State health officials say they’ve detected the first case of the COVID-19 variant from the United Kingdom in Alaska, which appears to spread more easily and quickly.
Southcentral
Another poor sockeye season predicted for Cook Inlet
Last year’s sockeye run was the lowest since 1971, at 4.36 million fish. Commercial fishermen saw a harvest of 700,000 salmon in 2020, over 1 million short of the preseason projections.
Alaska Senate announces committee members as Sen. Hoffman returns as only Democrat in majority
This ensures that the mostly Republican Senate majority will have at least one Democrat for the seventh straight year.
24 Alaskans die of COVID-19 as state’s vaccination rate tops nation
Wednesday’s report brings the total number of Alaskans who have died from COVID-19 to 251.
SeaLife Center seals deal on spill response partnership
Locals know the Alaska SeaLife Center as an aquarium. But it’s also the state’s only permanent rescue and rehabilitation facility for marine mammals.
Seward demolishes building where Alaska flag first flew, plans for memorial in its place
From 1926 to 1964, the Jesse Lee Home was a residential school for children, many of whom were orphans or had parents with tuberculosis. It’s where Benny Benson lived when he designed the Alaska state flag, as a seventh-grader.
Federal government moves toward Cook Inlet oil lease sale
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is planning to solicit bids on over 1 million acres in the inlet’s federal waters, which includes anything more than three miles offshore.
New report says emergency orders helped slow the spread of coronavirus in Anchorage
The report looked at a range of data, including daily case counts, rates of transmission, survey data and Google mobility reports, which show general patterns of movement in the community.
Kenai Peninsula lawmakers join millions of conservatives on unmoderated social media platforms
Some lawmakers are moving to Parler and MeWe. The social media platforms are unmoderated so users can post whatever they want — including hate speech and conspiracy theories.
Judge rules against effort to remove some Dunleavy appointees
The Legislative Council filed a lawsuit on Dec. 23 seeking to remove appointees made since April 2019 to positions that require the Legislature’s approval.