Southeast
RSSSoutheast region news
Cities & Areas
Juneau clerk certifies 1% seasonal sales tax petition, Assembly has 45 days to act
Juneau citizens got a 1% seasonal sales tax to the brink of the ballot. The Assembly has 45 days to pass it or let voters do it.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Juneau declares a glacier-flood emergency — in 16 minutes, without debate
Juneau assembly did not move glacially in response to glacier-flood emergency
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Juneau's federal court office keeps closing, with no end in sight
Alaska's capital has a federal court counter. Staffing it is apparently optional — closed again this month, with no word on when it reopens.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
NOAA Sets West Coast Halibut Season Opening June 23 With 261,211-Pound Cap
NOAA opened the 2026 commercial halibut season for West Coast waters June 23 with a 261,211-pound catch cap, a fraction of Alaska's much larger allocation under international management.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Man believed to be Portland hiker found dead near Ketchikan's Deer Mountain Trail
A Portland hiker who called Alaska State Troopers lost near Ketchikan's Deer Mountain Trail on June 14 was found dead the next morning at the bottom of a cliff during a helicopter search.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Ketchikan warrant service leads to three arrests at one home
Alaska State Troopers arrested Teeka Edenshaw, 35, at a Ketchikan home June 12 after she was found hiding in the attic to evade felony probation warrants. • Murphy Charles was charged with first-degree hindering prosecution for helping Edenshaw climb into the attic. • Fred Reigard, 54, was arrested for first-degree failure to register as a sex offender, a charge he had a prior conviction for in 2023.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Mental Health Trust to log 1,438 acres near Hollis on Prince of Wales Island
Alaska Mental Health Trust approved logging 1,438 acres near Hollis on Prince of Wales Island to harvest 20 million board feet of old-growth forest and fund mental health services.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Petersburg fire training center relocation could cost $800,000-plus
Petersburg fire department must move its training facility from the airport by December 31, with relocation costs exceeding $800,000 and no confirmed funding source yet identified.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Petersburg police, fire face staffing crisis with 5 open positions
Petersburg police have three dispatcher and two patrol officer vacancies while fire and EMS rely on volunteers with limited actual response capacity, complicating plans to expand services to Thomas Bay.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Gale-force winds, 15-foot seas forecast for Yakutat waters this weekend
Gale-force winds and 15-foot seas will hit Yakutat waters Friday night through Sunday, with heavy rain expected to bring 2 to 4 inches to the area.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Juneau aggregate firm settles EPA stormwater violations for $12,797
EPA settled stormwater violations with Juneau aggregate firm Colaska Inc. for $12,797 over missing inspection reports and documentation at its AggPro site that discharges into Lemon Creek.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Metlakatla edible-only landscaping rule reshapes public plantings
Metlakatla passed an ordinance requiring all public landscaping to be edible, planting 50 fruit and berry trees across the Southeast Alaska community with a $105,244 federal grant.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Petersburg to receive Papke's Landing dock, tidelands from state
Petersburg Borough will take ownership of Papke's Landing, a deteriorating state dock and 8.8 acres of tidelands on Wrangell Narrows, but will need to hire staff and buy equipment to maintain the busy public boat launch.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Senate Finance weighs Alaska LNG tax worth $124M a year — and whether it's enough for host communities
Governments are making compromises on the amount of property tax they'll receive - not all are happy about it
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Yakutat braces for gale-force winds, 10-15 ft seas this weekend
Gale-force winds and 10 to 15 foot seas will hit Yakutat's coastal waters starting Friday night through the weekend, with 2 to 3 inches of rain expected.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
The other Dan Sullivan case tests Alaska's election-law limits
Alaska's elections office is investigating whether a Petersburg man filed genuinely as a Republican Senate candidate or used a name similar to incumbent Dan Sullivan to confuse voters.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Don't eat the clams: ADF&G can't tell Juneau harvesters which beaches are safe — because nobody's regularly testing
Don't clam up
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan harbor parking enforcement back after contract gap
Ketchikan's harbor parking enforcement resumed after a contract gap left derelict vehicles and people living in cars occupying lots for months, with police and parking enforcement now working through a backlog.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan tender float meets code, port says after charter operator's safety request
Ketchikan's Tender Float 3 meets building codes without guardrails, port officials confirmed after engineers found no code requirement for railings on the 18-inch-high float.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG could cost "tens of millions of dollars"
Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG would cost "tens of millions" — a number that lands somewhere between $23M and $173M. Her plan targets $23M.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Petersburg Planning Commission roundup: massage CUP approved, three land sales recommended, Scow Bay rock pits out of wireless overlay
Petersburg Planning Commission approved a home massage business, recommended three land sales, and removed Scow Bay rock pits from a wireless tower overlay after residents cited drinking water concerns.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Same committee, same day, two close votes on Alaska LNG ratepayer protection — and they didn't go the same way
