People & Culture
RSSPeople & Culture in Alaska is a topic covering the institutions and programs that shape health, education and community life. It takes in schools, public health, Medicaid and EMS policy, rural hospitals, and tribal organizations serving Alaska Native communities.
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Frame from "Anchorage Assembly: HHAND Commission Monthly Meeting October 2026" · Photo source
Formerly homeless man tells Anchorage commission hospitals left frostbite patients outside
Jamie Lopez told Anchorage's Housing, Homeless and Neighborhood Development Commission in October that Alaska Regional and Providence hospitals discharged frostbite patients onto the street, with Alaska Regional the worse of the two, based on what he had heard.
"If they didn't have a bed, they just dropped the person and, you know, they're left outside," said Lopez, a formerly homeless East Anchorage resident, describing a man he knows who had three limb amputations.
Alaska's acute frostbite guidelines, which tracked 327 patients hospitalized for frostbite-specific injuries from 2020 through 2024, say discharge decisions should weigh whether a patient has a safe destination and adequate support. Alaska Regional's website says its discharge planning involves case managers and social workers who coordinate community resources.
Lopez said frostbite discharges had not come up when the Health Department described a Nov. 6 online lunch-and-learn on cold-related injuries. He asked officials to ensure patients are not left outside again.
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Stories on what’s next
Kodiak Island Borough School District: Board of Education Regular Meeting
Kodiak's East Elementary tells school board lunch duty costs 45 minutes a day
Kodiak's East Elementary has one cafeteria worker for 251 kids, so the principal, counselor or instructional coach spends 45 minutes a day serving lunch.
Anchorage Assembly: State Legislative Program Vote
Anchorage Assembly members want behavioral health care on the city's list for Juneau
Anchorage's wish list for the Legislature asks for tougher drug penalties but makes no specific ask for behavioral health care. Assembly members noticed.
Haines Borough Assembly Regular Meeting
Draft deal would renovate Haines' preschool building and give it to the tribe
A draft Haines deal would spend a $1 million federal grant fixing up the borough's preschool building, then hand it to the tribe. Two other groups want it too.
Alaska State Board of Education Public Comment Period on Education Rules Repeal and Amendment Proposal
Alaska may drop 58 education rules, including a 90-day charter school deadline
The state school board wants comment on scrapping 58 education rules, including a 90-day charter school deadline and how library grants are split up.
2026 Bristol Bay Next Gen Kenai - Youth & Young Adult Event
BBNC hosts youth and young adult event on careers and scholarships in Kenai
BBNC and the Bristol Bay Foundation are hosting shareholders and descendants ages 14 to 26 in Kenai on Nov. 21 to talk careers and scholarships, with pizza.
Latest
Week of Nov 9
Anchorage's viral "jellyfish UFO" was filmed in June, and it may be a kite
Anchorage's viral "jellyfish UFO" was filmed in June in East Anchorage, looking past a park popular with kite fliers. Online, they suspect an octopus kite.
by Cale Green9h ago3 min read
School leaders urge Alaska education task force to raise funding and restore pensions
School leaders told the legislature's education funding task force to raise per student funding, restore teacher pensions, and fund building repairs separately. • Districts report 311 first day teacher vacancies and $2.4 billion in deferred maintenance statewide. • Public comment runs through Dec. 8, with a final task force report due Jan. 19.
by Walter AlaskaNews10h ago2 min read
Homeschool parents object to a task force line on correspondence programs
A legislative task force floated folding homeschool correspondence programs into "a broader brick-and-mortar framework." Homeschool parents lined up to say no.
by Walter AlaskaNews10h ago3 min readKodiak father asks borough assembly to take up suicide prevention every month
A Kodiak father whose son died by suicide asked the borough assembly to take up suicide prevention every month. One member said it broke his heart.
by Walter AlaskaNews14h ago2 min read
Alaska proposes new tools to decide who qualifies for two Medicaid disability waivers
Alaska proposed swapping the assessment tool used to decide eligibility for two Medicaid disability waivers. Public comment runs through 5 pm Dec. 21.
by Walter AlaskaNews16h ago2 min read
After 120 days at 40 below, Rampart's tribal council outfitted every household, chief says
After 120 straight days at 40 below, Rampart's tribal council bought chainsaws, freezers and more for every household, Chief Dawn Newman told a TCC summit.
