Economy & Business

Mat-Su manager tallies $386 million in outside grants, led by $249 million rail award

Mat-Su Borough is getting $386 million in outside grants, led by $249 million to finish the Port MacKenzie rail extension.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Alaska VA seeks psychologists to evaluate its police applicants and officers each year

The Alaska VA wants a psychologist to vet its Anchorage police: two tests, a life history and 10 traits from integrity to impulse control. Then yearly checkups

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Air Force Reserve pilots on bush-flying course shut off fuel leak at overturned Super Cub

Air Force Reserve pilots training in bush flying landed near an overturned Super Cub on an Alaska river sandbar and shut off its leaking fuel.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

Seward planning commission approves fourplex on Phoenix Road with conditions

Seward's planning commission approved a 4-unit fourplex on Phoenix Road for developer Phil Zimmerman, with parking, trash and landscaping conditions.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Seward planning commission backs letting 3- to 5-unit housing skip conditional use permits

Seward's planning commission voted 5-0 to let 3 to 5 unit housing skip conditional use permits if builders meet set rules. The City Council still must approve the change.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Seward and its chamber weigh a study of how much tourism money stays in town

Seward wants to know how much tourism money stays in town. At a work session, locals asked about J-1 wages, outside-owned rentals and empty winters.

by Melinda Communities.News3w ago3 min read

Mat-Su counts at least 763 buildings likely too close to lakes as Assembly weighs a fix

Mat-Su counts at least 763 lakefront buildings likely too close to the water, maybe double that. A one-page plan would give owners a year to go legal.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

Follows: Mat-Su Assembly to revisit lake and river setback rules in a special meeting

Three Alaska telecoms lay out plans for $353 million in federal broadband grants

Three telecoms holding $353 million in federal broadband grants told an Anchorage business crowd where they'll build. One expects to finish by 2030.

by Melinda Communities.News3w ago2 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

Non-aviation rent at Kodiak Airport starts at twice recent aviation rates

A Kodiak Airport lot is up for bid for non-aviation use at 37.5 cents a square foot, roughly twice what aviation tenants there have recently been charged.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readFrom Oct 15

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

Anchorage commissioner moves to approve 8-foot Girdwood fence on Hightower Road

Anchorage zoning commissioner moved to approve an 8 foot fence, double the usual limit, on a Girdwood property on Hightower Road.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Archangel Road in Hatcher Pass closes to vehicles for the winter

Archangel Road in Hatcher Pass closed to cars for the winter Tuesday. Reed Lakes hikers, you're walking now. Snowmachiners, your season is coming.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

Chugach, the Alaska Chamber's business of the year, has bought five Alaska firms since 2024

Chugach, which bought Cordova's Copper River Fleece this summer, won the Alaska Chamber's big-business award. It has bought five Alaska firms since 2024.

by Melinda Communities.News3w ago2 min read

YWCA Alaska names Chugach Commercial Holdings president Gwen Welch a Woman of Achievement

YWCA Alaska named Gwen Welch, president of Chugach Commercial Holdings, a 2026 Woman of Achievement.

by Melinda Communities.News3w ago1 min read

NTSB investigating Cessna that lost control while landing in Meadow Lakes

A 1972 Cessna 206 lost control on the ground while landing in Meadow Lakes on Oct. 1. Nobody was hurt, and the NTSB opened a case, as it does.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readFrom Oct 1

Cordova closes Railroad Avenue between Industry Way and Breakwater Avenue over debris

Cordova closed Railroad Avenue between Industry Way and Breakwater Avenue due to debris in the road. The closure is in effect until further notice, with no reopening date given.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

Army seeks small-business quotes for 11th Airborne Division historian at JBER

Fort Wainwright is soliciting small businesses for a part-time historian to support the 11th Airborne Division at JBER. Quotes are due Oct. 23, with the contract running through at least 2027.

by Melinda Communities.News3w ago2 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

Fake invoices posing as the Mat-Su Borough are targeting people who apply for permits

