Economy & Business

Bethel council holds hearing Tuesday on leasing six city lots to Alaska Directional

Bethel City Council holds a public hearing Tuesday on leasing six city lots to a Palmer fiber contractor for $16,800 a month without taking competitive bids.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Dyea Flats Road near Skagway faces two full closures for culvert work

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park will close Dyea Flats Road near Skagway twice between October and November to replace two culverts that reduce flood risk.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Juneau airport's low-visibility approaches stay down as FAA cites trees

Two low-visibility approaches to Juneau's airport have been out for over a year, and the airport manager says the FAA blames trees scattering the signal and is weighing whether to cut them or raise the equipment.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: Two Juneau airport approaches are down, with no FAA timeline to fix them

White House restates $150 million for Beluga-Healy line; source of $268 million share unclear

The White House says DOE "will invest $150 million" in the Beluga-Healy line; DOE said "up to." Who covers the other $268 million is still unclear.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read

Zoning board to decide Girdwood home's request to build inside stream setback

A Girdwood owner wants to build into a stream setback, with a foot bridge across the stream. Staff and most neighbors object; the board decides Thursday.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Truck crash closes left outbound lane of Glenn Highway near mile 26 Thursday morning

A truck crash closed the left outbound lane of Glenn Highway near mile 26 early Thursday, Oct. 8, with closure expected to end by noon.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Interior lets BLM skip environmental assessments for qualifying NPR-A winter exploration

Starting Friday, qualifying winter oil exploration in the petroleum reserve can skip a separate environmental assessment, barring extraordinary circumstances.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska commercial drivers get another year of paper medical certificates as states go electronic

Alaska commercial drivers can keep using paper medical certificates for 60 days after issue through October 2027, while all other states switch to electronic records this month.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Federal records list a $1.1 million State Department staffing order under two Juneau-based firms

The State Department listed a $1.14 million staff support order under both CP Marine LLC and HunaTek System Solutions, two Juneau firms, without saying which entry is correct.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage Assembly postpones missing middle housing vote to Nov. 4

Anchorage Assembly delayed a vote on Missing Middle Housing rules to Nov. 4 to review amendments that would allow duplexes and triplexes on about 28,000 residential parcels across the city.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Denali Borough staff propose raising landfill fee to $165 a ton

Denali Borough finance staff recommended raising the landfill tipping fee 10% to $165 per ton, effective May 2027, to meet the landfill's cost-recovery target as operating costs climb.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Kenai awards $98,000 contract to move shallow water line on eroding bluff

Kenai awarded Peninsula Construction $98,000 to move a water line on the bluff before it freezes and ruptures this winter.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: Kenai's council will award a bluff erosion contract the day after bids close

Kenai council waives road requirement quoted at $63,000

Kenai City Council waived a $63,000 road-building requirement for a property owner whose project started before the city's new road standard took effect.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Hilcorp seeks to fill Beluga wetlands for gas storage pad under emergency review

Hilcorp seeks emergency permit to fill 2.35 acres of Beluga wetlands for a natural gas storage pad, with public comment open through early November.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Anchorage Assembly approves $2.8M in state money and more winter shelter beds

Anchorage spent most of its state check on shelter beds, some of them from last winter. Without it, the health director said, shelters could have closed.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

State to give highway department 200,000 cubic yards from Parks, Alcan pits at no charge

Alaska Department of Natural Resources will give the transportation department 200,000 cubic yards of gravel from two Interior highway pits at no cost.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Soldotna commissioner asks about council rezoning vote that city records don't show

A Soldotna planning commissioner asked about a council rezoning vote he'd heard about. There wasn't one, but there is a staff plan to rezone Robin Place.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Mental Health Trust Land Office takes bids on 45 parcels through Nov. 16

Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office is selling 45 parcels across the state, with sealed bids due Nov. 16. Revenue funds mental health and disability programs.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Federal agency takes comment on foreign-built 12-passenger boat's bid for coastwise trade

Federal Maritime Administration is taking public comment on whether a foreign-built 12-passenger boat can carry paying customers between U.S. ports, affecting Alaska tour operators.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska LNG lease filing lists state gasline corporation as 25 percent owner

8 Star Alaska filed financial documents to convert pipeline leases, with the state holding 25 percent through its gasline corporation and private developer Glenfarne holding 75 percent.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

State approves easement to rebuild Cordova's failing Eyak Lake weir, built in 1972

Cordova's 1972 Eyak Lake weir is leaking and leaning. The state just cleared the way to rebuild it, with construction slated to start this winter.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Crowley Alaska recruits mechanics and drivers Thursday at Mat-Su Job Center

