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Monday, Oct 5
Air Guard helicopter rescues pilot after crash 35 miles north of JBER
A pilot had minor injuries after his single-engine plane crashed north of JBER on Oct. 1. A Guard helicopter crew flew him to an Anchorage hospital.

Doctoral student from Wales and Nome wins BSNC's Tim Towarak Memorial Scholarship
Aapiaq Cheryl Ongtowasruk, who grew up in Wales and Nome, won BSNC's $10,000 Tim Towarak scholarship for her doctoral work on intergenerational learning.

Live Alaska local results: Fairbanks, Kodiak and Wasilla report first totals
Fairbanks Assembly Seat D is separated by 123 votes, Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly by 16 and Kodiak Island Borough Assembly by six.

Vance announces Railbelt transmission project at Fairbanks rally
The Trump administration will fund up to $150 million toward a 223-mile transmission line on Alaska's Railbelt grid, Vice President JD Vance announced Monday.

Anchorage judge sentences Mario Jackson to 198 years for 2025 double murder
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Jack R. McKenna sentenced Mario Jackson to 198 years, the maximum possible term, for the October 2025 shooting deaths of two people in Anchorage.

North Pacific council's SSC keeps snow crab buffer at 40%, not 50%
Alaska's Bering Sea snow crab catch ceiling rises to 12.73 kilotons after the North Pacific council's science committee kept a 40 percent safety buffer instead of increasing it to 50 percent.

Prince William Sound parallel cod season closes to pot gear at noon Wednesday
Alaska closes pot fishing for Pacific cod in Prince William Sound at noon Wednesday, Oct. 7, following a federal season closure, while longline and jig seasons stay open.

Alaska proposes Medicaid coverage of traditional healing through Tribal health programs
Alaska seeks federal approval to cover traditional healing through Tribal health programs under Medicaid starting in 2028, with public comment due Nov. 4.

More from Southcentral
Mat-Su Planning Commission backs Oil Well Road community council district
Mat-Su Planning Commission recommended the Assembly create a community council district for Oil Well Road property owners, which would let them seek state grants if incorporated.

State tentatively approves Pitkas Point cemetery lease
The state tentatively approved a no-rent, 55-year lease of 1.15 acres to Pitka's Point's tribal council for a public cemetery. Comments are due Oct. 28.

Sterling Highway to close overnight Wednesday between mileposts 45 and 47
Sterling Highway closes overnight Wednesday to Thursday between mileposts 45 and 47 for Cooper Landing bypass construction, the only road connecting western Kenai Peninsula communities to Alaska.

Ship Creek moose permits available online only starting Tuesday
Fish and Game opens 100 Ship Creek moose permits online Tuesday at 8 am. Last year the hunt closed after 12 days; in 2015, after four. Bring your legs.

Troopers arrest Anchorage man after 100 mph pursuit in Wasilla
Alaska State Troopers arrested Anchorage man Xavier Cropley after he drove over 100 mph and fled on foot in Wasilla, facing a felony charge of failure to stop for an officer.

Health care workers tell Alaska high school students many jobs don't need a four-year degree
Some health care jobs take 6 to 12 weeks of training, and Alaska teens can get a pharmacy tech license at 16, students heard at a state career session.

State presents $5.63 billion transportation plan Tuesday, seeks public comment
Alaska's draft four-year transportation plan commits $5.63 billion, $130 million more than it counts on. Anchorage planners have notes. Comments due Oct. 29.

Bering Sea Interior Tribal Commission tribes sign agreement forming a USDA conservation district
Tribes of the Bering Sea Interior Tribal Commission signed an agreement Oct. 1 forming a USDA tribal conservation district to set local conservation priorities.

About Southcentral
Southcentral Alaska is the region of the state centered on Anchorage, its population center and transportation hub. It spans the Kenai Peninsula, the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet, and reaches communities such as Kenai, Soldotna, Homer, Seward, Cordova, Palmer, Wasilla and Eagle River.
Much of the region's civic life runs through the Anchorage Assembly, the Kenai Peninsula and Matanuska-Susitna borough assemblies, and city councils. Questions of housing and zoning come up often, along with who pays to extend water and sewer lines to building sites. School budgets, road safety on its highways and oil and gas operations in Cook Inlet also return.
The Kenai River and Cook Inlet tie the region to fishing, and the Parks Highway and Seward Highway link its communities. Windstorms that cut power and trooper reports from the Matanuska-Susitna area are common subjects as well.
More from Southcentral
Alaska LNG report targets 2028 completion for in-state pipeline
Alaska LNG's latest federal report keeps its 2028 pipeline target and, as always, lists no long-term contracts. Seoul says its money is under review.

Bridge inspections close a lane on West Dimond Boulevard in Anchorage
The right lane of westbound W Dimond Boulevard near Carnelian Street is closed until 6 pm Monday, Oct. 5 for bridge inspections.

