People & Culture
RSSAlaska News coverage of people and culture topics including community events, arts funding, local businesses, and cultural institutions.
State health bulletin finds nearly one in four critical heart defects in Alaska infants diagnosed late
Alaska found that nearly one in four critical heart defects in newborns from 2007 to 2018 went undetected in the first 24 hours, with rural areas facing larger gaps due to limited ultrasound access and smaller birth volumes.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Mental Health Trust schedules June listening sessions on behavioral health gaps
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority will hold two public listening sessions in June to gather feedback on gaps in behavioral health services the state funds.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska certifies first two behavioral health clinics under federal demonstration program
Alaska certified its first two behavioral health clinics under a federal program guaranteeing Medicaid funding for 24-hour crisis services and mental health treatment.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska nursing home costs highest in US as senior population surges
There are a lot of older Alaskans, and that's expensive
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska reports rise in newborn heart valve defect
Alaska recorded 87 cases of pulmonary valve atresia and stenosis in newborns from 2018 through 2022, a rate of 13.1 per 10,000 births that exceeds the national average of 10.3 per 10,000.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min readAlaska districts must submit fiscal 2027 plans by May 15. Many don't yet know what the state will give them.
Alaska school districts must submit improvement plans and budgets by May 15 while facing massive shortfalls and uncertain state funding, with Kenai Peninsula weighing four school closures and Anchorage facing a $90 million gap.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago2 min readEye Guys to visit 10 Alaska communities in June for AlaskaCare retiree exams
The Eye Guys will visit 10 Alaska communities June 1-28 to provide free comprehensive eye exams for AlaskaCare retirees covered under VSP vision benefits. Call (907) 376-3917 to schedule.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage School District to receive $37 million from state education funding increase
Alaska Legislature approved a $144 million education funding increase, sending $37 million to Anchorage schools to help cover budget shortfalls from inflation and rising costs, plus a 4 percent annual cap on required local contributions.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Tick found after Flattop hike shows Alaska's changing tick reality
A tick found on a pet after a Flattop hike near Anchorage has prompted veterinarians to remind residents that non-native ticks are arriving in Alaska and pet owners should check for them after outdoor activity.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Alaska Native children under 10 had double the national rickets rate during 2001–2010, state report shows
Alaska Native children under 10 had rickets at double the U.S. rate from 2001 to 2010, driven by high latitude and vitamin D deficiency. • 91 percent of newborns in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta had vitamin D deficiency at birth. • Alaska now recommends 800 IU daily vitamin D for breastfed infants, double the national guideline. • Alaska Medicaid covers the higher supplementation doses.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
DEED seeks Interior, Northwest parents for migrant education council
Alaska's education department seeks two parents from Interior and Northwest regions by May 31 to join the council that guides the migrant education program for students whose families move for seasonal work.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min read
UAF glaciology program returns to McCarthy for eighth summer
UAF Tom Sawyered 28 young folks who will now be spending 11 days out on a glacier.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska expands free quit support to iqmik, nicotine pouches
Alaska's free Quit Line now helps people quit iqmik and nicotine pouches alongside traditional tobacco, offering 24/7 coaching and free nicotine replacement therapy to all adults.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska reports increase in heart valve defect, decrease in abdominal wall defect
Alaska saw more cases of pulmonary valve atresia and stenosis from 2018 to 2022, exceeding the national rate, while abdominal wall defects declined, according to the state birth defects registry.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Kodiak Island Borough Assembly approves $13.8M for schools, $836K below district request
Assembly approved 13.7 million dollars for schools, 836 thousand less than requested. • District already cut 2.7 million and warned more cuts mean losing aides, nurses, and counselors. • Federal COVID aid and education grants have ended, leaving borough to fill the gap. • State funding unlikely to improve until Alaska depletes its constitutional budget reserve.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Cordova Council approves $181,000 school funding increase, defers payment decision
Cordova Council approved $181,000 school funding increase, half the district's request. • Council delays payment decision until May 20, debating mill-rate increase. • District needs to split 36-student seventh grade class and hire math teacher. • Cordova High School ranked Alaska's top high school two consecutive years.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
TCLL graduates first 8th grade class after years of Tlingit immersion
Juneau's Tlingit immersion program graduated 8th graders who delivered speeches in Tlingit after years of fluency growth. • Students moved from reluctant speakers to confident communicators in the language. • Program is free for all students and partners with Sealaska Heritage Institute. • Graduates received traditional headbands and advance to high school.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 4mo ago3 min read
Petersburg Medical Center receives state approval for MRI service
Petersburg Medical Center won state approval to offer MRI scans and plans to install the machine within 30 to 45 days in its new Work Building.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Seven Western Alaska typhoon evacuees graduate from Anchorage schools
Seven students evacuated from Western Alaska villages after ex-Typhoon Halong in October 2025 graduated Monday from Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School after completing their senior year there.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Kodiak Assembly weighs $800,000 school funding compromise
Kodiak Assembly proposed $800,000 school funding using one-time earnings instead of raising property taxes. • School district faces rising costs while state funding has stalled since 2011. • District is depleting reserves and full funding would cut building repairs and hospital upgrades. • Assembly split on using temporary money for ongoing costs.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage schools eliminate elementary health teachers, shift to integrated model
Anchorage cuts 27.5 health teacher jobs, embedding health into reading, PE, and social-emotional learning instead. • K-3 students learn health through reading curriculum, grades 4-5 use existing materials with teacher training. • Board member warns piecemeal approach may not meet district's own 2024 health education policy. • Main risk is finding time to train teachers in already packed school days.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Nenana pioneers Alaska's first biochar boiler for municipal heating
Nenana installed Alaska's first biochar boiler for municipal heating, burning wood chips and waste at 2,000 degrees, but a city official warned the system demands daily monitoring and every-other-day refills, not a hands-off solution like oil heat.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
East High students organize benefit concert to save band program
East High students host benefit concert Saturday to save band program facing elimination due to budget cuts. • School plans to cut band director position, affecting 100 students across five classes. • Concert runs 2 to 5 p.m. at Club Nyt Lyt with $15 suggested donation, all proceeds to band account. • Anchorage schools cutting programs after state education funding remained flat.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min read
Alaska seniors lost $8M to scams as programs expand to meet growing population needs
Alaska seniors lost 8.17 million dollars to scams in 2024, led by tech support fraud. • Senior population grew 78 percent since 2010 and now makes up 22 percent of the state. • State launched a mobile app to help seniors apply for eight public assistance programs. • Community programs are expanding volunteer services and elder abuse awareness.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska nursing home costs hit $364K/year, highest in U.S.
