Eric Stone, Alaska's Energy Desk - Ketchikan
Governor said federal relief would make up for an education veto. School officials say that’s not the case.
Because CARES Act funding is restricted, districts say they can't use it to cover core costs like teacher salaries.
With Asian economy back on its feet, Alaskan geoduck clam fishery set to reopen
But there's a worry about low prices and the reduction of flights to Asia, meaning the clams might not make it to market as fresh as they could.
Ketchikan has a lot of cases, but has it seen ‘community spread’? That’s a tough question.
Most of the cases in the small town are thought to stem from one or two people who brought the virus back from a trip. But has anyone tested positive without a clear sense of where they caught it?
Ketchikan searchers looking for boy missing since Wednesday
Search and rescue volunteers are searching the Lunch Creek Trail area near Settlers’ Cove. Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad head Jerry Kiffer told KRBD that a hiker found the boy’s mother on the trail with serious injuries on Friday.
Three more COVID-19 cases in Ketchikan bring statewide tally to 17
Ketchikan-area officials are urging residents to “hunker down and shelter in place” after announcing three new coronavirus cases Saturday afternoon. That brings Ketchikan’s total to six cases.
Second Ketchikan COVID-19 case was the spouse of the first patient
Ketchikan now has two confirmed coronavirus cases — in the same household.
Coronavirus shutters Southeast Alaska geoduck clam fishery
The coronavirus that emerged in late 2019 has infected more than 60,000 people, mostly in China. Though there haven’t been any confirmed cases in Alaska, geoduck clam fishermen are feeling ripple effects.
As cruise tourism has eclipsed timber in this Southeast town, some wonder: Can a few wild places remain truly local?
Tourism has replaced timber as the primary economic driver in many places around Southeast Alaska. And it’s a growing sector: nearly one and a half million people are forecast to visit the region this summer. But some residents don’t want to see tourists in places that often serve as refuges for locals.
Ketchikan man arrested with bomb-making materials, semi-automatic rifle, thousands of rounds of ammunition
What Ketchikan Police’s Andy Berntson says they found during the Jan. 24 search, though, was a small arsenal: a semi-automatic rifle with thousands of rounds of ammunition, plus bomb-making materials.
Proposed $12 billion natural gas terminal near Prince Rupert draws skepticism
A new company would like to build a $12 billion natural gas export terminal in Southeast Alaska waters near Prince Rupert, British Columbia. But some aren’t convinced the project will be viable.
For Southeast Alaska school basketball teams, ferry cuts are “a significant blow”
Some teams are spending more money to fly to their away games. The higher price tag means fewer students can go.
Chinook salmon are getting smaller, and researchers say killer whales may be to blame
Chinook salmon, also known as king salmon, are getting smaller, and a team of scientists at the University of Washington think they know why. A new study says killer whales might be behind Chinook’s declining size.
Despite recent drought, one Southeast Alaska power provider won’t raise rates — yet
During a 16-month drought that only ended this past November, Southeast communities had to turn to diesel to fill the gap left by underfilled hydroelectric lakes.
State troopers’ plan to move dispatch to Anchorage draws criticism from Ketchikan borough
The planned move is part of a wider effort to centralize dispatch operations, which also involves closing dispatch facilities in Wasilla and Soldotna.
Heavy rains prompt flooding concerns for Ketchikan less than a month after drought ends
A month of near-constant downpours has finally lifted the Ketchikan area out of drought — but getting all that rain at once presents an entirely new set of problems.
$1M worth of illicit drugs seized from suspected dealer’s safe-deposit box
Bellingham-area resident Spencer Hill was arrested Nov. 6 in a Ketchikan hotel with a half pound of methamphetamine, a small amount of heroin, a pistol reported stolen and a money counting machine, police said.
Bacteria levels high at Ketchikan beaches, shellfish harvest sites this summer
A dozen common shellfish harvest sites and recreational beaches in the Ketchikan area exceeded safe bacteria levels at least once this summer, according to a coalition of groups that monitor water quality.