News

All news stories, regardless of topic (local, statewide + national news stories, as well as Talk of Alaska, Alaska News Nightly, Alaska Insight, Alaska Economic Report). Some news stories may also have other categories marked, which will also put them on a subpage. Not all news stories will fall into a subpage.

Crews Battle 2500 Acre Wildfire Near Whitefish Lake

More than 80 firefighters are battling a 25-hundred acre blaze near Whitefish Lake. The fire south of Kalskag and the Kuskokwim River is one of about a dozen that were started by lightening on Sunday.

Two Children Allegedly Set Fire to Grayling School

Alaska State Troopers report that two children intentionally set fire to the school in Grayling Monday.In an online dispatch Troopers say a 6-year-old and a 7-year-old are responsible for the fire.

Pilot Identified in Fatal Plane Crash

State Troopers have identified the pilot who died when a Yute Air plane went down on the Kwethluk River. Megan Peters is a spokesperson for the Alaska State Troopers, which responded to the scene 40 miles southeast of Bethel.

Mendenhall jökulhlaup forecast to peak just below flood levels

The National Weather Service in Juneau says a glacier dam release is causing high water levels in Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River. It’s the earliest glacier dam release from Suicide Basin on record by a month.

Groups sue agency to block Shell’s Arctic offshore drilling

Ten environmental groups are suing a federal agency over its approval of drilling permits off Alaska's northwest coast. The lawsuit seeks a review of permits granted to Royal Dutch Shell PLC by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea.

Strings On The Bus: Anchorage Has A Conflux

Community members and cultural institutions pair up to throw Anchorage a surprise party. Download Audio:

Alaska Senators Vote to Reform Patriot Act

The U.S. Senate today voted to curtail the National Security Administration’s collection of bulk phone data. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was an early sponsor of the reform. Sen. Dan Sullivan says he became convinced the bill was a good revision to the controversial parts of the 2001 Patriot Act. Download Audio:

No budget by July means no ferry service

All state ferries will stop sailing by early July if the Legislature fails to reach a budget deal. The Alaska Marine Highway System’s plans are among dozens of state service cuts announced Monday by the Walker administration. Download Audio:

Court employees assigned two days unpaid leave

About 800 Alaska Court System employees will be forced to take two days unpaid leave around the holidays — a result of state budget cuts. Download Audio:

The Blob expands from Gulf of Alaska to Baja California

Scientists are watching for how a warmer North Pacific Ocean could affect weather and climate this year. There could also be significant impacts to marine life, including species that form the basis for Alaska’s commercial fisheries. Download Audio:

Seniors Find Few Options Beyond Medicaid

The state is being criticized for finding hundreds of seniors ineligible for a Medicaid waiver program that pays the cost of their housing and nursing care. Download Audio:

Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Alaska Senators Vote to Reform Patriot Act; No Budget Deal, No Ferry Service; Court Employees Assigned 2 Days Unpaid Leave; The Blob expands from Gulf of Alaska to Baja California; Seniors Find Few Options Beyond Medicaid; Juneau to Be The Third City in Alaska to Shelter High-Risk Homeless; Fort Yukon Goes Solar; Strings on the Bus: Anchorage Has A Conflux Download Audio:

Juneau to become third city in Alaska to shelter high-risk homeless

Juneau will become the third city in Alaska to offer permanent supportive housing to the high-risk, chronically homeless. Those are the people who have been on the streets the longest, and may suffer from addiction or mental health issues. Download Audio:

Fort Yukon Goes Solar

Ft. Yukon recently began operating a solar electric project. The system is testing integration of the energy source into the power grid of an isolated northern community. Download Audio:

Investment Group Eyes Mat Su for Senior Facility

An Idaho company is looking into the possibility of constructing an assisted living facility near Palmer.

Kodiak protestors against Navy training take stand on land and sea

On Saturday afternoon, fishermen and concerned Kodiak residents gathered at Pier II to protest the location and timing of the Navy Training in the Gulf of Alaska. The Sun’aq Tribe helped to organize the event with the help of skippers and crew members alike.

Boy Found Dead In St. Mary’s

A two-year-old boy was found dead in a creek in St. Mary’s Saturday. The boy’s mother reported to Alaska State Troopers the boy was missing Saturday afternoon.

ASD To Revise Suspension Policy

The Anchorage School Board passed the first reading of a new suspension policy on Monday evening, but they plan to delve deeper into the issue later this summer.

Green Business: Alaska’s First Cannabis Career Fair Held in Anchorage

This weekend, Alaska saw its first-ever job fair for careers in commercial cannabis, offering a glimpse of how the semi-legal marijuana industry is taking tentative steps towards professionalism and profits. Download Audio:

Alaska News Nightly: Monday, June 1, 2015

Walker Hires Mediator to Help Lawmakers Pass A Budget; Permanent Fund CEO Abruptly Retires; Premera Alaska Files For Another Large Rate Increase; Rep. Young's Fisheries Bill Passes the House; North Pacific Council to Vote on Halibut Bycatch Limits; U.S. House Votes to Sell Midtown Lot to Muni; City Holds Job Fair for Marijuana Industry; Medicaid Denials May Boot Some Seniors From Assisted Living Download Audio: