Alaska state government's executive branch, headed by the Governor and 15 cabinet departments. Oversees education, public safety, transportation, health, commerce, and natural resource management for the 49th state.
Prince William Sound commercial fishers closed out the 2026 sockeye season Saturday facing what one described as among the lowest returns of their lifetime, with no Copper River sockeye available, limited PWS sockeye, and a chaotic late opener that packed roughly 40 vessels into water that normally holds two or three.
by Bill AlaskaNews19h ago2 min readAI
Prince William Sound, Alaska
Governor Dunleavy: Press Conference: Port of Alaska · Jul 7, 2026
Greyer Schwegel, 18, and Paul Lingley IV, 17, were pronounced dead at the scene Tuesday evening after their dirt bikes collided near mile 24.5 of the Hollis Highway on Prince of Wales Island.
Alaska State Troopers arrested Lewis Lomack, 47, of Akiachak, on seven felony charges tied to sexual abuse of a minor, and believe additional victims exist, asking the public for information.
The Alaska State Senate passed the conference committee substitute for House Bill 381 on a split 11-8 vote Thursday, advancing legislation that reshapes oil and gas property taxes and governs the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, but senators who voted no said the S corporation tax provision needs to be fixed before the bill can do what it promises.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has opened RC205 registration permits for the Unimak Island caribou hunt, which runs August 1 through September 30, 2026, with a three-caribou bag limit and strict two-day harvest reporting requirements.
Four ADF&G emergency orders filed July 15-17 authorize or extend commercial salmon openings at Sand Point, Port Moller, Kuskokwim Bay, and Kotzebue Sound, giving permit holders and processors short windows tied directly to inseason run data that can change without notice.
Alaska recorded 503 syphilis cases in 2025, a record, along with 14 cases of congenital syphilis in newborns — the worst outbreak in state history, hitting Alaska Native communities hardest.
New Alaska Board of Fisheries regulations take effect July 18, banning non-resident king salmon retention in Bering Sea drainages of the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands; Alaska residents are capped at one fish per day with a two-fish annual limit and must carry a harvest record.
Cecil Nelson, 57, of Wasilla, died Saturday after leading Alaska State Troopers on a high-speed pursuit following a reported domestic violence assault. He was ejected from his vehicle after losing control on a curve, and was not wearing a seatbelt.
AWWU has filed tariff revisions TA184-122 and TA185-126 with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, triggering a public comment process on water and sewer rates. The 2026 rate package, authorized under AO No. 2025-132, raised a typical single-family residential bill from $123.15 to $128.61 per month. Public comments are due July 31.
A Michigan man was arrested Thursday near Kalamazoo and indicted on two counts of second-degree murder in the 1993 disappearance of Patrick Orville Dearth, a case that broke open when the suspect himself called in an anonymous tip in January 2025.
ADF&G is opening the Chitina Subdistrict personal use dip net fishery for a full 168-hour period starting 12:01 a.m. Monday, July 20, after Miles Lake sonar counts topped preseason projections by more than 20,000 fish; king salmon retention remains banned for the season.
ADF&G's Westside Salmon Announcement 31, issued Friday, says escapement past the Togiak tower stands at just 8,340 fish, far below expectations, and the department says fishing time reductions in the Togiak District are likely the week of July 20.
A proposed Alaska DNR rule change would require anyone seeking to legalize an unauthorized installation on state land to pay annual fees for every year it occupied that land before approval, replacing discretionary director's-order language with a mandatory payment obligation; limited waivers remain available.
An overturned semi hauling fish closed the Seward Highway at Mile 15 late Friday, cutting off the road into Seward for several hours ahead of the Fourth of July and Mount Marathon.
The Alaska Bureau of Investigation charged Jonas Perletti, 31, on Friday with Sexual Abuse of a Minor in the Third Degree for alleged 2019 abuse in the Soldotna area, following a 16-month investigation that included a confession obtained after Perletti relocated to Utah.
With the Fortymile caribou herd down to about 27,000, Alaska has cut the 2026 hunt to 550 bulls with a one-bull limit, and any zone can close by emergency order before the season ends.
Three ADF&G emergency orders issued in late June raised sockeye bag limits to six fish per day on the Kenai, Russian, and Kasilof rivers and expanded Kasilof dipnet shore access, backed by a 4.45-million-fish late-run forecast running 23 percent above the recent ten-year average.
ADF&G is closing all state waters of the Yukon River drainage (excluding the Tanana) to chum salmon sport fishing starting July 22, including catch-and-release, because the 2026 fall chum return is projected to fall below Pacific Salmon Treaty obligations to Canada.
