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Anchorage ordinance would drop 45-degree shelter trigger, raise site cap to 200
Anchorage would drop its automatic 45-degree shelter trigger, raise site limits to 200 and open rec centers, with one director deciding when shelter opens.

Kenai council to hear public testimony Sept. 2 on $75,000 home tax exemption ballot question
Kenai City Council hears public testimony Sept. 2 on a ballot measure that would exempt the first $75,000 of assessed home value from city property tax, effective Jan. 1, 2027.

Kenai council to vote Sept. 2 on FAA-funded airport perimeter fence contract
Kenai City Council votes Sept. 2 on a FAA-funded airport perimeter fence upgrade, with contract details and grant amount to be disclosed at the public hearing.

An Anchorage restaurant is accused of employing 24 minors without permits
Twenty-four employees aged 13 to 17 are alleged to have worked at an Anchorage restaurant without work permits, in at least 1,279 violations.

Anchorage weighs surveillance rules 11 months after buying the system
Anchorage approved an $11.8 million surveillance system in 2025 and wrote no rules for it. The Assembly takes up those rules Tuesday, eleven months later.

Anchorage developer says fire lanes cost his 58-unit project 15 homes
Fire lane requirements cost an Anchorage developer 15 potential homes. The city faces pressure to ease building rules to meet housing goals.

NMFS closes Central Gulf cod for hook-and-line vessels 50 feet and up
On Sept. 1, Alaska's largest hook-and-line boats lose Central Gulf cod for the year, while smaller boats gain new cod access in state and Bering Sea waters.

Rules on remote Alaska communities' fishing quota return to council
Federal fishery managers revisit rules on how small, remote Alaska communities hold and trade halibut and sablefish quota, at an October meeting in Anchorage.

New Potter Marsh boardwalk and ice-skating ramp open Saturday
Potter Marsh opens a 200-foot boardwalk, viewing platform, and ADA-accessible ice-skating ramp Saturday, Aug. 29, giving visitors a dedicated alternative to using narrow highway shoulders.

Alaska Supreme Court upholds termination of Valdez mother's parental rights
Alaska Supreme Court upheld termination of a Valdez mother's parental rights after she failed to complete reunification steps and missed most visits over two and a half years.

A course that usually means flying to the East Coast is coming to Anchorage
A hospital cleaning certification course usually held on the East Coast is coming to Anchorage in September, if 20 people sign up by Sept. 4.

Anchorage officials pitch Assembly on Block 102-Tozier land swap for housing
Anchorage officials pitched a land swap to the Assembly Friday that could enable housing on two sites, but the vote covers only the exchange itself, not zoning or development deals.

Anchorage Assembly set to waive protest on six marijuana license renewals
Anchorage Assembly will waive objections to six marijuana license renewals for four businesses, clearing the way for state approval by September and October deadlines.

Anchorage Assembly designates Sept. 20 as LGBTQ Veterans Day
Anchorage Assembly designated Sept. 20 as LGBTQ Veterans Day, marking the anniversary of the 2011 repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Anchorage Assembly to take up $4.7 million grant to plan Port of Alaska fuel terminal replacement
Anchorage Assembly votes Sept. 1 on a $4.7 million federal grant to replace POL2, the fuel terminal damaged in 2018 that supplies half the port's capacity and virtually all fuel to JBER.

One-fish king limit holds in most Prince William Sound salt waters
One king salmon in most of Prince William Sound through Sept. 15. The terminal harvest areas still allow two, and the coho are the better bet anyway.

Anchorage elementary schools drop pre-packaged meals for traditional food service
Anchorage elementary schools have dropped pre-packaged meals. The district says more students are eating lunch but has not released the counts.

Planned Parenthood PAC registers for Fairbanks and Juneau municipal races
Planned Parenthood's Alaska political committee registered to spend in the Fairbanks and Juneau races. It named no candidates and reported no spending.

Port of Alaska seeks road realignment for Chugach Electric substation
Anchorage Platting Board will vote Wednesday on letting the Port of Alaska shift an unbuilt road so Chugach Electric can build a power substation on port land.

Alaska's marijuana board will decide whether to erase a violation against its chair's own store
The Marijuana Control Board chair's own store is on its September agenda, and the agency's director wants her $100 violation wiped off the record.

