Nathaniel Herz, Alaska Public Media
Nathaniel Herz is an Anchorage-based journalist. He's been a reporter in Alaska for a decade, and is currently reporting for Alaska Public Media. Find more of his work by subscribing to his newsletter, Northern Journal, at natherz.substack.com. Reach him at natherz@gmail.com.
15 years after VECO scandal, Stevens’ new oil job renews old ethics questions
A decade after the VECO corruption scandal pushed lawmakers to pass sweeping ethics reforms, Ben Stevens — one of the scandal's central figures — has prompted new ethical questions by moving from a powerful government job to an executive post at oil company ConocoPhillips.
With fewer Alaskans eager for COVID-19 vaccines, more doses are going to waste
Since December, Alaska has recorded just 3,000 wasted doses out of a total of 500,000 administered, for a loss rate of less than 1%.
But those data also show a sharp increase in waste this month, with two-thirds of all the lost doses — 1,985 — coming since April 1.
For Kenai Peninsula pharmacist, COVID-19 vaccine fight tests friendships
Justin Ruffridge grew up in Soldotna and, as a conservative and a Christian, he's part of the same demographic as some of the COVID-19 vaccine’s biggest skeptics. He’s also a medical professional lends him a measure of credibility that elected officials and other government employees can lack.
Alaska executives, employers wrestle with whether to mandate, incentivize or encourage COVID-19 shots
A dilemma over workplace vaccine mandates and incentives is playing out across Alaska, where employers are grappling with the balance between ensuring safe workplaces and workers’ rights to make their own medical decisions.
Alaska officials detect case of COVID-19 strain first found in South Africa that’s less affected by vaccines
A single case of the variant, known as B.1.351, was detected last month in the Anchorage-Mat-Su area. Officials haven't said how the infected person acquired the virus, or whether others may have been exposed.
Alaska DOT: Epic avalanche cascade shuts down Hatcher Pass Road for days
Forecasters with the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center say that five different avalanches crossed the upper stretch of the road, and one of those extended so far that it hit a second, lower stretch of the road, beneath a switchback. The center said that was the first time such a slide had taken place since the 1980s.
We asked all 60 Alaska legislators if they’re getting vaccinated. Here’s what they said.
A survey of Alaska lawmakers underscores the depth of the state's partisan vaccine divide in Alaska. All but one Democrat said they're getting the shot, while 20 of the 34 Republican lawmakers either refused to answer or did not respond.
NTSB: Witness says tribal health executive was ‘distracted’ before his helicopter disappeared over Gulf of Alaska
A witness who spoke with a tribal health executive before his helicopter went missing last month told federal investigators that the executive was "distracted, and was not himself," according to a preliminary report published Tuesday.
Anchorage wants to let Alaskans turn smartphones into COVID-trackers. State officials aren’t sold yet.
Anchorage officials say they’re pushing closer to the launch of a smartphone app that could alert people they’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19, though the initiative is still waiting for Alaska GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration to approve it.
Global powers face off in Anchorage, Alaskans barely take notice
The talks made headlines around the world, and Alaska had a stake in the outcome, given its location on the Pacific Rim and its economic links to China in industries like fishing, tourism and aviation. But in the state's largest city, the event barely drew notice.
As Mat-Su vaccine appointments go unfilled, fears grow about misinformation and hesitancy
When Mat-Su public health officials organized a mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic Tuesday at the Alaska State Fair grounds, one-third of the 1,000 appointments went unfilled — even after some providers launched a last-minute blitz to promote the event.
‘We got us a dog race’: Iditarod neck-and-neck-and-neck as leaders push toward finish
The Iditarod’s five top mushers were running within two hours of each other Saturday as they started their last push to the finish line, with Aaron Burmeister of Nome seizing the lead in search of his first victory.
Alaska announces four more cases of more-contagious coronavirus strain first seen in Brazil
Health officials say they’ve discovered more Alaska cases of the P.1 variant of the coronavirus that’s devastated Brazil — suggesting that the mutant strain, which is likely more contagious and capable of reinfecting people previously sick with COVID-19, is getting a growing foothold in the state.
With many Alaska vaccine appointments unfilled, officials want you to know: You could be ‘essential’
After months of tight vaccine supply, the state of Alaska last week made a massive expansion of the groups eligible for shots. But it’s not clear that the expanded criteria are fully registering with Alaskans yet, public health officials said at a briefing for reporters Monday.
Former Alaska tribal executive still missing after his helicopter disappeared near windswept islands
The U.S. Coast Guard called off its search Wednesday for Alaska’s former top tribal health executive, Andy Teuber, a day after the helicopter he was piloting went missing near a windswept archipelago that pilots say is a notoriously tricky area to fly.
Coast Guard ends search for missing former Alaska health executive’s helicopter
In a prepared statement, the Coast Guard said the debris it spotted Tuesday were "consistent with" debris from Teuber's helicopter, though it did not confirm that that was the case.
Cordova gets a tough lesson in COVID-19 transmission — from its police chief
The story starts with the police chief returning from an out-of-state trip and, instead of quarantining, coaching a wrestling practice. It ends with roughly 10% of Cordova residents in quarantine, school closures and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter aborting a supply mission because some of its crew members were exposed.
Scientists say Alaska has recorded 10 cases of coronavirus strain first found in California
The variant, known as B.1.429, was first identified in Alaska in early January and has since been detected nine more times, according to a report released this week by a consortium of scientists assembled by the state to search for new strains.
Too young to qualify for a COVID-19 shot? Bring an unvaccinated senior with you.
Alaska health officials this week announced a new way people can qualify for a COVID-19 vaccine: Bring an unvaccinated elder with you, and you can get a shot yourself.
Unscathed: These Alaska villages are reaching herd immunity — without a single case of COVID-19
Alaska's unique geography and isolation have helped at least 10 villages record zero cases of COVID-19. The list of communities stretches from Southeast Alaska to the Aleutian Islands to deep in the Interior, and some of them have vaccinated nearly all of their adults.