Southcentral

State proposes giving ENSTAR, not Hilcorp, a lease to store natural gas beneath Kenai

The state is leaning toward ENSTAR, not Hilcorp, to store gas under Kenai, saying Hilcorp turned in about a quarter of the data it asked for. It's not final.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Progressive group behind Alaska Voter Guide went by 907 Action until August

Alaska Voter Guide isn't the state's pamphlet. It's a progressive political group that went by 907 Action until August. Steven Spielberg gave it $5,000 in 2024.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Trump says Taiwan will buy 30% of Alaska LNG gas, the share in a 2025 letter

Trump and Lutnick say Taiwan will buy 30% of Alaska LNG's gas and invest $4.4 billion. The 30% matches a nonbinding letter Taiwan signed 19 months ago.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: Trump says South Korea will finance $50 billion of Alaska LNG; Seoul hasn't committed

Valdez school board asks city for $15.1 million, a 29% increase over this year

Valdez's taxable value jumped 56%, and the school board wants its share: $15.1 million from the city, up nearly 29% from this year. The council decides.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Murdoch gives $500,000 to No on 2 as repeal side reports $279,000 from Aurora

Kathryn Murdoch gave $500,000 to fight the ranked choice repeal. The repeal side got $279,000 from Aurora Action Network. Both sides' latest filings are in.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Kodiak planning commission set to decide Oct. 21 on Beaver Lake land sale

Kodiak's planners still say keep the Beaver Lake land as open space. The commission punted in September, decides Oct. 21, and said no to a similar sale in 2019.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alina Rubeo wins Wasilla mayor's race with 67% of the vote, avoiding a runoff

Alina Rubeo will be Wasilla's next mayor after winning 67% of the vote, easily avoiding a runoff. Ian Crafton held his council seat by 51 votes.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Houston certifies election, swears in Johansen and Brasel for new terms

Houston certified its Oct. 6 election Monday and swore in Lisa Johansen and Jeff Brasel for new three-year terms. About 5% of voters showed up.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Kenai accepts $3.1 million FAA grant for new airport perimeter and security fence

Kenai City Council accepted a roughly $3.1 million FAA grant for a new perimeter and security fence at the airport. The city covers about $154,000, with QAP as contractor.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readFrom Oct 8

State approves Seward timber sale with a logging road along a recreation trail

The state will sell 55 acres of Seward spruce, hauled out on a road along a year-round trail the Forest Service says wasn't built for log trucks.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

ConocoPhillips seeks five more years of North Slope off-road travel; comments due Friday

ConocoPhillips wants to keep driving and building ice roads on state land on the North Slope for five more years. Its current permit expires Dec. 17.

by Maggie AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readFrom Sep 10

Palmer swears in Bruce Brown after election with under 5% turnout

Palmer swore in its newest council member Monday after an election that drew fewer than 5% of voters. Alison Collins is the new deputy mayor.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Trump endorses Wilson

Trump endorsed Bernadette Wilson for governor, attacked two Republican rivals and urged the GOP field to unite behind her.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Oct 8

Supporters line up as protesters prepare for Trump rally in Wasilla

Trump is scheduled to speak at 3:30pm Tuesday in Wasilla for Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Nick Begich, with roads closed nearby. Protesters are rallying separately at Newcomb Park.

by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read

Driver strikes and kills man crossing East 15th Avenue in Anchorage

A driver struck and killed a man crossing East 15th Avenue at Medfra Street in Anchorage on Tuesday morning. The driver stayed, and no charges have been filed.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Chugach could build Milrem's unmanned military vehicles in the US under a new agreement

hugach could start building military robots in the U.S. for an Estonia-based maker. So far it's a memorandum, with no site, timeline or price tag.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago2 min read

Overturned truck closes Parks Highway at Milepost 183

An overturned commercial truck closed the Parks Highway in both directions at Milepost 183 early Tuesday. The closure is expected to last until around midday, state transportation officials say.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

AFN board won't endorse candidates this year after backing Peltola in 2022 and 2024

AFN's board won't endorse any candidates this year, after the group backed Mary Peltola in 2022 and 2024. Peltola is now running for U.S. Senate.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Kenai Peninsula mayor proposes raising volunteer firefighter and EMS tax break to $50,000

A Kenai Peninsula volunteer firefighter's tax break could get five times bigger. In areawide borough tax alone, that's $192.50 a year, up from $38.50.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Oct 8

Alaska pre-K programs will no longer need mental health consultation to get state funding

Alaska pre-K programs no longer need mental health consultation or coaching to get state funding. The ban on expelling 4-year-olds stays put.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readFrom Oct 9

Mat-Su Borough asks state for 210 acres near Sutton for a shooting range

People already shoot at the old Jonesville coal mine near Sutton. The Mat-Su Borough wants to make it official, with a $7.5 million shooting range.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 29

Follows: DNR proposes requiring permits for most shooting in the Matanuska Valley Moose Range

Premera would save Homer money over Moda next year but raise employees' copays

Homer can pay Moda about $197,000 more in 2027 or switch to cheaper Premera plans with higher copays. Its broker says Premera may be "buying the business."

