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Friday, Aug 28
Anchorage Assembly to vote Sept. 1 on two $4 million AWWU on-call repair contracts
Two contractors would go on standby for Anchorage water and sewer emergencies for three years, at up to $4 million each, under contracts up Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
PFAS found in three Anchorage Bowl wells, one pulled from service
Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility found PFAS in three groundwater wells, pulled one from service, and is seeking $4 million in emergency contracts for water system work.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage ordinance would drop 45-degree shelter trigger, raise site cap to 200
Anchorage would drop its automatic 45-degree shelter trigger, raise site limits to 200 and open rec centers, with one director deciding when shelter opens.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Kenai council to hear public testimony Sept. 2 on $75,000 home tax exemption ballot question
Kenai City Council hears public testimony Sept. 2 on a ballot measure that would exempt the first $75,000 of assessed home value from city property tax, effective Jan. 1, 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Kenai council to vote Sept. 2 on FAA-funded airport perimeter fence contract
Kenai City Council votes Sept. 2 on a FAA-funded airport perimeter fence upgrade, with contract details and grant amount to be disclosed at the public hearing.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A Craig bakery-cafe wants to pour beer and wine on Friday and Saturday evenings
A Craig bakery-cafe wants to become a fenced beer garden on Friday and Saturday evenings. The drive-through would close while the beer is pouring.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
An Anchorage restaurant is accused of employing 24 minors without permits
Twenty-four employees aged 13 to 17 are alleged to have worked at an Anchorage restaurant without work permits, in at least 1,279 violations.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage developer says fire lanes cost his 58-unit project 15 homes
Fire lane requirements cost an Anchorage developer 15 potential homes. The city faces pressure to ease building rules to meet housing goals.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
More from Southcentral
Petersburg hospital rejects shared-kitchen lease for traveling staff
Petersburg Medical Center dropped plans to lease shared housing for traveling staff after two assistants clashed over kitchen supplies, and is now exploring building its own duplexes on tundra land.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
NMFS closes Central Gulf cod for hook-and-line vessels 50 feet and up
On Sept. 1, Alaska's largest hook-and-line boats lose Central Gulf cod for the year, while smaller boats gain new cod access in state and Bering Sea waters.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Rules on remote Alaska communities' fishing quota return to council
Federal fishery managers revisit rules on how small, remote Alaska communities hold and trade halibut and sablefish quota, at an October meeting in Anchorage.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
New Potter Marsh boardwalk and ice-skating ramp open Saturday
Potter Marsh opens a 200-foot boardwalk, viewing platform, and ADA-accessible ice-skating ramp Saturday, Aug. 29, giving visitors a dedicated alternative to using narrow highway shoulders.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska court: guardian, not child's lawyer, waives therapy privilege
Alaska Supreme Court ruled a child's guardian can waive therapy confidentiality in state custody cases, letting a tribe access a 10-year-old's psychiatric records over his lawyer's objection.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court upholds termination of Valdez mother's parental rights
Alaska Supreme Court upheld termination of a Valdez mother's parental rights after she failed to complete reunification steps and missed most visits over two and a half years.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
A course that usually means flying to the East Coast is coming to Anchorage
A hospital cleaning certification course usually held on the East Coast is coming to Anchorage in September, if 20 people sign up by Sept. 4.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A Nome jury convicted a 78-year-old man on 28 counts of sexual abuse of a minor
A Nome jury convicted Isaac Ozenna Sr., 78, on 28 counts of sexual abuse of a minor involving nine children abused in Nome between 1984 and 2014.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
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
Anchorage officials pitch Assembly on Block 102-Tozier land swap for housing
Anchorage officials pitched a land swap to the Assembly Friday that could enable housing on two sites, but the vote covers only the exchange itself, not zoning or development deals.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly set to waive protest on six marijuana license renewals
Anchorage Assembly will waive objections to six marijuana license renewals for four businesses, clearing the way for state approval by September and October deadlines.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly designates Sept. 20 as LGBTQ Veterans Day
Anchorage Assembly designated Sept. 20 as LGBTQ Veterans Day, marking the anniversary of the 2011 repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly to take up $4.7 million grant to plan Port of Alaska fuel terminal replacement
Anchorage Assembly votes Sept. 1 on a $4.7 million federal grant to replace POL2, the fuel terminal damaged in 2018 that supplies half the port's capacity and virtually all fuel to JBER.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