House Finance can't quite decide how much to protect Alaska ratepayers from LNG cost overruns — Tuesday's two votes split, with the same person providing the swing both times.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Juneau Assembly raises vehicle sales tax cap to $50,000
Juneau Assembly voted 6-3 to raise the vehicle sales tax cap to $50,000, allowing the city to collect more tax on car purchases as it works to close a $10 million to $12 million budget gap.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
All three major North Slope producers have signed Alaska LNG Phase 1 sale agreements — and they want their ownership to stop at the lease line
All three major North Slope producers have signed Alaska LNG Phase 1 sale agreements — and they want their ownership to stop at the lease line
by Alaska News3mo ago3 min read
Sitka seeks crosswalk design ideas for Lincoln Street
Sitka is asking residents of all ages to submit designs for painted crosswalk patterns on downtown Lincoln Street by June 24, with selected designs to be painted this summer as part of a pedestrian safety project.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Angoon youth dancers perform at Celebration following Navy apology
Angoon youth dancers performed at Celebration 2026 days after the U.S. Navy formally apologized for the 1882 bombardment that killed children and destroyed the Tlingit community's winter food stores, an apology the community had sought for decades.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Halibut anglers on Alaska charters now pay $20 a day — and the money is funding a decades-old battle over who gets to catch the fish
Alaska charter anglers now pay $20 per day to keep halibut in Southeast and Southcentral waters, a federal fee that funds the charter sector's purchase of commercial fishing quota to expand their halibut allocation.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Southeast outer coast lingcod fishery closes after hitting quota
Alaska closed the Southern Southeast Outer Coast commercial lingcod fishery Saturday after boats landed the full 50,100-pound quota, though sport fishing and other areas remain open.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Forest Service scraps Herbert Glacier cabin for mining claim
The Forest Service cancelled a planned cabin near Herbert Glacier in Juneau, citing mining claims and potential conflicts with mineral exploration by Canadian company Grande Portage Resources.
by Alaska News3mo ago3 min read
Navy SEAL returns to Southeast Alaska after 28 years
Retired Navy SEAL Command Master Chief Nathan Mitchell returned to Southeast Alaska after 28 years, completing a canoe journey with his son to Celebration 2026. • Mitchell spoke about Alaska Native military service, noting the demographic serves at five times the national average. • He addressed veteran mental health, urging those struggling with PTSD to seek support from fellow veterans.
by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago2 min read
Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers honor late elder at Celebration 2026 performances
Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers honored late elder Margaret Roberts at Celebration 2026, performing traditional and newly written pieces that document ancestral knowledge and cultural revival across Alaska and Hawaii.
by Lucas Brownadded 3mo ago2 min read
Celebration 2026 opens in Juneau with canoe arrivals, cultural speeches
Sealaska Heritage Institute opened Celebration 2026 in Juneau on Wednesday with traditional canoe arrivals from eight Southeast Alaska communities and speeches centered on cultural resilience and overcoming external and internal challenges.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan awards $2.74M city hall HVAC contract, taps reserves
Ketchikan City Council voted 4-3 to spend $2.74 million replacing city hall's HVAC system using reserves and deferred street projects. • One council member opposed the spending, citing residents losing power and leaving town due to rising costs. • The HVAC units are over 20 years old and no longer meet code.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Sitka Assembly awards Fisheries Enhancement Fund grants June 9
Sitka Assembly awards Fisheries Enhancement Fund grants June 9 to support salmon hatcheries as Southeast Alaska fish prices drop sharply.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan postpones cruise-dock expansion for one year
Ketchikan City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to delay a $290,000 design contract for expanding Berth 1 at the cruise dock, citing community concerns about ship volume and the need to repair existing docks first.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
ADF&G opens Copper River drift gillnet fishery Thursday for 24 hours
Alaska Department of Fish and Game opens Copper River drift gillnet fishery for 24 hours starting 7 a.m. Thursday, June 26, targeting sockeye salmon while monitoring Chinook conservation limits of 21,000 to 31,000 fish.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska fishery disaster funds stalled at OMB despite congressional approval
Congress approved $300 million in fishery disaster relief for Alaska in December 2024, but the Office of Management and Budget has not released the funds to fishing families waiting for relief.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Sitka's next step in a multi-year federal road safety push — RFQ goes out as SS4A program nears its authorized end
Sitka is hiring a consultant to move its federal road safety project forward before the Safe Streets and Roads for All program's authorization expires September 30, with qualifications due July 8.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Alaska proposes timber sales in Haines State Forest habitat areas
Alaska's Division of Forestry and Fire Protection is proposing to allow timber sales in wildlife habitat and recreation areas of the 260,000-acre Haines State Forest, reversing a 2002 policy ban, with public comment due June 5.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Alaska House schedules June 10 technical session
Alaska House scheduled a technical session for June 10 at 11 a.m. to handle procedural matters after the regular legislative session ended May 20.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
