Public Safety

Bear mauls dog walker in Haines, animal not located

A bear attacked a dog walker in Haines early Saturday, striking from behind, but the animal remains unfound despite search efforts by troopers and police.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Troopers rule Akiak house fire non-criminal

A home burned in Akiak in July with no injuries reported. State investigators have closed the case, finding the cause undetermined but not criminal.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read

Undercover investigation found some Craig and Klawock establishmentssold to underage buyers

Every bar and marijuana shop checked around Craig and Klawock sold to underage buyers, and the office running the checks is short three investigators.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Mukluk Fire evacuation order shrinks to properties inside the burn near Tok

Residents outside the Mukluk Fire's burn near Tok can return home, but 44 destroyed homes and hazard trees keep the evacuation order in place for properties inside the fire's 7,333-acre footprint.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Follows: Tok fire's south end contained, but Midnight Sun stays evacuated about another week

Short on officers, Bethel police look to grow their own with a cadet program

Bethel's police, the hub much of the Y-K Delta relies on, are short officers and dispatchers and are looking to grow their own through a cadet program.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Alaska extends fire season to Sept. 14 in Delta, Tok and Copper River areas

Burn permits will stay required two extra weeks, through Sept. 14, in the Delta, Tok and Copper River areas, after a dry summer left fuels parched at depth.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Anchorage's drone report leaves out the one thing the code requires

Anchorage police have flown drones hundreds of times since 2022. City code says the report must note search warrants. The report has no warrant column.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read

Juvenile charged with attempted murder after Klawock standoff

A juvenile fired a rifle at a Klawock police officer Monday night and kept shooting from inside a home before surrendering to troopers. He was charged with attempted murder.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Troopers arrest Tok man accused of harassing firefighters on ATV

Alaska State Troopers arrested a 69-year-old Tok man accused of harassing firefighters on an ATV near the Mukluk Fire, charging him with DUI, reckless driving, and disorderly conduct.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Sitka school zone flasher on Kashevaroff Street is out of service

A school zone flasher outside a Sitka elementary is down for a few weeks, but the speed limits still apply. The city asks drivers to slow down for kids.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Anchorage set to get $3 million to expand its crisis-response system

Anchorage is set to get about $3 million to expand its mental-health and addiction crisis teams, add assisted-living beds and start mobile opioid treatment.

by Alaska News2mo ago1 min read

Cause of Tok's Mukluk Fire stays officially under investigation

The cause of the Mukluk Fire near Tok, which damaged about 20 homes, remains under investigation — early reports pointed to power lines but aren't confirmed.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Nevada man dies after falling overboard in Saw Mill Bay near Valdez

A 39-year-old Nevada man died after falling from a fishing boat anchored near Valdez, and volunteer divers recovered his body about 21 hours later.

by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Tok fire's south end contained, but Midnight Sun stays evacuated about another week

The south end of the Mukluk Fire near Tok is contained, but the Midnight Sun neighborhood stays evacuated about another week as crews clear hazards.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Follows: Tok evacuation order still stands after phone alert expired Tuesday

Wildfire investigation opens near Tetlin at zero acres

A new wildfire is under investigation near Tetlin. The Mukluk Fire has burned over 7,000 acres and destroyed 20-plus homes, though evacuations have eased.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read

A village-based fire crew from Nulato gets federal funding through 2031

BLM awarded Nulato Hills Enterprises $495,000 to staff a Type 2 wildland fire crew through March 2031, continuing a pattern of federal contracts that bring seasonal cash to rural Alaska villages.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Dunleavy names a fentanyl awareness day; Alaska recorded 339 overdose deaths last year

Dunleavy proclaimed a Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. Alaska recorded 339 overdose deaths in 2024, down 5 percent, with fentanyl in about 73 percent.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

A man was found dead at Tangle Lakes Campground

A man was found dead at Tangle Lakes Campground and died by suicide, Alaska State Troopers said. His family had not yet been notified.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read

As a crime center vote nears, Anchorage weighs whether its privacy limits should be policy or law

Anchorage votes Sept. 1 on $600K for its police crime center. The chief says it adds no surveillance; a pending ordinance would put its privacy limits into law.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago3 min read

Anchorage police detail the limits on their Real-Time Crime Center

Anchorage police will delete license plate reader data after 14 days and limit searches to fewer than 10 employees, Police Chief Sean Case said.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Follows: Anchorage is considering expanding its surveillance network. The privacy rules are still a draft.