Fake invoices made to look like they came from the Mat-Su Borough are hitting people who apply for land use permits. One shop got 10 in nine days.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Commercial vehicle rollover closes Tok Cutoff Highway near mile 52 Monday evening

A commercial vehicle rollover closed the Tok Cutoff Highway near mile 52 Monday evening, reopening pushed to 10:20 pm.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

Cook Inlet Housing asks Anchorage to lift 2001 rules on its Creekside land

Cook Inlet Housing wants Anchorage to scrap 2001 rules on its Creekside land at Muldoon and DeBarr, calling them prescriptive and time-consuming.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Duffy announces $250 million federal grant to finish Port MacKenzie rail link

Duffy brought $250 million to finish the Port MacKenzie rail link, started in 2013, and promised to have dirt turning by spring at "Trump speed."

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

First National Bank Alaska switches to new online banking; customers must update app

First National Bank Alaska switched to a new online banking system Monday. Customers need to update the app, redo alerts and reconnect Quicken. Homework time.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 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

Fish and Game names low bidder for $3.58 million Susitna Landing boat launch rebuild

Fish and Game picked Nodak Electric & Construction's $3.58 million bid to rebuild Susitna Landing boat launch on the Kashwitna River in Willow.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readFrom Jul 22

Darren Franz to succeed Betsy Lawer as First National Bank Alaska CEO in January

First National Bank Alaska picked Darren Franz to replace Betsy Lawer as CEO in January. Lawer stays as executive chair after growing the bank to $5.1 billion.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readFrom Oct 7

Park Service puts Glacier Bay's only kayak rental up for bid for the next 10 years

The only place to rent a kayak and paddle Glacier Bay on your own is up for bid. The Park Service wants proposals for a new 10-year contract at Bartlett Cove.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readFrom Oct 9

Disabled truck closed Dalton Highway in both directions near Gobblers Knob Saturday

A disabled truck shut the Dalton Highway both ways near Gobblers Knob Saturday morning, reopening by 9:23 pm. Snowy, warm conditions prompted a tire chain advisory on the North Slope's main road.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

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

Cook Inlet Tribal Council offers career skills classes toward certification

Cook Inlet Tribal Council gives exams Friday and Oct. 30 for its free eight-class job-skills certification, covering anger, resilience and leadership at work.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readFrom Oct 15

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 service the Seward Peninsula's snow stations as the first snow arrives

The feds hired Bering Air to fly technicians to the Seward Peninsula's automated snow gauges, just as the first snow of the season shows up on them.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readFrom Oct 14

Girdwood street crews could get long-term control of their storage yard

Girdwood road crews have had a storage yard on a 3.3-acre lot for nearly 20 years. Anchorage may give them control, but the sewer plant next door may need it.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Lease extension to 2094 would let Chugiak senior project add rentals open to all ages

Anchorage Assembly holds a hearing Oct. 20 on extending Chugiak Senior Citizens' land lease to 2094 for new apartments. Phase two could open units to renters of any age.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Kodiak's floatplane base needs a new dock, and engineers will offer two ways to build it

The dock where every visiting floatplane parks at Kodiak's Trident Basin is sinking. Engineers will show the city two ways to rebuild it Wednesday.

by Bill AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Kodiak's proposed path to Bells Flats makes the state's draft plan, with design money only

A proposed 10-mile path from Kodiak toward Bells Flats made the state's draft transportation plan. The $2.6 million in it is mostly for design, not building.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Cordova tribe's company gets $2.1 million NIH order for population health statistics

A company owned by the tribe in Cordova will crunch numbers for an NIH division that studies pregnancy and child health, under a $2.1 million order.

by Melinda Communities.News3w ago2 min read

Narwhal Exploration seeks state approval to drill up to three wells in West Harrison Bay

Narwhal Exploration wants to drill up to three oil wells from ice pads in Harrison Bay this winter, a year later than first planned. Comments are due Oct. 30.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Utqiagvik mayor proposes having online sellers collect city taxes, ending vaping tax

Utqiagvik's mayor wants online sellers and booking sites to collect city taxes, and wants to stop taxing vaping products. The council takes it up Thursday.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read