Wesley Early, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
Alaska’s child care crisis is hitting foster families especially hard
Foster parents often get little notice before they receive a child, and they don't have time to sit on child care waitlists for months.
So far, most of Anchorage’s police technology tax levy has gone to upgrading dispatch service
While most of the attention on the 2021 tax was focused on body cameras, most of the money is going elsewhere.
No suspects arrested in 3 Anchorage shootings within 24 hours, police say
A police spokeswoman said Tuesday morning that they're still investigating if any of the shootings are connected.
East Anchorage shootings leave 2 people wounded
Both victims say they did not see the shooter. Police have yet to make any arrests.
Anchorage Assembly passes code changes aimed at making city more bike-friendly
The ordinance gets rid of fines for jaywalking, and it allows cyclists to treat stop signs more like yield signs and red lights like stop signs.
Anchorage Assembly to vote on purchase of body-worn cameras for police officers
Anchorage Police Chief Michael Kerle says he anticipates getting more than 300 cameras to outfit all officers by the end of 2024.
Two years into his tenure, Anchorage Mayor Bronson reflects on homeless policy, shelter plans and Assembly relationship
In a lengthy interview, Bronson describes his successes and regrets from his first two years in office, plus his hopes for long-term homeless shelter.
Anchorage’s Sullivan Arena will soon reopen as entertainment venue
The Sullivan Arena has served as a mass homeless shelter off and on since 2020.
Anchorage’s former Barratt Inn will soon open as low-income housing
It's the third Anchorage hotel converted into housing within the last year.
Alaska’s food stamps backlog continues, with delayed appeals and Medicaid issues on the horizon
The Alaska Legal Services Corp. says the state is still taking an unlawfully long time to approve applications.
Anchorage Mayor Bronson floats plan to buy one-way plane tickets for homeless residents
Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson says he doesn’t foresee the Sullivan Arena becoming a mass homeless shelter this winter.
Anchorage Assembly raises concerns about election challenge filed by mayor’s former chief of staff
“We are looking into what reasonably might appear to be a coordinated effort to affect the outcome of an election,” said Assembly chair Chris Constant.
Almost half of Alaska’s Head Start programs could lose millions in federal funding due to underenrollment
Eight Head Start programs could potentially lose as much as $12.5 million in funding because they have not filled all of their spaces for kids.
As record heat bakes the Lower 48, Anchorage contends with its coolest summer in years
“I think the fun thing is whenever there is a sunny day in Anchorage, you see absolutely everyone outside," said Anchorage resident Natalie Fraser.
Members of Alaska’s child care task force raise concerns about staffing, cost and licensing issues
Gov. Mike Dunleavy formed the task force earlier this year to come up with a plan to improve access and affordability of child care in the state.
The top spokesmen for Anchorage Mayor Bronson are leaving their jobs
Corey Allen Young and Hans Rodvik will be moving on from the administration to work for the Anchorage School District.
Whittier officials say fuel dock operational after closing due to 4th of July fire
The fire started on Tuesday, sinking a boat, closing the dock and forcing two people to be medevaced with injuries.
Complaint alleges foes of Alaska’s ranked choice voting formed a church to funnel political donations
The filing accuses Alaskans for Honest Elections, a political group opposed to ranked choice, of more than two dozen violations of campaign finance law.
Fire closes Whittier fuel dock and injures 2 people
The dock is the one place in Whittier Harbor for boats to refuel, prompting concerns for charter and commercial fishing fleets during the busy summer season.
Anchorage’s less-than-sunny summer is likely to continue through July
National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Brettschneider says this summer is the city's coolest since the "terrible summer of 2008."