Southcentral

Palmer council will vote on $960,509 more for new library's second floor and kitchen

Palmer's council votes Tuesday on $960,509 more to finish the new library's second floor and build a bigger kitchen. Shoppers already pay a library tax.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Homer's Fireweed Academy asks Kenai Peninsula school district to renew its charter for 10 years

Fireweed Academy asked the Kenai Peninsula school district to renew its charter for 10 years, through 2037. The district board and state board of education must still approve it.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Skeetawk gondola tops Mat-Su's $3.33 million list of community projects

A mile-long gondola at Hatcher Pass's Skeetawk ski area tops the community project list Mat-Su planners sent to the Assembly. Funding isn't promised.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min readFrom Oct 19

Three candidates for governor pledge tribal affairs offices or liaisons at AFN forum

Three governor candidates told AFN delegates they'd add tribal affairs offices, advisors or liaisons to state government. Bernadette Wilson didn't take part.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read

Mat-Su sets aside $704,763 for opioid settlement grants, two-thirds of its total

Mat-Su has collected $1.06 million in opioid settlement money and spent $89,461. Now it will offer local groups $704,763, up to $75,000 apiece.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min readFrom Oct 20

Southeast charter halibut limit could shrink to 32 inches or less under 2027 options

Southeast charter anglers could keep halibut up to 34 inches this year. Regulators are now studying 32 or smaller for 2027. One operator calls 34 "rock bottom."

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read

Kodiak school board names Damon Hargraves superintendent on one-year contract

Kodiak's school board gave acting superintendent Damon Hargraves the job Monday on a one-year contract. He's the third person to lead the district this year.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Follows: Kodiak school board accepts superintendent's resignation less than three months into his tenure

Homer may ask the federal government to review its air service as boardings drop

Homer's mayor wants the city to ask the feds to review its air service. Boardings there have fallen by more than a third in two years. Valdez did the same in 2024.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Kenai nonprofit seeks permit to open a therapeutic daycare on Beaver Loop Road

A Kenai nonprofit wants to turn an empty former group home into a daycare for up to 20 kids, including kids with disabilities. The city takes it up Wednesday.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

BBNC hosts youth and young adult event on careers and scholarships in Kenai

BBNC and the Bristol Bay Foundation are hosting shareholders and descendants ages 14 to 26 in Kenai on Nov. 21 to talk careers and scholarships, with pizza.

by Alaska News2w ago1 min read

Judge rules Dahlstrom couldn't override APOC on Tagle, a move she also made for Taylor

A judge ruled Lt. Gov. Dahlstrom couldn't override APOC's finding against Jose Tagle. She overrode its finding against Treg Taylor the very same day.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read

Troopers arrest man, 52, after exhuming two stabbed dogs in Anchor Point

Troopers arrested a 52 year old Anchor Point man Friday after exhuming two buried dogs with stab wounds to the head and neck.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read

Valdez budget proposal sets aside $6.5 million for special litigation

Valdez's proposed 2027 budget sets aside $6.5 million for special litigation, out of $7.5 million for legal costs. The presentation doesn't say which cases.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

State lets seismic survey near Beluga reach across the Castle Mountain Fault

The state let a Houston seismic company redraw its lines in the Susitna Flats refuge so one reaches across the Castle Mountain Fault. Nobody commented.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Follows: State takes comment on expanding Western Cook Inlet geophysical survey near Beluga

Anchorage fire chief expects two recruit academies in 2027 as about 50 can retire

Anchorage's fire chief expects two recruit academies in 2027 as about 50 firefighters can retire. Even that may fall short, and a third costs about $2 million.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read

Anchorage budget office lists pool closures and bus cuts as possible options for 2028 gap

Anchorage budget office outlined cuts that could close a $15 to $30 million 2028 gap. • Options include closing 3 pools, cutting a bus route and axing 21 police community officer jobs. • None are in the 2027 budget. Assembly votes Nov. 17.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read

Alaska Supreme Court upholds borough's denial of Anchor Point gravel pit permit

The Alaska Supreme Court upheld the denial of an Anchor Point gravel pit after an eight-year fight, saying the owner's must-approve reading defies common sense.

by Bill AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Fish and Game sets second Shaped by Wildlife storytelling night Nov. 13 in Palmer

Fish and Game hosts its second Shaped by Wildlife storytelling night Nov. 13 in Palmer. Proceeds support the Outdoor Heritage Foundation of Alaska.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read

UAF honors Cordova Electric CEO Clay Koplin for microgrid work in Cordova

UAF honored Cordova Electric CEO Clay Koplin for microgrid work in a town with no outside power line, a few months before he takes over Matanuska Electric.

by Melinda Communities.News3w ago1 min read

Port MacKenzie would freeze 2027 dock rates and add fees for guards and late ships

Port MacKenzie would hold dock rates flat next year and add fees for armed guards and late ships. A commissioner says it has "a problem with no traffic."

