Wesley Early
Anchorage ReporterWesley moved to Anchorage in 2008, graduating from Bartlett High School and the University of Alaska Anchorage with a degree in journalism and public communications.
He started working in public radio in January 2016 as an intern at Alaska Public Media during his last semester of college. After graduating, he was hired full time and spent three years as a web editor, producer for Alaska News Nightly and education reporter. He then moved to Kotzebue (Qikiqtaġruk in Iñupiaq) to work at KOTZ-AM, where he was the community’s first news director in more than a decade.
After two years covering Arctic climate change, subsistence, Iñupiaq culture and the region’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wesley returned home to Anchorage where he covers city government and Anchorage life. When he’s not at work, he enjoys reading, finding new music to obsess over and searching for a new restaurant to try with his wife.
Reach Wesley at wearly@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8421.
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The Eaglexit movement gained momentum this week when it submitted a draft detachment petition to the state boundary commission. “This is definitely the furthest we've gotten,” says the group’s chair. -
It’s the first time since 2006 that the school district and union will enter arbitration because they remain at odds over contract terms. If arbitration fails, it could result in a teachers strike. -
The district had recommended closing Fire Lake and Lake Otis elementary schools at the end of the school year. The vote was a disappointment to two charter schools that would have moved into the vacated buildings. -
Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance has officially rolled out her 3% sales tax proposal after weeks of development, and it includes numerous exemptions. -
Anchorage election administrator Liz Edwards said the voting system has been in place since April, and was not a “first of its scale” experiment the city was about to conduct, as the Times reported. -
Carl Schmidt, 65, was struck by a pickup Oct. 28 near Minnesota Drive. He died Nov. 7 at a hospital. -
Getting voters to approve the tax may require addressing what UAA economist Kevin Berry calls “the Anchorage disconnect.” -
Officers say a driver was going northbound on King Street Monday night when he struck 46-year-old Jason Felder, who police say was not crossing at a marked or un-marked crosswalk. -
From about 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon to 3 a.m. Friday morning, weather forecasters say about 8 inches of snow blanketed the city. -
Officials estimate that the city will save $300,000 annually by buying the building instead of renting it, when factoring in the new lease and maintenance costs.
