Southeast

Petersburg hospital CEO and board member differ on how federal budget law will affect Medicaid

Petersburg's hospital CEO told his board the federal budget law mostly adds paperwork for the state. A board member called it major Medicaid cuts.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Former Permanent Fund CEO Angela Rodell joins new group active in Juneau and Sitka elections

Former Permanent Fund CEO Angela Rodell is now co-chair of a new independent expenditure group focused on Juneau and Sitka's Oct. 6 municipal elections.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: New independent expenditure group registers for Juneau and Sitka municipal elections

State labor agency holds public refresher on collective bargaining Tuesday

Ever wonder how public workers' contracts get made? A management guy and a union guy walk through it Tuesday at a state session in Anchorage and on Zoom.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Lincoln Street in downtown Sitka to close Oct. 5 to 15 for water line work

Part of Lincoln Street by St. Michael's Cathedral closes Oct. 5 to 15 for a new water line. Sitka's downtown gets a detour, and everyone gets a longer walk.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Ketchikan man, 78, dies after his vehicle leaves North Tongass Highway near Mile 13

John Olson, 78, of Ketchikan died Saturday after his vehicle left North Tongass Highway near Mile 13. Troopers haven't said what caused the crash.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Juneau two-bedroom rents rise 2.8%, but one-bedroom rents climb faster

Juneau's typical two-bedroom rent rose just 2.8% this spring, to $1,708. One-bedrooms were another story, up about 13% in the state's survey.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Mar 11

Alaska courts now send free text reminders before hearings to anyone with a case number

Forgetting court just got harder. Text a case number to the Alaska Court System and it'll remind you at 4 pm the day before your hearing, for free.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 15

Juneau's Suicide Basin refills fast as second release remains possible

Suicide Basin above Juneau is refilling after August's flood, and a second release could come anytime. None is forecast, and no flood watch is in effect.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: Suicide Basin levels drop, signaling a possible new release above Mendenhall

Coast Guard awards $36.4 million to repair industrial facility at Base Ketchikan

The Coast Guard is spending $36.4 million to repair a building at Base Ketchikan, the borough's biggest federal contract this year by a wide margin.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Yakutat set gillnetters get another opening, but still can't keep king salmon

Yakutat set gillnetters get another opening starting Sunday. Other salmon are fair game. Kings still aren't, in any size, whether for sale or for dinner.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Wisconsin-based organizing group recruits paid Alaskans to talk with friends before the Nov. 3 election

A Wisconsin group is offering Alaskans "up to $250+" to talk with friends about the PFD and cost of living. It's part of a national program.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Board of Fisheries committee weighs how to let the public weigh in on last-minute rewrites

ishermen say the fish board rewrites proposals after they've testified. A committee chewed on it Friday and changed nothing yet. Round two comes in October.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Juneau kelp farm study suggests minimal influence on fish and invertebrates

A federal study of two kelp farms near Juneau found minimal impact on fish and invertebrates, though a missed sampling trip prevented statistical confirmation.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska Municipal League sets Oct. 23 deadline for 2027 resolutions

Got a gripe with Juneau or Washington? If you're a city council or borough assembly, the Alaska Municipal League wants it in writing by Oct. 23.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Typhoon Dujuan's remnants bring heavy rain, swells and a gale warning to Southeast Alaska this weekend

Typhoon Dujuan's remnants bring heavy swells, rounds of heavy rain and a gale west of Yakutat to Southeast Alaska this weekend. Friday stays dry.

by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read

NOAA weighs 77 Gulf of Alaska sites for future kelp and shellfish farms

Seventy-seven spots along the Gulf of Alaska coast could someday grow kelp and oysters. NOAA is still studying them, and no farm is approved yet.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Petersburg assembly deadlocks 3-3, rejecting one-year data center moratorium

Petersburg's assembly split 3-3 on pausing data center permits, so there's no pause. The utility says the power grid comes with its own off switch.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: Petersburg planning commission recommends one-year data center moratorium; developer threatens suit

Petersburg paid to advertise one of its two sales tax ballot questions, finance director says

Petersburg is voting on two sales tax questions and bought ads for one. The senior exemption initiative will have to get by on word of mouth.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Murkowski bill would modify and continue Snettisham's exemption from federal hydropower licensing

Sen. Lisa Murkowski introduced a bill Thursday to keep Juneau's Snettisham hydroelectric plant exempt from federal licensing rules, protecting the facility that supplies 70% of the city's power

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska household electricity prices rose 5.6 percent from a year earlier in July, federal data show

