Southcentral

Crowley Alaska recruits mechanics and drivers Thursday at Mat-Su Job Center

Crowley is hiring mechanics and line drivers in Palmer, with $3,500 sign-on bonuses. Recruiters are at the Mat-Su Job Center Thursday afternoon.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

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

A survey crew wants 9.7 more miles of lines near Beluga, with dynamite charges set in hand-drilled holes. The state is taking comments until Oct. 21.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Legislative committee has no oil and gas consultants under contract, chair says

Alaska lawmakers have no oil and gas consultants under contract, with a gas pipeline project and a new administration coming. Senators want that fixed.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Former Anchorage defense attorney Justin Facey sentenced to 20 years for drug trafficking

A former Anchorage defense attorney got 20 years for drug trafficking, the full term prosecutors sought, after they detailed how he exploited clients.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Auditors link Anchorage's $25 million cash misstatement to how SAP closes the books

Anchorage's 2024 cash was misstated by $25 million. The city pays millions for SAP, and until it's fixed, the correction lives in an Excel workbook.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Council advisers debate studying more charter leasing of commercial halibut quota

Charter operators want room to lease more commercial halibut quota. Commercial fishermen say deal first with the boom in bareboat rentals.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Council advisers back Bering Sea crab ceilings after the state already set its catches

Federal advisers signed off on Bering Sea crab ceilings a day after the state set its catches. The unsettled part: what to do about hybrid crab.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Port tops Anchorage's draft 2027 list of state and federal requests

Anchorage's 2027 wish list for Juneau and D.C. starts where it always does: the port. Housing near JBER and Cook Inlet gas come close behind.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Follows: None of Anchorage's district projects got state money this year, city tells Assembly committee

LaFrance sends Anchorage Assembly transit board's call for more AnchorRIDES and bus driver money

Anchorage's transit board asked the Assembly for more 2027 money to cover rising AnchorRIDES costs and hire five bus operators, but the mayor's budget includes no new transit funding.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage mayor asks Assembly to move Christensen Drive lot to street crews

Mayor LaFrance asked the Anchorage Assembly to move a steep Christensen Drive lot to the Street Maintenance Section to set up utility easements, with a public hearing set for October 20.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Unofficial Kodiak Island Borough election results posted, canvass set for Oct. 14

Kodiak Island Borough posted unofficial election results Oct. 6, with 742 ballots still uncounted and a six-vote gap in the Assembly race before the Oct. 14 canvass.

by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read

Invasive pike may use Cook Inlet to reach new watersheds, ADF&G biologist says

Pike were thought to avoid salt water, but some appear to have crossed Cook Inlet. A state biologist explains how in Fish and Game's October podcast.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

State proposes 50-year Anchorage airport lease to Northstar Holdings

Alaska DOT posted two conflicting notices for a 50-year airport lease to Northstar Holdings, listing annual rent as either $30,771 or $44,447 and describing different permitted uses.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Anchorage Assembly members draft an ordinance to restrict concentrated kratom products

Three Assembly members want concentrated kratom off Anchorage shelves and the tea left alone. Nothing's introduced yet, and the city has no local data.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Cordova tests burn pile camera as violations could risk its permit

Cordova is testing a security camera at its burn pile after state regulators warned that continued violations of burning rules could shut down the facility.

by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read

Anchorage opioid overdose calls down 10%, fire department says

Anchorage fire crews are answering about 10% fewer opioid overdose calls this year. The department can't say why yet, and the numbers miss many deaths.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Forest Service contracts drinking water testing at eight Chugach National Forest sites

Forest Service hired a Michigan water-testing firm to monitor drinking water at eight Chugach National Forest sites for up to $31,600 over five years starting Sept. 30, 2026.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read

Write-in David Pinquoch leads Whittier council seat E count

Write-in David Pinquoch leads the Whittier City Council seat E race with 53 votes to Heather Brazelton's 23, with 17 ballots still to count Friday.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska Regional Hospital appeals state denial of its proposed South Anchorage emergency room

Alaska Regional Hospital appealed the state health commissioner's denial of a five-bed South Anchorage emergency department on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

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

DNR wants a permit for most gunfire near Slipper Lake and across the Moose Range, and for burning cars. Hunters are exempt. Comments due Nov. 9.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Mat-Su Assembly writes scenic trail opposition into Rasmuson grant resolution

