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Week of Jun 1
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.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Alaska raises rural power subsidy floor, cutting support $3M
Alaska's Regulatory Commission proposed raising the Power Cost Equalization baseline rate nearly 10 percent, cutting rural electricity subsidies by about $3 million. • The subsidy shrinks when urban power costs rise because the baseline is tied to Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau rates. • Chugach Electric and Fairbanks power costs are climbing, driven partly by diesel dependence and higher gas prices.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Dunleavy warns of 45-cent power without gas-line tax deal
Governor Dunleavy warned that without a gas-line tax bill passed in three weeks, Alaska could face power costs of 35 to 45 cents per kilowatt hour within five to 10 years.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago3 min read
Alaska fire agencies open 11 wildfire investigations in four days
Alaska fire agencies opened investigations at 11 wildfire locations between June 1 and June 4, spanning the Kenai Peninsula to Interior and Western Alaska, as the National Weather Service issued Red Flag warnings for critical fire weather conditions.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks wealth manager files for lieutenant governor
Josh Church, a Fairbanks wealth manager and Marine Corps veteran, filed Thursday to run for lieutenant governor in 2026 as a Republican.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Mt. Edgecumbe names new academic, residential principals as applicant deadline nears
Big change ups at Mount Edgecumbe High School, also there's a deadline approaching quickly for students
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Man escapes Fairbanks facility; troopers seek public help
A man has escaped and they want him back
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Alaska clarifies Medicaid psychotherapy billing rules for master's-level clinicians
Alaska's Division of Behavioral Health clarified that master's-level clinicians pursuing licensure can bill Medicaid for psychotherapy under supervision, letting clinics deploy new therapists immediately.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
More from Interior
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Costello-Wells rematch puts Southwest Anchorage House seat back in play
Rep. Mia Costello, a Republican, faces a rematch against Democrat Denny Wells in Southwest Anchorage House District 15 after beating him by 529 votes in 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska Energy Authority lifts ban on consecutive chair terms
Alaska Energy Authority board voted January 31 to allow its chair and vice chair to serve consecutive terms, removing a two-year rotation rule to maintain leadership continuity during a $206.5 million Cook Inlet submarine cable project.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Week of May 25
Troopers arrest three for DUI across Alaska
Seward man fled troopers at 100 mph on Seward Highway, charged with felony eluding and DUI. • Fairbanks driver arrested after REDDI hotline report of drunk driving on Richardson Highway. • Soldotna man stopped for equipment violation, refused breath test, blood drawn by warrant.
by Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 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
DOT&PF lifts weight limits on Dalton, Elliott highways; dozens of Interior roads still restricted
Elliott and Dalton highways lifted all seasonal weight limits Friday. • Parks, Richardson, Glenn, and Alaska highways returned to summer permitting. • Dozen Interior roads remain restricted to 50 to 100 percent of legal axle load.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
State offers FAA two decades of free land at Allakaket Airport
Alaska DOT is offering the FAA 20 years of free land at Allakaket Airport for navigation equipment, locking out state revenue and limiting the village's ability to expand or reconfigure the runway through 2046.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
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.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Walker filing, running-mate picks turn Alaska governor race toward June deadline
Former Gov. Bill Walker filed to run for Alaska governor Thursday, four days before the June 1 deadline, reshaping a race where three other candidates also announced running mates this week.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago3 min read
ADF&G closes Tanana River drainage to king salmon sport fishing through September 2026
Alaska Fish and Game closed all king salmon sport fishing in the Tanana River drainage through September 2026 due to a weak forecast for the Yukon River run, marking the second consecutive year of the ban.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Chitina dipnet fishery tentatively set for June 10; low rivers and ice flows could delay opening
Alaska Department of Fish and Game tentatively set the Chitina Personal Use dipnet fishery to open June 10, but low river levels and ice flows from Miles Lake could delay the opening pending sonar salmon counts in early June.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Four new gold mining operations proposed near Central and Chicken
Four mining companies applied for permits to operate placer mines on Crooked Creek and Ptarmigan Creek near Central and Chicken, continuing gold extraction in a region that has supported Interior Alaska communities since the early 1900s.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Begich selects Julia Hnilicka as running mate in Alaska governor's race
Begich picks Hnilicka as running mate.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
DOT&PF seeks airport land amendments in Koyukuk, St. Marys, Central, Chalkyitsik
Alaska Department of Transportation posted airport land notices in May 2026 for Koyukuk, St. Marys, Central, and Chalkyitsik. Check the state online public notices system for comment deadlines and full terms.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min readDEED seeks Interior, Northwest parents for migrant education council
Alaska's education department seeks two parents from Interior and Northwest regions by May 31 to join the council that guides the migrant education program for students whose families move for seasonal work.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
UAF glaciology program returns to McCarthy for eighth summer
UAF Tom Sawyered 28 young folks who will now be spending 11 days out on a glacier.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Delta Fire Prevention Area burn permits suspended for third time since late April
State say, no fire near Delta.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Dunleavy declares disaster for Interior spring flooding
Governor Dunleavy declared a disaster for spring flooding in Interior Alaska, activating state aid programs. Residents can register for assistance through July 11.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
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.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Week of May 18
TCC offers disaster relief to tribal members hit by fire, flooding
Tanana Chiefs Conference offers one-time disaster payments to enrolled tribal members whose homes or possessions are damaged by fire, flooding, or high winds, covering appliances, food loss, and winter gear with no income requirement.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Tanana Chiefs warns Dalton corridor transfer threatens subsistence lands
Interior Alaska tribes warn a 1.4 million-acre Dalton corridor land transfer to state control could threaten subsistence rights, as state management rules differ from federal protections.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Fitch upgrades Tanana Chiefs Conference bond rating to AA-
Fitch upgraded Tanana Chiefs Conference bond rating to AA-, lowering borrowing costs for healthcare and infrastructure. • Karen Sitton named new CFO after 30-year finance career. • TCC opposes federal land transfer in Dalton Utility Corridor, citing threats to ancestral hunting grounds. • Morris Thompson Center hiring youth ages 14 to 21 for summer jobs.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
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.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Nenana pioneers Alaska's first biochar boiler for municipal heating
Nenana installed Alaska's first biochar boiler for municipal heating, burning wood chips and waste at 2,000 degrees, but a city official warned the system demands daily monitoring and every-other-day refills, not a hands-off solution like oil heat.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska eyes $3B carbon revenue from 600,000 burned acres
Alaska plans to earn over $3 billion by replanting 600,000 burned acres as carbon offsets over 20 years. • Work requires 5,000 tree planters yearly plus nurseries and equipment, creating seasonal jobs. • Carbon market collapsed in 2024 but is recovering, with oversupply ending in 18 to 24 months.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska, Forest Service sign 20-year shared stewardship timber deal
Alaska and Forest Service signed a 20-year timber deal to jointly manage federal lands and boost restoration work. • State aims to harvest young growth forests in Southeast Alaska for 400 to 500 million board feet annually. • Current harvest is only 100 to 120 million board feet per year, down from nearly a billion three decades ago.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska seniors lost $8M to scams as programs expand to meet growing population needs
Alaska seniors lost 8.17 million dollars to scams in 2024, led by tech support fraud. • Senior population grew 78 percent since 2010 and now makes up 22 percent of the state. • State launched a mobile app to help seniors apply for eight public assistance programs. • Community programs are expanding volunteer services and elder abuse awareness.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
