Southcentral

Alaska House members ask FCC to preserve E-Rate school internet discounts

Twenty-one Alaska House members asked the FCC to preserve E-Rate, which discounts school internet. Alaska's own school broadband grant depends on it.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Oct 7

Follows: The FCC review that could end E-Rate is filed under children and screens

Corps seeks state water quality OK for $402 million Homer harbor to end five-deep rafting

Homer's boats tie up as many as five deep. The Corps wants a $402 million fix, Homer would owe about $170 million, and the math says 77 cents back per dollar.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readFrom Sep 24

Board of Fisheries to weigh closing Homer Spit waters to commercial fishing

Two Board of Fisheries proposals would push commercial fishing back from the Homer Spit, by half a mile or a full mile. The board decides in Seward in December.

by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read

State seeks consultant to design first formula for infant learning program money

Alaska is hiring a contractor to design its first structured formula for dividing Infant Learning Program grants among 15 regional programs, with a $200,000 contract and Oct. 28 proposal deadline.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Oct 7

State urges drivers to avoid Parks Highway from Talkeetna to Cantwell

Alaska Department of Transportation urges drivers to avoid the Parks Highway between Talkeetna and Cantwell through Sunday evening as snow and ice make the 111-mile stretch dangerous.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaskans get nine Medicare drug plans for 2027, priced $5.30 to $191.50 a month

Alaska has nine Medicare drug plans for 2027, from $5.30 to $191.50 a month. The cheapest premium isn't always the cheapest plan once your prescriptions count.

by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read

FAA posts first flight limits ahead of Trump’s Alaska visit

The FAA's drone ban over JBER runs 3:35 to 10:15 pm on Trump's rally day. Bigger flight limits reaching 30 nautical miles may still be coming.

by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read

AIDEA takes over governor's energy conference with up to $400,000

Gov. Dunleavy leaves office in December. The energy conference he founded stays on: AIDEA's board approved up to $400,000 to run it in Anchorage in 2027.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 22

Proposed rules would let Alaska schools bill Medicaid for any eligible student

Alaska schools could bill Medicaid for therapy and behavioral health care for any eligible student, not just kids with disabilities. Comments due Nov. 6.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 15

Soldotna man arrested on DUI and assault charges after rear-end crash, troopers say

Alaska State Troopers arrested a 35-year-old Soldotna man Friday night on assault, DUI, and three other charges after he rear-ended a stopped car near Ciechanski and tried to leave the scene.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Kenai commission weighs letting a gravel operation dig into required setbacks

Kenai will decide Wednesday whether a gravel pit can dig closer to its neighbors than city rules allow. An earlier, similar variance drew an appeal.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Federal probation seeks polygraph examiner for Anchorage sex offense supervision

Yes, federal probation still uses polygraphs. The Anchorage office wants an examiner to help supervise people convicted of sex offenses. Proposals due Nov. 5.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Air Guard helicopter flies critically injured worker to Anchorage hospital

An Alaska Air National Guard helicopter crew flew a critically injured worker from a remote site 75 miles northwest of Anchorage to Providence Alaska Medical Center on Wednesday, Oct. 7.

by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read

Legislature seeks bids for Mat-Su office space as Wasilla lease runs out of renewals

The Legislature is taking bids for a Mat-Su office for nine local lawmakers. The Wasilla lease runs out of renewals in 2027, and there's no set budget.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readFrom Oct 2

Kawerak backs moratorium on seabed mining off Alaska, sends resolution to AFN convention

Kawerak's board backs a moratorium on seabed mining off Alaska and will ask AFN to do the same. A federal lease sale could come as soon as December.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

State proposes giving 5,805 acres to energy authority for Bradley Lake hydro expansion

DNR's 5,805 acres for the Alaska Energy Authority near Homer are for Bradley Lake hydro, where AEA says a glacier diversion could boost power 40%.

by Alaska News1mo ago1 min readFrom Oct 2

Kodiak parks board to weigh three first projects from new master plan

Kodiak Parks and Recreation will discuss three potential first projects from the city's new master plan at a Tuesday board meeting, focusing resources on one rather than spreading them thin.

by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read

Wasilla airport commission backs buying at least 11 parcels for longer runway

Wasilla's airport commission backed buying at least 11 parcels for a longer runway. Planes leave heavier than they arrive, thanks partly to local shopping.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Mat-Su Assembly to revisit lake and river setback rules in a special meeting

Mat-Su Borough Assembly special meeting Oct. 20 on waterbody setbacks, the 75-foot rule for lakes and streams, after an earlier advisory board's recommendations.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Kodiak Island Borough tax payments due Thursday; mailed payments should be hand canceled

