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Alaska's unemployment map tracks one thing: the road system
Alaska unemployment ran 2.5% in Denali and 16.1% in Kusilvak this May. The split tracks one thing almost perfectly: whether a road reaches you.

Crews are cutting firebreaks in the woods at the center of Anchorage
Three Campbell Tract trail segments are closed through July 25 while crews trim the firebreaks keeping a wildfire out of Anchorage's neighborhoods.

Two men found shot dead inside east Anchorage home; police not seeking more suspects
Two men were found shot dead in an east Anchorage home early Tuesday, and police say no suspect remains at large.

Sterling man shoots neighbor's generator, returns armed and drunk, threatens troopers' children
A Sterling man wanted his neighbor's generator. The neighbor said no. Troopers say the generator ended up full of bullet holes.

State opens 30-day window on nearly 1,700 acres of Petersville mining leases
Alaska opened a 30-day window for objections to seven mining leases covering 1,680 acres near Petersville, with the deadline September 19.
Anchorage cited 36 for-hire drivers for unlicensed operation, denied 9 licenses for barrier crimes
Anchorage cited 36 for-hire drivers for operating without valid licenses and denied 9 applicants for crimes including sexual assault and drug offenses between 2025 and July 2026.

Seward Highway closed both directions at Mile 69 after collision
Seward Highway closed both directions at Mile 69 after a collision early Tuesday morning, with delays expected to last at least one hour.

Anchorage planning boundary dispute unresolved between Assembly and state
Anchorage and the state have not resolved a dispute over the Metropolitan Planning Area boundary, and they must agree by December 29, 2026, or the region loses federal transportation funding.

Mat-Su Platting Board approves Primrose Point Phase 4 preliminary plat despite unresolved driveway questions
Mat-Su Platting Board approved Primrose Point Phase 4 subdivision despite unresolved driveway access for five lots, deferring the question to a later engineering meeting.

Mat-Su Platting Board approves Starlight Subdivision master plan over neighbor objections
Mat-Su Platting Board approved the 184-lot Starlight Subdivision master plan Thursday despite neighbor complaints about traffic, mail delivery, and drainage on the roughly 200-acre Knik Fairview site.

Chugiak High softball wins second state title in four years
Chugiak High softball won its second state title in four years despite playing only 11 games before playoffs, with more than half the roster batting above .400.

Anchorage Disability Pride celebration set for Saturday at Delaney Park Strip
Disability Pride Alaska hosts a free celebration Saturday at Delaney Park Strip from noon to 4 p.m., marking 36 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act became law.

Rockfall risk added to Anchorage flood watch as second rain round targets Monday commute
Heavy rain expected Monday morning in Anchorage may trigger rockfalls on the Seward Highway and flood Chester and Campbell creeks through Tuesday.

Flood Watch expands to Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula as atmospheric river intensifies
Flood watch expanded Sunday to Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula as atmospheric river brings 2 to 4 inches of rain and 55 mph winds through Monday. • Yentna River in Susitna Valley forecast to crest above flood stage by Tuesday, threatening cabins at two lodges. • River users warned to expect higher water levels and monitor forecasts closely through midweek.

ADEC proposes final discharge permit for Kodiak landfill leachate plant
Alaska regulators issued a proposed final permit allowing Kodiak Island Borough to discharge 288,000 gallons daily of treated landfill leachate into a wetland draining to Monashka Bay.

Five dipnetters cited at Kenai personal use fishery for recordkeeping violation
Five people were cited July 18 at the Kenai dipnet fishery for failing to record salmon catches in ink before hiding or moving the fish, a violation that can cost future fishing privileges.

Roald Amundsen brings 530 passengers to Kodiak on August 2
Cruise ship Roald Amundsen docks in Kodiak on August 2 with 530 passengers for a nine-hour port call.

Landslide closes Ninilchik Beach Access Road near Mission Ave through July 28
A landslide closed Ninilchik Beach Access Road near Mission Avenue through July 28, blocking access to the beach.

Alaska Zoo female bear moved to solitary enclosure after June attack; ADF&G release came 32 days later
A female brown bear at the Alaska Zoo was moved to solitary housing after a June 14 fight with a male bear; both animals recovered, but the state did not announce it publicly until July 16.

Brown bear injures hiker on Bear Valley trail above south Anchorage
A brown bear injured a hiker on a social trail above Bear Valley in south Anchorage on Saturday, prompting Fish and Game to post warning signs and urge hikers to travel in groups and carry bear spray.

