Two Alaska GOP senators test positive for COVID-19
Two Alaska state senators have tested positive for COVID-19 and a third was not feeling well and awaiting test results, Senate President Peter Micciche said Tuesday.
Breakthrough infections might not be a big transmission risk. Here’s the evidence.
Are vaccinated people who get COVID as likely to spread the infection as unvaccinated people? Scientists don't think so.
Bronson vetoes Anchorage mask mandate
In his veto, Bronson wrote that the Assembly “openly displayed their scorn for the public process” by passing an emergency ordinance without public testimony.
First Alaska Native woman trooper, now retired, reflects on two decades in law enforcement
Anne Sears' 22-year career in law enforcement took her all over the state — from Southeast, to Southcentral, the Interior and, eventually, back to Northwest Alaska, where she's from.
U.S. households will pay more to heat their homes this winter, officials say
Nearly half of all U.S. households heat their homes with natural gas. A new report from the Energy Information Administration says they can expect to pay 30% more on average this winter.
Clem Tillion, Alaska’s original ‘fish czar,’ dies at 96
A towering figure in the worlds of Alaska fisheries and politics — and in the intersection between the two — Tillion, 96, died Wednesday morning at his home in Halibut Cove.
Toyostoves are scarce this year. That’s bad news for keeping homes in rural Alaska warm.
Step into any home in rural Alaska and there’s a good chance that a Toyostove is what’s keeping it warm. Toyostoves are heaters that run efficiently on stove oil. But the supply of Toyostoves in Alaska is running low, and it’s yet another symptom of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tribal, commercial fishing groups call for drastic reductions in trawl salmon bycatch
Fisheries managers allow whitefish trawlers to inadvertently scoop up halibut, crab and salmon in their nets. The bycatch rate is relatively low, but because the trawlers catch so much of their target species, the unintended harvest adds up.
Who needs to wear a mask in Anchorage and where? Here’s a breakdown of the new ordinance.
The Anchorage Assembly on Thursday overturned Mayor Dave Bronson’s veto of an emergency mask ordinance. That means the masking rules for the city are back in place.
Alaskan Latinos discuss culture and an upcoming documentary during Hispanic Heritage Month | Alaska Insight
Hispanics make up a growing share of the population in Alaska, and their stories are intertwined with the state's culture. How has life changed for the Hispanic and Latino community through the decades?
Officials warn of plateau as Alaska reports 964 new resident COVID cases
Cases have increased by an average of 8% in the last week, but they are still lower than the record highs at the end of September.
Incivility in Anchorage: Ex-Assembly members do not approve
There was a time when the other side wasn't considered evil, they say.
With 3 bold marks, Indigenous women helped revive a once-banned tradition
Grete Bergman was among the first Gwich'in women to get traditional facial markings since colonizers barred the practice. She and markings artist Sarah Whalen-Lunn did it for their daughters.
Unvaccinated City of Bethel employees say they won’t get the vaccine and are looking for new jobs
When the vaccine mandate took effect, the city had 17 unvaccinated employees. Since then, two of those employees quit, one got a religious exemption 10 got vaccinated and the rest are on administrative leave.
Alaska Gov. Dunleavy won’t endorse mask or vaccine mandates. But he says he won’t ban them either.
Dunleavy spoke with Alaska Public Media this week about the state of the pandemic, his relationship with lawmakers and the outlook for next year.
Alaska pediatrician group criticizes Anchorage’s chief medical officer over ‘grossly misleading’ comments on COVID
The Alaska chapter of a national group of pediatricians has written a blistering letter to Dr. Michael Savitt, Anchorage’s chief medical officer, criticizing recent statements he made on the effectiveness of masking and the spread of COVID-19 in the city.
Alaskans have been spotting turkey vultures all over the state this year
“With their bright red, featherless heads, you just can’t mistake them for anything else,” said migratory bird biologist Jim Johnson.
The political fight over vaccine mandates deepens despite their effectiveness
Republicans have grown increasingly hostile to the notion of mandatory vaccines — despite vaccine mandates existing in the background in parts of the United States since the 19th century — and have parlayed the fight against COVID-19 into a political battle, with vaccine mandates as the latest frontier in the great American defense of freedom and liberty.
For many Anchorage businesses, the mask mandate changes little. But it still could be enough to slow COVID spread.
Some Anchorage businesses vowed to turn a blind eye to enforcing the new mask mandate, but supporters of the masking rules say even a small change in public behavior could change the course of the pandemic.
Starting Sunday, Alaskans will have to dial 907 for local calls
Alaskans will have to dial 10 digits for local calls starting Sunday, Oct. 24.