Local organizations and topics
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
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Week of Jul 13
A Ketchikan man is jailed on burglary and assault charges
A Ketchikan man is held without bail on five charges, including burglary and assault, after allegedly forcing his way into a home and blocking a report to police.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 6
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
NWS Juneau narrows wind advisory to Ketchikan, Annette Island, Prince of Wales
NWS Juneau narrowed a wind advisory Monday afternoon to Ketchikan, Annette Island, and Prince of Wales Island through 7 p.m., with southeast winds gusting to 45 mph and heavy rain expected.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min readFrom 
Juneau tourism task force faces a fork: which planning model fits the capital?
Juneau's Visitor Industry Task Force will choose July 16 among three tourism planning models, each with different timelines and budgets ranging from seven to 18 months.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Ketchikan's library could lose 40% of its budget — and who picks the books is part of the fight
Ketchikan's library may lose 40% of its funding as the borough and city feud — a money fight tangled up with a quieter one over who controls what's on the shelves.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Metlakatla man sentenced in child exploitation case
A Metlakatla man was sentenced to three years for distributing child sexual abuse material — one of four arrested in a broader investigation of the small Southeast community.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Rockslide blocks both lanes of North Tongass Hwy near Ward Cove
A rockslide blocked both lanes of North Tongass Highway near Ward Cove on Tuesday morning, cutting the only paved road connecting North Tongass communities to Ketchikan.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan woman charged with violating DV no-contact order
Ketchikan woman arrested after appearing at a residence she was court-ordered to avoid in an active domestic violence case, held without bail pending arraignment.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
More from Ketchikan
Week of Jun 29
Wind advisory, heavy rain target southern Southeast Alaska through Monday evening
Wind Advisory and heavy rain hit southern Southeast Alaska through Monday evening, with gusts to 45 mph and 1 to 3 inches of rain expected across Prince of Wales Island, Ketchikan, and Sitka.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
SEAPA files federal notice to begin Tyee Lake relicensing ahead of 2031 expiration
Southeast Alaska Power Agency opened federal relicensing for Tyee Lake hydropower, which expires in 2031 and serves Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Wrangell.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Juneau weighs what kind of cruise town it wants to be
Juneau's tourism task force is drafting criteria for whether its cruise-ship limits should ever change — with Goldbelt's proposed new docks adding pressure to the question.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Ketchikan is about to get drenched
Ketchikan and Annette Island could get up to 2.75 inches of rain Monday — a real soaking, even for one of the rainiest corners of the country.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A Ketchikan-area geoduck farm wins a 20-year lease renewal
Geoducks are giant, long-necked clams that can live past 100 and sell for a fortune. A Ketchikan-area farm that grows them just locked in 20 more years.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 22
A Ketchikan stabbing, and the jail violence the public rarely sees
A man at the Ketchikan jail is charged with stabbing another inmate with pencils — a rare public glimpse of the kind of violence that is common behind bars and rarely reported.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Why Alaska is giving out-of-staters more kings as the runs falter
Alaska just doubled out-of-staters' king limit in Southeast even as kings struggle elsewhere — because these are treaty-quota ocean fish, and visitors foot much of the state's fishing-budget bill.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Saxman man arrested for felony DV assault with prior convictions
Alaska State Troopers arrested Floyd Jackson, 59, of Saxman on June 22 for felony domestic violence assault, elevated to a class C felony by prior convictions within the past decade.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Coming up
Alaska Commission on Aging Listening Session - Ketchikan
Community Connections Bess Clark Conference room, 721 Stedman Street, Ketchikan
Meeting
Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly Regular Meeting
Meeting
Loring Service Area Board Meeting
Meeting
Ketchikan Fish and Game Advisory Committee Meeting
Meeting
Ketchikan Gateway Borough Homestead Service Area Board Meeting
Meeting
About Ketchikan
Ketchikan, also called Kichx̱áan, is a city in Southeast Alaska within the Ketchikan Gateway Borough. It is an Inside Passage cruise port known for totem poles, Creek Street and commercial fishing, and the Tongass National Forest surrounds it.
The city council and the borough assembly share local government, deciding questions such as library funding, neighborhood plans, board appointments and elections. Its airport sits across Tongass Narrows on Gravina Island and is reached by ferry, and heavy rain, wind storms and landslide risk shape life in the community.
Ketchikan Indian Community is the local tribe, and Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian culture runs through the town. Neighboring communities include Saxman, Loring and Metlakatla.
More from Ketchikan
Week of Jun 15
Man believed to be Portland hiker found dead near Ketchikan's Deer Mountain Trail
A Portland hiker who called Alaska State Troopers lost near Ketchikan's Deer Mountain Trail on June 14 was found dead the next morning at the bottom of a cliff during a helicopter search.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Ketchikan warrant service leads to three arrests at one home
Alaska State Troopers arrested Teeka Edenshaw, 35, at a Ketchikan home June 12 after she was found hiding in the attic to evade felony probation warrants. • Murphy Charles was charged with first-degree hindering prosecution for helping Edenshaw climb into the attic. • Fred Reigard, 54, was arrested for first-degree failure to register as a sex offender, a charge he had a prior conviction for in 2023.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Week of Jun 8
Metlakatla edible-only landscaping rule reshapes public plantings
Metlakatla passed an ordinance requiring all public landscaping to be edible, planting 50 fruit and berry trees across the Southeast Alaska community with a $105,244 federal grant.
by Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
Ketchikan harbor parking enforcement back after contract gap
Ketchikan's harbor parking enforcement resumed after a contract gap left derelict vehicles and people living in cars occupying lots for months, with police and parking enforcement now working through a backlog.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan tender float meets code, port says after charter operator's safety request
Ketchikan's Tender Float 3 meets building codes without guardrails, port officials confirmed after engineers found no code requirement for railings on the 18-inch-high float.
by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read
Week of Jun 1
Navy SEAL returns to Southeast Alaska after 28 years
Retired Navy SEAL Command Master Chief Nathan Mitchell returned to Southeast Alaska after 28 years, completing a canoe journey with his son to Celebration 2026. • Mitchell spoke about Alaska Native military service, noting the demographic serves at five times the national average. • He addressed veteran mental health, urging those struggling with PTSD to seek support from fellow veterans.
by Melinda Communities.News5mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan awards $2.74M city hall HVAC contract, taps reserves
Ketchikan City Council voted 4-3 to spend $2.74 million replacing city hall's HVAC system using reserves and deferred street projects. • One council member opposed the spending, citing residents losing power and leaving town due to rising costs. • The HVAC units are over 20 years old and no longer meet code.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan postpones cruise-dock expansion for one year
Ketchikan City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to delay a $290,000 design contract for expanding Berth 1 at the cruise dock, citing community concerns about ship volume and the need to repair existing docks first.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Alaska training academy graduates 24 officers after 17-week program
Alaska Law Enforcement Training Academy graduated 24 officers Wednesday after completing 17 weeks of training in Sitka, with recruits joining the State Troopers, Wildlife Troopers, State Parks, and municipal police departments across the state.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan Superior Court Judge Katherine Lybrand seeks retention
Ketchikan Superior Court Judge Katherine Lybrand, appointed in 2022, is seeking voter retention in November 2026 after handling criminal, family, and probate cases across the First Judicial District.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Ketchikan House race pits utility incumbent against borough assembly challenger
Ketchikan has a race on its hand with a last minute filing
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Week of May 25
JAG Marine takes over Ketchikan Shipyard after state ends Vigor's 20-year run
AIDEA replaced Vigor Alaska with JAG Marine Group to operate the state-owned Ketchikan Shipyard after 20 years, citing poor performance. JAG projects adding 100 or more jobs over two years.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Alaska LNG faces tax competition from Canadian projects with federal support
Canada landed its big LNG project the old-fashioned way, by quietly stacking tax breaks for investors years before anyone broke ground, and Alaska's Senate spent Wednesday flipping through the recipe to see what's worth copying.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan Gateway Borough opens candidate filing for October election
Ketchikan Gateway Borough opens filing for Assembly, Mayor, and School Board. • Candidates need 10 voter signatures and a financial disclosure form.
by Alaska News5mo ago1 min read
Ketchikan closes Gorge and Sayles streets through fall 2026 for viaduct replacement
Ketchikan closes Gorge and Sayles streets through fall 2026 for viaduct replacement, forcing drivers to use alternate routes while crews work six days a week.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Week of May 18
Petersburg faces 53% wastewater rate hikes over 5 years for major projects
Petersburg wastewater rates to rise 53.5% over five years starting 2027 to fund three major projects worth 18.5 million dollars. • Average monthly bill jumps from 62.54 to 75.05 dollars in year one. • Assembly wants alternative rate schedules with flatter increases before voting.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago3 min read
Sullivan-backed federal work drives Alaska shipyard training deal
AIDEA, JAG Marine Group, and Generations Southeast signed a workforce training agreement January 13 to prepare Alaskans for shipyard jobs tied to federal icebreaker and Coast Guard maintenance work Senator Dan Sullivan has promoted.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min readKetchikan Council approves pursuit of $23M federal grant for electric grid upgrades
Ketchikan Council votes to apply for $23M federal grant to upgrade electric grid and enable shore power for cruise ships. • Project replaces aging transmission lines, increasing capacity from 20 to 35 megawatts over four years. • Department of Energy covers $17M, city matches roughly $6M with possible state funding. • Application deadline is May 17.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Ketchikan fails to reach agreement with city manager candidate
Ketchikan City Council and selected city manager candidate Glen Adams failed to reach agreement on employment terms Friday, ending negotiations for the combined city manager and utilities general manager role.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Ketchikan seeks bids for City Hall heating, civic center floors, fuel supply
Ketchikan is seeking bids for a new City Hall heating system, Ted Ferry Civic Center flooring replacement, and fuel supply for city vehicles, with two bid deadlines already passed and fuel bids still open.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Ketchikan Council selects Glenn Adams as new city manager
Ketchikan City Council voted 6–1 to hire Glenn Adams as city manager and utilities director. Adams has 26 years of military experience managing large facilities and previously led cities in Virginia and Texas.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago1 min read
Tour operator reports 10 guests fell from Berth 3 dock; harbor board urges safety barrier
Tour operator reports 10 guests fell from unprotected Berth 3 dock. Ports and Harbors Board voted to recommend city install safety barriers where passengers disembark. Operator also disputes electrical bill that jumped from $250 to $1,600 monthly after city changed billing method.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Anchorage faces $1.3 billion stormwater infrastructure deficit
Anchorage has 400 miles of failing storm pipes creating a $1.3 billion repair deficit with no dedicated funding. • Current emergency bonds cannot keep pace with deterioration causing sinkholes and flooding. • Replacing 4,000 feet of pipe on one street costs $25 to $50 million. • City exploring dedicated stormwater utility for long-term funding.
by Cale Green5mo ago2 min read
Alaska House passes bill creating Alaska-Ireland Trade Commission
Alaska House voted 38-0 Wednesday to pass HB 278, creating a nine-member Alaska-Ireland Trade Commission to support economic and cultural ties between the two regions.
by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read