Economy & Business

Mat-Su Borough asks state for 210 acres near Sutton for a shooting range

People already shoot at the old Jonesville coal mine near Sutton. The Mat-Su Borough wants to make it official, with a $7.5 million shooting range.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 29

Follows: DNR proposes requiring permits for most shooting in the Matanuska Valley Moose Range

Seward requires wider paved streets and bans cul-de-sacs in new subdivisions

New Seward subdivisions need wider paved streets, a place to walk and buried power lines, but no cul-de-sacs. Developers pay; one critic says buyers will too.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

State seeks bids to expand the Upper Stiles Creek shooting range near Fairbanks

A busy public gun range near Fairbanks has no berms behind its targets. The state is taking bids to build some, paid mostly by taxes on guns and ammo.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 22

Wasilla adopts airport plan that charts a path to a 6,000-foot runway

Wasilla adopted a 20-year airport plan that points toward a runway more than half again as long. Nobody testified, and nobody on the council objected.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Follows: Wasilla sets Oct. 12 hearing on airport master plan that recommends higher lease rates

Wasilla streets close Tuesday for Trump rally; expect highway delays

The president is in Wasilla Tuesday, so streets around the Menard Center close 8 am to 6 pm and Glenn and Parks trips could run up to 30 minutes longer.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Petersburg moves toward a nine-month pause on some data centers; broader ban fails 3-3

Petersburg wants a nine-month pause on off-grid and non-closed-loop data centers. It isn't in effect yet, and a permit application could still get in first.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Oct 9

Follows: Petersburg assembly deadlocks 3-3, rejecting one-year data center moratorium

Petersburg Assembly overturns denial of land division for tribe's wireless tower

Petersburg's assembly overturned the planning commission's denial of a land division Tlingit & Haida needs for a wireless tower beside the borough's fire hall.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Oct 9

Glenn Highway northbound left lane closed near mile 26 Monday for guardrail repairs

One northbound lane of the Glenn near Eklutna is closed until 4:30 pm for guardrail work. This stretch has seen the same repair closures before.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

State expects seismic retrofit of Tanana River Bridge at Big Delta to start in mid-October

Alaska is the most seismically active state, and DOT says earthquake work on the Big Delta bridge starts this month. Seven more bridges are in line.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

State plans to sell Homer contractor 5,000 cubic yards from Ohlson Mountain site

The state intends to sell a Homer contractor 5,000 cubic yards of material from atop Ohlson Mountain. That's roughly 400 to 500 dump-truck loads.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readFrom Oct 7

Commercial vehicle crash closed Tok Cutoff near Slana on Monday morning

A commercial vehicle crash closed the Tok Cutoff in both directions near Slana early Monday. By late morning, Alaska 511 no longer showed the closure.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Kenai will seek up to $250,000 in federal money to replace Old Town Park's playground

Kenai wants up to $250,000 in federal money for a new Old Town Park playground. The catch: grant-funded park land has to stay a park, more or less forever.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Murkowski joins bipartisan call for Trump to reverse decision allowing Russian diesel imports

Trump says Putin agreed to send diesel. Murkowski and six other senators say letting it in runs counter to a ban Congress passed 100-0 in 2022.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Homer commission backs limiting residential short-term rentals to operators' homes

A Homer commission wants short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods limited to the operator's own home. It finalizes that advice Tuesday.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

State proposes five snowmachine trails near Wiseman after Dalton corridor transfer

The state proposes five snowmachine trails near Wiseman, part of its promise after subsistence users lost their federal priority in the Dalton corridor.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Oct 7

Corps seeks state water quality OK for $402 million Homer harbor to end five-deep rafting

Homer's boats tie up as many as five deep. The Corps wants a $402 million fix, Homer would owe about $170 million, and the math says 77 cents back per dollar.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readFrom Sep 24

Montana Creek, Peterson Lake among four Juneau trails up for federal grant money

Montana Creek, Peterson Lake, Eagle Beach and a new Gold Creek crossing are on Juneau's trail wish list. If the state says yes, federal money covers up to 90%.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 30

State urges drivers to avoid Parks Highway from Talkeetna to Cantwell

Alaska Department of Transportation urges drivers to avoid the Parks Highway between Talkeetna and Cantwell through Sunday evening as snow and ice make the 111-mile stretch dangerous.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

St. Paul seeks trail grant to replace staircases and resurface the Sledding Hill

St. Paul is applying for a state trail grant to replace stairs, improve gravel paths, and resurface Sledding Hill, with public comment due October 23.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read

FAA posts first flight limits ahead of Trump’s Alaska visit

The FAA's drone ban over JBER runs 3:35 to 10:15 pm on Trump's rally day. Bigger flight limits reaching 30 nautical miles may still be coming.

