Summer camp is back in session in Alaska, and demand is high
But holding summer camp this year isn’t without challenges: Many programs spent months writing and rewriting protocols to keep up with the evolving pandemic. And some, like Camp Fire Alaska, the state’s largest child care provider, are struggling with staffing.
This year’s Alaska Permanent Fund Dividends would be $1,100 under budget compromise
This year’s permanent fund dividend would be $1,100 under a compromise budget proposal that the Legislature will vote on this week.
With a haul of 11 whales this season, Point Hope gears up for Qaġruq festival
This weekend kicked off the Qaġruq Whaling Festival in Point Hope. Every year, people come from around the region for a three-day feast to celebrate the annual subsistence haul of the whaling season.
White House moves to re-impose Roadless Rule for Tongass
The Biden administration appears poised to reinstate a rule dating back to the Clinton White House that prohibits new roads in the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska.
10 senators, including Alaska’s Murkowski, say they reached 5-year, almost $1 trillion infrastructure deal
A bipartisan group of senators is eyeing an infrastructure deal with $579 billion in new spending as negotiators try to strike a nearly $1 trillion deal on President Joe Biden’s top priority, according to those briefed on the plan.
‘That’s the law’: Murkowski confronts BLM nominee about ANWR
Sen. Murkowski presses the nominee to head the BLM to agree that she must hold a second lease sale in the Arctic Refuge.
Park Service rangers describe troubling conduct as hundreds of climbers attempt Denali
Park Service rangers identified a number of concerns in a blog post on the Denali National Park website titled “Troubling Trends.” In the post, they cite several problems including inadequate experience, attempting to summit too quickly, and not fully appreciating the difficulty of climbing Denali.
Former Alaska Rep. LeDoux and her aide face new charges of felony voter fraud
LeDoux’s former legislative aide, Lisa Simpson, also faces two new felony charges, which could increase the pressure on her to cooperate with authorities in their efforts to convict her former boss.
Southwest Alaska ranks highest for maternal mortality
Alaska has a lower rate than the national average, but still sees 6 to 13 maternal deaths each year, according to the Alaska Maternal Child Death Review Committee. Rates are highest among Indigenous mothers in Southwestern Alaska.
Canada might loosen border in early July — but no word yet on ending the recreational travel ban to Alaska
The tourism ban is likely to continue past June 21, when the current rules expire.
Alaska sells eight oil and gas leases in Cook Inlet
An Anchorage-based company and a Texas-based company got bids for 21,000 acres of oil and gas tracts in Cook Inlet, the first time a company other than Hilcorp Alaska has won leases in a state sale since 2015.
Indian Affairs promised to reform tribal jails. NPR found death, neglect and disrepair
At least 19 men and women have died since 2016 in tribal detention centers overseen by the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs, including...
Gambling will be among options to close future state budget gap, Alaska revenue commissioner says
State Revenue Commissioner Lucinda Mahoney told the House Finance Committee on Tuesday that the options would include the governor’s proposal to expand gambling in the state. Previous estimates show that the proposal could raise anywhere from $2.3 million to $1.2 billion, depending on the details.
There’s a stark red-blue divide when it comes to states’ vaccination rates
Surveys have shown Trump supporters are the least likely to say they have been vaccinated or plan to be.
Postcard: Scenes and sounds of Anchorage coming back to life
A series of events including First Friday art shows at local museums, several live music concerts, and dance parties livened up Anchorage's downtown the first weekend in June.
LISTEN: Alaska research on wildfire smoke’s impact on health paints clearer picture
Micah Hahn, an assistant professor of environmental health at the University of Alaska Anchorage, says while it might seem obvious that wildfire smoke causes health impacts, there had actually never been a nuanced, scientific look at those impacts.
Pedro Bay shareholders accept $19M deal that would thwart efforts to mine Pebble deposit
The Alaska Native village corporation is selling conservation easements to save salmon habitat and preclude industrial development.
New genetically modified salmon is on the menu. Here’s what that means for Alaskans.
AquaBounty’s salmon is a genetic mixture of three different fish — Atlantic salmon, chinook salmon and the eel-like ocean pout. It grows twice as fast as its non-engineered counterparts, reaching full market size in 18 months.
Dunleavy urges lawmakers to act on PFD plan
Some legislators have raised questions about some of the administration’s modeling assumptions and concerns with tackling the dividend issue without other pieces of a possible fiscal plan.
In Southeast Alaska, high-end tourism businesses feast as cruise industry weathers famine
Interest in private and small-scale Alaska trips is at an all-time high, making for a booming summer for some lodge, yacht and tour operators. But tourists are arriving in far smaller numbers than many of Southeast’s cruise-focused businesses are equipped to serve.