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Sunday, May 10
House Finance begins review of Alaska LNG tax bill with competing rate proposals
House Finance is debating a new tax plan for the Alaska LNG pipeline. Lawmakers and the administration disagree on the tax rate.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
U.S. Education Secretary Tours Mat-Su Career and Charter Schools
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon visited two Mat-Su schools on May 7 to tour career programs and meet students as part of a 50-state tour marking the nation's 250th anniversary.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readAlaska Native Women Face Trafficking Risks Across Rural and Urban Areas
Alaska Native women and girls face heightened trafficking and abuse risks across rural and urban areas. • A 2026 federal report found Alaska's foster care system failed to assess Native children in state custody for sex trafficking. • Rural villages lack law enforcement, shelters, and victim services, making communities vulnerable to exploitation.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readFrom Alaska House Finance Rejects Cemetery, School, Energy Amendments
Alaska House Finance rejected five capital budget amendments Friday, citing limited revenue. • Denied $850,000 for Eagle River cemetery and full funding for Galena school renovations. • Also rejected Arctic Winter Games support, West Susitna road authority, and $5 million hydroelectric study.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Anchor River Chinook Peak Shifts Two Weeks Later, Data Shows
Anchor River Chinook salmon now peak about two weeks later than they did 25 years ago, shifting from early June to late June or early July, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game weir data.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readSaturday, May 9
Halibut Landings Lag 80% Behind Quota as Prices Hit $7/lb
Halibut landings lag at 18 percent of quota by early May as dock prices hold strong at $6 to $7 per pound, while sablefish catches outpace expectations.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min readFriday, May 8
House panel hears bill to ease farmland leasing, lower costs for Alaska growers
House panel advanced a bill to let Alaska farmers lease state land at below-market rates instead of costly appraisals, after one Homer grower's lease fee jumped from $1,000 to $9,360 annually.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readKarluk River Chinook Collapse Triggers First Subsistence Closure
Alaska closed the Karluk River to subsistence Chinook salmon harvest through December 2026 after escapement crashed to 93 fish in 2025, far below the 3,000 to 6,000 fish goal.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readMore from Southcentral
Bank of America Files Four Debt Suits Against Kenai Residents in One Day
Bank of America filed four debt collection lawsuits against Kenai-area residents in early May 2026, according to Alaska Court System records.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago1 min readAlaska House Rewrites LNG Tax Bill, Raising Rate While Empowering Boroughs
Alaska House raised the LNG pipeline tax to 15 cents per thousand cubic feet and gave boroughs power to negotiate property taxes on gas facilities instead of a uniform state rate.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
True North Recovery proposes Fairview behavioral health center
True North Recovery wants $750,000 in city funds for a Fairview health center. Neighbors oppose the site due to service density.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Palmer meeting set for Glenn Highway safety project feedback
DOT&PF meets June 3 in Palmer to gather public input on Glenn Highway safety improvements, with comments accepted through July 3.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readShoulder-to-Shoulder Anglers Pack Kenai River as Salmon Runs Peak
Hundreds of anglers pack the Kenai River shoulder to shoulder as late-run sockeye and coho salmon peak through September, with strong catches reported on beads and streamers.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readAlaska Senate Passes Operating Budget With Energy Relief
Alaska Senate passed a $70 per barrel operating budget with $150 energy relief payments, avoiding a major Constitutional Budget Reserve draw that the House budget requires.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Thursday, May 7
Kenai health office closed May 7 due to plumbing problems
Alaska Department of Health's Kenai office at 630 Barnacle Way closes May 7 for plumbing repairs, with remote workers staying home and essential staff reporting as usual.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readAlaska House Panel Hears Push to Raise Tobacco Age to 21
A House panel is considering raising the tobacco age to 21. The change would align state law with federal standards and unlock millions in prevention funding.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 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
Fatal trailer fire in rural Big Lake outside fire-district boundaries
A person died in a travel trailer fire in rural Big Lake on May 6, 2026, in an area outside fire district boundaries. Investigators found the fire started near a propane heater.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago1 min readWednesday, May 6
New sport fishing rules clarify handling of rockfish, salmon, lingcod
Alaska's 2026 sport fishing rules require anglers to keep rockfish, lingcod, and king salmon identifiable by skin until leaving the water.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min readHouse Committee Hears Divided Testimony on Electronic Pull-Tab Bill
HB 386 would allow electronic pull-tabs on tablets for charitable gaming. • Operators warned the bill's costs could cut charity proceeds in half, especially in rural areas. • Manufacturers and veterans groups backed the change for revenue growth and accountability.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min readTuesday, May 5
House Panel Advances $40M Community Impact Fund for Gas Pipeline
