People & Culture
RSSAlaska News coverage of people and culture topics including community events, arts funding, local businesses, and cultural institutions.
An Alaska village will own its solar power — and sell it back to the utility
A state grant puts village-owned solar and batteries in Allakaket, letting it sell power to its utility instead of buying diesel. A second grant expands a hydro project.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Kenai's $9.4M school-cost risk may never actually come due
A gas-tax bill could add up to $9.4 million a year to Kenai's school costs — but the Legislature's analyst says a sunset means none of it would ever be charged.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A vacant Fairbanks school's fall reopening hinges on a vote — and an unsigned charter
A vacant Fairbanks school could reopen as a charter this fall — if the Assembly says yes Wednesday and the charter group finally signs a district contract.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A new federal water-testing rule could check rural Alaska for 'forever chemicals' — if it reaches us
An EPA rule would test drinking water for 30 contaminants, including the PFAS Alaska already has in its water. The catch: whether it reaches the state's small, rural systems.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min read
Kawerak's mentors help Bering Strait students through the leap to college
Kawerak pairs new college students from Bering Strait villages with mentors who've made the same leap — celebrating small wins and, for one, a chance to study in Japan.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min read
Alaska nudges up what it pays to keep seniors out of nursing homes
Alaska bumped its assisted-living reimbursement rate 3.5% — small money for a program built on a big bet: home care is cheaper than the nursing home alternative.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska's Medicaid self-audit deadline lands amid a fraud crackdown
Alaska is telling Medicaid providers to audit their own billing and repay overpayments — weeks after charging 15 people with about $1.83M in Medicaid fraud.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska school districts could lose unspent federal money if they don't spend it fast
Some Alaska districts have unspent federal education money — and they'll lose it for good if it's not spent by Sept. 30. Notices don't go out until mid-July.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
New federal money for small meat processors could help Alaska lean less on imported food
New federal money for small meat processors could nudge Alaska, which imports nearly all its food, toward processing more of its own — $60M in grants is due Aug. 7.
by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago2 min read
Petersburg's hospital more than doubled its cash reserves in three years
While rural hospitals nationwide struggle, Petersburg's has more than doubled its cash cushion in three years, to 133 days on hand, on tighter billing and better management.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Petersburg residents can finally get an MRI without leaving the island
Petersburg just got its first MRI, so island residents no longer have to travel off-island for a scan. A July 14 open house lets people tour the new suite.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Seward pays to save the pool that made an Olympian
Seward is putting $200K a year toward keeping its community pool open — the same water that once trained a hometown Olympian. Small town, big save.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Alaska's makers take over the museum lawn this summer
The Anchorage Museum lawn turns into an open-air Alaska makers market July 17 — ceramics, wood, jewelry, and the chance to meet the people behind the work.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
A remote Kodiak village tries tp fix its water
Karluk — a village 88 miles from Kodiak city, ringed by refuge — is replacing its failing water system, closing a gap most of America never has to think about.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Veterinary care reaches rural Alaska, where dog-bite rates run high
Veterinary care is coming to about 80 rural Alaska tribal communities July 1, where Alaska Native children are hospitalized for dog bites at about twice the U.S. rate.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Dunleavy vetoes nearly $90 million but leaves school funding intact
Gov. Dunleavy vetoed nearly $90 million from Alaska's budget, cutting increases for child care, Medicaid and local aid while leaving core school funding intact.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Three new Community Health Aides head to Interior Alaska villages
Tanana Chiefs Conference recognized three new Community Health Aides for Tetlin, Dot Lake, and the Upper Tanana — often the closest thing to a doctor for miles.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
The Alaska State Museum throws a free 10th-birthday party
The building that holds Alaska's museum, library, and archives turns 10 — and Juneau's invited to the free birthday party Saturday, planetarium and cake included.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A New Law Aims to Bring Alaska's Most Complex Patients Home
Alaska just created a new kind of care home so its most complex patients aren't shipped out of state — though for now it's a license on paper, waiting on federal Medicaid sign-off.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
A New El Green-Go's Is Coming to East Anchorage
East Anchorage is getting another El Green-Go's — the liquor license has cleared every hurdle, and only a quiet July 21 deadline stands in the way.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
