Anchorage School District suspends multiple bus routes due to COVID-related driver shortage
Anchorage students have been going to class in-person for almost two weeks. And, until now, there haven’t been any major disruptions. But as more people are getting coronavirus in the community, the impacts are growing for school staffing.
Anchorage mayor’s second pick for library director, an educator and GOP activist, likely to fuel more controversy
Judy Eledge drew attention for posts from a Facebook account under her name that linked gay and transgender people to pedophilia, advertised Eledge and her husband aboard an airplane during the pandemic without masks and complained about Alaska bush communities "getting everything and having no tax and almost everything paid for them."
After a missed year, Alaska State Fair vendors say things feel almost normal, despite pandemic risk
The 2020 Alaska State Fair was canceled due to COVID-19 risk. This year, you’d hardly know there’s a pandemic, said some vendors.
Scientists discover fossil of a 4-legged whale with a raptor-like eating style
Are you terrified yet? Because we certainly are. Scientists even named their discovery of a 43 million-year-old fossil after Anubis, an Egyptian god associated with death.
17-year-old charged in Two Rivers, Pleasant Valley arsons
The boy -- named only as “J.G.” in a statement from Alaska State Troopers -- will be tried as an adult on multiple charges of arson, burglary and criminal mischief, troopers said.
As local streams warm on the Kenai Peninsula, cold water inputs could be crucial for salmon
A pocket of Beaver Creek, just a short and muddy tromp away from a gravel parking lot between Kenai and Soldotna, is home to several cold water inputs that could be crucially important for young salmon as they swim from the Kenai River to Cook Inlet.
As state health officials outline plan to help overloaded hospitals, Dunleavy asks Alaskans to consider the vaccine
The steps include speeding up the process for allowing licensed health care providers to work in hospitals. The state is also looking to use state-contracted workers to temporarily staff hospitals.
Declining sea ice in Kotzebue Sound is shortening subsistence hunt for seals, study finds
The study found that the ugruk hunting season is ending an average of 26 days earlier than normal.
Supply shortages, shipping delays hit Southeast Alaska businesses
A COVID-19 outbreak at a warehouse in Centralia, Wash., has led to shipping delays at grocery stores throughout Southeast Alaska, including in Petersburg. Some shelves are nearly empty. And they’re not likely to be filled anytime soon.
Alaska reports highest daily COVID-19 count since December as Dunleavy warns about hospital capacity
A total of 701 Alaskans tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, and 127 patients were hospitalized with the coronavirus.
Dunleavy announces that Alaska college scholarships, medical students will receive funding
Gov. Mike Dunleavy said he ordered his Office of Management and Budget to release funding for the WWAMI medical education program plus 17 other programs.
Ask a Climatologist: What is termination dust, anyway?
How do we know what fits the definition of "termination dust?" The answer is: We don't. National Weather Service climate researcher Brian Brettschneider wants to change that.
In feud over PFD, Alaska Legislature grinds to a halt when Republican lawmakers refuse to show up
The Alaska House of Representatives couldn’t conduct any business Wednesday when minority-caucus Republicans refused to attend a floor session. The mostly Democratic House majority didn’t have enough members present to reach a quorum.
NTSB: Searchers described poor visibility around Misty Fjords fatal crash site
Responders described low cloud ceilings in Misty Fjords National Monument Wilderness in the hours after a fatal plane crash that killed six people. That’s according to a new report from federal investigators looking into the August 5 crash. But officials say they have yet to determine the cause of the crash.
Kenai Borough mayor challenges doctors, promotes unproven treatments for COVID-19
Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce is using his platform to challenge local doctors and promote unproven COVID-19 treatments, on local talk radio and in public meetings.
Anchorage working group suggests 30 potential homeless shelter sites for winter
The list includes buildings that could be purchased, like the old Sam’s Club in East Anchorage, and the Dena’ina Center downtown. It also includes vacant lots where a shelter could be built from scratch, like a plot on the west end of the airport near Point Woronzof.
The campaign to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ended
Recall Dunleavy Chair Meda DeWitt linked the decision to Gov. Mike Dunleavy filing for re-election.
Alaska House committee lowers proposed PFD amount to $1,100
The Alaska Permanent Fund dividend would be $1,100 under an amendment a committee passed on Tuesday.
To cope with COVID overload, Anchorage hospitals delay surgeries
"Hard discussions" about postponing cancer and bypass procedures to preserve hospital resources.
A frustrated Mat-Su doctor implored Alaskans to get vaccinated. The surprise: They listened.
An emergency room doctor in the Mat-Su gave an emphatic speech last week about the "soul-crushing" workload that doctors are facing amid the latest surge in COVID-19. He was deluged by messages afterward, including a dozen that reported he'd changed people's minds about vaccination.