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.
Suzanne LaFrance sworn in as first woman elected Anchorage mayor
“Today's about this special place we call home and what we're going to do together to fix it up and make it the place we all know it can be,” LaFrance said.
This recently-launched news outlet aims to expand coverage of the Mat-Su Borough
The Mat-Su Sentinel is a new online news platform aimed at providing local news to an area the size of West Virginia, with a population of roughly 110,000 people.
Anchorage’s popular Ship Creek to close to sport fishing for 2 weeks
When the fishery reopens on July 14, anglers will not be allowed to retain any king salmon for the rest of the season.
Anchorage Assembly narrowly passes zoning change to allow for more duplexes
On a 7-5 vote, the Assembly effectively ended single-family zoning in the Anchorage Bowl in hopes of boosting housing.
Anchorage woman who died during SWAT team standoff had pointed a rifle at her neighbor, police say
The police chief says it’s still unclear how 58-year-old Lisa Fordyce-Blair died. SWAT team members were not wearing body cameras.
In his final days as Anchorage mayor, Bronson says he’s focused on a smooth transition
Dave Bronson says he has a number of accomplishments he's proud of as well as a few regrets.
4 men have died in Alaska’s North Slope oil fields in just over a year
Before the recent string of workplace fatalities, there had not been a death in the area since 2018.
LaFrance names municipal attorney, announces new chief administrative officer position
The new position of chief administrative officer will oversee the city’s human resources and IT departments, as well as purchasing and financial functions.
Anchorage man charged with making false bomb threat at federal building
James Pearce, 40, is accused of falsely claiming he had planted bombs at seven Anchorage locations.
Anchorage Juneteenth festivities kick off this weekend
Juneteenth is recognized as the oldest African American holiday in the United States, and marks the anniversary of when the last American slaves were freed in Texas on June 19, 1865.
Family of man fatally shot by Anchorage police lobbies to view body camera footage
Monte Handy, father of 34-year-old Kristopher Handy, said the family wants to see what happened for themselves.
Anchorage restaurants can now start serving alcohol 2 hours earlier
Under the new rules approved by the Assembly, restaurants can serve alcohol starting at 8 a.m.
How a 12-year-old got an Anchorage street named after a Harry Potter location
In the Harry Potter universe, Grimmauld Place is where Potter’s godfather Sirius Black lives. Now it's a West Anchorage street.
Anchorage Mayor-elect LaFrance announces chief of staff and municipal manager
Suzanne LaFrance has hired Becky Windt Pearson as her municipal manager and Katie Scovic as her chief of staff.
Assembly leaders aim to postpone police chief confirmation until LaFrance takes office
Assembly chair Chris Constant said the decision to name the next chief should come from the next administration.
Downtown Anchorage businesses are stressed. Advocates hope new projects will revitalize the area.
Between a rise in homelessness and a hit to the economy, several business owners say they’re fighting to stay afloat.
Anchorage police identify the man fatally shot by officers on Monday as a 21-year-old
This is the third armed man shot by Anchorage officers in the past month.
Man charged with murder in shooting outside downtown Anchorage bar
Responding officers shot and wounded the man, Kaleb Bourdukofsky, as he ran from the scene with a gun, according to the police chief.
Suzanne LaFrance prepares to take over as Anchorage mayor
“It’s still sinking in,” LaFrance said. She takes office July 1 as the city's first elected female mayor.
Anchorage voters have until May 29 to ‘cure’ their mayoral runoff ballots
There aren’t enough rejected ballots to impact Suzanne LaFrance’s election victory over incumbent Mayor Dave Bronson, but officials say people should still cure their ballots.