Attorneys argue scope of Metlakatla’s off-reservation fishing rights in federal court

Metlakatla Mayor Albert Smith exits the courtroom at the Robert Boochever U.S. Courthouse in Juneau, Alaska after oral arguments in a fishing rights case on Feb. 15, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media) Attorneys presented oral arguments in a long-running dispute over fishing rights on Alaska’s only Native reservation on Thursday. Metlakatla Indian Community sued Gov.…

Hometown hero? Valdez may soon get a life-sized statue of a ‘Star Trek’ icon

A mock-up of what the proposed bronze statue of William Riker in Valdez would look like. (Courtesy of Riker Maneuver) Commander William Riker is many things. A tactical leader. A bearded charmer. Even a jazz aficionado. And though he won’t be born for another 300 years — and he’s a fictitious character — Riker just…

In speech to Alaska Legislature, Murkowski shows she’s outside Trump’s grip on GOP

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski greets Rep. CJ McCormick, D-Bethel, after her 2024 address to the Alaska Legislature. (Clarise Larson/KTOO) While former President Donald Trump continues to tighten his hold on the Republican party, Sen. Lisa Murkowski made clear in her annual speech to the Alaska Legislature that she’s immune to that force field. She urged…

Alaska Gov. Dunleavy’s plan to lease land for carbon storage comes with questions

The state says depleted fields in Cook Inlet basin have potential to store up to 50 gigatons of carbon dioxide. (Sabine Poux/KDLL) Members of the Alaska Senate Resources Committee revisited one of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s priority bills last month, to get the state into a fledgling industry: carbon storage. The bill is part of a…

Eklutna hydro owners say they won’t extend wildlife restoration process

Eklutna Lake is tucked into the Chugach Mountains not far from Anchorage. (Abbey Collins/Alaska Public Media) Utilities have rejected the Anchorage Assembly’s request for a two-year extension to the planning process for restoring fish habitat to at least some of the long-dammed Eklutna River. The owners of the Eklutna Hydroelectric Project say they want a…

Kenai Central students get a behind-the-scenes look at career options

KCHS junior Gavin Hunt addresses his fellow classmates at the Kenai Chamber’s job shadow luncheon. (Hunter Morrison/KDLL) Each year, Kenai Central High School juniors have the opportunity to explore their passions with a behind-the-scenes look at their preferred career through a job shadow event run by the Kenai Chamber of Commerce. This year’s job shadow…

Alaskan skiers among contenders at first World Cup event on U.S. trails in more than two decades

A skier practices on the World Cup course in Minneapolis, Minnesota ahead of races that start Feb. 17, 2024. (Nat Herz) The top cross-country skiers in the world, including some from Alaska or with Alaska connections, are competing this weekend in a rare World Cup tour stop in the U.S. In fact, it’s been 23…

Alaska News Nightly: February 16, 2024

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, exits the Senate chamber after a floor session on Jan. 29, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media) Stories are posted on the statewide news page. Send news tips, questions, and comments to news@alaskapublic.org. Follow Alaska Public Media on Facebook and on Twitter @AKPublicNews. And subscribe to the Alaska News Nightly podcast. Friday on Alaska News Nightly: State…

Alaska Senate moves toward rejecting some of Gov. Dunleavy’s 12 executive orders

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, exits the Senate chamber after a floor session on Jan. 29, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media) The Alaska Senate is working on nixing several of the dozen executive orders Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued earlier this year. The orders are mostly related to restructuring or eliminating various boards or commissions, and they’re…

Alaska News Nightly: February 15, 2024

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski greets Rep. CJ McCormick, D-Bethel, after her 2024 address to the Alaska Legislature. (Clarise Larson/KTOO) Stories are posted on the statewide news page. Send news tips, questions, and comments to news@alaskapublic.org. Follow Alaska Public Media on Facebook and on Twitter @AKPublicNews. And subscribe to the Alaska News Nightly podcast. Thursday on Alaska News Nightly: A federal…

Julie Kitka to step down as longtime head of the Alaska Federation of Natives

Julie Kitka, president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, conducting business at the 2022 AFN Convention. Kitka has worked in various capacities at AFN since 1981 and has developed a reputation for her ability to effectively represent Alaska Natives before the U.S. Congress and federal agencies. (AFN) A major transition is ahead for the Alaska…