by Maggie AlaskaNews19h ago2 min read
Aging commission hears Ketchikan seniors Monday on next state senior plan
Alaska Commission on Aging hears from Ketchikan seniors Monday to help shape the state's next four year senior services plan.
by Walter AlaskaNews21h ago2 min read
St. Paul Island tribe gets $1.73 million in federal grants for addiction treatment
The Aleut Community of St. Paul Island got $1.73 million in federal grants for its healing to wellness court and a family substance use prevention program.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3h ago2 min readFrom 
More from People & Culture
Denali Borough mayor files federal complaint over lost in-person health care in Healy
Healy lost its clinic a year ago. Denali Borough's mayor believes the Fairbanks center that ran it still claims local zip codes and filed a federal complaint.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read
Valdez school board advances two-week spring break for 2028, wants one week after
Valdez students could get two weeks off in March 2028. Enjoy it, kids: the school board says it wants to stick to one-week breaks after that.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago3 min read
State tells Alaska schools how its hands-only CPR requirement will roll out in 2027
Alaska schools must offer hands-only CPR where practicable starting in 2027. The state, still picking which grades, told districts its plan Wednesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Sitka High's random drug tests could expand beyond sports and add alcohol and nicotine
Sitka High's random drug tests could expand beyond sports and start checking for alcohol and nicotine. Families would pay for lab tests that confirm a positive.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago3 min read
AFN delegates back Alaska Pacific University's new Tribal governance model
AFN delegates backed APU's plan to bring Tribes, Native corporations and allies into its leadership as the school seeks to be an Alaska Native University.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min readFrom 
Medicare proposes rule on how it measures distance for small rural hospitals
Medicare wants to put in writing how it measures the distance between small rural hospitals and their neighbors. It says it's already how things work.
by Alaska News2d ago1 min read
Medicare proposes dropping hospital obstetric rules weeks before they take effect
Medicare wants to scrap rules, due to start Jan. 1, requiring birthing hospitals to train staff and work on maternal health, citing rural unit closures.
by Alaska News2d ago1 min read
About 775 noncitizens lose full Alaska Medicaid, and just over half are children
About 775 refugees, asylees and other noncitizens lost full Alaska Medicaid coverage as of Oct. 1 under a new federal law. Just over 400 are children.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago3 min read
About People & Culture
People and Culture in Alaska takes in schools, health care, social services and community life across the state. It covers the public institutions people rely on day to day, from school boards and clinics to water systems and food assistance.
Schools are a large part of it: school boards decide budgets, charter schools and building closures, and building schools in rural villages carries high construction costs. Public health agencies deal with drinking water safety, tuberculosis and overdose response, while the state manages Medicaid billing and SNAP administration.
Tribal health and service organizations, such as Maniilaq Association and Tanana Chiefs Conference, deliver care and aid in rural regions. Alaska Native language programs, from reading screeners to college certificates, and arts and cultural projects round out the subject.
More from People & Culture
Petersburg School Board to vote on contractor to install adaptive playground
Petersburg School Board votes Thursday on a contractor to install the adaptive playground at Rae C. Stedman Elementary.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago1 min read
Fewer Alaskans smoke, but 1 in 4 adults still use tobacco or nicotine, state says
Far fewer Alaska adults smoke than in 1997, but about 1 in 4 still use tobacco or nicotine. The state is pitching its Quit Line before the Nov. 19 Smokeout.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read
Alaska proposes new tool to decide who qualifies for Medicaid home care services
Alaska Health Department proposed a new tool to decide who qualifies for Medicaid home and personal care services. Public comment runs through Dec. 18.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read
State says 12,850 Alaskans on Medicaid would need to prove they meet work rules
About 12,850 Alaskans on Medicaid would have to send proof they meet new federal work rules to keep their coverage, the state health department estimates.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read
State says Hydaburg school district owed about $400,000 in retirement contributions
Hydaburg school district heads to mediation over about $400,000 in unpaid PERS retirement contributions plus interest. Missed payments directly hit employees' retirement savings.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min readFrom 
Fairbanks school board member Tim Doran wins statewide governance award
Fairbanks school board member Tim Doran won a statewide award for board service. His board president's take: he asks more questions than anyone.
