As managers try to balance fire hazards with residents’ transit needs, drivers describe an unexpected inferno along the Sterling Highway overnight.
Alaska Public Media
Alaska Public Media is one of our partner stations in Anchorage. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.
In Alaska, Education Secretary DeVos touts alternative schooling agenda
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is in Alaska this week. She’s traveling the state to see how certain communities are using alternatives to traditional K-12 public schooling.
Officials: McKinley Fire has burned 51 homes, 3 businesses, 80 outbuildings
Officials also cautioned that the McKinley Fire is still extremely active and could intensify on Saturday because of a shifting wind pattern.
Will EPA veto Pebble? Boss of agency says it’s not his call.
During a recent trip to Alaska, the head of the EPA spoke on several topics. But he said nothing about the hottest topic involving the EPA and Alaska: the proposed Pebble Mine.
Pentagon scraps Fort Greely missile defense plan
The Pentagon is canceling a project to improve its ground-based missile interceptors, most of which are housed at Fort Greely in the Interior of Alaska.
In a trickle of information, McKinley Fire evacuees learn the fate of their homes
Residents displaced by the McKinley Fire are gradually finding out about their homes and property, as the state begins an assessment that will take days.
In August, Southcentral Alaska has been abnormally dry and hot — prime conditions for wildfires
Usually by August, peak fire season has passed. But fire and climate experts say conditions in Southcentral Alaska were nearly perfect for fire this weekend, from the sky to the dry forest floor.
Alaskan Joe Balash resigns as assistant secretary of Interior
Joe Balash is one of the highest-placed Alaskans in the Trump administration. In a brief phone call, Balash said he’s resigning to pursue another opportunity.
University of Alaska regents cancel financial exigency declaration
The vote overturns a declaration that allowed for the expedited elimination of academic programs and layoffs of tenured faculty.
Smoke from Southcentral blazes creating unhealthy air conditions in Anchorage
The Air Quality Index for fine particulate pollution reached as high as 189 Monday, which is in the unhealthy range. Anchorage’s Environmental Health Services department didn’t anticipate levels higher than that in the next few days, but the level will fluctuate.