Local organizations and topics
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
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Week of Jul 6
Air Force opens bidding to lease 4,400 acres at Eielson for private development
Air Force is leasing 4,400 acres at Eielson to a private developer for up to 50 years, with proposals due August 10. The developer covers all costs and environmental cleanup on contaminated sites.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago2 min read
At a remote Interior camp, sobriety is celebrated the Athabascan way
Old Minto, a remote Interior camp that roots addiction recovery in Athabascan tradition, holds its Annual Sobriety Potlatch July 23 — celebrating sobriety the way the culture always has.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A reserve cap just cost Fairbanks schools $11.4M. Now officials are fighting it.
Fairbanks officials are taking on the reserve cap that clawed back $11.4M from schools this year — a fight between planning flexibility and keeping money in taxpayers' pockets.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
NSF awards UAF $1.77 million to build AI geohazard forecasting tools
UAF got $1.77 million to build AI software that merges earthquake sensors, satellite imagery, and weather data into a single landslide forecast system, testing it across Alaska through 2032.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago2 min read
A wildfire flared within a mile of the pipeline — briefly
A half-acre fire flared within a mile of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline near Livengood on the Fourth, then crews knocked it out the same day.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Heat advisory warns Arctic Plains villages of 80-degree Monday
National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for Arctic Plains villages warning of 80-degree temperatures Monday, when most homes lack air conditioning.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min readFrom 
What Fairbanks wants from Juneau — and why it costs more up north
Fairbanks is finalizing its legislative wish list: cheaper piped gas, more school funding, and pensions back — a bill of grievances for a region that pays more for everything.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
The Tanana opens for chum, but the kings must all go back
A strong chum run opens a Tanana personal-use fishery near Fairbanks July 27 — but every king caught must go back alive, and subsistence fishing there stays closed.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
More from Fairbanks
Fairbanks-area burn permits suspended amid high fire danger
Fairbanks, Salcha, and Railbelt burn permits are suspended indefinitely amid high fire danger — no pile burning, lawn burning, or burn barrels until conditions ease.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks man faces assault charges after early-morning disturbance near Yvonne Avenue
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 30-year-old Fairbanks man on three assault charges, including two counts involving a child, after a domestic-violence call near Yvonne Avenue early Saturday.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
The strange snow bug Alaska is spending $750K to understand
A wingless insect that walks on Alaska's winter snow is so rarely seen scientists don't know how many kinds exist — now a UAF researcher has $750K to sequence them and find out.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago1 min read
Notakok Fire held at 55 acres one mile from Kaltag as smokejumpers begin to stand down
The 55-acre Notakok Fire one mile from Kaltag entered mop-up operations Wednesday as most smokejumpers stood down and a full fire crew took over, with rain and humidity favoring containment.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Gavora Mall, two other Fairbanks properties seek grandfather rights at July 16 hearing
Gavora Mall and two other Fairbanks properties will seek grandfather rights on July 16, allowing uses built before current zoning rules to continue without permits.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska National Guard completes 4 rescues over July 4 weekend
Alaska National Guard helicopters rescued four people over the July 4 weekend from remote Interior and Southcentral locations, including two critically ill patients and two stranded hikers.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Tatlanika Fire smoke reaches Fairbanks, 39 miles away
Smoke from the Tatlanika Fire, burning 982 acres 39 miles southwest of Fairbanks, is now visible in Fairbanks and Nenana, though no structures are threatened in its limited-response zone.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Free Fairbanks streambank workshop opens July 15 for landowners and anglers
Fairbanks landowners and anglers can register free for a two-day streambank restoration workshop July 15 and 16 that teaches erosion control and fish habitat work.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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
As Alaska's permafrost thaws, its rivers are running rusty.
