News / State Of Alaska


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  • Alaska could be facing its first long-term decline in population and resulting economic slowdown

    Alex DeMarban, Anchorage Daily News|Dec 5, 2024

    After 11 straight years with more residents leaving Alaska than arriving, the state for the first time projects a long-term population decline, according to a report released Monday from the state’s demographer. And as Alaskans keep getting older, the number of deaths will rise while births keep falling, adding to the population decline looking out to 2050, according to David Howell, state demographer, writing in the state’s latest Alaska Economic Trends magazine. The projections, if they hold, could have important consequences, he said in an...

  • Alaska's lieutenant governor plans recount of narrowly defeated ranked choice voting repeal measure

    Sean Maguire, Anchorage Daily News|Nov 28, 2024

    Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom said Monday that she intends to recount a narrowly defeated ballot initiative to repeal ranked choice voting and open primaries. After a final ballot count last week, Ballot Measure 2 was defeated 49.9% to 50.1%. The repeal effort failed by 664 votes. “Alaska law ensures the integrity of our elections, and with results as close as these, a recount will be conducted as outlined by statute,” Dahlstrom said in a prepared statement. Under Alaska law, the state will pay for a recount in races where the margin is les...

  • Break in Kake's ferry dock mooring fouls Thanksgiving plans for dozens of people stranded in Juneau

    Mark Sabbatini, Juneau Empire|Nov 28, 2024

    Joey Chang says he was getting ready to depart the Hubbard state ferry after it docked in Kake on Saturday when suddenly the ship was no longer at the dock. "We are getting ready to get into the vehicle and we saw the opening of the ramp, and suddenly the whole ferry was moving away from the dock, and everybody got shocked and pretty much everyone froze up," he said. "The north wind was blowing so hard it pushed the ferry away from the dock." "And then I was looking at the rope, because the...

  • Alaska chooses to keep ranked choice voting, Begich defeats Peltola, unofficial results show

    Andrew Kitchenman, Alaska Beacon|Nov 21, 2024

    Alaska’s open primary and ranked choice voting system survived, while Republican U.S. House candidate Nick Begich defeated Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, according to the unofficial results released on Wednesday. The Alaska Division of Elections completed the ranked choice tabulations for all nine races in which no candidate received more than 50% of first-preference ballots. The division is targeting Nov. 30 as the date by which it will certify the results. There will be another tabulation completed then. Until that is completed, the results ar... Full story

  • Fisherman could get six months in prison after attempting to kill sperm whale

    James Brooks|Nov 14, 2024

    Federal prosecutors are recommending that an Alaska fisher serve six months in prison, pay a $25,000 fine and be banned from commercial fishing for a year after lying about fishing catches and trying to kill an endangered sperm whale. Dugan Paul Daniels pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor earlier this year, and prosecutors released their sentencing recommendation on Tuesday. According to court documents, Daniels became infuriated in March 2020 when a whale began taking fish from his longline fishing gear and damaging equipment. This kind...

  • Votes to repeal Alaska's open primaries, ranked choice voting are narrowly ahead

    Andrew Kitchenman, Alaska Beacon|Nov 7, 2024

    More Alaskans voted to repeal the state's open primary and ranked choice voting system than voted against the measure, among the roughly 70% of the votes counted through early Wednesday. There were 120,597 votes to pass Ballot Measure 2 and 115,110 against it, though it remained too close to call, with a rough estimate of 100,000 ballots left to count. Ballot Measure 2 would repeal the voting system that's been in place since voters approved it in 2020. If the measure passes, political parties... Full story

  • Alaska's U.S. House race close as early votes roll in

    Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News|Nov 7, 2024

    Republican challenger Nick Begich III was ahead of Democratic incumbent Rep. Mary Peltola in Alaska's U.S. House race with more than 90% of precincts reporting early Wednesday morning. The final result likely won't be known until Nov. 20, when Alaska's election workers are set to tabulate results in the ranked-choice election. Statewide, Begich had 49.66% of the over 255,000 votes counted as of Wednesday morning. Peltola had 45.27%. If the top vote-getter does not receive over 50% of the vote,...

  • Trump wins Alaska, for the 15th consecutive Republican victory in the state

    Andrew Kitchenman, Alaska Beacon|Nov 7, 2024

    Republican Donald Trump again won Alaska in the presidential election, the Associated Press announced on Wednesday. Trump had a 15.2-percentage-point lead over Democrat Kamala Harris, with roughly 70% of the state’s votes counted. Alaska was one of two states, along with Maine, that held a ranked choice election for president. However, the ranked choices of voters for trailing candidates would only be considered if no candidate received more than 50% of the first-preference votes. Trump was on track to exceed that level. Alaska has voted for t... Full story

  • Summer ferry schedule unchanged from recent years; one ship a week

    Larry Persily|Nov 7, 2024

    The proposed summer 2025 Alaska Marine Highway System schedule shows the same level of service to Petersburg as in the past several years: one ship serving the mainline route, with one stop northbound and one southbound each week. The Columbia will stop in Petersburg northbound on Sundays, on its run from Bellingham, Washington, through Southeast, then turn around in Skagway and stop on its southbound route on Wednesdays. It’s the same schedule as the Kennicott is running this year. The state ferry system is scheduled to pull the Kennicott out...

