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Alaska voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, August 16 to mark their ballots in a couple of firsts: The first election under the state's new ranked-choice voting system and the election of Alaska's first new member of the U.S. House in 49 years. The three finalists for Congress selected in the July special primary election are Republicans Nick Begich, a Chugiak businessman, and former Gov. Sarah Palin, and former Bethel state legislator Democrat Mary Peltola. At a recent candidate forum in...
SITKA (AP) — A bear going through trash has been killed by authorities in Sitka, a community that experienced a record number of bear incidents last year. The weekend shooting of the male brown bear by Sitka police was the first bear shooting this year in the southeast Alaska city, the Daily Sitka Sentinel reported. Last year, 14 bears were killed in and around Sitka, which the newspaper reports was a record for the community. Steve Bethune, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said four shots were fired, at l...
HAINES-Not every day does a wild wolf mate with a domestic dog. But a handful of local puppies born in February might be the product of such an occurrence, which biologists say is rare but not impossible. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) is investigating at least nine pups born at 35 Mile Haines Highway that might be wolfdogs, which are illegal to breed or possess in Alaska. "Somebody contacted me and said they were under the impression there were some dogs running loose in an area...
The top employees of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. are some of the highest-paid public workers in Alaska, but with wages rising across the country and employers competing for skilled labor, even the $80 billion Permanent Fund is struggling to keep employees from leaving. Nine of the corporation’s 66 employees have quit this year, including the manager of the corporation’s highest-earning investments and the entire three-person team in charge of finalizing trades. Seven other positions are new, and filling them is expected to be dif... Full story
ALPS Federal Credit Union, with headquarters in Sitka, and Tongass Federal Credit Union, with headquarters in Ketchikan, announced today they're seeking regulatory approval of their intent to merge. Tongass Federal Credit Union is a $150 million credit union with nine locations across Southeast Alaska, including Ketchikan, Metlakatla, Thorne Bay, Klawock, Wrangell, Hydaburg, Kake, Hoonah and Haines. ALPS is a $75 million credit union and operates locations in Sitka and Petersburg. The merged...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The state of Alaska plans to begin distributing this year’s oil-wealth fund check and a special energy relief payment to residents on Sept. 20. The timeline was announced Friday by Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the state Department of Revenue. The combined payout for the dividend and energy relief payment is estimated to be around $3,200 per person; a final figure is pending. Residents will receive the money as one payment, the department said. The energy relief payment was intended by lawmakers as a one-time benefit to help res...
Look around Southeast and you will see a lot of evergreen trees that aren't so green. Southeast Alaska's hemlock and spruce trees are fending off an assault by a number of pests and diseases, most notably a caterpillar that causes the conifers to turn reddish-brown. The main culprit is the western blackheaded budworm, a moth caterpillar that feeds on hemlock and spruce needles, according to U.S. Forest Service Alaska Region entomologist Elizabeth Graham in Juneau. Graham said Southeast trees...
Hunting guide Logan Canton has been working all over the state since 2008, including conducting black bear hunts in Southeast. He says, one of the biggest changes he's seen locally is an increase in nonresident hunters coming here to hunt bear, and the 2021-2022 season that just wrapped up on June 30 was no exception. For years, good genetics on Prince of Wales Island produced a reputation for black bears with big skulls. That, combined with the infrastructure, road system and an array of...
Sealaska Heritage Institute has made available online for the public recordings of two important treasures in the preservation of traditional Southeast Native culture, knowledge and history: Radio interviews with Native leaders that go back almost 40 years and the biennial Celebration festival. The 164 radio interviews preserved in digital files are from an hour-long program, “Southeast Native Radio,” that aired on Juneau public station KTOO 1985 to 2001. “The collection is remarkable, as it offers so many interviews with people on topic...
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade today, ending the federal right to abortion and putting access to it in the hands of states. In Alaska, abortion remains legal through the state constitution's provision on privacy, but abortion-rights advocates say that right is fragile. And they say that access to abortions in Alaska is already inequitable. "The big takeaway is abortion is still safe and legal in Alaska. All of the options that existed yesterday exist today in Alaska," said Rose... Full story
If elected, would you work to improve access to affordable child care? Kenny Skaflestad: This is a priority. And this is a priority again from the smallest village to our more prominent communities. The need for addressing the child care challenge in each community is a major topic. It's one that I'd be glad to champion as far as the Alaska State House has to do and I think that could be a great deal depending on the energies put towards it. I'm glad to have seen some of my predecessors in the H...
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has signed a $14.4 billion state budget, the sixth-largest in state history, after vetoing about $400 million from a proposal passed by the Alaska Legislature this spring. With Alaska expecting a multibillion-dollar surge in oil revenue due to high prices caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, spending is up by $2.7 billion when compared to the budget passed by the governor and lawmakers last year. That increase is less than the rise in revenue, and the state is poised to end a decade-long streak of years in which...
The Alaska Marine Highway System has enough crew to operate its summer schedule, though it still lacks a sufficient cushion to handle worker illnesses, injuries and personal leave without holding over staff for extra shifts. “We have been holding people longer than they would like,” Transportation Department spokesman Sam Dapcevich said last week. And the state ferry system is far short of the additional staff that would have been needed to bring the Columbia back to service after a three-year absence for maintenance and a money-saving tie...
