News / State Of Alaska
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Alaska school board postpones decision on banned books
PALMER, Alaska (AP) – An Alaska school board postponed a vote over rescinding a ban on selected English course books after taking public testimony on the issue that attracted national attention when a Grammy-winning rock group pledged to purchase...
Alaska fisheries to get $50M in federal aid amid pandemic
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska will receive $50 million in federal coronavirus aid for fisheries, the U.S. Department of Commerce has announced, about half what state officials had expected. Alaska is home to large stocks of pollock, an inexpensive...
Face coverings not required on state-run Alaska ferries
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska’s state-run ferry system is not requiring that passengers and crew wear face coverings in response to COVID-19 concerns, with a spokesperson saying rider numbers are low and social distancing on board is ‘’easily...
Alaska campers fight wildfire until emergency crews arrive
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Firefighters were able to contain an Alaska wildfire that was initially fought by campers who first spotted the blaze, the U.S. Forest Service said. Several groups were camping at Boy Scout Beach in Juneau when some of them...
Southeast Alaska commercial shrimp pot fishery announcement
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (department) announced the following information concerning the 2019/2020 Southeast Alaska commercial pot shrimp summer fishery. The following areas will reopen by emergency order at 8:00 a.m., Friday, May 15, 2...
By Alaska's largest newspaper wins Pulitzer Prize
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska’s largest newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize in public service Monday for its work examining law enforcement in rural communities, a feat coming less than three years after the outlet was rescued from the brink of...
Organizers cancel Southeast Alaska State Fair, citing virus
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Organizers of the Southeast Alaska State Fair said Friday that the summer event in Haines has been canceled this year due to COVID-19. In a statement, fair officials said it was a difficult decision but the right one to make....
State of Alaska to Launch Joint COVID-19 Website
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Governor Mike Dunleavy, Department of Health and Social Services, and Department of Military and Veterans Affairs are launching a new joint COVID-19 website. This new website will be a...
State releases two new health mandates in response to COVID-19 spread
Governor Mike Dunleavy announced two new statewide health mandates Monday, March 23, in response to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 in Alaska. These are the ninth and tenth health mandates the state...
Coronavirus update:
Two new cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been identified in Fairbanks, bringing the total known cases in Alaska to three. Conditions and guidance regarding COVID-19 is changing by the...
Bill requiring coverage of telehealth services signed into law
JUNEAU – Today, a bill that requires state regulated private health insurers to cover telehealth services was signed into law by the governor. Rep. Ivy Spohnholz (D-Anchorage) sponsored House Bill...
Alaska governor seeks to assert calm over virus concerns
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, seeking to assert calm concerning the new coronavirus threat, said Monday he sees the fall in oil prices as a ``momentary issue’’ that with the stock market will work itself out. The virus has af...
Lawmakers vote to give Alaska Marine Highway System a lifeline
Today, Alaska’s ferries are one step closer to receiving badly needed funds. Members of the budget subcommittee working on the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities’ budget voted to add $18.7 million into the AMHS budget. Rep....
Study: Substance misuse cost Alaska about $3.5 billion
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – Substance misuse in Alaska has cost the state about $3.5 billion in 2018 in resulting health care, productivity loss, criminal justice, traffic accidents and other services, a yearlong study said. The McDowell Group, contracte...
Groups give notice they will sue to protect beluga whales
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Two environmental groups gave formal notice Friday that they will sue to protect endangered Alaska beluga whales from problems caused by oil and gas operations. The...
ACLU urges Alaskans to contact governor for immigration help
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska has encouraged residents with immigration problems to contact Gov. Mike Dunleavy after he asked the president to aid his...
New thalattosaur species discovered near Kake
Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have identified a new species of thalattosaur, a marine reptile that lived more than 200 million years ago. The new species, Gunakadeit joseeae, is...
M/V Matanuska sailings canceled due to ongoing mechanical issue Vessel requires inspection and repair in shipyard before returning to service
(JUNEAU, Alaska) – The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is cancelling sailings on the M/V Matanuska through Sunday, March 1. New issues with the reduction gear system have been identified and... Full story
Jury summonses by email in Alaska
When Alaskans are summoned for jury service, they fill out and return a questionnaire that allows court personnel to qualify, defer, or excuse them from service. After historically sending these...
Sitka mulls joining tiny house movement
SITKA, Alaska (AP) – Sitka is considering getting into the tiny home movement. The Daily Sitka Sentinel reports the Sitka Planning Commission got its first look Wednesday at how city code could be amended to make room for tiny houses, specifically...
Officials: Six of Alaska's 11 ferries will be out of service
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – More than half of Alaska’s ferries will be out of service amid a lack of funds to repair the vessels, transportation officials said. The state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced this week that the A...
Free to a good home: 1 newspaper
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Free to a good home: One newspaper. Not a single edition of a paper but the entire newspaper.Publisher Larry Persily is willing to give away The Skagway News to the right...
Alaska Delegation Pays Tribute to Senator Ted Stevens
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today joined in celebrating the life and legacy of the late Senator Ted Stevens and his contrib... Full story
Alaska Native convention passes climate change declaration
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Federation of Natives convention approved a declaration of a climate change emergency after a dispute over climate change and resource development, news organizations reported. Delegates to the group’s...
Alaska Airlines scales back miles partnership with American
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – Alaska Airlines and American Airlines will scale back their mileage plan partnership early next year. Alaska Airlines mileage plan members will not be able to earn miles on American Airlines international flights beginning...
