Home-rule borough covering Alaska's Arctic Coast from the Canadian border to the Chukchi Sea. Largest U.S. borough by area. Seat at Utqiagvik; economy built on oil and Inupiaq subsistence.
North Slope Borough, AK, USA
Video Clips
Browse all clips
Harry Brower
“The problems that are identified through the areas of concern were in regards to alcohol and drugs in the outlying villages, the problematic areas they're causing to the community members, which is something that causes disruption for education and family life.”2026 NSB Mayoral Candidate Forum · Sep 28, 2026
Harry Brower
“We've made strides, but I feel we have become stagnant.”2026 NSB Mayoral Candidate Forum · Sep 28, 2026
Harry Brower
“My administration will start construction— constructing roads immediately.”2026 NSB Mayoral Candidate Forum · Sep 28, 2026
Josiah Patkotak
“under my administration, we haven't lost a legal battle with oil and gas since I took place.”2026 NSB Mayoral Candidate Forum · Sep 28, 2026
Josiah Patkotak
“I've had the humble opportunity and responsibility as serving as your borough mayor over the last 3 years, with self-determination and local control at the forefront of all of the decision-making that we have done.”2026 NSB Mayoral Candidate Forum · Sep 28, 2026
Josiah Patkotak
“We've established $600 million worth of projects that have gone out over the last 3 years.”2026 NSB Mayoral Candidate Forum · Sep 28, 2026
North Slope Borough mayor candidates clash over roads and litigation
At a Rotary Club forum in Utqiagvik, former Mayor Harry Brower Jr. said the North Slope Borough spends on litigation instead of roads. Mayor Josiah Patkotak cited $600 million in projects and drug enforcement agreements. Voters decide Oct. 6.
by Alaska News1d ago2 min read
State lifts Kaktovik do-not-drink water order
Kaktovik do-not-drink order lifted Sept. 26 after ethylene glycol contamination of the North Slope Borough community water system; free household glycol tests offered.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4d ago2 min read
Kaktovik's do-not-drink notice stays until sharper lab results arrive
Kaktovik's do-not-drink water notice remains in effect as the North Tank begins refilling Friday and results from Sept. 14 samples with lower detection limits are pending.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Kaktovik flushes millions of gallons of glycol-tainted water after plant mistake
The North Slope Borough is flushing ethylene-glycol-contaminated water from Kaktovik's system after an Aug. 16 plant error, as a do-not-drink order stays in effect.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Former mayor Harry Brower Jr. files to run against Patkotak for North Slope Borough mayor
Former North Slope Borough Mayor Harry Brower Jr. has filed to run in the 2026 election against incumbent Josiah Patkotak. Both candidates are from Utqiagvik.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago1 min read
North Slope Borough Assembly raises lot density to four homes in zoning code rewrite
The North Slope Borough Assembly adopted Ordinance 2026-02 on Tuesday by a 9-0 roll call vote, allowing up to four single-family dwellings on a standard 70-by-130-foot residential lot instead of two, and reconciling conflicting setback and road-width rules across the borough's subdivision and zoning titles.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Wainwright's fuel tank ran dry and the airlift is weathered in
Olgoonik Corporation says the Arctic village's day tank ran dry Monday morning. Eighty drums of fuel are loaded in Anchorage but flights are waiting for a safe weather window into the Chukchi Sea coast.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Kaktovik residents press North Slope Borough on cracked homes
Residents of Kaktovik, Nuiqsut and Utqiaġvik used the public comment period of the North Slope Borough Assembly's Tuesday meeting to detail unlevel homes, sinkholes, missing fuel drums and a water charge that doubled in January.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago4 min read
NTSB: Bering Air crash that killed 10 was a chain of preventable failures
The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday determined that Bering Air Flight 445 was flying above its maximum gross weight when the pilot let airspeed decay into a stall near Nome on Feb. 6, 2025, killing 10, and faulted the FAA for not increasing oversight of the carrier.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
The North Slope's fuel farms sit on thawing ground
Alaska DEC opened comment on renewing spill-prevention plans for North Slope fuel storage facilities, as coastal erosion and permafrost thaw threaten Arctic tank farms.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
North Slope bearded seal hunters asked to save jaws for 2026 study
North Slope Borough and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game are asking bearded seal hunters to save jaws or heads from harvested seals to support a 2026 population study using genetic and age data.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
North Slope Borough approves $5M water and sewer increase after Point Lay freeze-up
The North Slope Borough Assembly approved more than $9 million in contract changes at its July 14, 2026 meeting, led by a $5 million increase to its area-wide water and sewer contract driven partly by a village-wide freeze-up in Point Lay ongoing since late December 2025.