Anchorage wildfire mitigation would be paid for citywide, researchers say

UA researchers will recommend all of Anchorage pay for wildfire mitigation, not just high-risk neighborhoods. Their full report is due in October.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readFrom Aug 18

Tok has no way to warn its residents, and a state coordinator says it cost houses

Tok has no townwide alarm, and a state wildfire coordinator said the gap cost houses in the Mukluk Fire. Residents said they never got a GO alert.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read

Mukluk Fire crews shift to southwest flank ahead of Sunday wind change

Mukluk Fire crews shifted to the southwest flank Saturday ahead of forecast northwesterly winds Sunday, with Level 3 evacuation orders still in effect north of the Alaska Highway near Tok.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Follows: Interior wind event hits highways as the Mukluk Fire burns near Tok

Park Service urges hard-sided bear containers in the Arrigetch Peaks

A brown bear took food from a soft-sided bear-resistant container in the Arrigetch Peaks on August 13. The Park Service now strongly recommends hard-sided containers, which backpackers can check out at the Bettles Ranger Station.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Drones are dropping chaff over Nenana to try to stop lightning

A Vancouver startup is dropping metallic chaff from drones over Nenana to try to stop lightning before it starts wildfires. The flights run through Sept. 30.

by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago3 min readFrom Jul 19

Driver kills Anchorage pedestrian at Seward Highway and Benson Boulevard, flees scene

A woman was killed by a driver who did not stop, at Seward Highway and Benson early Saturday. Her name is being withheld until family is notified.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Troopers say ATV fled Fairbanks traffic stop, crashed near airport

An ATV fled a Fairbanks traffic stop before dawn Saturday and crashed behind the airport. Both riders were jailed; the driver faces a DUI charge.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Three rescued after float plane crashes in forest near Bettles

Three people survived a floatplane crash near Bettles and were hoisted out overnight, after a satellite device let them relay their location to rescuers.

by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read

Charter plane crash at Cape Newenham radar site kills eight

Eight people died when a charter plane crashed on approach to the Cape Newenham radar site in western Alaska. Two pilots and six passengers were aboard.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

A Fort Yukon tribal crew that fights fire across the country just locked in funding through 2031

A Fort Yukon tribal fire crew — Native firefighters protecting an area larger than Texas — just locked in federal funding through 2031.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Tanana Chiefs wins federal grant for suicide prevention in 15 villages

Of 122 youth referred to Tanana Chiefs behavioral health last year, 76 were admitted. A new federal grant funds suicide prevention in 15 Interior villages.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Ordinance would make police ask before buying surveillance tech

Anchorage police would need Assembly approval to buy surveillance technology, and the city could not join outside data-sharing networks, under a new ordinance.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Alaska EMS clinicians will need fingerprint background checks as the state joins a national compact

Alaska's paramedics and EMTs will need fingerprint background checks Sept. 20 as the state joins a national EMS compact, with a lower fee for rural volunteers.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Alaska joins a national EMS system, but local ambulance service won't change

Alaska is joining a national EMS agreement that lets medics work across state lines. For most people, the reassuring part: your local ambulance won't change.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Anchorage will pay to steer people toward treatment instead of jail, using opioid-settlement money

Anchorage's Assembly voted 11-0 to pay True North Recovery about $398,000 to steer people toward treatment instead of jail, using opioid-settlement money.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Fairbanks correctional officer charged with sexually assaulting inmate in transport van

A correctional officer is charged with sexually assaulting a woman in his custody inside a state transport van in 2024, a case that surfaced only this year.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Hiker flown off Sigugu Shaa mountain near Hoonah after seizure

A hiker had a seizure on a mountain near Hoonah, and a team of volunteers and medics stabilized them and got them off the mountain and to a hospital.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read

Troopers investigate suspected drugs found at Fairbanks Correctional Center

Alaska State Troopers are investigating suspected drugs found at Fairbanks Correctional Center on August 18, with the substance sent to the crime lab for testing.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

A second person has been hurt in an Anchorage otter attack in three weeks

A second Anchorage resident in three weeks has been hurt by a river otter, and Fish and Game is telling paddleboarders and dog walkers to carry bear spray.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Tok evacuation order still stands after phone alert expired Tuesday

The phone alert telling parts of Tok to evacuate expired Tuesday and was not reissued. The order still stands, and the fire has crossed Red Fox Drive.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Follows: Level 3 GO evacuations ordered north of the Alaska Highway as the Mukluk Fire spreads near Tok