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The Grandview Fire has closed Swanson River Road and burned 30 acres near Sterling
The Grandview Fire is at 30 acres near Sterling. Swanson River Road is closed, the canoe route is offline, no evacuations yet.

MEA is building a 40-acre substation in Meadow Lakes for Mat-Su's growing grid
Mat-Su is getting a 40-acre substation in Meadow Lakes — major infrastructure for the fastest-growing Alaska region. Take that, Anchorage!

State asks Kenai to join disease early-warning network
Kenai City Council approved joining a statewide wastewater monitoring network that tests sewage for disease outbreaks. The state covers all equipment costs and will sample Kenai's wastewater weekly.

Kodiak Borough OKs Water Upgrade for Village of Karluk
Kodiak Island Borough Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a water treatment upgrade for the Native Village of Karluk, adding storage and lines for year-round drinking water.

Chugach and Glenfarne Alaska LNG signed a non-binding LOI — a step, not a contract
Chugach and Glenfarne signed a non-binding letter of intent. The pipeline still hasn't broken ground. One of many Chugach hedges.

Chugach is pursuing four hydroelectric projects to hedge against Cook Inlet gas decline
Chugach's gas-to-renewables shift has its first concrete entries: four hydro projects on four Southcentral creeks, 52 MW total.

Alaska's biggest utility may start importing the gas its own region once exported
Then on the sixth day, god said: "Let there be LNG" And it was goooooood

Anchorage homeless residents tell Assembly: shelters worse than jail
Two sets of lived experience meet at Anchorage's homelessness debate: those in shelters and those who watched encampments grow.

Anchorage Assembly reviews missing middle housing overlay for transit corridors
Anchorage has wanted denser transit corridors on paper since 2001 — this opt-in overlay is the city's latest test of whether residents actually mean it.

True North dropped crisis services from Fairview plan after months of pushback
Fairview pushed back. True North revised. No more crisis services in the Fairview building — outpatient and a mobile van instead.

Alaska's 1-40 Cav made its last cavalry jump June 10 — WWII lineage returns in July
Alaska's 1-40 Cavalry just made its last big jump as cavalry. In July they become the 1-511th, reviving a WWII unit that fought on Leyte and Luzon.

Kenai Peninsula Disability Pride Celebration set for July 18 in Soldotna
Kenai Peninsula Disability Pride Celebration comes to Soldotna Creek Park on July 18, 2026, marking the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act with community organizations and local voices.

A residential block off Abbott Road is going commercial — one lot at a time
Dominos falling A city tries rezoning If they accept it

Two Anchorage housing votes on June 23: a tax break and new fees on the same new homes
Anchorage's June 23: a tax break for starter-home buyers, plus new utility fees on the same construction. The math depends on builders.

Anchorage Assembly weighs $254K economic development grant to AEDC
The Anchorage Assembly will vote on a $254,000 grant to the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation to fund economic development work through 2026, including a federal economic strategy.

Mat-Su Says No to Swapping Property Tax for Sales Tax
Mat-Su weighed trading its property tax for a 6.5% sales tax — same money, different payers — and decided renters, shoppers, and an untested legal handcuff made it a bad bet for the ballot.

Anchorage Assembly to vote June 23 on $2.57M in HUD housing grants
Anchorage Assembly votes June 23 on a $2.57 million federal housing grant plan, but more than $1.2 million has no specific projects assigned yet and will be decided later.

Anchorage Assembly considers removing duplicative child care licensing rules
Anchorage is moving to repeal four child care licensing rules and amend three more, arguing they duplicate state standards or have not worked, in hopes of easing a chronic shortage of child care centers.

Anchorage Disability Pride Celebration set for July 25 at Delaney Park Strip
Peer Power Alaska hosts a free Disability Pride Celebration on July 25 at Delaney Park Strip from noon to 4 p.m., featuring food, games, music, and a petting zoo with an ASL interpreter on site.

Anchorage Assembly to vote on $1.35M in supportive housing grants
Five Anchorage nonprofits would split $1.35M for supportive housing on June 23. The pandemic-era funding clock is still ticking.

Eklutna committed $196,649 to Anchorage for Halong evacuee public safety
Eklutna is paying for Anchorage's cops, fire trucks, and a camera. Tribe to city, oddly enough.

Anchorage ordinance would open industrial zones to adult care facilities
Anchorage Assembly Member Erin Baldwin Day introduced an ordinance to allow adult care facilities in light industrial zones without planning review, citing rapid senior population growth through 2029.