Mailing your Kodiak property tax payment? Get it hand canceled. Postmarks now show where mail is processed, not when you dropped it off. Due Thursday.

by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read

East side Cook Inlet setnetters must prove recent fishing to stay in the fishery

East side Cook Inlet setnetters get their own permit area Jan. 1. Want in? Prove you fished there between 2020 and 2024 and apply by Dec. 31.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Eagle River man, 72, dies after falling overboard on Talkeetna River

Charles Kolb, 72, of Eagle River died Thursday after falling overboard on the Talkeetna River despite lifesaving efforts by another boater and emergency crews.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Feds propose second Cook Inlet oil lease sale on the same terms after first drew no bids

The feds' first Cook Inlet oil lease sale this year drew zero bids. Congress won't let them change the terms, so they're offering the same million acres again.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Ketchikan planners may redo approval for KIC shelter after some neighbors weren't notified

Ketchikan's planned permanent shelter got its parking variance in September. Now the borough may redo the vote because some condo owners were never notified.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Pincush leads Brazelton 55-32 in Whittier write-in race after remaining ballots counted

Whittier's last ballots are counted: write-in David Pincush leads Heather Brazelton 55-32 for seat E, unofficially. Six questioned ballots were rejected.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Anchorage Assembly sets Oct. 20 hearing on Chugiak senior housing lease

Anchorage Assembly will hear testimony Oct. 20 on extending a below-market ground lease for Chugiak Senior Citizens to 2094, enabling about 60 affordable rental units for seniors and disabled adults.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Seward canvass board counts 64 ballots in city council race

Seward's canvass board counted 64 ballots Friday from the Oct. 6 municipal election, with Robert Barnwell leading the five-candidate city council race at 33 votes.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

State takes comments through Oct. 29 on water quality review of AIDEA's West Susitna road

The state is taking comments through Oct. 29 on whether AIDEA's 78.5-mile West Susitna road meets water quality rules. The Corps' own window closes Tuesday.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Native languages council to decide if state education employees can serve

The Council of Alaska Native Languages meets Oct. 21 to decide whether state education employees can serve on it and to approve its report to the governor.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Anchorage police ask for help finding missing 14-year-old Luna Thompson

Anchorage police are asking for help finding 14-year-old Luna Thompson, last seen near the 7000 block of Linden Circle. Call 311, option 1, with tips.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska Supreme Court rules early ICWA errors don't undo a later termination that followed the law

The Alaska Supreme Court held that ICWA errors in the early removal stage of a child welfare case don't undo a later termination that followed the law.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

National conservation fund gives $255,000 to Alaska Center group backing three House candidates

A national conservation PAC gave $255,000 to The Alaska Center IE, about two-thirds of what the group has raised to back three state House candidates.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Kodiak Assembly member asks for monthly short-term rental counts, citing Coast Guard housing crunch

Kodiak's borough counts about 165 short-term rentals, same as last year. One Assembly member wants monthly updates as Coast Guard growth squeezes housing.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

FAA proposes redrawing Anchorage basin airspace and flight paths for JBER's extended runway

The FAA wants to redraw the airspace over the Anchorage basin so JBER can use an instrument landing system on its longer runway. Comments are due Nov. 9.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Chugach backed USS Ted Stevens commissioning and worked on its cybersecurity

Chugach Alaska Corporation sponsored the USS Ted Stevens commissioning and its federal services arm helped modernize the destroyer's cybersecurity before the Navy commissioned it in October.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Southcentral weekend brings ski swap, winter prep and fall festivals

Southcentral Alaska hosts a ski swap, winter prep fair, half marathon, pumpkin festival and Indigenous Peoples Day celebration Saturday through Monday as cool, wet weather moves in.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Houston approves plastics recycler's permit as state reviews groundwater contamination at site

Houston approved a plastics recycler at a gravel pit where the owner's own consultant found petroleum in the groundwater. The state is still looking into it.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Houston passes two-year pause on data centers as state weighs AIDEA land transfer

Houston's City Council paused data center permits for two years while the state weighs giving 20,000 acres just north of the city to AIDEA for free.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

State commission fines governor candidate Bernadette Wilson $2,473.50 over LLC contribution

State regulators fined governor candidate Bernadette Wilson $2,473.50 over a $25,000 LLC contribution and underreported fundraising costs. The max was $26,225.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: APOC sets Tuesday hearings on four disclosure complaints against statewide candidates

State puts emergency erosion work on Talkeetna's only highway out to bid

The Susitna River has been chewing at the bank near the only highway into Talkeetna. The state wants erosion protection in place there by Dec. 15.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Oct 2