Two drivers hospitalized after four-vehicle crash at Seward Highway mile 74
Two drivers were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after a four-vehicle crash at Seward Highway mile 74 on Thursday when rain and snow caused a Prius to lose control.

Planners urge dropping Seward Highway and 5th and 6th rebuilds unless state's numbers add up
Anchorage planners want the Seward Highway rebuild and the 5th and 6th rebuild cut from the long-range plan unless the state's numbers add up. Vote Oct. 15.

LaFrance names Lynn McNamara to Anchorage library board seat
Mayor LaFrance appointed former school librarian Lynn McNamara to the Anchorage Library Advisory Board, with Assembly confirmation set for Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Kenai silver salmon derby canceled over unclear coho run data
Kenai Chamber canceled the 2026 Silver Salmon Derby over unclear coho run data, and Fish and Game cut the daily coho limit to two fish through November.

Crews at Richardson Highway Chena bridges begin winter shutdown prep
Richardson Highway bridge crews at Milepost 346 are consolidating materials for winter shutdown, with reduced lanes 9 am to 3 pm on the $89.2 million Chena Flood Control bridges project.

Dunleavy proclaims Winter Weather Preparedness Week, urging safe driving and emergency kits
It's Winter Weather Preparedness Week. Dunleavy's proclamation says car crashes are winter weather's leading indirect killer, so pack the car kit and slow down.

Anchorage Assembly weighs selling Westpark school site for housing
Anchorage may sell the 53.8-acre Westpark school site in Southwest Anchorage for housing and give the money to the school district.

Anchorage ordinance would raise transit-corridor density target from 8 to 36 homes per acre
An Assembly proposal would raise the housing density target along Anchorage transit corridors from 8 homes per acre to 36. Testimony is Tuesday.

Vance visit brings flight limits to Anchorage and Fairbanks
Flight restrictions posted for Vance's Alaska trip cover Anchorage twice and Fairbanks once. Merrill Field pilots, plan around Monday and Tuesday.

Sunday, Oct 4
APD policy lays out rooftop drones for 911 calls; chief said technology was not yet in use
APD has adopted rules for rooftop drones that could reach 911 calls before officers, but its chief said Sept. 25 the technology was not yet operating.

Anchorage Assembly takes up Eklutna water deals without RCA condition
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on three Eklutna Lake water agreements after a condition Assembly members imposed in December became impossible to meet in court.

Alaska Jewish Campus registers lobbyist to seek state grant for indoor play center
Alaska Jewish Campus hired a lobbyist to seek a state capital budget grant for an indoor play center for children with disabilities, which has raised $1.83 million toward its $4.2 million cost.

Eklutna begins clearing five acres it bought beside Chin'an gaming hall
Eklutna is clearing five acres it bought next to Chin'an gaming hall, outside the approved gaming site. Public records don't say what's planned there.

Fairbanks, Anchorage and Juneau clinics join federal program requiring 24-hour crisis care
Clinics in Fairbanks, Anchorage and Juneau joined a federal Medicaid program Oct. 1 that requires 24-hour crisis care and serving people who can't pay.

GOPAC fund gives $50,000 to group buying Juneau election ads
A Virginia political fund gave $50,000 to the Sitka-based Alaska Voter Project, which spent nearly $19,000 on Juneau ads urging votes for pro-business candidates ahead of Tuesday's election.

Wasilla man, 29, arrested on DUI charge; troopers also found suspected LSD
Alaska State Troopers arrested a Wasilla man, 29, on a DUI charge early Saturday near Knik-Goose Bay Road and reported finding suspected LSD tabs and empty bottles in his vehicle.

No on 2 reports $8.76 million in cumulative contributions after $2.13 million influx
No on 2 reported $8.76 million in cumulative contributions. Repeal Now's conflicting filings do not support a clean fundraising comparison.

Northrim shareholders vote Oct. 20 on buying Oregon bank, its first expansion outside Alaska
Northrim shareholders vote Oct. 20 on buying an Oregon bank, which would give the Anchorage bank its first branches outside Alaska. Not voting counts as a no.

Wind advisory for Unalaska and Nikolski Sunday with gusts up to 50 mph
Gusts up to 50 mph are forecast for Unalaska and Nikolski on Sunday. Anything not tied down may relocate. Nikolski gets it first, Unalaska later.

Anchorage Assembly recognizes October as Filipino American History Month
Anchorage Assembly is set to approve a resolution Tuesday recognizing October 2026 as Filipino American History Month, a tradition it has repeated yearly since at least 2014.

Snow and freezing rain advisories cover Copper Valley and McCarthy into Sunday morning
Winter weather advisories cover Copper Valley and McCarthy through Sunday morning, with 2 to 4 inches of snow and freezing rain expected to make travel very difficult.

NTSB report details fog, aborted landing and second attempt before fatal Cape Newenham crash
An NTSB preliminary report lays out the Aug. 20 Cape Newenham crash that killed eight: fog, an aborted landing, a dropped diversion and a second attempt.