  • Wi-Fi coming to state ferries; will start with Columbia next month

    Larry Persily|Nov 7, 2024

    While planning and hoping for as much as $2 billion to replace its shrinking fleet of older ships over the next 20 years, the Alaska Marine Highway System also is looking at smaller things it can do to improve service in the near term. That will include Wi-Fi service on the ships; possibly more offerings or expanded bars; maybe even putting gift shops on the vessels. Federal money will pay for installing Wi-Fi. Increased bar service and possible gift shops will depend on whether the state ferry system can cover the costs, said Sam Dapcevich,...

  • Peltola stresses bipartisanship while Begich attacks Biden administration

    Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News|Oct 31, 2024

    The differences between Democratic incumbent Rep. Mary Peltola and her Republican challenger Nick Begich were on full display last Monday during the final planned debate of Alaska’s U.S. House race. Begich, a businessman who lost twice to Peltola in 2022, is again vying for Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat against Peltola, a former state lawmaker who won the seat in 2022 after leading for several years an intertribal fish commission. The outcome of the race could have far-reaching impacts in determining control of a closely divided chamber, dra...

  • U.S. Justice Department stresses protection of voters' rights 

    Ariana Figueroa|Oct 31, 2024

    WASHINGTON — With less than a week before the polls close on Nov. 5, the U.S. Justice Department Wednesday reiterated its efforts to protect voters’ access to the ballot box through its civil rights, national security and criminal divisions. “Protecting the right to vote, prosecuting election crimes, and securing our elections are all essential to maintaining the confidence of all Americans in our democratic system of government,” the Justice Department said in a press release. The Justice Department said that any complaints relating to viol... Full story

  • Above the Stikine River, the Canadian government is boosting a huge mining project you've probably never heard of

    Max Graham|Oct 24, 2024

    A major copper-and-gold mining project in the rugged mountains of northwestern British Columbia — upstream from a Southeast Alaska fishing town — is poised for a boost from the Canadian government. Canada's department of natural resources last month announced that it plans to inject about $15 million U.S. into a massive copper and gold development just 25 miles from the Alaska border. The project is perched above tributaries of the Stikine River — a major salmon-bearing waterway that flows... Full story

  • Alaska voters will decide on higher minimum wage

    Yereth Rosen|Oct 24, 2024

    Alaskans will vote Nov. 5 on a ballot measure that would increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2027 and require that workers get paid for up to seven sick days a year. To backers who collected signatures to put the question before voters, Ballot Measure 1 is about fairness for workers and overall state economic vitality. But opponents in business groups warn that the measure, if passed, would bring dire consequences. To Sarah Oates, CHARR’s president, the consequences of Ballot Measure 1 would be bad. “This is going to kill small... Full story

  • New state law aims to get experienced teachers in front of Alaskan kids

    Hannah Flor, KFSK Radio|Oct 24, 2024

    On a Thursday morning in Petersburg High School's room 206, algebra II students sit around the edge of the classroom, forming a big U. Their teacher, Megan Smith, asks them if it's possible to take the square root of a negative fraction. "Noooooooo" they chorus, "No solution!" Together they work through a series of problems. Then, even though class is only halfway over, she tells them to get started on their homework. She turns to four students who had been ignoring the lesson, curled over...

  • A culinary treasure: How mushroom foraging enriches a local chef's creations

    Francisco Martinezcuello, Chilkat Valley News|Oct 17, 2024

    Travis Kukull receives a lot of messages from friends, family, and randos up and down the Upper Lynn Canal every year around this time. “People text me pictures of things all the time.” They take pictures of fungi and send them to Kukull’s phone to see if they’re edible. But Kukull is the first to admit he doesn’t know everything and that he’s not a scientist. “I’m just a chef, but I am a mushroom nerd,” he said. It’s true – Kukull has been a chef for 25 years. Right now, he owns Malo Nista Catering in Haines. But his fungal fascination reigns...

  • Annual survey shows Southeast businesses concerned about filling jobs

    Larry Persily, Sentinel writer|Oct 10, 2024

    The number of jobs in Southeast Alaska continued its post-pandemic recovery last year. Yet, employers remain worried about filling job vacancies amid declining — and aging — population numbers. “While jobs continue to grow in 2024, so do concerns about the lack of a sufficient workforce in the region,” according to the annual Southeast Alaska by the Numbers report. “Compared to 2010, when the population was nearly identically sized, the region now has 1,700 more jobs and 5,600 fewer workforce-aged residents,” said the report, prepared by...

