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Wednesday, Apr 29
Alaska Universities Report 73% Jump in Teacher Pipeline Enrollment
University of Alaska teacher pipeline enrollment jumped 73 percent, with the university awarding over $1 million in scholarships to 109 candidates as the state works to fill 324 teacher vacancies.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Alaska Board Rejects 25% Hatchery Production Cut After Heated Debate
Alaska Board of Fisheries rejected a 25% hatchery production cut, voting 6-1 against the measure after debate over wild salmon impacts and coastal fishing jobs.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Kodiak Borough Lands Committee develops framework to streamline land disposal
Kodiak Borough mayor proposed a three-tier framework to speed land sales and prioritize workforce housing on parcels near town requiring minimal infrastructure work.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Planning Commission accepts DOT concept for Tudor Road interchange redesign
Anchorage's Planning Commission approved a redesign of the aging Seward Highway and Tudor Road interchange that will add protected bike and pedestrian paths, following five fatalities in the corridor.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
Fish and Game sets cleanup rules for herring pound structures
Fish and Game issued cleanup rules April 28 for herring pound structures in Prince William Sound, requiring commercial operators to remove them after harvest to prevent disease spread.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
Tuesday, Apr 28
Borough proposes $580K budget with new staff, building upgrades
Kodiak Island Borough's $580,000 fiscal year 2027 budget adds a construction manager, switches to electric heating, and funds $147,000 in ADA accessibility upgrades.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Zoning Board Approves Two Variances, Denies Girdwood Deck Request
Anchorage's Zoning Board approved variances for two Eagle River properties with setback violations but denied a Girdwood homeowner's request to legalize a deck encroaching into the front setback.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
School Board Reverses Course on Calendar After Community Backlash
The Anchorage School Board moved the 2026-27 start date back to August 19. The change follows community outcry over subsistence conflicts.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
More from Southcentral
Commission Approves Explosives Storage Site for Avalanche Control
Anchorage Planning Commission unanimously approved an explosives storage facility near Girdwood for avalanche control, pending Assembly rezone vote May 12.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Assembly postpones developer's land deadline amid mobile home park dispute
Assembly delayed a developer's land deadline extension until May 12 after mobile home park residents testified they are losing $70,000 investments for $6,000 buyouts.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
Willow Woman Charged After 25 Sled Dogs Found Dead on Property
A Willow woman was arrested after 25 sled dogs starved to death on her property, with the borough investigating why animal control ignored months of neighbor complaints.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readSenate panel advances two nominees to Alaska Violent Crimes Compensation Board
Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee advanced two nominees to the Violent Crimes Compensation Board, which processes about 1,000 payment requests yearly for crime victims' funerals and medical care.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Senate panel advances property tax assessment cap bill
Senate panel advanced a bill letting cities cap annual property tax increases on owner-occupied homes, despite assessors warning it creates unfair burdens between longtime and new homeowners.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Alaska moves to standardize wildfire evacuation alerts statewide
Alaska is moving to standardize wildfire evacuation alerts statewide using a three-tier Ready, Set, Go system after confusion during the 2022 Clear Fire left residents uncertain about danger zones.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
House Finance hears $8.4M in governor's budget amendments
House Finance heard $8.4 million in budget amendments, including salary increases for public safety workers and a reversal of pay raises for newly unionized University of Alaska employees.
by Alaska News6mo ago8 min read
Monday, Apr 27
Valdez Fire Department Contains Late-Night House Fire on Gulkana Street
Valdez firefighters contained a house fire on Gulkana Street late April 27 with no injuries or damage to nearby homes.
by Alaska News6mo ago1 min readAbout 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
Galena School District Shows Early Learning Drives Math, Reading Gains
Galena School District's early learning programs show students performing above national math and reading norms, but most programs depend on grants that may not be sustainable long-term.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min read
Homer Council to Vote on HART Sales Tax Renewal for November Ballot
Homer City Council votes tonight on whether to ask voters to renew the city's 0.75 percent sales tax for roads and trails for 20 more years, with the ballot measure set for November 3.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readSenate Finance Advances Agricultural Leasing Reform After Farmer Cites $9,000 Annual Fee
Senate Finance advanced a bill to let farmers lease state land at agricultural rates instead of development prices, after a Homer farmer's annual fee jumped from $1,000 to $9,000.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min read
Sunday, Apr 26
House Labor Committee Advances Travel Insurance Bill, Hears Disaster Pet Plan
House Labor Committee advanced HB 302 updating travel insurance rules to take effect January 1, 2027. • Committee heard HB 335 requiring state disaster plans for pets and service animals after October 2026 typhoon response gaps. • Committee heard SB 180 to repeal 2024 language that created confusion over the Regulatory Commission of Alaska's authority over natural gas import facilities.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
House Finance advances bill extending professional licensing board
House Finance advanced a bill extending Alaska's professional licensing board and adding registered interior designers, after revising language that prompted a gubernatorial veto last year.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
House panel hears confirmation for physician assistant to State Medical Board
House committee heard confirmation testimony from physician assistant Norman Walker for the State Medical Board. • UAA proposed a $30 million academic medical center to expand residency training for Alaska's growing medical school.