An oil spike filled Alaska's budget and hammered its schools — and the new budget sends some back
The oil spike that padded Alaska's budget also jacked up its schools' heating bills — so the budget hands some back. One-time money for a permanent problem.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska Has the Nation's Worst SNAP Error Rate — and a Bill Coming
Alaska has botched SNAP payments worse than any state three years running — and now a new law means the state may have to start paying Washington back for the mistakes.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Alaska Democrats mark Dobbs anniversary, but abortion rights here remain protected
Two Alaska Democrats marked the Dobbs anniversary vowing to protect abortion rights — which the state constitution already has, since 1972. Anniversary politics, on cue.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska Just Graded Its ERs on Treating Kids
Alaska measured how ready its ERs are to treat critically ill kids and sent each hospital a private list of its gaps — now comes the harder part: fixing them.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A Plan to Reopen Rural Alaska's Armories — On Paper
Sullivan's bill to reopen rural Alaska's shuttered armories cleared committee — but for now it orders a study, and the price of running bases in roadless villages is the unanswered question.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Southcentral Foundation treats traditional food as medicine at a free Anchorage gathering
Southcentral Foundation hosts a free two-day Traditional Foods Gathering July 27 and 28 in Anchorage, treating Alaska Native harvests as medicine and health, not just culture.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Katmai bear cams return as Brooks River season begins
Katmai's bear cams go live Tuesday at 11 a.m. Alaska time, streaming brown bears fishing at Brooks Falls as salmon season begins.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
A June 30 Deadline Decides Who Eats Free at School
A June 30 deadline quietly decides which Alaska schools feed every kid for free next year — miss it and the cafeteria math gets a lot less kind.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
New Medicaid work-reporting rule puts Alaska's paperwork system in the middle of health coverage
Alaska must implement a federal Medicaid work-reporting rule by January 2027, requiring most adults 19 to 64 to prove 80 hours monthly of work or qualifying activity.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
First Peoples Fund fellowship open to Alaska Native artists through July 15
Alaska Native artists can apply through July 15 for a First Peoples Fund fellowship that provides grant money, business training, and mentoring to help independent artists build sustainable livelihoods.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska passed a federal check that keeps its school funding system intact
Alaska passed a federal school funding test. Translation: the state didn't have to come up with extra money it doesn't have.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Seven village schools could lose internet June 30 over a federal funding dispute
Seven Alaska village schools could lose internet June 30. Federal rules say pick the cheapest. The cheapest doesn't work out there.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
State asks Kenai to join disease early-warning network
Kenai City Council approved joining a statewide wastewater monitoring network that tests sewage for disease outbreaks. The state covers all equipment costs and will sample Kenai's wastewater weekly.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska was selected for the federal CCBHC Medicaid Demonstration
Alaska's joining a federal Medicaid demo for full-service behavioral health clinics. Long overdue, given the state's gaps.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska rural health asks for $2.5B; federal program has $272M to give in this cycle
Alaska rural health: $2.5 billion in requests, $272 million available. The gap is the story.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Disability Pride Celebration set for July 25 at Delaney Park Strip
Peer Power Alaska hosts a free Disability Pride Celebration on July 25 at Delaney Park Strip from noon to 4 p.m., featuring food, games, music, and a petting zoo with an ASL interpreter on site.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Press plans return, with Northern Journal folding into revived paper
Nathaniel Herz and Veri di Suvero are reviving the Anchorage Press, an alternative weekly that closed years ago, by folding Northern Journal into it and launching a print edition this fall with arts, culture and Alaska politics coverage.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago4 min read
Murkowski: War-price fuel barges lock rural Alaska into costly winter
Rural Alaska villages are paying $9 to $14 a gallon for fuel locked in at peak war prices and cannot wait for global prices to fall, Senator Murkowski warned
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Alaska releases June summer meal bulletin with fraud warning
Alaska's Department of Education released a June bulletin warning that fraud in the state's rural summer meal program, which ships food to roadless communities, undermines public confidence and jeopardizes service to children who need it most.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Anchorage School Board adopts class size policy under state mandate
Anchorage School Board voted unanimously to adopt state-mandated class size limits of 23 for elementary and 30 for middle and high school. • The board also adopted smaller evidence-based targets it cannot currently afford, requiring annual cost analysis to document the funding gap.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
