Wesley Early, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage

Wesley Early, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
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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.
a person gestures with their hand

Here are the 5 East Anchorage residents vying for Dunbar’s vacant Assembly seat

The five candidates who filed are Harry Crawford, Joey Sweet, Jim Wojciehowski, Hilary Morgan and Rich Foehrer. 
the corner of the City Hall building

Anchorage Mayor Bronson picks Grant Yutrzenka as city’s CFO

Before his job in the finance department, Yutrzenka was assistant general manager and CFO for Anchorage's water and wastewater utility. 
The double yellow line in the center of a road is almost completely covered in snow.

Anchorage is still struggling to remove snow, weeks after a trio of winter storms

City officials say crews have made progress. But there are challenges.
Parking lot full of parked police cars.

Anchorage is switching to a new emergency messaging system. Here’s how to sign up.

The Municipality of Anchorage will soon begin using Rave Mobile Safety to send alerts about weather, traffic and other emergencies.
A meeting body with 10 people sitting on the podium and about 100 people in the seats in front of them.

Anchorage Assembly starts process to fill Allard, Dunbar seats

Assembly members Forrest Dunbar of East Anchorage and Jamie Allard of Chugiak-Eagle River were both elected in November to serve in the Alaska Legislature.
Five Alaska Airlines planes parked at gates

Flight cancellations lead to hectic holiday travel for Alaskans

“We can safely say this was one of, if not the single worst, airline meltdown that we’ve seen," said Thrifty Traveler's Kyle Potter.
Cars sit in traffic at night.

Snow buildup on Anchorage roads leaves drivers with fewer lanes and longer commutes

“I mean I stayed on Lake Otis for well over 30 minutes, because it was one lane,” said Anchorage resident Megan Premer.

Alaska’s first Miss America, Emma Broyles, reflects on her year in the spotlight

Broyles became a statewide sensation after she became the first Alaskan and the first Korean American named Miss America last year. 
a sepia portrait of two men positing for a photograph

‘Black Lives in Alaska’ highlights more than 150 years of African American history in the Last Frontier

Author and historian Ian Hartman says while most of early Alaska history focuses on territorial days and the Klondike Gold Rush, Black people have lived and worked in the region long before.
A man in a suit and tie sits on a board of directors.

Anchorage students may have stretch of longer school days to make up for recent snow days

District officials are proposing to add 30 minutes to each school day between Jan. 30 and March 9.
One woman cries while speaking into a microphone.

Anchorage School Board recommends closing Abbott Loop Elementary among other preliminary budget cuts

Recommended cuts also include getting rid of virtual learning for elementary school students and increasing the district’s pupil to teacher ratio by one across all grade levels, likely making class sizes larger.
East High School language arts teachers Derek Reed sits in front of his laptop in his classroom. He is talking with his students during the online lesson on the first day of school.

Anchorage teachers say they’re concerned about a proposal to increase class sizes

The Anchorage School District needs to cut spending by $48 million and raising the student-to-teacher ratio by one would save $7 million.
am an speaks into a microphone

Gov. Dunleavy’s proposed budget continues yearslong trend of flat funding for Alaska schools

Because of inflation, flat school funding over the past several years essentially means that the money school districts have received has been worth less each year.

In wake of a smaller $48M deficit, Anchorage school officials weigh numerous budget cuts

School board members on Saturday found wide consensus on closing Abbott Loop Elementary School, increasing the student-to-teacher ratio by one and using roughly $28 million in savings to close next year's budget gap.
A woman carries a snow shovel near her vehicle stuck on a snowey road.

Anchorage school officials consider remote learning as winter storms keep students home for 4 days

In response to heavy snowfall, the Mat-Su Borough School District held remote learning days last Wednesday, Thursday and again on Monday.
A woman with a black jacket and black pants holding a bag walks on the sidewalk filled with snow near a busy street next to a gas station.

Anchorage road crews working ‘around-the-clock’ as city braces for more snow

Road conditions were still so bad by Friday that the Anchorage School District closed schools for a third straight day. 
a woman pushes a snowblower in a snowy driveway

Anchorage still shoveling out of its snowiest December day since the ’50s

The snowstorm closed schools for a second day on Thursday as road crews catch up.
Words on a building red building that say "Brother Francis Shelter. 1021 E. 3rd Ave."

Anchorage Assembly overrides Bronson budget vetoes, restoring funds to Brother Francis shelter

The largest veto overridden Tuesday night totaled roughly $1.2 million for Brother Francis shelter to permanently increase its capacity to 120 people.
a fire in a building

Donations pour into Stebbins as village reels from loss of only grocery store

The ANICA Stebbins store was the only local source for groceries and fuel in the community of just over 600 residents. It burned down on Tuesday.