by Alaska News6mo ago4 min readFrom 
State employee per diem frozen since 2010 despite 40% inflation
House Bill 300 would raise state employee per diem rates frozen since 2010 from $60 to $82 per day, with automatic adjustments every three years starting in 2029.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Senate panel adopts changes to health care compact bill
Alaska Senate panel approved changes to join four interstate medical licensing compacts aimed at recruiting rural health providers, adding background check requirements for medical professionals.
by Alaska News6mo ago3 min readFrom 
Saturday, Apr 25
Senate panel hears workforce plan for Alaska LNG pipeline
Alaska LNG pipeline needs 6,600 workers by 2027, but state's shrinking workforce means most will come from outside Alaska. • Training system runs at 60 to 80 percent capacity; barriers include instructor shortages and living costs during training. • State should expand short-cycle vocational programs and consider a state apprenticeship agency to increase hiring ratios.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Municipal League urges local control in Alaska LNG tax negotiations
Alaska Municipal League urged state senators to let local governments negotiate their own tax deals with Alaska LNG rather than accept a statewide formula.
by Alaska News6mo ago5 min read
Alaska Senate passes wildfire evacuation color-code system
Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill establishing a statewide color-coded wildfire evacuation system, green for ready, yellow for set, red for go, to replace confusing local variations.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago2 min read
Kodiak Trooper Uses Surfboard to Rescue Teen from Island Lake Ice
A Kodiak trooper used a surfboard to rescue a hypothermic teenager from Island Lake ice on April 25, paddling across thin ice while a sergeant towed them to shore.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min readSenate panel examines price controls, federal authority on gas pipeline
Alaska Senate panel questioned whether state price caps in Senate Bill 280 would conflict with federal authority over the Alaska LNG pipeline project.
by Matt6mo ago4 min read
House panel fast-tracks insurance coverage for PANDAS treatment
Alaska House committee advanced a bill requiring insurers to cover PANDAS treatment after families testified they paid tens of thousands out of pocket when coverage was denied.
by Alaska News6mo ago2 min read
House committee hears bill to reclassify emergency dispatchers as first responders
A House committee heard testimony on a bill to let emergency dispatchers retire after 20 years instead of 30 and classify them as first responders.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
House committee hears bill to reclassify emergency dispatchers as first responders
A House bill would let emergency dispatchers retire after 20 years instead of 30 by reclassifying them as first responders with police and firefighter benefits.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Psychologist who lost son to fentanyl urges Alaska lawmakers to support prevention
A psychologist whose son died from fentanyl poisoning urged Alaska lawmakers to fund education and demand reduction, citing 339 overdose deaths statewide in 2024.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Senate panel examines LNG project economics, megaproject risks
Senate Resources Committee heard Alaska LNG faces typical megaproject cost and schedule risks. • A proposed 6-cent volumetric tax would generate roughly $2 billion for the state over 35 years but raise the project's effective tax rate to 33 percent, above competing Canadian projects. • Phased construction reduces upfront costs but introduces financing risk if later phases are delayed.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago6 min read
House Finance sets amendment deadline for police, firefighter disability bill
House Finance set an April 23 amendment deadline for a bill raising disability pay for injured police and firefighters from 40 percent to 75 percent of salary.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago6 min read
Friday, Apr 24
Senate panel hears data center safeguards, tribal education bill
Senate panel heard testimony on a bill requiring data centers to cover their own infrastructure costs and protect Alaska ratepayers from fuel supply risks and rate increases.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
Alaska lawmakers hear testimony on four ballot initiatives
Alaska lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on three November ballot initiatives covering citizenship voting requirements, campaign finance limits, and ranked choice voting repeal, with no votes taken.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago5 min read
House Resources Committee debates LNG equity stakes, rejects wildlife refuge amendments
Alaska House Resources Committee heard testimony on state equity stakes in the Alaska LNG project and rejected five wildlife refuge bill amendments on 5-4 party-line votes Friday.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago7 min read
Wild ice skating grows from isolated hobby to organized Alaska community
Wild ice skating has grown from solo hobby to organized Alaska community with nearly 12,700 members, drawing international media attention and spawning winter tours and equipment manufacturing.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago4 min read
House Education Committee advances CPR training bill with rural flexibility
House Education Committee approved CPR training for Alaska schools with rural flexibility, delaying the requirement to July 2027 to pursue a state grant.
by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago3 min read
