crashes and closures on the Parks Highway. Injuries were minor.

More from Fairbanks
Woman arrested on DUI charge after driving into a North Pole business
A woman drove through the wall of a North Pole business just after noon Thursday and was arrested on a DUI charge, Alaska State Troopers said.

NWS warns of snow, ice risk at Atigun Pass and along Dalton Highway tonight
Surprise Surprise, snow in Atigun Pass

Wind Advisory keeps Isabel Pass dangerous through Thursday evening
Big wins through Isabel Pass, careful on the roads

EPA suspends Arctic clean-diesel rules amid Middle East supply crunch
A Middle East fuel crunch reached the North Slope, and EPA suspended clean-diesel rules there through Aug. 2 — putting more soot over Iñupiat communities and Arctic snow.

Alaska science runs on NSF money, and the money has slowed
NSF has awarded 55% fewer grants than at this point in 2024 — a problem for a state whose Arctic research, and its new $160 million minerals engine, run on NSF money.

Chatanika River whitefish spear lottery opens July 27
Everyone loves the lottery - this one for Fish

Alaska shakes the most and gets the least warning
California gets seconds of warning before the shaking starts. Alaska, which has more big quakes than any state, gets none — but that's being built.

Gale winds, 8-foot seas off Utqiagvik through Thursday
Gale winds and 8-foot seas off Utqiagvik make Chukchi waters dangerous for small boats through Thursday evening, with rough water returning Sunday.

Coming up
Friendsgiving Cookie Decorating Class with Catelyn's Confections
Northern Made Co., 505 Illinois Street, Unit 4, Fairbanks, AK 99701
Class
Orion Levine Comedy Show at Pakalolo Coffeeshop
Performance
Orion Levine Comedy Show
Performance
Stoney Sunday Comedy Brunch with Orion Levine
Performance
Lost Girl by Kimberly Belflower
Performance
About Fairbanks
Fairbanks is a city in Alaska's Interior, on the Chena River within the Fairbanks North Star Borough. Known locally as the Golden Heart City, it is home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and sits near Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base.
The city and borough decide questions of zoning, flood maps, trails and large industrial uses such as data centers. Winter conditions shape daily life, from dense fog and freezing rain to air pollution rules, power supply from the Golden Valley electric utility and crashes on the highways that meet there.
Fairbanks serves as a hub for the Interior and a gateway for travel to the Arctic, and it draws visitors for aurora tourism and ice art events. Nearby communities include North Pole, Ester, Fox and Salcha.
More from Fairbanks
85 mph on a stretch of road marked for its fatal crashes
Troopers say a Sterling man ran his dirtbike 85 in a 45 — on a stretch of the Sterling Highway flagged for its fatal crashes — then briefly declined to pull over.

Nenana River erosion threatens Alaska Railroad mainline; DNR proposes 6-acre land sale near Healy
Alaska is selling 6 acres of state land to the Alaska Railroad so it can move its mainline tracks away from the eroding Nenana River near Healy. Comments due August 14.

A storm hits Norton Sound just before Friday's gillnet opening
A Bering Sea storm hits Norton Sound Thursday with 45 mph gusts and 9-foot seas, a day before a 24-hour commercial gillnet opening.

Supreme Court to hear Alaska bush pilot's fight over $95,000 plane seized for a six-pack
Supreme Court will hear whether Alaska can seize a bush pilot's $95,000 plane because a passenger carried beer to a dry village.

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.

Fairbanks trails commission to weigh commercial vehicle rules Monday
Fairbanks trails commission meets Monday to weigh rules on commercial vehicles on borough recreational trails, part of a larger dispute over who uses the system and how.

Fairbanks: Old Chena Ridge Road and Transfer Site access close July 27 for season
Old Chena Ridge Road and Transfer Site access close July 27 through the construction season for roundabout work at the Chena Pump Road intersection, part of a $3 million safety project.

Week of Jul 13
Three DUI arrests in one day span Kenai Peninsula and Fairbanks
Alaska State Troopers arrested three drivers on DUI charges Saturday, two on the Kenai Peninsula and one in Fairbanks, after crashes that injured multiple people.

Fairbanks water scoopers were on practice flight, not a new fire
Four water scoopers flew a practice mission over Fairbanks on Friday to keep pilots sharp, not to fight a new fire.

Fairbanks cold case cracked after suspect called in his own tip
A Michigan man arrested in July 2026 is charged with killing a Fairbanks man whose remains were found in a barrel off the Steese Highway in May 2025, over 30 years after he vanished in 1993.

Fairbanks rally targets data centers as Air Force pursues Eielson lease
Air Force is exploring AI data center leases at Eielson while a community group rallies Saturday against 15 proposed statewide data centers over power grid and revenue concerns.

NSF awards UAF $877,501 for mass spectrometer to support fisheries and minerals research
NSF awarded UAF $877,501 to buy a high-precision mass spectrometer for fisheries, minerals, and ocean research starting August 2026.

Fairbanks riverwalk gap closure gets commission review next week
Fairbanks commission reviews Phase III of Chena Riverwalk on July 22, a trail segment to close a gap near Pioneer Park, after city council opposed the current design as too expensive.

Parks Highway closed at MP 274 near Clear Space Force Station
A disabled semi-truck closed the Parks Highway at Milepost 274 near Clear Space Force Station through Friday, blocking the main route between Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Fairbanks subdivision stuck in limbo since 2018 seeks fourth extension, citing owners' divorce
Fairbanks Platting Board will decide July 15 whether to extend a subdivision's approval for a fourth time, after the owners' divorce halted road work needed to finish the eight-lot Nalak Subdivision.

Fairbanks weighs doubling a rec area and shifting trail approvals to staff
Fairbanks may nearly double the Isberg Recreation Area to 740 acres — and let future trails get built through staff review instead of public hearings.

Fairbanks man wanted on kidnapping, assault charges caught after foot chase
Alaska State Troopers caught Fairbanks man Kyle Curtin after a monthlong search and foot chase Wednesday, ending a manhunt for kidnapping and sexual assault charges.

Environmental groups rally against a wave of proposed Alaska data centers
Two Alaska environmental groups are rallying in Fairbanks against a wave of proposed data centers — and the lack of any statewide rules for them.

Alaska won up to $160M to hunt critical minerals with AI and microbes
UAF will lead a new NSF innovation engine — up to $160M over 10 years — using AI and microbes to find Alaska's critical minerals. SCIENCE!!

A fire no one is fighting has been fouling Fairbanks' air for weeks
Alaska's letting the Tatlanika Fire burn on purpose — too remote to be worth fighting — but its smoke has been parked over Fairbanks and Nenana for weeks anyway.

TCC and Interior Native Vote host candidate mixers in Fairbanks before August primary
Big ballot, tiny primary turnout, and free food — Tanana Chiefs Conference are putting Interior voters face-to-face with the candidates. Just register by Sunday first.

A faster way to settle Native trust estates, starting in Alaska
Settling a Native allotment after a death has meant slow federal paperwork — now Interior has an online system to speed it up, and Alaska families are first to use it.

Interior Alaska breaks ground on the nation's northernmost veterans cemetery
Interior Alaska is getting its first state-owned veterans cemetery — the northernmost in the U.S. — built by UIC-owned HC Contractors near Fairbanks.

Alaska's newsroom is auditing what AI tells voters — and it keeps changing
An Alaska newsroom is running a daily audit of what AI tells voters — 15 models, 160,000+ answers — and finding the bots flip their pick by the day, and by your hometown.
