News / State Of Alaska
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AK Airlines bans travelers who harassed crew
SEATTLE (AP) - Alaska Airlines has banned more than a dozen passengers from all future travel with the company after they refused to wear masks and caused chaos during a flight from the nation’s capital to Seattle. The airline said the 14...
Rural deliveries pose challenge for Alaska COVID vaccinators
ANCHORAGE (AP) - The usual transportation difficulties in rural Alaska have presented unique obstacles for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, officials said. Dozens of remote villages lack hospitals and road connections, while ultracold freezers...
By Anchorage retiree remembers kindness and repays Haines
Wally Smith, 83, a retired industrial arts teacher in Anchorage, donated $1,000 to Haines disaster relief efforts last month because he “had a kindness to repay to those who were kind to me” during a trip to the Southeast community in 1964....
U.S. Rep. Young calls for bipartisanship in Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. Rep. Don Young of Alaska issued a call for bipartisanship among his congressional colleagues while giving the oath of office to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Jan. 3. As the longest-serving member, Young, a Republican, is...
Trump vetoes ban on large-mesh drift gillnets off California
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump vetoed a bill Jan. 1 that would have gradually ended the use of large-mesh drift gillnets deployed exclusively in federal waters off the coast of California, saying such legislation would increase reliance on...
Legislature will require masks in Capitol
JUNEAU (AP) - The Alaska Legislature has required all lawmakers and staff to wear masks during the upcoming session in a bid to stop the coronavirus from spreading. The Legislative Council passed the mandate 11-1 in a virtual meeting the last week...
Polar Bear Plunge happening tomorrow
The year has come to a close, and a new one looms. Many are likely happy to see 2020 go, just as many are also likely eager to see what 2021 has to offer. In either case, this Friday afternoon offers...
Congress allocates $3.62 million for U.S./B.C. transboundary rivers, strengthens State Department involvement
Led by the Alaska Congressional Delegation, the U.S. Congress has approved more than $3.62 million for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to continue baseline water quality monitoring at the international border for Southeast Alaska’s transboundary...
Alaska Airlines to purchase 68 new Boeing 737 MAX planes
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska Airlines has said it intends to purchase 68 new Boeing 737 MAX planes despite the model having been grounded in 2019 after a pair of high-profile crashes that killed 346 people. The company said in a statement Tuesday t...
Coast Guard reports hydraulic oil spill off coast of Alaska
KODIAK, Alaska (AP) – The Coast Guard has said it responded to a report of an oil spill from one of its own ships off the coast of Alaska. The Coast Guard said in a statement on Sunday that the 180-foot (55-meter) buoy tender boat started to...
Erosion causes landslide at Public Works in Petersburg
PETERSBURG - Water from this month's heavy rainfall ripped at deformities in a culvert that runs underneath the Public Works yard, opening up a portion of the pipe and causing a landslide near Hammer...
Petersburg bow hunter sets world record
PETERSBURG – After an anxious three months, the rocky mountain goat Kaleb Baird shot with a bow and arrow on the Cleveland Peninsula has been certified by Pope and Young, a conservation club, as...
Alaska governor proposes cash payouts, infrastructure plan
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposed an “extraordinary response’’ to revive Alaska’s pandemic-stunted economy Friday, including about $5,000 in direct payments to residents from the state’s oil-wealth fund and an...
Results from Alaska's general election certified
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The results of Alaska’s general election were certified Monday, the Division of Elections announced. Certification followed a review of ballots, voter registers and other materials by a bipartisan board. Certification...
Petersburg officer accused of sexual misconduct
Two Petersburg residents are facing charges after accusing a Petersburg Police Department officer of sexual misconduct. James R. Vick and Julie C. Ruhle claimed that Officer Louis Waechter allegedly t...
Juneau nonprofits awarded $860K virus homeless relief grant
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – A group of four nonprofit organizations in Alaska’s capital have been awarded a grant of more than $860,000 to counter homelessness amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Juneau Empire reported Friday that the grant from the...
AK lab failed to report about 1,600 positive virus cases
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – A lab in Alaska failed to report over 1,600 positive coronavirus tests to the state health department in the past month, according to a state official. Dr. Louisa Castrodale, an epidemiologist with the state, said Friday...
Virus vaccine doses could be distributed in Alaska in weeks
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The first shipment of a COVID-19 vaccine could arrive in Alaska within a few weeks, state health officials said. Early batches of vaccine will be prioritized for essential workers in health care, assisted living and...
Southeast Alaska commercial Dungeness crab fall season closure
The commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Registration Area A (Southeast) will close in most areas by regulation at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, November 30, consistent with 5 AAC 32.110. Districts 1 and 2, and Section 13-B outside of the Sitka Sound...
USDA exempts Tongass National Forest from the 2001 Roadless Rule
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today [Oct. 28] announced a final Alaska Roadless Rule that exempts the Tongass National Forest from the 2001 provision that prohibited road construction,...
U.S. Coast Guard ship assigned to Arctic instead of Antarctic
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The U.S. Coast Guard has assigned its icebreaker Polar Star to the Arctic in December instead of its normal role in supporting Antarctic affairs. The Polar Star’s change in deployment was due to concerns stemming from the...
Kake turns to biomass heating for public buildings
SITKA, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska island village plans to use an advanced version of an ancient renewable energy system to lower its high energy costs. The village of Kake wants to build a biomass district heating system to warm its public buildings...
Alaska to require masks and COVID-19 screens at Capitol
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Legislative Council approved a measure that requires lawmakers, employees and reporters to be screened for the coronavirus when entering the Capitol and to wear masks or face coverings in the building and other...
Positive COVID-19 case shuts down schools in Petersburg
PETERSBURG – A positive case of COVID-19 was identified this morning in Mrs. Potrzuski’s fifth grade classroom at Rae C. Stedman Elementary School, resulting in a district-wide school closure, according to a statement on Petersburg School...
Alaska accepts bids for 2 fast ferries that faced struggles
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) –Alaska is redoubling efforts to sell two fast ferries by accepting sealed bids. The state Department of Transportation issued a public notice of the bidding process Thursday, CoastAlaska reported Monday. The state set a...