Thawing permafrost is leaching iron into Alaska's streams, turning some of them rusty orange and threatening subsistence fish — and a new Army contract will trace where it's coming from.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago1 min read
The company behind Fort Knox is prospecting for gold near Delta Junction
The Kinross subsidiary that runs Fort Knox, Alaska's biggest gold mine, wants to drill for a new deposit near Delta Junction, in a salmon-bearing river drainage. It's exploration, not a mine yet.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks man killed after trooper opens fire during early-morning pursuit
Alaska State Trooper shot and killed a man in Fairbanks early Monday after a 90-second vehicle pursuit ended on a dead-end street and the driver turned toward the officer. • This is the second officer-involved fatality in Fairbanks in two weeks. • The Alaska Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation; the Office of Special Prosecutions will independently review findings.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Noel Wien Library brings Kids Literacy Farmers Market back to Weeks Field July 21
Noel Wien Library hosts Kids Literacy Farmers Market on July 21 at Weeks Field, a free event with activities and a children's market returning for its sixth year.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Interior Native Vote brings candidates to Fairbanks tribal hall July 20
Interior Native Vote hosts a candidate forum July 20 at Chief David Salmon Tribal Hall in Fairbanks, six weeks before the August 18 primary.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks staff flag spot-zone risk ahead of Geist Road rezone vote
Fairbanks planning staff recommend denying a rezone of two Geist Road lots from mixed commercial to all General Commercial. • Staff warn the change would remove the only zoning buffer between intensive commercial uses and a residential neighborhood. • A worst-case General Commercial use like a drive-through could generate 1,500 weekday trips versus 25 for the current medical offices. • The Planning Commission votes Tuesday, July 14, at 6 p.m.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Yukon River gillnet closures spread as Chinook and chum run far below average
Alaska closed all Yukon River gillnet fishing after Chinook and chum runs fell far below historic averages, with Chinook passage at Pilot Station running 41 percent below the long-term average.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks-area teen faces DUI and drug charges after Badger Road stop
A 17-year-old Fairbanks-area driver faces DUI and drug charges after a Badger Road speeding stop turned up a breath alcohol reading above the adult threshold and cannabis paraphernalia.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska's quiet June fire season faces July's heat and lightning
Interior Alaska faces rising wildfire risk this weekend as July thunderstorms arrive over fuels that stayed wet through June's quiet fire season.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Week of Jun 29
Lightning fire near Pleasant Valley draws smokejumpers, aerial fleet
Smokejumpers and aircraft responded Sunday to the Anaconda Fire near Mile 23 of Chena Hot Springs Road east of Fairbanks, which grew to one acre but posed no immediate threat to nearby structures.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Healy woman held without bail after July 4 domestic violence arrest
A 53-year-old Healy woman is held without bail after assaulting a family member on July 4, with alcohol cited as a factor.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks resident flags Alaska guardian shortage; commission meets July 9
A Fairbanks resident told the Senior Citizens Advisory Commission that Alaska lacks enough legal guardians for seniors, and the commission meets July 9 to discuss other senior issues.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
HB 381 exempts Alaska LNG project property from municipal taxes, replaces with volumetric splits
HB 381 replaces municipal property taxes on the Alaska LNG project with a new volumetric tax. • Phase 1 revenue splits favor pipeline communities while Phase 2 directs 48 percent to the Kenai Peninsula Borough. • The state expects the project to generate 26 billion dollars over 30 years. • Tax changes expire if construction misses a December 31 2034 deadline.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Where Alaska's gas-line tax deal stands, and what's still stuck
Lawmakers have a working Alaska LNG tax deal — a $16 ratepayer price cap, a required Fairbanks spur line, and two unresolved fights over legality and Kenai's school costs.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A Fairbanks clinic wants to expand. Staff recommend denying the rezone it's seeking.
A Fairbanks clinic wants a rezone to expand its medical building. Staff recommend denial over reduced protections for nearby homes; the commission decides July 14.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks homeowners can cut their property taxes — and many who qualify don't
Fairbanks homeowners can knock up to $50,000 off their taxable home value, and seniors and disabled vets much more — but many who qualify never file. Deadline Feb 14.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson visits UAF on July 14 to take questions
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — the Court's first Black woman and first former public defender — visits UAF on July 14 to take Alaskans' questions.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A vacant Fairbanks school's fall reopening hinges on a vote — and an unsigned charter
A vacant Fairbanks school could reopen as a charter this fall — if the Assembly says yes Wednesday and the charter group finally signs a district contract.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A new logjam on the Beaver Creek float wants your boat. Here's how to dodge it.
The 100-mile Beaver Creek float is pure Alaska wilderness — but a new debris-choked channel will grab your boat if you let it. Line or portage past it, BLM says.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A new federal water-testing rule could check rural Alaska for 'forever chemicals' — if it reaches us
An EPA rule would test drinking water for 30 contaminants, including the PFAS Alaska already has in its water. The catch: whether it reaches the state's small, rural systems.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min read
Kawerak's mentors help Bering Strait students through the leap to college
Kawerak pairs new college students from Bering Strait villages with mentors who've made the same leap — celebrating small wins and, for one, a chance to study in Japan.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks sets aside a day to care for its Alaska Native Elders
On July 13, volunteers across Fairbanks spend the day helping Alaska Native Elders with yard work, painting, tech, and home repairs — the community caring for its own.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A stranger's call got a weaving driver off the Steese
A driver saw a truck weaving on the Steese and called it in — leading troopers to an allegedly impaired Fairbanks man, a gun, and a release violation.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Peltola tours the Interior on fish and costs — into a contested field
Peltola toured Interior Alaska on salmon and cost-of-living — but it's a campaign swing, not a coronation: Sullivan works the same ground and the same bycatch issue.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read