Zachariah Hughes, Alaska Public Media
Zachariah Hughes reports on city & state politics, arts & culture, drugs, and military affairs in Anchorage and South Central Alaska.
@ZachHughesAK About Zachariah
Juneau to Barrow, data shows Sanders landslide consistent across state
With all 40 state districts reporting, Sanders has 81 percent of the vote, tentatively securing the bulk of Alaska’s 20 delegates to the national convention.
Download Audio
Alaska Dems gather across state to pick party’s presidential nominee
By 9:30 a.m. the parking-lot at Anchorage's West High school was overflowing onto side-streets, with cheerful lines of Democratic caucus-goers formed outside of multiple entrances. Inside, dense crowds formed at district tables.
Robocalls and rallies as Alaska Dems enter caucus mode
Democratic Party top contenders reach out to supporters in Alaska ahead of Saturday's caucus. Download Audio
Mayor’s office reporting $14 million surplus from first quarter
The Mayor's Office in Anchorage is reporting a $14 million surplus after revising its first-quarter budget.
Download Audio
Judge declares legislature’s Anchorage LIO lease illegal
The court's decision voids the contract for renting the Legislative Information Office building, but doesn't spell out what's next. Download Audio
$768M Anchorage school budget gets chilly reception
The preliminary budget passed totals $768,401726, a decline of $4,935,000 from what was approved last year.
PERF report recommends 67 more APD patrol positions
A new report on policing in Anchorage says the city needs dramatically more officers to meet its public safety goals. Download Audio
An emotional Brent Sass finishes Iditarod in 20th
As Iditarod mushers continue trickling into Nome, onlookers got a treat as Brent Sass roared at about 11 p.m. Wednesday night.
Photos: Brent Sass suddenly disappeared from the front
As Dallas Seavey was jogging into Nome, his main rival for much of the race, Eureka musher Brent Sass, hadn’t left White Mountain. After barreling down the trail at the front of the pack, Sass’s dogs had had enough.
INTERVIEW: Martin Buser deals with blackout pain after fall on Iditarod Trail
Many of the Iditarod's most accomplished mushers are struggling with this year's trail. Jeff King lost a sled-dog during an incident outside Nulato with a snowmachine. Just before 10am this morning, Lance Mackey scratched in Galena, citing personal health concerns. And Martin Buser took a spill on the way into Unalakleet that had him blacking out from pain. Alaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes caught up with Buser to see how he'll make the remainder of his trip to Nome. Download Audio
Trail Mix: Esteem and Steam
It was about 7:15am, and Schwing had just seen a press release about a snowmachiner hitting Aily Zirkle and Jeff King en route to Nulato overnight, killing a dog and injuring others.
"Zach - get up! GET UP!"
I started making calls and poking at the computer while Schwing roused her pilot and basically sprinted toward the plane, and Nulato.
In push up the coast, Iditarod mushers vie for top 10
Competition is hardly confined to the front as Iditarod teams sprint along the coast. Mushers in Unalakleet are hoping to hop, skip, and leap-frog their teams toward the top 10.
Photos: Iditarod pack reaches Unalakleet
Nearly thirty Iditarod teams have reached the Bering Sea checkpoint of Unalakleet as of Sunday evening. The race enters its final phase here: a mad push north along the largely treeless coastline, where fast-changing ice conditions and exposure to the wind throw new elements into racers' strategies.
For mushers who know real-life struggle, Iditarod is only part of a bigger journey
It’s been a week of racing for mushers in the Iditarod, and those in the middle of the pack are struggling. Though, it’s for a variety of different reasons. As Alaska Public Media’s Zachariah Hughes reports, for some the difficulty is the race itself, but for others it’s the challenges inside the lives they’re away from while out on the trail.
Download Audio
Iditarod mushers in striking distance surprise themselves
As top Iditarod teams reached the checkpoint at Galena, several were trying to account for their spots at the top of the pack. Alaska Public Media’s Zachariah Hughes spoke with three mushers surprised for one reason or another with their place in the standings.
Download Audio
Mushing world questions whether new Iditarod muzzle rule benefits sponsors or the sport
As Iditarod mushers drive their teams to Nome, a controversial rule-change is casting a shadow over the event. Some are accusing race organizers of siding with corporate sponsors by placing a so-called gag-order on mushers competing in the event. But even critics say that without those sponsor dollars, there might be no race at all.
Aliy Zirkle arrives first into Galena
Aliy Zirkle was the first musher to reach the Yukon River checkpoint of Galena Friday morning. She arrived at 10:46 with 14 dogs. Brent Sass was next into the checkpoint but swiftly moved through without stopping with his 15 dogs. Mitch Seavey pulled into Galena by 2:45.
How chefs cook wilderness gourmet on the Iditarod Trail
One of Jeff King’s prizes for reaching the Yukon River in Ruby before anyone else was a five-course meal supplied by on of the Iditarod’s sponsors. And as Alaska Public Media’s Zachariah Hughes reports, the meal might mean more to the chefs than it does for the musher.
Trail Mix: No need for five-course meal in Ruby when there’s $5 bear soup for sale
Near the first Iditarod checkpoint on the Yukon River, the Ruby Bible Church was selling a soup and sandwich lunch special for $5. When I arrived, there were three options to pick from, and I went with the "Seven Bean and Black Bear" offering.
Mid-pack and back-of-the-pack Iditarod mushers meet adventure on race trail
Spirits in Takotna were high Thursday morning, with a cluster of well-fed and rested mushers getting set to end their 24-hour rests. The front-runners who rested here like Mitch Seavey and Pete Kaiser roared back onto the trail late last night. The mushers camped out now, like Ryne Olson, are on a different pace.
Download Audio