by Lucas Brown2mo ago2 min read
North Slope Borough to seek $300K for second underwater rescue drone after Nuvuk response exposed gaps
A recent search-and-rescue call in Nuvuk revealed that having only one remotely operated underwater vehicle left the North Slope Borough's SAR team short-handed. The mayor told the assembly Tuesday he plans to request roughly $300,000 in supplemental funding for a second ROV, a parts package, and 3,500-watt generators for each community.
by Lucas Brown2mo ago2 min read
HB 381 exempts Alaska LNG project property from municipal taxes, replaces with volumetric splits
HB 381 exempts covered Alaska LNG project property from municipal property taxes and replaces that structure with a phased volumetric tax whose revenue splits shift significantly once LNG exports begin, with the Kenai Peninsula Borough receiving 48.4 percent of base Phase 2 revenue. The tax changes take effect only if specified conditions are met.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
North Slope mayor: 'Nothing about us without us'
North Slope Borough Mayor Josiah Patkotak invoked the borough's founding to demand local input in federal, state, and industry decisions affecting the region.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
54 years of the North Slope Borough
Mayor Josiah Aullaqsruaq Patkotak's Founders' Day message on Thursday frames the borough's 1972 incorporation as an act of Iñupiat self-determination against oil development, a civic identity claim that lands while the borough's oil-dependent finances face scrutiny.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Rough water off Alaska's Arctic and Northwest coasts, easing by Sunday
Small craft advisories are in effect for Alaska's Arctic and Northwestern coastal waters through Friday, with 25-knot winds and seas to 7 feet, easing to near-calm by Sunday.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A federal royalty-rule change could shortchange the states and tribes it's owed to
A proposed federal rule to simplify how oil, gas, and coal royalties are valued could cut payments to states, tribes, and Native mineral owners, amid findings of weak enforcement.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
On the wild Alatna, a guide makes his case to the state
Alaska DNR is reviewing a five-year land use permit for Fredrick Harbison's Iron Hills Guides to run commercial guiding on the Alatna River near Gates of the Arctic.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
North Slope, Fairbanks, Valdez sue over pipeline tax values
The North Slope Borough, Fairbanks North Star Borough, and City of Valdez filed a joint administrative appeal June 22 challenging state property tax assessments on Trans-Alaska Pipeline infrastructure. The dispute directly threatens school and service budgets in all three communities.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
DNR offers 50-year North Slope lease for gas-powered data center
The state's preliminary decision would lease 715 acres near Deadhorse to STAK Energy for a 1-3 gigawatt natural gas facility. Written comments are due June 15.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Mid-June snowstorm closes Atigun Pass, Arctic gateway for North Slope projects
Winter Weather Advisory covers Central Brooks Range through Monday evening. Four to 8 inches of snow and blowing conditions are hitting Atigun Pass and the Dalton Highway corridor.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
North Slope Borough Assembly approves $6.6 million in grant appropriations
North Slope Borough Assembly grant appropriations for wildlife research, housing repairs, homeless services, and public safety equipment
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min read
North Slope Assembly approves $62.5M water-sewer contract with UIC Municipal Services
North Slope Borough Assembly contract approval for water and sewer operations in seven villages
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min read
North Slope approves $3 million police camera contract
The Assembly authorized a five-year contract with Axon Enterprise to replace aging body cameras, in-car video, and Tasers across all borough communities. Officials said the upgrade aims to improve transparency and accountability.
by Tim Smith4mo ago2 min read
Chase filing sets up Kotzebue, North Slope rematch in House District 40
Saima Chase’s filing for House District 40 sets up a 2026 rematch with Rep. Robyn Niayuq Burke Frier in a district where geography may matter as much as party.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alyeschem breaks ground on North Slope methanol plant
Alyeschem held groundbreaking May 15, 2026 for Alaska's first petrochemical manufacturing facility on the North Slope, backed by $70M AIDEA financing. Plant will convert stranded natural gas into methanol and ultra-low sulfur diesel, creating 150 construction jobs and eliminating 4,000 annual truck trips on Dalton Highway.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
ANWR lease sale will test whether Alaska oil appetite reaches the Arctic Refuge
BLM opens bids June 5 on an ANWR Coastal Plain lease sale. After a canceled 2021 auction and a 2025 bust, industry interest is finally being tested again.
by Cale Green4mo ago4 min read
State identifies man, officers in fatal Utqiagvik police shooting
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation identified the man killed and the two officers involved in a May 23 officer-involved shooting in Utqiagvik following a domestic violence call.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Person dies after officer-involved shooting in Utqiaġvik
A person died Saturday following an officer-involved shooting in Utqiaġvik, with Alaska State Troopers now investigating the incident.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read