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.

A chain link fence in front of a large beige building

Sullivan Arena homeless shelter gets third new leader in 3 months

Cesar Ramirez De La Cruz said he took over the shelter manager job from Shawn Hays in early December.
A black bear on a snowy roof.

Some bears are still out in Haines. Biologists say that’s not so unusual.

Recent bear activity around Haines — including bears peering into shop windows and lumbering down Main Street — has caught many residents by surprise. But a state wildlife biologist says it’s not so unusual for some bears in Southeast to still be out foraging this time of year.
A dark dog in the foreground watches another dog getting a hug from a man in a hat, T shirt and jeans in front of a green field and a hill.

Dairy farmer’s Alaska sprint mushing dreams come true in new documentary ‘Underdog’

"Underdog" is the product of 10 years of work by filmmaker Tommy Hyde, who shot, directed and edited the film, which he says tells Vermont dairy farmer Doug Butler's "curiously optimistic" tale.
A child stands with a sign that says: I am a future shareholder.

ANCSA at 50 on Talk of Alaska: The next generation of leaders looks forward

As the 50th anniversary of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act approaches, shareholders in and outside the state are reflecting on the landmark legislation and how it’s evolved over time. Despite the successes, problems remain, including how younger generations of Alaska Natives will be included.
A group of people pose for a photo outside.

A new crisis team in Fairbanks is responding to mental health calls and freeing up other emergency resources

The city’s Mobile Crisis Team started two months ago and is bringing mental health services directly to people in crisis.
A woman in a grey sweater and short reddish hair gestures in front of a white man at a desk

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. board votes to remove Angela Rodell from top post

Rodell had served in the position since 2015. It grew from $51 billion to $81 billion in that time.
Large white boxes that read "Vote by Mail Ballot Drop Box" sit in a warehouse.

Anchorage Assembly to take public testimony on election code changes next week

The proposed changes come in the wake of reports of "unprecedented harassment" of election workers during the mayoral runoff election in May.
A large red hangar building with some vehicles outtside in a snowy, mountainous lanscape

Many see Red Dog as an ANCSA success story. What happens when the ore runs out?

The mine has brought wealth to Northwest Alaska, supporting Alaska Native communities and culture. But its relationship with the only village downstream is fraught, and the mine is running out of ore.
A person leaves the sliding glass doors ofa pink building witha white sign above that says "Anchorage Health Department

As Anchorage faces the pandemic and homelessness, resignations at the health department pile up

ivision managers and medical officers have all left or been fired from the health department, which has largely stopped communicating with news media.
people leaving a building under a sign that says "vote here."

Lt. Gov. Meyer defends handling of Alaska’s last election, as he and governor weigh the next one

Meyer is at the center of criticism from conservative voters in places like the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The lieutenant governor oversees elections. Conservatives are unhappy with how last year’s election was conducted.
person appears on a video screen in an ornate room with a yellow curtain.

‘Don’t tie our hands’: Proposal would give 30 Alaska tribes the power to prosecute violence in villages

Sen. Murkowski seeks to let tribes fill the law enforcement gap that leaves Native women vulnerable.
A large boat in a harbor in front of some treeless hills

Former ‘Deadliest Catch’ captain admits to dealing heroin, court documents say

Elliott Neese, 39, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. That’s according to a plea agreement Neese signed and filed in federal court Monday, shortly after prosecutors charged him.
Homes on a quiet street.

Petersburg COVID cases drop to single digits for the first time since October

Petersburg’s active COVID-19 case count dropped to single digits this week, the lowest total since late October.
A building.

Ketchikan will join a national $26B opioid settlement, but officials say the money won’t go far

Alaska is one of all but eight states to join the settlement agreement with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three drug distributors: AmerisourceBergen, McKesson and Cardinal Health.
People stand in a large foyer decorated for the holidays.

Gov. Dunleavy holds holiday open house in Juneau after missing last year’s due to the pandemic

The open house has been held every year since 1913, except for two years during World War II and last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A man poses for a photograph outside, with a folder in hand.

Unalaska doctor nationally recognized for bringing emergency training to rural Alaska

Dr. Murray Buttner, a family medicine doctor in Unalaska, Buttner, a family medicine doctor and co-medical director of the island’s Iliuliuk Family and Health Services clinic, was named a 2021 Community Star by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. The award went to one health care provider in each U.S. state.
A ferry parked at a dock, a mountain in the background.

Skagway works to pioneer one of the first electric ferry programs in the country

The Skagway Assembly recently passed a resolution that establishes an electric ferry pilot program.
A chart shows temperatures plummeting in November.

Bristol Bay, like Bethel, also just recorded its coldest November in 80 years

Areas across the region broke both daily and monthly records. For King Salmon, it's the coldest November on record. In Dillingham, wind chills dropped to negative 41 degrees. That's the lowest November wind chill in 50 years.
A boat near a dock.

Alaska ferries add January sailings after lawmakers scramble to plan travel ahead of session

Some Alaska lawmakers and aides who normally take a ferry to Juneau for the legislative session found themselves scrambling to make alternative travel plans last week after finding out that the Matanuska state ferry would not be back in service before the new year, as originally planned.