Crowley is hiring mechanics and line drivers in Palmer, with $3,500 sign-on bonuses. Recruiters are at the Mat-Su Job Center Thursday afternoon.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

State takes comment on expanding Western Cook Inlet geophysical survey near Beluga

A survey crew wants 9.7 more miles of lines near Beluga, with dynamite charges set in hand-drilled holes. The state is taking comments until Oct. 21.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Railbelt-wide unified dispatch likely needs legislation, REAP analyst says

Running the Railbelt's power plants as one system would save money, a REAP analyst says, but it probably takes a policy push to make it happen.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago2 min read

Legislative committee has no oil and gas consultants under contract, chair says

Alaska lawmakers have no oil and gas consultants under contract, with a gas pipeline project and a new administration coming. Senators want that fixed.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Port tops Anchorage's draft 2027 list of state and federal requests

Anchorage's 2027 wish list for Juneau and D.C. starts where it always does: the port. Housing near JBER and Cook Inlet gas come close behind.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Follows: None of Anchorage's district projects got state money this year, city tells Assembly committee

LaFrance sends Anchorage Assembly transit board's call for more AnchorRIDES and bus driver money

Anchorage's transit board asked the Assembly for more 2027 money to cover rising AnchorRIDES costs and hire five bus operators, but the mayor's budget includes no new transit funding.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Testifiers oppose West Susitna road and bridge in state's draft transportation plan

Two testifiers urged Alaska to drop the West Susitna road from its draft transportation plan, citing cost and opposition, while the transportation commissioner defended it as access to state land.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Sitka's Moller Field parking lot paving moves to Monday, Oct. 12

Sitka's Moller Field parking lot paving slid again, now to Monday, Oct. 12. The main lot closes while crews pave; park at the skate park or Lower Moller.

by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read

Follows: Sitka closes Moller Field's main parking lot for paving Oct. 7-8 and part of Lincoln Street for water line work

Mat-Su Assembly pulls Engstrom road reconsideration without debate

Mat-Su Assembly dropped a reconsideration of the Engstrom Road connector, leaving a September vote in place for the $21.6 million northern route over a $9.1 million southern option.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Kodiak Electric signs 20-year contract to upgrade energy systems at Coast Guard Base Kodiak

The Coast Guard's Kodiak base signed up the local electric co-op for a 20-year energy upgrade deal, with $2 million to start. Shutdowns already delayed it.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readFrom Sep 30

Anchorage Assembly weighs Girdwood road contract that drew one bid

Western Construction & Equipment, the only bidder, would maintain Girdwood Valley roads for up to nine years under a contract worth as much as $10.8 million.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska rent growth slows overall, but Mat-Su and Kenai post record jumps

Rents in surveyed Alaska areas rose 2.6%, the smallest increase in five years. But Mat-Su and the Kenai Peninsula saw record jumps of 12.8% and 11%.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Kodiak Island Borough Assembly to vote on $4.2 million hospital chiller contracts

Kodiak Island Borough Assembly votes Thursday on four contracts totaling $4.2 million to replace the hospital chiller, with federal funding covering $3.8 million and the borough paying the rest.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Juneau Planning Commission to consider 10-year Lemon Creek gravel permit extension

Secon wants 10 more years of digging gravel from Lemon Creek, plus two more parcels. Juneau's Planning Commission takes it up Tuesday, Oct. 13.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Vance announces Railbelt transmission project at Fairbanks rally

The Trump administration will fund up to $150 million toward a 223-mile transmission line on Alaska's Railbelt grid, Vice President JD Vance announced Monday.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska LNG asks DNR to convert conditional pipeline leases to full leases

Alaska LNG asked the state to convert two conditional pipeline leases into full leases, citing over $50 billion in project financing and support agreements from major energy companies.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Sterling Highway to close overnight Wednesday between mileposts 45 and 47

Sterling Highway closes overnight Wednesday to Thursday between mileposts 45 and 47 for Cooper Landing bypass construction, the only road connecting western Kenai Peninsula communities to Alaska.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Health care workers tell Alaska high school students many jobs don't need a four-year degree

Some health care jobs take 6 to 12 weeks of training, and Alaska teens can get a pharmacy tech license at 16, students heard at a state career session.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Juneau's Discover Eaglecrest Day tops $51,000 in sales, up from $5,900

Juneau's Discover Eaglecrest Day raised more than $51,000 on Saturday, up from $5,900 last year, as the city-owned ski area works through a budget gap.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Oct 1