Alaska’s first state ferry — the Chilkat — broke free of its moorings on Wednesday and sank during a windstorm in Anacortes, Washington.
Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska
Democrats renew push to restore Roadless Rule in Tongass National Forest
Democratic lawmakers in Congress have filed a bill that would reverse the Trump administration’s decision to exempt the nation’s largest national forest from the 2001 rule that restricts road-building and other development.
Spanish firm bids on Alaska’s fast ferries
A Spanish firm offered a pair of bids worth $4.6 million for the Chenega and Fairweather, which the state bought for a combined $68 million.
LISTEN: Juneau author crafts a thoughtful portrait of brown bears in Alaska with ‘A Shape in the Dark’
“A Shape in the Dark: Living and Dying with Brown Bears” is a new book by Juneau writer and wilderness guide Bjorn Dihle. It combines a sweeping historical perspective with Dihle’s own experience and interviews with others in the field.
Sealaska Corporation says it’s quitting logging
The exit from timber by one of the region’s economic powerhouses is the latest sign of Southeast’s transition away from logging.
Alaska Supreme Court rules in favor of critical Native corp. shareholder
ACLU senior counsel Susan Orlansky says the justices’ decision outlines how the state’s regulations potentially fall afoul of the U.S. Constitution on free speech and due process grounds.
In lawsuit, groups ask that ‘Roadless Rule’ protections be put back in place for the Tongass
A coalition including environmental groups, tribes and fishermen filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to restore Roadless Rule protections to 9 million acres of Tongass National Forest.
Researchers: No cruise ships in 2020 gave Glacier Bay’s whales ‘room to roam’
The cancellation of this year’s cruise ship season has been a boon for marine mammals in one of Alaska’s most protected destinations. Federal scientists say humpback whales are enjoying the relative calm in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
Coastal lawmakers pan Dunleavy’s ferry budget proposal
Gov. Dunleavy’s proposed budget again has less funding than what’s historically appropriated for the ferries. Kodiak Rep. Louise Stutes said the governor “apparently didn’t hear the outcry of people in support of the marine highway system.”
After punishing rains, National Weather Service ‘not seeing anything that’s too far out of the normal’ this week
The National Weather Service the next weather system isn’t likely to bring the kinds of heavy rainfall and high winds that brought destructive landslides and flooding last week.