One-fish king limit holds in most Prince William Sound salt waters
One king salmon in most of Prince William Sound through Sept. 15. The terminal harvest areas still allow two, and the coho are the better bet anyway.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage elementary schools drop pre-packaged meals for traditional food service
Anchorage elementary schools have dropped pre-packaged meals. The district says more students are eating lunch but has not released the counts.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Planned Parenthood PAC registers for Fairbanks and Juneau municipal races
Planned Parenthood's Alaska political committee registered to spend in the Fairbanks and Juneau races. It named no candidates and reported no spending.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Port of Alaska seeks road realignment for Chugach Electric substation
Anchorage Platting Board will vote Wednesday on letting the Port of Alaska shift an unbuilt road so Chugach Electric can build a power substation on port land.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska's marijuana board will decide whether to erase a violation against its chair's own store
The Marijuana Control Board chair's own store is on its September agenda, and the agency's director wants her $100 violation wiped off the record.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
A rural Alaska phone company says a subsidy cut costs $185 per connection
Alaska Power & Telephone told the FCC that ending a rural subsidy would cost the company $1.1 million yearly across its 40 remote communities.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min read
Juneau Crime Count Falls Again as Assaults Rise a Third Year
Reported crime in Juneau fell for a second straight year. Aggravated assault rose for a third, driven by assaults with weapons other than knives.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Homer's zoning rewrite gets its first public hearing Wednesday
Homer's Planning Commission takes testimony Wednesday on a zoning rewrite. An earlier draft drew 905 comments and two petitions with about 600 signatures.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Why the Coast Guard is paying a Homer helicopter company to reach roadless villages
The Coast Guard is paying a Homer helicopter company $345,000 to fly inspectors to roadless Alaska villages to reach the fuel facilities it regulates.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
More than 100 coho have passed Bear Creek weir near Seward
More than 100 coho salmon have passed Bear Creek weir near Seward, signaling that freshwater silver fishing in the Resurrection River should improve within the next week or two.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Ship Creek coho slowing as the six-fish limit stays through December
Ship Creek anglers can still keep six salmon a day, but the coho run behind that limit is winding down and the fish are getting harder to find.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alcohol board denies a second bar at a Wasilla wedding venue
A Wasilla wedding venue was denied a second plumbed bar because state law requires fixed counters in the same building. The owner plans a rolling bar.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Kodiak Island Borough clerk drafts ordinance to tighten Assembly vacancy rules
Kodiak Island Borough Clerk Nova Javier drafted an ordinance requiring Assembly vacancy applicants to certify voter registration, residency, and willingness to file financial disclosures upfront.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage youth can apply for $1,000 to $5,000 climate project grants
Anchorage residents ages 15 to 24 can apply for $1,000 to $5,000 for local climate projects, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Applications close Oct. 18.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago1 min read
Comment closes Thursday on 18-year rent-free FAA lease at Chenega Bay Airport
Alaska is deciding whether to give the FAA an 18-year rent-free lease for weather equipment at Chenega Bay Airport. Comments close Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Federal grant of $1.63 million funds Muddy Creek bridge on the Glenn Highway
Federal Highway Administration awarded Alaska DOT 1.63 million dollars to replace a seasonal culvert with a bridge at Muddy Creek on the Glenn Highway near Milepost 94.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage weighs selling city land for housing by units built, not just the highest bid
Anchorage would rank housing density and affordability over sale price when selling city land, prioritizing multifamily projects and permanently affordable housing over highest bidder.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Thursday, Aug 27
Fairbanks borough weighs a $303,346 replacement ambulance
Fairbanks North Star Borough Finance Committee votes Sept. 3 on a $303,346 ambulance for the non-areawide medical service covering areas outside city limits.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks would spend $1.2 million more to defend the pipeline's value in court
Fairbanks would pour another $1.2 million into defending the pipeline's assessed value in court — a decades-old fight over a tax base that funds its schools.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
An Anchorage firm fell to six employees and built itself back up
ASCI Federal Services fell from 125 employees to six, then rebuilt to nearly 50 and grew its annual revenue from $1.4 million to almost $8 million.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
