State of Alaska

Tatlanika Fire, allowed to burn since June, now fought at 31,421 acres

Nineteen firefighters are cutting fuel breaks around a Native allotment as the Tatlanika Fire grows to 31,421 acres, with crews now protecting structures on the fire's south end.

by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read

Alaska will build software to help inspect its bridges

Alaska's transportation department won a $126,917 federal grant to build computer vision tools that read bridge photos and flag defects for inspectors.

by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago1 min read

Prince William Sound seiners get 12 hours Sunday across six districts

Twelve hours, six districts, 8 am to 8 pm Sunday. Escapement finally looks good enough that Fish and Game is talking about every-other-day openings.

by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Mayor LaFrance faces a campaign-finance hearing over her 2024 expenditure reports

Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance faces an APOC hearing Wednesday over how her 2024 campaign reported spending. A resident alleges 89 flawed reports.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Bradley Lake expansion has carried three price tags in four months as the comment window closes

The Bradley Lake expansion has been priced at $400 million, $420 million and $435.9 million since April. Alaskans have until Aug. 28 to weigh in.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read

1,900 Alaskans flagged as 'inactive non-citizen' can still vote Tuesday

About 1,900 Alaska voters remain flagged as inactive non-citizens heading into Tuesday's primary, and the state will not clear those flags before the election.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

HUD awards $85,520 to Anchorage disability housing provider

HUD awarded Anchorage disability housing provider AASC Housing II Inc. $85,520 to subsidize rent for very-low-income residents with disabilities.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Skagway ferry port closed indefinitely; state gives no repair timeline

Skagway's ferry dock is broken and the port is closed indefinitely. The state's entire public explanation fits in one undated website alert.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Coal seam fire northeast of Healy grows to 71 acres with no crew assigned

A coal seam fire near Healy has grown to about 71 acres and can't be fought directly — the seam has burned underground for years, and no crew is assigned.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Hoonah and Ketchikan dock projects renew marine mammal permits without breaking ground

Two Southeast dock projects keep renewing federal permits to make noise underwater. The permits keep expiring. The water remains undisturbed.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Trucks keep hitting the Tudor Road overpass. The rebuild is years out

Federal Highway Administration added $912,130 to rebuild the Seward Highway and Tudor Road interchange, one of Anchorage's busiest, with construction now targeted for 2029 or 2030.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

A pro-Republican group discloses small ad debts for two House candidates, listing the creditor at its treasurer's address

A pro-Republican group's pre-primary filing disclosed $728 in ad debts for two House candidates, listing the creditor at its treasurer's own address.

by Lucas Brown3mo ago2 min read

Dalton corridor suit is not over: groups appeal, and 700,000 acres remain in dispute

Alaska is set to gain Dalton Highway land promised at statehood, but conservation groups fight it on appeal, and tribes warn it strips subsistence rights.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Trump takes aim at Alaska's U.S. Senate Primary Election

Trump waded into Alaska's Senate primary, telling voters which of two similarly named Dan Sullivans to pick — flexing GOP-base clout in a state he carried.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

An FAA cleanup contract for Gustavus, most of it at Metlakatla

A small new FAA contract targets Gustavus, where PFAS 'forever chemicals' from firefighting foam have kept residents on hauled-in water since 2018.

by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago1 min read

Alaska takes a first step toward new air permits for Hilcorp's Nikaitchuq oil field

Alaska took a first step toward new air permits for Hilcorp's Nikaitchuq oil field, as North Slope officials push for air monitoring in nearby villages.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readFrom Aug 9

Crews dug out Alaska's remote seasonal highways for summer, meeting in the middle of the Denali

Alaska cleared its remote seasonal highways for summer, with crews meeting in the middle of the 135-mile Denali Highway. A $1.25M federal grant paid for it.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Valdez lost its fight not to be lumped in with Mat-Su. All that's left is an $11,000 bill.

