Fairbanks
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Parks Highway blasting, 24-hour pilot cars through Nenana Canyon
Alaska Department of Transportation is blasting rock cuts and running 24-hour pilot cars on Parks Highway between Nenana Canyon mileposts 319 and 325, creating extended delays on the main Anchorage-Fairbanks route.

Eielson AFB PFAS plume is spreading, Air Force warns data center bidders
Air Force is leasing 8,700 acres at three Alaska bases for AI data centers, with bids due June 29. • Eielson AFB parcels sit in or near a moving PFAS contamination plume with no completed environmental surveys. • Developers bear the risk and cost; leases are as-is with no Air Force warranties or utilities provided. • Local permits required from North Pole, Fairbanks North Star Borough, and state energy authority.

Smokejumpers attack 75-acre lightning fire northeast of Fairbanks
Smokejumpers attacked a 75-acre lightning fire in tundra and black spruce 66 miles northeast of Fairbanks on Saturday morning.

Alaska Board of Game proposes hunting, trapping rules for Ambler Road
Alaska Board of Game is proposing hunting and trapping restrictions in Game Management Units 23 and 24 if the 211-mile Ambler Road is built across the Brooks Range. Public hearings are July 22-23 in Fairbanks.

Where Alaska's fire morels may pop next
Oh, Mushroom hunters / Information they kept close / Now for all to know

Fairbanks landowners can claim 50% reimbursement for salmon habitat
Fairbanks-area landowners can get 50 percent reimbursement for streambank fixes that help salmon habitat on Chena, Salcha, Tanana, and other Tanana Watershed streams. Proposals due July 14.

Fairbanks Planning to take up metro boundary expansion June 17
FAST Planning board votes June 17 on expanding metro planning boundary to include Farmer's Loop, Chena Ridge, Chena Pump, Moose Creek, and Eielson Air Force Base.

Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG could cost "tens of millions of dollars"
Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG would cost "tens of millions" — a number that lands somewhere between $23M and $173M. Her plan targets $23M.

Fairbanks spur line language added to Alaska LNG tax bill
Fairbanks North Star Borough secured a requirement for a gas spur line in the state LNG tax bill. Developers must build the spur to access tax breaks. Costs will spread across Railbelt users to keep rates affordable for 3500 local customers.

Frost advisories hit Fairbanks gardens during planting season
Frost advisories across Fairbanks and Interior valleys this week threaten early-season gardens, with temperatures expected to drop into the low 30s overnight through Wednesday.

Mid-June snowstorm closes Atigun Pass, Arctic gateway for North Slope projects
The Arctic doesn’t respect summer.

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.

Fairbanks spruce pollen hits season high in UAF count
Fairbanks spruce pollen hit a season record of 346 grains per cubic meter on June 5, according to University of Alaska Fairbanks counts that track allergy triggers and climate patterns.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

UAF scientist leads $36K Antarctic sea ice study amid record lows
UAF sea ice scientist Andrew Mahoney will lead a year-long study of Antarctic Ross Sea ice decline funded by the National Science Foundation with $36,000, running through March 2027.

Fairbanks gathering honors victims of unsolved homicides
Fairbanks Native Association, Doyon Limited, and city and borough partners held a remembrance gathering May 5 at Golden Heart Plaza to honor victims of unsolved homicides and call for justice.

UAF scientist gets $300K to unlock permafrost's carbon time bomb
UAF scientist gets $300K to study which microbes activate when permafrost thaws and release carbon, a key step to understanding how much greenhouse gas could escape from Alaska's frozen soils.

National Lab, University of Alaska Fairbanks sign energy partnership
National Renewable Energy Laboratory and University of Alaska Fairbanks expanded their partnership Wednesday to focus on critical minerals, energy infrastructure, and workforce development for Alaska's energy sector.

One Spot Left in Denali Wildfire and Wildlife Workshop for Educators
Alaska Department of Fish and Game has one remaining spot in its June 2026 Wildfire and Wildlife educator workshop in Denali National Park, part of its Wildlife Education and Outreach program's summer professional development offerings.
Fairbanks council blocks mayor's cabin deal, demands open bidding
Fairbanks City Council rejected Mayor O'Neall's negotiated lease for a downtown riverfront cabin and ordered a competitive bidding process instead.
Railbelt grid operator holds five subcommittee meetings in eight days
Vivid Northern Lights Draw Fairbanks Viewers to Night Sky
Fairbanks and North Pole residents witnessed vivid aurora borealis displays on April 19, 2026, featuring intense formations that matched UAF Geophysical Institute forecasts during the ongoing solar maximum period.

Fairbanks Borough mails 2026 property assessment notices
The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assessing Department sent annual property assessment notices to all property owners at the end of January, showing current and previous year values that may increase based on neighborhood sales prices.

House panel ties Alaska gas line tax breaks to Fairbanks spur line
House Resources Committee advances substitute bill requiring Alaska LNG project to build spur line to Fairbanks North Star Borough as condition for receiving tax incentives, ensuring Interior residents pay same tariff as Southcentral customers.

Fairbanks father's testimony drives push for faster body cam release
The House State Affairs Committee heard emotional testimony from a Fairbanks father whose sons were shot by state troopers, fueling support for a bill requiring police to release body camera footage within 30 days of use-of-force incidents that result in death or serious injury.

Energy consultant: Alaska LNG tax bill could cut delivered cost by 20 cents
Energy consultant tells House Resources Committee that proposed alternative volumetric tax in HB 381 would reduce delivered cost to Asia by roughly 20 cents per MMBtu compared to current property tax, potentially making the $46+ billion project more competitive globally while still generating stable municipal revenue.

How to challenge your property assessment in Fairbanks North Star Borough
Property owners in Fairbanks North Star Borough have 30 days from the January assessment notice to appeal their property valuation, but must provide specific evidence and pay taxes on time even while the appeal is pending.
