Public Safety
RSSAlaska News tracks public safety coverage including law enforcement operations, emergency response, regulatory enforcement.
Two Anchorage boaters spend a night on Skilak Lake after rough water stops the crossing
Two Anchorage boaters paddled down the Kenai, found Skilak Lake too rough to cross, and spent the night on the beach. Troopers texted them a way out.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Saint Mary's woman, 42, dies pinned under an ATV in Pitkas Point
Tragic accident - a woman from Saint Mary's died Saturday night after being pinned under an ATV in Pitkas Point, Troopers said
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A floatplane went down in the heart of Katmai's bear country, and crews got it out before it could foul the salmon
A floatplane went down in Katmai's prime brown bear and salmon country, but crews pulled the wreckage and kept fuel out of the water. No one was hurt.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Wildland firefighters find Fairbanks man missing 19 days alive near Old Murphy Dome Road
Wildland firefighters found a 73-year-old Fairbanks man alive on Aug. 12 after he went missing for 19 days near Old Murphy Dome Road, while responding to the McCloud Fire west of the area.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Tatlanika Fire, allowed to burn since June, now fought at 31,421 acres
Nineteen firefighters are cutting fuel breaks around a Native allotment as the Tatlanika Fire grows to 31,421 acres, with crews now protecting structures on the fire's south end.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Researchers weigh broadening who pays for Anchorage wildfire work.
UA researchers will recommend Anchorage fund wildfire mitigation municipality-wide, not just the at-risk hillsides — but how to charge for it is unsettled.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Coal seam fire northeast of Healy grows to 71 acres with no crew assigned
A coal seam fire near Healy has grown to about 71 acres and can't be fought directly — the seam has burned underground for years, and no crew is assigned.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Trench that killed two Delta Junction workers had no cave-in protection
Two Delta Junction workers died in a 13-foot trench with no cave-in protection, violating federal safety standards that require protective systems in excavations deeper than 5 feet.
by Lucas Brown1mo ago2 min read
Trail runner injured by brown bear near Anchorage's Prospect Heights trailhead
A woman running alone on Wolverine Bowl trail near Anchorage was injured by a brown bear Thursday, deployed bear spray, and walked out; she was hospitalized and the bear was not located.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Anchorage orders outside police use-of-force review after sixth officer-involved shooting this year
Anchorage will hire an outside investigator to review police use of force after an officer shot someone on Debarr Road, the sixth officer-involved shooting in the city this year.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A Juneau evacuation route is restricted as the valley floods
A Juneau road is restricted to local traffic as the Mendenhall Valley floods from the Suicide Basin outburst, with about 5,000 people told to evacuate.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Troopers arrest Charles Yingst in Big Lake on warrants topping $2 million
Alaska State Troopers arrested Charles Yingst in Big Lake on Wednesday on warrants totaling more than $2 million for fraud and escape charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Mat-Su sex offender sweep produces 17 arrests, 15 of them for registration violations
Alaska State Troopers arrested 17 people during a three-day sex offender compliance sweep in the Mat-Su Valley but located only 60 of 100 registered offenders targeted for checks.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Smokejumpers contained the McCloud Fire at one acre, and found a lost person during the initial attack
Eight smokejumpers and two helicopters responded Wednesday to a half-acre fire burning 12.5 miles west of Fox, with no structures threatened.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Ben Le, missing since a hike at Port Armstrong on Aug. 10, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff
A hiker missing near Port Armstrong since Monday is being searched by crews that added a thermal drone team Wednesday morning after ground and aerial searches found no sign of him.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Burn permits suspended in Fairbanks, Delta and Tok areas
Alaska banned burning across the Fairbanks, Tok and Delta areas as the Interior dries out and high winds approach, with the Tatlanika Fire smoking the region.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Alaska's EMS compact takes effect Sept. 20, but isn't usable yet
Alaska's EMS compact takes legal effect Sept. 20, but out-of-state paramedics and EMTs still can't work under it yet — the office says wait to pay fees.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Interior faces warmest stretch of summer as Tanana Valley smoke lingers
Interior Alaska is in its warmest stretch of summer, upper 70s to low 80s, with smoke from the Tatlanika Fire — though the advisory has expired and air eased.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage is studying a new wildfire tax on every property owner as the federal money runs out
Anchorage is studying a new citywide wildfire tax — about $40 a year on an average home — as the federal grant funding its mitigation work expires in 2028.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Jedidia Atchak, 40, has been missing from Chevak since Aug. 7, and no new search has been announced