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readFrom Oct 19

Seward asks residents how to ease congestion between harbor, cruise dock and downtown

Seward wants ideas on easing navigation and congestion between its harbor, cruise dock and downtown, and is asking for them at an open house Tuesday.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

Soldotna Elementary parents and staff propose a charter that keeps neighborhood enrollment

Soldotna Elementary parents want a charter where neighborhood kids skip the lottery, application and parent contract. The school board reviews it Monday.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Follows: Soldotna Elementary parents and staff seek to convert their school to a charter

Begich tells AFN Southcentral Foundation land transfer is law; Sullivan lists his bills

Begich told AFN the Southcentral Foundation land transfer was signed this week, and he and Sullivan walked delegates through their other laws and stalled bills.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Seward council takes up moving city elections to November, starting in 2027

Seward council holds a public hearing Monday on moving city elections to November, enabling a November 2027 vote.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Homer port director recommends inflation increases for most 2027 dock and harbor rates

Homer's port director wants most dock fees to rise with inflation. He's also eyeing Anchorage, where a cargo surcharge nearly triples in January.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Pier One Theatre seeks one more Homer Spit lease, and port staff want it to be the last

Pier One Theatre wants five more years in its $1-a-year city warehouse on the Homer Spit. Port staff say fine, but make it the last lease. The theater agrees.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Palmer's budget plan holds taxes flat and skips a required capital transfer

Palmer's 2027 budget plan holds property taxes and utility rates flat. It also skips $943,402 for capital projects that city code says must be set aside.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

State ends Hilcorp's idle Cook Inlet unit but gives it three years to decide on a restart

The state agreed Wednesday to end the unit around two long-idle Cook Inlet platforms, but gave Hilcorp three more years to decide whether to fire one back up.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

Kodiak council splits over closed-door legal advice on how to hire next city manager

Kodiak's council argued over whether to talk privately with its lawyer about how to hire a city manager, after residents asked it to keep the talk public.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

One person dies in a second-alarm fire at a gated Midtown Anchorage condo complex

One person died in a second-alarm fire at a gated Midtown Anchorage condo complex Thursday. Police evacuated residents door to door as 31 fire units responded.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

Feds seek bids for subsidized jet service to Cordova, Gustavus, 3 other towns

Feds opened bidding for subsidized jet service to Cordova, Gustavus, Petersburg, Wrangell and Yakutat. Alaska Airlines holds the current deal at about $17.8 million a year.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

Copper River Valley could see near-zero lows tonight after snow advisories end

The snow advisories are done and the Copper River Valley could dip near zero tonight. No new storm is forecast until snow chances return this weekend.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Kenai asks to join the federal review of a proposed undersea data center in Cook Inlet

Kenai wants a seat at the table as a Massachusetts company seeks to study putting 330-plus tidal turbines and 66 computer pods in Cook Inlet.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readFrom Oct 7

Anchorage approves $1.23 million for two fire tenders to replace aging trucks

Anchorage is buying two new water tenders for $1.23 million to replace trucks older than 25 years, though the new ones could take about 20 months to arrive.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read

Assembly hearing on Girdwood street crews' storage yard moves to Nov. 17

The Assembly hearing on giving Girdwood's street crews the storage yard they've used since 2009 moved to Nov. 17. The sewer utility wants the lot too.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

Anchorage superintendent says April school bond should stay under $60 million

Anchorage schools chief Jharrett Bryantt wants April's bond kept under $60 million, despite $136 million in identified projects. Voters rejected a $79 million bond last April.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Southcentral Foundation to host Typhoon Halong survivor gathering in Chugiak Saturday

Southcentral Foundation hosts a wellness gathering Saturday in Chugiak for Typhoon Halong survivors, with food, crafts and a steam bath.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Truck crash blocks Glenn Highway in both directions east of Eureka Summit

A truck crash blocked the Glenn Highway in both directions near the Little Nelchina River Thursday morning. The state's traffic system says crews are on scene.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

Whittier takes first federal money toward tearing down parts of the empty Buckner Building

Whittier took the first $600,000 to tear down parts of the Buckner Building, its long-empty former Army building. First comes paperwork, then maybe demolition.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

Mat-Su school board denies community bid to reopen Meadow Lakes Elementary as a charter

Mat-Su's school board formally turned down a community plan to reopen closed Meadow Lakes Elementary as an outdoor charter school. The group can appeal.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read