Southcentral

MEA board lets ENSTAR negotiate its gas supply for after Hilcorp contract ends in 2029

MEA's board will let ENSTAR find and negotiate the gas MEA needs after its Hilcorp deal ends in 2029. No word yet on what ENSTAR gets paid or who's selling.

by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read

Mayor seeks $1.5 million from APD's technology levy without naming what it would buy

The mayor wants up to $1.5M more from APD's tech tax fund for unnamed "technology implementation and maintenance," nearly word for word last year's ask.

by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read

White Spot Cafe's new owners ask the state for the diner's beer and wine license

The White Spot Cafe's new owners want its beer and wine license. The menu's rules still apply: know what you want, and there's no choice on toast.

by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago1 min read

Valdez asks residents what they want in a $50 million high school renovation

Valdez wants resident input on its $50 million high school renovation before a Nov. 17 design preview.

by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read

Screeners find suspected cocaine in a coffee container bound for Selawik, troopers say

Anchorage airport screeners opened a coffee container in a Selawik man's checked bag and found suspected cocaine, troopers say. He was arrested at the gate.

by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago1 min read

Mat-Su Borough finishes upgrading two Butte roads off Bodenburg Loop

Two Butte roads off Bodenburg Loop, Knik View Drive and Knik View Circle, are upgraded and paved, the borough says. The estimate for moving gas lines grew.

by Alaska News1d ago1 min read

Kodiak asks again for state harbor money from a program that got nothing this year

Kodiak's main harbor is worn out, and the state grant program it applied to got nothing this year. Thursday, the City Council votes on urging full funding.

by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago4 min read

AIDEA ends private Port MacKenzie rail deal as railroad weighs building it itself

AIDEA is ending a private deal to finish the Port MacKenzie rail line. The railroad may build it with a $249M federal grant and ask for land two others want.

by Walter AlaskaNews23h ago3 min readFrom Oct 27

Valdez school board advances two-week spring break for 2028, wants one week after

Valdez students could get two weeks off in March 2028. Enjoy it, kids: the school board says it wants to stick to one-week breaks after that.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago3 min read

Alaska liquor board weighs renewing one of three approved alcohol server courses

Alaska's liquor board is set to decide Tuesday whether TIPS stays one of three courses servers can take to pour legally. A state reviewer OK'd it, after fixes.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Homer finds five missed ballots between dividers, and one is still unaccounted for

Homer found five ballot envelopes between sorting dividers and added eight ballots to its count. One is still unaccounted for. No result changed.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Follows: Homer canvass board takes up 1,000-plus ballots with a council race 75 votes apart

Anchorage woman who used 170 stolen identities gets five years in federal prison

An Anchorage woman who used more than 170 stolen identities to grab pandemic rent relief and forge checks was sentenced to five years in federal prison.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Anchorage police graduate a third big class as APD works to refill its ranks

APD graduated 22 more recruits Tuesday, its third class of 20-plus in a year. From 2021 into 2024, more officers left each year than it hired.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Winds hit 92 mph at Cordova Harbor, topping the forecast

Forecasters told Cordova to expect gusts up to 80 mph overnight. The harbor clocked 92 mph instead, as a Gulf storm swept across Southcentral.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read

Highway crews measure up to 32 inches of snow near Thompson Pass after blizzard

Blizzard dumped up to 32 inches of snow near Thompson Pass on the Richardson Highway, double what warnings predicted. Winds hit 50 mph before the warning was lifted Tuesday morning.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read

Anchorage Assembly to weigh mandatory penalties for public intoxication and petitions for candidates

Anchorage's Assembly takes up mandatory penalties for repeat public intoxication, signatures to run for office and a mixed-use condo tax break Nov. 17.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Wasilla police shoot and wound man who pointed gun at officers, investigators say

Wasilla police shot and wounded a man Tuesday after he fled and pointed a gun at officers. He faces charges once cleared, and the state will review the shooting.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Army Corps seeks a team to build an estimated $1.8 billion JBER weapons complex

Army Corps is seeking a builder for a $1.8 billion weapons complex at JBER, done by 2032. The 16 new facilities must run before the old complex shuts down, with zero downtime.

by Melinda Communities.News2d ago2 min read

Forest Service wants a small business to rebuild Robinette Road near Hope by next fall

The Forest Service wants a small business to rebuild Robinette Road, a 1.5-mile road into the forest near Hope, with fresh gravel as an add-on, by next fall.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read

Kodiak council members back interim manager Putney for permanent job ahead of Thursday vote

Five of six Kodiak council members back interim manager Tim Putney for the permanent job, skipping 27 other applicants. The council votes Thursday on a draft deal paying $200,000 a year.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Follows: Kodiak council can offer interim manager Putney the job without interviews, attorney says