Alaska nursing home costs hit $364,453 per year, highest in U.S., as senior population doubles • Seniors face housing crisis: 8.4 percent live below poverty, 2,707 homeless in 2025 • Alzheimer's cases projected to rise 24 percent by 2030, unpaid caregiving valued at $887 million • Seniors lost $8.17 million to fraud in 2024, mostly tech support scams
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Utqiaġvik tribal college buys land for permanent campus
Iḷisaġvik College, Alaska's only tribal college, has purchased land in Utqiaġvik to build a permanent campus after operating without one.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
IHS proposes $93M sanitation cut as Alaska Native villages face sanitation gaps
Indian Health Service proposes cutting sanitation funding by 93 million dollars in Alaska Native villages that still use honey buckets. • Over 2,000 water and sanitation projects remain unfunded across Indian Country. • Senator Murkowski challenged the cut, saying sanitation prevents illness. • Congress rejected similar cuts last year and plans to fight again.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Alaska House concurs on health care and telehealth bill
Alaska House approved telehealth bill requiring insurers to pay same rates for remote visits as in-person care. • Bill removes geographic limits on telehealth use statewide. • Repeal of two state medical assistance programs included. • Measure now goes to governor.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska deploys $272M federal award to reshape rural health care delivery
Alaska got 272 million dollars to fix rural health care through hiring, technology, and access. • 1,800 groups applied in round one across five health focus areas. • Money must be spent by September 2027 with strict cost limits. • Year two applications open late summer 2026.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska Legislature proclaims May 2026 as Myositis Awareness Month
Alaska Legislature unanimously proclaimed May 2026 as Myositis Awareness Month to highlight a rare autoimmune disease that causes muscle inflammation and weakness.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Senate rejects healthcare compact bill in 11-9 vote
Alaska Senate rejected a bill allowing out-of-state healthcare providers to practice through interstate compacts, voting 11-9 against it. Opponents worried providers would lack experience with Indigenous populations and Alaska's specific healthcare needs.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Senate passes special education funding and Palmer judge bills
Alaska Senate unanimously passed bill increasing special education funding by 16 percent per student. • Senate also approved adding a fifth Superior Court judge in Palmer to reduce case backlog from 680 to 540 cases per judge.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Senate rejects health care licensing compact bill
Alaska Senate rejected a health care licensing bill that would have let out-of-state providers practice in Alaska, voting 9-11 on concerns they lack Alaska-specific training and knowledge of Indigenous communities.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Senate passes bill for deaf and hard of hearing students
Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday requiring schools to better identify and support deaf and hard of hearing students, with no new state funding attached.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Legislature passes physician associate, pharmacist bill
Alaska Legislature passed a bill renaming physician assistants to physician associates and expanding pharmacist services like opioid overdose drug prescriptions without doctor referrals.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Senate adds telehealth parity and disability coverage to benefits bill
Alaska Senate added telehealth pay parity to a welfare bill, requiring insurers to pay the same rate for remote care as in-person visits. • Disability benefits for injured troopers and firefighters increased from 40 percent to 75 percent of salary, with health insurance restored. • The amendments passed 19-1 and now return to the House for final approval.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska Senate passes bill letting pharmacists treat minor illnesses without a doctor's call
Alaska Senate passed bill letting pharmacists treat strep throat, bladder infections, and manage diabetes without doctor approval first. • Pharmacists cannot prescribe opioids or high-risk drugs but can give naloxone. • Rural areas and emergencies benefit most, with pharmacist visits costing $277 less than clinic visits.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska House raises unemployment benefits, expands telehealth coverage
Alaska House raised maximum weekly unemployment benefits from $370 to $470, first increase since 2009. • Expanded telehealth coverage and raised disability pay for firefighters and police from 40 percent to 75 percent. • Updated insurance laws to clarify rebates and ban misleading advertising.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska House passes five healthcare licensure compacts in single bill
Alaska House unanimously approved five healthcare licensure compacts for physicians, physician assistants, EMS personnel, psychologists, and social workers to help the state compete for federal rural health funding.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
House advances complex care homes for behavioral health patients
Alaska House unanimously approved HB 73 to create new residential homes for people with behavioral health conditions like schizophrenia. • New license category takes effect July 1, 2027, giving the Department of Health time to set service standards and payment rates. • Bill addresses people who cannot access existing group homes or assisted living facilities.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