Southeast Alaska raised the nonresident king salmon daily limit to two fish starting July 11 after harvest ran below the regional target, with hatchery-area allowances unchanged.
A Toyota Prius ran a stop sign at the Seward and Sterling Highway intersection in Moose Pass on Sunday, July 5, and was struck by a semi-truck. The driver was helicoptered to Anchorage; both highways closed intermittently during extrication.
Alaska State Troopers shot and killed Philip Phillips, a convicted child sex abuser wanted on a no-bail warrant, after he pointed a gun at officers from a boat near Whittier.
A Brooks Range big-game guide has asked Alaska to let him build a permanent camp — a cabin, tent platform, and privy — replacing portable-camp rules at a remote Eastern Brooks Range site.
The Alaska State Troopers Criminal Suppression Unit arrested Kyle Curtin in Fairbanks on Wednesday after he fled on a bicycle, ending a 34-day search on a $100,000 warrant covering kidnapping, sexual assault, and other felony charges.
Annabelle Michael faces felony domestic violence assault charges after allegedly stabbing a pedestrian's hand while the victim was on the hood of her vehicle on Meadow Lakes Loop on Wednesday, then fleeing and nearly causing a head-on collision. She is held without bail at Mat-Su Pretrial.
Gubernatorial candidate and former Gov. Bill Walker is backing away from his proposal to pay a one-time $10,000 dividend and end Alaska's PFD, now pledging a plan to strengthen the dividend.
Alaska DNR's Division of Mining, Land and Water issued a preliminary decision to reconvey approximately 39.50 acres eight miles south of Tok to the federal government in trust for Emma Northway's Native allotment; written comments are due by 3:00 p.m. on August 18, 2026.
Alaska DNR is proposing to cut per-linear-foot easement fees for public utility projects beyond 100 miles and cap annual entry authorization fees at $20,000, with written comments due by 5 p.m. on August 17, 2026.
Nathaniel Tuma, doing business as Legacy Guides and Outfitters, has applied for a five-year DNR land use permit to build a year-round commercial basecamp on state land near Denali Highway milepost 86.5; written comments are due by 5:00 PM on July 27.
A female brown bear at the Alaska Zoo has been transferred to a new location where she will be the only bear in the enclosure, following a June 14 altercation with a male bear she had shared a habitat with since September 2025. The female was originally confiscated by ADF&G and Alaska Wildlife Troopers in June 2025; the circumstances of that confiscation were not disclosed.
ADF&G biologist Jeff Rice says king salmon fishing near Petersburg and Wrangell has been strong but is past its regional peak, with bright fish still moving through; District 8 and part of Eastern Passage near Wrangell remain closed to retention until July 15.
A helicopter crashed into Chelatna Lake near Skwentna on Sunday and submerged, but both occupants escaped and were pulled from the water by a neighbor in a boat before being flown to Talkeetna with minor injuries. The NTSB has been notified.
Heavy snowpack has flooded Minto Flats, dispersing northern pike across the area rather than concentrating them in usual spots; ADF&G Area Management Biologist Andrew Gryska advises big, flashy spoons and adjusted expectations at one of Interior Alaska's premier pike destinations.
Alaska lost a net 900 jobs in June 2026 compared to a year earlier, as 1,300 federal cuts and 600 state-government losses outpaced 1,000 private-sector gains led by oil and gas. The state unemployment rate stood at 4.4 percent, just above the national 4.2 percent.
ADF&G lifted its chum salmon sport fishing closure for the Tanana River drainage on Wednesday, citing a summer chum run larger than anticipated and well within escapement goals; anglers may keep up to three salmon other than kings for the rest of the year.
Subsistence fishing reopened on the lower Kuskokwim as Chinook and chum runs met goals, with Alaska resuming mainstem management under a federal ruling protecting subsistence priority.
ADF&G has closed all Upper Copper River drainage king salmon sport fishing and banned king salmon retention at the Chitina personal use dip net fishery for the entire 2026 season, as both king and sockeye runs track weaker than expected.
ADF&G Emergency Order 3-S-FY-01-26 shuts directed subsistence fishing for fall chum and coho in District 3 at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 18, hitting Russian Mission, Holy Cross, Shageluk, and surrounding villages; the 2026 run is projected above 300,000 fish but is not expected to meet Canadian treaty obligations.
A small state land lease near Red Dog points to a bigger story — Teck's push to extend one of the world's top zinc mines past 2031 through the Aktigiruq and Anarraaq deposits, vital to the Northwest Arctic economy.
by Bill AlaskaNews19h ago2 min readAI
