More than 5,000 people may come to the Fairbanks area over the next four years as part of the move to base two squadrons of F-35 fighters at Eielson Air Force Base. The latest estimate announced Monday is well above the previous estimate of 3,500. The bigger population increase is expected to place a greater burden on local services.
Interior
Tularemia reported around Fairbanks, Palmer; vets urge quick diagnosis, treatment for pets
The state Department of Fish and Game is warning pet owners in the Interior and Southcentral Alaska about a recent spike in reports of tularemia – sometimes called “rabbit fever.”
Alaska governor calls for more defenses amid N. Korea threat
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Bill Walker says he didn’t think North Korea would be able to strike the state with a nuclear warhead until 2020. But spiraling rumors about the country’s missile capabilities and its leader Kim Jung Un’s recent comments — coupled with President Donald Trump’s statements — have led to him…
2 change pleas, sentenced in North Pole puppy abuse case
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A North Pole couple charged with starving and beating a 6-month-old puppy reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports 22-year-old Denise John-Carroll pleaded guilty Thursday to one felony count of knowingly inflicting prolonged suffering to an animal. John-Carroll was ordered to pay $1,300 to a veterinary hospital…
Sen. Sullivan wants 28 more interceptors at Fort Greely
Each missile costs roughly $80 million, so this is a multi-billion dollar proposal. “Buying that kind of insurance for everybody, not just Alaska but for every city in America, to me is a price that almost any American would want to pay,” Sullivan said.
As Fairbanks police deal with spike in violent crime, low pay complicates filling vacancies
The Fairbanks Police Department remains understaffed, despite a recently approved hiring bonus. Police Chief Eric Jewkes told City Council members this week the substandard pay is driving high turnover and making recruiting difficult.
Sign project revives 1967 Fairbanks flood history
Almost 50 years ago, The Fairbanks area was deluged by unprecedented rainfall. The precipitation channeled from surrounding hills into the Chena River resulting in an epic flood that devastated the interior city. Five decades later, signs are going up around Fairbanks to remind people of what happened.
Caribou hunting limited in eastern Interior
The state will limit caribou hunting in the eastern Interior, along the Taylor and Top of the World Highways. An Alaska Department of Fish and Game announcement says the no-hunt corridor prohibits harvest of caribou within a hundred feet along both sides of the road during a state hunt for Forty Mile caribou, which opens August 29.
State budget cuts hitting Interior’s main public media company
The state’s fiscal situation is taking a toll on one of Alaska’s longest operating and largest public media companies.
Man killed in hatchet attack in Fairbanks bar
Fairbanks Police Department reports that Mark Allen Mitchell, 54, died Monday morning following the attack Sunday night at Club Manchu. Police spokeswoman Yumi McCullough said its unclear what motivated the suspect, Brett Matthew Gilbert, 49.