Alaska childhood vaccinations declined from 2013 to 2021, with sharp drop during COVID pandemic
State health data show that from 2013 to 2021, the number of children in Alaska who completed the childhood series of vaccinations decreased from about 60% to about 46%.
Embattled Ketchikan City Council candidate Dave Timmerman officially ends campaign
Timmerman's name will still appear on the Oct. 4 ballot, after his Monday removal request missed an Aug. 25 deadline.
Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, August 30, 2022
U.S. House candidate Mary Peltola goes home to Bethel as she waits for tomorrow's election results. Also, Juneau police collect DNA samples from people with certain past convictions. And childhood vaccinations for things like polio and measles are on the decline in Alaska.
Former Alaska legislator’s alleged killer, his son, now indicted on first- and second-degree murder charges
Anchorage police originally charged Tallon Westlake with manslaughter.
Peltola goes home to the Kuskokwim, still waiting to hear if she’s the first Alaska Native elected to Congress
Republican Sarah Palin, the former governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee, is in a good position to win the special U.S. House election once the second-choice ballots are counted. But for now, Alaska’s right-wing icon is trailing Peltola by almost 9 percentage points.
‘Open and kind’: Metlakatla remembers carver Wayne Hewson
Friends and family remember Hewson as a mentor, a culture bearer and a fixture of life in Metlakatla.
Talk of Alaska: Fentanyl and Overdose Deaths
High rates of substance abuse and addiction have long plagued Alaska, but in recent years, fentanyl has greatly increased the number of overdose deaths.
Sen. Sullivan announces legislation targeting illegal foreign fishing operations during Kodiak visit
The FISH Act directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to compile a list of foreign vessels that have engaged in unsanctioned fishing and ban them from U.S. ports.
Zombie ice from Greenland will raise sea level 10 inches, new study says
The new study looks at the edges of Greenland's ice sheet — ice that authors say is starving and dead.
University of Alaska faculty union files unfair labor practice complaint
The complaint alleges the university administration unlawfully declared an impasse, illegally implemented its “best and final offer” and engaged in direct bargaining with the faculty through email updates, bypassing the negotiation team.
Data centers, backbone of the digital economy, face water scarcity and climate risk
About 20% of data centers in the United States already rely on watersheds that are under moderate to high stress from drought and other factors. However, few companies are talking about the issue.
Juneau police are collecting DNA samples from people with certain past convictions
It’s part of a broader effort to help Gov. Mike Dunleavy make good on a plan announced last year to reduce the backlog of missing DNA evidence across the state.
Kenai Peninsula Borough won’t say if Pierce resignation is linked to recent HR investigation
Charlie Pierce announced his resignation as borough mayor on Friday.
Alaska News Nightly: Monday, August 29, 2022
A former top-level employee at Juneau’s hospital faces felony theft charges. Also, a Ketchikan City Council candidate pleads guilty to violating an 18-year-old's restraining order. And a village's laundromat and source of treated water is sinking into the tundra.
Man shot by Anchorage police faces 19 charges, including kidnapping and attempted murder
Police say 36-year-old Michael Valu was also charged with 15 felony assault charges and a charge of misconduct involving a firearm.
Dry summers could mean trouble for use of lake water for North Slope ice roads, study says
Guidelines for taking water from North Slope tundra lakes should be refined to consider rare summer droughts and other factors, study says.
The Kenai Peninsula’s only strip club will be demolished this week after 50 years of operation
Owner Charlie Cunningham said there’s not as much money in the strip club as there used to be.
The government will no longer be sending free COVID-19 tests to Americans
The Biden administration is pausing its distribution of free COVID-19 tests this week, but you can still order new ones before the end date.
Alaska primary count is done, as near-record voting sets fields for ranked choice election
The outcome of the special election to fill the remainder of Don Young’s term will be announced on Wednesday.
Witnesses say responders came unprepared to fight Bethel apartment fire that killed 3
On Aug. 12, a fire tore through a Bethel apartment complex, killing three people and injuring six others.