An adult male reported missing in Chevak on Aug. 7 remains missing after search efforts by local teams and rescue crews paused on Aug. 11, with Alaska State Troopers continuing to follow leads.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Troopers arrest Unalakleet man on child sexual abuse and burglary charges
Troopers arrested a 22-year-old Unalakleet man Monday on charges of child sexual abuse and burglary after residents found an unclothed minor in their home July 25. Bail is set at $200,000.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readCollege student airlifted off Resurrection Pass after allergic reaction 14 miles in
An 18-year-old visiting student was airlifted off Resurrection Pass 14 miles from the trailhead after an allergic reaction left him unable to breathe. A military crew flew him to Anchorage.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Stebbins man arrested after armed standoff with troopers
Alaska State Troopers arrested a 25-year-old Stebbins man on four assault charges after he fled a domestic violence call with a firearm and surrendered following a standoff on a bluff.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks borough moves to study rural emergency coverage it flagged in 2018
A 2018 borough plan flagged spotty rural emergency coverage around Fairbanks. Seven years on, the borough is finally moving to study a fix — one that could redraw who covers whom.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
A pilot survives an upside-down plane crash in the Kenai refuge
A pilot survived a crash that flipped his plane upside down in the trees of the Kenai refuge Sunday, then texted 911 himself to say he wasn't seriously hurt.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Anchorage pushes for an emergency boat launch on Turnagain Arm after a drowning
After a drowning where rescuers had no way to launch a boat, Anchorage is pushing for federal money to build an emergency water-access point on Turnagain Arm.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago4 min read
Driver escapes uninjured after vehicle overturns and burns on Steese Highway in Fox
Burning vehicle, scary when you're the one in it. Pretty wild when you're a person coming across it and you're not at risk of being burned.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
A hiker was carried off a Hatcher Pass trail, the second rescue there this summer
An incapacitated hiker was carried off a Hatcher Pass trail Thursday by four agencies — the second rescue on the same demanding route this summer.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Crews deploy to protect Native allotment near Tatlanika Fire
A remote Alaska fire left to burn has grown nearly 30-fold to 28,168 acres and now threatens a single Native allotment, drawing 14 firefighters to protect it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
A woman lost overnight near Port Heiden was found alive, her dog by her side
A woman lost overnight near Port Heiden was found alive five miles off a trail, her dog beside her the whole time, having chased off a bear at one point.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Father and daughter rescued by boat from Kenai River island at mile 73
A father and daughter stranded on a Kenai River island at mile 73 on July 27 when rising water cut off their return were rescued by boat the same day.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
A viral claim about a Zuckerberg yacht and a Coast Guard call remains unverified
An unverified viral claim says a Zuckerberg-linked yacht ignored a Coast Guard call for a stranded Southeast skiff. The Coast Guard hasn't confirmed any of it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Bethel man arrested for DUI near Cooper Landing after a REDDI report
A driver reported swerving into oncoming traffic near Cooper Landing was arrested on a DUI charge Friday night, flagged through the state's REDDI line.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
A fuel break cleared years ago helped keep the Grandview Fire out of Sterling
A fuel break cleared in 2019-20 helped keep the Grandview Fire out of Sterling — a case of wildfire prep paying off, with no injuries and no homes lost.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min read
Troopers charge Glennallen woman after Richardson Highway drug stop
Alaska State Troopers charged Amanda Craig of Glennallen with drug possession after seizing cocaine from her vehicle during a Richardson Highway stop on July 17.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Four wildfires broke out on the North Slope within 17 minutes Thursday
Four wildfires broke out on Alaska's North Slope within 17 minutes Thursday, across 40 miles of tundra, the kind of lightning-driven cluster expected to grow as the Arctic warms.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Troopers: Fairbanks man, 79, injured in Old Nenana Highway motorcycle crash
A 79-year-old Fairbanks man was injured Wednesday in a motorcycle crash on Old Nenana Highway and taken to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Bears have made Cordova's landfill unsafe for workers, and the fence is stuck
Bears have made Cordova's landfill unsafe for workers, and the electrified fence meant to stop them is stalled after the city's engineer request drew zero responses.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Injured hiker rescued by boat along George Inlet near Ketchikan
A hiker injured in a fall near Ketchikan called for help Tuesday afternoon, and Alaska Wildlife Troopers and the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad reached him by boat and took him to a hospital.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Troopers arrest nine on drug charges during Salmonfest in Ninilchik
Troopers arrested nine at Salmonfest, eight on felony drug distribution charges, though the dispatch names no one and gives no drug quantities.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