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Seward requires wider paved streets and bans cul-de-sacs in new subdivisions

New Seward subdivisions need wider paved streets, a place to walk and buried power lines, but no cul-de-sacs. Developers pay; one critic says buyers will too.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

State seeks bids to expand the Upper Stiles Creek shooting range near Fairbanks

A busy public gun range near Fairbanks has no berms behind its targets. The state is taking bids to build some, paid mostly by taxes on guns and ammo.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 22

Wasilla adopts airport plan that charts a path to a 6,000-foot runway

Wasilla adopted a 20-year airport plan that points toward a runway more than half again as long. Nobody testified, and nobody on the council objected.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Follows: Wasilla sets Oct. 12 hearing on airport master plan that recommends higher lease rates

Anchorage Assembly chair proposes conditional protest of Circle K liquor license transfers

Anchorage Assembly Chair Anna Brawley proposes protesting Circle K's transfer of four package store liquor licenses. A public hearing is set for Oct. 20 at Loussac Library.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readFrom Oct 8

State closes Unit 14A Chugach goat registration hunts Tuesday night, weeks early

Fish and Game is closing Chugach goat registration hunts in Unit 14A at 11:59pm Tuesday, cutting short a season set to run through Oct. 31.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Wasilla streets close Tuesday for Trump rally; expect highway delays

The president is in Wasilla Tuesday, so streets around the Menard Center close 8 am to 6 pm and Glenn and Parks trips could run up to 30 minutes longer.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska has $27 million to get PFAS and other contaminants out of drinking water

Alaska has $27 million in federal money to get PFAS out of drinking water. Most of the projects lined up for it are about a different problem: manganese.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Glenn Highway northbound left lane closed near mile 26 Monday for guardrail repairs

One northbound lane of the Glenn near Eklutna is closed until 4:30 pm for guardrail work. This stretch has seen the same repair closures before.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

State to hold veteran career expo in Anchorage the day before Veterans Day

Alaska has more veterans per capita than any other state. The day before Veterans Day, the state labor department wants to help some of them land jobs.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

State plans to sell Homer contractor 5,000 cubic yards from Ohlson Mountain site

The state intends to sell a Homer contractor 5,000 cubic yards of material from atop Ohlson Mountain. That's roughly 400 to 500 dump-truck loads.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readFrom Oct 7

Alaska leads the nation in TB, and its immunization system will stop tracking TB tests

VacTrAK will stop tracking TB tests in 2027. Alaska has the nation's highest TB rate, and most of last year's cases were in Southwest Alaska.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago5 min read

Commercial vehicle crash closed Tok Cutoff near Slana on Monday morning

A commercial vehicle crash closed the Tok Cutoff in both directions near Slana early Monday. By late morning, Alaska 511 no longer showed the closure.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Kenai commission weighs ending newspaper publication of land notices

Kenai's Planning and Zoning Commission meets Wednesday to weigh recommending an end to newspaper publication of zoning and land notices, shifting them to a city webpage instead.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Kodiak Assembly to weigh $300,000 for landfill fence after state says bears are getting in

Kodiak's landfill bear fence is no longer effective, state wildlife officials told the borough. The Assembly takes up $300,000 for a perimeter fence Thursday.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: Kodiak waste board passes bear resolution after softening its wording

Anchorage Assembly takes up surveillance rules again as sponsors flag Axon contract data terms

Sponsors say the Axon contract lets the company keep police metadata indefinitely. The city attorney says Axon can't see plate data. Round two is Wednesday.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 25

Follows: Warrant rule for sharing police camera data splits Anchorage Assembly surveillance drafts

Kenai will seek up to $250,000 in federal money to replace Old Town Park's playground

Kenai wants up to $250,000 in federal money for a new Old Town Park playground. The catch: grant-funded park land has to stay a park, more or less forever.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Kenai library rules move out of city code Friday and into staff-approved policy

Kenai's library rules leave city code Friday, and the sleeping ban goes with them: seated "quiet rest" will be fine, but lying down still won't.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Homer council to hear ordinance letting residents live-trap feral rabbits

Homer may finally let residents trap the feral rabbits damaging their homes. The catch: the shelter mostly can't take them, and you can't let them go.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read