Wesley Early
Anchorage ReporterWesley moved to Anchorage in 2008, graduating from Bartlett High School and the University of Alaska Anchorage with a degree in journalism and public communications.
He started working in public radio in January 2016 as an intern at Alaska Public Media during his last semester of college. After graduating, he was hired full time and spent three years as a web editor, producer for Alaska News Nightly and education reporter. He then moved to Kotzebue (Qikiqtaġruk in Iñupiaq) to work at KOTZ-AM, where he was the community’s first news director in more than a decade.
After two years covering Arctic climate change, subsistence, Iñupiaq culture and the region’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wesley returned home to Anchorage where he covers city government and Anchorage life. When he’s not at work, he enjoys reading, finding new music to obsess over and searching for a new restaurant to try with his wife.
Reach Wesley at wearly@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8421.
-
City officials are hoping to transition people from mass shelters into more private housing, while the school district prioritizes supporting students. -
Shalah Reaves, 49, is accused of hitting a man who was lying in the middle of a Midtown Anchorage lane and driving away without providing assistance. -
As the bulk of the crowd packed the park, dozens of rallygoers lined Fifth and Sixth avenues waving signs and receiving supportive honks from passing cars. -
Begich spent much of his 14-minute speech touting what he believes to be economic benefits that Alaska Native communities will reap from the budget reconciliation bill. -
Currently, the city is operating two shelters for evacuees -- one at the Alaska Airlines Center and another at the Egan Center -- and expects to host up to 1,600 people. -
Sullivan touted multiple provisions in this summer’s budget reconciliation bill that he said would be a boon for Alaska. -
“Healthy communities don't happen by accident,” said keynote speaker Natasha Singh. “They're built on access to basic health care, well-funded public schools and the fundamental promise of safety through trusted law enforcement.” -
ICE arrested Santiago Martinez, a Mexican national seeking asylum in the U.S., on Aug. 11. A judge ruled this week that Martinez couldn’t be held indefinitely without bond. -
Immigration-related arrests in Alaska have more than quadrupled under the Trump administration and one lawyer says he expects the numbers will only increase. -
“These schools continue to lose enrollment every year,” Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt said.