Whittier harbormaster withholds acceptance of new floats over concrete damage

Whittier's new harbor floats are shedding bits of concrete, and the harbormaster hasn't signed off. He doesn't want the state asking for $4.6 million back.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Whittier to hire design firm for new DeLong Dock, with construction years away

Whittier will hire a design firm to rethink its 70-year-old DeLong Dock, now drawing interest from LNG projects and the military. Shovels are 2 to 3 years out.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read

Two Cordova planning commissioners finish their service, leaving two seats open

Sarah Trumblee and Sean Den Adel sat their last Cordova Planning Commission meeting Tuesday. The city is seeking applicants to fill their seats.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read

Follows: Cordova seeks applicants for five city boards ahead of December appointments

Wasilla planners move to ask the council to repeal its ban on housing in commercial zones

Wasilla's planning commission moved to ask the City Council to undo its ban on housing in commercial zones, and some members vented about being ignored.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Whittier gets $4.1 million in federal money to design a DeLong Dock replacement

Whittier got $4.07 million in federal money to design a replacement for its 70 year old DeLong Dock.

by Melinda Communities.News1d ago2 min read

Kodiak's salmon catch fell a third below average, but the season paid more than usual

Kodiak's salmon fleet caught a third fewer fish than usual this summer but was paid more than average. Westside king runs missed their goals again.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Anchorage's 2052 transportation plan calls for a Fairview Bypass and more frequent buses

Anchorage's 2052 transportation plan calls for a Fairview Bypass, buses every 30 minutes and a rebuilt Muldoon. The Assembly weighs in starting Nov. 17.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Follows: Anchorage road plan keeps contested Seward Highway and downtown rebuilds

Neighbor appeals Mat-Su approval of a 300-person event venue at the Knik Bar

The Knik Bar got Mat-Su's OK for a 300-person lakeside event hall after planners dropped a 10 pm limit on outdoor events. A neighbor is appealing Friday.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

State approves giving AIDEA 6,800 acres near Houston, a third of what it first proposed

The state approved giving AIDEA 6,800 acres near Houston free, a third of what it first proposed, and added a clause returning undeveloped land to the state.

by Alaska News2d ago3 min read

State asks judge to keep absentee ballot review lists from Peltola campaign

The state told a judge the ballot lists Peltola's campaign wants don't exist as records yet and are private. Sullivan's campaign backed the state.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Anchorage permits more new housing than in any year since 2015, mayor's office says

Anchorage permitted 532 new homes through October, more than any full year since 2015, the mayor's office says. But permits aren't homes, and the bar was low.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Judge dismisses claims against co-workers in suit against NMS Nana Management Services, for now

A judge tossed, for now, a worker's claims against three ex-co-workers in his suit against NMS Nana Management Services. His case against the company goes on.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

FEMA brings federal share of Port of Alaska quake storm drain repairs to $2.34 million

FEMA added $3,900 to Port of Alaska storm drain repairs, pushing its share to $2.34 million of a $2.6 million project tied to the 2018 earthquake.

by Melinda Communities.News1d ago2 min read

Mat-Su School Board race and term-length vote too close to call before certification

A Mat-Su School Board seat is 83 votes apart and longer School Board terms lead by 245, with up to 5,973 ballots left to count before Nov. 17 certification.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Planning commission backs rezone to legalize Chugiak house built on industrial land

A Chugiak house built without permits in 2006 sits on industrial land. Planners backed rezoning it residential; its industrial neighbors aren't thrilled.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Wasilla approves $6 million wastewater loan, but city says project is $4.6 million short

Wasilla took a $6 million state loan for its sewage plant upgrade Monday. It's still $4.6 million short, and the price keeps climbing, staff say.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

Follows: Wasilla council takes up $6 million state loan to expand its wastewater plant

Freezing rain brings 22 crash reports to Anchorage police and a jackknifed semi on the Glenn

Freezing rain caused 22 crashes in Anchorage and a jackknifed semi on the Glenn Highway Tuesday morning. A winter weather advisory kept roads icy into late morning.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

LaFrance asks Assembly to confirm Leslie Vines for another Women's Commission term

LaFrance wants Leslie Vines on Anchorage's Women's Commission for three more years. Her attendance record shows two unexcused absences this year.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read

LaFrance reappoints Jennifer Griffis to Anchorage's library board

Mayor LaFrance wants to keep Jennifer Griffis, a policy consultant with a library science degree, on Anchorage's library board. The Assembly votes Tuesday.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read

Anchorage Assembly to take up Transgender Day of Remembrance resolution Nov. 17

The Anchorage Assembly takes up a resolution Nov. 17 recognizing Transgender Day of Remembrance. Nine members and the mayor sponsor it. Last year's passed 9-3.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read