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
@ZachHughesAK About Zachariah
Berkowitz Transition Report Draws on Community, Corporate Solutions Alike
The Berkowitz Administration released an ambitious set of policy aims for Anchorage over the next three years, many representing a dramatic departure from the last administration's approach to the same problems.
Download Audio
$447,000 in Pedestrian Funds Go To Anchorage Bike Projects in Last Minute Shift
A Thursday funding move by the AMATS Policy Committee partially reverses a year-old action that left bike advocates feeling shrugged off.
Anchorage To ‘Revisit’ Knik Arm Bridge
AMATS adopts a resolution noting financial, environmental, and community concerns that could see project cut from transportation spending.
Download Audio
Record Numbers Turn Out to Testify Against Anchorage Mega-Projects
AMATS takesk hours of public testimony from dozens of Anchorage residents opposed to the proposed Bragaw Extension and the Knik Arm Bridge.
Download Audio
Public testimony critical of large capital projects in Municipality of Anchorage
An open house held by the Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transportation Solutions, or AMATS, turned out public testimony that was almost unanimously against several large capital projects in the Municipality.
City Puts Its Chips On Providing Housing For Those Most In Need
Anchorage is struggling with how to address serious and expensive problems stemming from chronic homelessness. Today, the new mayor's administration announced a dramatic plan to more than double the city's capacity for housing the most severely affected population living on the streets. The sudden move isn't without controversy.
Download Audio
Dirt-Bike Dermatology: For Army Medics, Real Specialty is Adaptability
Amid the Army's downsizing of forces in Alaska, the role of doctors int he military continues changing.
Accidental Overdose Suspected Cause of Wainwright Soldier’s Death
The 23-year-old specialist died while on leave visiting family in Florida.
Download Audio
Anchorage Logs Three Outdoor Deaths Overnight
The Anchorage Police Department is investigating a spike in homeless deaths during one 12 hour period Monday night through Tuesday morning.
Download Audio
A $23M Military Exercise: A Last Hurrah for JBER’s 4-25th?
This week, U.S. Army Alaska troops based at JBER have been taking part in a massive training exercise stretching from Alaska to Australia. Training exercise Talisman Saber involves over 33,000 military personnel from three continents. The airborne unit playing lead in one of the several ongoing exercises in the Pacific theater is slated for cutbacks that exemplify the Army’s changing global mission.
Download Audio
On A Mission In Australia, News of Army Cuts Trickles in Via Family, Social Media
The Army will be cutting thousands of positions from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, with the majority expected to come from the 4-25th Airborne Brigade. This week hundreds of troops from that unit are currently in Australia on a training mission. Many of the soldiers heard about the cuts for the first time from family or on social media.
Download Audio:
$23M Paratrooper Drill Sets Off From Alaska to Australia
Drill involving 33,000 members of the military across three continents takes 425th Airborne Brigade to the opposite side of the globe.
Download Audio
Berkowitz Emphasizes New Tone for a New Anchorage in Inaugural Address
Ethan Berkowitz formally became the new Mayor of Anchorage on Wednesday. The celebration downtown was a marked departure from past inaugurations, with a heavy emphasis on changing directions at city hall.
Download Audio
On The Way Out, Mayor Sullivan Gathers Souvenirs
Packing up his office after six years on the job, Mayor Dan Sullivan reflects on what he'll take with him, and what gets left behind.
‘Northern Edge’ Marred By Communication Problems
For the last week and a half, the military has been conducting Northern Edge, the largest training exercise regularly held in Alaska.
Download Audio
55 Homes Destroyed by Sockeye, According to New Estimate
The figure is double assessments from last week when officials were unable to survey areas within the fire zone.
Listen now:
Assembly Weighs Suspended Design Standards For New Construction
A contentious zoning ordinance is just one of four controversial measures on the docket for the last Assembly meeting of the Sullivan Administration.
Anatomy of Willow’s Wildfire Fight
Gains on Sockeye part of an around-the clock effort by front-line responders, from elite hotshot crews to logistics managers keeping them supplied with gear.
As Fires Burn, Agencies Coordinate Helicopters to Gift Cards for Relief
Amid organizational and financial complexities, most of the immediate needs on the ground are quite basic
‘Noah’s Ark’ At Evacuation Site for Willow Mushers Fleeing Sockeye Fire
Tight-knit mushing community was able to coordinate a rapid response to the wildfire, relocating 400 animals as part of an emergency plan hatched just weeks earlier.