Economy
Anchorage small businesses see a strong holiday season, despite winter storm challenges
An industry advocate sees encouraging signs from holiday shopping, but says local businesses are still recovering from November’s snow storm closures.
Key findings released in Kenya universal basic income experiment
Money given to villagers in Kenya has stronger benefits delivered as a lump sum, similar to Alaska PFDs, than it does as monthly payments.
Juneau leaders consider whether – and how – to limit cruise ship visitors
Tourism Manager Alexandra Pierce says the cruise industry may be willing to discuss ship-free days, ship size limits or a daily visitor cap.
Resources for startup businesses | Talk of Alaska
e discuss what it takes to launch a successful startup, and how to keep it growing, on this Talk of Alaska.
Persily perforates Alaska natural gas line’s prospects in ‘Gasonomics’ talk
Longtime energy observer Larry Persily thinks Alaska will import natural gas to meet its needs, rather than building an in-state gas pipeline.
Alaska ferry system awarded $132M in federal grants
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the funds, largely intended to replace the ferry Tustumena, represent “a big, fat deal” for Alaskan ferry riders.
Ripping open the world of pull-tabs, Alaska’s most popular form of charitable gaming
All legal gaming in Alaska benefits nonprofits, and the most popular form, pull-tabs, is played at more than 1,000 locations statewide.
Alaska-Hawaiian merger tests Biden administration’s resolve to preserve competition
The deal is smaller than mergers a decade ago. But regulators are already fighting another small merger — JetBlue’s proposal to buy Spirit Airlines.
Cook Inlet natural gas producer says it’s sitting on large deposit, but nobody wants in
Natural gas extraction in the Cook Inlet region has become more difficult, and utilities are considering importing it from outside Alaska.
Alaska tribe’s members say corruption, self-serving deals brought Manh Choh gold mine to their land
A former tribal chief for the Native Village of Tetlin greenlit the mine and leased mineral exploration rights to a mining venture, now led by Kinross Alaska.
Alaska Airlines to buy Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9B
The combined airlines will be based in Seattle, after a deal nearly a year in the making. Hawaiian Airlines will retain its corporate branding.
Federally funded project will search for rare earth elements in Southeast Alaska seaweed
The University of Alaska Fairbanks-led project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a push for domestic rare earth elements.
Peltola hosts online town hall on Albertsons-Kroger merger
In the tele-town hall Tuesday night, Rep. Mary Peltola said she was nervous about what the merger could mean for grocery options in Alaska communities.
Peltola flips script on long-running congressional drama over Arctic drilling
Room 1324 has seen this Alaska controversy play out for decades. This time, new characters changed the vibe.
There’s lots of gas in Cook Inlet — here’s why some companies aren’t drilling
Leaders of Alaska’s biggest utilities say they don’t want to risk investing in drilling, when imported LNG appears reliable and competitive.
Alaska’s rising minimum wage means more to salaries than you might think
Many hourly employees already make more than minimum wage. But exempt salaried employees must be paid double that rate in Alaska.
Wells Fargo branch in Bethel files for unprecedented union elections
Employees at Bethel’s Wells Fargo, along with a branch in Albuquerque, N.M., filed paperwork to form a new union on Nov. 20.
Western Alaska crafters prepare for gift-giving season
For artists with small businesses, including two from Western Alaska, the holiday season kicks off well before the temperature starts to change.
Food Bank of Alaska sees record demand and a decline in donations amid the holiday season
"This year, we've really seen record levels of need at our partners. Many of them have said they are serving more people than ever before," said Cara Durr with the Food Bank of Alaska.
Black Friday deals start early and seem endless. Are there actually any good deals?
Retailers have begun rolling out deals days or even weeks ahead of one of the biggest shopping day of the year, enticing customers with early offers.
Anchorage mayor says downtown in a renaissance, but departing cafe’s fans disagree
Assembly Chair Chris Constant, who is often politically at odds with the mayor, agreed with Bronson’s optimism about downtown Anchorage.
Tourism, aging create ‘a lot of challenges’ for Ketchikan’s first responders
Ketchikan's fire chief, Rick Hines, says off-duty crew members are being paged to answer calls, with up to seven happening simultaneously last year.
Alaska hemp producers sue state, saying new ban on products is illegal
Alaska recently banned hemp products with intoxicating THC. The hemp industry says its products are protected under federal law.
Environmental groups ask federal appeals court to halt Willow oil project
The plaintiffs argue that Judge Sharon Gleason made a mistake when she allowed work to proceed on ConocoPhillips' Willow project.
Alaska gets $200M from feds for Railbelt energy project, Cook Inlet undersea cable
Alaska Beacon reporter James Brooks discussed the project, and the flexibility it could create for energy security on the Kenai Peninsula and beyond.
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