  • Haines fire destroys Mike Ward's convenience store

    Rashah McChesney|Oct 10, 2024

    HAINES - A small crowd gathered Saturday night watching as a fire ate through the building that houses Haines' Quick Shop, Outfitter Liquor, Outfitter Sporting Goods, Mike's Bikes & Boards, and four apartments. No one reported any injuries and, at first, it seemed as though Haines Volunteer Firefighters were going to be able to contain flames. But as the fire got larger and more involved, the crowd swelled. Dozens sat in the small boat harbor parking lot or along Front Street, watching as the...

  • In Alaska's local elections, a cruise ship limit fails, races are close, and Santa Claus returns

    James Brooks|Oct 3, 2024

    Voters in Alaska's capital city have rejected a resident-written ballot proposition that would have banned large cruise ships on Saturdays and the Fourth of July.Tuesday was municipal election day for most of Alaska's cities and boroughs, and in preliminary results in Juneau, about 60% of participating voters sided against the "ship-free Saturdays" initiative. Some ballots have yet to be counted but are not expected to change the result. Elsewhere across the state, municipal elections saw... Full story

  • Federal judge faults environmental analysis for planned huge gold mine in Western Alaska

    Yereth Rosen, Alaska Beacon|Oct 3, 2024

    Opponents of the planned Donlin Gold mine in Western Alaska won a key victory on Monday when a federal judge ruled that regulators who granted a permit needed to build the project failed to properly consider the risks of a catastrophic release of mine waste. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason agreed with tribal government plaintiffs that argued the environmental study that led to federal permitting for the Donlin mine illegally omitted analysis of the impacts of a major tailings dam failure. “I think it’s a major victory for the tri...

  • PFD plus energy rebate confirmed at $1,702, direct deposits on Oct. 3

    James Brooks, Alaska Beacon|Sep 26, 2024

    This year's Permanent Fund dividend, plus a one-time energy rebate bonus, will be a combined $1,702 per recipient, the Alaska Department of Revenue announced Thursday. The amount is slightly higher than previous estimates from the spring, in part because the number of recipients is lower than expected. The payments will be direct-deposited into Alaskans' bank accounts starting Oct. 3. Paper checks, for those Alaskans who requested them, will be mailed later in October. This year's combined... Full story

  • Alaska's life-expectancy drop was biggest among all states in pandemic year of 2021, CDC says

    Yereth Rosen|Sep 26, 2024

    Alaska had the biggest decline in average life expectancy of all U.S. states in 2021, a year when health outcomes were heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent national report. Alaska’s life expectancy in 2021 was 74.5 years, down from the average of 76.6 years in 2020, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, U.S. life expectancy declined by 0.6 years in that time, mostly because of the COVID-19 pandemic and increases in drug overdose deaths and other unintentional i...

  • Postal inspectors stop suspicious envelope intended for Alaska elections officials

    James Brooks|Sep 19, 2024

    ­­Officials with the U.S. Postal Service intercepted a threatening envelope sent to the Alaska Division of Elections on Tuesday, one of a number of similar packages sent to elections officials in other states, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom announced. Dahlstrom, who oversees elections work in the state, said in a written statement that the Postal Service notified the division that it had been targeted and that postal inspectors had seized a suspicious envelope and its contents for further investigation. Further details about the Alaska-bound envelope... Full story

  • Whooping cough cases continue rising statewide and Southeast

    Larry Persily, Wrangell Sentinel writer|Sep 19, 2024

    State health officials have recorded 234 cases this year of whooping cough — also known as pertussis — through Sept. 9, more than were reported over the past seven years combined. About three-quarters of this year’s cases came in the past three months. Of the statewide total, SEARHC reports 11 in Southeast from June through early September, Lyndsey Y. Schaefer, communications director for the health care provider, said in an emailed statement Sept. 12. Privacy rules prevent SEARHC from disclosing the communities with whooping cough cases...

  • State closes Southeast to king salmon sportfishing

    Wrangell Sentinel staff|Aug 29, 2024

    The Southeast Alaska sport fishery is on track to exceed its king salmon allocation for the summer by 14,000 fish, prompting the state to close the region to sportfishing for kings. The closure went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Aug. 26. “King salmon may not be retained or possessed, and any king salmon caught must be released immediately and returned to the water unharmed,” according to the Department of Fish and Game announcement late Friday, Aug. 23. The king salmon sport fishery will reopen on Oct. 1 for the winter season. “While the (...

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