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.

the corner of the City Hall building

Anchorage Mayor Bronson picks Grant Yutrzenka as city’s CFO

Before his job in the finance department, Yutrzenka was assistant general manager and CFO for Anchorage's water and wastewater utility. 
a student at a computer

FCC wants users to map Alaskans’ internet to improve service

Federal money is coming to build out more internet infrastructure, but how much will depend on how accurate Alaskans are in assessing their need.

Meet One of Alaska’s longest Aurora Borealis Researchers | INDIE ALASKA

Syun-Ichi Akasofu always had a curiosity for the aurora borealis. Yet, no one in his hometown in Japan knew exactly where these multi-colored shimmering lights in the evening sky came from. He's now one of the top aurora researchers in Alaska.
the Good River

An 8-bridge fish passage project near Gustavus has been finished

The project should help juvenile fish maneuver through Southeast Alaska's Good River, as rising land lifts existing culverts from nearby streams.
houses

In northernmost Alaska, a battle is on to limit the damages of permafrost thaw

Warming soils beneath Utqiagvik are triggering erosion that threatens homes, infrastructure and cultural resources.
Rebecca Trimble and her family

Rebecca Trimble’s private legislation is now a private law

Trimble’s path to legal immigration has taken more than a decade. And even with the help of an immigration attorney, her unique situation took an act of Congress to resolve.
woman in fur boots on marble stairs

Peltola sees House speaker impasse as a symptom of bigger divisions

Mary Peltola was supposed to be sworn in for a full term in Congress. That didn't happen.
minimum wage protesters

Minimum wage just increased in 23 states and D.C. Here’s how much.

Workers earning minimum wage in 23 states and the District of Columbia got a raise over the New Year's holiday, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Alaskans seeking food stamps run into a huge backlog. No House Speaker means no swearing in yet for Mary Peltola. Plus an update on the efforts to dig Anchorage out of last month's snowstorms.
two orange crabs

Warming waters are driving Bering Sea crashes, but Alaska’s fishing industry is quiet on climate

Advocates say seafood businesses, trade groups and fishermen need to take more action to advocate for lower carbon emissions or risk continued catastrophic declines.
Bethel Police Department headquarters

Bethel police arrest woman in 2021 cold-case shooting of taxi driver

Maggie James was arrested last week on counts of felony assault, robbery and vehicle theft in the July 2021 shooting which wounded taxi driver Myoung Keun Lee.
David Eastman

Man who challenged Alaska lawmaker eligibility won’t appeal

The man who unsuccessfully challenged Alaska state Rep. David Eastman’s eligibility to hold office over his Oath Keepers membership does not plan to file an appeal.
The double yellow line in the center of a road is almost completely covered in snow.

Anchorage is still struggling to remove snow, weeks after a trio of winter storms

City officials say crews have made progress. But there are challenges.
a grocery aisle

State workers say chronic understaffing caused food stamp backlog

Many of the thousands of Alaskans who rely on assistance say they’re desperate for relief.

Alaska is getting a new tallest building — an upgraded air traffic control tower

The new control tower at the Anchorage airport will stand at 306 feet, 10 feet higher than the ConocoPhillips building.
wind turbines

Study finds wind power is Sitka’s ‘strongest resource’ for future energy needs

Wind power may be the best option to add extra “oomph” to Sitka’s electric grid, based on research collected as part of an investigation into Sitka’s long-term energy needs.
Cook Inlet

Hilcorp is sole bidder in controversial Cook Inlet lease sale

Hilcorp Alaska offered $63,983 on one 2,304-acre tract in Lower Cook Inlet, a small sliver of the nearly 1 million acres posted in the federal sale.
the University of Alaska Fairbanks

University of Alaska will gain a plot of land that’s half the size of Rhode Island under new federal budget law

A clause in the new law, written by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, would give the university 360,000 acres in the next four years.
Seward City Hall

Police arrest Seward man after weekend search

Cash Christensen, 44, faces assault charges after police say he drove a car carrying three children into water at Seward's boat harbor Friday.
Ketchikan's police chief

Ketchikan police chief left man bloodied after off-duty fishing resort brawl, indictment says

Jeff Walls was indicted in the alleged felony assault on Thursday. He was ordered not to discuss the case with witnesses other than his wife.