Southeast

Juneau task force nears a whale-watch cap and a new helicopter noise study

Juneau's tourism task force, declaring 'the status quo is not sustainable,' is close to urging a whale-watch cap and a redo of 2001 helicopter noise work.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Follows: Juneau task force to review draft rules that could license and cap whale-watching boats

Juneau's summer sales tax is official: 6% from April through September

It's official: Juneau shoppers pay 6% sales tax April through September starting in 2027. The money is meant for recreation, but the Assembly decides.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

Falling trees damage four homes in Pelican during Tuesday's Southeast windstorm, VSPO says

Falling trees damaged four homes in Pelican during Tuesday's Southeast windstorm and hit the corner of a fifth, the village public safety officer reported.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Ketchikan's storm damage estimate tops $4 million as the state steps in

Ketchikan's storm damage estimate has topped $4 million, with a collapsed harbor storm drain added to the Ward Cove substation, and the state is helping pay.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

Sitka delays Lake Street reopening and Monastery Street 'Do Not Enter' signs

Sitka has delayed reopening Lake Street, pushing back new "Do Not Enter" signs at two Monastery Street entrances. The road could reopen as early as next week, weather permitting.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

Sitka gusts hit 76 mph as Southeast windstorm cuts power to most of Juneau

Sitka's airport clocked a 76 mph gust Tuesday and falling trees cut power to most of Juneau, well past the 50 mph the advisories had called for.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Six of seven Alaska air service routes draw one bid each, all seeking more federal money

Six of seven roadless Alaska towns up for federally subsidized flights got exactly one bid, from the airline already there. All of them want a raise.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

Forest Service seeks a shipyard to haul out and repaint its floating barracks

The Forest Service wants a small business to haul out and repaint the Misty, a 1979 steel barge with a two-story barracks mounted on top, now near Ketchikan.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

Haines Borough and Klukwan face gusts to 50 mph under wind advisory starting Monday

Wind advisory hits Haines and Klukwan from 4 pm Monday to 4 am Wednesday, with gusts up to 50 mph. Heavy rain of 1.5 to 3.5 inches expected through Tuesday, heaviest late Tuesday morning into the afternoon.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

Juneau closes Calhoun Avenue pedestrian bridge a year after setting aside money to replace it

Juneau closed the Calhoun Avenue pedestrian bridge as unsafe. A year ago it set aside $750,000 to replace it in 2026. None was spent through July.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readFrom Oct 10

Juneau tourism task force puts up to $30 million price tag on Seawalk extension

Juneau's tourism task force put price tags on its fixes, from crossing guards to up to $30 million for the Seawalk. Fees got punted to the Assembly.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Follows: Juneau task force to review draft rules that could license and cap whale-watching boats

Alaska's respiratory therapists would pay $350 for a first license under proposed rules

Alaska proposed its first license for respiratory therapists, costing $350, under a law taking effect Jan. 1, 2027. Alaska is the only state with no such license.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Storm could push Juneau and Gustavus creeks back toward flood stage Tuesday

Another strong storm is headed for Juneau and Gustavus, with 2 to 4 inches of rain Tuesday. Creeks that hit or neared flood stage Friday could do it again.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Ketchikan Assembly to certify results electing Bolling, Ortiz and Arntzen Tuesday

Ketchikan Borough Assembly meets Tuesday to certify Oct. 6 election results, seating Bolling, Ortiz and Arntzen. The library takeover measure failed outside city limits, so it did not pass.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Petersburg voters approve up to $3.3 million to finish a backup diesel generator

Petersburg voters OK'd up to $3.3 million, 709 to 366, for a backup diesel generator the borough says it needs before standby power falls short.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readFrom Oct 6

Helicopters will keep a remote Unuk River gage running below British Columbia mines

Interior ordered helicopter flights to service a USGS gage on the Unuk River, which watches the water coming down from three British Columbia mining projects.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Gravina Island sea cucumber divers get two hours as the area's cap nearly runs out

Divers have nearly hit the sea cucumber cap off Gravina Island's west shore in two weeks, so the state is giving them two hours there Tuesday.

by Bill AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read

Follows: Southeast Alaska sea cucumber dive fishery opens with a 1.4 million-pound cap

Fish and Game closes Yakutat commercial set gillnet fishery for the rest of the season

Fish and Game closed Yakutat's commercial set gillnet fishery for the season on Oct. 15, matching the usual mid-October closing date.

by Bill AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read

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

Ketchikan Assembly to vote Tuesday on Ward Cove substation disaster declaration

Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly votes Tuesday on keeping its Ward Cove substation disaster declaration in force. Repairs could cost up to $1.59 million, more than KPU and the city have on hand.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read

State moves to finalize Juneau sewage plant permit despite years out of compliance

Juneau's downtown sewage plant was out of federal compliance in 12 of 13 quarters. The state is about to renew its Gastineau Channel permit anyway.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read

Appeals court upholds conviction for threat during Ketchikan bail hearing

Alaska Court of Appeals upheld Michael Henderson's conviction for threatening a witness during his son's Ketchikan bail hearing. The jury found the threat real, and he's serving 18 months.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read

Huna Totem asks Juneau planners to approve a scaled-down Áak'w Landing uplands plan

Huna Totem asks Juneau planners Oct. 27 to shrink Áak'w Landing's uplands plan, cutting retail space from 50,000 to about 31,000 square feet.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read

Sitka Planning Commission takes testimony on requiring permits for data centers

Sitka's zoning code covers tanneries and log storage but says nothing about data centers. A city proposal would require a permit for one in five districts.

by Melinda Communities.News4w ago3 min read

Sitka proposes moving six cemeteries into its restrictive cemetery zoning district

Sitka wants six cemeteries, including the national cemetery and the Russian Orthodox one, zoned strictly for cemetery uses. Planners take testimony Wednesday.

by Melinda Communities.News4w ago2 min read

AIDEA board to vote on a $75 million company to invest in undersea internet cables

Alaska's internet leans on four undersea cables, two of them 27 years old. AIDEA could put up to $75 million toward replacing them, and maybe reaching Asia.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read

Forest Service favors larger Prince of Wales logging plan that may restrict deer hunting

The Forest Service favors the bigger of two Prince of Wales logging plans in a draft decision that finds it may significantly restrict subsistence deer hunting.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago3 min read

Ketchikan Shipyard workers rejoin union after new operator said old contract didn't apply

New operator, same union. Ketchikan Shipyard workers voted 27-7 to rejoin their union after the yard's new operator said their old contract didn't carry over.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readFrom Sep 22

Four Southeast towns face 2030 deadline to disinfect sewage, with costs up to $14 million

Sitka, Haines, Skagway and Wrangell must start disinfecting the sewage they pipe into Southeast waters by 2030. Cost estimates run as high as $14 million.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

Yakutat-area moose hunt west of the Dangerous River closes after hunters reach 30 bulls

Thirty bulls down on the west side of the Dangerous River, and that's the limit. Moose hunting there, near Yakutat, ends Saturday at 11:59 pm sharp.

by Bill AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read

Mt. Edgecumbe review ends with 22 recommendations to the state board

A state review of Mt. Edgecumbe ends with 22 recommendations, from dorm rules to calling parents. Enrollment at the school is still below capacity.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago3 min read

Sitka to post 'Do Not Enter' signs at two Monastery Street entrances

Sitka will post Do Not Enter signs at two Monastery Street entrances once Lake Street reopens Oct. 21, blocking turns from Arrowhead and DeGroff onto Monastery.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min read

Juneau man charged with felony assault after Savikko Park hit-and-run

Juneau police charged a 32-year-old man with first-degree assault after a hit-and-run at Savikko Park. The pedestrian, 49, was medevaced to Seattle with a broken pelvis.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min readFrom Oct 12

Fairbanks borough mayor proposes pause on large data center permits through 2027

Fairbanks' mayor wants no big new data centers permitted through 2027. Houston already hit pause, and Petersburg is drafting a pause of its own.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read

State to survey Craig households on subsistence harvests for the first time since 1998

State researchers will survey 128 Craig households in February about what they hunt, fish and gather, the first full count there since 1998.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read

Peltola takes in $14.1 million in two months, nearly 7 times Sullivan's haul

Peltola took in about seven times what Sullivan did in the latest two-month reports. Both spent more than they took in, and Sullivan still has more cash.

by Alaska News4w ago4 min read

Haines trail group and State Parks seek federal money for a Chilkat State Park cabin

A cabin halfway down Chilkat State Park's coastal trail would give Haines families and elders a roof for the night, if federal trail money comes through.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readFrom Sep 30

Flood watches and gusts to 55 mph hit southern Southeast as an atmospheric river arrives

Southern Southeast faces up to 6 inches of rain and gusts to 55 mph Thursday into Friday, with flood watches from Ketchikan up to Petersburg.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Many boats in the central Gulf must throw back Pacific ocean perch through December

Many central Gulf boats must throw back any Pacific ocean perch they catch through December. The 2,800 tons set aside for incidental catch is about used up.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Craig certifies uncontested city election after 9.7% turnout

Every Craig candidate ran unopposed, turnout was 9.7%, and the council counted the 13 absentee ballots by hand at the table. Democracy, small-town edition.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Juneau weighs Kensington mine rock and charter use for North Douglas ramp

Juneau may study building a bigger North Douglas boat launch from Kensington mine waste rock, and ask whether charter boats and tour buses should use it.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read