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 band plays music outside of the Visitor Information Center.

‘Just happy to be back’: Haines welcomes its first Canadian visitor since March 2020

Bruce Funk of Whitehorse was Haines' first Canadian visitor since March 2020. He had tears in his eyes as he shook hands with the mayor. “It’s been a long time,” he said with a laugh. “Ah, just happy to be back.”
A screen capture of a Zoom meeting. The main screen shows two men wearing masks.

A new Alaska Senate map takes shape with Eagle River gaining a senator

The board chose a Senate map for Anchorage drawn by board member Bethany Marcum, who was appointed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
A woman talks on a cell phone outside of a beige house.

A Western Alaska village is finally getting high-speed internet, thanks to the pandemic

Many people moved their lives online because of the pandemic, but that wasn’t always possible in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
A woman behind an outdoor table hands a card to a man. Both are wearing masks.

Blocked for now, Biden’s vaccine-or-test rule for workers faces uncertain future

The Biden administration says it will defend its rule requiring some 84 million workers to get vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. More than two dozen states, including Alaska, have sued to stop it.

Fairbanks police say gunman killed a man outside Safeway before opening fire inside

Joshua Eric Butcher, 41, who turned himself into police minutes after Sunday’s shooting in Fairbanks, has been charged with first-degree murder and was being held at the Fairbanks Correctional Center.

Highways, ferries and more: What the federal infrastructure bill will fund in Alaska

All three members of Alaska’s congressional delegation voted for the bill.
Cars in a line with a person in a blue gown talking to someone through the window

Alaska reports 53 COVID-19 deaths

Most of the deaths happened in September, which was already the deadliest month of the pandemic.
A red sports car is plugged in to a recharge station.

Rate changes could help businesses host electric vehicle chargers

A coalition of Railbelt utilities, including Homer Electric Association, proposed the changes in May.

Pilot dies in Kodiak plane crash

Federal investigators are heading to Kodiak after a small plane crashed Sunday afternoon shortly after takeoff.
Gillnet boat in the ocean with mountains in the background

Feds release final rule closing part of Cook Inlet to commercial salmon fishing

Fishermen have said it’s the last nail in the coffin for a fishery that’s already on the decline. The drift fishery is the only fishery that operates in Cook Inlet’s federal waters.
a person holds a Covid-19 vaccination record card

What to know about Biden’s 3 COVID vaccine mandates

President Biden has issued three vaccine mandates. They cover different groups of workers, and they don’t cover everyone.
A group of seven men post for a photo.

Pilot Station hunters return home after a week stranded at fish camp. Here’s their story.

After seven days, they left fish camp with just the clothes on their backs and what they could fit in their pockets: their phones and GPS.
The back of a police vehicle

Shooting at Fairbanks Safeway leaves one dead, another injured

A 41-year-old man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the Sunday shooting outside of a Safeway grocery store in Fairbanks, according to the police.
A white and blue building in the middle of the road that says Canada on the side.

US land border opens to Canadians for nonessential travel

The U.S. land border opened Monday at 12:01 a.m. to fully vaccinated, nonessential travelers from Canada.
A close-up image of someone washing their hands.

Coronavirus FAQ: It’s cold and flu season — and still COVID season. How do I stay unsick?

Last winter the number of flu cases was pretty low — likely a result of COVID precautions people were taking. Does that mean we have fewer antibodies and a greater risk of catching something now?
A map of Anchorage is blocked off in different color chunks.

Alaska Redistricting Board chooses map that emphasizes compact districts in Anchorage

The Alaska Redistricting Board adopted a new map for the Alaska House of Representatives districts on Friday.  The board voted 4–1 in favor of the...
A woman stands in front of a colorful mural.

How this Anchorage muralist is making her mark on the city

Rejoy Armamento's pieces often celebrate women and diversity, sometimes on part of a wall inside a local business, sometimes outdoors across the entire side of a building. Some recent work included focusing on women of color who work as food vendors in Anchorage.

Talk of Alaska: Resources for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing housing insecurity

Queer and trans youth are at increased risk of homelessness across the nation. In Alaska, limited resources compound the problem, and that makes it more likely young people will become chronically homeless. How are advocates working to address the shortfalls?
Judy Eledge attends an assembly meeting

Anchorage mayor’s second pick for library director resigns

Judge Eledge’s last day as library director was Friday. A city spokesman said she didn’t want to go through “what has been an unfair disparaging by the Anchorage Assembly” during the confirmation process. The Assembly previously voted down Bronson’s first pick for library director, Sami Graham.
Woman talks to guest on TV monitor on a television set.

Rural Alaska communities have largely been left behind in the digital revolution — until now | Alaska Insight

Better internet access is coming to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, but other regions of the state are still waiting to bridge the digital divide. How will new technology and funding resources help?