Anchorage Assembly set to approve $1.53M landfill loader replacement
Anchorage Assembly will vote Monday to spend $1.53 million replacing the landfill's main wheel loader, which is too expensive to keep repairing.

Anchorage landfill contract hits $16M after starting at $30,004
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on a $983,510 amendment to its landfill contract, pushing the total to $16.1 million since the deal started at $30,004 in 2021.

Anchorage Assembly set to approve $1.4M fire engine with 900-day wait
Anchorage Assembly votes July 21 on a $1.4 million fire engine that won't arrive for roughly 900 days due to nationwide manufacturing delays.

ADEC permit delay forces Anchorage to extend drainage contract, adding $500K
Anchorage Assembly will vote July 21 on a $500,000 contract extension with AWR Engineering to maintain stormwater services while the state finishes renewing the city's pollution discharge permit.

Railbelt Transmission Organization schedules three subcommittee meetings
The Railbelt Transmission Organization scheduled three closed subcommittee meetings in late July to finalize a tariff that would standardize power-sharing charges among utilities.

Three DUI arrests in one day span Kenai Peninsula and Fairbanks
Alaska State Troopers arrested three drivers on DUI charges Saturday, two on the Kenai Peninsula and one in Fairbanks, after crashes that injured multiple people.

Anchorage Assembly to vote July 21 on $351K for pedestrian and bike count program
Anchorage Assembly votes July 21 on $351,143 to count pedestrians and bikes on city roads and paths, combining federal money with local budget funds.

Homer reverses Copper River Seafoods building plan, keeps December deadline
Homer City Council voted to scrap redesigned plans for a Copper River Seafoods facility and revert to the original 2019 building design, keeping the December construction deadline in place.

Alaska House ties 19-19 on gas line bill, killing it for now
Alaska House deadlocked 19-19 on the Alaska LNG bill July 16, stalling gas supply plans as Cook Inlet production declines toward 2027 shortages.

Copper River dip netters stranded on sandbar near Chitina, self-rescue before troopers arrive
Dip netters stranded on a Copper River sandbar near Chitina self-rescued Friday before troopers arrived.

PWS sockeye season ends with low returns as fleet pivots to coho
Prince William Sound sockeye season ended with historically low returns, forcing commercial fishers to chase coho in August to recover lost income.

Anchorage Assembly takes up $311,222 program to help mobile home residents displaced by park redevelopment
Anchorage Assembly is considering a $311,222 program to help mobile home residents displaced when their parks are redeveloped, part of a $2.57 million federal housing plan due to HUD by August 16.

Anchorage resolution would steer infrastructure to neighborhoods absorbing new housing
Anchorage Assembly will vote Tuesday on a resolution directing city infrastructure spending toward neighborhoods absorbing new housing under municipal growth plans.

Anchorage inventor patents passive dryer-fire alarm built into vent gasket
Anchorage inventor Ryan James Mulholland patented a power-free dryer-fire alarm that mounts on exhaust vents and sounds a 120-decibel whistle when heat exceeds 135 degrees.

Flood Watch issued for Seward as atmospheric river targets Kenai Peninsula through Tuesday
National Weather Service issued a Flood Watch for Seward from early Sunday through Tuesday morning as an atmospheric river brings 3 to 5 inches of rain to the Kenai Peninsula.

AWWU files new tariff revisions with Alaska regulators, opening public comment on Anchorage water and sewer rates
Anchorage water and sewer bills rose $5.46 per month in 2026 after the Assembly approved increases and AWWU filed tariffs with state regulators, opening public comment through July 31.

Bayside fire chief wants new career position but warns against a rushed hire
Bayside Fire Chief Scott Ellis says a new career firefighter position is needed but warned the borough board against rushing the hire to avoid splitting the mixed career and volunteer staff.

Anchorage Hillside neighborhood demands expedited chipping days as municipal contracting stalls
Hillside residents demand the Municipality speed up brush chipping before fire season peaks, citing stalled contracting and uncleared piles in the wildland-urban interface.

Four candidates interview for Kodiak Island Borough Assembly vacancy
Kodiak Island Borough Assembly interviewed four candidates Thursday to fill a vacant Assembly seat and must appoint someone by June 25.

Anchorage Assembly studies removal process it has never used
Anchorage Assembly reviewed removal and censure procedures Friday that have never been used in the 30 years they have existed, with Chair Anna Brawley stressing the session was procedural only.