Anchorage school employee arrested for assaulting student

The Anchorage School District Education Center street sign. (Mayowa Aina/Alaska Public Media) A staff member at Baxter Elementary School in Anchorage has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a student, police say.  Anchorage police say 31-year-old Juwan Harris was arrested Thursday after he allegedly “put his hands” on a student following a disagreement on the playground…

Alaska News Nightly: Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Rep. Sarah Vance, R-Homer, sits in the House chamber at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau on Feb. 14, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media) Stories are posted on the statewide news page. Send news tips, questions, and comments to news@alaskapublic.org. Follow Alaska Public Media on Facebook and on Twitter @AKPublicNews. And subscribe to the Alaska News Nightly podcast. Wednesday on…

Avalanche near Cooper Landing kills 28-year-old skier

Emergency personnel respond to an avalanche north of Cooper Landing that killed one skier and injured two others on Tuesday, Feb. 13. (Photo courtesy Clay Adam, Cooper Landing Emergency Services) A backcountry skier died in an avalanche Tuesday afternoon about a mile from the Seward Highway, just north of Cooper Landing. 28-year-old Anchorage resident Joseph…

A moose on the loose: Combat shopping in an Anchorage Costco parking lot

A shopper caught the moose in action, trying to steal a sack of sweet potatoes, as Amber Rotar shakes her finger at it. The caption on Facebook says, “Only in Alaska will you see mamas cussing out a moose.” (Screenshot) Human interactions with moose have become more common in the Anchorage Bowl, as deep snow…

Alaska News Nightly: Monday, February 12, 2024

General Roofing Co. employee Nevada Hansen shovels a path out on an office building’s roof on Business Park Boulevard in Anchorage on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. A different crew was clearing snow off the rooftop in the background. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media) Stories are posted on the statewide news page. Send news tips, questions, and comments to…

Sullivan votes to advance Ukraine aid bill, saying the money will boost America’s industrial base

Sen. Dan Sullivan at a 2021 event in Anchorage. (Jeff Chen/Alaska Public Media) U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan has voted to advance a foreign aid bill that has $95 billion for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. He said it will fight authoritarian aggression globally and also rev up America’s capacity to manufacture weapons, ammunition and war ships.…

Bill to provide free access to Cook Inlet seismic surveys moves forward

Hilcorp’s offshore Spark platform in Cook Inlet. (Creative Commons/Ground Truth Trekking) A bill aimed at increasing oil and gas production in Cook Inlet took a step forward Monday. The proposal advancing out of the House Resources Committee would provide companies and researchers free access to seismic survey data used to locate oil and gas deposits…

Alaska-born soprano returns to Anchorage for upcoming spring-centric concert | State of Art

Anchorage Festival of Music’s upcoming concert is called “Visions of Spring” and features Alaska-born Victoria Fraser. The soprano has a broad background in music, performance and composition with a particular interest in folk music. She also extensively studied old styles of singing like Gregorian chant and holy music, giving her a historical perspective to her…

Alaska politicians contemplate first statewide borrowing request since 2012

The Alaska House Finance Committee is seen on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) Alaska lawmakers are considering whether to ask voters for permission to borrow money for major upgrades to the state’s electrical grids, they said this week. Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded the Alaska Energy Authority a…

Judge rules some city records on resigned Anchorage health department director should be public, even if they’re ‘highly embarrassing’

Anchorage’s acting health director Joe Gerace poses for a photo after taking journalists on a walkthrough tour of the Sullivan Arena shelter on Nov. 1, 2021. (Jeff Chen/Alaska Public Media) An Alaska Superior Court judge on Thursday issued a split decision in an appeal from the Anchorage Assembly, which called on the court to make public two documents in…

Scientists investigate Paralytic shellfish poisoning as possible factor in large marine die offs 

Knik Tribe Chief Scientist Bruce Wright has linked high levels of paralytic toxins in fish like sand lance to the decline in Yukon king and chum salmon. (ADFG photo) Paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP, is a growing concern for Alaska’s entire marine food web, according to a scientist who presented testing data at Alaska Forum…

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