Interior
RSSInterior region news
Places
Local organizations and topics
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
Have a story from Interior? Send a tip
Saturday, Jul 4
Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery breaks ground in Salcha
Alaska broke ground on its first state veterans cemetery in Salcha, 30 miles south of Fairbanks, with construction expected to finish by October 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Two fires hold near Ruby as weekend weather turns risky
Two lightning fires east of Ruby are holding — the Big Fire just 10% contained — but if weekend storms miss, heat and 40 mph winds could change that fast.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Friday, Jul 3
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
Holdover fire near Allakaket draws six smokejumpers as Kenai danger stays high
Six smokejumpers reached a holdover fire near Allakaket on June 29 that had smoldered in duff for days before flaring up, while the Kenai Peninsula faces the state's highest fire danger.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
One lane closed on the Alaska Highway at the Johnson River Bridge, through Sunday
One westbound lane of the Alaska Highway is closed at the Johnson River Bridge, about 42 miles south of Delta Junction, through Sunday evening. Expect single-lane traffic control.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Crews on three Interior fires brace for a dangerous holiday weekend
Three western Interior wildfires near Ruby and Allakaket face a dangerous holiday weekend — 30-40 mph winds and critically low humidity that could drive fast spread.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
An Alaska village will own its solar power — and sell it back to the utility
A state grant puts village-owned solar and batteries in Allakaket, letting it sell power to its utility instead of buying diesel. A second grant expands a hydro project.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Thursday, Jul 2
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
More from Interior
A new power line is proposed through a historic Delta park
A utility wants to run a new power line through Big Delta State Historical Park to reach a nearby boat launch — open for public comment through July 31.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 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
A washout severs a Delta Junction road — again
A washout closed Cummings Road in Delta Junction, cutting off a stretch residents partly maintain themselves — the kind of weather hit Interior roads keep taking.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 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
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
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.
by Maggie 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
About Interior
Interior Alaska is the region centered on Fairbanks and the Tanana Valley, spanning the land between the Alaska Range and the Brooks Range. It includes the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the Denali Borough, North Pole, Delta Junction, Healy and Nenana, along with villages such as Fort Yukon, Manley Hot Springs and Lake Minchumina.
Its continental climate brings extreme temperature swings and winter storms, and the Parks, Steese, Elliott, Dalton and Tok Cutoff highways cross summits where winter weather makes driving difficult. The region is also seismically active, and earthquakes there are felt across the road system.
Rural villages rely on small utilities, federally subsidized air service and Tanana Chiefs Conference, the regional tribal organization, for services such as water, planning and grant writing. Golden Valley supplies electricity to the region, and federal land managers set trail and subsistence rules for areas such as the White Mountains, the Steese and Gates of the Arctic.
More from Interior
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
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.
by Maggie 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
Nome Airport Crossing Permit
A dull state permit reveals something distinctly Alaskan: a Nome resident wants to taxi his plane from his own yard onto the airport — the kind of access rural life runs on.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Wednesday, Jul 1
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
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Tuesday, Jun 30
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.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Monday, Jun 29
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
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Sunday, Jun 28
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Gas-line developer warns Alaska's Senate terms could drive it off
Glenfarne told lawmakers the Senate's gas-line amendments — a 9.4% investor tax, an automatic state takeover clause, tough labor rules — could make it walk. Lawmakers say they're protecting the state.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Saturday, Jun 27
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.
by Cale Green4mo ago3 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
