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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.

Interior Alaska's fire season is easing — but watch for the ones still smoldering
Interior Alaska's wildfires are winding down and crews are heading home — but managers are watching for holdovers, lightning strikes that smolder for days before flaring up.

A river dropped just in time to save the cabins near Chicken
The Polly Fire smoldered near Chicken for a week — but the real obstacle was the river. When the Fortymile finally dropped, crews rushed in to wrap the cabins in sprinklers.

A landslide has closed the Dalton Highway, the main road to the North Slope
A rain-triggered landslide closed the Dalton Highway north of Coldfoot on Monday — blocking the main road to the North Slope and the freight bound for the oil fields.

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.

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.

Volunteers wanted to rebuild the Ermine Hill Trail to Kesugi Ridge
Alaska Trails wants a weekend crew to fix a footbridge on Ermine Hill, one of the best routes up Kesugi Ridge. Steep hiking, big Denali views, bring gloves.

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.

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.

Tanana Chiefs Conference reshuffles its leadership
Tanana Chiefs Conference staffed up this week — a former lobbyist to lead advocacy, a new tribal-priorities director, and a split of its top health job as the system keeps growing.

Rain stalled the two wildfires near Ruby, but Tuesday's winds are a risk
Sunday's rain stalled both fires near Ruby, holding them at 260 and 1,000 acres, but Tuesday's winds could dry things out again. No outdoor burning, officials warn.

A boat trip made Interior Alaska's needs visible. Who's responsible for them is the harder question.
A Tanana Chiefs boat trip showcased four remote villages' needs. Who's responsible for meeting them is a tangle of federal, state, corporate and tribal roles.

The Starry Fire is 70% contained as crews move into mop-up
The Starry Fire south of Anderson is 70% contained, up from 65%, and crews have moved into mop-up, combing the perimeter for leftover heat. It's holding at 547 acres.

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.

A soldier died guarding Fort Wainwright's gate. The drunk driver who hit him will serve 17 years.
A North Pole woman will serve 17 years for a drunk-driving crash that killed a soldier guarding Fort Wainwright's gate. Her blood alcohol was nearly four times the limit.

Failed concrete keeps Fairbanks' Wescott Pool closed all summer, cost climbs
Bad concrete will keep Fairbanks' Wescott Pool closed all summer, pushing reopening to November — and the fix just cost another $837,000, over $12 million total.

Driver critical after fiery solo crash closes Richardson Hwy
A driver is in critical condition after a solo crash and vehicle fire closed the Richardson Highway near milepost 210 for two and a half hours on Sunday morning.

A huge North Pole fuel terminal's spill plan is up for renewal — and residents have reason to look
The spill plan for a 33-million-gallon North Pole jet fuel terminal is up for comment through July 29 — in a town that knows what fuel in its groundwater looks like.

A Fox homeowner woke to thieves stealing his copper and fuel. Then the shooting started.
A Fox homeowner woke before dawn to burglars stealing copper and fuel, went to investigate, and traded gunfire with them. No one was hit, and the suspects got away.

Fairbanks subcommittee drafts new Chena River plan with freeze, salmon, and flood goals
Fairbanks subcommittee drafted a Chena River plan aiming to restore winter ice, protect floodplain infrastructure, and address water quality threats including PFAS and invasive weeds.

Troopers say a Fairbanks woman faked her location data to dodge a charge — and got caught anyway
Fairbanks woman accused of vehicle mischief allegedly tried to beat it with fake location data sent to troopers — but witnesses and her real data placed her there.

A Fairbanks lot split turns up permit and floodway snags
A routine lot-line change near Noyes Slough surfaced a few snags — an unpermitted garage, a too-close house, and a floodway where you can't dig without an engineer's OK.

Soccer came home this summer — Where to watch the World Cup in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is happening across North America with viewer-friendly Alaska timing, and Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau have free or easy watch parties through mid-July.

One Anchorage restaurant keeps getting caught serving with expired cards
Alaska cited six bars and restaurants for servers pouring with expired training cards — one Anchorage spot for the fifth time in four years, now risking its liquor license.

Rain offers Interior Alaska's fire crews a needed break
Rain and cooler air are headed for Interior Alaska this weekend — a real break for fire crews who've spent weeks protecting cabins, fish camps, and allotments.

Smokejumpers battle two wildfires near Ruby as smoke reaches village
Smokejumpers and aircraft are battling two wildfires near Ruby that together cover 660 acres and are currently pushing away from the village and nearby Native allotments.

Starry Fire hits 70% containment; wetting rain expected Friday night
Starry Fire near Anderson hit 70% containment Friday as rain moves in, dropping evacuation status from GO to READY.

A small fire near the Taylor Highway, and how Alaska fights it
A lightning-sparked fire is burning just off the Taylor Highway near Chicken — small, but close enough to defend a bridge and cabins while the rest is left to burn.

Two Delta Junction wildfires in monitor status; two near full containment
Over here, you got two fires. Over here you got two fires. That's four fires. What are you gonna do with four fires? Maybe just stick to two fires.

Richardson Highway off-ramp to Mitchell Expressway closes Saturday
Alaska DOT closes the Richardson Highway off-ramp to Mitchell Expressway on Saturday for routine maintenance.

Weekend rain could push Interior Alaska rivers to a rare high
Rain starting Saturday evening could push Interior Alaska rivers to levels seen only once every 5 to 10 years — a warning to anyone recreating near the water.

Interior loses its salmon fishing — pike it is
The Tanana drainage just lost king and chum fishing entirely, leaving Interior anglers chasing pike scattered across a flooded Minto Flats — work for it, with big flashy spoons.

New fire near Bettles strains crews
Twelve smokejumpers dropped on a new fire near Bettles — one more blaze stretching Interior crews thin as lightning keeps the dry north lighting up.

Two new directors join the GVEA board that sets Interior power rates
Dave Messier and Philip Wight just won seats on GVEA's board — the member-owned body that sets Interior power rates. Their first day on the job? A fuel-supply vote.

Young leaders from 42 Interior villages gather near Fairbanks
Interior Alaska Native youth, ages 12 to 24, closed a four-day leadership summit near Fairbanks by naming six priorities to guide their communities in the year ahead.

Three new Community Health Aides head to Interior Alaska villages
Tanana Chiefs Conference recognized three new Community Health Aides for Tetlin, Dot Lake, and the Upper Tanana — often the closest thing to a doctor for miles.

Anderson's mandatory evacuation is lifted, but the Starry Fire isn't out
Anderson's mandatory evacuation is lifted as the Starry Fire hits 60% containment. It's not out — crews are still mopping up, and the town is told to stay ready.

Jade Fire ignites near Kopshesut origin point, threatens Ambler landfill
You bought one fire was bad? How about two fires!

Alaska throws a nine-day baseball party for America's 250th
For nine days, Alaska swaps the rink for the diamond: free kids' clinics, midnight-sun ball, a "Sandlot" screening, and a Fourth of July finish in Fairbanks.

On the wild Alatna, a guide makes his case to the state
A Fairbanks guide wants the state's OK to run commercial trips on the Alatna — a Wild and Scenic river so remote the only way in is by floatplane.