Mat-Su Assembly added opposition to National Scenic Trail status for the Alaska Long Trail to a $300,000 grant resolution, citing use restrictions and loss of local control.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Soldotna man, 33, dies after being found unresponsive in Sterling garage

A Soldotna man, 33, died and a second adult was hospitalized after both were found unresponsive in a Sterling-area garage Saturday. Foul play isn't suspected.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Anchorage Assembly approves $511,190 grant to replace police patrol car computers

Anchorage police are getting 80-some new patrol car computers on the federal dime. The Assembly OK'd the $511,190 grant on its consent agenda.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Anchorage Assembly approves $3 million rural health grant for crisis care

Anchorage accepted $3 million in federal rural health money meant to link health, police and fire records and pilot opioid treatment and mobile care.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Army sets up new units at JBER and Fort Wainwright to receive soldiers moving to Alaska

The Army now has a welcome crew for soldiers moving to Alaska. The pitch: not just check-in paperwork and cold-weather gear, but how to live with the cold.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Mat-Su Assembly pulls Engstrom road reconsideration without debate

Mat-Su Assembly dropped a reconsideration of the Engstrom Road connector, leaving a September vote in place for the $21.6 million northern route over a $9.1 million southern option.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage School Board backs public school scholarship groups under new tax credit

The Anchorage School Board voted 7-0 to back scholarship groups for public school students under the new federal tax credit, with guardrails against vouchers.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage mayor's office wants closed Abbott Loop Elementary demolished, school officials say

Anchorage's mayor wants closed Abbott Loop Elementary demolished for housing redevelopment, and the school district would need to authorize $4 million in demolition costs from a prior bond.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage schools list nearly $18 million in urgent repairs ahead of April bond

Anchorage schools have nearly $18 million in urgent repairs, from failing boilers to a Wendler roof that won't hold a shingle. A bond list comes Oct. 20.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Board of Fisheries committee to take up remote testimony and process changes Oct. 21

A Board of Fisheries committee meets Oct. 21 on remote testimony and process recommendations. Its chair has "struggled with" virtual participation.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Kodiak Electric signs 20-year contract to upgrade energy systems at Coast Guard Base Kodiak

The Coast Guard's Kodiak base signed up the local electric co-op for a 20-year energy upgrade deal, with $2 million to start. Shutdowns already delayed it.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readFrom Sep 30

Ethics board finds one line in school district bond video violated city code

The city ethics board says one line in a school district bond video was political activity. It recommended no further action; the bond failed in April.

by Alaska News1mo ago4 min readFrom Sep 23

Anchorage police fly to Shaktoolik as the Kelly Hunt death investigation continues

Anchorage police flew to Shaktoolik to interview people who knew Kelly Hunt, 19, who died of hypothermia. APD is still piecing together her final months.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 24

Anchorage Assembly weighs Girdwood road contract that drew one bid

Western Construction & Equipment, the only bidder, would maintain Girdwood Valley roads for up to nine years under a contract worth as much as $10.8 million.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska rent growth slows overall, but Mat-Su and Kenai post record jumps

Rents in surveyed Alaska areas rose 2.6%, the smallest increase in five years. But Mat-Su and the Kenai Peninsula saw record jumps of 12.8% and 11%.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska's 2026 fishing derby winners, from Valdez to Wrangell and Juneau

Chase Edstrom of North Pole won Valdez's Silver Salmon Derby with an 18.80-pound coho worth $10,000, the largest catch since 2010.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

APOC sets Tuesday hearings on four disclosure complaints against statewide candidates

The Alaska Public Offices Commission holds hearings Tuesday on campaign disclosure complaints against three statewide candidates.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage Assembly to hear proposal capping city department staffing Tuesday

Anchorage departments have topped their budgeted staffing five years running. An Assembly proposal would make them get permission first. Hearing Tuesday.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Kodiak Island Borough Assembly to weigh renewing five boards, one idle since 2022

Kodiak's Emergency Services Council, which can declare local disasters, hasn't met since 2022. The Assembly decides Oct. 15 whether to keep it.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Kodiak Island Borough Assembly to vote on $4.2 million hospital chiller contracts

Kodiak Island Borough Assembly votes Thursday on four contracts totaling $4.2 million to replace the hospital chiller, with federal funding covering $3.8 million and the borough paying the rest.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read