Valdez lost its fight not to be grouped with Mat-Su in one House district. All that's left is an $11,000 cost bill it's appealing to the state Supreme Court.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Homer man arrested on eight counts in Anchor Point home burglary

James Longero of Homer faces eight counts including burglary and vehicle theft after troopers say he took multiple vehicles and nearly all contents from an Anchor Point home in August.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read

Dunleavy says he is ending gas line special session, blames legislative leaders

Gov. Dunleavy signaled an end to his gas line special session, blaming legislative leaders, as Southcentral faces a projected winter gas shortfall.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

Dunleavy declares state disaster after Juneau's fourth straight glacial flood

Governor Dunleavy declared a state disaster for Juneau. This unlocks state funds for flood repairs and speeds up emergency permits.

by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago1 min read

Three anglers cited for over-limit sockeye on the Middle Kenai River

Three anglers were cited Aug. 1 on the Middle Kenai River for keeping more sockeye salmon than the limit allowed; the excess fish were seized and donated.

by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read

Nearly four years on, Alaska has been paid 15 percent of Merbok's $90.9 million

Nearly four years after Typhoon Merbok, only about 15% of the FEMA rebuild money has been paid out — and the deadline to finish the work is seven weeks away.

by Lucas Brown3mo ago3 min read

State says Kodiak landfill is out of compliance on bears and borough could be fined

Alaska says Kodiak's landfill violates wildlife rules because bears keep reaching trash, and the borough could face fines for negligently feeding them. A $250,000 fence won't solve it alone.

by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

Follows: Bears are still raiding the Kodiak dump, weeks after a state plan to keep them out

A Muldoon pot shop passed city rules, but a tribal youth program cites stricter state rules

A Muldoon Road pot shop passed city rules, but a tribal council says a stricter state youth-center buffer should block it. No one has settled which controls.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Follows: A Muldoon pot shop clears the park buffer, by measuring to the playground

A suction dredge permit off Nome is open for public comment through Aug. 18

A suction dredging permit for a small operation off Nome is open for public comment through Aug. 18, in waters where gold dredging has long been established.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readFrom Aug 11

Follows: A new Nome dredge application enters the pipeline that just rejected a fiercely fought gold mine

Alaska attorney general says law seating campaign finance commission is likely unconstitutional

Alaska's acting attorney general says the law requiring the governor to pick campaign finance watchdog members from party lists is likely unconstitutional, a conclusion the state has held since 1980.

by Lucas Brown3mo ago3 min read

In Kake, showing up means a vote on fish and game

Any voting-age Kake resident who shows up can nominate and vote at the fish and game advisory committee's Aug. 26 meeting in the subsistence-salmon village.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Troopers arrest man in Glennallen on no-bail federal warrant from heroin case

Alaska State Troopers arrested Eric Lackey in Glennallen on a federal no-bail warrant for a probation violation tied to heroin sales.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Old Chena Ridge Road closed for duration of roundabout construction

Road is closed, but only temporarily. One day.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Two Fortymile caribou zones will close after just 48 hours

Alaska closes Fortymile caribou hunt in Zones 1 and 4 on Aug. 21, just two days after opening, expecting to fill the 190-bull quota in that window.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Court says a tribe can't sue its health consortium in state court

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Dot Lake Village can't sue the Tanana Chiefs Conference in state court — the health consortium has tribal sovereign immunity.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

The Alaska Supreme Court sent a 14-year Willow property fight back to Palmer, with the trail's path still undecided

The Alaska Supreme Court wiped out the judgment mapping an access trail around a Willow home and sent the 14-year fight back to Palmer, with the trail's path still undecided.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

ADF&G asks Kenai bull moose hunters for tissue samples within 24 hours of harvest

Alaska Fish and Game wants Kenai bull moose hunters to deliver tissue samples within 24 hours of harvest, a tight window that will force some hunters to cut their field time short.

by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Alaska issues intent to award $30 million to 37 rural health projects

Alaska issued notices of intent Friday to award $30 million to 37 rural health projects, with recipients required to spend funds by June 30, 2027.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Most of Alaska's $272M rural health award remains unawarded

Alaska won a $272.2 million federal health award and nearly 1,800 applied, but most is still unawarded — and unspent funds risk being clawed back.

by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago2 min read

Homer's eroded Watermelon Trail is getting rerouted to protect a salmon stream

A 1920s trail near Homer, eroded 6 feet deep and dumping sediment into a salmon stream, is finally getting rerouted. Work starts Aug. 19 and wraps in 2027.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

A matter the Anchorage Assembly declared closed still draws a request for five minutes

Pastor Leon D. May asked the Anchorage Assembly for five minutes to testify about Assembly Member George Martinez at the Aug. 18 meeting, citing public comment limits at prior sessions.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

A $1.8M grant to plan safer paths near Cantwell, with two catches

A $1.8 million grant will plan biking and walking paths on a dangerous Parks Highway stretch near Cantwell — but who runs it, and who'd plow them, is unclear.

by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago2 min read

Alaska will test whether Starlink can keep its road crews online in the bush

Alaska will test whether Starlink can keep its road crews and equipment connected in the bush, in a state already home to more than 60,000 of the dishes.

by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago1 min read