Alaska health officials say the omicron variant is coming, but the risk is still unclear
The omicron variant of the coronavirus was first reported last week in South Africa and has already led to new waves of travel restrictions around the world. As of Monday, no cases had been detected in Alaska.
Conservative Wasilla Rep. Kurka launches bid for Alaska governor
In an announcement posted on social media, Rep. Christopher Kurka, R-Wasilla, criticized Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s health mandates issued early in the pandemic.
Interior Department report calls for higher oil and gas royalties. Murkowski objects.
New report says oil companies aren't paying enough for production on federal lands.
Biden vaccine rule for health workers blocked in Alaska and 9 other states
A federal judge on Monday blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a coronavirus vaccine mandate on thousands of health care workers in 10 states, including Alaska, that had brought the first legal challenge against the requirement.
Wrangell to survey site of former boarding school for Native children
There are plans to redevelop the site of the former Bureau of Indian Affairs facility that was open for 43 years. But sensitivity toward the legacy of abuse and trauma and recent discoveries of graves at Canadian boarding schools have caused local officials to tread carefully before breaking ground.
Senators reintroduce bill that would grant land to Alaska Native communities in Southeast
The bill would grant just over 23,000 acres of land that’s now national forest to each of the five new corporations.
With reserve fund depleted from 2018 earthquake, Anchorage’s credit rating drops
S&P Global Ratings also cited high construction labor costs and risks from climate change and future earthquakes in its decision to drop Anchorage’s credit rating.
Anchorage’s response to homelessness has seen some success, but there’s more to do, says exiting CSS director
Catholic Social Services Executive Director Lisa Aquino was with the organization for seven years and oversaw the Brother Francis Shelter, among other services, including a refugee resettlement program.
Bill would draw funds for Alaska schools from Permanent Fund earnings, along with PFD
For some lawmakers, the primary use of the Permanent Fund earnings is clear: to pay PFDs. But other lawmakers say the fund can help settle one of the state issues that it’s been debating even longer than the PFD: how to pay for public education.
Trucks are traveling by river from Bethel to Napaskiak, but some dangers remain
There are cars and small trucks traveling on the frozen Kuskokwim River around Bethel, but don’t call it an ice road yet.
Tule geese took the long way south from Alaska last year as fires ripped through the west
“Tule geese are among the first migrants to come down across the Gulf of Alaska toward California,” said a wildlife biologist. “So we watch with bated breath every year to watch them come down and see what they’re doing.”
State proposes an official end to TB screening in schools
The state health department says the school screening program hasn’t turned up a single case in years. But critics of the proposal question the plan because Alaska regularly tops the list of states with the most cases of the disease.
‘Molly of Denali’ episodes getting translated and dubbed in the Gwich’in and Koyukon languages
The "Molly of Denali" project is just one effort of Doyon Foundation’s language revitalization program, which works to preserve the ancestral languages of the Doyon region.
Meet Mary Jo Lord-Wild, Elfin Cove’s volunteer weather observer for nearly 50 years
It was 1971 when Mary Jo Lord-Wild stopped off in the small Southeast Alaska community of Elfin Cove to visit a friend.
‘So much hope’: Alaskans say peer support can make recovery possible
Peer mentors can now receive certification in Alaska to provide support for people in recovery from substance use and mental health issues.
Alaska Native hospital patients thankful for traditional foods program that serves up seal soup, agutuk and more
Alaska Native Medical Center's Traditional Native Foods Initiative was the subject of a recent story in The New York Times by Alaska writer Victoria Petersen.
Minutes before midnight, Anchorage Assembly unanimously passes budget restoring program funding
The Assembly’s version stands in contrast to the budget proposed by Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration. Two major sticking points include the funding of school resource officers and how funds from an alcohol tax will be spent.
Welcoming family into your home for Thanksgiving? Here’s how to keep COVID out.
Intergenerational indoor gatherings, a.k.a, Thanksgiving dinner, still pose a COVID risk to older adults and the immunocompromised. Here's how to keep everyone safe.
Conservative Alaska lawmakers hear from constituents about ivermectin, vaccine mandates, Fauci conspiracies
About 50 speakers shared stories of losing jobs because of COVID-19 vaccine mandates or having loved ones die from COVID while being denied unproven treatments.
70 West Point graduates call on Alaska lawmaker to resign
Dozens of West Point graduates have demanded Wasilla Republican Rep. David Eastman resign from office over his ties to a right-wing extremist group, saying his affiliation has betrayed the values of the U.S. Military Academy he attended.