Alaska-based vets reflect on Afghanistan, resurgence of Taliban
The withdrawal of the U.S. military from Afghanistan has been watched closely by veterans of the 20-year war, who’ve expressed a range of emotions and opinions as the Taliban have once again swept into power.
Pfizer’s COVID vaccine gets full approval from the FDA
The Food and Drug Administration has formally approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. The widely anticipated decision replaces the emergency use authorization granted by the agency last December.
With no mask mandate, Anchorage businesses are left to decide what they’ll risk for public health
COVID cases are surging in Anchorage again, but this time, there’s no municipal mask mandate and no authority telling businesses how to keep COVID from spreading. That leaves some business owners in the uncomfortable position of deciding how much they are willing to confront their customers and employees to protect public health.
Alaska legislators scrutinize Dunleavy’s proposed $2,350 PFD
State budget director Neil Steininger said the governor still wants the Legislature to pass the constitutional amendments he’s proposed, to enshrine the PFD in the state constitution and lower the state’s spending limit.
Alaska biologists say wood bison reintroduced to the wild are thriving
State biologists completed an annual survey of the Innoko-Yukon River wood bison population earlier this summer, and they say the results show the animals are doing well six years after a seed group of bison was released in the area.
Anchorage doctors sound alarm about ‘imminent’ hospital system collapse
At a last-minute Assembly health update, doctors who work at Anchorage’s main hospitals described heart-wrenching scenes from the last week of last goodbyes to unvaccinated loved ones, nurses quitting their jobs due to burnout, and infants hospitalized for severe cases of COVID-19.
Former Anchorage School Board president charged with stealing thousands from local brewing company
Elisa Vakalis has been charged with six felony counts for allegedly stealing from the Matanuska Brewing Company.
Immunocompromised? State recommends a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
State and federal health authorities say people with compromised immune systems should get a third dose of Pfizer or Moderna.
Former state Rep. Les Gara becomes fourth candidate for Alaska’s governor
Gara, 58, is the fourth candidate to file for the primary, to be held on Aug. 16, 2022. The others are independent former Gov. Bill Walker, Libertarian Billy Toien and Dunleavy.
Mat-Su doctor: ‘Stand with me over a patient taking their last breaths’
At a state-sponsored briefing for Mat-Su parents Thursday, Dr. Tom Quimby described watching patients die in his Mat-Su emergency department, and implored parents to get their children vaccinated.
Alaska-rooted Portugal. The Man surprised Anchorage high school with live concert
The band showed up on Dimond High School’s football field after the student government won a district-wide video contest.
Prosecutors vet US Senate candidate’s fishing license case
Law enforcement officials have completed their investigation into whether a U.S. Senate candidate and former State of Alaska official illegally obtained a fishing license for a sportfishing event two years ago. They have turned it over to a special prosecutorial branch of the Department of Law, an official said Thursday.
Dunleavy adds proposed $2,350 PFDs to special session agenda
Without the move, it was possible Alaskans wouldn’t receive PFDs this fall for the first time in 40 years.
Bronson appoints two critics of pandemic restrictions to Anchorage’s public health advisory committee
Anesthesiologist Shawn Degler and retired physician’s assistant Jim Wojciehowski were appointed to fill vacant seats on Anchorage’s Health and Human Services Commission. Assembly members say they will scrutinize their past comments before they vote to confirm.
Anchorage inspectors intercept more than 3,000 fake COVID-19 vaccination cards
The counterfeit vaccination cards were found in a shipment from China to the Port of Alaska.
Five residents at Ketchikan’s Pioneer Home die from COVID-19, state reports
Five residents at Ketchikan’s Pioneer Home died from COVID-19 during an outbreak at the assisted-living home this past week, according to the state health...
Alaska children make up growing percent of state’s coronavirus cases
Children age 11 and under accounted for 15% of Alaska’s COVID cases last month, up from 7% a year ago.
COVID-19 cases stress Anchorage intensive care units
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The intensive care unit system in Alaska’s largest city is near capacity amid a rise in COVID-19 cases during what is typically a busy season for hospitals.
Yukon subsistence users go to new lengths for food after chums don’t return
Subsistence fishing on the lower Yukon River is closed for both king and chum salmon. Residents who usually depend heavily on the fish are pivoting toward other ways to get meat.
As bee populations decline, a statewide study looks into Alaska’s other pollinators
The goal of the project is to collect more comprehensive data on all pollinator species, including those on Mitkof Island.