Alaska state ferry service between Ketchikan and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, resumed on Monday afternoon. The last state ferry voyage to the Canadian port city was in late fall 2019. The Matanuska made a quick round trip Monday and is scheduled for another voyage on Friday. "(The) Matanuska made a test sailing to Prince Rupert about a week ago and all went to plan," state Transportation Department spokesperson Sam Dapcevich wrote in a Friday email. This summer's service is limited, with...
Republican candidate Tara Sweeney cannot replace independent candidate Al Gross in Alaska's special election for U.S. House, the director of the Alaska Division of Elections said Tuesday, one day after Gross said he will withdraw from the race. Gross's action and the division's decision means only three candidates will advance to a special general election on Aug. 16, but that could change if the division's decision is successfully challenged in court. Sweeney's campaign will not file a suit,... Full story
Two candidates have filed for candidacy in this year's election to fill Rep. Jonathon Kreiss-Tomkins' seat in the Alaska House of Representatives. Kreiss-Tomkins, who first elected to the seat in 2012, announced earlier this year that he will not seek reelection. House District 2, which was newly created by the Alaska Redistricting Board, spans Southeast Alaska from Prince of Wales Island to Yakutat and includes Petersburg, Sitka, Kake, and Craig. The candidates running for the seat are Kenny...
The four finalists for Alaska's special U.S. House election have been decided. Based on results tallied through Wednesday evening, Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III, independent candidate Al Gross and Democratic candidate Mary Peltola will be the options for Alaska's first ranked-choice election on Aug. 16. The winner of that election will fill the remaining term of former Congressman Don Young and serve in Congress until January, when the winner of the November general election is... Full story
Amongst the sounds of churning conveyor belts, rolling carts, and running rivers, a high pitched steam whistle blares, cutting through the noise-its time for mug up. Coffee drips and silverware clatters with plates as tired workers gather for a moment of respite. With eyes closed, hearing the symphony of industrial noise one might think they had walked inside an operating Alaskan cannery, but upon opening they would instead find a faithful recreation of cannery life inside the Alaska State... Full story
After 56 years of service in the Alaska Marine Highway System fleet and almost three years tied up at a Ketchikan dock, unused and in need of costly repairs, the Malaspina is headed to another career as a privately owned floating museum and employee housing. Plans also call for using the ship as a classroom for maritime industry jobs. The state last week accepted $128,250 for the 408-foot-long passenger and vehicle ferry from the recently formed Ketchikan company M/V Malaspina. The company is a subsidiary of Ward Cove Dock Group, owned by John...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska voters are facing an election unlike any theyve seen, with 48 candidates running to succeed the man who had held the states only U.S. House seat for 49 years. While some of the candidates in this weeks special primary have name recognition, including Sarah Palin and Santa Claus – yes, Santa Claus – many are relative unknowns or political novices – a fishing guide, a contractor, a gold miner who went to prison for allegedly threatening federal land managers. The huge number of candidates and the short timelin...
The Biden administration has officially revived an Obama-era plan that would put the Bristol Bay watershed off-limits to the proposed Pebble Mine or any similar project. The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced its intention to invoke a rarely used provision of the Clean Water Act to prevent the issuance of any wetlands-fill permit for a Pebble-sized metals mine. “Bristol Bay supports one of the world’s most important salmon fisheries,” Casey Sixkiller, EPA’s Region 10 administrator, said in a statement. “Two decades o... Full story
Months before Alaska’s state elections, the Legislature is set for major turnover. At least 17 of the Legislature’s 60 members will be in a new position or out of office entirely by next January — and that doesn’t count anyone who loses their seat this fall. The deadline to file for this year’s legislative elections is June 1, but many candidates have already made up their minds. Because a steep learning curve awaits new legislators, several departing incumbents said the turnover will slow the progress of complicated legislation, such as a... Full story
If oil prices stay above $100 a barrel for the next 12 months, the state could end the fiscal year in June 2023 with about $2.3 billion in its savings accounts, not counting the Permanent Fund. It hasn’t had that much in savings since 2018. “That’s not enough cash,” Senator Bert Stedman, co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said last Friday. The state treasury needs a healthier shock absorber to cushion against the inevitable periods of low oil prices, he said. It all depends on oil markets and prices. Alaska North Slope crude has average...
Three minutes before 11 p.m. on the last day of its regular session, the Alaska Legislature finalized a state budget that will pay each eligible Alaskan about $3,200 later this year. As late as Saturday, it appeared possible that the House and Senate would agree on a $5,500 payment, but lawmakers settled on a lower amount after days of negotiations and a failed vote to spend from savings. "For the four years I've been down here, we've practiced fiscal restraint and tried to keep money in... Full story
From June through August, personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Teams and Coast Guard Sector Juneau will be in Petersburg and Wrangell to conduct waterborne missions. They will be tasked with search and rescue, recreational and commercial vessel safety, and protecting Alaska’s living marine resources. “Our goal is to provide a Coast Guard safety and law enforcement presence amongst the vital commercial and recreational fishing communities of Petersburg and Wrangell,” said Cmdr. Scott Pierce, the Sector Juneau chief...
