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.
Dunleavy vetoes $150K in funding for rural REAL ID assistance
The veto comes after the state previously solicited donations from the public to fund DMV staff travel to rural villages to implement the federally-mandated REAL IDs.
Citing coronavirus disaster, Alaska’s investment authority wants to bypass regulations to fund Ambler Road Project
Citing Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s coronavirus emergency declaration, the state’s investment authority is looking to bypass regulations to put funding into the Ambler Road Project.
The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) Board of Directors...
To curb coronavirus spread, North Slope Borough suspends travel into its communities
As coronavirus spreads across the state, the North Slope Borough has suspended air, sea and land entry into any of the borough’s eight village communities.
Bush Alaska lawmakers seek extension of REAL ID deadline due to coronavirus concerns
Legislators who represent the bulk of Alaska’s villages are asking the state’s congressional delegation to try to extend the deadline for Alaskans to get REAL ID-compliant identification. The request comes amid concerns over the coronavirus.
Village of Savoonga contends with power outage as region is hit with heavy storms
While coronavirus causes concern in communities across the state, heavy winter storms have knocked out the village of Savoonga’s power twice in the last week.
Kobuk 440, last major race of mushing season, canceled due to coronavirus
As the leading Iditarod mushers approach the finish line in Nome, a different sled dog race has been crippled by the coronavirus.
Alaska state basketball tournament canceled due to coronavirus concerns
In a statement, the ASAA says “MarchMadness Alaska is possibly the largest statewide gathering each year and ASAA would not be acting responsibly if we were to host this year’s event.”
Amid coronavirus concern, Alaska state basketball tournaments postponed
The Alaska School Activities Association wrote that the ASAA/First National Bank state basketball and cheer tournaments have been postponed until further notice. The tournaments were set to start the week of March 15.
Revisions to VPSO laws gain support from Native groups, though some parts remain controversial
A bill that would substantially reform the state’s Village Public Safety Officer Program received public testimony Tuesday from various Native leaders across the state.
Alaska Senate unanimously passes Ashley Johnson-Barr Day bill
The Alaska Senate last week unanimously passed a bill to establish Ashley Johnson-Barr Day.
Former Kivalina substitute teacher charged with sexual exploitation of multiple children
Jayson Knox, 21, is accused of soliciting explicit pictures from children, sending obscene photos to a minor and attempting to meet some of the children for sex.
Citing ‘escalation of violence,’ Noorvik pleads with local, state officials for law enforcement
Residents of the Northwest Arctic village of Noorvik, where there is no village public safety officer, say their town is feeling increasingly unsafe. Describing a “dangerous escalation of violence,” villagers have drafted a letter to local, state and federal officials asking for permanent law enforcement.
As REAL ID deadline looms, concerns from rural Alaska grow louder
As the REAL ID deadline looms, lawmakers and state officials haven’t yet figured out how to help rural Alaskans get their IDs. Many, if not most, rural residents will need access to flights for medical appointments or emergencies at some point.
Rep. John Lincoln says he’s not running for re-election
The Alaska representative who for the Northwest Arctic and North Slope boroughs says he will not run for re-election.
In a Facebook post, John Lincoln, an Independent from Kotzebue, wrote, “I’m at a stage in...
Kotzebue prisoners transferred to Nome due to jail’s frozen pipes
Kotzebue has had a cold February, with little snow for insulation. That means some locals have had to contend with frozen water and sewer lines. That problem is also being faced by the city, which recently had to transfer several prisoners to Nome after the jail toilets became unusable.
‘We will rebuild’: Kaktovik prioritizes getting kids back to class following school fire
The village of Kaktovik is still clearing the rubble after a Friday morning fire destroyed much of the only school in town. The community plans to rebuild the school, but the timeline is still unknown.
Kaktovik mourns burned school; workers were thawing pipes before the blaze
The North Slope community's mayor says the school is a "total loss."
As newly-renovated Kaktovik school continues to burn, villagers express shock, officials say it’s ‘a total loss’
The school in the North Slope village of Kaktovik is a “total loss” after a fire early Friday, according to a report by Anchorage station KTUU-TV.
Counselor turnover and second helpings at lunch, Northwest Arctic students grill superintendent candidates
The Northwest Arctic Borough School District has two candidates for the vacant superintendent position. This week, principals, staff and teachers from across the district got an opportunity to meet with the candidates, providing their input in the hiring process. But it wasn’t just the adults that were involved in the selection.
About a fourth of Selawik homes currently have frozen pipes, and it’s a chronic problem
Selawik mayor Clyde Ramoth says frozen pipes are a chronic problem due to issues with the initial installation of the above-ground water system.