Cordova Harbor Commission votes against CAM 2 dock recommendation
Cordova Harbor Commission voted against recommending the city sell 4,100 square feet of waterfront to seafood processor CAM 2 for a private dock. • Commissioners cited navigation safety concerns at the tight harbor entrance and potential impacts on lighting and road infrastructure. • The proposal now goes to City Council, which may still approve the sale despite the commission's recommendation against it.

Kodiak's Adjust Your Altitude summit challenge begins June 15
Discover Kodiak opens registration June 15 for Adjust Your Altitude, a five dollar summit challenge running through Sept. 1 that sends hikers to seven Kodiak peaks with over two thousand dollars in prizes.

Russian River Sanctuary opens early June 18 for sockeye season
Sunrise, sunset. Sunrise, sunset. Quickly - swim the fish.

Anchorage Press plans return, with Northern Journal folding into revived paper
Nathaniel Herz and Veri di Suvero are reviving the Anchorage Press, an alternative weekly that closed years ago, by folding Northern Journal into it and launching a print edition this fall with arts, culture and Alaska politics coverage.

Anchorage commission to review mayor's salary for first time since 2020
Anchorage's Commission on Salaries and Emoluments voted Tuesday to review the mayor's $145,392 annual salary for the first time since 2020, after noting some unionized city employees now earn more than their boss.

Anchorage Assembly to appropriate $1.75M federal port power grant
Anchorage Assembly votes Monday on a $1.75 million federal grant to harden the Port of Alaska's electrical systems against earthquakes and add backup power for cargo terminals.

ADF&G opens youth-only fishing events across Southcentral, Southwest Alaska
ADF&G is reserving specific Southcentral and Southwest salmon waters for youth anglers this summer. • Kids 15 and under can fish without a license during these designated event windows. • Events run from June through August at locations like Ship Creek and Homer Spit.

Blake Gettys Builds LG Bid Around Personal Survival Story
Getty tries to tell Alaskans about his bio. Hughes has not been shown in the top four in any publicly available poll.

Anchorage Assembly to vote on burying power lines through two East Side parks
Anchorage Assembly will vote on giving Chugach Electric permanent easements through Russian Jack Springs Park and Ira Walker Park to bury power lines underground, improving storm resilience.

Coast Guard seeks contractor for Kodiak rescue aircraft life-support gear
Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak is hiring a contractor to maintain life-support gear on rescue aircraft serving Alaska's deadliest fisheries, with proposals due June 29.

Mat-Su Planning Commission to schedule Eagle River annexation presentation
Mat-Su Planning Commission scheduled a presentation on annexing Chugiak and Eagle River from Anchorage, a preliminary step that does not endorse the idea or require a vote by the Borough Assembly.

Mat-Su Planning Commission backs multifamily code overhaul
Mat-Su Planning Commission backed a tiered multifamily code allowing homeowners to add mother-in-law suites without permits. • Larger projects must meet new drainage, fire access, and road standards, including 100-foot building setbacks from roads. • The Assembly must approve the ordinance before the new rules take effect.

Satellite Tags Track Pacific Cod Shifts in Warming Bering Sea
Satellite tags are tracking whether Pacific cod are permanently shifting north in the warming Bering Sea or temporarily moving, data that will shape management of Alaska's second-largest groundfish fishery.

Anchorage clinic offers kuspuk, beading, and talking circle classes
Southcentral Foundation's Traditional Healing Clinic in Anchorage offers Alaska Native cultural classes like kuspuk sewing, beadwork, and talking circles as part of its health care model that blends traditional healing with modern medicine.

Archangel Road opens for summer access to Reed Lakes
Archangel Road in Hatcher Pass opened for summer, restoring vehicle access to Reed Lakes Trailhead and alpine hiking. Expect rough unpaved conditions, limited parking, and weekend crowds.

DNR, Mental Health Trust finalize MEA easements for Wasilla utility corridor
DNR and the Alaska Mental Health Trust approved easements letting Matanuska Electric Association build and maintain power lines along Church Road and Shampine Lane in Wasilla.

CVEA files to renew Solomon Gulch hydro license before 2028 expiration
Copper Valley Electric Association filed to renew its Solomon Gulch hydroelectric license before it expires May 31, 2028, submitting required paperwork to federal regulators on June 12.

Cook Inlet gas production falls to 61 Bcf in 2025
Cook Inlet gas production fell to 61 billion cubic feet in 2025, matching annual regional demand with no winter cushion. • Daily output of 200 million cubic feet falls short of peak winter demand of 320 million cubic feet per day. • Hilcorp has drilled 192 wells since 2012 and spent $1.5 billion just to hold production steady as individual wells decline 30 to 40 percent annually. • Utilities are developing LNG import terminals to fill the gap, targeting first imports in 2027 to 2029.
