Southcentral
RSSSouthcentral region news
Cities & Areas
Troopers cite three anglers for keeping snagged sockeye on the Kenai
Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited three anglers on the Kenai River in late July for keeping snagged sockeye salmon, seizing four fish total that went to charity.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
When a custody case is filed in both tribal and state court, whoever filed first wins, Alaska Supreme Court rules
Filed in both tribal and state court, a custody case goes to whoever filed first, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled — here decided by an eleven-day gap.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly meets six finalists for youth representative seat
Assembly Chair Anna Brawley will select one or more youth representatives from six high school finalists to cast non-binding votes on Assembly business from September through April.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Prince William Sound stays at one king a day through Sept. 15
Prince William Sound's king limit stays at one fish a day through Sept. 15, four harbors excepted, right as kings start showing up near Glacier Island and Pigot Bay.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Rockfish limit in Resurrection Bay stays at three a day through Sept. 15
Anglers in Resurrection Bay stay limited to three rockfish a day through mid-September, a cap in place since April that covers peak charter season.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Kodiak restarts landlocked silver salmon stocking after 11 years
Kodiak's road-system lakes are getting a landlocked silver salmon fishery back, the first stocking since 2015, though the fish need three years to grow to catchable size.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Big Lake man arrested on seven sexual assault counts in Wasilla case
A 62-year-old Big Lake man was arrested Thursday on seven sexual assault counts stemming from a case first reported in May 2025, more than a year before the grand jury indictment.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Soldotna man arrested nearly two months after report he exposed himself to two minors
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 23-year-old Soldotna man Thursday, nearly two months after a report that he exposed himself to two minors.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
The 5th and 6th avenue rebuild just hit $370 million — and even planners are flagging "scope creep"
Anchorage's 5th and 6th avenue rebuild just hit $370 million with no clear way to pay for it — and even the city's planners are flagging scope creep.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A weak coho run just shut down federal commercial salmon fishing in Cook Inlet
A weak coho run just closed commercial salmon fishing in Cook Inlet's federal waters through Aug. 15, and the low cap is already squeezing state gillnetters.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage asked to raise bus tire contract authority by $500,000
Anchorage needs up to $500K more for tires on its 63 city buses, which it leases rather than owns, as leasing and labor costs rise — funded by bonds and grants.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Pollock fleet holds an Anchorage job fair days before a bycatch-shaped election
Days before the final vote, the Bering Sea pollock fleet holds an Anchorage job fair — as salmon bycatch, and a new mandatory chum cap, roil the 2026 campaign.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
A fuel break cleared years ago helped keep the Grandview Fire out of Sterling
A fuel break cleared in 2019-20 helped keep the Grandview Fire out of Sterling — a case of wildfire prep paying off, with no injuries and no homes lost.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Troopers charge Glennallen woman after Richardson Highway drug stop
Alaska State Troopers charged Amanda Craig of Glennallen with drug possession after seizing cocaine from her vehicle during a Richardson Highway stop on July 17.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Kodiak moves to boot Assembly members who don't show up
Kodiak's Assembly may start booting members who miss a quarter of meetings, down from half, tightening the rule on no-shows. One member wants more virtual attendance instead.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage board vacates a Glen Alps public easement the city paid $130K to acquire
Anchorage's board gave a Glen Alps lot a public easement the city paid $130K for — over objections it's still access to big public land with few ways in.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
In Talkeetna, a debate over whether weather or a bridge is eroding the riverbank
Weather, or a rebuilt railroad bridge? As Talkeetna's bank erodes, one river-watcher says the bridge choked the river — and that's the fixable cause.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
As Anchorage cements its role as a global cargo hub, the growth is colliding with its neighbors
Anchorage's cargo boom brings nighttime jet noise — and a new study warns the fixes might just shift it from one neighborhood to another, not end it.