by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read

AIDEA takes over governor's energy conference with up to $400,000

Gov. Dunleavy leaves office in December. The energy conference he founded stays on: AIDEA's board approved up to $400,000 to run it in Anchorage in 2027.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 22

Kenai commission weighs letting a gravel operation dig into required setbacks

Kenai will decide Wednesday whether a gravel pit can dig closer to its neighbors than city rules allow. An earlier, similar variance drew an appeal.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Federal probation seeks polygraph examiner for Anchorage sex offense supervision

Yes, federal probation still uses polygraphs. The Anchorage office wants an examiner to help supervise people convicted of sex offenses. Proposals due Nov. 5.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Ketchikan lost jobs in 2025 as Southeast Alaska set employment and wage records, report says

Southeast Alaska hit record jobs and wages in 2025. Ketchikan went the other way, losing 23 jobs even as its wages rose 5%, a new regional report says.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 29

State proposes giving 5,805 acres to energy authority for Bradley Lake hydro expansion

DNR's 5,805 acres for the Alaska Energy Authority near Homer are for Bradley Lake hydro, where AEA says a glacier diversion could boost power 40%.

by Alaska News1mo ago1 min readFrom Oct 2

Kodiak parks board to weigh three first projects from new master plan

Kodiak Parks and Recreation will discuss three potential first projects from the city's new master plan at a Tuesday board meeting, focusing resources on one rather than spreading them thin.

by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read

Wasilla airport commission backs buying at least 11 parcels for longer runway

Wasilla's airport commission backed buying at least 11 parcels for a longer runway. Planes leave heavier than they arrive, thanks partly to local shopping.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Feds propose second Cook Inlet oil lease sale on the same terms after first drew no bids

The feds' first Cook Inlet oil lease sale this year drew zero bids. Congress won't let them change the terms, so they're offering the same million acres again.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Ketchikan planners may redo approval for KIC shelter after some neighbors weren't notified

Ketchikan's planned permanent shelter got its parking variance in September. Now the borough may redo the vote because some condo owners were never notified.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage Assembly sets Oct. 20 hearing on Chugiak senior housing lease

Anchorage Assembly will hear testimony Oct. 20 on extending a below-market ground lease for Chugiak Senior Citizens to 2094, enabling about 60 affordable rental units for seniors and disabled adults.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

State takes comments through Oct. 29 on water quality review of AIDEA's West Susitna road

The state is taking comments through Oct. 29 on whether AIDEA's 78.5-mile West Susitna road meets water quality rules. The Corps' own window closes Tuesday.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

FCC clears SpaceX to send satellite service straight to phones in Alaska and the rest of the U.S.

The FCC cleared SpaceX to beam service from 15,000 planned satellites straight to phones, Alaska included, with no wireless carrier in the middle.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Sitka Assembly to decide whether to extend Arctic Blue Waters' bulk water export deal

Arctic Blue Waters has a 2021 deal to buy Sitka's water for export. Five years in, the Assembly decides Tuesday whether to give the company more time.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Sitka Assembly returns Tuesday to ordinance easing backyard apartment rules

Sitka's Assembly is back Tuesday on backyard apartments: fewer hoops to build one, but no more on R-2 lots. Rentals stay tight, at 5.8% vacancy.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

State offers trainings as Alaska towns apply for the first block grants that can build housing

Alaska is holding two virtual trainings this month for municipalities applying for Community Development Block Grants, with about $2.5 million available statewide and applications due December 4.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Kodiak Assembly member asks for monthly short-term rental counts, citing Coast Guard housing crunch

Kodiak's borough counts about 165 short-term rentals, same as last year. One Assembly member wants monthly updates as Coast Guard growth squeezes housing.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

FAA proposes redrawing Anchorage basin airspace and flight paths for JBER's extended runway

The FAA wants to redraw the airspace over the Anchorage basin so JBER can use an instrument landing system on its longer runway. Comments are due Nov. 9.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Houston passes two-year pause on data centers as state weighs AIDEA land transfer

Houston's City Council paused data center permits for two years while the state weighs giving 20,000 acres just north of the city to AIDEA for free.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

State puts emergency erosion work on Talkeetna's only highway out to bid

The Susitna River has been chewing at the bank near the only highway into Talkeetna. The state wants erosion protection in place there by Dec. 15.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Oct 2

State proposes giving 220 acres near Ester to AHFC for housing, drawing trail concerns

Alaska DNR is giving 220 acres near Ester to a housing corporation for free, but the land is now used for hunting, trapping, and trails, and a Senate committee says locals oppose it.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read