by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago2 min read
Nome school board named Alaska's outstanding school board for 2026
Nome's school board was named Alaska's 2026 Outstanding School Board, with the state association pointing to reading gains among its youngest students.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4d ago2 min read
Week of Nov 2
Four in 10 Nome Elementary students are chronically absent so far this year
Nome Elementary counted 114 of its 281 students as chronically absent this year, including half of first graders, and is reaching out to affected families.
by Maggie AlaskaNews5d ago2 min read
University of Alaska says 29 federal grants restored, 32 terminated since 2025
A tells regents 29 federal grants are restored and credits Sen. Dan Sullivan. A tracker still lists six as terminated, most for Indigenous or STEM work.
by Melinda Communities.News5d ago3 min read
Valdez schools superintendent warns health insurance could rise 40% in April
Valdez schools' health insurance could jump as much as 40% in April, the superintendent warned, adding about $1.5 million if claims stay high.
by Walter AlaskaNews5d ago2 min read
Fairbanks City Hall shows lifelong Alaskan Taylor Buxton's metal art through Nov. 20
Taylor Buxton's metal art, from auroras to mountain scenes, is up at Fairbanks City Hall through Nov. 20. Looking is free; owning a piece isn't.
by Alaska News6d ago2 min read
FCC hasn't approved $162 million for Alaska cell service, past the October vote Trump cited
Trump told a Wasilla rally that Carr said the FCC would vote in October on $162 million for Alaska cell service. It's November, and it's still pending.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago3 min read
Fish and Game's wildlife storytelling night returns to Palmer Nov. 13
Fish and Game's wildlife storytelling night returns to Palmer Nov. 13. Last year's had a bear hunt, a harrowing outhouse trip and real moose in the parking lot.
by Maggie AlaskaNews6d ago2 min read
PeaceHealth seeks state approval for $7 million robotic surgery project in Ketchikan
PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center asked the state to approve a $6.97 million robotic surgery system, funded by a federal grant.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago2 min read
Medicare to pay Alaska hospitals more for outpatient care to cover higher supply costs
Medicare will pay Alaska hospitals more for outpatient care in 2027 to cover pricey shipped-in supplies. Alaska and Hawaii share a projected $66 million bump.
by Alaska News1w ago2 min read
Petersburg hospital sets out to become a state trauma center, a decade-old goal
Petersburg's hospital board voted to chase a state trauma designation that Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka and Wrangell already have. Staff hope to get it in a year.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
A Kodiak student's suicide-prevention resolution goes before Alaska's school boards
A Kodiak student's resolution would have every Alaska middle and high school run a student-led mental health or suicide-prevention group. Vote is Sunday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readFrom 
Kodiak schools approve 4-1, $100,000 more for international teachers' green cards
Kodiak's school board approved another $100,000 for lawyers to help its international teachers get green cards and stay past their visa limits.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readFrom 
Kenai Peninsula school board rejects Soldotna Elementary charter, citing no building
The Kenai Peninsula school board turned down Soldotna Elementary's charter bid 8-0, citing the building and the budget. An appeal is still possible.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min read
State asks treatment providers what grant-funded care could be billed to Medicaid
The state wants addiction and mental health providers to say which grant-funded services they could bill to Medicaid instead. It's asking Nov. 18.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readRural Alaska water utilities face Dec. 31 deadline for sanitation funding scores
Rural Alaska water utilities must submit paperwork by Dec. 31 for a score deciding sanitation project funding.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Three Alaska high school seniors are among 161 named 2026 US Presidential Scholars
Students from Soldotna, North Pole and Anchorage were named 2026 U.S. Presidential Scholars, three of 161 picked from more than 6,700 candidates nationwide.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Anchorage teacher tells school board two behavior staff have quit since September
A Tyson Elementary teacher told the Anchorage School Board two behavior support staffers quit since she testified in September, and asked what's changed.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
University of Alaska regents vote Thursday on one tuition rate per degree program
University of Alaska regents vote Nov. 5 on program-based tuition starting fall 2027, folding in surcharges and ending higher nonresident rates at UAA, UAF and UAS.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min read