House Resources Committee voted 7-2 to increase a community impact fund for Alaska LNG pipeline municipalities to $40 million, over the project developer's objection that it exceeds economic modeling.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska House bill to ban polystyrene food containers moves to Senate
Alaska House Bill 25, which would ban polystyrene foam food containers statewide, advanced to the Senate after testimony Tuesday on cost versus pollution concerns.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Aurora Borealis Lights Up Kodiak and Interior Alaska Skies
Aurora borealis lit up Kodiak and Interior Alaska skies on April 18, visible for hours under clear conditions during the ongoing solar maximum.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readFrom ConocoPhillips Cuts 12.5% of North Slope Workforce as Oil Prices Fall
ConocoPhillips laid off 12.5% of its North Slope workforce in September following its merger with Marathon Oil, affecting workers at Kuparuk, Alpine, and Willow fields as oil prices fell.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readFrom Recent High School Graduate Appointed to Alaska State Medical Board
A 19-year-old high school graduate with no medical background was appointed to Alaska's State Medical Board, which licenses physicians.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Senate Finance forwards Anchorage attorney to State Assessment Review Board
Senate Finance Committee advanced Anchorage attorney Jana Welsheen's nomination to the State Assessment Review Board to a joint legislative session for confirmation.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Engine Trouble Strands Columbia Ferry at Whittier Dock for Four Hours
Engine trouble stranded the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Columbia at Whittier for four hours on May 5, delaying hundreds of passengers and dozens of vehicles headed to Prince William Sound.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readHouse advances expanded disability benefits for all public workers
Alaska House advanced a bill raising occupational disability benefits to 75 percent of salary and adding healthcare coverage for all public employees and teachers.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Senate panel proposes doubling Dalton Highway surcharge in gas line bill
Senate committee doubled the Dalton Highway maintenance surcharge to 30 cents per barrel in the gas pipeline bill, but questioned whether $1 billion in tax cuts justify the cost to Alaska.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Board of Fish Nominees Face Questions on Public Process Erosion
Three Board of Fisheries nominees pledged Tuesday to restore public trust after the board made an out-of-cycle Cook Inlet salmon gear decision despite 280 opposing comments.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readAlaska Legislature Falls Two Votes Short of Overriding Elections Bill Veto
Alaska Legislature fell two votes short of overriding Gov. Dunleavy's veto of a bill that would have let voters track ballots online and fix envelope errors before rejection.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Senate panel debates $1B tax break for Alaska LNG amid cost secrecy
Alaska Senate panel split on tax breaks for $46 billion LNG project, with one lawmaker refusing to vote without cost details and warning the state could lose $1 billion annually in taxes.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Monday, May 4
Dunleavy says Alaska gas pipeline depends on property tax overhaul
Governor Dunleavy demands the legislature pass a property tax overhaul within three weeks to make a $44 billion to $50 billion North Slope gas pipeline financially viable.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
House panel advances retirement savings program with PFD deposit option
Alaska House committee approved a retirement savings program for 105,000 workers without employer plans and expanded options to deposit Permanent Fund dividends into existing investment accounts.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
AG nominee Cox faces criticism over grand jury access policies
Attorney General nominee Stephen Cox faced criticism Monday for blocking Alaskans from bringing complaints directly to grand juries, contradicting research he himself commissioned.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
House Finance cuts West Susitna road funding from capital budget
House Finance cut $95 million for the West Susitna Access Road from the capital budget. Lawmakers fear the project will drain federal funds from other state needs.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Lands committee advances KEA land transfer despite cost concerns
A committee voted to give 1,584 acres to Kodiak Electric Association for free. One member argued the borough should sell the land to fund local infrastructure.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Senate advances farm tax bill, carves out Anchorage exemption
Alaska Senate advanced a farm tax bill Monday that restores property tax breaks for S corporation farms, but exempts Anchorage from having to offer the deferral.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readAnchorage budget crisis mirrors national school funding squeeze
Anchorage School District approved closing three elementary schools and cutting over 500 staff positions to address a $90 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2027.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Sunday, May 3
Board restricts Cook Inlet drift gillnet fishery to protect coho salmon
Alaska's Board of Fisheries voted Friday to restrict Cook Inlet drift gillnet fishing to protect coho salmon, limiting the fleet to two 12-hour windows per week and a 2-mile buffer from shore.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Anchorage faces mobile home park crisis as South Park Estates closes
South Park Estates mobile home park is closing due to unfixable water damage, leaving over 30 households with few options in Anchorage's tight affordable housing market.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
