Community & Regional Affairs
RSSCommunity & Regional Affairs in Alaska is the coverage of local government and regional planning across boroughs, cities and unincorporated communities. It spans borough assemblies, city councils, community councils and planning commissions that decide local taxes, infrastructure and land use.
Where thousands of seabirds flew, a Kodiak commissioner counted 30
A Native Kodiak commissioner counted 30 seabirds where thousands once flew, and says the borough's new 20-year plan must reckon with that — and with 7,000 years of Indigenous knowledge.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
AML resolution calls for protecting bypass mail to remote Alaska communities
Alaska Municipal League urged federal officials to protect bypass mail, which lets remote communities buy cheaper goods through the postal system.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A village on Alaska's biggest lake gets land for a community hub
Kokhanok, a village of about 150 on Alaska's largest lake, is set to gain state land for a community building — handed to the tribe, since the village has no city government.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
North Slope mayor: 'Nothing about us without us'
The North Slope mayor used a Founders' Day message to demand the region get a real voice in federal and state decisions about its land — a bid for leverage it doesn't formally hold.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Kodiak is shrinking and greying, even as the rest of Alaska grows
Kodiak has lost about 650 residents in five years, roughly 5%, even as Alaska grew. The island is aging: fewer young kids, more residents in their 70s, men leaving 2 to 1.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
A Russian Old Believer village fights to keep its school
Nikolaevsk — a Russian Old Believer village on the Kenai — may hand its shrinking school to a local nonprofit, a bid to keep education in the community as families drift away.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
A Sitka Assembly seat just opened — and the window's short
A Sitka Assembly seat opened when Tim Pike resigned — and residents have only until July 8 to apply for the appointment before October's election decides it for good.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Seward pays to save the pool that made an Olympian
Seward is putting $200K a year toward keeping its community pool open — the same water that once trained a hometown Olympian. Small town, big save.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Juneau fills its airport, harbor and ski-area boards
Juneau, the only U.S. capital you can't drive to, just appointed 11 unpaid volunteers to oversee its airport, harbors and ski hill — all without a single objection.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage approved three ice-arena contracts. The office that oversees them has one employee.
Anchorage approved three ice-arena contracts — then admitted the office overseeing them has one employee and no finalized policy. Audits had flagged the gap before.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Mat-Su Planning Commission to schedule Eagle River annexation presentation
Mat-Su Planning Commission scheduled a presentation on annexing Chugiak and Eagle River from Anchorage, a preliminary step that does not endorse the idea or require a vote by the Borough Assembly.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Cordova Harbor Commission sends harbor-mouth tideland sale back for engineering review
Cordova Harbor Commission blocked a proposal to sell tidelands for a dock near the small boat harbor entrance, citing navigation hazards from constriction at the mouth where 727 vessels operate in strong currents.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 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 News4mo ago2 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 News4mo ago2 min read
Alaska proposes timber harvest in all Haines State Forest areas
Alaska's Division of Forestry proposes opening all 286,000 acres of Haines State Forest to timber sales to enable carbon-offset projects, despite 78 percent opposition from a local survey.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min read
DNR grants 4.55-acre public easement through state land in Trapper Creek
Alaska DNR approved a public easement across state land in Trapper Creek, giving landowner Troy Church legal road and utility access to his property while keeping the half-mile corridor open to the general public.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