Homer's zoning rewrite gets its first public hearing Wednesday
Homer's Planning Commission takes testimony Wednesday on a zoning rewrite. An earlier draft drew 905 comments and two petitions with about 600 signatures.

Why the Coast Guard is paying a Homer helicopter company to reach roadless villages
The Coast Guard is paying a Homer helicopter company $345,000 to fly inspectors to roadless Alaska villages to reach the fuel facilities it regulates.

More than 100 coho have passed Bear Creek weir near Seward
More than 100 coho salmon have passed Bear Creek weir near Seward, signaling that freshwater silver fishing in the Resurrection River should improve within the next week or two.

Ship Creek coho slowing as the six-fish limit stays through December
Ship Creek anglers can still keep six salmon a day, but the coho run behind that limit is winding down and the fish are getting harder to find.

Alcohol board denies a second bar at a Wasilla wedding venue
A Wasilla wedding venue was denied a second plumbed bar because state law requires fixed counters in the same building. The owner plans a rolling bar.

Kodiak Island Borough clerk drafts ordinance to tighten Assembly vacancy rules
Kodiak Island Borough Clerk Nova Javier drafted an ordinance requiring Assembly vacancy applicants to certify voter registration, residency, and willingness to file financial disclosures upfront.

Anchorage youth can apply for $1,000 to $5,000 climate project grants
Anchorage residents ages 15 to 24 can apply for $1,000 to $5,000 for local climate projects, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Applications close Oct. 18.

Federal grant of $1.63 million funds Muddy Creek bridge on the Glenn Highway
Federal Highway Administration awarded Alaska DOT 1.63 million dollars to replace a seasonal culvert with a bridge at Muddy Creek on the Glenn Highway near Milepost 94.

Anchorage weighs selling city land for housing by units built, not just the highest bid
Anchorage would rank housing density and affordability over sale price when selling city land, prioritizing multifamily projects and permanently affordable housing over highest bidder.

An Anchorage firm fell to six employees and built itself back up
ASCI Federal Services fell from 125 employees to six, then rebuilt to nearly 50 and grew its annual revenue from $1.4 million to almost $8 million.

Alaska extends fire season to Sept. 14 in Delta, Tok and Copper River areas
Burn permits will stay required two extra weeks, through Sept. 14, in the Delta, Tok and Copper River areas, after a dry summer left fuels parched at depth.

High wind warning: gusts to 70 mph Friday in the Eastern Alaska Range
Forecasters upgraded Friday's Eastern Alaska Range wind forecast to a warning. Gusts to 70 mph are expected, peaking between 4 and 10 in the morning.

Coho must go back in the water on the Susitna and Little Susitna
You can still fish for coho on the Susitna. You can't keep them. The Little Susitna is projected at 2,104 fish against a goal of at least 9,200.

Wright and Dunleavy insist the Alaska LNG project is alive
At an Anchorage conference, the U.S. energy secretary and Gov. Dunleavy insisted the stalled Alaska LNG project is alive, pointing at different obstacles.

Eshamy District stays closed as sockeye run behind target
A rule capping set gillnetters at 36 hours a week in the Eshamy District took effect in July. The district has been closed to fishing all season.

Five Alaska bridges are getting new lights, above and below
Five Alaska bridges are getting new lights, for the aircraft passing above them and the boats passing below. The whole project costs $170,000.

Anchorage may let its planning director redraw wetland maps as wetlands shift and dry up
Anchorage may let its planning director redraw wetland maps as wetlands shift and dry up — a faster fix in a city with thousands of acres of wetlands.

Kenai anglers won't get the extra coho they were expecting this fall
Kenai River anglers won't get the usual bump to three coho on Sept. 1 — the limit stays at two through November as silver runs look weak across Cook Inlet.

AIDEA commits $25 million to drill under the West Susitna road
AIDEA committed up to $25 million to drill under a road with no buildable design yet, and its resolution names the three resource projects it would serve.

Anchorage's new emergency plan still has no chapter for disease outbreaks
Anchorage's new emergency plan has no communicable disease appendix. The plan lists 34 changes; the memo to the Assembly itemizes none of them.