by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read
Landowner gets variance to split land off Wasilla-Fishhook Road
A landowner near Wasilla-Fishhook Road, a route to Hatcher Pass, got a variance to split his land after the state barred new lots from tying directly into the road.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Enstar tells Alaska Gas Line Caucus it could be 18 days short of gas this winter
Enstar told lawmakers it could run 18 days short of gas this winter if Cook Inlet supply stays low, but the Alaska LNG pipeline pitched to fix the problem won't arrive in time to help.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Kenai council approves $775,000 for Sixth Street water, sewer, road work
Kenai City Council approved 775000 dollars for Sixth Street infrastructure. The project will serve new senior housing but stop short of future development sites.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage seeks 50 acres of JBER land for a waste-to-energy plant
Anchorage is asking Congress for about 50 acres of JBER land next to the landfill for a waste-to-energy plant, with the request riding in this year's defense bill.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A plan would move Anchorage's bike route off the highways onto trails
Anchorage's official cross-country bike route runs on highway shoulders. A plan would move it onto the city's trails — the Seward corridor stays contested.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Coast Guard asks Homer to accept transfer of cutter support building
Homer City Council votes Aug. 24 on accepting ownership of a Coast Guard cutter support building. • The ordinance does not specify maintenance costs or operational details the city would assume. • Residents can testify at the 6 p.m. public hearing.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
New law ties Anchorage's federal housing grant to how fast it builds
Anchorage's biggest federal housing grant will now rise or fall with how fast the city builds, raising the question of whether it'll be punished for constraints it can't control.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Ship Creek jumps to six salmon a day as coho pour in
Ship Creek jumps to six salmon a day starting Friday as more than 1,100 coho pour in, though kings still can't be kept for the rest of the year.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Four dipnet openings left at Chitina in August
Chitina dipnetters have four 48-hour openings left in August and can't keep any kings, after a below-average sockeye run and a weak Copper River king return.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage ties its wettest July on record as Southcentral soaks
Anchorage tied its wettest July on record and Talkeetna saw its wettest since 1922, part of a cool, soggy stretch and a recent run of unusually wet Julys.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago2 min read
A landslide cut rail service to Denali after record Talkeetna rain
A landslide from record July rain cut off Alaska Railroad service to Denali north of Talkeetna, in a corridor already under a flood-and-erosion emergency.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read
Yentna flood warning runs to Friday after forecast crest above 22 feet
Yentna River flood warning stays in effect until Friday afternoon as water threatens lodges near Lake Creek, with debris including trees flowing downriver.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
A Homer seafood plant would pass to Silver Bay amid an OBI takeover
A Homer Spit seafood plant would pass to Silver Bay as it absorbs OBI statewide — a deal some fishermen and workers fear could erode local wages.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage wants to speed up its check on 570 questionable tax exemptions
Anchorage wants to speed up its review of 570 questionable tax exemptions, moving the finish from 2032 to 2030, with about $811,000 a year at stake going forward.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
AEDC report: Anchorage strained, the military its bright spot
A new AEDC report says Anchorage is getting squeezed: shrinking job share, high costs, low confidence. The military's the bright spot, but housing's the catch.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Cordova advances a tax increase on rentals and visitors to 14%
Cordova advanced a tax hike on rentals, tobacco, alcohol and marijuana, from 13% to 14%, aimed mostly at visitors, as sales tax collections run $250,000 behind last year.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Bears have made Cordova's landfill unsafe for workers, and the fence is stuck
Bears have made Cordova's landfill unsafe for workers, and the electrified fence meant to stop them is stalled after the city's engineer request drew zero responses.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Kenai mayor moves to shield home value from city property tax
Kenai's mayor directed the city manager to draft a residential property tax exemption after residents said assessments are climbing faster than relief.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Who controls Chugach access spending: trail advocates or the neighborhoods next door?
Anchorage delayed creating a board to steer Chugach park-access spending, as neighborhoods and trail advocates split over who should control it. The Assembly decides Oct. 6.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Assembly rejects investigation into member Martinez's travel, 5-6
Anchorage Assembly rejected an investigation into Assembly Member George Martinez's travel Tuesday, 5-6, after Vice Chair Daniel Volland switched his vote citing flaws in the accusation.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
An Anchorage board member proposes a one-year pause on school closures
An Anchorage School Board member proposed pausing school closures for a year, barring emergencies. The board hasn't voted, and a $40M shortfall remains.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Troopers arrest Sterling driver on DUI charge after head-on crash at mile 84
A Sterling man faces a DUI charge after his Impala pulled into the path of a northbound pickup on the Sterling Highway at mile 84 on Tuesday evening, injuring the other driver.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read