Alaska households paid 28.83 cents per kilowatt-hour in July, up 5.6 percent from a year ago and over 10 cents above the national average. The fridge noticed.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read

Three Alaska tribal housing groups win $15.7 million in federal grants for 58 homes

Three Alaska tribal housing groups won $15.7 million in HUD's latest competitive round, enough for 58 homes in Haines, Galena and Anchorage.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 9

FAA awards $19.6 million to replace worn-out lighting and signs at Haines Airport

Haines Airport's runway lights, taxiway signs and beacon have all reached the end of their useful life, per the FAA, which is sending $19.6 million to fix that.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 15

Tlingit & Haida delegates reelect Richard Peterson as president

Tlingit & Haida delegates reelected Richard Peterson as president Thursday and chose Clinton Cook as first vice president at the tribe's 91st Tribal Assembly.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Anchorage's police union endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins and Johnson for governor

Anchorage's police union endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins and Johnson for governor, citing Johnson's trooper years. The other three tickets are Republican.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

New independent expenditure group registers for Juneau and Sitka municipal elections

A new outside spending group signed up for Juneau and Sitka's Oct. 6 elections. It hasn't said who it's backing, only that it favors economic opportunity.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Sitka Tribe and Metlakatla May Request Return of 11 Ancestors and 16 Items in October

Four museums and federal agencies hold at least 11 Alaska Native ancestors and 16 cultural items the Sitka Tribe and Metlakatla may request returned starting in October.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Follows: Federal notices clear 11 Sitka ancestors for return

Alaska closed its Bering Sea scallop grounds after the two-boat fleet hit the cap

Alaska's whole commercial scallop fishery is two boats. An emergency order just closed the Bering Sea grounds to them for the rest of the season.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Juneau nearly doubled what it gives Eaglecrest this year

Juneau nearly doubled its support for Eaglecrest this year. At the old number, the ski area said it would have to cut more than half its staff.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Juneau's planning commission approved a subdivision plat it rejected in July

Juneau's planning commission turned this subdivision down in July over drainage. The Assembly sent it back, and on Tuesday it passed it.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read

Juneau Planning Commission approves second commercial tenant at Clinton Drive Domino's building

Juneau approved a second commercial tenant next to the Clinton Drive Domino's. Who actually moves in is still unknown, and no parking was added.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read

Follows: Juneau commission to weigh second tenant on Clinton Drive Domino's lot with no added parking

Ketchikan planning commission to consider censuring commissioner over remarks about Ketchikan Indian Community

Ketchikan's planning commission will weigh censuring a commissioner over remarks about the Ketchikan Indian Community, a day after a removal law is introduced.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 15

Southeast's freight surcharge hits its highest published level

The fuel surcharge on Southeast freight hits 22.5 percent, the highest on record. Nobody outside the company can check the number against anything.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 18

Ketchikan's new tourism board will not include the cruise line agencies

Ketchikan is seating a tourism board without the cruise agencies on it. Whether the industry has grown too fast stays with the city council.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska Power Company asks to waive charges for customers cut off by disasters

Alaska Power Company wants to stop charging people to reconnect after a disaster. Its customers pay about twice what Anchorage pays for power.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska will spend up to $250,000 studying a ferry terminal in Hyder

Alaska wants to study a ferry terminal for a town of 41 people. The reason is Canada: Hyder's road runs south through B.C., and Prince Rupert may not last.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska Supreme Court takes up Sitka assault where a woman owes $104,000 to the doctor who pleaded guilty to assaulting her

A Sitka woman's doctor pleaded guilty to assaulting her. A civil jury never heard that, found against her, and she now owes him and the city $104,307.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Tlingit & Haida wins $1.57M to train Southeast Alaska overdose responders

Tlingit & Haida will spend $1.57 million over four years training responders and keeping naloxone stocked across Southeast Alaska communities.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

A federal grant funds Tlingit & Haida's plan to hear child protection cases

The Tlingit & Haida Tribal Court is preparing to open its own child protection cases, using authority Alaska courts recognized more than a decade ago.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

A wind advisory covers Ketchikan and Metlakatla until 2 pm Tuesday

Ketchikan and Metlakatla are getting gusts of up to 40 mph through Tuesday afternoon, and the Alaska Range could see 70 mph by Friday morning.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Hiker injured by bear on Jones Point Trail in Haines

A hiker attacked by a bear on the Jones Point Trail got herself out. It is the second bear attack in Haines in under a month, and both bears are loose.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read